Chaos' Heir

Chapter 999: Capital



Khan was no stranger to Thilku ships. Their spacious, circular bridge usually made them more comfortable than their human counterparts, but nothing in the current atmosphere even resembled coziness.

Thick tension filled the bridge. Intense seriousness tainted the air in the control room, almost affecting the soldiers' breathing. If Khan didn't know any better, he would think the ship was heading toward a death sentence. That option actually was still possible due to the complicated political situation.

Nevertheless, duty was the main and sole cause of that sentiment. The Emperor's authority was unmatched among the Thilku, so his direct order instantly created a mission of the highest priority and relevance. Those aliens were ready to die to fulfill their leader's will, and the ship's synthetic mana reflected their resolve.

The Thilku soldiers were one thing, but seeing Lord Rsi in a similar condition confirmed the situation's seriousness. The Thilku Lord's mana conveyed resolve, an intense sense of duty, and boundless gratitude. Having the chance to serve the Emperor was the height of his life, and he would do anything in his power to accomplish the mission.

Khan was the odd one out in that environment. He sat next to Lord Rsi at the bridge's center, his cold face devoid of emotion. His vast knowledge and experience with the Thilku made him aware of the mission's severity, but he couldn't help but feel conflicted for reasons that also extended past his mind.

The Emperor was the most important figure in the Thilku Empire. The Global Army had dealt with that species for decades, but its Ambassadors had never gotten closer to meeting him, let alone being summoned in his presence by his direct order.

The event wasn't only a great honor. It was also a dream come true for any Ambassador or specialist. Khan should have felt ecstatic from two different sources, but the reality was vastly different.

Khan had severed his connection to the Global Army. He wasn't even a member of humankind now, let alone an official Ambassador, so he couldn't claim pride over his political achievement.

Khan's decision also put his friendly relationship with the Empire at stake, so the invitation's murky purpose tainted the incredible accomplished. Khan still felt honored, but part of him couldn't help but be wary.

The bridge also didn't try to hide anything from Khan. He had long since learned to read the Thilku runes and the Empire knew about that, but the control room's screens were open for his inspection. Khan had access to every piece of information that reached the ship, intensifying his internal conflict.

The Global Army had no idea where the Empire's Capital was. It had its speculations but had never obtained anything close to an official confirmation.

Meanwhile, Khan could see the flight path with his bare eyes without requiring additional clearance or asking for permission. It seemed Lord Rsi wholly trusted him or had received similar orders from the Emperor. The Empire was treating Khan no differently from any other Lord, and he had just ruined the relationship with one of their best allies.

'Maybe they see no point in hiding information since they are about to kill me,' Khan wondered, somehow distrusting that guess.

The Thilku weren't the types for half-measures. Baoway would be under siege if they had deemed Khan as an enemy. They wouldn't have resorted to such ploys to isolate him with the intention of silently disposing of him.

Of course, things could still go in that direction. After all, Khan had a meeting with the Emperor to survive, and its outcome could very well be harmful.

The depth of Khan's understanding of the Empire soured Khan's emotions. Internal conflict aside, Khan had made up his mind. He had also changed in ways he couldn't undo, so a peaceful resolution sounded unlikely. As much as he respected the Empire, he would go against it if the meeting didn't match his goals.

Khan's mood and the Thilku team's tension led to a silent trip. No one uttered any word, and even Lord Rsi refrained from conversing with Khan. Everything had been put on hold until the time for the fated meeting arrived.

The Thilku team provided Khan with everything he might need. They brought food and refreshments and prepared proper living quarters inside the ship. Khan didn't use them, choosing to remain on the bridge to avoid missing key communications, but days piled on, almost challenging his inhumane stamina.

The Thilku team and Lord Rsi were in a similar situation, if not worse. Seeing Khan remaining awake during the trip basically forced them to match his behavior, but no one was his equal in his field. The Thilku were more resilient than humans, but the crew started reaching its limits after the seventh day.

Lord Rsi had to issue an order at some point, speaking for the first time during the trip, to force his underlings to rest. He obviously didn't join them, but the temporary privacy didn't lead to any conversations.

Khan almost wanted to sleep to allow the Thilku to rest without insulting their pride, but the potentially dangerous situation prevented him from being careless. He needed to remain awake and aware of his surroundings, and his efforts paid off with some interesting sights. The Empire's domain was gargantuan, and the ship had set off from one of its edges. It stood to reason the vehicle couldn't reach the Empire's Capital without refueling its tank or stopping. It would also take too long to fly directly to its destination, so Khan expected a landing to be imminent to rely on a teleport, and in a way, he ended up being right.

The ship didn't land, but a strange structure appeared on its path by the eighth day. Two massive black pillars covered in extremely complicated bright red runes hovered in the emptiness of space, standing side by side.

The ship's scanners didn't do justice to the pillars' sizes. They were immense structures, each as big as some of the tallest human space stations. Entire battalions of workers probably filled their insides, but Khan didn't have the chance to study all their functions. The trip only allowed him to uncover one.

The vehicle approached the space between the pillars while the crew dealt with a barrage of complicated directives. Even Lord Rsi had to address them, tinkering with the control desk before him to insert specific codes that conveyed his clearance level. Khan watched it all unfold, but the scanners eventually reclaimed his attention.

Khan couldn't sense it from the ship's insides, but the pillars encircled the vehicle into a mana barrier. Synthetic mana soon filled it, slowly gaining the Thilku's iconic red color. Every screen went scarlet, and a familiar feeling hit Khan's stomach before everything started to

flicker.

The ship's equipment struggled to remain active for a few seconds, but the scanners showed a different scenery once they stabilized. The same went for the star map on the control desk before Khan. The vehicle had teleported to an unknown part of the universe, hovering before a

big red planet.

Khan's curiosity removed any trace of tiredness accumulated during the long trip. The ship flew past two identical pillars to approach the red planet, and the scanners showed similar structures all around its orbit. It didn't take a genius to understand he had arrived at a central point of the Empire's domain, and Lord Rsi soon confirmed his guess.

"[Welcome to Zedekiel, Blue Shaman]," Lord Rsi announced.

"[Is the Empire's Capital here]?" Khan couldn't refrain from asking.

"[You are looking at the Empire's Capital]," Lord Rsi responded, a tinge of pride invading his

tone.