Chapter 754 Device
Khan remained alert. He still didn't know much about the cursed knife, and his senses had proven unreliable. Yet, the final confirmation arrived from Fergus himself.
The mana Fergus had spread throughout his body began to leak out of his skin without saving any of it. That energy was freely dispersing, returning the Major to his original appearance.
As the mana left, Fergus' sturdiness plummeted, and his knees gave out, making him fall sideways. He slammed lifelessly on the ground, lifting a cloud of dust.
Khan felt convinced by then, but his paranoia screamed at full power now. He used his right leg to turn Fergus up, ready to run away at the first twitch. However, nothing happened, so Khan planted his foot on the man's chest.
The lack of defensive techniques and protections allowed Khan's stop to pierce through skin and bones. His shoe destroyed Fergus' still heart, killing any doubt. The man was truly dead.
The foreign presence inside Khan's mind continued to shout, so he bent forward to retrieve the knife. The weapon began to absorb his mana as soon as he wrapped his fingers around its handle, but he promptly flicked one blunt edge and ended that process.
"Enough," Khan sighed. "You killed a fifth-level warrior. Do you still want more?"
The foreign presence in Khan's mind released bloodlust, answering the question. Khan could only sigh again, clean the weapon on his arm, and sheathe it back. The knife had done him a huge favor, but he had bigger problems at hand.
Acknowledging Fergus' death cleared enough space for the rest of the mess. Pain from multiple sources invaded Khan's mind, forcing him to lower his eyes. His left arm hurt, and two fingers on his right hand felt numb, but his chest remained the greatest offender.
Khan performed the check-up technique before unbuttoning his uniform. The spell had already given a grim update, and uncovering his chest added a concerning scene to the equation.
Blood filled Khan's vision, but that was the best part of the scene. The fist-sized hole that left his ribcage exposed was his main concern. Fergus had dug through his skin and muscles, creating an open channel toward Khan's heart.
Khan's body was incredible, but the injury was so deep that blood had yet to stop flowing. He basically had a hole in his chest connected directly to one of his main organs but no way of closing it. It would take him days or weeks to recover from that injury, but the situation barely granted him hours.
The rest of Khan's body wasn't too good either. His fingers were manageable, but his left arm needed rest. The same applied to his back. The impact with the ground had been so violent everything hurt whenever he tried to bend in any direction.
Khan was concerned about his state, but his mind couldn't escape other troublesome thoughts. The battle had happened inside the scanners' range, but no one had come to support either side. He couldn't sense anyone in his surroundings either, which intensified his confusion and paranoia.
'What is even happening here?' Khan wondered, almost cursing. He tore the upper part of his uniform apart to turn it into bandages before tying them around his big wound. Blood still flowed out of the gory hole, but the fabric slightly restrained it.
The battle had happened because Fergus had mentioned names dear to Khan. The latter would have simply flown away otherwise. Still, the event gave insights into Fergus' mindset and preparations, allowing Khan to formulate ideas.
Khan knew he had many enemies. Raymond had warned him about his actions on Xiotov, but the list was still long. The Hive and Mister Chares' organization could have infiltrated Baoway's mission, but the hypotheses didn't end there.
The engagement with Monica had probably earned Khan enemies connected to opposing factions inside the Solodrey family. Still, Fergus was a Major and a fifth-level warrior who had tested himself against other chaos wielders. The man was a pricey pawn, so his employer had to wield a certain level of relevance.
'Is the Nognes family involved?' Khan considered before inspecting the corpse.
The dead couldn't speak nor clear doubts, so Khan's thoughts soon wandered on different topics. He had effectively defeated a fifth-level warrior, and scenes from the battle flooded his mind.
Fergus had only hit Khan once, but the latter was already half-dead. That spoke for the battle prowess of warriors at that level, and Khan knew his injuries wouldn't have stopped at that without the cursed knife. His weapon had stolen a victory that would have otherwise required a far heftier price.
'I'm not there yet,' Khan thought. 'Sort of.'
Khan had another powerful weapon the Global Army was still unaware of. Using it during an actual battle was complicated, but it remained part of his arsenal. Moreover, looking at his current state, he couldn't help but wonder whether deploying it would have saved him some injuries.
'Did I lose focus?' Khan wondered. 'How did I end up like this?'
Khan was about to sit down to meditate for a few hours. He knew things on the HQ could be messy, but his body was in no state to dive into another unknown environment. He needed to stabilize himself first, but something strange caught his attention before that.
A strange stench invaded Khan's nostrils as he was about to sit down. The smell of synthetic mana tainted the symphony, bringing his attention to the corpse. Khan scanned Fergus' body with his eyes, which stopped at his upper abdomen.
Khan drew his knife as he crouched toward the corpse. He cut open Fergus' torso, uncaring of the mana absorbed by the cursed weapon. A gory spectacle unfolded in his vision, but something artificial popped out.
Khan spotted a rectangular device between the stomach and intestine, which his fingers didn't hesitate to retrieve. The machine was small and almost flat. It would resemble a phone if it weren't for its completely black surfaces. Yet, Khan only had eyes for its purpose, which didn't take long to reveal.
The black device was surrounded by a strange aura that affected the symphony in its surroundings. The effect didn't work like an infection. It didn't spread randomly. It enveloped the air, creating a barrier that mimicked a specific presence.
Khan knew that aura. He had found against him just minutes ago. The device echoed the scent of Fergus' mana, imitating any reaction his thoughts or emotions could trigger.
Khan didn't realize it, but his eyes lit up. His thoughts kept him too busy to notice that reaction in his body, but the situation demanded it. Understanding dawned upon him, fueling his paranoia and anger.
The black device wasn't a random machine. Someone had built and tuned it to trick Khan's senses. However, that ability had remained unknown until recently. Khan revealed some details during his lessons, giving the Global Army barely five months to develop countermeasures.
It was possible that the Global Army already had something in store for similar issues, but Khan's paranoia didn't allow him to consider coincidences. The black device could trick his senses, so its existence had to involve him.
'Who holds enough influence and resources to develop something like this in mere months?' Khan questioned himself, even if the answer felt obvious.
'So,' Khan thought. 'This is my reward for teaching alternative ways of approaching mana.'
Khan put the device in his palm before crushing it under his fingers. In his mind, the Global Army had developed a weapon against him, making almost everyone an enemy.
The anger that followed destroyed any idea of resting. Khan didn't care about his state anymore. The rules of the game had changed. Anyone could be an enemy, so he had to return to safety as soon as possible.
As if reacting to the change in Khan's mindset, the hole in his chest suddenly stopped bleeding, but he barely cared. Khan immediately set off, rushing across the trees to return to HQ. He had made his decision, and anyone who dared oppose it would burn under his mana.
The flight was shorter than before. Khan soon spotted the two ships and landed in front of the first. The turrets didn't react to his arrival, but he didn't care. The crowd of wandering Scalqa was still there, but he didn't care. The perimeter was clear, but Khan didn't care about that either.
Khan was ready to tear the ship's doors open as soon as he landed, but they opened upon his arrival. Familiar faces invaded his view, showing worry about his state. Celeste, Randall, Amy, Kirk, Marcus, and Zu-Gru had gathered in the cargo area, seemingly welcoming Khan, but he had no gentle words for them.
"Set off," Khan ordered, stepping inside the ship.
Usually, a similar order would have earned a torrent of questions and complaints. However, Randall and the others felt unable to breathe. Khan didn't realize it, but his aura had turned into a deadly poison, rendering him capable of killing with his sole presence.
That made Khan's orders impossible to defy. Everyone but Zu-Gru began moving to attend to the task while Khan gazed at the ship's open doors. He could almost feel another looming threat, but the outside world remained empty. Even the second team was nowhere to be seen.
The return of Khan's companions distracted him from the outside world. Khan began to turn to question them, but a sharp, deafening noise suddenly invaded his ears. His senses went rogue, hurting his very brain with the feelings they perceived. Khan bent forward as his eyes grew teary but still captured the scene inside the cargo area.
Celeste, Kirk, Randall, Amy, and Marcus had returned inside the cargo area wielding rifles. Amy also had an oval device in her free hand, which Khan quickly connected to the source of that deafening noise. The urge to run away surged, but Khan found himself unable to move. He could only watch as his team fired at him.