Chaos' Heir

Chapter 960: Luck



Khan didn't really believe in luck. If anything, he was partial to bad luck. After all, his life and Wayne's element sort of proved its existence.

Nevertheless, even if luck did exist, it wouldn't have been enough to save the white alpha from Khan's attacks.

The alpha probably had sharp instincts, allowing it to sense the danger before it arrived. The first two dodges were theoretically possible as long as the monster had started preparing for them before Khan unleashed his attacks, but the last kick's outcome made no sense.

The white monster was as strong as a fifth-level warrior. Khan was even ready to place its attunement near one hundred points. Yet, he had the body of an evolved mutated soldier and had relied on powerful techniques. Surviving a direct kick wasn't only improbable. It was straight-up impossible.

Most soldiers would be frozen in shock at that outcome, but Khan was a fellow impossible existence. His surprise was short-lived, allowing him to study the situation from different perspectives. His offensive had been too quick for proper inspections, but information flooded his mind during that break.

The white alpha didn't only rely on survival instincts. It didn't even bear the full force of Khan's kick with its mere body. It simply couldn't. Yet, the symphony had moved during each assault, and Khan finally stopped to study it.

The energy in the air didn't feature anything odd, but mana had moved anyway. More than twenty nearby monsters had died for no apparent reason, which Khan connected to the white alpha. Actually, it was those creatures who were connected to their leader.

The connection was invisible and ethereal. Khan wouldn't have even sensed it if he didn't look for it. It was a feeling more than an actual ability, and its range seemed to reach every corner of the pack.

Tiny strands of energy constantly blended with the symphony and converged toward the white alpha, strengthening its aura. Its mana had the same color as the previous black mass, containing a convoluted mess of different natures forcefully condensed into a single form.

After noticing those strands, Khan became unable to unsee them. The battlefield changed in his eyes, gaining a different nature. That wasn't only a random cluster of countless auras. Each monster also served as the white alpha's energy reserve, making it able to unleash an unknown number of miraculous abilities.

Of course, Khan was still in the hypotheses phase, but testing his ideas wasn't hard. He acted again, descending into the hole to deliver a roundhouse kick on the white alpha's side. The creature flew away, slamming on the cavity's walls, but no sound of broken bones reached Khan's ears.

Khan didn't expect anything less and focused on the symphony. The white alpha had reacted to his sudden assault once again, but he noticed the intricate details behind its defense now.

The kick had hit the alpha and had unleashed its real power, but the creature had resorted to a forceful method, too. Thicker strands of mana had abruptly abandoned the nearby creatures, almost teleporting inside the leader's body to enhance its defensive abilities.

As for the nearby monsters, they suffered from abrupt energy loss, mimicking what the alpha was supposed to suffer. Almost fifteen creatures saw their sides cave in and their organs explode as if Khan had attacked them instead of the leader.

At that point, Khan confirmed all his ideas. The white alpha truly could harness the pack's energy to accomplish wonders and the how was obviously connected to its element.

Stealing someone else's mana was hard. Even affecting it required an incredible level of control and intensity. Khan had spent the last months mastering the specifics behind similar abilities, so he considered himself knowledgeable enough to draw conclusions.

The alpha didn't have Khan's overbearing element and alien abilities. It couldn't force the other monsters to give up their mana and lives, so the process had to be willing. Still, Khan's attacks never gave the leader the time to ask for permission, meaning the creature had already received it.

Senerth's monsters weren't too bright, and their behavior was relatively simple. Khan could only find one instance that matched his ideas. The white alpha had gained that permission when it subjugated its pack, turning it into its energy source.

The mana truly was a magical force that could assume many shapes. Its elements could be extremely simple or mind-numbingly complicated. They could go from physical to completely ethereal, but Khan felt he knew what the white alpha wielded. He actually sensed some kinship with the beast.

"It's authority, isn't it?" Khan asked, ignoring the fact that the alpha couldn't understand him.

The white alpha exited the crashing zone and shrugged the soil off its fur before staring at Khan. Its intelligence was uncommon among Senerth's monsters, but that only updated it on a sad reality. The leader was no match for Khan.

"You had to become a leader to increase your power," Khan continued, unaffected by that wary, hateful stare. "You had to because weakness meant death here."

The alpha's circumstances seemed to reflect Khan's. He also had no other choice but to accumulate power, eventually putting him into a leadership position. That was an unavoidable consequence of his desire to live and pursue his goals, forcing him to accept countless compromises.

"Is there really no escaping this system?" Khan wondered, glancing at the white sky. "Are we all cursed to be something decided by our mana? Is death the only alternative?"

The alpha obviously didn't answer but didn't move, either. The creature knew the current break came from Khan, and he could stop it whenever he wanted to.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I'm sorry," Khan eventually said, lowering his bright gaze to the alpha. "I would have spared you, but I really need this planet. Maybe one day, my organization will have a place for you, too."

Khan finally stepped forward, and the white alpha tensed, focusing on its connection with its pack. The creature had energy to spare, but that probably wasn't enough against the two- legged, caped monster.

"Though," Khan continued, "I'll show you some respect. No one has seen this yet."

As Khan took another step, the hole's bottom shattered, deepening by several meters.