Chaos' Heir

Blue lights flashed in Khan's eyes while his world hurt. The heightened senses he had developed throughout years of training had turned into his greatest enemy, making him unable to move or summon mana. He could only watch as the bullets converged toward him.

Time slowed down in Khan's teary eyes. Realizations descended upon him and spread in the back of his mind while his brain fought against his own senses. His paranoia had always been right. The ploy to take him out was there, and he was powerless against it.

For a second, Khan accepted that that was his moment. All his struggles and feats had culminated in that instant. He would die alone on an alien planet. His journey was about to end, and, for a moment, he felt relief.

Death meant no more struggle, nightmares, loneliness, and desperation. Khan could finally stop fighting and rest. He had played the game as well as possible, but his enemies had won. Even his mana realized that. He was cornered, powerless, and hopeless, leaving no room for anger or additional struggles.

Images flashed in Khan's vision during that instant. Happy moments ran through his eyes, bringing some satisfaction. Monica, George, Jenna, and others appeared before him, replacing the ship's insides. His life had been short but full. Khan could claim to be satisfied, but the sound of falling water reached his ears, giving birth to one regret.

All the familiar faces disappeared, replaced by a cave hidden by a waterfall. A cozy, cold sensation invaded Khan, curving his mouth into a longing, bitter smile.

Khan saw long, flowy white hair partially dampened by the waterfall. He spotted a slender figure and dark fingers reaching for his chest. He noticed bright eyes looking straight at him and a blushing face wearing a loving smile.

Years had passed, but Khan still recalled every detail. His very body replicated the sensations of that distant, lost period. He felt the cold fingers on his chest. He remembered that loving touch, that hand slipping under his clothes to steal his warmth, that instinctive need to destroy the barriers between two bodies to turn them into one.

'I should have never left,' Khan concluded. He couldn't actually think those words, but the realization had arrived anyway.

However, something else suddenly replaced the images created by Khan's mind. A huge figure filled his vision, creating a barrier between him and the incoming mana bullets. Zu-Gru had jumped at Khan's aid, and all the shots landed on him.

Peace and compliance with the defeat immediately disappeared. Hope had appeared, forcing Khan's mind to resume working at full power. Immense anger, defiance, and determination flooded Khan's body, driving him to fight a second longer.

Amy and the others didn't stop at one round of bullets. They kept firing while the auto-pilot activated the ship's engines. The vehicle began setting off as a second array of shots landed on Zu-Gru. His burly body was the perfect meat shield, but mere muscles had their limits.

The sharp noise was still ringing, immobilizing Khan, but he saw a bullet piercing through Zu-Gru's torso and flying forward, hitting his right shoulder. The shot didn't go past his muscles but added another hole to his already wounded body.

Khan focused on his urges, hoping his element could defeat the noisy device. The clicking cry inside his mind showed its presence and grew louder, but the process was too slow. Zu-Gru alone couldn't give him the time he needed to regain control of his body.

Plans within plans flooded the functioning parts of Khan's brain, but nothing feasible appeared. Intelligence couldn't save him. It took the simplicity of a primitive mind to achieve that.

Zu-Gru didn't waste time on pointless and complicated thoughts. Khan appeared stuck, so he jumped backward, slamming on him to push him out of the ship's open doors.

The ship had continued to rise in those seconds, getting quite high in the sky. Still, Khan couldn't sense the ground. He saw Baoway's sky in his surroundings but had no power to stop himself from falling.

Nevertheless, the increasing distance from the ship began to give Khan breathing room from the noisy disturbance. His senses started to resume working as he fell, but the assault didn't end there. He saw Zu-Gru being kicked out of the vehicle before his teammates peeked from the open doors to aim and fire at him.

Another round of blue bullets filled Khan's vision. They were fast, faster than his falling speed, giving him no time to regain control of his body. Yet, part of his mind had recovered, and his mouth opened to release a violent cry.

Currents of wild mana escaped Khan's body, encircling him into a defensive spell. The bullets landed on that energy but ended up getting eaten. The teammates shot more rounds, but nothing reached Khan.

Khan continued to scream as the world around him returned. The distance from the ship and the defensive spell finally gave him a chance to recover, and his senses immediately warned him about the nearing ground.

Khan put as much strength as he could muster into his legs, throwing them downward. He was still weak, but the move created enough force to disperse most of the falling momentum. His body stopped for a second before his back hit the ground.

The currents of mana devoured part of the surface before dispersing. The ship was flying higher, and bullets stopped coming. Khan had found some safety, but that turned out to be temporary.

The ship flew higher before turning and stopping. Its canopy pointed at the surface, at the spot where Khan had landed. Two holes also opened under it, lowering big rifles that could cover that vast distance.

Khan had begun standing up in the meantime. He straightened his back without moving his eyes away from the ship. He knew that distance was no random case. The team had placed itself outside the range of Khan's spears, planning to take him down safely.

Synthetic mana began accumulating inside the rifles. The team wasn't wasting time since it knew catching Khan would be troublesome once he started escaping. However, Khan didn't move at all. He even stopped inspecting the ship to glance at another spot on the barren surface.

Khan was outside the forest's range. The trees were still nearby, but nothing hindered his view now, allowing him to see the second item that had fallen with him. Zu-Gru's body was mere meters away, but the bullets and the crash had turned it into a gory mess.

The Scalqa was almost unrecognizable. The rounds of bullets had transformed Zu-Gru's burly torso into a mess of flooding holes. The fall had done the rest, squashing his head and most of his back.

Nevertheless, part of Zu-Gru's arms had remained intact, allowing Khan to spot the bullet holes in them. The alien had given his everything to protect Khan and had paid the price with his life.

The ship's rifles fired while Khan was busy inspecting Zu-Gru. Two giant mana bullets descended through the sky, hitting Khan simultaneously. The barren ground in his surroundings shattered and burned during the explosion that followed, and a pile of smoke rose from the area.

No additional bullets fell. The explosion disrupted the scanners, so the team waited for the area to clear to see whether the attack had any effect. Still, the smoke suddenly dispersed, revealing a monstrous figure.

Khan stood at the center of the burning crater created by the bullets. His clothes were gone, revealing the entirety of his alien figure. Black blood vessels covered his whole body, and his bright eyes glared at the ship, conveying pure fury.

Multiple burns had appeared on Khan's body, worsening his condition. Yet, the team couldn't see any weakness in him. Khan looked stronger than ever, unflinching and unbeatable.

Synthetic mana poured into the rifles again, but Khan didn't stay still now. The ship was outside his spears' range, but he had a tool that could reach it, a tool the Global Army had yet to witness.

The cracks on the burned ground widened and stretched as Khan lifted his right arm. The fury inside his mind leaked into his aura, which became a destructive force the shattered terrain couldn't withstand. He had the chance to run now, but his eyes only sought revenge. Khan owed Zu-Gru that much.

A string of mana materialized between Khan's thumb and forefinger while he pointed his right hand at the ship. His other arm quickly rose, and his fingers pulled the elastic energy to his left cheek.

Khan released the string of mana before the rifles could fire. A bolt of destructive energy quickly rose through the sky, reaching the unaware ship. The team inside understood what was happening only when a hole appeared in the canopy.

The distance from the ship made Khan unable to sense the damage he had inflicted. However, the main deck was right behind the canopy, and his bullet didn't lose much strength to pierce it. The spell was bound to have destroyed a few screens or consoles.

Still, Khan couldn't be satisfied with so little. His left arm moved again, pulling the string of mana to his cheek. The ship's rifles fired, but he remained in his position as energy amassed inside his spell.

An unstable spear quickly formed between Khan's cheek and his right hand. The spell became an arrow that the release of the mana string propelled forward. The attack flew between the incoming bullets, and Khan saw it crashing into the canopy right before an explosion engulfed him.