The natural mana didn't need to take a specific form in its current state. The monsters had already shaped it to represent the chaos element perfectly. Khan only had to wish for it to trigger a series of explosions.
The symphony churned and screamed, generating incomplete and unstable spells that immediately detonated. Tens of wolves remained trapped in that scorching and violent mana, often dying under its might.
Fuming blood and gore shot all around Khan, even affecting the areas many meters from him. A few Thilku had happened to be nearby, but the explosions didn't touch them. Body parts flew above their heads or fell on their uniforms, but no one dared to move.
Khan barely looked at the destruction he had created, but realizations reached his mind anyway. He had found the answer to a doubt that had afflicted him for a while, and its simplicity almost made him curse.
The Niqols and Nele arts theoretically stood on opposite sides of the same field. The Niqols' overbearing control and the Nele's kindness couldn't fuse. One wanted orders, while the other required timid requests.
Yet, the answer arrived once the environment fell under Khan's control. That new version of the symphony couldn't only endure his orders. It also welcomed them, allowing Khan to talk to the natural mana and produce effects above the Nele's arts.
Khan noticed a pattern with those doubts. The answers looked easy once found, but his brain couldn't accept them until it touched the required fields. Still, now that it had understood them, they became unforgettable.
Khan's presence affected the symphony, turning its natural mana into something that matched his mind. That new form allowed him to skip the Nele's kindness and rely on more forceful orders, which gave birth to stronger effects.
More needles appeared around Khan, most materializing above the relatively distant monsters. Those creatures were still frozen in fear, and the spells exploded before they had any chance to react.
Casualties unfolded everywhere, but that part of the battlefield remained still. The monsters and Thilku in Khan's range couldn't move their eyes from him. He was too much of a threat even to try to ignore.
Nevertheless, Khan couldn't remain in the same position anymore. The symphony could become an extension of his mind, but his presence was the key to controlling it, and losing precision was too big of a risk in an environment with allies.
Khan shot upward, disappearing from everyone's view. However, his presence remained heavy, allowing monsters and Thilku alike to find him in the sky immediately. They couldn't miss him when their minds warned them about his danger.
Still, Khan's movements reminded everyone of their location. The armies had yet to end their conflict, and both wanted to win, making many battles resume.
Khan's desire to vent didn't turn him dumb. Unreasonable and uncompromising urges drove his actions, but his knowledge remained, allowing him to spot the best targets in that chaotic environment.
The mutated Thilku was already dead, so the humanoid wolves were the only intelligent beings left in the enemy army. Taking them out would bring back the monsters' aggressive hunger, destroying their battle formations and giving the Thilku the upper hand.
Sadly for Khan, the humanoid wolves knew about that flaw, too. Moreover, that overwhelming presence made Khan an easy target, especially in the sky, so a few strong specimens dropped their tasks to focus on him.
Khan had just started flying toward the closest humanoid wolf when two bullets rose into the sky, aiming at him. The event didn't take him by surprise, and diving put him outside those attacks' trajectory, but his problems didn't end there.
The delay caused by the two bullets allowed the humanoid wolf targeted by Khan to notice his arrival. The creature stabbed its paws on the ground, opening its mouth to prepare for a powerful attack.
Khan was aware of the event, but his connection to the symphony stretched past the imminent threat. The humanoid wolf under him wasn't the only creature targeting him. That number had grown to four, threatening to send a barrage of bullets in Khan's direction.
The sky was Khan's reign, but even he had his limits. If more humanoid wolves were to notice him, he risked falling into a barrage that would limit his movements. He couldn't let that happen, so he kicked the air above him to change direction and fly directly at the closest strong monster.
The humanoid wolf had the bullet ready in its throat and didn't hesitate to fire it. That purple-red mass of mana flew directly toward Khan, but he didn't change direction. He didn't even slow down as his concentration deepened.
Khan glared at the incoming bullet as time slowed down in his vision. He could sense its composition, texture, and amount of energy. He knew exactly how it worked and its destructive power, and the symphony shared his knowledge.
"Shatter!" Khan shouted, raising his voice to send deeper vibes to his surroundings.
The symphony shook, and gales of mana gathered to fly at the incoming bullet. Nothing became visible in the air, but a force still pierced the attack, fusing with its fabric and applying Khan's orders.
The bullet destabilized, and flares of mana shot from it, making it lose power. Parts of it exploded, turning its energy against itself and increasing its size.
While most of the battles had resumed, a few spectators still existed and focused on Khan. To their surprise, he dived right into the bullet, destabilizing it even more.
The bullet's mana completely dispersed, flying in every direction before disappearing. Meanwhile, Khan's figure continued to descend, and his speed instantly took care of the smoke on his body.
The humanoid wolf tried to stand up, but Khan was too fast. He landed behind it, and its entire body split in half. A perfect cut had run from the top of its head to the bottom of its pelvis.
Khan ran to his side as the two halves fell to the ground. The sky was off-limits due to his overbearing pressure, so he changed his mind, planning to get to the remaining humanoid wolves without leaving the surface.
A sea of azure fur stretched in every direction. Regardless of where Khan planned to go, he would find monsters, which only fueled his fury. Moreover, the symphony was in his grasp, so he couldn't experience fear.
Explosions resounded left and right. The hated purple-red color slowly turned into an ally in the eyes of the Thilku army. Initially, those bright flares marked enemies, but Khan's relentless advance eventually made their appearance a sight for sore eyes.
Khan was unstoppable. Every creature inside the gorge was below him in multiple fields. No one could match his speed, deadliness, or reach. The world was helping him, and his brain burned as more natural mana followed his orders.
As more humanoid wolves died, the ordinary Tainted animals began to regain their natural aggression. Their hunger resumed its spot at the top of their priorities, and their battle formations broke, allowing the Thilku to outsmart them.
That trend worsened when the last humanoid wolf died. The entire enemy army had only common monsters left by then, and they all abandoned their intended positions to pounce at the first red coat in their view.
That reckless behavior initially surprised the Thilku, but their battle formations and experience quickly prevailed. The aliens pushed the monsters back, killing many specimens in the process. Hundreds died in a matter of minutes, and those casualties only increased as the numerical difference widened.
The battle became one-sided once the Thilku outnumbered the monsters two to one. The Tainted animals were powerless against those powerful and driven warriors. They didn't give up because their hunger didn't let them, and the Thilku made sure to exploit that feature.
Moreover, a natural calamity continued to sweep the monsters' backlines with explosions and purple-red flashes. Khan never stopped fighting, and his incredible prowess killed as many Tainted animals as an entire allied team.
Silence began to spread as the battles grew scarce. Shouts occasionally resounded but eventually disappeared as more time passed. Soon, only Thilku remained inside the gorge, and questioning gazes flew left and right to confirm what everyone was thinking.
The Thilku mostly saw dust and fur in their surroundings. Many climbed on the piles of corpses to get a better view of the battlefield, and answers eventually arrived. They understood what had happened after noticing their companions in a similar state. The battle had ended, and they had come out victorious.
A series of loud cries immediately filled the gorge. The Thilku shouted from the bottom of their lungs, celebrating that valuable victory. However, one soldier didn't linger in celebrations and attracted a lot of attention while flying toward a familiar figure in the army.
Khan landed beside Naoo, who was covered in blood from head to toe. His sudden appearance made all the Thilku in the surroundings step back, worried about that threatening presence. Still, Khan didn't let that reaction affect his plans.
"[I'm injured]," Khan declared, keeping his gaze on the distant building only he could sense. "[I'll leave first]."
"[Wait]!" Naoo gasped, realizing what was happening. "[We haven't received the order yet. You can't leave]."
"[Or]?" Khan asked, finally looking at Naoo. The mere sight of his intense eyes made her freeze in fear and shut up. There was no stopping or reasoning with Khan in that situation.
Khan's gaze lingered on Naoo for a few seconds before his entire figure disappeared. He shot in the air, leaving the gorge, and no one dared to do anything to stop him.
