BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

A thaid surged through the corrosive fog, its vast body barely affected by Amber's deadly mist thanks to the huge amount of mana it had.

The creature was at least seven meters tall with six limbs and multiple eyes; it was a creature no one had ever seen, and it for sure could kill all of them in a matter of moments. If they didn't have infinite mana, that is.

Essence Flow was basically the only thing that kept everyone alive from Erik's side, especially the Chimaeric Demons that came from Mannard or those that survived the harrowing crossing of the sea with Erik, since they had been the core of the young man's army.

Essence Flow not only increased mana regen but also stamina regen, and it was amplified thousands of times for each single individual. That meant that whoever had healing or regenerative powers was untiring, undying, and with infinite ammo.

The problem was they could still be killed. What was needed was just enough mana or a well-assessed blow.

The beast's hide steamed where the acid had eaten through, exposing muscle and bone, yet it moved with terrifying speed since these wounds were sparse and few.

June spotted it first. "Incoming!" It was headed to him and the others.

Rick turned, his eyes widening at the creature's rampaging gait. "Everyone, defensive positions! That's not a Vindicator!"

"What the fuck is that?" Floyd asked.

"This is not the time for questions, Floyd!"

The group split as the thaid crashed through their position. Its claws tore through the earth where they stood moments earlier, gouging deep furrows.

"We need to coordinate," June said. "Gwen and Benedict, you take the front line! Allan, Mickey, and Martha, you must support them. Aaron and Floyd must hinder it as much as they can."

The thaid swung around, faster than its bulk suggested possible. It focused on Gwen, sensing her as the strongest physical threat. It wasn't wrong, since she had armor powers, regenerative powers, and, most importantly, strength-enhancing powers.

With all that mana available, Gwen pumped up her strength quite a bit. She was stronger than Erik right at that moment, at least in terms of physical attributes, but that, of course, was because Erik wasn't using his strength-enhancing power that much since it was useless against Vania.

The problem was the creature was still stronger, which meant that to kill it, the group would need tactics rather than brute strength.

The monster lunged, jaws wide enough to swallow her whole.

Gwen met its charge, her mana armor glowing brightly. She ducked under its jaw and drove her fist into its throat with enough force to create a shockwave. The thaid barely flinched.

"It's too strong!"

She barely had the time to dive away from a counterattack, but she managed thanks to the others' support.

Benedict appeared at its flank, his mana halberd humming with power. He slashed at the creature's hind leg, the blade biting deep. Dark fluid spurted from the wound, but the thaid seemed more annoyed than harmed.

The blade bit deep, but not that deep for the thaid, whose limbs were as thick as tree trunks. That was a superficial wound for it, one it frequently got during fights with other equally strong thaids.

The beast whirled with impossible speed. Its tail caught Benedict mid-air, sending him flying into a scorched tree trunk. The impact splintered what remained of the dead wood. Benedict collapsed to the ground, momentarily dazed.

"Ben!"

Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the thaid's legs and torso. Thorny tendrils pierced its hide, injecting toxins into its bloodstream. The monster roared—its monstrous, primordial voice shaking the air itself.

Aaron moved all his slime spread across the battlefield toward the monster. The amorphous substance crawled up the thaid's legs, dissolving flesh wherever it touched.

At the same time, Mickey's insect swarm descended on the beast, thousands of chitinous, mana-armored bodies finding every crack in its armor and burrowing inside.

The thaid's brain crystal flared. A wave of heat radiated outward, incinerating the insects and boiling Aaron's slime. The vines burned and crumbled to ash. It wasn't fire. It was just heat.

"It has elemental powers!" Mickey said, already generating more insects.

"No! It can control temperature!"

It was like having elemental powers, but it wasn't exactly the same. It worked in subtle ways that were hard to see, especially compared to elemental powers that could produce the same effects. Elemental powers were rather straightforward, while this wasn't.

It was impossible to notice the heat unless one got physically affected by it.

June and Rick attacked. June mostly had a supporting role, but since he got infinite stamina, even he could fight better than usual. His powers were fully biological, which meant they depended on stamina rather than mana.

He used the biomantic armor to wrap his body while shapeshifting to keep up with the growing mass of biological armor that was enveloping him. He also increased his mass so that he could make up for his lack of strength with weight.

At the same time, a lustrous metallic sheen covered him, which resulted from the metallic edge enhancement. He was not going to be stronger, not in the classical sense, but his mass was increasing, and even if he could not get too strong, all that weight was going to be useful.

Rick used vibration burst; June punched. The combination attack would have been devastating for any monster, but the thaid decreased the heat so much that an ice block appeared in front of it and stopped the blow.

"We need more firepower!" Rick said.

The beast inhaled deeply, its chest expanded, and the humans got terrified. When it exhaled, a torrent of super heated air blasted toward the group.

June got protected by Martha, who generated a plant barrier in front of him. He was significantly slower than the beast, after all, so he could not dodge. The heat wave scorched the ground, turning soil to glass, but the barrier held.

Allan went above the monster, electricity coursing through his bone spikes. He dropped onto the thaid's back, driving his electrified spears into its flesh. The creature bucked and thrashed, trying to dislodge him.

"Hit it now!" Allan said, channeling more electricity into the thaid's body.

Floyd seized the opportunity, his mana tail whipping forward. The poisoned appendage struck the thaid's exposed flank, injecting his toxin.

At the same time, he used his birth brain crystal power to slow down the creature more. The beast's movements slowed to a considerable degree, but it was hard for him to slow it that much, even with all that mana.

"It's working!" Floyd said. The problem was, it didn't work as planned. Though this didn't mean there was nothing to exult. He prepared another strike.

The thaid roared in fury, its eyes focusing on Floyd. It gathered mana in its throat, preparing to unleash something devastating. Floyd tried to get away using his tail, but the attack came regardless.