Chapter 1264: Spar

Muhsin hadn’t meant his evaluation as an insult, and Khan wasn’t angry about it. Yet, clearly, the evolved Kros was taking Khan’s power into consideration, and his data needed correction.

The Kros weren’t to blame for that unreliable data. Very few parties knew about Khan’s improvements. Actually, no one was aware of how strong he had become, and the last available hint about his new power came from the leaked video of his confrontation against the nukes.

Truth be told, even Khan didn’t know how strong he had become. He had adjusted his techniques to his new state, but the lack of worthy opponents had prevented him from testing his limits. Still, an opportunity seemed to have appeared.

Khan understood Muhsin’s perspective. The Kros already had the Niqols and Global Army as circumstantial allies, and the former were a perfect weapon against Khan.

Still, the opposite was also true. If the Kros allied themselves with Khan, he could use that leverage to apply pressure on the Global Army, forcing it to abandon any plan it had to suppress him.

The Niqols would remain a variable in that case, but Khan still had the Thilku Empire behind his back. That wasn’t a force the Kros could ignore, especially since he might manage to appease the Niqols eventually.

Of course, that second course of action was riskier. It had its benefits, but the Kros had ultimately deemed it worse than the first. Khan’s evaluation had played a role in that decision, and a simple demonstration could change that.

As literal as the Kros had sounded, Muhsin seemed to understand what Khan’s offer entailed. The sudden thundering noise was also to blame for that, mainly due to the consequences it caused.

Khan’s red tattoos were still intact, but the purple-red light shining over them had started to leak part of his aura. Needless to say, the technology in his surroundings suffered, and the event didn’t only apply to the Kros’ fleet.

All the ships on both sides of the sky started showing signs of malfunction. Some engines struggled to keep whooshing, and the same went for the bright enneagrams. Nothing tragic happened, but Khan’s mere presence was clearly having adverse effects.

Muhsin’s machines appeared immune to Khan’s influence, but the latter saw a different truth. Khan noticed how the energy inside the hovering tools and metal chair had moved to counteract his influence, slowly depleting itself.

That process was short-lived. Muhsin’s mana trembled, and the energy inside the machines around him changed, switching tune, frequency, and density. Its new state stopped its depletion, seemingly making it immune to Khan’s passive influence.

Fighting off Khan’s influence had been easy, but the event still aroused Muhsin’s interest. After all, he had used one action to counteract a non-action. Khan looked able to put him at a disadvantage by simply existing, which already went beyond the evolved Kros’ initial evaluation.

“The Kros acknowledge the necessity of gathering better data,” Muhsin exclaimed, finally removing his head from his palm to sit straight. “If Prince Khan of the Nognes family agrees, I’ll perform as your sparring partner for the new evaluation.”

“Prince Khan of the Nognes family agrees,” Khan declared, “On one condition. I also want to evaluate Muhsin of the Kros.”

It didn’t happen often that Khan had a worthy sparring partner, and his new state made the event even rarer. Beings like the Great Old One weren’t exactly easy to find, so Khan couldn’t miss that chance.

Also, Khan’s curiosity was playing a part. He knew virtually nothing about the Kros, especially when it came to their battle prowess, so he wanted to see them fight with his own eyes.

Moreover, Khan had gained a great deal of power by learning other species’ arts. The Kros might have something worth studying and replicating, just like he had planned to do with the Niqols’ strange symbols.

“Muhsin of the Kros accepts these conditions,” Muhsin declared, agreeing to the request.

“I need a moment to warn my troops,” Khan announced, drawing his modified phone to make a call.

“My Prince?” Garret promptly answered from the other side of the call.

“I’ll have a sparring match with the Kros envoy,” Khan warned. “Keep everyone away.”

“It will be done, My Prince,” Garret responded, taking the liberty of sending potentially suitable locations to Khan’s device after closing the call.

Khan studied the planet’s map for a few seconds before letting the device slip from his grasp. The phone free-fell toward the sea, but he had already forgotten about it. All his attention was on Muhsin, as well as his battle intent.

“I’ll lead the way,” Khan exclaimed. “If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

Khan didn’t wait for a reply and shot away from the fleet, and Muhsin followed. His metal chair flew on its own, but the engine-like machine behind it attached itself to its back, propelling it at a higher speed.

The technique was curious, and Muhsin even had more machines at his disposal, hovering around him and following his flight. Khan believed all of them could turn into engines, but he didn’t have to leave the idea inside his mind.

“I’ll accelerate,” Khan announced, and strands of mana clashed inside his legs while his cells came to life, giving birth to an inhuman burst of speed.

The clear sky and sea became nothing more than a blur. Khan crossed vast stretches of the planet in no time, leaving the fleets and Muhsin far behind. Nevertheless, a powerful aura soon caught up with him, confirming his hypothesis.

Muhsin reappeared at Khan’s side, his metal chair propelled by four smaller engines. The other machines had also attached themselves to his seat, transforming into wing-like structures that improved his aerodynamics. One of those even created a mana barrier, protecting his front from the air friction.

The Kros didn’t only show that he could match Khan’s speed. The alien had caught up with him, meaning that he had gone faster than him for a short period. Muhsin’s flight didn’t look as nimble as Khan’s, but he could probably alter his machines to achieve that.

The applications looked endless, and Khan wasn’t even sure if those machines were Muhsin’s limit. Chances were the alien could control more of those, giving birth to vaster technological displays.

‘Is this specific to him?’ Khan wondered. ‘Do all the Kros have elements connected to technology?’

Khan had to delay those questions until after the spar. The two kept crossing vast stretches of the sky until Khan felt he had put enough distance from anything they could destroy.

“Here should be fine,” Khan eventually exclaimed, slowing down to let his words reach the Kros.

The alien slowed down with Khan, immediately reacting to his decision. All the engines also detached themselves from the chair, turning into different machines. The same went for the wings, which restored a motionless version of the barrier of debris.

“How does Prince Khan of the Nognes family wish to proceed?” Muhsin asked.

“How about one attack each?” Khan suggested. “The other will limit himself to defending.”

“The rules are acceptable,” Muhsin agreed. “Prince Khan of the Nognes family should have the first round.”

“Muhsin of the Kros is a guest on my planet,” Khan pointed out. “I must let you have the first round.”

“If Prince Khan insists,” Muhsin said through the chair’s manufactured, robotic voice, finally dropping the pleasantries while flying away, putting some distance from Khan.

The Kros soon stopped, and the spherical wall of debris transformed while he turned toward Khan. The many metal pieces split even further and rearranged themselves, creating an array of several cylindrical items that hovered above the alien.

“I will attack,” Muhsin warned, and his mana flowed toward the array of cylindrical items. Blue light shone inside them before a series of beams shot forward, converging toward Khan.

The bullets were fast, but Khan was faster. Still, he didn’t move from his position but only stretched his arm, opening his scarred palm while the skin on it turned black.

The attack crashed on Khan’s palm, engulfing him in a cloud of grey smoke. The impact made the sea below open, disrupting it with tall waves, but a louder sigh resounded through the sky, dispersing those fumes.

Khan became visible again, waving his fuming hand to cool it down before bringing it to his head. Scratching it made him notice a few new braids, but his expression remained unfazed. He looked somewhat disappointed and made sure to voice that feeling.

“Muhsin,” Khan called, thunderous noises joining his voice as purple-red sparks materialized around his figure. “I’m sorry to say that this just won’t do.”