The announcement left everyone speechless, especially Khan, who knew exactly how rare the event could be. The appearance of one monster already was an incredible occasion. Having to deal with eleven of them at the same time was something that went beyond unreasonable and impossible.
Moreover, that number only kept track of the monsters in the area. Paul didn't reveal how many of those creatures had appeared on the planet, but it was clear that the situation was far from ideal. Nitis was going through a catastrophic event.
"I'm sending coordinates to your phones," Paul announced while tapping on his device without looking at the screen. "We must divide ourselves and depart as soon as possible to help with the monsters. This is different from your previous hunt. Every human on Nitis will help deal with this threat."
Heavy steps echoed in the area as soon as Paul finished his line. The recruits couldn't help but turn toward the source of that noise and notice Captain Erbair walking toward the camp's exit while wearing a stern expression.
"Lieutenant Kintea is preparing a Ugu for you, ma'am!" Paul promptly exclaimed when the Captain passed near the group.
"I won't use a Ugu," Captain Erbair replied in a firm tone before charging toward the exit.
The sudden acceleration generated gales that almost pushed the recruits backward. Captain Erbair's had the size of a giant who could surpass Khan's speed, and her sprint made tremors spread through the ground.
Her giant figure left the camp and disappeared inside the plain in an instant. Paul and the recruits could only remain silent as they witnessed the strongest human on Nitis joining the hunts.
Notifications arrived on their phones right after that event. Paul had sent a map featuring the various monsters' locations, but three of them quickly turned yellow and showed Captain Erbair's name when tapping them. It seemed that the soldier had already chosen her targets.
The monsters chosen by Captain Erbair weren't far nor close. They stood in the middle of the other creatures in the area, and Paul didn't hesitate to explain the reason behind that choice.
"We will go toward the closest monsters," Paul ordered. "Create four groups quickly and start gathering your Ugu."
Paul then turned toward Khan before continuing. "Khan, you are the only one who can reach the monsters far away on time. Teams of Niqols are already approaching them, but they will probably need help."
"Roger that," Khan exclaimed before patting Snow's neck.
The eagle sensed Khan's feelings and promptly spread its wings to leave the ground. The duo didn't waste even a single second in that situation, and Paul limited himself to say some last words while the creature rose into the sky.
"Don't try to be a hero!" Paul shouted. "Helping the Niqols is important, but this isn't our planet. The humans can use this chance to justify eventual reinforcements."
The dirty feeling that usually accompanied those political schemes appeared inside Khan as he flew high in the sky and set off toward one of the distant targets.
Khan didn't know how such a catastrophic event was even possible, but he hated that the Global Army had already thought of a way to exploit it. The crisis would endanger both Niqols and humans, but Paul's first idea was on the chance to send more troops on Nitis.
Khan hated even more that he had to learn how to develop that mindset. An ambassador needed to find the path that would benefit the Global Army in every situation, even in a planetary crisis that could make both species pay a steep price.
The sole thought that Liiza could be part of that price made his mind grow cold. Khan wanted the Global Army to give its full support to the Niqols to prevent harsh consequences, but he knew that the humans would prioritize future benefits.
Khan had to take the matter into his own hands to reduce the dangers faced by the Niqols. He could get over the death of strangers, but he wouldn't forgive himself if his lack of efforts led to consequences that his mind didn't even want to consider.
Snow flew as fast as possible and without wasting time performing useless moves. It crossed the sky at a speed that Ugu couldn't even imagine and reached the first destination in a little less than an hour.
Finding the actual location of the monster turned out to be relatively easy. Khan saw fire spreading across a small mountain under him. The flames tried to devour the short vegetation that covered the structure and illuminated small dark figures that encircled a scarlet shape.
A faint tremor ran through Snow's back when its eyes caught a glance of the scarlet figure. Khan could feel its fear through the mental connection, but he still ordered it to dive toward the fiery creature.
Snow folded its wings before spreading them once the ground became dangerously close. The Aduns didn't get too close to the flames, but Khan couldn't complain after sensing its feelings.
"Wait for me," Khan ordered while patting Snow's neck to calm it down. "We have more monsters to kill today."
Snow gave voice to a worried screech, but Khan didn't linger there anymore. The Aduns had dropped him at a few hundred meters from the battle, so he had to hurry to help the Niqols against the fiery creature.
Flames filled the short mountain and spread toward the plain around its base. The scarce vegetation prevented the fire from creating long fiery tongues, but it did nothing to stop its expansion.
The scene was bright since everything was on fire. Khan could see a group of seven Niqols encircling a one and a half meters tall creature covered in flames.
Khan couldn't help but feel surprised when he got close enough to study the monster's features from behind the flames. The creature had the head of a bird that resembled the Aduns, but it featured tiny feathered wings on its back. Moreover, it stood on four legs, but the front limbs appeared too short compared to the rear ones.
The feathers didn't burn among the flames that surrounded the creature. Actually, they appeared to be part of them. They waved whenever the fire crackled, and their movements seemed able to control that scorching energy.
"How is it?" Khan shouted when he stepped forward and became part of the encirclement.
The Niqols were wearing ugly expressions. Many of them featured burns, but their condition didn't appear severe. Still, all of them frowned when they saw the human joining their group.
"[How did he]-?" One of the Niqols began to ask, but another alien promptly interrupted her.
"[He is the human with the Aduns, the one who killed the monster]," A tall male Niqols explained before turning toward Khan. "Thank you for hurrying here, but I don't know what we can do against this thing."
Khan's eyes sharpened before understanding dawned upon his mind. The tall Niqols had been part of the previous hunt, which explained the faint respect that he saw on his face.
"What's the issue?" Khan asked while moving his focus back on the monster.
"Everything is the issue," A female Niqols near Khan snorted. "Can't you see that it's on fire?"
"Azni, please!" The male Niqols scolded the tall girl before turning toward Khan again. "We can't approach the monster without getting hurt. We are trying to limit its movements reduce the damage on the environment, but-."
The monster seemed to hear the Niqols' words. Its feathers stood up while it opened its beak and spat a fireball that flew toward Khan. The attack wasn't too fast, so Khan could easily sidestep it, but the explosion that followed its landing on the ground made his eyes widen in worry.
The fireball flew for a bit more than ten meters after crossing Khan before falling on the ground. Raging flames spread during the impact, and multiple patches of short black grass took fire. A small fuming crater even appeared in the spot where the attack had landed.
The ability was deadly. Khan could see how a single direct hit carried enough power to make his chest explode. The destructive power of the fireballs surpassed the lightning bolts faced in the past, even if they weren't nearly as fast.
"We must wait until our superiors arrive!" The male Niqols continued as his expression darkened. "Help us stop its movements!"
Khan nodded, but he barely paid attention to the Niqols. His eyes remained on the monster since something felt incredibly off about that creature.
The other monster was clearly stable. Its features were strange, but it grew stronger after each attack because the second wave of mutations had improved its overall state. The creature was simply growing used to its new abilities.
Instead, Khan's current opponent was strange and almost unnatural. Its front legs and small wings made him feel as if the monster didn't develop completely. It also appeared weaker after its previous attack since it lowered its beak and kept it open to gasp for air.
'Can it even breathe inside the flames?' Khan wondered without knowing how to find answers to his doubt.
"Are the mutations stable?" Khan eventually asked while pointing at the creature. "Doesn't it seem out of breath for you?"
The male Niqols and his companions grew confused as they looked at the monster and inspected it properly. Khan's words were on point. The creature appeared far from stable. Its power seemed to hurt it even.
"We didn't have time to study it," The male Niqols revealed before nodding. "It does feel off, unstable even."
The monster mustered enough strength to raise its head again, and a wave of anger ran through its eyes when it saw that the encirclement was still there. Its beak opened, and another fireball flew toward Azni.
The girl jumped to the left and dodged the attack, but the fireball landed close to her. Some of the flames that accompanied the explosion touched her back and burnt the white tracksuit.
Azni grunted and gritted her teeth as she threw herself on the ground and rolled to stop the flames burning her tracksuit. One of the Niqols next to her even left the encirclement to help suppress the fire. Yet, the monster didn't hesitate to run through that opening.
The monster left a trail of flames on the ground as it ran across the plain. The creature wasn't fast. Its wings and front legs even seemed to slow it down, so Khan and the other Niqols could reach it and restore the encirclement.
Khan felt lucky that the short grass couldn't provide much fuel to those flames. The entire environment would be on fire otherwise. Instead, the short vegetation burnt only for a few minutes before turning into fuming patches of charred ground.
The environment clearly wasn't helping the monster, and the creature even appeared wary of a frontal clash against its opponents. However, the issue remained. The beast would only keep burning the region and launch attacks if its enemies didn't do anything to stop it.
"How many of you are on the battlefield?" Khan asked while the group remained silent around the monster.
"Every warrior in the city has joined the hunts," The male Niqols revealed without understanding the hidden meaning behind Khan's question. "Even Ambassador Yeza has stepped into the battlefield due to the gravity of the situation."
That revelation confirmed what Khan feared. Liiza was bound to be on the battlefield, so stalling only increased her chances of getting hurt.
A notification suddenly reached Khan's phone. He was far away from the camp, but his device managed to refresh the map whenever it connected with the network.
The map featured three more targets now. The number of monsters had increased again, and Khan closed his eyes as resolve filled his face.
"Do you have water?" Khan asked as he tore the upper part of his robe and revealed his muscular torso. "Any fireproof liquid is fine actually."
Khan never had the chance to wear clean clothes after the formal celebration. He didn't even eat at all since that event because his schedule had been quite packed between Liiza, Zalpa, the lessons, and the sudden crisis.
He would use his pee in the absence of fireproof liquids, but he felt unable to muster any of it while he tied the torn fabric to his legs. Khan wanted to protect his ankles, knees, and feet, but his robe alone wouldn't be enough. The Niqols' clothes were even quite thin, so they weren't suitable for his plan.
"Are you sure?" The male Niqols asked when he understood what Khan had in mind. "We have the ointment against the burns provided by the Global Army. It's pretty fireproof, but it won't last long."
The male Niqols had seen Khan fight against the lightning monster. He knew of fast he could be. Khan's quick attacks were better than the techniques usually deployed by the aliens in that situation, but he would still risk his life if he decided to press forward with that strategy.
"It's fine," Khan said before taking a deep breath. "The monster will fall quickly if my idea is on point."
The male Niqols studied Khan's resolute expression for a few seconds before turning toward the two aliens who had remained behind and shouting orders. "[Azni, Bula, come here and bring the ointment. Help the human smear it on his legs]!"
