Chaos' Heir

Chapter 932: Steps



Bruno's peaceful gaze grew slightly solemn. Khan's last attack was still a bit away from the evolved soldiers' standards, but he was getting there. Moreover, he was achieving something most of Bruno's peers failed to do.

Khan ignored Bruno's reaction. He floated above the newly formed hole, his gaze lost in thought. He knew what he had done, but translating it into an actual attack would take time and practice.

'I can feel the air's density,' Khan thought. 'I can see the symphony's texture.'

Sending some mana downward changed the symphony's nature. Khan's energy tainted it, spreading its wild behavior inside it. Then, Khan lowered his foot again, and that invisible, violent mass shrunk under the gesture, seemingly compressing under its weight.

"Old man," Khan called, but Bruno knew what was coming for him.

"I'll take it seriously, Prince," Bruno announced.

Khan glanced at the evolved soldier and nodded. He closed his eyes before explosions unfolded inside his legs. His figure disappeared only to materialize above Bruno, his right foot pointed at his left shoulder.

Khan had initially planned to step on Bruno's shoulder, but an invisible barrier slowed his movement at the last second, forcing him to stop a few centimeters above it. Yet, Khan pressed on with his offensive, and Bruno couldn't help but face it seriously.

A battle between two invisible forces unfolded in the small space between Khan's foot and Bruno's shoulder. One was silent, steady, and unmovable, while the other almost screamed angrily, compressing during the process.

The angry force appeared unable to advance, but a crack suddenly appeared in the silent energy, creating an opening that caused a chain reaction. Violent mana immediately flowed into it like a hungry river, destabilizing and threatening to shatter that unmovable membrane.

Bruno's left arm suddenly changed position. It reappeared stretched forward, with its palm pointed at the sky, and a wall materialized around Khan, interrupting his attack and flinging him upward.

Khan flew into the sky, letting his body roll for a while before regaining control. He stopped far above Bruno, his figure horizontal as he stared at the evolved warrior. An excited grin filled his face, and his eyes widened, illuminating the battlefield below.

Much had happened during the exchange, but everything had unfolded in less than a second. Only Khan, Bruno, and people at their level could see all the minute and seemingly slow details of that short offensive. Actually, Bruno was far from the average evolved warrior, so he noticed far more.

Evolved warriors were one with their element. Their existence stretched past their physical constraints. They were a heavy presence capable of affecting their surroundings as if innately spreading radiations that mutated the symphony around them.

Khan could achieve a similar feat, but part of that power came from his alien arts. However, he wasn't trying to change the symphony with his kicks. He was merely pushing it, and that compression generated a violent reaction.

Bruno's experience was vast. He knew he was among the best evolved warriors in the Nognes family's ranks. Yet, Khan's ability to manipulate the symphony left him stunned. He didn't need to influence it to touch it. It was like he could freely command and play with it, using his bare hands and feet instead of superior and complicated methods.

On the other hand, Khan kept floating in the air, his mind long since devoid of useless thoughts. His last attack was powerful but was only a first step in the right direction, and it was time to move to the next.

Explosions happened inside Khan's legs, flinging him downward without requiring additional movements. He instantly appeared above Bruno, his stretched leg ready to cleave him in half. The attack would have usually been over already, but Bruno's existence wasn't something Khan could pierce with mere physical strength, especially when he was aiming to damage it. The battle between the two invisible forces unfolded again, but Khan added true intent to his attack now. His leg started reeking of his mana's nature, affecting the compressed symphony under it. Everything soon grew unstable, forcing Bruno to push Khan away again, but the counterattack couldn't stop the brewing destruction.

An invisible wall slammed on Khan and pushed him away, but a similar force also fell on Bruno. His uniform's collar broke, and a small red mark appeared on his skin. Meanwhile, the ground around him shattered, leaving only the small patch where he stood intact.

Khan's feet slid on the ground for a few meters before dispersing that momentum. He stopped himself, glancing at the new hole and the thin column at its center. Bruno stood on it, his expression more solemn as he checked his neck.

"Impressive, Prince Khan," Bruno commented. "While your element's sheer power still can't match mine, your ability to bend the mana to your will compensates for that temporary weakness. I believe you are also approaching full mastery of your martial art."

Bruno was talking about evolving the Transcendent Step through a personal path. Experience and repetition would typically handle that growth, but Khan was forcing it to follow a specific direction, one he could be able to wield against those powerful soldiers.

Control and manipulations were key. The Lightning-Demon style had taught Khan to interact with the symphony, and compressing it would generate a violent reaction. That was the first step.

The second involved fusing that compression with mana that featured the chaos element's true nature. The process would generate a more violent and destructive reaction, affecting the evolved warriors' seemingly ethereal nature.

Still, a third step existed. The Transcendent Step aimed for immediate, unstoppable, and destructive blows, but compressing the symphony created a delay. That interruption was short and barely noticeable, but evolved soldiers could exploit it to counterattack. Also, it went against the martial art's nature, defeating its purpose.

Khan looked at his legs. His body had never been stronger, but those new moves still put a heavy strain on his joints and muscles. Nevertheless, he needed to unleash more power without losing his grace. Only that combination would allow a perfect execution of the Transcendent Step with the symphony compression.

'Should I use Maban's technique?' Khan wondered before quickly discarding the idea. 'No, adding power will only make it harder to control. Besides, revealing all my cards isn't ideal.'

The only viable solution made Khan sigh. As with everything, the immediate results were a naïve and childish desire. Only slow and methodical training could bring the results he

wanted.

"We'll be here for a while," Khan muttered, seemingly talking to himself before his eyes focused again, ready to deliver another attack.

•

Baoway's star had almost appeared on the horizon when Khan returned to his quarters. A slight limp afflicted his right leg, but his steps still carried a strange weight. His feet seemed to slow down whenever they were about to touch the metal floor, occasionally earning him

screaming noises.

Khan ignored those events, lost in thought and the strange understanding seized during the lengthy exchange. Images from the Nak's hand and his kicks flashed in his mind, gradually merging to create something stronger. He felt he was getting closer, but the general idea still escaped him.

Khan remained immersed in his thoughts even after reaching the bedroom, and his mood

didn't change when he threw himself in bed. The dirt from the sparring session tainted the mattress and sheets, but he only looked at the ceiling, his eyes piercing that metal surface to wander in ideas he could barely put into words.

Monica obviously saw everything. Sleeping was always hard for her without Khan, so she had stayed up, working on finalizing the details of his imminent departure. His return had elated her, but one look at his face told her he wasn't to be disturbed. As annoying as it was, Monica knew when Khan needed time to think.

Minutes flew by while Monica waited. Occasionally, she resumed working on her phone, which altered the wall's menus. Those moments would be their last together for a long time,

but Khan was lost in a world she couldn't reach.

"How do you push something without slowing down?" Khan eventually asked.

Monica put away her phone, curling her legs to straighten her back. She glanced at Khan, who was still looking at the ceiling, before exploring the question.

"You add more strength?" Monica wondered. "Resistance is unavoidable, but more strength

can shorten its duration."

"What if more strength breaks it?" Khan questioned. "How can something so forceful happen

without delays?"

Monica rolled her eyes. She felt Khan had already encountered a similar issue and didn't know whether he had forgotten about the solution or the problem featured new challenges. Yet,

Monica had also developed her own way of dealing with those situations, and her hands promptly went on her nightgown's shoulders.

Khan didn't even need to hear the rustling of clothes. His eyes darted to his side in time to watch Monica's nightgown fall to her lap. His gaze's light illuminated her naked beauty before pointing at her smug face.

"See?" Monica exclaimed. "Made you look with no strength at all." Enlightenment seemed to dawn upon Khan. His eyes widened in understanding before

focusing on Monica's face. She played with her curls, wondering what would follow, but hern/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

man didn't disappoint. Before she knew it, she was clinging to his neck, giggling as he carried her into their vast bathroom.