Chaos' Heir - Chapter 1553
Chapter 1553: Draw
The occasional philosophical turns that Khan and the Maker’s battlefield took were non-existent on the Emperor and Source’s side.
Unlike the Maker, the Source had no interest in getting to know those invaders. His loyalty toward his Father was simple but profound and unwavering, leading to a straightforward and uncaring approach to the threat.
Nevertheless, that disinterest wasn’t without surprise. After all, the Source’s opponent was none other than the mightiest being in the regulated universe.
Initially, the Source and the Emperor’s clashes had been utterly simple. The Emperor seemed to want to act like a punching bag, so the Source indulged him, unleashing mighty attacks that were met with clumsy attempts to counterattack.
Those attempts always failed, sending the Emperor flying away and inflicting more wounds each time, gradually worsening his battered state.
However, those attempts also improved, changing the Emperor’s fighting style into something that seemed uncharacteristic of such a big, brutish warrior.
The Source had just finished sending the Emperor flying again when the cracked mountain in the distance exploded, erupting into a storm of debris that tainted the sky with its glowing darkness.
The scene was hardly new at that point, and the same went for the red figure shooting from the pile of rising debris. The Emperor had jumped forward as soon as his feet stopped digging through the ground, throwing himself at his opponent again.
The Source was ready for that sudden leap. True Chaos still flooded his body, empowering its every function, turning him into an unmovable monolith, and more of that energy escaped his figure to aid his attack.
A torrent of True Chaos blew from the Source’s back and right elbow as he thrust his arm forward, punching at the incoming opponent.
The released, darker-than-black energy acted as a thruster, accelerating the attack past its physical limits, putting the Source’s arm under unbearable strain. Space and time seemed to bend to allow the existence of such speed and might, but the Emperor met them head-on.
Another set of far bigger knuckles slammed on the Source’s punch, generating a deafening roar that threatened to shatter the sky. Two fists clashed, accompanied by an incalculable amount of energy and momentum that caused an apocalyptic catastrophe.
The battlefield opened, splitting into two sides that couldn’t refrain from distancing themselves. An immense rift opened on the chaotic ground below, expanding and deepening as the whole world rumbled.
The only ones seemingly unaffected by the world-wide rumblings were the Emperor and the Source, which remained locked in an apparent stalemate, their stretched arms still connected by their knuckles.
Yet, both warriors were experiencing the clash on a level beyond the material, and its outcome soon left visible marks.
The Emperor had shallow wounds all over, and chunks of the flesh on his stretched fist burst outward, joining the rest of his injuries.
That trend quickly progressed toward the Emperor’s forearm and shoulder, littering his limb with jagged, gory holes that leaked dark-red blood.
The advancing damage seemed ready to stretch even further. Still, the Emperor’s arm slightly retreated, separating the two sets of knuckles, only to use the opposing remaining momentum to his advantage.
Despite lacking a foothold, the Emperor twisted himself mid-air, half-spinning and lifting his thick left leg, delivering a roundhouse kick.
The Source was ready for that counterattack, too. It wasn’t his first time witnessing it, either. His stretched fist had no opposition now, so more True Chaos blew from his elbow to propel it forward while he bent it toward the incoming kick.
The alien’s punch was headed for the Emperor’s knee now, carrying even more momentum than before, wanting to split that whole leg in half.
However, the Emperor reacted to it, kicking the air with his right leg, using a non-existent foothold to push his figure upward while continuing his spinning motion.
The Source’s hook ended up hitting empty air, but something landed on his hand at that point. The Emperor had ditched the roundhouse kick, his left foot descending toward the alien’s fist to use it as the base for a sharp move.
The Emperor suddenly accelerated. He instantly completed his spin, ending with his right leg lifted above the Source’s head while still standing on his black hand.
The lifted leg obviously started to descend into an axe kick that carried enough power to crush the Source and anything below him. Yet, the alien didn’t even look at that deadly heel.
Despite the Emperor’s instantaneous counterattack, the Source kept up with the exchange. While the axe kick descended, True Chaos blew from the alien’s back, knees, and feet, propelling him forward.
The Source became even faster now, instantly returning at the Emperor’s level and slamming both his knees on his broad chest. The hit was direct, seemingly declaring the Source as the winner again. Still, surprisingly, the Emperor didn’t move.
The Emperor had no footholds to cling to. His right leg was still lifted, and the Source had even taken him by surprise. However, he remained in that spot despite the violent momentum trying to push him away.
A muted cry echoed from the Emperor’s throat as an evident struggle twisted his expression. His sealed teeth were in full display as more of his flesh burst into gory wounds.
Something impossible followed. The massive amount of violent, ethereal momentum the Source had launched forward began to retreat, as if the Emperor were an immense, advancing wall that could push that energy back.
The more that ethereal force was pushed back, the louder the muted cry became, ultimately exploding into a raging shout when the Emperor managed to spread his arms.
And, for the first time since the beginning of the battle, the Source failed to win an exchange. The Emperor successfully turned his attack against him, sending his force back while adding some of his own.
Of course, the effort exhausted the Emperor, only resulting in a draw. After the Emperor finished spreading his arms, both warriors turned into streaks of light that flew in opposite directions, crashing on the messy lands below.