BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1131 The battle for Maynard Island (8)

The battle intensified as Erik darted across the still-changing terrain. He had lost sight of Terra, who seemed hell-bent on preventing him from reaching Vex and Restro, but he was focusing his Hydra's head to track the Vindicator, albeit with disappointing results. Because of the ever-changing terrain, he didn't have a clear line of sight of his surroundings, and locating the man turned quite difficult.

Besides, Terra was using his powers in a combination that allowed him to create mud slides and quicksand traps in an environment that was already difficult to traverse, further making Erik's movements on the ground complicated.

<If I fly, I will make it obvious I'm searching for Terra.>

Besides, he might be hiding in an alcove for all Erik knew.

Regardless, Erik had to be careful when he found him because he would have just a few moments to kill the guy and finally turn the battle's tides.

Vex materialized beside him, time slowing to a crawl for him, which simply made the man as fast as him for the younger man. Erik's fist lashed out, but the Vindicator avoided the attack, leaving Terra's stone spikes erupting where Erik stood a second earlier.

"Motherfuckers!"

Erik tried to counterattack by using his Lightning Lord brain crystal power. Electricity crackled from the young man's fingertips, arcing toward the Vindicators' leader, but to him, the electricity was still avoidable, despite being very hard. Vex twisted, avoiding the strike. The bolt seared past, detonating against a giant stone pillar Terra raised earlier.

"Now!" Restro charged, his Aegis Morph looking threatening, as much as it was deadly. The man had turned the outer layer into a continuous source of acid.

<Without a doubt, that thing would sting if I let him hit me.> Erik reinforced his Force Bastion. <Maybe I can take advantage of this.>

Instead of avoiding the strike, he created a thin but very durable energy shield in front of him. The fist connected. As Restro's fist connected, the acid coating his armor splashed outward in a caustic spray. Droplets hissed and sizzled as they struck the ground, instantly dissolving even stone and earth. Yet, as if guided by an unseen force, not a single drop touched Erik. The acid ended on the surrounding ground, creating a lethal halo that etched deep furrows into the battlefield. It was because of his shield.

Erik didn't waste time and sent a jet of fire toward the man. He pumped enough mana to kill the guy, cooking him inside his armor, which seemed to be the only way for him to by-pass its monstrous defense.

However, Vex wasn't about to let that happen. He teleported right beside Erik and delivered a powerful kick, sending him flying. The force of the blow disrupted Erik's attack, preventing the flames from reaching Restro.

Erik stabilized himself mid-air, his wings unfurling to halt his momentum. In a fluid motion, he unleashed a barrage of wind blades, each wreathed in searing flames, hurtling towards Restro. The man couldn't avoid the attacks. His armor turned normal and solidified. Erik's blows landed on him but got broken by the man's armor.

<That's damn durable…>

But Restro screamed, mostly because the temperature of the wind blades was high, and he still got burned.

Erik snarled, gathering his power. The ground beneath Restro stirred, the warrior sinking. Restro's eyes widened when some roots and vines came out of the earth and grabbed him, keeping him steady on the spot. But Restro wasn't going to be a sitting duck. Using his Molecular Restructuring, he turned the vines into water and dashed away from that spot, all the while cooling down a little.

Erik, at that point, had already spun and was flying toward Vex. He glanced left and right, hoping to find Terra, yet there was no trace of him—not a shadow, not a whisper.

<Where the fuck is that guy?>

Terra created a labyrinth of gigantic walls and pillars, providing many places from which he could observe the battle. This made it nearly impossible for Erik to pinpoint his location. Yet, there was one place where he could actually be, which allowed him to see and stay out of the battle.

<He might be on top of the main building…>

Indeed, that was where Erik wanted to check more, but to do that, he needed to get closer to the place, and that by making it look like it was accidental. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Before Erik could reach Vex, he got forced to avoid a gigantic stone fist coming out of a stone wall nearby.

<Damn Terra!>

He dove low, avoiding Terra's attack, and punched it. The gigantic stone fist shattered against Erik's armored punch, and its shards peppered the area. Vex then appeared behind the young man. He slashed at him; his sword went through his Force Bastion as if it were made of butter, leaving a large gash on his back. Erik retaliated with a fireball roaring from his palm. Terra made a wall of bedrock rising to meet the flames. The blackguard also tapped into his secondary power and pulled moisture from the air and ground, attacking Erik with high-pressure water jets.

That was how insidious Terra's attacks were. At a distance, with Erik unable to use his body's strength, Terra was exactly as powerful as Uncle Benjamin. That was the power of ranged brain crystal powers such as his. Luckily, the other two had rather melee-focused abilities, so, despite being at a disadvantage, Erik could still keep up with them using his body alone and the Will of the Hydra pumping his perception and thinking speed.

Vex appeared behind Erik's blind spot, his back, again. The Force Bastion already fixed itself, so Vex couldn't see Erik's wound being already healed. The Vindicator's brain crystal sword was ready to strike again, only this time Erik created a huge ice boulder. The sword cut through it, but Erik got enough space to avoid being hit again. He then flew some meters into the sky, not without having released a fireball at the ice.

That hit the ice boulder, causing a vapor explosion. The ice turned into hot steam, creating a vast cloud. The steam spread fast, making shock waves in the air. "AGH!" <It looks like Vex couldn't get out of there fast enough…>

The battlefield became hard to see because of all the steam, but there was no doubt Vex saved himself.

<I would expect no less…>

While descending to the ground, Erik sensed danger. His Hydra's head noticed the ground trembling. He turned, only to see Restro midway with a sucker-armored punch.

The young man avoided the blow on his face, but the man was a proficient martial artist, and in some weird way, he twisted enough to put his weight on one leg and kick him on the side.

Restro, realizing that pure defense wasn't enough, used his armor offensively. The adaptive material formed spikes, which pierced Erik's side. "UGH!"

Pain lanced through the young man, but he was used to it, and it would not hinder his ability to fight. Erik roared and unleashed a shockwave of pure force. Nathaniel's power could be very powerful, but they were still based on some kind of shock force, meaning they would actually do nothing to bypass Restro's armor, which was focused on protecting him from those kinds of attacks.

<He would be out of the way for a couple of seconds at least.>