Those in Aynorâs surviving blocks or who had just been kicked out of the meeting finally realized the reason behind Khanâs concerns.
Of course, everyone knew that the Thilku Emperor had to be insanely strong. Any trace of weakness wouldnât have made sense in the leader of a species built around pride in their military might.
Yet, mortals had limits to their imaginations. Even those who had interacted with evolved warriors or the superior realm in general couldnât fully grasp what it implied and the immense power it could bring.
It was natural, really. Brains had their limits, especially before a sheer lack of understandable data. Even the best explanations in the world would fail to convey such superior and ethereal concepts when a personâs mind couldnât begin to conceive them.
It was why past civilizations had to place natural catastrophes in the realm of the divine. They couldnât understand them or conceive how such massive events could happen, so they gave up on figuring them out altogether.
Evolved warriors partially fell into the same category, but the quadrantâs audience had a silver lining there. They could witness the consequences that those unreasonable existences unleashed, giving them a reasonable and evident reason to stay away.
The destructive consequences of Khanâs aura became clear only once the departing representatives put enough distance from the meetingâs location to study the entirety of the area.
Khanâs mere threat had pushed away the very desert, leaving a single dune standing among vast gorges. He had the power to change a quadrantâs layout by simply willing it, but the shocking displays of might didnât end there.
A white pillar followed, shining on the whole quadrant and replacing its natural illumination. Then, once that pure glow waned, the echoes of an unfathomably heavy voice spread everywhere, accompanied by sandstorms of their own creation.
The bystanders all around the quadrant obviously couldnât properly study the event. The sandstorms alone concealed that special part of the desert, forcing the various soldiers to defend against them in some cases.
Nevertheless, once everything calmed down, revealing a now-flatter area encircled in dunes of different sizes, the kicked-out representatives accepted that undeniable truth, even partially understanding what that meeting entailed.
Mortals couldnât be there. Monsters, or gods, had taken control of that area of the desert, and only they could hope to attend to or survive whatever would unfold inside it.
Despite not being mortals, the people inside that flattened area didnât have it any better. The Thilku Emperorâs announcement blew away the dune, removing everyoneâs foothold and sending forward soundwaves that made the representativesâ very beings shake.
Khan, Liiza, and the Royal Court had it better since they had already experienced the Emperorâs troublesome might. However, the others were caught by surprise and had to think quickly to adjust themselves to that impossibly grand existence.
Luckily, every species had sent decent enough evolved warriors as their representatives. That first, true interspecies meeting needed to display strength in the end, which their state after the sand settled vouched for.
Muhsin had split his metal chair into five pieces, leaving a hovering platform under him, while the other four items had shot forward to act as the corners of a mana barrier which protected him and the tall sphere.
The evolved Efâi stood on the sand, wrapped in her long and thick tail. Sand had accumulated on her robe, but she used that pointy limb to shake it off while revealing her unharmed figure.
The evolved Fuveall had kneeled on the sand, crossing his silver arms to protect himself. Still, he quickly stood up, stretching his neck and back, which released clanging noises.
Dean Ulluw seemed to be the worst of the bunch since sand had submerged him, hiding his figure. Yet, a tide of those white grains suddenly burst upward, from which the evolved warrior walked out, his groans highlighting his displeasure despite the lack of injuries.
Needless to say, Khan, Liiza, and the Royal Court didnât suffer from any of those slight consequences. The other representatives found them on a spot before them in the same arrangement they had on top of the dune, without a single grain of sand on their figures.
If anything, the only oddball there was the cheering baby in Khanâs arms. Due to Khanâs protection, Yeza had been completely safe throughout the natural catastrophe, even enjoying first-row seats to its magnificent display of power, which she couldnât help but find entertaining.
As for Khan, he sighed in helplessness. He knew teleporting or simply moving the Thilku Emperor was no easy task, but the Royal Court could have come up with something better than that destructive leap, which had probably started from orbit.
Of course, there was nothing to be done about it anymore. Khan focused on the fact that the Emperor had finally arrived and that the meeting could start, even if some preparations had to be rearranged.
"[Old Envoy]," Khan called. "[Lord Rsi is among those blocks. If I could bother you about drinks at least]."
Lord Envoy calmly nodded and disappeared, and Khan didnât wait for him to return while heading for the Emperor. The Royal Court and Liiza obviously immediately followed him, and the other evolved warriors soon came along, too.
The walk was slow and tense, at least for those at their first meeting with the Thilku Emperor. Muhsin, the evolved Efâi, the evolved Fuveall, the Krosâ sphere, and Dean Ulluw couldnât help but remain wary and careful during their approach.
Meanwhile, pillows, a table, and drinks materialized all around the Emperor, restoring what he had destroyed during his announcement. A simpler version of the already-simple banquet took shape before that powerful leader, and Khan didnât hesitate to get to his right.
Lord Envoy returned when everyone had reached the table. Khan, Liiza, and the Royal Court stood together at one side of the table. At the same time, the other representatives waited on the other, their wariness greater than ever now that they were face to face with one of the mightiest powers in the universe.
Then, Khan uttered the only words that could distract those representatives, even summoning a modicum of seriousness in that meaningful moment. "I now declare the first official interspecies meeting against the Scarlet Eyesâ threat open!"