BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

The Chimaeric Demons surged forward; they started unleashing Starlight Fireballs. The balls of fire did not do much in terms of damage, at least not against the remaining mechs, but they set Amber's corrosive gas on fire, and that dealt a lot of damage.

The achieved effect was also an enormous wall of fire, bigger than Erik ever made. It wasn't as powerful, but that didn't mean it wasn't at all.

The fire spread, surrounding everything nearby. The mechs, already damaged by the corrosive gas, were now trapped in an intense fire.

The heat increased to unbearable levels; it was so strong the metal the mechas were made from started bending under the machine's weight, and the electrical parts, not already destroyed, started malfunctioning until they broke.

The blackguards around, caught in this fire, had no way to escape. Their screams started strong until they stopped having the strength even to do that.

As the fire kept burning, it changed the surrounding weather. Strong winds blew around the edges, feeding the fire with fresh air and making it spread further. The sky turned a deep orange-red color, making the battlefield look like a scene from the end of the world.

And yet.

[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.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

[LEVEL UP.]

"SHIT!"

Erik turned to a nearby clone, his face grim. "How many have we lost?"

The clone's eyes were filled with sorrow as he replied, "We've lost over seven thousand in total, Master. The enemy's defenses are stronger than we anticipated."

Erik clenched his fists. "Damn it. How many enemies died?"

The clone took a deep breath.

"Around 5000, sir."

"This is not good."

Erik and his men were still winning. There were far fewer enemies than allies, but the rate at which they were losing troops was higher.

The blackguards were around 15000 strong, the Chimaeric Demons around 28000.

It was obvious; the blackguards had many defenses, artillery units, many mechs, even more brain crystal weapons, and plenty of double users.

They prepared thoroughly for the incoming attack, but the Chimaeric Demons were stronger than their opponents. The two things had to balance each other out, yet they didn't.

Maybe because the blackguards were stronger than usual, maybe because they were doing something Erik hadn't seen or realized yet.

However, he couldn't control the whole battlefield alone. He needed to leave things to the Chimaeric Demons, and trust them.

<We are still winning at least...> Yet, not by much.

As they pushed deeper into enemy territory, Erik could see the black glass building growing closer. But the resistance was intensifying. Elite blackguard units moved to intercept.

Some created energy shields and flew on wind gusts. Others rode stone waves and threw sharp ice lances.

On the left, a group mixed water and fire powers. This made hot steam that spread across the field. The steam blocked vision and injured any Chimaeric Demon it touched.

On the right, another team controlled earth and metal. They gathered battlefield debris and made it orbit around them as weapons. However, their skill wasn't as good as Levium's.

"Double users incoming!"

"Form defensive circles!"

The Chimaeric Demons reorganized, recognizing the threat these guys posed and creating multiple circular formations.

They offered protection from all angles, and they knew they needed it. The clones would also be able to communicate and support one another in case they somehow got problems, and in case one of their brethren died, they could simply shrink the circle, remaining as tight and protected as before, or at least almost.

Those in the front, facing the dual wielders, used their metal fur brain crystal power to withstand whatever attack these guys were going to throw at them. Those in the rear, instead, got ready to make fire rain on them.

Erik created ice walls on the army's sides so that the pressure on them decreased, allowing them to focus on the enemy on the front.

"Incoming!"

"Incoming!"

Erik stood at the center of the main circle and used his Will of the Hydra to split his consciousness once more.

He felt weird, but at least he got a better hold over the battlefield. His senses were enhanced; everything started slowing down more than it already was, like when he had Hais' brain crystal power, but to a much more tuned-down level since he had few heads.

But Erik didn't want to risk making more.

"They are here!"

"Prepare ranged attacks!"

The clash started.

The dual wielders attacked first, attacking hard, but the Chimaeric Demons resisted the

powerful attacks.

"The metal furs are resisting!"

"Yeah, but we need to counterattack!"

"I'm waiting for it!"

"Ranged units, are you ready?"

"YES!"

"Unleash hell to these monsters in human skin!"

The Chimaeric Demons released volley after volley, but there was a significant difference in power output. They didn't have much mana yet, meaning the Starlight Fireballs had to be used sparingly, but most importantly, in a smart way.

However, the sheer number of clones made it so that a rain of fair fell on the battlefield. That forced the enemies to move apart.

But even the blackguards retaliated, combining their powers to create attacks of devastating effect, whose power and destructiveness were higher than the sum of the initial powers.

The fight got more intense. In the meantime, Erik took care of the rest of the battlefield, observing and making it so that the Chimaeric Demons never had more than they could

handle.

A part of Erik's mind directed an enemy group using Plant Master to create barriers of dense,

thorny vegetation.

Forcing them to funnel toward a free group of Chimaeric Demons.

He did the same all over the battlefield, trying to decrease his troops' losses as best as he

could and maximize their effectiveness in combat.

For Erik, the battlefield transformed into a multidimensional chess match, with rapid-fire moves and countermoves unfolding at breakneck speed.

Yet, despite Erik's improved mental capabilities, which allowed him to analyze and counter threats with superhuman swiftness, the blackguards were adapting.

<There must be one or more people with similar powers among their ranks...>

They began targeting the Chimaeric Demons that were clearly serving as relay points for

Erik's commands or sent surges of blackguards towards the groups barely resisting their onslaught, making it so they would finally fall.

<Fuck...>

Erik had to shift his command structure often because of this, moving key units to keep the enemy guessing and more often than not resorting to the Instability brain crystal power to do

the job.

<This is taking up a lot of mana...>

As they inched closer to the central building, the resistance grew fiercer. The blackguards

were throwing everything they had at Erik's forces.

Energy beams crisscrossed the night sky, and explosions rocked the ground. It was night, but

there wasn't a single inch on the ground covered by darkness.

<We are taking heavy losses, Master!>

<I know!>

For every blackguard they took down, it seemed two of the clones died. The number of enemies was beginning to become problematic. They were slowly erasing Erik's advantage.

"We need to break through their lines!" Erik said. "Concentrate all firepower on a single point! I will take care of the rest."

Maybe some kind of shock was what they needed to win. The problem was, what would happen when the enemy's strongest troop appeared? Erik would find himself with less mana,

without a way to know when he would level up.

<I have to risk it...>

The Chimaeric Demons responded. Those who could focused their ranged abilities on a spot

Erik designated, just left of the main entrance to the black glass building.

The only problem was that it wasn't enough.

Erik channeled a huge chunk of his mana.

<Let's hope this works...>

Then the wind stirred under the young man's control. Erik was making a wind blade, the

biggest and most powerful one he had ever conjured up.

But someone else noticed it.

Erik released the wind blade. It traveled through the air at incredible speed. The first line of

enemy soldiers was bisected, then the second.

[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.]

[LEVEL UP.]

But at the third, a huge earth wall appeared, stopping Erik's deadly attack and dissipating the

winds it generated. It was massive, as big as Erik's ice wall, and for sure as sturdy. Somehow,

Erik understood who made this huge earth wall.

"The Vindicators are here!"

Erik wasn't the only one who realized that, because the blackguards didn't even wait a second

before they charged as if in a frenzy.

"Wedge formation, now! I'm going to take care of whoever is coming!"

The Chimaeric Demons reformed into a wedge, with Erik at its tip, charging at the enemy.

<June.>

<Yes, Master?>

<Take care of them...>

Erik saw a new threat emerging from the blackguards' main building. A group of individuals,

their uniforms marking them as high-ranking officers, Vindicators. There were three of them.

<Less than I expected. Good...>

But that could be because they thought they were enough to face Erik.

They stepped out of the building, releasing a huge amount of mana. Vindicator Vex was

among them, but Erik didn't know that. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Each of them radiated power on par with Levium, but if their skills were at that level or if their

might was greater, Erik couldn't know.

<One should be able to use earth. An Earth Elementalist is rather problematic right now. But

what about the other two?>

He mentally turned to his clones.

<Prepare for heavy resistance!> Erik warned his soldiers. <These are their strongest fighters,

aside from their leader.>