Chapter 948: Universe


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    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Khan''s mood didn''t improve as he stored the cursed knife and walked through the army, surrounded by fervent gazes and cries. The scene could oppress anyone, making them feel like powerless ants in the middle of a raging sea, but Khan knew the truth. He was the sea, while the Scalqa were nothing more than fish he had taken under his protective waves.


    Those waves could also be the Scalqa''s doom. It would be as easy as breathing for Khan, creating a wall that good intentions couldn''t ovee. He wanted the best for his army, but the difference was clear. Khan had once lived among the tribes but now existed in a superior realm.


    The toxic pool had be useless. Khan''s body had built aplete tolerance to the dark green liquid. A prolonged exposure could still hurt him, but the transformation wasplete. He had physically evolved, achieving the legendary status countless fifth-level warriors failed to reach.


    Of course, Khan wasn''t a fully-fledged evolved warrior. His transformation wasplete, but his attunement with mana was stillcking. The process would be genuinely finalized when the entirety of his flesh enjoyed the enhancement of that magical energy.


    In a way, Khan had approached the evolution backward. Humans prioritizedpleting their attunement with mana before forcing their bodies to evolve through different methods.


    Meanwhile, Khan''s mastery over his element and unique state allowed him to focus on his body before fulfilling the attunement requirement. Garret described it as a middle ground between natural and extreme induction, and only reaching the peak of the fifth level would show where Khan actually stood.


    Of course, Khan had his ideas about the process. He was no scientist, but the time spent learning about the evolution had allowed him to apply his alien knowledge to the topic and his situation.


    The natural induction, the extreme induction, and the aided metamorphosis had no meaning for Khan. He had fused aspects from those three approaches to walk a unique path, earning him benefits and disadvantages.


    Khan''s body hadpletely evolved, but its growth now had higher requirements. Increasing its attunement required far more mana. He was a superior existence, so his needs went beyond mortal standards.


    The improved [Blood Vortex] could solve that issue, but the process was bound to be slow, slower than what most humans experienced. That was theoretically fine since Khan''s attunement didn''t trante into actual power, but he found the matter annoying nheless.


    As for the benefits, the most immediate involved Khan''s physical prowess. He was stronger, tougher, and faster than anyone at his level. Even strength-focused fifth-level warriors would probably fail to match him in that field. Khan''s stats were off the charts, but the real advantagesy elsewhere.


    Unlike other human evolved warriors, Khan''s theoretical understanding of the mana was already somewhatplete. He didn''t need years of training to acknowledge and master the benefits his new state provided. He had fulfilled those requirements long ago, allowing him to notice and recognize the main benefit behind his evolved body.


    Khan felt as if an invisible barrier between the symphony and his mind had been lifted. His senses had always been otherworldly sharp, but that aspect had undergone a qualitative change. He wasn''t a mereponent of the surrounding energy now. Khan was immersed inside it as if he had transformed into a simr substance.


    The feeling was hard to describe, but its effects were evident. Khan felt connected to the symphony on a deeper level, diminishing the effort required to interact with it. His thoughts were orders that the surrounding mana recognized and heard, stretching his senses and abilities'' range farther than ever.


    The increased range was only a superficial consequence. The true benefit was in how deeply Khan could interact with the symphony. In the past, the spears created out of thin air had always been weaker than those built with his mana. However, the gap had significantly shrunk now. The surrounding energy was no different than his own as long as he willed that, and the fusion between the two could lead to superior results.


    Sadly, that deeper control and connection highlighted the gap between Khan and his army. The Scalqa were a burden he had chosen to bear. He felt genuine affection and attachment toward them, but his eyes also saw a different truth. Those mighty, muscr aliens were nothing more than walking bloodbags Khan could break with a thought.


    The issue didn''t stop at the Scalqa. Khan saw the same fervent looks when he crossed Moses, Roger, and Prince Richard. The former especially looked utterly in awe of Khan''s power and authority, and his mana conveyed the desire to follow him into the darkest reaches of the universe.


    Conciliating that deep faith with the truth in Khan''s eyes felt impossible. His affection was genuine, but the same went for his vision. There was a limit to how much he could care for beings that every inch of his sensesbeled as inferior.


    The Niqols'' way of dealing with feelings helped in that regard. Khan''s more intense and deeper emotional spectrum saved him from severing those bonds. If anything, he wanted to protect them more than ever now, which didn''t necessarily mean keeping them at his side. ''Why is it always like this?'' Khan cursed in his mind, doing his best to avoid leaking his anger into his surroundings. His thoughts were dangerous for his people now, so he had to contain them.


    ''Damned universe,'' Khan sighed internally, hurrying past the army''s range to emptier areas. ''You force me to be strong, but that same strength pushes me away from those I live for.''


    Power brought freedom but loneliness, and the same went for crowns. The mountain peak was breathtaking but solitary. That was a fundamental rule of the universe, and nothing in Khan''s immense power could fix it. It simply didn''t depend on him.


    ''Universe, you are ying a dangerous game,'' Khan thought, cracks opening wherever he stepped. ''At this pace, I might really decide to burn you to the ground.''