Chapter 942: Expansion

Chapter 942: Expansion



Khan descended toward the scientific building before unceremoniously dropping the two corpses on the ground. People were already exiting the structure, and Khan's voice resounded before anyone could ask questions.

"These two specimens had developed spell-like abilities," Khan explained, landing and advancing toward the building. "Study them well."

The scientists had gotten used to that routine by now, so they quickly shouted orders and prepared to retrieve and study the corpses. More workers exited the building while Khan walked among its many interactive desks, and a figure eventually ran toward him.

"Prince Khan," Garret called, stopping before Khan. "The pheromone has worked as intended."

The scientist wasn't using that chance to brag. Khan had been busy with his battles, so he wasn't aware of everything that had unfolded that day. Garret was simply making a general summary.

"Better even," Khan nodded. "I had to chase after the second pack. Nothing I did stopped those creatures."

The original plan saw dealing with two packs to isolate them from the main battlefield. However, the army had activated the pheromone in the meantime, preventing Khan from distracting the second wave of monsters.

Luckily, that distraction had also worked in Khan's favor. The pheromone had deepened the mindlessness of the monsters. Even the barrage of chaos spears couldn't stop their charge. Still, Khan was faster than them, so he rained fire on them while flying alongside the pack.

That was one of the reasons why Khan returned as soon as the main battle had ended. The chase had already brought him near the outpost's perimeter.

"We'll review the scanners' recordings, Prince Khan," Garret exclaimed, his eyes darting left and right as calculations happened inside his mind. "With this new weapon, we can improve our control of the battlefield."

Khan didn't bother to nod. Garret's conclusion was irrefutable. The pheromone would allow the army to decide when and where to fight the next packs, creating the chance for traps and all kinds of useful ploys.

"Do we have enough time now?" Khan asked, switching to a different topic.

"Yes, Prince Khan," Garret confirmed. "We already completed the calculations, too. We await your orders."

"Do it," Khan ordered. "Secure the quadrant."

The plan was already in place. The simulations were ready, and the same went for the Leviathan in orbit. At Khan's order, the obelisk-like turrets started to move, expanding the perimeter. Meanwhile, more structures fell through the sky, adding defenses and buildings to the secured area.

On the other hand, Moses was already a second-level warrior. His empowered senses could have allowed a quicker growth. Also, Khan had the habit of selling himself short, so his offhand training methods could be more effective than he gave himself credit for.

Khan reached for Moses' chest, startling the young warrior. He ignored that reaction and placed his palm over Moses' sternum, focusing on his beating heart.

The flow of Moses' mana filled Khan's mind. He could easily manipulate it, but his attention was on something else now. Khan tried to sense whether the environment could affect it, showing whether Moses truly experienced that superior perception.

"Concentrate," Khan ordered, and Moses steeled his mind to ignore the strange situation and dive into the mental state experienced during the battle.

Meanwhile, Khan summoned mana into his free hand, altering its shape and color while moving his arm around the focused warrior. He avoided creating intense effects and limited himself to features that wouldn't usually affect Moses' energy. Still, faint changes happened

nonetheless.

Moses had closed his eyes by then, and faint ripples disturbed his regular mana flow. Those barely noticeable tremors could appear irrelevant, but Khan knew they were a reaction to external inputs. Khan wasn't doing anything to his body, so the event's source had to be external, coming from something he perceived.

Khan eventually dismissed his mana and retracted his hand, a pensive mood almost disrupting his cold expression. Moses opened his eyes and looked at him, followed by his two companions. The trio shared a profound curiosity, but Khan's thoughts had already moved

past it.

"It might be unrelated," Khan announced. "Still, if it isn't, it means the conditioning is

working."

Moses and Roger's faces became pale, recalling what the conditioning entailed. Prince Richard couldn't help but tremble, looking at his companions' reactions. A sense of dread also

filled his heart.

"Let's ramp it up and see how it goes," Khan declared. "Turn around and close your eyes. You might faint, but I'll stop before doing any damage."

Moses took a deep breath and turned, sitting on his knees and closing his eyes. Roger gulped

before imitating his friend. Lastly, Prince Richard studied the two young warriors before following suit, clearly the most scared of the trio.

As soon as the three closed their eyes, a storm of heavy mana surrounded them, threatening to tear their skin apart and cut them off from the outside world.