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C377 Surprise

Khan often forgot that mana cores had limits, but that wasn't really his fault. His energy reserves seemed endless, and his body had always grown exhausted before he could fully test himself.

However, the Orlats was an experienced warrior, so he kept track of that feature. The fact that Khan could still stand was incredible, but the alien believed that the effort had exhausted most of his energies.

Khan had almost given up on trying to hurt his opponent. The previous wall of flames had made him lose his initiative, leaving the third-level warrior in a battle stance and with spells floating around him.

Khan had no way to bring the initiative back on his side. No matter what he tried to do, he would always be one step behind the Orlats. Even sprinting would leave him exposed to those head-sized blue fireballs.

Yet, the Orlats' statement revealed an unexpected opening. Khan could come up with something as long as his opponent didn't expect a spell from him. Defeating the third-level warrior sounded impossible even in that situation, but it allowed Khan to retain some hope.

Khan had a general knowledge of various styles. His time in the training halls had given him an idea about many martial arts. He didn't know them in great detail, but he could understand a few features from battle stances and similar postures.

The Orlats had a generic but functional battle stance. He had partially turned his body to limit the exposed areas, and he had even stretched his left arm to prepare for an attack. Meanwhile, his right arm was on his chest to deflect blows, and his legs were slightly bent to be ready for a sprint.

That battle stance could lead to countless martial arts, but Khan only took note of its lack of flaws. Except for the innate shorter range due to the Orlats' size, Khan couldn't find anything to exploit.

Cold realizations filled Khan's thoughts. He had a chance, but seizing it would cost him greatly. There was no way around that.

"Ooh?" The Orlats voiced in a mocking tone when he saw Khan shooting forward.

Khan's feet hurt whenever they touched the scorching floor, and his back never stopped sending sharp waves of pain, but they only added power to his tight grip on the knife. He couldn't achieve his peak speed, but he remained fast.

Still, the Orlats didn't lose track of Khan. The alien turned without breaking his battle stance as he followed Khan sprinting at his left. It was clear that Khan was aiming to cross the raised arm to find an opening, but the third-level warrior didn't let him.

Khan kept a safe distance. He ran around the Orlats without daring to approach him. Those blue fireballs were too scary, but the tactic wasn't going anywhere.

Moreover, Khan wasn't getting any better. It was actually the opposite. His injuries expanded as he kept pushing his body to its limits. He had to go in before he became too weak to put up a fight.

The Orlats didn't hesitate. As soon as Khan cut toward him, one of the fireballs shot forward. The spell even expanded and destabilized during the flight, turning into an explosive sphere that released raging flames.

The fireball completely exploded before touching Khan. He had to close his eyes again since the heat was too much to bear. Flames shot in every direction and created a barrier that no one would dare to cross, but Khan had no other options.

Khan covered his face with his arms and spread the [Blood Shield] through the upper part of his body before diving directly into the flames. His skin burnt, but his speed limited the damage to a single second. He ran past the fire and reappeared in the open, but another fireball was already flying toward him.

The Orlats didn't predict that Khan would jump through the flames. He couldn't even sense him. Yet, as soon as a figure became visible among the fire, he launched the fireball.

The second fireball behaved like the first. It expanded and grew unstable. Khan was only a few seconds away from finding himself before another wall of flames, and he couldn't keep the [Blood Shield] active for so long.

The blood vessels lost their toughness as Khan recalled the [Blood Shield] and focused on the fireball's rhythm. The spell was about to explode, but he accelerated and sent mana toward his knife while performing an upward slash.

The knife lit up and cut through the unstable flames, creating a narrow opening that Khan used to run through the spell. The fire still touched him and left burning marks on his body, but he got the chance to reach the Orlats.

Each step that Khan took intensified the surprise experienced by the Orlats, but the latter didn't let that feeling get in the way of the battle. His movements remained precise and virtually perfect.

The last fireball flew forward while the Orlats lowered his left arm to make his elbow touch his torso. Khan was basically on him, but the spell was coming, and mana flowed toward his four fingers to prepare a killer move.

The Orlats' calculations were perfect. The fireball would land on Khan as soon as his opponent entered his reach. The alien didn't fear his own flames, so he was willing to let the spell explode right in front of him.

If Khan managed to get past that, the Orlats would still have his left arm. His fingers would pierce anything that crossed his flames. The exchange was set in stone in his mind. Khan was bound to be helpless.

Khan stuck to those calculations. He ran straight for the Orlats, uncaring of the fireball descending on him. However, before the spell could come too close or hinder his path, he stomped his foot slightly harder and released the original version of the Wave spell.

A purple-red wave of mana left Khan's body and expanded to create a sphere. The spell dug the floor and removed the flames still burning on his skin, but it couldn't do much against the fireball. It only slowed down its descent.

Khan knew that his spell couldn't beat the fireball. He had already seen the chaos spear failing in that attempt, so he couldn't hope something weaker to do better.

Yet, the delay in the fireball allowed Khan to reach the Orlats without facing the fire. His expanding spell had also surprised the alien, who abandoned the idea of attacking to opt for a rapid retreat.

In normal conditions, the Orlats would leave Khan's range before any attack could land on him. However, Khan had moved knowing that his spell would create an opening, while the alien had merely reacted to that unexpected development.

That allowed Khan to be one step ahead of the Orlats. When the latter started to retreat, Khan was already pushing his glowing knife forward. Its tip actually managed to pierce the alien's chest, but everything fell apart afterward.

The last fireball exploded, sending waves of flames crashing on Khan and the Orlats. Khan disregarded them and tried to push his knife even deeper, but his opponent punched him on his belly before he could inflict any significant damage.

The physical prowess of a third-level warrior was truly incredible. Khan felt a hammer slamming on his abdomen and pushing him away. His feet left the floor as he flew for a few meters toward his left.

Khan tried to remain focused on his attack, but he eventually lost control of the mana around the knife. His weapon slid through the Orlats' chest before coming out and accompanying him in his flight.

The punch saved Khan from the rest of the flames, which enveloped the Orlats and hid his presence. Khan didn't want to miss that chance and tried to move his mana to prepare a chaos spear, but a tremor ran inside him as soon as he landed and disrupted his concentration.

The urge to throw up took control of Khan and made him bend forward. His legs began to shake, and the pain from his back replaced any thought or sensation inside his mind.

Khan tried to tighten his grip on the knife to retain some connection with reality, but he didn't feel anything. He knew that his weapon was still in his hand, but his touch was failing him.

The world in Khan's eyes was unclear when he opened them. His peripheral vision barely recorded anything. He felt at the bottom of a well, with his sense of distance completely messed up. Everything even tried to spin, but he kept it somewhat stable through sheer willpower.

Khan knew what was happening. His body was falling apart. The punch had made him aware of all the injuries that had accumulated since the beginning of the battle.

On the other hand, the Orlats was barely affected. The flames dispersed and revealed his condition. He was perfectly fine except for a shallow cut on his chest. The dark tracksuit hid most of that injury, but Khan knew that it wasn't significant.

Khan struggled to remain on his feet, but he still noticed the anger on the Orlats' face. It was impossible to miss how livid the alien was, and Khan felt powerless before that scene.

"You little-," The Orlats began to curse, but something suddenly landed on his right shoulder and transformed his line into a short, painful cry.

Khan was as surprised as the Orlats, but his confused state lasted less than his opponent. The alien glanced at the root in his shoulder before moving his gaze to the passage on the intermediate floor. Instead, Khan only had to sense familiar auras to understand what had happened.

The passage on the intermediate floor wasn't large enough to fit the entire team, but Piran, Jenna, and another Nele had peeked past it. Jenna didn't hesitate to throw her root when she saw Khan's poor state, and her companions were about to imitate her.

The Orlats moved his attention to the Nele, but the sounds of steps quickly forced him to turn back on Khan. The alien found his opponent running toward him, and his anger exploded at that point.

Khan was barely succeeding in performing his sprints. He was far slower than usual, which gave the Orlats enough time to react. However, when the alien tried to adjust his posture, he noticed that his body didn't listen to his commands.

The weakness caused by the root lasted only for a few seconds. The Orlats' body was too strong to be affected by Jenna's arts for too long, but Khan was on him by then.

The Orlats voiced a battle cry as he stretched his arm toward Khan. His hand met his glowing knife and resisted long enough to deflect the attack, even if the alien lost half of it in the process.

Khan felt on the verge of losing consciousness when he saw his knife cutting the alien's palm in half and a chunk of his forearm before returning in the air. That last attack had also failed to kill the Orlats, but the Nele didn't stay still.

The distraction created by Khan made the incoming attacks impossible to dodge for the Orlats. Two more roots flew through the area and hit the alien on his back, further limiting his movements.

Khan stomped his right foot on the floor and summoned every remaining inch of concentration he had left to lift his leg and deliver a kick. The Orlats tried to block it, but the missing part of his hand created an opening that granted Khan a path toward his chest.

The Orlats endured the kick without budging and even ignored the formless whiff of mana coming out of it. His expression grew crazy as he crossed his arms and grabbed Khan's leg. Flames seeped out of his fingers, and a smirk broadened on his face as he stared deeply into Khan's eyes.

Still, that smirk froze for a second when the Orlats saw more mana coming out of the foot in his grasp and partially fending off the flames. Khan launched a straight version of the Wave spell through his leg, and the purple-red energy unleashed destruction on the alien's body.

The tracksuit shattered in no time, and the purple-red mana quickly moved on the skin. Cracks opened on the dark-red flesh as the spell expanded. A circular injury grew and stretched to the arms locked on the foot, but the alien didn't release his grasp.

The Orlats shouted as he poured more power into his flames. The Wave spell couldn't stop them, so they soon reached Khan's leg. However, Khan kept his attack active and continued digging through the alien's chest.

The dark-red skin soon turned into a gory mess that had no resemblance to its original form. Layers of muscles and bones became visible, and the Wave spell didn't hesitate to spread its destruction there.

Khan gritted his teeth. Pain filled the entirety of his body and mind, but he put everything he had on his spell. Soon, a head-sized hole formed on the Orlats' chest and continued to expand.

The purple-red mana eventually touched some vital organs, and blood filled the Orlats' mouth. The smirk slowly vanished, and the same went for the flames. The alien finally fell, and Khan joined him on the floor.

Pure chaos ran through Khan's mind. Thoughts tried to make their way through the painful sensations that had taken over him, but everything went silent when he lifted his head to peek at the Orlats. The latter wasn't moving. He had finally died.

The adrenaline stopped flowing. Khan brought his head back on the floor and relaxed. The intense painful sensations quieted down and transformed into a constant but almost bearable suffering that involved every inch of his body.

Khan suddenly became aware of the sweat on his forehead. He lifted a hand to wipe it away even if the gesture caused him immense pain, but his gaze remained stuck on the linear burn on his palm. He didn't even remember how he had gotten that, but he knew that the rest of his body was far worse off.

'I went overboard,' Khan sighed in his mind as he tried to enter a meditative state to stabilize his condition. The attempt immediately failed since the pain he felt didn't let him focus.

Steps resounded around Khan at some point, and Jenna's concerned face soon appeared in his vision. She wanted to touch him, but she held back and even squeezed her own wrist to keep her hands in check. She simply didn't know how to approach him without triggering pain.

"[We must go]," Piran exclaimed while also entering Khan's vision.

Jenna nodded before crouching toward Khan to whisper a few words. "[I will lift you now]."

"[I can sort of walk]," Khan tried to chuckle, but only a rough voice came out of his mouth.

"[You really shouldn't]," Jenna stated while glancing at Khan's feet. "[Endure until we get back to the district]."

Jenna took Khan's left arm and put it over her shoulders before straightening her position. She paid extra attention to avoid touching his back, but it was clear that carrying him like that would be far from easy.

Still, Piran promptly reached Khan's right side and imitated Jenna. The gesture surprised Khan, but he was too in pain to think about it. He could only focus on making himself less of dead weight as the two Nele carried him through the area.

To be continued