Chaos' Heir Chapter 991: Drastic

Chapter 991: Drastic

Khan had achieved complete mastery over the Divine Reaper long ago but had never used it in a real battle. That last step consisted of the lingering sharp energy after his slashes, which kept cutting even when the attack's mana was depleted.

That ability had much in common with the nature of Khan's element. Actually, it was Khan's mana that had shaped the Divine Reaper's last step into that form. That was normal with martial arts, and those similarities pushed the Divine Reaper's mastery even further.

The evolution had brought Khan closer to his element. He had learned to feel its unreasonably destructive force and sense the entropy in his surroundings, eventually managing to channel it into attacks.

The world wanted to fall apart, and the Divine Reaper could fulfill that wish, too. Khan's new understanding had added fuel and power to the lingering sharp energy, allowing it to exploit the environment's entropy to cut deeper and more easily.

Brigadier General Meadrey looked on the verge of death, but his life could still be saved. He was exhausted, but the danger had a way of summoning energy reserves even the wielder was unaware of. His survival instincts cleared the dizziness in his mind as soon as cuts opened on his right shoulder, giving him enough strength to act.

The wound on the Brigadier General's shoulder looked alive, expanding on its own as if driven by an unstoppable desire to turn his flesh into shreds. His withered state only made the process easier for that sharp energy, and his skin soon began to resemble broken gla.s.s.

The damage kept spreading without signs of stopping. The spiderweb expanded, approaching the Brigadier General's chest and arm, but he had placed his left hand above the wound by then, unleas.h.i.+ng yellow flames.

Brigadier General Meadrey had exhausted himself in the previous attack, so his flames were weak, but his skin was weaker. His fire cauterized the wound, turning the expanding spiderweb into a gruesome chunk of sizzling flesh.

The worst seemed to have pa.s.sed, but another wave of pain soon spread from the Brigadier General's shoulder. The sharp energy didn't only spread through his skin. It also went deeper, cutting through his withered muscles to aim for the bone.

Brigadier General Meadrey's wide eyes flashed with resolve. He summoned all his remaining mana to give birth to an incandescent burst of flames. The yellow fire devoured his flesh, but the sharp energy had already escaped its reach, forcing him to take drastic measures.

A grunt escaped Brigadier General Meadrey's dry lips as he fixed his eyes on his yellow flames. The fire burned through his flesh, severing his shoulder entirely and leaving behind a fuming stump. A mess of yellowish, red, and brown sizzling skin covered his collarbone and part of his side, but the following event vouched for his drastic decision.

Flames burned on the severed arm, but another energy devoured its insides. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal wounds kept opening, littering the limb with cuts that extended past its superficial layers.

The wounds eventually covered the whole severed limb before its structural integrity gave in. The arm crumbled into a gory puddle of bloodied shards, which the lingering yellow flames burned, rising higher after obtaining that additional fuel.

Brigadier General Meadrey watched his flames burning his arms remains, breathing roughly. That could have been his fate if he had been one second late. Still, his situation didn't improve. He had saved himself, but a new threat was already upon him.

Khan landed on the partially melted staircase without making any sound. It almost seemed he had materialized out of thin air, but the Brigadier General knew better and struggled to keep his tired eyes open to follow his movements.

Khan was a few steps below the Brigadier General, standing next to the burning gory puddle. The flames barely reached his waist but still claimed his attention. His eyes' blue light enveloped the fire, which seemed to shrink under its invisible pressure.

However, something spectacular and inexplicable followed. Khan gently waved his hand toward the fire. The gesture reeked of kindness, care, and grace as if he was lifting Monica's chin, and the yellow flames seemed drawn to it.

A fiery tongue escaped the fire and flew toward Khan's hand, slowly approaching his lifted forefinger before circling it. The flames didn't burn him. Instead, they looked alive as if performing some sort of mystical greeting.

"I see," Khan muttered, opening his hand to let the flame disperse. Even the gory puddle stopped burning, and Khan inspected its remains, his glowing eyes darting left and right to study details only he could see.

The scene mesmerized Brigadier General Meadrey. He totally abided by humankind's narrow perspective when it came to mana, but even he understood that something exceptional had happened.

That awe vanished when Khan looked at the Brigadier General. The latter snapped back to reality, recalling what was happening. He had lost on every front, ending up in a near-death state, but the blue light s.h.i.+ning on him only made him smile.

Khan felt confused once again. That smile made no sense, but he could see it was genuine. Brigadier General Meadrey looked happy and at peace, a fulfilled man at the end of his

journey.

"Why?" Khan couldn't help but ask. "Why would you go so far?"

Brigadier General Meadrey's smile broadened at Khan's lack of understanding. Countless wrinkles littered his now-bony head, but the ugly sight didn't affect his evident happiness.

"I never did anything against you," Khan continued. "I don't think I ever killed one of your soldiers, either, so why? Why do you hate me so much?"

Brigadier General Meadrey scoffed, but his throat opposed the gesture, triggering a cough. His exposed withered torso highlighted his ribcage, and his skin threatened to break when it hit those bones. Yet, the General didn't mind, and calming down led to a short, hoa.r.s.e chuckle.

"The fact that you don't understand it shows how distant you are, Major," Brigadier General Meadrey said, his voice no more than a whisper. "But the Global Army will see it now. Humankind will understand."

As if listening to the Brigadier General's words, a change happened on the fort's walls. Tall holograms appeared, shaping into vast screens. Some flickered, but their images remained comprehensible, and Khan finally saw what his opponent was talking about.