Chaos Heir

Chapter 1504: Potential

Raymond’s face told quite the complete story. His furrowed brow and dark eye bags vouched for his sleepless, painful night, which had the red tattoo on his neck to blame.

Yet, Raymond’s bloodshot brown eyes didn’t trigger any painful reaction when they fell on Khan. He seemed to have adjusted to his new condition somehow, which was quite a feat in such a short time, but Khan didn’t expect anything less from him.

Despite the irremediable differences, Raymond was one of a kind. He was one of humankind’s true geniuses, possessing a character that matched his intellect, which would be praiseworthy if it weren’t for his crazy sides.

If anything, the fact that Raymond had joined that meeting was more meaningful than his achievement since it revealed his decision. The scientist had chosen to work for Khan instead of running away, and the war could definitely benefit from his genius.

"My Prince," Raymond greeted, performing a stiff but tired military salute under Khan’s continuous inspection.

Garret and Abraham imitated Khan, also inspecting Raymond. Things were inevitably tense between the two, and both scientists had reservations toward Raymond due to his disservices toward Khan. Yet, that was a time for unity.

Besides, Khan’s nod announced his agreement in having Raymond at that meeting, so Garret and Abraham put the matter aside, lowering their heads in respect while mimicking that greeting.

"My Prince," Garret and Abraham said simultaneously.

Khan inspected his two loyal, trusted scientists. Then, he looked at Raymond again, only to divert his gaze in thought. That priority meeting had a specific purpose that was at the very core of the war against the Scarlet Eyes, but explaining everything it entailed wouldn’t be easy.

"I know you are busy with actual projects," Khan announced, "So I’ll try to be as brief as possible."

Prince Thomas would handle most of the arrangements, but the tasks had a mostly scientific nature, so the three experts in the flat would be the ones calling the shots and sharing directives.

At least, two of those experts would.

Actual projects were already ongoing, too, and the addition of the entire allied front would require the scientists’ full attention. Khan couldn’t waste their time with mystical strategies but needed their opinion, nonetheless, at least to hear what the other side of the aisle had to say about it.

Besides, the three scientists needed a proper update. They probably were the only people in Khan’s entire organization who required it.

"I reached the Nak’s home world and met the Nak," Khan explained. "Apparently, I was part of an experiment meant to create a being like the True Chaos’ God, but for the mana."

Khan felt slightly proud of himself to have summarized that part so well, only to realize he had forgotten to mention something important.

"The True Chaos’ God was the first experiment, by the way," Khan added. "The mana changed approach when that God went rogue. The suicidal attacks and nightmares were part of the new and improved strategy."

Abraham, Garret, and Raymond remained silent, their stern expressions hiding their pensive states. Pieces of that information weren’t new, or the scientists had partially uncovered them through private hypotheses, but more was about to come.

"I rejected the Nak and took them and their mana for myself," Khan revealed. "I didn’t want to become a God on their terms, and doing that wouldn’t have ensured our victory against the True Chaos anyway."

Interest replaced the general sternness. The three scientists couldn’t help but take another look at Khan, searching for more evident consequences of his decision. They could somehow confirm that he was stronger even without special tools, but nothing stood out.

"Now, for the grand problem," Khan exclaimed, spreading his arms. "I’m pretty sure I’m weaker than the True Chaos’ God in my current state. Even if I were to convince the Thilku Emperor to face that being together miraculously, we’d probably lose."

That piece of information came as a surprise. The True Chaos was indeed frightening, especially after witnessing how its troops had led a massive and widespread sudden assault on the regulated universe.

However, Khan was also undoubtedly mighty, and the monster that could cause catastrophes with his mere voice had to be at the same level.

The scientists couldn’t imagine an opponent capable of surviving the joint efforts of Khan and the Emperor, but that was a limit of their minds. They were mortals, so they had to trust the opinion of someone living in those superior realms.

"I do have a plan," Khan stated. "It’s why I called you here, actually. My wife gave her opinion, and it sounds feasible, but I also want to hear what science has to say about it."

Garret, Abraham, and Raymond had yet to say anything, and their silence continued, patiently waiting to hear the plan that could save the universe as they knew it.

"My attunement with mana is still incomplete," Khan revealed. "You’ll have to check it later, but, anyway, this means I can still evolve, or at least a version of that."

Truth be told, even Khan didn’t know what fulfilling his attunement would do. Part of him believed nothing would really change. After all, he had already evolved in the general sense, which was one of the reasons behind his reckless strategy.

"I’m bound to get even stronger if I just fulfill it," Khan explained. "Still, if I could fulfill it through the True Chaos, the odds of winning against its God would definitely increase."

Frowns flashed for a second, only for wide eyes to spread in Khan’s bright vision. Those three men were his lead scientists for a reason. They instantly understood what he meant, but he made it clear anyway.

"In short," Khan summarized. "I want to get tainted by the True Chaos before officially evolving. I want to mutate once again, which you can understand how dangerous it is."

Khan lowered his gaze, inspecting the hands that had been full of scars not long ago, adding a last comment. "I’m not even sure my body can survive another transformation."

Once again, the scientists immediately understood the issue at hand. The Nak had tainted Khan, mutating him, and the Great Old One’s blood had repeated the process. Bodies had limits, as well as living beings, and Khan might have reached his.

But the odd one out among the scientists had a different opinion.

"My Prince, I know this might be hard for you," Raymond declared, "But have pride in humankind."

Khan lifted his gaze, arching his eyebrows in surprise, silently questioning the scientist about his statement, which seemed to have nothing to do with his issue.

"We didn’t accomplish miracles in a fraction of other species’ lifespan by chance," Raymond explained, obviously talking about humankind’s time with the mana. "Many see us as the most flexible species. I say we have the highest potential, of which you are living proof."