Chaos Heir

Chapter 1102 Hiss

Yes, Khan saw himself as expendable. Yes, he didn't mind suffering, nor did he give his life much value. However, so what?

Khan had dived into the deepest aspect of his desperation to summon his element's full power. He had made that original feeling his core and the whole reason for his being, but that didn't imply wishing for his death.

If anything, it made Khan disregard the dangers to his life to achieve his goals in his unreasonable ways. It made him accept mutual destruction as a viable option if it allowed him to avoid compromises.

The thunderous noises in the air bubble grew louder as a purple-red star started to shine inside it. The lake's pale green glow receded as an unstable lightning bolt materialized above Khan's palm, and sealing his fingers around it turned its crackling into a deafening roar.

The violent sparks running over the lightning bolt cut through Khan's skin, adding wounds to his already scarred hand and forearm, but he barely felt it. His eyes shone on the bright lake, wide in anger and killing intent. His look was crazed, but its silent deadliness made him appear completely in control, albeit unrestrained.

"Our species chose might over wisdom, too," The voice announced. "Heir to the Nak's Chaos, we are disappointed."

The air bubble suddenly burst, and all the surrounding not-waters came crashing down, but Khan didn't bother diverting his eyes from the lake.

Khan's body released as much mana as possible, which spread in his surroundings before condensing into a red membrane around his body, securing a great deal of breathable air. The technique didn't affect the deadly torrent of not-waters falling toward him, but nothing reached him anyway.

The sea crashed on the burst air bubble, attempting to submerge it, which it mostly did. However, a vast area around Khan remained empty. Not-waters kept trying to approach him but disappeared when they entered the range of his destruction.

That approach vastly differed from what the lake had done. The latter had created a breathable underwater zone without affecting the sea. It simply pushed and kept it away.

Meanwhile, the sea never stopped reaching for Khan, but his destructive aura was impenetrable. Its not-waters crumbled into nothingness when they got too close, keeping him safe from their violent waves and deadly weight.

Khan's approach was far more rudimentary. He couldn't even try to imitate what the lake had done. He lacked the skill level in the manipulation field for that.

Yet, that simple and brutish approach suited Khan more. If the not-waters became his enemy, they would cease to exist.

"Did you think a sea could kill me?" Khan asked, the thundering noises from his left hand almost suppressing his voice. "Did you think it could attack me without my permission?"

The air bubble's disappearance had affected the lake. The sea had quickly submerged it, but its pale green light didn't merge with the not-waters.

Upon a second look, Khan didn't believe that glow came from any liquid substance. He had thought the place was an underwater lake, but its influence had tricked his senses, which still failed to identify the bright object's true nature.

Of course, Khan had a more direct plan to uncover that secret, but the lake opposed him first.

The lake didn't reply. Instead, its pale green light darkened, affecting its surrounding not-waters and the safe bubble of destruction around Khan. An intrusive, malicious aura filled the area and converged on Khan from every side, piercing through his presence's innate defenses.

Khan's senses couldn't study the attack. That influence could bypass his perception but not his instincts, especially after falling into its trance. He felt the danger coming, and his mouth opened to release a clicking cry.

Waves of purple-red mana burst from Khan's body, violently flowing around him to encircle and protect his figure. Sparks flowed alongside his raging energy, expanding his destructive influence. The not-waters receded, increasing the spherical safe area in his surroundings, exposing a corner of the lake.

"Great Old One," Khan called, his voice still carrying traces of the crackling cry. "It's time we meet for real."

Khan disappeared, and all the not-waters above the lake also vanished. Denser invasive influence filled the area, but Khan remained unaffected as he reached the glowing underwater object. The pale green light enveloped him and tried to seep into his body, but nothing could affect him anymore.

The purity of Khan's being couldn't be swayed by doubt anymore.

The pale green light receded as the lightning bolt in Khan's hand released crackling sparks. His destructive mana flew everywhere, expanding of its own volition and erasing the energy that had dared to enter his mind.

As for Khan, he lowered the lightning bolt, and its tip touched the underwater lake before releasing all its destructive energy inside. No explosion unfolded, but his glowing eyes saw the invisible clash inside that strange object.

The lake was denser and sturdier than Khan had initially expected. It wasn't exactly rigid, but its fabric could endure untold stress. Its light didn't diminish as the lightning bolt flowed into its insides, but Khan's spell wasn't done just yet.

When the lightning bolt completely disappeared, the lake's surface started shaking. It paled and darkened, flickering during the struggle against that dangerous invader.

Meanwhile, rivers of purple-red energy spread inside that surface, tainting its green color. Those unstable, zigzagged structures expanded as far as possible before fulfilling their real, sole purpose.

The lake flickered more intensely until a thunderous noise finally resounded inside it, and a torrent of pale green light shot upward. Khan didn't move away and let that glow wash over him, knowing its threat was no more. The real danger was underneath, and Khan had just uncovered it.

The respirators under Khan's cape broke when he summoned the lightning bolt, so he didn't waste time and dived down. Faint remains of the green color still glowed in the area, but the lake had turned dark, revealing its real purpose. It was a flexible membrane, but cracks now littered it, and a proper cavity had formed on its surface.

Khan aimed for the cavity. The hole was as big as a two-story structure, but a moist blue wall promptly covered it. Khan planned to pierce it, but his hand froze as soon as a black vertical slit rolled toward its center, accompanied by a deep hiss.