Chaos' Heir - Chapter 1556

Chapter 1556: Quasar

That spherical hole in the very fabric of space wasn’t hard to identify. Even a layman in the scientific field like Khan could recognize the deadliest celestial body in the known universe.

The theory was also solid. The Maker had already proven himself capable of creating miniature stars. That basically was his iconic ability at that point.

Therefore, it stood to reason that the Maker could push that ability a step further, compressing that immense mass of energy into something even smaller, so infinitesimal that it could create a miniature black hole.

The ability was terrifying, truly. It was so unfathomable that Khan couldn’t even begin to comprehend it through reason. He could only accept it as a fact.

However, what surrounded that infinitesimally small black hole wasn’t something Khan had ever read about.

Admittedly, Khan’s studies had been very superficial. He was to blame for his own ignorance, and his sharp senses didn’t help at all in that situation.

The black hole’s gravitational pull was several times stronger than that of the miniature stars, which messed with Khan’s perception. It was as if that tiny but terrifying celestial body could bend his senses, too, messing with his inspection.

Yet, limiting the perception to the black hole’s surroundings didn’t fix the issue. The celestial body naturally attracted more of the surrounding True Chaos, creating something so hot it tried to burn Khan’s very brain.

Of course, Khan could sense something. He had to close his eyes, limit his perception, and face the attempts to melt his mind, but he could capture something from that impossible scene.

That was a world of True Chaos, which could assume different shapes, fabrics, and densities depending on the situation.

Meanwhile, the Maker could manipulate that matter, altering it to his needs, providing his strange technique with everything it needed.

The gravitational pull of a black hole, even a miniature one, should have instantly eradicated several layers of that scorched battlefield. However, only thin threads of True Chaos flowed toward that tiny celestial body to create that scarlet spiral.

That wasn’t due to the black hole’s weakness. The Maker was simply manipulating the area’s True Chaos, avoiding making a mess and creating condensed versions of what it would naturally absorb.

Yet, the truth was that the energy that tiny celestial body was moving was immense, and it didn’t immediately fuse with it. Instead, it remained trapped in its orbit, accelerating it to no end.

That seemingly endless acceleration generated so much friction force that the heat and light it radiated were unbearable. Even ethereal sixth senses would burn if they tried to approach it, leaving Khan with nothing but a superficial analysis.

Still, despite the lack of deeper analysis, two factors became immediately apparent. The Maker’s technique was truly magnificent and unsustainable.

That second detail was quite easy to notice. The spinning accretion disk lost energy to the black hole, increasing its size and intensifying its gravitational force.

The first part wasn’t particularly noticeable since the celestial body remained infinitesimally small, but the second was pretty evident. Khan could feel it on himself without needing to rely on external perception.

And that wasn’t the end because Khan wasn’t the only one feeling that intensifying pull. The Maker experienced it, too, confirmed by the True Chaos leaking from his injuries, which partially failed to heal him and fell prey to the celestial body.

That intensifying gravity also demanded more fuel, trapping more energy in the accretion disk, creating a self-sustaining cycle. The Maker looked able to contain it for now, but that couldn’t last forever.

“[This quasar is the technique I created to surpass my dear Father],” The Maker said through his alien whisper, his voice only echoing for a fraction of a second before falling prey to the black hole, too.

Hearing that word reminded Khan of a name he had read by chance but never bothered to explore. Its scientific description now stood before him, but he didn’t linger in those thoughts at all.

“You’ll die at this pace,” Khan pointed out.

“[I will],” The Maker confirmed, “[But you might die first].”

The magnificent spell the Maker had summoned was a ticking bomb, but neither he nor Khan wasted any more time talking about those details. The stakes had never been higher, and their respective resolve was worthy of them.

“[I should point out],” The Maker exclaimed. “[My dear Father can create something like this, too, so you must hope you can beat it if you want to go after him].”

“So much for a technique to surpass your Father,” Khan joked.

“[Surpassing a God is no easy task],” The Maker commented, wearing a complicit smile. “[I can still taint you if you are scared].”

“Not an option,” Khan refused, shaking his head.

“[Are you certain]?” The Maker asked, his free hand reaching for the spinning quasar, performing a graceful gesture once he got into contact with its energy.

The alien had stretched his forefinger and middle finger, using them as a brush that threw away some of the quasar’s energy. That scarlet radiance struggled to escape the black hole’s pull, but Khan’s brain sounded every available alarm when it did.

The creatures surrounding Khan reacted faster than he did. The giant snake snapped forward, the layer of clouds threw a massive lightning bolt, and the humming canvas condensed into a bright slash that cut onward.

The [Blood Shield] also activated, clotting Khan’s blood vessels and starting to turn his figure black, only for a vertical wound to open on his torso, cutting him from shoulder to thigh.

The wound was deep, but no blood leaked out. The injury’s edges were charred, cauterized, and fuming, alongside anything the attack had touched.

Khan wasn’t the only one affected. The just-restored reptilian head was severed diagonally, its split pieces hovering past the main body. The humming slash had shattered, becoming harmless light, and the massive lightning bolt was no more, reduced to dispersing sparks.

Then, the pain arrived. A burning sensation spread from Khan’s very insides and existence, as if someone had set fire to his blood and organs.

Yet, Khan’s mind remained stuck on the previous event, frozen in a shocking realization. He hadn’t seen the attack at all.