The Headquarters had changed once again while Khan was away. The cluster of central buildings had moved, getting closer to the defensive periter. Long-range turrets had also joined them, planning to help in the incoming battle.
The defensive periter itself had changed. Many turrets had gathered there, separated by a series of deep trenches. That arrangent said a lot about the imminent battle strategy, but Khan kept his thoughts to himself.
The Scalqa inside the trenches and defensive periter noticed the ship and cheered at its arrival. So even followed it to its landing area, crowding the place.
The cheers grew louder when Khan's figure appeared on the ship's side doors. General excitent invaded the army at the return of its true leader, and Khan let that feeling wash over himself before setting off, flying toward the war council's building.
Khan's trip could have been imdiate, but he decided to remain visible, slowly approaching his destination. Countless gazes followed his flying figure before he disappeared underground.
The underground eting room was empty, but Khan calmly seized one of the available bottles and sat down, waiting for the war council to assemble. He placed his feet on the circular table, ignoring the holograms to focus on drinking. anwhile, the elevator opened and closed, allowing figures inside.
Prince Richard and Moses were the first to arrive, followed by Bruno. Garret didn't take long to descend into the underground room, either, while Lieutenant Dyester ca last.
Each new addition to the underground room conveyed different reactions. Both young warriors now had nothing but respect and reverence. Bruno looked indifferent, while Garret's calm face hid so amazent. As for Lieutenant Dyester, a trace of sad exhaustion tainted his mana, having Khan as its target.
Those reactions mostly ignored Khan's appearance. His stay on the mineral had been far from clean. Dirt and sweat covered him. His body and clothes needed a bath, and his aura seed to yearn for a prolonged break. Still, no one addressed it, especially since Khan cut the inspection short with a question.
"Brief ," Khan ordered, sipping from his cup while raising his gaze to the holograms.
"Yes, Prince Khan," Garret stated, standing up to tinker with the desk's nus. The holograms changed, replaying the events from the previous week.
Khan could finally see the effects of his actions. Indeed, the mineral was a valuable location, and the corpses that gradually littered its surroundings enhanced its appeal. Many packs had tried to assault it, only to fall from Khan's hands.
The recording wasn't detailed. A few screens occasionally popped out, trying to add videos to the simplistic holograms, but the scanners had only captured unclear pictures of the packs and the quadrant. No one actually saw how Khan had dealt with the incoming enemies. Their red marks simply disappeared once they reached their destination.
Khan had expected as much. That scene matched his guess, too. The holograms justified Moses' reverence and the general excitent about Khan's return. The army had basically seen Khan single-handedly dealing with multiple packs, and the mystery behind his thods only intensified his fa.
Nevertheless, the interesting part ca after the summary of the previous week. So packs had ignored the mineral's appeal, focusing on their fellow monsters and other valuable locations. Large-scale battles had unfolded in the nearby quadrants, involving the entirety of Senerth's remaining fauna.
The battle's outco saw a single pack erging victorious. Three slightly bigger red marks stood among a sea of smaller triangles, highlighting the group's size. It seed the unusual situation had brought an evolution to the monsters' type of leadership, giving birth to a triumvirate.
Of course, the monsters' intelligence was limited, and that short period wasn't enough to bring a drastic improvent. The massive pack had to have a single leader at its core, with the two other creatures acting as generals. That developnt was unexpected, but Khan could spot both benefits and problems.
The pack's size was troubleso. More than a thousand beasts filled its ranks, almost matching the Scalqa army. Khan couldn't rely on the nurical advantage anymore, inevitably leading to a bloody battle.
However, the next battle was bound to be the last. Winning it would end the Empire's mission, finalizing Senerth's conquest. The long months of struggles had finally reached their critical point, perfectly matching Khan's ideal tiline.
Also, the pack's size would give Khan all the room he needed to freely unleash his wide-range spells without worrying about hurting his soldiers. He would be able to dive into the backlines, raining death upon the monsters that had yet to reach the frontline.
The turrets would share Khan's advantage, firing at will until the army and pack rged into a chaotic battlefield. The pheromone would also allow Khan to choose the fighting ground, allowing him to exploit humankind's superior military intelligence.
The idea of a bloody battle annoyed Khan, but it was too late to do anything about it. Senerth's fauna was giving its everything in a last attempt to resist that powerful invader, and Khan had to respect its effort by eting it on the battlefield. That was what the Thilku had taught him.
Still, one detail remained unclear, gnawing at Khan's brain. The army had spent months studying the monsters' bodies and behavior, so Khan couldn't help but spot sothing odd. "Do we know what's special about this leader?" Khan questioned.
Generals were common among humans, but the monsters had hunger at their core. They didn't fight for leadership positions out of ambition and pride. Leading a pack simply secured them more food.
The last pack clearly had three alphas, so there had to be a reason behind their cooperation or subservience. Strength was the most obvious explanation, but mana-enhanced creatures weren't as simple as they looked. Khan knew that far too well after experiencing Nitis' outburst.
"We spotted the sa incongruence, Prince Khan," Garret revealed. "The pack's structure and movents have been odd, but we couldn't find anything specific. The leader probably underwent so strange mutation that awarded it new powers."
'The power to control two alphas,' Khan thought. 'It can't be simple. However, does it
matter?'
As if reading Khan's thoughts, Lieutenant Dyester finally spoke. "Variables can be scary, but overwhelming strength can deal with all of them."
"What do you suggest?" Khan asked.
"eting the pack on the battlefield," Lieutenant Dyester snorted, "And dropping the two of us in its middle to deal with the leaders. A dead variable is no variable at all."
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