BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik emerged from the secret tunnel beneath the fortress. The guards were still there. He actually came out of the fortress the same way he entered, manipulating people's emotions and then using his Phantom Veil to turn himself invisible. He still was once he got out.

<I start feeling tired of all of this.

The past two days spent within the fortress had been tough, but he got what he came here for and set out to do. Not only had he learned the ins and outs of the stronghold, which allowed him to understand how to get in and out more easily, but he had also found the information he sought.

With a quick glance to ensure the coast was clear, Erik hurried towards the temporary shelter The and June had made near the fortress.

<June, are you here? June!>

Erik probed around with his mind, using his Instability brain crystal power to find June's familiar presence. It didn't take long to find his clone.

<June!>

<Master?>

<Yes, June. It's me. Where are you?>

<I'm on in our shelter. Why? Are you coming back already?>

<I am,> Erik said.

<Did you find out if the blackguards know about us?>

<I did.>

Erik sounded worried and frustrated. He wasn't his usual self, and June noticed right away.

June felt worried as Erik came back early. He knew this probably meant bad news. As he waited for Erik to arrive, June thought about all the things that could have gone wrong.

<Whatever the blackguards know, it is going to be bad since the master is coming back this early.>

He tried to prepare himself for whatever Erik was about to tell him, but he wasn't that successful. June knew that, even if he knew about it, there was nothing much he could do. He was too weak to fight. The best he could do was to sneak around or carry his master whenever he needed.

<A glorified lookout and getaway driver, eh?>

June thought about his limits as a regular clone. He felt frustrated and wished he could do more to help Erik. He imagined how different things would be if he were a Chimaeric Demon instead.

<If I were stronger, I could really help Master Erik,> June thought. <I could fight alongside him and do more than just watch or drive. But here I am, stuck on the sidelines.>

June felt upset about this, but he tried not to dwell on it. He knew Erik didn't know his powers would turn that way. Even so, June couldn't help but look at his younger siblings with envy.

Erik started running faster, wanting to share what he found out with his clone and friend, head back to their outpost, and make plans for what to do next.

In the end, he arrived at the shelter. June came out, concern on his face. He offered Erik a flask of water, which the young man accepted gratefully, drinking greedily to quench his thirst after his hasty retreat.

"What happened, master?" June asked, his brow furrowed. "What did you find out?"

Erik took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts.

"Oh, many things," Erik said, still holding the flask. "But let's enter before delving into this matter." The two did.

June gave Erik time to rest a little and to catch his breath. But not long after, Erik was the one who broke the silence.

"Over the past two days," Erik said to June, "I've spent time reading minds and searching around. What I've pieced together is... problematic, to say the least."

June leaned in. "How bad is it, master?"

Erik sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Bad enough. We're in more danger than we initially thought. For starters, Hin has informed the blackguards about the stolen ship," Erik said.

"And someone among the blackguards guessed that I'm the one responsible. The ships we got told were heading back from Frant are coming here just to catch us. Based on what I've learned, they moved a lot of their most elite soldiers, and a lot of them are elite among the blackguards. The ships are filled with them."

June wasn't surprised. That was old news for them. It was just that they didn't know who exactly was coming back, just that they were on Hin's ship. It was also a very predictable outcome. The problem was that having certainty about something was different from having a suspect.

At least because it would give them an idea of how to move from there. Erik was certainly more powerful than the blackguards, but it wasn't like he had 100 people's mana. There was a limit to what he could do alone; there was a limit to how fast he could be to avoid thousands of hands holding weapons.

He knew that, and the blackguards weren't stupid enough to think otherwise. Until now, only the Leviathan Serpent and the other thaid showed enough strength to be able to fight against armies alone, and Erik wasn't the Leviathan Serpent.

"The blackguards are trying to keep everything secret," Erik said. "They've sent communications about us to Hin, but only a select few are privy to the details. That's why most of the soldiers don't know about us. They're deliberately limiting the spread of information to maintain secrecy."

"That was also something predictable, but in the end, we still found out."

"Right, but there are too many problems."

Erik paused.

"For starters, I know they are aware of us, but that's it. We don't know what they are exactly planning; we don't know if they are aware of where we are; we don't know if they have that information but are waiting for us to make a move. There is basically more that we don't know than what we know, and without the ability to use the biological supercomputer, it's not like we can get this information."

"We could send the Chimaeric Demons, master."

"It wouldn't work," Erik said. "The Veritas Lenses are too problematic. They have a lot here already. I can't even fathom how many they have on Sleb Harbour or on Maynard Island." "Besides, this time they have taken things far. They've started using couriers and storing information on paper," Erik said. "Not just about this matter, but most of them. This means that Frant and I don't have a complete picture of what Hin and the blackguards are planning, and they most likely are going to change their war momentum soon. The virus I spread is going to become useless as soon as they perfect their information-sharing method."

Erik paused. "I've sent a message to Becker, telling him to send Chimaeric Demons groups to search for these couriers, and explained their truth-revealing devices to them. I've also sent messages to all the Clones and Chimaeric Demons around to be careful and to leave immediately if there is even a slight chance they might be found out."

"What about the clones having taken the identity of Savage Blood? He should be pretty high in the blackguards' ranks at this point."

"I contacted the clones yesterday, and while they got promoted, they are not high in the ranks

yet. Besides, they barely found out in time about the Veritas Lenses. One of the clones had to disfigure himself so that he could stop using his shapeshifting powers. That in itself was suspicious, because a healer could have fixed that."

"So, they are keeping an eye on him?"

"Yes. There is not much he can do right now," Erik said.

There was another brief pause.

"We'll need to infiltrate the other countries to stay informed, then. If they changed their tactics so thoroughly, it might be possible they are already coordinating with them to invade

Frant," June said.

"Right." Erik nodded. Shapeshifting, which had served them well in the past, would no longer be a viable option for gathering intelligence, and all the clones using it had to either retreat immediately or find a solution to the predicament. Of course, not all of them could disfigure themselves. It would be suspicious.

Erik's next words caught June off guard, though. "I've decided to give the Chimaeric Demons my Phantom Veil brain crystal power. They'll need it more than I do."

June's eyes widened. "Are you sure about that, master?" he asked. "This is now your only way

to sneak around unseen."

Erik nodded. "I am. At this point, I don't really need to use it anymore, not to sneak around

anyway. The Chimaeric Demons will do that on my behalf, and I will just prepare as many troops as I can to send them around to do the job. It's the only way to ensure they can operate without problems, and besides, they will be much more effective than me in getting information, just because I would be able to send a ton of them around."

June understood the sacrifice Erik was making. The Phantom Veil power had been a valuable

asset so far, even before getting merged with Shade's brain crystal power. "The Chameleon

Veil..."

Giving it up was no small decision.