The Niqols' sensitivity to mana generally was pretty good, so they sensed Khan and Liiza stepping among their group even if they didn't turn. The humans didn't study that topic in the academy, but some of them had developed decent senses anyway, while others had simply heard the couple stopping behind them.
Paul and the other squad leaders were keeping the three mutated Lysixi that had attacked the group at bay, so many students and recruits had seen Khan saving Liiza. Ilman had even cheered after the event, so missing it had been quite impossible.
The other side of the gorge was quite far away, and the confusion of the battlefield never gave the group the time to perform a long inspection. They focused on the fact that Liiza and Khan were fine, but they didn't go further, so no one noticed the intimacy shown by the couple. Yet, the scene that unfolded in their eyes after Khan and Liiza crossed the bridge left everyone stunned.
Khan lowered his head to kiss Liiza right in front of everyone. It felt good, incredibly good to savor each other's lips after having spent long weeks in different tents. That feeling was even more intense since they could finally stop pretending in public.
The chaos unfolding in the valley forced Khan to keep the kiss short, but Liiza tightened the grip on his neck and made him remain on her lips. Khan couldn't help but smile and wrap both arms around her waist to bring her closer, and the two separated after she decided to hide her face on his chest again.
Khan gently caressed Liiza's hair while she tried to use his warmth to fight the grief that was devouring her insides. She could stop herself from exploding into tears only due to the vague acceptance that her mother had shown toward her relationship. Still, that break from her sad emotions never lasted more than a few seconds.
Many saw that stunning scene, and the voices that followed made everyone aware of what had happened. Azni had voiced a high-pitched excited cry, Ilman had shouted some encouragement, and George didn't hold back from expressing his surprise. Everything else was a series of murmurs, gasps, and exclamations that eventually reached those involved in the battle.
Paul, Felicia, and the other two squad leaders were busy fending off the three monsters trying to approach the group. They were all first-level mages and warriors, so mutated creatures weren't too much of a problem for them. Yet, the three Lysixi had developed abilities, and one of them appeared able to crack its tail at an unfathomable speed, which ended up controlling the pace of the battle.
The other two Lysixi also had troublesome abilities. One of them spat a sticky fluid that forced the squad leaders to retreat or use spells to remove it. The other seemed able to make anything shake as long as it kept its gaze fixed on it.
Those abilities wouldn't be too troublesome if taken singularly, but the monsters appeared intelligent enough to deploy a raw battle formation. The sticky fluid creature made the squad leaders unable to advance, the quick tail forced them to dodge often, and the specimen with the powerful gaze dispersed every spell they tried to cast.
The battle had reached a stalemate, with the squad leaders unable to advance or launch spells and the monsters waiting for one of their opponents to commit a mistake. Jumping on the creatures would solve most of the problems, but no one was fast enough to dodge the tail. Even Ilman had to remain behind.
The surprised gasps, rumors, and other voices informed the squad leaders about Khan's return. None of them had seen Khan crossing the gorge, but they had learnt about his success in the feat, so they had confirmed that he had grown faster in those months.
The battle required a fast soldier who could approach the monsters, so Paul didn't hesitate to jump back and turn to call Khan. Still, his expression froze when he saw the end of the kiss and the subsequent loving hug.
Khan raised his head to inspect his surroundings after Liiza hugged him tightly. An honest smile appeared on his face when he saw Doku and Azni, but his expression turned awkward when he noticed Ilman's proud expression.
The awkwardness intensified when Khan went over all the stunned humans. Liiza was still the untouchable "Miss Liiza" in their minds, so the scene shook them deeply. Instead, the Niqols added faint smiles when their eyes met Khan's. They had a complicated relationship with his girlfriend, but they respected her current grief.
The awkwardness reached its peak when Khan found Paul staring at him. The soldiers' hands were in his hair as he expressed his complete disbelief.
Khan wanted to say something, but the scenes of the battle claimed the entirety of his attention. He inspected the abilities of the three monsters and quickly understood what the squad leaders lacked. They needed him to sprint past the fast tail and disrupt the creature's teamwork.
"[Can I let Azni take care of you for a bit]?" Khan whispered to Liiza's ear.
Liiza could be very useful in that situation, but her mental state was a mess. Half of her world had fallen apart after Zama died. Khan believed that she would join a battle if necessary, but he wanted to spare her that struggle.
"[It's never a bit with you]," Liiza complained while raising her face to fix her eyes on him.
"[I'll come back soon]," Khan promised as a hand reached her cheek.
Liiza nodded, and Khan left a quick kiss on her lips before walking toward Azni. The two didn't need to say anything. Azni took Liiza's hand, and the latter whispered soft words before separating from Khan.
"[The tail is really fast]," Ilman warned when he saw Khan walking toward Paul.
"[I'm faster]," Khan announced, and Ilman smirked proudly.
"I'll stop the monster with the annoying tail," Khan declared when he reached the stunned Paul. "Make sure to kill one of them in the meantime."
"Why can't you be a normal soldier?" Paul cursed without moving from his spot.
"A normal soldier wouldn't be helpful here," Khan replied in a vaguely mocking tone.
Paul turned toward the battle. The squad leaders were about to lose their ground now that he had abandoned his position. He had to return and make Khan join the fight, but he didn't forget to voice a reminder first. "You and I will need to have a long talk once everything is over."
"Your spot in the line is behind Ambassador Yeza," Khan joked before running to the side and waiting for Paul to reach his position among the squad leaders.
Paul's return relieved some pressure from the other squad leaders' but only because he added a target to the threatening tail and vibrations that one of the monsters could cause. The four soldiers never had the time to gather their mana to launch spells, so they limited themselves to dodge and escape from the expanding sticky fluid.
Khan waited until he confirmed that the lizards weren't paying attention to him. The monster with the fast tail kept an eye on its surroundings, but Khan disappeared during the sprint. The creature noticed his absence when he had already reached the trio.
The first monster on Khan's path had the powerful gaze. He felt confident in slashing its eyes or killing it directly with a perfect technique, but he couldn't take risks in that situation.
Khan jumped on the monster's head and mustered the entirety of his strength to leap toward his real target. The latter was at the center of the trio, but a massive force suddenly slammed on the side of its flat head and pushed it toward its companion.
Khan found himself airborne, but that lasted for less than a second since the lizard's head had been close to the ground. The knife in his hands shone with an azure light as he stabbed it at the center of the creature's skull.
The execution had been perfect, but the lizard didn't stop moving. Instead, it grew angry and made its quicky tail crack toward Khan. The latter dodged it by stepping on the creature's back and approaching the base of that annoying limb.
A swift attack with his blade severed the tail. The limb was quite large at its base, but it remained thin due to the Lysixi's strange bodies, so the knife was enough to cut it with a single slash.
The monster bellowed in pain and tried to turn toward its opponent, but a fireball exploded on its face and pushed it back by a few meters. Khan had to jump off the creature to remain next to the two lizards, but he had to sprint away when he saw the sticky fluid flying toward him.
Khan didn't fear that substance, but his waist suddenly trembled and made him lose his balance. He fell to the ground and started rolling on himself due to the momentum accumulated in the first part of the sprint.
The two monsters approached Khan as he slid on the ground, but a fireball and a dense gas flew toward them. The first attack exploded on one of the lizards' back while a dark cloud covered the other creature's head.
The two monsters found themselves unable to reach Khan, so he could stand up and back off safely. Meanwhile, one of the squad leaders from the other camp unleashed a beam-like ability that pierced the dark cloud and made the creature inside it fall lifelessly on the ground.
Khan noticed the fuming hole in the lizard's head before turning toward the squad leader who had launched that threatening attack. A trail of smoke came out of the woman's fingers, but she quickly waved her hand multiple times to disperse the heat accumulated there.
'That's dangerous,' Khan commented as he watched the other squad leader taking a deep breath before clapping his hands in front of his chest.
The gesture created a soundwave that flew toward the tailless lizard. The attack landed at the center of its body and almost opened it into two parts. The monster had survived the fireball, but the last spell killed it once and for all.
Only the monster with the sticky substance remained. A fireball had hit its broad back, but that wasn't enough to kill it. Still, its companions had died, so it tried to escape in front of the obvious disadvantage.
Paul didn't let the creature run. He jumped forward and crossed the layer of sticky substance to grab the monster's tail. He closed his eyes, and a wave of energy seeped inside the lizard, ran through its back, and reached the back of its neck.
Khan saw the monster's head exploding into a rain of dark blood. The squad leaders had only needed a short window to kill three giant mutated creatures. They were strong, and their display of power proved to him once again how incredible spells could be.
****
Author's notes: Long story short, I fucked up. I woke up at a decent hour, opened the word file, and just didn't write. Take yesterday as my break.. I'll also go slow today and make only another chapter, but I plan to stick to the five-chapters plan tomorrow.