Chaos' Heir

Chapter 898: Debris

Chapter 898: Debris

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Khan and Colonel Norrett shook hands, lingering longer than necessary in that gesture. Their light squeeze attempted to test their respective strength, providing decent results but opposite reactions.

Khan confirmed what he had already sensed. Colonel Norrett was no ordinary soldier. The attempted evolution had pushed him past the limits of the fifth level, and his stance matched that power. He had probably been away from the battlefield for years, but his prowess was unaffected.

That obviously pleased Khan. He didn't only respect strong warriors. He also needed someone closer to the Global Army to expand his reach. Moreover, completing the Colonel's training would add a loyal, evolved soldier to his ranks, which the situation desperately required.

Meanwhile, Colonel Norrett couldn't help but experience renewed surprise at Khan's strength. More than a level separated them, but the Colonel didn't feel confident facing Khan head-on. Khan's unclear power hindered the Colonel's probing, making mental simulations inconclusive.

That didn't necessarily mean Colonel Norrett would lose in a battle, but the unclear results remained shocking. The sole fact that Khan looked able to put up a good fight against the Colonel confirmed all the unbelievable rumors around him.

Despite the shock, Colonel Norrett felt happy with his choice. Khan's unnatural strength was further proof that he could achieve miracles. He could only hope they would involve him now.

"Sit," Khan ordered, breaking the handshake. "There's much I must update you on."

"I followed your news closely," Colonel Norrett revealed as both men returned to their couches. "How much isn't available on the network?"

"Quite much," Khan stated, refilling his drink. "The struggles among nobles rarely reach the network, and many of my enemies come from those families."

"The representatives on the terrace?" Colonel Norrett wondered. He didn't recognize every face, but guessing the guests' identity wasn't exactly hard, especially for someone with his experience.

"They are fine," Khan explained, "Sort of. The main problem is within my family." "The other factions?" Colonel Norrett questioned. "What did you give them until now?" "Nothing," Khan responded. "Nothing I didn't also offer the other families."

"I'm not an expert," Colonel Norrett announced, "But that's not ideal as far as I know."

"They already threatened me a few times," Khan revealed. "The second time, they even brought an evolved warrior."

Khan's casual tone didn't match the seriousness of the situation. Colonel Norrett had dealt with many heavy political issues, but Khan's lineage put him in a superior world. As unthinkable as it sounded, his relatives had actually summoned an evolved warrior for a meeting.

"Though that probably was my fault," Khan admitted. "After all, I did kill my distant Cousin or something during the first meeting."

Colonel Norrett had to remind himself to keep his mouth closed. It would hang open in surprise otherwise. Killing a noble was no minor crime, but Khan had admitted his involvement with the act a mere minute after shaking hands with the Colonel.

"Right," Khan recalled something. "That's supposed to be a secret. Don't go around telling it to the Global Army's big dogs."

The nobles had spies everywhere, and many high-ranking soldiers probably were on their payroll. That information was also priceless since it disclosed details about the Nognes family's instability, and countless parties could benefit from it.

Colonel Norrett didn't speak, but Khan could see he had gotten the message. Besides, the Colonel was far from politically inept. He knew how valuable that information was, and keeping it secret was part of his duties now.

"Are you about to start a war?" Colonel Norrett couldn't help but wonder.

"Why?" Khan asked. "Are you scared?"

Colonel Norrett snorted but held back the retorts in his mind. The matter was serious. He had fought and managed battles, but Khan's playing field was nothing he had ever faced. After all, he was a simple Colonel, while Khan stood among nobles.

"Did you regret your decision already?" Khan teased, smirking. "I'm not playing nice anymore, and my enemies aren't exactly weak. If I'm weak, we all die. If I make one mistake, we all die. That's the world you have joined."

"You'd better not make mistakes then," Colonel Norrett suggested.

"The same applies to you," Khan reminded.

"I've fought for the chance to obtain true relevance all my life," Colonel Norrett declared. "I won't get cold feet now that I've seized it."

"Good," Khan exclaimed. "I have no room or patience for slackers. I expected you to perform."

"You sure have grown accustomed to leadership," Colonel Norrett commented.

"It's easy if you pay the price for it," Khan pointed out. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"I do," Colonel Norrett agreed. "Though you have yet to blow my mind."

"Liar," Khan said. "You have something in mind."

"Little shit," Colonel Norrett muttered, half-threatened and half-pleased by Khan's piercing gaze.

Khan kept smirking, and the Colonel eventually shook his head, giving up on the silent argument.

"How did you get that power of yours?" Colonel Norrett asked. "Does it have something to do with my evolution?"

"It's always easier to talk with inhuman people," Khan admitted, standing up. "Come. I'll show you my latest training area."

Colonel Norrett didn't expect that sudden invitation but didn't make Khan ask twice, either. He jumped to his feet, following Khan outside the hall and heading for one of the landing platforms. A ship wouldn't have been Khan's first choice, but carrying the Colonel through the sky felt too improper for now.

Khan ordered the soldiers to remain behind and took control of the ship, flying it toward the caves. Many were still intact, but the cavern with the pool had crumbled after the training session, replaced by a small hill of boulders.

"What should I see?" Colonel Norret asked when Khan stopped before the hill of boulders.

"One second," Khan exclaimed. "I still have to concentrate on this one."

Colonel Norrett instinctively shut his mouth. Khan radiated a dangerous aura, but the Colonel also felt odd for a different reason. Something about the pile of boulders filled him with uneasiness, making him curious about the area.

A soft gale suddenly blew through the area. Colonel Norrett knew Khan had been its source, but crumbling noises reached his ears before he could ask any question, bringing his eyes to the small hill. Cracks were opening on the many boulders, stretching and widening to turn them into finer debris.

The hill quickly crumbled, lifting a pile of dust. The night sky and cloud tried to hinder the Colonel's vision, but a blue light shone ahead of him, pointing the way.

"It's worse than I thought," Khan announced while the cloud dispersed. "I truly went wild."

Details appeared in the Colonel's vision as the cloud dispersed. Smaller rocks still filled the area, but a metal structure was visible under the debris. Colonel Norrett spotted part of the pool, but his gaze soon focused on the dark liquid inside.

The liquid wasn't the only odd detail. Long holes filled the ground, welcoming the smaller debris. It almost seemed someone had dug channels around the pool, but their charred edges and bottoms hinted at something else. Those cavities resulted from spells, and Khan had just admitted to being the culprit.

"Oh, well," Khan sighed, advancing. "The guys should be hard at work at rebuilding it."

Multiple small rocks stood on Khan's path but turned into dust when they touched his aura. He reached the pool's edge uninterrupted, leaning toward it to immerse his hand in its

tampered liquid.

"What a waste," Khan exclaimed, pulling his hand out to inspect the liquid dripping off his fingers. "It's mostly ruined."

Colonel Norrett couldn't hold back his curiosity and approached Khan, looking at the dark liquid from behind his back. That substance was almost slimy and contained debris, confirming its impurity, but the Colonel still connected it to the uneasiness he felt. "The supplement is a refined version of this substance," Khan explained, shaking his hand to remove the lingering liquid on it, "Which is an agent of change. It lowers the requirements for transformations and can theoretically help with the evolution."

"Theoretically?" Colonel Norrett questioned.

"I only tested this method on myself," Khan revealed. "For the evolution, that is. I'm trying to replicate the aided metamorphosis, using myself as the catalyst." Colonel Norrett was no scientist, but his medical team had bored him to death with the details

of evolution. He knew about the aided metamorphosis and could understand what Khan was

attempting, hence his wide eyes.

"Is it possible?" Colonel Norrett asked.

"I almost died, apparently," Khan laughed, peeking past his shoulder, "But you can sense its

effects, can't you?"

Khan didn't need the Colonel's confirmation. Lord Exr, Lord Rsi, and Tlexicpalli's reactions had already proven that the new training method worked. He simply didn't know what he would become once the transformation was complete.

Nevertheless, the Colonel nodded, wearing a serious face and ignoring Khan. The short explanation already told him about the pool's potential, and his eyes brimmed with ambition

looking at it.

"When can I start?" Colonel Norrett asked.

"Easy," Khan chuckled. "You aimed for the extreme induction, right? It might take a while to

prepare all we need for that."

"But," Colonel Norrett uttered, looking at Khan, "Creating a matching mana for my state should be nigh-impossible."

"For humans, maybe," Khan declared. "You have my eyes now, Mark. Don't forget that."