Chaos Heir

Chapter 1630: Empire

The event didn’t happen in a vacuum. It wasn’t limited to Lord Enforcer, Lord Envoy, and Khan. The Royal Guard had made an announcement every member of the Empire could understand, and that prompted a widespread response.

The surviving Thilku who had disembarked from the Leviathan-class ship were exhausted, to say the least. Their spirit couldn’t be messier after the rollercoaster of emotions they had to go through.

The Thilku in the audience were in a similar state, albeit for different reasons. They weren’t tired, but they had just received official confirmation that their Emperor was dead.

Nevertheless, all the Thilku on the scene, without a single exception, moved. Even those too tired or injured to walk followed that trend, relying on their spells or companions to fulfill their duty.

A crowd of red giants was converging in Khan’s location, those heavy steps making the desert tremble and lifting clouds of sand, until everyone eventually came to a stop, forming an orderly encirclement before performing traditional bows.

Of course, most of those Thilku only had rags left hanging on their backs, but that didn’t prevent the traditional gesture. The Empire was bowing to its new Emperor, earning meaningful and prolonged looks from his obscuring gaze.

Lord Envoy and Lord Enforcer hadn’t bowed yet, but not for lack of respect. The former relied on his element again, materializing an intact Thilku cape out of thin air, only for the latter to tinker with it through his mana.

The cape shrank, remaining oversized, but gaining a shape more suitable for the intended wearer. Then, Lord Enforcer seized it from his companion’s hands, ceremoniously approaching Khan to place the piece of clothing on his shoulders.

Khan didn’t move throughout the event, watching as Lord Enforcer retreated to Lord Envoy’s side so that both Royal Guards could perform traditional bows. The crowning was official now, having multiple species as witnesses.

And that wasn’t the end of that ceremonious encirclement. If anything, it was the beginning.

The Scalqa had been Khan’s most loyal soldiers since his first real rise into a leadership position. Almost none of them came close to understanding the Thilku language, but those widespread bows gave them quite a good idea of what was unfolding.

So, without needing orders or as much as a translator, the Scalqa from around the Leviathan-class ship and audience moved, approaching the encirclement of Thilku, stopping behind them before delving into their traditions.

The Scalqa started beating their chests and stomping their feet, as if imitating war drums that strived to fill the entire desert with their rhythm. They lacked capes or more advanced pleasantries, but everyone understood and accepted that declaration of loyalty toward their fearsome, godly leader.

At last, humans moved, too. Soldiers from Khan’s organization joined that expanding encirclement, performing stiff military salutes. Those troops were behind the Thilku and Scalqa, hidden by their giant frames, but Khan saw everything nonetheless.

That wasn’t even the end. The area didn’t feature them, but Khan had far more allies bearing undying loyalty toward him. Those outside the encirclement couldn’t see them, but everyone knew they existed.

What had previously been a cluster of various, tight alliances had now lost its last separation. Everything had united, consolidating around Khan to create the greatest force of that time, even surpassing the Thilku Empire’s previous peaks.

Khan was now both the strongest warrior the universe had ever seen and the leader of the world’s largest force. His power and authority had instantly become unmatched, intensifying the previous concerns.

Everything could change with a single wave of Khan’s hand. The whole political world could crumble at his simple orders, and he had to admit he felt a bit tempted.

As the rightful owner of the golden crown, Khan felt the Empire’s drive to continuous expansion. He was almost compelled to listen to the Thilku’s fundamental pride, which could involve beating the potentially opposing forces into submission to achieve complete domination.

That urge for domination was also part of Khan’s instincts now. Somehow, he felt the need to put the entire universe under his control, turning it into an extension of his domain. Authority was in his very genes, and that trait begged to be unleashed.

Still, luckily for the universe and the forces who feared Khan’s authority, he wasn’t really in the mood for more wars now. He was hungry and drowsy, which took priority over that quest for complete domination.

Of course, that would change the moment anyone tried to oppose Khan, but no one seemed to consider that course of action.

Nevertheless, Khan couldn’t just hit the bed. It wouldn’t be fair to that encirclement. He couldn’t disrespect his loyal underlings. There would be time for selfishness and rest, but something had to be said first.

“My family, my faction, my soldiers, the Thilku, and anyone waving my banner will be separate entities no more,” Khan declared, his voice and mental messages spreading everywhere, silencing the war drums. “As of today, everything will merge into the new Empire. My Empire.”

Political alliances, factions, and more that had existed for centuries vanished at that very moment. Khan’s statement made his new, massive force official, and he wasn’t done.

“My Empire will focus on rebuilding now,” Khan continued. “Much has been lost against our common enemy, but my Empire will retake everything and bring it to new heights.”

That inspiring announcement tried to unleash a deafening wave of cheers, but no one spoke. Many even held their breath, not wanting anything to get in the way of Khan’s words.

“Afterward,” Khan added, “My Empire will resume its endless expansion. It will explore as far as the deepest reaches of the universe, taking any world it pleases.”

Holding back the cheers became truly difficult at that point, but something in the very air told the soldiers in the vast encirclement and the audience that Khan wasn’t done.

Actually, most of the forces in the audience and still around the Leviathan-class ship were waiting for the speech to mention them, and their turn seemed to have come.

“My Empire will stay true to every previous alliance and deal,” Khan declared. “My Empire will also be open to renegotiations and entirely new agreements.”

That was extremely merciful. Different leaders would have used that opportunity to take advantage of the chaos in the political environment to amass more power.

Still, Khan was a man of his word and didn’t care for such demeaning tactics. The time when he needed them was long gone now.

“My Empire will welcome everyone,” Khan stated. “I won’t care about how you look, which values you profess, which arts you wield, or where you come from. If you want to join me, my Empire will have a place for you.”

That was the core of Khan’s vision for the universe. It wasn’t really a dream, but it was how he imagined the world should work, and he had the power to make it a reality now.

“As for everyone else,” Khan continued, the suffocating feeling in the atmosphere hinting at what was about to come. “Try anything, and history will forget your name.”

The suffocating feeling receded, but the air remained oppressive. Khan’s sole presence in the desert could cause that reaction, but the mood did lighten, especially when he scratched the side of his head.

“Let’s go home now,” Khan said, nodding at the two Royal Guards, who didn’t hesitate to respond with a stern “My Emperor”.

Cheers were finally free to resound. Chaos spread everywhere while various leaders in the encirclement shouted orders, doing their best to bring order amid the deafening mayhem so they could fulfill Khan’s orders.

That process seemed to want to take a while, especially since Khan hadn’t exactly specified which home he meant, and Liiza didn’t hesitate to point that out when she reached for his hand.

“[Did you mean Baoway or Zedekiel]?” Liiza wondered, speaking in her native language, laying her head on Khan’s shoulder.

“[Baoway],” Khan revealed, sighing at the mess his unclear words had caused, but finding the scene slightly hilarious. “[You haven’t seen it yet after all].”

“[What then]?” Liiza asked, something meaningful seeping in her tone.

“[We’ll probably have to relocate],” Khan admitted. “[I haven’t really thought this through].”

“[And then]?” Liiza questioned, the mental connection deepening that meaningful vibe.

Khan didn’t reply, instead opting for shooting a specific look at Liiza. She obviously understood it, and her lower lip fell between her teeth while Khan’s obscuring gaze hid her blush.

“[And then]?” Liiza wondered, almost purring while handing Yeza to Khan so that she could hold his arm with both hands.

“[I might nap for a whole decade],” Khan yawned, bringing Yeza closer to his face so that she could grab his black strands.

Liiza couldn’t help but immerse herself in the scene, overwhelmed by its heartwarming vibes. It wasn’t just about Khan playing with their daughter. Her now scarless husband could speak about sleeping with such ease, reassuring her beyond reason.

Of course, Liiza couldn’t just let Khan have that win without reminding him who he belonged to.

“[You’d better wake up for the birth of our son],” Liiza teased, “[Or I’ll find someone else].”

Khan’s face snapped toward Liiza’s, only to find her lips already waiting for his, her simple kiss betraying her playful and happy smile, as well as the awareness that everything would be fine from now on.

Everything was finally fine.

THE END

Chaos’ Heir will end here, but you can expect 3-4 chapters of side stories within the next few days. I’ll warn everyone on my Discord server and socials once I publish them.

Anyway, allow me to reiterate how grateful I am to all of you. Chaos’ Heir was a messy experiment, but I was happy to see so many of you enjoying it, and I hope you found the finale satisfactory.

Truly, thank you all for your support.

For those interested, my next story will come out in January.

I hope to see you all there!