"Khan, can you take care of it?" Lieutenant Leville asked.
"Another one?" Khan commented while peeking past the corner to inspect a metal wall that blocked the path.
"They are trying to slow us down," Lieutenant Leville sighed. "Though I don't understand why unless they can expand the underground structure in a matter of weeks."
"It would defeat the labs' purpose to expand deeper into their territory," Khan commented while coming out of the corner and approaching the wall.
"And we can't leave the area assigned to the thirty-seventh battalion," Lieutenant Leville added. "Well, we shouldn't, at least."
'It's about time for us to go out too,' Khan thought before stretching his fingers to give his hand the shape of a sword.
The assault team had entered the underground structure through a trench that the allied forces had captured during the month that Khan had spent recovering. Finding the exact location of an elevator had been annoying, but activating it had been easy since the Global Army had built a copy of the ring retrieved in the prisons.
The march inside the underground structure had also been easy but slow. The tunnels were relatively large, but they could be very long, and each corner could hide traps or small groups of Stal.
The assault team had advanced slowly to prioritize its safety, and they had even encountered a few hindrances during the two weeks spent inside the tunnels. The traps had been easy to notice and destroy, but the small squads of Stal had forced them to delay their schedule by entire days at times.
The issue was in the underground structure's layout. Even a small squad of Stal could force the entire assault team to a stop with a few rifles. Lieutenant Leville didn't want to send her underlings forward without inspecting the area, so her group had to remain behind corners for a while until she felt confident enough to advance.
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Those attacks didn't even lead to satisfying victories. The Stal had always managed to escape through secret passages or by deploying walls resistant to mana before the assault team could reach them. Khan and the others had never caught up with them, but that didn't stop their advance.
The same had happened now. A small squad of Stal had kept the assault team busy for two days. Lieutenant Leville had been ready to give the order to advance after that period only to find a black wall blocking the path.
A red-purple light began to cover Khan's hand before condensing into the shape of a short sword. He then placed the spell on the wall and stabbed it deeply in its structure.
The walls were resistant to mana, so bullets and regular spells would take a while to pierce it. The tunnel was also underground, so explosive or similar attacks with a large area of effect could put the whole team in danger. However, the assault team had a chaos wielder, and Lieutenant Leville didn't hesitate to use him as soon as she understood that his power was perfect for the situation.
The wall couldn't stop the chaos claws spell. The glowing short sword pierced its surface and created cracks around its shape. Those fissures spread like a spiderweb as the attack dug deeper into the wall, and metallic shards soon started to fall as the destruction continued.
The wall's resistant properties fought against the destructive influence of the chaos element, but they eventually had to give in and crumble. A hole slowly formed and allowed Khan to push the spell deeper. That hindrance was thick and annoying to deal with, but he could open a passage in a bit more than five minutes.
The Stal that had stopped the assault team for two days were nowhere to be seen. Khan couldn't sense anything past the wall, so he proceeded to enlarge the passage to create a path that wouldn't hinder a possible retreat.
Khan had done the same with the other three walls that the team had encountered on their path, but the scene continued to surprise his teammates. The chaos element's destructive power was quite famous, but the soldiers remained amazed that he could keep his spell active for so long.
Khan took that role as part of his training. He had become quite good with the chaos claws. They were his easiest spell, but he liked that he could keep them active for so long after a little more than a month.
"There should be a lab nearby," Lieutenant Leville announced while leading the group forward.
After crossing a few corners, the assault team reached a long corridor that didn't seem to contain anything. Still, one of the second-level mages used a sound ability to study the areas past the dark walls and uncover hidden rooms.
The inspection continued for a while, even after the soldier found something. He wanted to make sure that the Stal or the Guko they controlled didn't rig the entrance, but he eventually felt forced to launch attacks.
The soldier sent soundwaves on the other side of the wall by placing his hands on specific spots of that dark surface. Explosions resounded in the area as soon as the attacks touched traps or triggers, and the process continued until Lieutenant Leville ordered him to stop.
Khan's time arrived at that point. He approached the spot marked by the soldier and summoned the chaos claws again before stabbing them on the wall.
The lab's entrance wasn't as resistant as the previous wall. A spiderweb of cracks expanded before shards fell, creating a large hole that allowed the soldiers to inspect the area on the other side.
The room past the wall was dark, and the feeble light from the corridor wasn't enough to illuminate its insides. Still, Khan and the Lieutenants could confirm the absence of lifeforms on the other side, so the team moved to the next part of the plan.
Khan left the hole and let other soldiers take his position. Four burly first-level warriors approached the spot and began to pull from its edges. The entrance opposed their force, but it eventually gave in and started to open.
A desolate lab slowly unfolded in the team's vision. The area was identical to what Khan had seen during the escape, except for its emptiness. The room didn't have monitors or consoles. It only featured a long table, a series of severed tubes, and random broken machines that no one would be able to connect to their previous form.
Lieutenant Leville nodded at the other two second-level warriors before stepping forward. The first-level warriors armed with rifles raised their weapons and pointed them at the dark depths of the area in case something unexpected happened. Meanwhile, the others moved aside to give their companions more space.
Khan could stay in front of the entrance even if he didn't have a rifle. He was the only one inside the team to have seen an active lab, so his experience could be useful. However, he couldn't do much since the area appeared empty.
Lieutenant Leville seized some shards or tools that seemed interesting before returning into the corridor and giving the items to the soldiers in charge of the provisions. The team had expected that outcome, but it felt annoying anyway since they had to spend two weeks to reach it.
The assault team had the map retrieved during Khan's escape, but that alone couldn't ensure the mission's success. Khan had reached the camp more than a month ago, giving the Stal and the Guko they controlled all the time needed to relocate. Moreover, the hindrances along the way only delayed their advance even further, worsening the overall prospect of the plan.
"This is far from promising," Lieutenant Leville sighed after her underlings gathered around her. "HQ has authorized us to explore the areas near the frontlines, but the Stal have probably hidden the labs. I'm not sure we can complete the mission."
"Let's just clear the checkpoints and leave," One of the second-level warriors suggested. "Our hands are tied, and going too deep into the enemy territory is just reckless. The Stal might keep us locked inside forever in that case."
"We can still complete Captain Clayman's mission," The other second-level warrior said. "I say we follow both orders. I prefer these tunnels than the trench anyway."
"It's not so easy," Lieutenant Leville explained while moving her short dark hair from her forehead. "The Stal are keeping track of our current location. Resurfacing might be too dangerous."
Khan soon grew bored of the conversation. His mind started to wander as he lost himself in the movements of the mana in the area. The tunnel used to be calm, but the presence of his companions made the entire environment fall into a mess.
That wasn't the first time that Khan decided to ignore his surroundings. Focusing on the behavior and actions of that incredible energy made him forget about everything. He liked the faint peace that losing himself brought to his mind, but he started to notice something odd lately.
The Niqols knew a lot about mana, and Liiza had been on point when she described the chaos element. Khan could feel a faint desire to disrupt the harmony around him whenever his surroundings grew too calm. He didn't necessarily want to destroy things. He only wanted the waves of mana to move faster or grow denser.
'Is this my nature?' Khan often found himself thinking during those moments.
Liiza had never explained to Khan how the Niqols studied the mana before starting to use it, but he guessed that they followed a similar procedure. He could sense his knowledge, sensitivity, and ability increase as he remained immersed in that mental state. The world talked, and he was slowly learning to listen to it.
"Khan!" Lieutenant Leville's voice eventually forced Khan to snap out of his special mental state.
"What is it?" Khan asked while moving his eyes on his superior.
"What do you think about Lieutenant Zartea's idea?" Lieutenant Leville questioned.
"My attention was on the area, ma'am," Khan half-lied. "I didn't think you would have required my opinion."
Lieutenant Leville couldn't scold Khan for that distraction after that lie. She knew that his senses were among the sharpest in her team, so his efforts actually ended up gaining her approval.
"Lieutenant Zartea was wondering whether you had long-range spells," Lieutenant Leville explained.
"The elevators might lead to a trap," Lieutenant Zartea continued. "I can check the area beforehand, but the Stal are too sturdy for my long-range spells. I believe yours might be able to hurt even second-level warriors."
"I would destroy the elevator," Khan replied while crossing his arms. "I would even put everyone in the area in danger."
"That's not better than a grenade then," The third Lieutenant sighed. "We should divide ourselves into two teams and come out from different elevators."
"I don't want us to split when we can't communicate," Lieutenant Leville revealed. "Still, the other options are too dangerous."
Lieutenant Leville took out her phone and used it to project a few holograms in the middle of the group. The underground structure's layout and a map of the areas behind the enemy trenches fused to create an accurate description of the lands above the assault team.
The Lieutenant quickly picked two elevators slightly outside the settlement standing above the group's position. She set precise hours before asking who wanted to be part of the decoys.
"Are you sure?" Lieutenant Leville asked while looking at Khan's raised arm. "You are quite valuable in the exploration of these tunnels."
"I'm also the best on the battlefield," Khan calmly announced. "Also, I can't use the rifles as well as the others, so it only makes sense for me to be part of the initial attack."
Lieutenant Leville couldn't argue against that, and Khan didn't fail to notice how some of the first-level warriors decided to imitate him. Their skill with the rifles wasn't bad, but they wanted to fight side by side with him anyway.
Khan didn't give the event much thought, but he still started to understand what Captain Clayman said about inspiring the humans. Khan only wanted to fight to immerse himself in the battlefield, but his companions saw his behavior as a selfless act that made the best out of his abilities.
'Even lies can inspire,' Khan thought before disregarding the whole issue.
The assault team split and Khan's group moved toward one of the elevators chosen by Lieutenant Leville. Lieutenant Zartea was also there, but the first-level warriors in the group seemed to prefer standing behind Khan instead of following their superior.
The elevator quickly appeared in the team's view, and the Lieutenant blew upward while fusing mana with his breath. His spell spread throughout the opening that led to the surface and studied the area before dispersing.
"The area above us should be empty," Lieutenant Zartea whispered, "But I can't say anything for the settlement. There might be Stal patrolling the area, so remember to be swift."
A series of nods was enough to reassure the Lieutenant, who picked up his phone and kept track of the hour. It was impossible to communicate with the other team in that area, so Lieutenant Leville had chosen a precise hour to coordinate the attack. Khan's team had to wait fifteen minutes before activating the elevator and moving toward the surface.
The darkness of the night hid the group's arrival, but a series of voices and lights immediately reached their position. Loud, odd growls then resounded and made the soldiers shoot toward the short buildings that had appeared in their view.
Khan didn't think. A beacon had fallen on his group, but he left the area quickly. He shot forward toward the many presences that had started to move after the alarm rang. Thirty or so Stal gathered right ahead, but he didn't slow down nor change his direction.
The first-grade knife appeared in his left hand when the first Stal became clear. Lieutenant Leville was at his side, and the other soldiers were behind him, but he didn't pay attention to them. Khan only listened to the many masses of mana in the enemy rifles moving up and down as the aliens prepared themselves to fire.
Khan and Lieutenant Leville reached the Stal before any of them could fire. Red-purple light began to shine from Khan's left hand as he covered the knife with the sharp membrane and waved it at the first alien on his path. The latter tried to use an arm to punch him, but it only found its limb flying away from its body.
The growls became angry as the Stal and the soldiers clashed. The aliens fired when their opponents were already on them, so those projectiles missed their targets and created openings that the humans didn't hesitate to exploit.
Khan waved his knife left and right, focusing on quick and short sprints to remain outside the most crowded areas. His group only counted thirteen soldiers, so their goal didn't involve winning the battle. They only had to buy enough time for their allies.
Khan rarely managed to inflict deadly blows in that situation. Punches flew everywhere, and jumping was too dangerous in the middle of that crowd. He often had to wave his knife to interrupt attacks or leave cuts on non-vital spots.
A Stal tried to take Khan by surprise once. The latter had just finished severing half of an incoming fist when a tall figure tried to block his escape route by jumping on him. The alien was too big, and it had even spread its arms to prevent him from dodging at its sides.
Red-purple light quickly came out of Khan's right hand while the alien continued to fall. He stretched his arm forward even if the spell had yet to form fully, but the short blade appeared right before he could touch his opponent's waist.
The effects of the chaos claws turned out to be devastating. Khan only wanted to kill the alien before it fell on him, but he saw a large chunk of its waist exploding into a gory spectacle as soon as the ethereal blade reached a specific depth.
The scene would leave anyone stunned, but Khan wasn't thinking. A rain of blood and gore filled his vision, but he only saw that an opening had appeared now that a quarter of the alien's body had vanished. His feet kicked the ground without showing any hesitation, and filth fell on his face and uniform as he crossed the hole that he had just created.
A few more exchanges had to happen before a series of azure projectiles started to fly from the other side of the settlement. The second team had come out of their elevator and had exploited the diversion to surprise the Stal.. It didn't take long before every alien fell lifelessly on the ground.
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