Bab 502: Side

Gasps and cries tried to resound, but the audience felt unable to breathe. A monster had come out of the smoke, and they feared what it could do.

Khan stood on his left leg, with his right slightly bent to prevent his broken foot from touching the floor. The [Blood Shield]'s full power had been unable to protect his entire body, so some areas were worse than others. The alien technique didn't do anything to the superficial layer of skin either, so burns covered him all over.

The worst burns still let out tinges of smoke, with the most hideous one being on the left side of Khan's head. His ear had survived that assault, but a third of his hair had disappeared, replaced by charred skin.

The smoke enhanced Khan's monstrous appearance, and the retreat of the clotted blood vessels helped even further. Everyone could see the [Blood Shield] disappearing inside Khan's body. It seemed he could control systems no ordinary human should be able to affect.