On the other side of the battlefield, far on the left of the no-longer-flying mountain, the Emperor was in a far dimmer environment.
The chaotic land the Source had created by unleashing a torrent of True Chaos did shine with dark light, but its glow was incomparable to what was happening on the right side of the battlefield. Khan was facing actual stars, and their radiance ended up claiming the Emperorâs gaze.
Still, strangely enough, that distant light remained limited to its side of the battlefield, as if unable to invade the other perfect sonâs domain. The Emperor could only watch it from afar, as if gazing at a star from inside the safety of a planetâs orbit.
The scene was truly magnificent, but the Emperor focused on features that had little to do with that spectacle of blinding lights. He sensed the incredible power on display and experienced bottomless gratitude, as well as profound shame.
The gratitude was toward that unlikely companion the Emperor had found outside his Empire. The crowned Lord Blue Shaman had given him the greatest gift an existence at his level could ever desire.
Khan had given the Emperor a suitable battlefield where he could finally fight again and show the full extent of his power. He had rekindled the flame of excitement in the Emperorâs life, granting him the chance of expressing what he had always had to restrain.
Because, truth be told, the Emperor lived a sad existence. The very power that had put him at the peak of the regulated universe had become a curse, turning into shackles that chained him down to a dull, confined life.
The Emperor couldnât disown his power because it would be an insult to his efforts and achievements. Still, he couldnât even unleash it onto unworthy foes since it would only bring him shame, leaving him quite stuck, forced to rely on his Empire to spread his will.
Nevertheless, that was a compromise, a boring solution to a problem with no remedy. The world simply lacked worthy opponents who could force the Emperor to act personally, but that wasnât the case anymore, and he owed that to Khan.
The Emperor could now fight and express himself without using his Empire as a proxy. In a way, Khan had freed him, and he wanted to pay him back, only for that desire to give birth to profound shame.
Years and decades of inactivity couldnât just vanish overnight. Habits developed and solidified throughout enforced, methodical stillness wouldnât just fade as if they had never existed because the situation demanded it.
The Emperor found himself in that precise predicament. He had all the power and excitement in the world, but his body couldnât keep up.
Actually, there was nothing wrong with the Emperorâs body. He was in his peak physical shape, but everything still felt sluggish.
No matter what the Emperor did, the rhythmical pace he had developed to restrain his immense existence got in the way, preventing him from unleashing the full extent of his power.
Hence, the Emperor felt utterly ashamed. Despite receiving the best gift he could have asked for, his performance was unbecoming, stopping him from enjoying that present while also failing to meet his benefactorâs expectations.
The comparison with the other side of the battlefield worsened that feeling. Khan and his opponent were going all-out, unleashing everything they were capable of.
However, there the Emperor was, failing to do the same, finding the predicament unforgivable.
Of course, the Emperor was being hard on himself. He had merely lost one exchange, which wasnât much of a defeat in the first place. Being pushed away wasnât a big deal.
Still, the Thilku Empire didnât work like that, and the Emperor embodied its traits to their utmost extreme. His pride couldnât allow weakness for even a fraction of a second.
But the problem remained and wasnât something that pride or shame could solve. The Emperor didnât have the time to get rid of those terrible habits he had developed. Yet, there was another option.
The sudden arrival of a black figure interrupted the Emperorâs privacy. The Source jumped over the land of his own creation, crossing incredible distances in a single leap, only to land on the slope in front of the Emperor.
"[Did you realize the gap in our abilities]?" The short-haired alien asked, showing his intact palms. "[As my counterpart, you share many of my qualities, but you are a child of an outclassed energy]."
The Source wouldnât normally waste time in pointless talks, but he believed the Emperorâs lack of immediate counterattacks came from an acknowledgment of his inferiority.
Yet, that couldnât be further from the truth.
The Emperor didnât bother responding. There was no point anyway. Instead, the newly formed ground under his feet exploded due to the sudden leap he performed.
Of course, that simple leap transformed into a groundbreaking event due to the Emperorâs immense existence. The initial explosion was only the first of the debris that blew outward due to the violent earthquakes his action caused.
The newly formed land started to crumble already, unable to withstand the tremors that ran through its fabric. Yet, both warriors disregarded their surroundings, focusing on the exchange and its unbelievable conclusion.
The Emperorâs figure embodied the same violence unleashed onto the land, reaching unfathomable speed in no time while shooting at the Source.
The impact was equally groundbreaking. The slopes and land behind the Source exploded as soon as the Emperor slammed his shoulder on his raised palms, generating storms of debris that continued to crumble.
However, the Source didnât budge. The short-haired alien remained in the air despite the incredible force that had landed on his hands, completely stopping the Emperorâs charge.
There obviously was more to the alienâs feat than sheer physical strength. His palms had released a torrent of True Chaos, which the Emperor had tried to push back, only to leave it condensed between his shoulder and his opponentâs hands.
That gave the illusion of complete stillness, but the truth was different. The Emperor was still advancing, crossing one millimeter at a time, pushing back the energy the Source was releasing.
Still, the pressure on the Emperor grew stronger with each passing second since the Source was continuing to release energy, ultimately overwhelming him.
The Emperor depleted his momentum, falling prey to the never-ending torrent of energy, which finally blew out of the Sourceâs palms to crash over the still-trembling lands.
Another world-sized tsunami of True Chaos covered the area, lifting it and forming chaotic mountain chains that quickly solidified. Multiple quadrants had appeared out of nowhere in mere seconds, burying the Emperor under them.
Yet, the Emperor wasnât someone who could be buried so easily. The new lands stabilized the area, but short tremors soon spread again, until a geyser of debris rose in the distance, featuring the Emperor inside.
The Emperor climbed his way out of the rising debris, quickly landing on solid land while stretching his shoulder. He wasnât hurt, but he wasnât unaffected, either.
"[Warrior of the True Chaos]!" The Emperor called, shouting in his native language. "[Keep doing that. My battle instincts will need more than this to reawaken]."