Chapter 937: Regression


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    A fuming corpsey before Lieutenant Dyester. Its fur had burned, turning into foul smoke, and its charred skin still released sizzling noises. He had long since gotten used to that stench, but his grim expression never failed to appear.


    Lieutenant Dyester ignored the corpse and looked to his left. Some Scalqa were still dealing with the dog-like monsters, wielding weapons, chaos-enhanced spears, or using their bare hands. A few injuries crossed his vision, but nothing serious. Also, the pack was basically wiped out. Only a few creatures separated the army from another victory.


    Then, Lieutenant Dyester nced to his right. More Scalqa appeared in his vision, but he focused on the smaller human figures. The kids were doing alright, without a single wound on their bodies. They looked exhausted but fine, mainly due to the calm, evolved warrior behind them.


    The Lieutenant''s grim expression darkened when he looked at the depths of the battlefield. Some Scalqa lingered there, but the figure at its bottom, sitting on a pile of corpses, imed his attention. Khan was casually resting among a hill of blood and gore, his gaze lost on the horizon.


    A whole month had passed since the army''s arrival on the, and much had already changed, especially the people. The battlefield''s struggles were famous for forging soldiers, and Senerth was no different. The battles didn''t happen every day but were frequent enough to show their results.


    The Scalqa were mostly fine. They had never experienced suchrge-scale battles but were no strangers to life-and-death situations. Lieutenant Dyester''s training and massive frame also gave them an advantage over the smaller monsters, making them excel on the battlefield.


    After a few initial casualties, the Scalqa adapted to those new battles, improving their performance every day. They had long since started to act like a proper army, too, maximizing their training and innate strengths.


    The kids had also changed. Moses had heavy responsibilities weighing on his shoulders and fought as if trying to be worthy of them. His victory in the tournament didn''te from luck, and Senerth''s monsters paid a steep price to learn that. In that month, he had be the leader of the young warriors, and even the entitled Prince seemed to listen to him.


    As for Prince Richard, Lieutenant Dyester had initially thought he would have to be his nanny. Yet, Khan''s trauma had worked wonders, and the battlefield''s cruelty evolved that aspect, transforming it into something valuable.


    The humbling experiences had shed away Prince Richard''s past arrogance, making room for a tinge of wisdom. He theoretically was the strongest and most educated of the trio, and that incredible foundation was finally starting to show.


    Meanwhile, Roger was still slightly behind his two brothers-in-arms, albeit his strange element took part of the me. The young warrior had yet to figure out how to wield the scarlet sparks, but the battlefield forced him to rely on them more often. Among the three kids, he had the potential to benefit the most from the war.


    Of course, the trio didn''t face the same danger as the rest of the army. Their inexperience wed their superior techniques and education, and the same went for their overall level. They would die on the frontline, so Lieutenant Dyester ced them in rtively safer positions.


    Also, Bruno was always with the three kids. He only cared about Prince Richard, but his presence did save them more than once. He had orders to act only when the situation demanded it, and the chaos of the battlefield never made him wait too long.


    Lieutenant Dyester had to admit the battlefield had changed him, too. His experience differed from hispanions since he was no stranger to those environments. He had basically slipped back into his old skin, abandoning his loud reprimands and acting as a proper leader. Surprisingly, he even drank far less.


    Nevertheless, Lieutenant Dyester knew who experienced the greatest change, and he was looking at him. Khan seemed to have regressed, distancing himself from hispanions and the world altogether. He rarely spoke, often relying on simple looks to conveyplicated orders.


    Lieutenant Dyester couldn''t possibly know that version of Khan had already existed. Actually, it felt strangely familiar to the Scalqa. That was what he had be while being stranded on Baoway before the duties of civilization brought him back.


    Lieutenant Dyester didn''t like that change and hated knowing the reason behind it even more. The mission''s nature was grim, but he had believed Khan would benefit from it. After all, it was a decent break from his convoluted political environment and the scarlet eyes'' looming threat.


    However, that was a miscalction on Lieutenant Dyester''s side. He had failed to recognize the issue''s core, which had a proper name and often sat on Khan''sp.


    Monica was a blessing in disguise. Lieutenant Dyester didn''t like those needy women but knew how vital Monica was in Khan''s life. Khan couldn''t handle his crown without her. He would fall apart without her acting as the voice of reason.


    Yet, Monica was also Khan''s unshakable connection with politics, so Lieutenant Dyester thought her absence could give him room to breathe. The battlefield wasn''t exactly an entertainment facility, but Khan belonged there, just like he did.


    Nevertheless, Khan''s transformation finally revealed what Monica was for him. She was his anchor to humankind, the only reason he even bothered ying human. Now, looking at Khan, Lieutenant Dyester couldn''t help but regret leaving her on Baoway.


    Of course, the Lieutenant didn''t make that decision. Khan did. It was also reasonable. Baoway needed Monica in Khan''s absence, and the battlefield wasn''t her ce. She could handle her own in a fight but remained a princess.


    Still, given the chance, Lieutenant Dyester wouldn''t hesitate to summon Monica here and lock her in a room with Khan for an entire week. Hearing them fornicate was better than whatever that was.


    Khan gazed at the horizon, aware of everything happening on the now-silent battlefield. He felt Lieutenant Dyester''s piercing, concerned gaze but didn''t bother with it. Khan knew the reason behind his worry but didn''t care enough to address it.


    ''Still thirty-two,'' Khan thought, a dark feeling dwelling in his heart.


    That number wouldn''t mean much to jaded Generals and experienced leaders, but Khan found


    it unforgivable. Thirty-two were the Scalqa perished during the month of battles. All things considered, that was an excellent result, but Khan hated it. Anything above zero was uneptable to him.


    ''Thirty-three with Zu-Gru,'' Khan counted, the dark feeling inside him bing more intense.


    Khan lowered his gaze to the mass of maimed, burned, and destroyed corpses he was using as a resting spot. His eyes grew colder as he stabbed his hands into it, retrieving it covered in dark blood. Its dirty fingers quickly went to his face and chest, drawing new warpaint. During the month of battles, Khan had ditched the crown and bone armor. The first was annoying, and the second was useless, leaving his blue scar in the open. His hair also clearly needed a shower, but he couldn''t bother with that, either.


    Khan only cared about destroying. He wanted to let loose, and the more he did, the more people survived the battlefield''s chaos. Each death was one less maw pointed at his army, and he was more than happy to deliver it.


    The battlefield eventually lost itsst trace of enemy life, prompting Khan to stand up. In the distance, past the army, a barely visible set of buildings disrupted the otherwise natural environment, and taking a step toward it made his figure disappear.


    Only Bruno managed to follow Khan''s movements, but the evolved warrior quickly lost interest in them. That sight had bemon during the month, and Bruno knew he couldn''t learn from it. He wouldn''t as long as Khan wished that.


    Khan rushed through the sky, quickly returning to the row of four buildings. The outpost''s perimeter had greatly expanded in the past month, and thest battle was bound to increase its width. However, each advance met monster resistance.


    The zone had initially featured a single pack, but wiping it out had alerted the nearby monsters. Those creatures existed to eat, and their senses had evolved ordingly. As soon as they caught the scent of new food, they converged toward the outpost, submerging it into


    battles.


    Luckily, the whole quadrant was barren, only featuring weak packs. Khan had chosen it for that purpose, so each battle had been rtively easy. Soon, the outpost could expand to the entire quadrant, but the idea had its share of issues.


    Arger area was harder to defend, especially with limited troops. It was also bound to attract more distant threats, mainly since corpses kept umting. Each battle made the outpost more appealing for those hungry beasts, and real solutions simply didn''t exist.


    The Leviathan had no shortage of turrets and other defensive equipment, and more could arrive from Baoway. Yet, Khan needed real security before moving to a different quadrant, and only the scientists could help him there.


    Khannded before the scientific warehouse, diving into it. Garret was in charge of the ce, followed by a team of scientists coordinating with the Leviathan above. The area had all kinds of equipment, and multiple monstersy dead on its many interactive desks. Still, Khan ignored the scientists and gore, heading for arger interactive desk featuring a holographic picture of Senerth. A small red dot shone among the blue light, too small to be of


    any relevance to the whole.


    ''This is too slow,'' Khan cursed.


    "Prince Khan!" Garret called when he spotted Khan. "Congrattions on another victory.


    Your performance was spectacr, as always."


    Khan nced at the scientist but quickly refocused on the. He wanted to elerate the expansion but didn''t know how without sacrificing his troops'' safety.


    ''I should start hunting alone at night,'' Khan considered, but the scientist didn''t leave him


    alone with his thoughts.


    "Prince," Garret called again, approaching the interactive desk with the hologram and


    lowering his voice. "Wepleted that side project I told you about."


    "The pheromone?" Khan asked, finally speaking.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Indeed, Prince Khan," Garret confirmed. "These creatures are formidable but simple. We are


    ready to attract every remaining pack in the quadrant at yourmand."