Chaos Heir

Chapter 1429: Smile

The world exploded in ways that no nukes, black tides of raging waves, or catastrophic spells had been able to achieve.

The desert as a whole rose. The air shattered, and the broken defensive wall crumbled, turning into energy that painted the sky purple-red.

Half of the quadrant just abandoned its physical structure, willingly shattering into energy and spreading its apocalyptic consequences and echoes into the surrounding areas.

Luckily, Aynor was in the middle of an immense and nigh-unfixable desert born from the catastrophic First Impact. Earthquakes that carved deep canyons into that white landmass spread everywhere, but nothing of value was lost.

However, a piece of what had once been a luxurious city had survived the battle, and those apocalyptic side effects headed its way.

Yet, the tremors dampened when they hit the ethereal dome that had enveloped that relatively small area filled with survivors. The huge canyons turned into shallow and narrow cracks once they crossed the white light, stopping advancing after mere meters.

Something still leaked inside the dome, but it was bearable. The earthquakes were light, and the heaven-shattering roars became muffled once they seeped past the white light to rage in its insides.

Of course, the King experienced the very opposite end of that intensity. He was right above Khan, so he ended up in the very middle of that explosion.

Torrents of matter and energy rose all around the King, engulfing him in their raging might. That overwhelming display of power shocked him for a second, only for firm pride and determination to replace that feeling.

The world was shattering all around the King, but he was a black hole. He couldn’t have asked for a better battlefield, so the suction force his existence radiated intensified, planning to take that entire quadrant for himself.

The wild energy the quadrant was releasing changed course at that more forceful absorption. Yet, it didn’t converge toward the King. It curved and bent backward, gathering in a nearby spot under him.

The scenery had been unreadable after the world exploded. There was too much sand, storms, and sheer energy to see past it.

Nevertheless, all that suddenly disappeared. The world in the King’s scarlet eyes became clear again, only for it to fill him with awe.

The quadrant was virtually unrecognizable. Several layers of the desert had disappeared, replaced by a bottomless, dark, and immensely vast gorge that seemed to reach as deeply as the bedrock.

That transformation wasn’t limited to the areas directly in front of the King. Everything at his sides and behind him had also suffered from the same fate, the change being so widespread he couldn’t see the gargantuan cavity’s distant edges with his bare eyes.

Moreover, a star, or something that was equally blinding, was hovering right above that giant gorge, which even the King in that unleashed state took a second to adjust to.

Still, as the King’s perception enabled him to gaze past the blinding light, his awe intensified.

An orderly, neatly arranged array of what looked like stylized reptilian eyes stretched left and right, illuminating the area and looking at the King.

Khan hovered at the center of that array, his cold but intense expression carrying no trace of his previous casual demeanor. Even his eyes’ blue light seemed to have changed, becoming somewhat domineering.

That scene gave the King a hint of how vast Khan’s existence truly was. Despite being flawed, Khan was indeed immense and worthy of being the mana’s champion. Yet, he still fell short of the True Chaos’ God.

"Please, endure the next beating for a while," Khan requested as he lifted his arm. "I have questions I want to ask later."

The King heard Khan loud and clear but felt no insult in those arrogant words. Still, he didn’t plan to go along with them, either, and his giant wings unfolded even more, almost becoming two wide, rectangular objects at his sides, ready for the imminent clash.

As for Khan, he completely disregarded that preparation, his cold tone only conveying killing intent as he lowered his lifted arm and named his spell. "One hundred eyes."

An unbearable light suddenly filled the world before slamming on the entirety of the King’s existence. The stylized reptilian eyes released crackling beams of raw energy, and the King immediately understood that power wasn’t his to absorb.

That wasn’t only about quantity. Theoretically, the King could absorb that amount of raw energy.

However, the energy itself conveyed a different, unshakable, and unreasonable loyalty. It wanted to do Khan’s raging bidding, accepting no other leader than that violent freedom.

Of course, that wasn’t enough to make the King retreat. He quickly folded his wings, condensing everything he had absorbed until then and his own energy into his physical figure, before slamming his arms forward, planning to oppose the incoming tide.

Solid light slammed on the King’s palms and washed all over him, burning his robe, cape, and flesh underneath. Even his fuming wings and horns receded under that destructive force.

Still, the direct impact of the purple-red energy remained the most shocking detail. As soon as the King’s palms touched that massive spell, he accepted a sad truth. He never had any chance to stop or delay it in the first place.

The King lost his ethereal footing and flew back, dragged and burned by that raging tide of destructive, raw energy. Nevertheless, his body was tough and resisted the assault, amassing power to prepare for a counterattack.

The blinding, raging tide prevented the King from stopping himself, so he forsook that goal, only focusing on regaining a modicum of control over his limbs and existence. His energy condensed inside him, ready to expand, only for something unfathomably heavy to slam on his belly.

The King had closed his eyes to prepare that counterattack, but opened them to check what had happened. He was still in the middle of that raging river, burning while being partially blinded, but someone had joined him.

Khan had landed on the King’s powerless figure, his body and clothes seemingly immune to the raging energy washing over him. Still, something had also changed in him. A curious detail had broadened on Khan’s face, strangely worrying the King more than any gargantuan display of power could.

For some unknown reason, Khan was smiling, seemingly having the time of his life in that deadly situation.