Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1507: Games

Khan didn’t believe for a second that his speech had moved the noble families. That gathering reeked of politics, and it wasn’t hard to guess which.

Obviously, the noble families had more evolved assets at their disposal, but sending a few of those, probably one per family, especially after Khan’s speech, would look like an act of goodwill rather than something they had been forced to do.

That probably was the reason why the response had been so immediate. It was to prevent Khan from relying on his usual disastrous and overbearing leverage to acquire those evolved assets and deploy them on the battlefield.

Of course, Khan had never planned to do that. His speech had been genuine. He would rather have fewer, willing warriors than a higher number of disloyal mercenaries.

Yet, the noble families didn’t know that, so they had seized the initiative in what looked like a public stunt rather than an actual effort to help in the war.

Like that, the noble families would be in control of the public perspective, accepting a minimal level of exposure while also avoiding looking as if they cared more about their influence over the universe’s fate.

Still, despite the bad intentions, Khan couldn’t really complain. He didn’t mind them, either. He needed more evolved warriors, and he couldn’t care less about how. It only mattered that they were here now.

Besides, there was some actual quality among those reinforcements.

Khan never underestimated Bruno, but he had surpassed him long ago. That wasn’t to say that Buno was weak, but Khan mainly needed warriors on par with the True Chaos’ Kings. Bruno wasn’t at that level, but some of his companions, three to be exact, looked to be suitable.

Senses weren’t without faults, even those as heightened as Khan’s. The evolved realm was also deep, involving something far more profound than a simple quantity of mana.

So, evaluating an evolved warrior’s exact power through mere perception was relatively impossible. At most, that ability could give an idea of the general level of danger a particular individual possessed.

Different elements and their mastery also had to be taken into consideration. Battle proficiency was a critical aspect, too. A fight had too many variables to predict its outcome through senses alone.

However, that rule had nuances. The broader the gap in power level, the more accurate that idea would be, and Khan was one of the greatest entities in the entire regulated universe. His perception was nothing short of a mystical sixth sense, which was rarely wrong.

Other details helped that mystical sixth sense, providing a complete and accurate picture. Evolved warriors weren’t as clueless as mortals. They understood the superior realm and the entities in it, so the ten gathered assets could somehow gauge Khan’s power.

Bruno pretended to remain calm, but his very existence shook under that inspection. The same went for most of his companions, who couldn’t help but grow wary of being in the presence of someone who seemed to stand beyond their understanding of the evolved realm.

Yet, three exceptions existed, the same three highlighted by Khan’s mystical sixth sense.

An old man with unkempt grey hair and an even messier grey beard, wearing a heavily creased military uniform with no stars, silently inspected Khan, growing more serious by the second.

Another man, a middle-aged one, bald but with a thick black beard and wearing a dark robe made of patchworked rags, crossed his hairy arms to project strength, but his lips parted, even releasing a low growl.

The third curious figure was an old woman with a crooked back, her messy, long white hair falling all over her face and shoulders while she supported herself on a simple wooden cane.

The old woman was the only one who didn’t look at Khan or Liiza. Instead, her attention was on the tiny figure on Khan’s head, whom she waved at with her free hand. She had also worn a warm smile, but her messy hair hid it.

Of course, Khan saw some wariness in that trio, too, which was natural. Only clueless idiots would remain impassible before the danger he posed.

Still, those more restrained and aware reactions vouched for the three evolved warriors’ ability. They seemed to have acknowledged Khan’s strength without succumbing to fear or shock, which was already more than he could ask.

“Codenames, you said,” Khan voiced, implying a question that Bruno didn’t hesitate to answer.

“I’ll be Nognes if you will allow it, Prince Khan,” Bruno explained.

Khan’s glowing gaze fell on the starless old man at that point, and the meaning behind his gesture didn’t go unnoticed.

“Kodwa, Prince Khan,” The old man said while Khan’s gaze kept moving, revealing a pattern that he had no problem discerning.

“Perac,” The bald, middle-aged man said when the blue light fell on him, before going back to his low growl.

“Airrak, Prince Khan,” The old woman with a crooked back followed, still trying to claim Yeza’s attention.

More familiar names resounded as Khan kept moving his gaze over the group, ultimately confirming the pattern he had already understood, as well as disclosing another intention behind that gathering.

The codenames were nothing more than the family names each evolved asset belonged to, for no other reason than to continue playing the political game.

After all, the war was bound to be quite public, and the same went for its exploits and heroic feats.

A warrior’s good performance would reflect well on the family or force he belonged to. In the same way, the noble families wanted their assets to be recognized by their connection to them to claim any fame they might obtain.

Also, that power division couldn’t look random anymore. It couldn’t be the case that the seemingly stronger evolved assets in the group came from noble families Khan didn’t have a tight relationship with.

That arrangement was a clear appeal to Khan’s favors, subtle but undeniable, something he could only sigh helplessly at. After all, he had a war to win, so he couldn’t waste time reprimanding those political games.

At most, Khan would have to use that time to check how strong those reinforcements actually were, as well as their resolve.

I have an errand to run. The second chapter will come later tonight.