BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

However, the biological supercomputer was trying to understand if that would be a viable strategy, or better, how much Erik needed to make that a viable strategy.

[Even with 730 dexterity points, you'd still be too slow,] the system said. [Vania's mutations have pushed her physical capabilities beyond what those attribute points could match.]

She had more than a thousand attribute points in both strength and dexterity, after all.

Erik dodged another spectral chain, the glowing metal almost hitting his shoulder.

<Then what's the solution? I need more attribute points, but I can't exactly take a break to go hunting.>

[You don't need to hunt,] the system said. [You only need creatures to die nearby. The mana absorption process happens automatically within a certain radius.]

Erik glanced down at the chaotic battlefield below. He had kept his altitude deliberately high until now, keeping a significant distance between himself and the ground where the bulk of the combat was going on.

This protected his allies, and clones from the wreckage his and Vania's exchanges caused. Their clashes had already altered the landscape into an apocalyptic terrain of ice fields, molten earth, and splintered trees. Moving closer would expose his forces to these hazards more than they were already doing.

Yet the system was right. From his current position, he was unable to absorb the experience points from the deaths taking place below. The battlefield teemed with Blackguards, thaids, and his clones locked in mortal combat. Each death released mana that dissipated before reaching his position.

<So I need to get closer to the battle,> Erik said. <Absorb the mana released from whatever dies there.>

Not that he didn't know, but this had implications.

[Precisely. You might not gain enough attributes to completely level the playing field, but...]

<But I don't need to kill Vania now,> Erik finished the thought. <She's a monster, yes, but what matters is eliminating the thaids and the blackguards. Once her underlings are gone, I can focus on her, and the additional level-ups will help me.>

It was a risk. Moving closer to the ground would make him more vulnerable to not only Vania's attacks but also those of the troops below, including the thaids, while simultaneously exposing his allies to the crossfire.

But the situation was reaching a critical point; if he didn't help his troops, they would die regardless. The thaids would then kill the blackguards, who were protecting their base, so, at that point, defeat for them was assured. But they could still flee.

Erik didn't want to leave the clones to die just for the sake of his revenge, and he didn't want to put his friends at additional risk. Besides, Vania had to be stopped, and if she had been able to fight on equal ground despite Erik literally having infinite mana, what would happen if she made more neural links?

She needed to die that day.

Erik descended steadily, maintaining enough distance to avoid immediate danger while closing the gap between him and the battlefield. Vania gave chase. Through the Hive Mind, he reached the Dark Shapes.

<Relay this message to everyone: Begin tactical withdrawal. All forces retreat gradually to avoid drawing attention. Amber, Mira, and Emily must maintain their positions to cover the retreat. Once everyone reaches a safe distance, Amber will teleport the group away.>

The Dark Shapes accepted the order, their shared link rippling with the new directive. The message went through the mental network connecting all Dark Shapes, then verbally to his human allies and to the Chimaeric Demons.

<Understood, Master. We will retreat.>

On the eastern front, Amber kept her corrosive fog barrier against the encroaching thaids. The deadly mist continued devouring fur, scales, and flesh, sending agonized roars through the forest. Emily's rifle picked off any creature that broke through and that was close to their position, while Mira's mana arrows forced others to reroute into deadlier portions of the fog.

In the center of the battlefield, the Dark Shapes began their disengagement. They moved subtly, continuing combat engagement while slowly back stepping toward the retreat point. The blackguards, focused on survival, failed to catch the gradual repositioning.

The Chimaeric Demons without Essence Flow followed suit, protecting the retreating Dark Shapes while maintaining combat pressure. Their superior strength and multiple brain crystal powers made them formidable rear guards, even when outnumbered.

However, the retreat didn't proceed without complications. Thaids pursued the withdrawing forces. The clones faced a brutal choice—some would need to sacrifice themselves to make sure the others escaped.

The Chimaeric Demons with Essence Flow had largely avoided direct combat until now, serving primarily as living batteries for their brethren. Now they decided to join the fray.

The battlefield, littered with corpses of thaids, blackguards, and fallen clones, provided great raw materials.

The Chimaeric Demons channeled mana into the dead, turning them into lifeless husks. A massive thaid twitched and then rose. Its eyes glowed with unnatural light as it turned toward its living brethren.

More bodies stirred. A fallen blackguard Vindicator arose, armor dented and flesh torn, but moving with single-minded purpose.

Three dark shapes, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, joined the growing undead army. These corpses lacked intelligence or finesse, but they possessed the physical attributes and brain crystal powers they had in life.

The undead surge created a barrier between the retreating forces and their pursuers. They charged forward, crashing into the advancing thaids with reckless abandon.

The blackguards, finding their comrades among their enemies, faltered in their attack. As they had to defend against both the thaids and the risen dead, confusion swept through their ranks.

This distraction brought precious time for Erik's forces. His friends—Gwen, June, Rick, and the others—used the chaos to disengage from the thaid they had been fighting.

Coordinated attacks from multiple undead clones distracted the creature, allowing the group to withdraw.

"Fall back!" June said, supporting the still-recovering Martha. "Benedict, help Rick!"

Benedict slung Rick's arm over his shoulder, half-carrying the clone.

"Help them, guys!" Gwen said to both Aaron and Mickey. The slimes and the bugs decreased the pressure on the undead and the clones that were staying behind.

The Chimaeric Demons made a powerful diversion thanks to the undead, but there were limits.

The clones were limited in how many creatures they could resurrect or how much of their original power they could give them, simply because their mana pool wasn't so large.

Even with Essence Flow providing continuous mana regeneration, the Chimaeric Demons could only bring back to life only what their base mana pools allowed.

A clone with 100 mana points could not use an attack that required 200, regardless of regeneration rate. The power demanded substantial resources for each reanimation, and maintaining control taxed them further.

That meant they could not do much.

Still, the strategy worked. The undead formed a wedge that drove into the thaid ranks, creating space for the living to escape, which the blackguards didn't see.

The Blackguards, caught between monsters and reanimated corpses, tried to push more thaids toward Erik's undead army.

In that confusion, they hadn't yet realized that Erik's forces were leaving the battlefield entirely.

Erik observed the retreat while evading Vania's attacks. When enough of his forces had cleared the danger zone, he descended further, bringing himself closer to the combat below.