BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Then the mechs started reaching the shores, their weapons laying down suppressing fire while squads of blackguards moved to flank Erik's forces.

The man reached out with his newly gained telekinetic powers, lifting a damaged mech and hurling it into an advancing squad of blackguards.

There was an explosion, which affected at least a thousand of the enemy soldiers.

[LEVEL UP.]

The impact scattered the enemy troops, creating another opening into their defensive line. "Push through there!"

The Chimaeric Demons did. As if taken by a frenzy, they pushed toward the opening.

But Erik lost interest in the opening relatively soon because he locked eyes on the black glass building at the center of the island, the blackguards' headquarters.

That was the place where the blackguards' leader would be, and that was where he needed to go. But the sea of enemies between him and his target prevented him from doing that.

<Form a wedge!> Erik telepathically said to the clones. They reshaped their formation, creating a V-shaped offensive line with Erik at its point.

Erik had to take advantage of the small corridor that the explosion created.

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

The blackguards concentrated their fire on the advancing wedge. Not all the Chimaeric Demons got on the other side of Erik's shield wall, but many already did. Most of them were in melee skirmishes, already decimating the enemy as if they were the scythe of death.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

At the same time, part of the Chimaeric Demons used their Starlight Fireball brain crystal power to attack from a distance.

They shot bright, burning balls of light into the night sky. The fireballs rained down on the enemy troops, killing many.

The Chimaeric Demons in melee range saw their load reduced, and that allowed them to double their lethality.

However, the blackguards prepared and did it well. The number of troops was not high, maybe because the blackguards had to do something more urgent on Mur, although Erik couldn't understand what there could be more urgent than them getting their hands on the biological supercomputer.

The problem was that these troops here were rather powerful. It was like the blackguards had sent only the weakest member on Frant, some slightly more powerful, to attack Erik and kept the strongest here on Maynard Island.

<I bet those on Mur are even stronger...>

It didn't help that their brain crystal equipment and machinery were rapidly closing the power gap. The blackguards were catching up to the Chimaeric Demons, and even to Erik himself, in terms of might.

Those in Mur might even be stronger.

<Yet, this opens questions. If they really are stronger than me, which is reasonable to assume since Mur's thaids are strong, why didn't they just send them?>

Energy beams and explosive projectiles rained down, but the Chimaeric Demons at the front used their Metal Fur brain crystal power to create a shield wall using their bodies. They were focusing the entirety of their mana on that.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

At the same time, more and more clones turned invisible, but not everyone could do that. These proved to be the most lethal among the clones of them all because they couldn't be targeted. This didn't mean they couldn't be killed, though; stray attacks were a problem for everyone.

<How is the situation?> Erik asked.

<Sir, we can manage, but honestly, we are pretty tired. We flew for a straight day,> a Chimaeric Demon said.

They didn't even have that much mana to begin with, so they had to use it sparingly. That was also the reason they didn't turn invisible before the battle. If they did, they could have reached the island unseen. A group of clones might have destroyed the defensive positions so that more clones would have reached the shores.

The problem was that shapeshifting required mana too, and if the Chimaeric Demons, after a day spent in Thaid form, did that, they would be left without mana later.

Besides, not everyone focused their training on Invisibility, only those focusing on covert operations did.

Erik helped however he could. He didn't spare his mana from being used, but he still needed to be careful because he didn't want to end up without it when he fought against the blackguards' leader.

Though he unleashed his Frostwind Fire Tempest brain crystal power. Icy wind blades sliced through the air, cutting down the defenders.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

Following up, he sent a wave of fire, forcing the blackguards to scatter and creating momentary gaps in their defense.

The Chimaeric Demons seized this opportunity, some transforming into large beasts while others maintained their humanoid form. Yet all of them surged forward, engaging the enemy in close combat.

Erik turned to one of the nearby Chimaeric Demons. "How are Mira, Amber, June, and Emily

doing?"

Despite his best efforts to stay focused on the battle, Erik couldn't help but worry about the safety of his companions.

"They're still behind the ice wall, sir. But they're making significant progress against the fixed artillery. They've destroyed a lot of them already, and they've also taken out many of the

mechs."

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

Erik nodded. "Good."

On the flanks, he used his Plant Master brain crystal power, causing the manicured gardens to come alive with thrashing vines and thorny branches.

This caught many blackguards off guard, entangling them and disrupting their formations. He even used them to create some sort of barrier the clone could use to protect themselves or to hide. Not that they were going to last long, but at least they would be able to repel a couple of attacks, and it was going to make the terrain harder to pass through for the enemy.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE UNLOCKED TWO SYSTEM'S FUNCTION: DNA SHARING, AND

BRAIN CRYSTAL POWER SHARING.]

<I DID WHAT?!>

But Erik had no time to dwell on that. Though he wondered when the system would have unlocked the last two functions. It looked like that happened as soon as he reached level 300.

Erik noticed a group of blackguards setting up what looked like a heavy artillery piece Mira and Emily hadn't taken care of yet. "Take out that artillery before it can fire!"

But he didn't even have to give that order because the two, helped by June and Amber, took

care of it.

Mira and Emily, perched on flying Chimaeric Demons, took aim. Emily's high-powered rifle cracked, the bullet finding its mark on the mechanisms of the weapon.

At the same time, Mira's arrow struck the ammunition cache. The resulting explosion cleared

a portion of the enemy forces surrounding the artillery.

However, the blackguards were far from defeated. A squad of mechs marched toward the

vanguard. Their weapons systems were humming with energy.

They formed a barrier between Erik's forces and the central building, laying down a

devastating barrage of fire.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

This wasn't ordinary fire. It appeared the blackguards not only powered the mechs with brain crystals but also equipped their weapons with this technology.

What came to Erik's, and his clones, were severely enhanced mana bullets. They tore through

the front Chimaeric Demons like they were made of butter, and despite the Metal Fur brain

crystal power.

The clone needed to train before heading to Mur. The Metal Fur was not sufficiently powered

up by mana for them to resist the onslaught. They needed to increase their reserves.

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.] [ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.] [ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[LEVEL UP.]

"Shit!"

Erik was unwillingly absorbing the mana from his Chimaeric Demons. He couldn't even stop that because the biological supercomputer did that automatically.

He gritted his teeth. <June, take a group and flank them from the left.> Reluctantly, Erik turned to the three women. <Amber, create a smokescreen on the right and

make it impossible for them to go anywhere but the center. I take care of the mechs from

there.>

<Are you sure?>

<No. But it's not like I can spare any soldier from fighting, can I? And I can't leave the clone

being killed. What else can I do if I don't trust you won't get yourself killed? Just make the

-corrosive fog.>

<Don't worry. I will give you a hand.>

Amber didn't take much before arriving in the designated position. She released her fog,

which started stinging the clones' skin. Then Erik used his power to create a wind that propelled the fog towards the enemy.

When it was completely out of the Chimaeric Demons' range, Amber increased its

corrosiveness.

Chaos engulfed the battlefield. Pain-filled screams pierced the air as Amber's corrosive fog

burned the blackguards.

Machines whirred and clanked amidst operator cries. Chimaeric Demons roared in triumph and agony.

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.] [ENEMY HUMAN KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

June led a detachment of Chimaeric Demons to the left. The mechs' pilots were still alive,

but their visibility severely reduced, and the corrosiveness of Amber's fog destroying their armor fired wildly.

Erik seized on this moment of confusion. Using his newly gained Telekinesis, he lifted several damaged vehicles and hurled them at the mech squad. The impacts were devastating, creating

gaps in their line.

"Now!"