Chaos' Heir Chapter 956: Variable

Chapter 956: Variable

The Headquarters had changed once again while Khan was away. The cl.u.s.ter of central buildings had moved, getting closer to the defensive perimeter. Long-range turrets had also joined them, planning to help in the incoming battle.

The defensive perimeter itself had changed. Many turrets had gathered there, separated by a series of deep trenches. That arrangement said a lot about the imminent battle strategy, but Khan kept his thoughts to himself.

The Scalqa inside the trenches and defensive perimeter noticed the s.h.i.+p and cheered at its arrival. Some even followed it to its landing area, crowding the place.

The cheers grew louder when Khan's figure appeared on the s.h.i.+p's side doors. General excitement invaded the army at the return of its true leader, and Khan let that feeling wash over himself before setting off, flying toward the war council's building.

Khan's trip could have been immediate, but he decided to remain visible, slowly approaching his destination. Countless gazes followed his flying figure before he disappeared underground.

The underground meeting room was empty, but Khan calmly seized one of the available bottles and sat down, waiting for the war council to a.s.semble. He placed his feet on the circular table, ignoring the holograms to focus on drinking. Meanwhile, the elevator opened and closed, allowing figures inside.

Prince Richard and Moses were the first to arrive, followed by Bruno. Garret didn't take long to descend into the underground room, either, while Lieutenant Dyester came last.

Each new addition to the underground room conveyed different reactions. Both young warriors now had nothing but respect and reverence. Bruno looked indifferent, while Garret's calm face hid some amazement. As for Lieutenant Dyester, a trace of sad exhaustion tainted his mana, having Khan as its target.

Those reactions mostly ignored Khan's appearance. His stay on the mineral had been far from clean. Dirt and sweat covered him. His body and clothes needed a bath, and his aura seemed to yearn for a prolonged break. Still, no one addressed it, especially since Khan cut the inspection short with a question.

"Brief me," Khan ordered, sipping from his cup while raising his gaze to the holograms.

"Yes, Prince Khan," Garret stated, standing up to tinker with the desk's menus. The holograms changed, replaying the events from the previous week.

Khan could finally see the effects of his actions. Indeed, the mineral was a valuable location, and the corpses that gradually littered its surroundings enhanced its appeal. Many packs had tried to a.s.sault it, only to fall from Khan's hands.

The recording wasn't detailed. A few screens occasionally popped out, trying to add videos to the simplistic holograms, but the scanners had only captured unclear pictures of the packs and the quadrant. No one actually saw how Khan had dealt with the incoming enemies. Their red marks simply disappeared once they reached their destination.

Khan had expected as much. That scene matched his guess, too. The holograms justified Moses' reverence and the general excitement about Khan's return. The army had basically seen Khan single-handedly dealing with multiple packs, and the mystery behind his methods only intensified his fame.

Nevertheless, the interesting part came after the summary of the previous week. Some packs had ignored the mineral's appeal, focusing on their fellow monsters and other valuable locations. Large-scale battles had unfolded in the nearby quadrants, involving the entirety of Senerth's remaining fauna.

The battle's outcome saw a single pack emerging victorious. Three slightly bigger red marks stood among a sea of smaller triangles, highlighting the group's size. It seemed the unusual situation had brought an evolution to the monsters' type of leaders.h.i.+p, giving birth to a triumvirate.

Of course, the monsters' intelligence was limited, and that short period wasn't enough to bring a drastic improvement. The ma.s.sive pack had to have a single leader at its core, with the two other creatures acting as generals. That development was unexpected, but Khan could spot both benefits and problems.

The pack's size was troublesome. More than a thousand beasts filled its ranks, almost matching the Scalqa army. Khan couldn't rely on the numerical advantage anymore, inevitably leading to a b.l.o.o.d.y battle.

However, the next battle was bound to be the last. Winning it would end the Empire's mission, finalizing Senerth's conquest. The long months of struggles had finally reached their critical point, perfectly matching Khan's ideal timeline.

Also, the pack's size would give Khan all the room he needed to freely unleash his wide-range spells without worrying about hurting his soldiers. He would be able to dive into the backlines, raining death upon the monsters that had yet to reach the frontline.

The turrets would share Khan's advantage, firing at will until the army and pack merged into a chaotic battlefield. The pheromone would also allow Khan to choose the fighting ground, allowing him to exploit humankind's superior military intelligence.

The idea of a b.l.o.o.d.y battle annoyed Khan, but it was too late to do anything about it. Senerth's fauna was giving its everything in a last attempt to resist that powerful invader, and Khan had to respect its effort by meeting it on the battlefield. That was what the Thilku had taught him.

Still, one detail remained unclear, gnawing at Khan's brain. The army had spent months studying the monsters' bodies and behavior, so Khan couldn't help but spot something odd. "Do we know what's special about this leader?" Khan questioned.

Generals were common among humans, but the monsters had hunger at their core. They didn't fight for leaders.h.i.+p positions out of ambition and pride. Leading a pack simply secured them more food.

The last pack clearly had three alphas, so there had to be a reason behind their cooperation or subservience. Strength was the most obvious explanation, but mana-enhanced creatures weren't as simple as they looked. Khan knew that far too well after experiencing Nitis' outburst.

"We spotted the same incongruence, Prince Khan," Garret revealed. "The pack's structure and movements have been odd, but we couldn't find anything specific. The leader probably underwent some strange mutation that awarded it new powers."

'The power to control two alphas,' Khan thought. 'It can't be simple. However, does it

matter?'

As if reading Khan's thoughts, Lieutenant Dyester finally spoke. "Variables can be scary, but overwhelming strength can deal with all of them."

"What do you suggest?" Khan asked.

"Meeting the pack on the battlefield," Lieutenant Dyester snorted, "And dropping the two of us in its middle to deal with the leaders. A dead variable is no variable at all."