BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik stared into the flames of the campfire. He wasn't sure what the system said was true, and he wasn't sure his troops would be enough or strong enough.

<Is the plan viable?> Erik asked the biological supercomputer.

[I think so,] the system said. [In theory, with Essence Flow, we could maintain barriers indefinitely and regenerate them after any attack. In practice, a strong attack could shatter any barrier. However, that's not a serious problem since we can immediately create a new one.]

<Yes, but that fraction of a second we are without a barrier means we risk death. In a battlefield, with thousands of people, and strong ones at that, it means thousands of attacks will go through and kill the clones.>

Erik paused.

<Besides, we still need to find them.>

The system mentally nodded. It understood Erik's impatience, but there was no need to fret.

[The clones are searching. The Lorogia region is vast, but the number of clones increases every day, and by a wide margin. It's just a matter of time before they find them.]

Erik nodded. He watched the flames dance as his thoughts drifted. The Lorogia region stretched for hundreds of kilometers, filled with valleys, caves, and dense forests. The clones had already searched dozens of abandoned Silverline facilities, finding nothing but ruins and thaids.

But there were many labs here, and some of them could need weeks of travel, if not months. Erik was too impatient, too scared the blackguards would turn too strong for him to handle.

[You should rest,] the system said. [Tomorrow will—]

The system's words cut off as a foreign, but not unknown, presence touched Erik's mind. It was a familiar feeling—one of his Dark Shapes reaching out through their hive mind link.

<Report,> Erik said.

The clone's voice echoed in his mind, serious but composed. <Master, we found them.>

For a second, Erik's mind went blank as he dealt with this information.

Finally, they found them, the Blackguards, the first division. The last of his enemies on the planet, and the only humans on this continent, aside from him and his friends.

His muscles tensed, his heart rate increased, and his breathing became shallow.

<I should just go…>

Erik wanted nothing more than to rip them to shreds. However, the typical signs of an adrenaline response quickly got under control as he thought straight. Besides, he didn't want to alert the others who were resting nearby.

<Where?> he managed to ask, not without difficulty, through the Hive mind.

<A lab at the foot of the Lorogia mountain range,> the clone said. <SEP-01 Facility. It's approximately a hundred kilometers northwest of your current position.>

Erik recognized the name from the data they'd recovered at the lake. While it was most likely an important research lab, it wasn't the biggest, and to house so many people, a large place was needed.

<Do you think it is possible?>

[Why not? They could have expanded the place underground.]

But to do that, a series of powers and vast mana pools were needed. Erik didn't want to think about how they did that. Regardless, the blackguards' choice was odd.

<How is the situation there?> Erik asked the clone. <Security, defenses?>

<Heavy patrols,> the clone said. <Besides, they've modified the surrounding area extensively.>

That Erik didn't like it a bit.

<The forest stands untouched to keep the place hidden, but the ground is rigged with pressure sensors and motion detectors, aside from barriers and walls of many kinds. The lab is inside a large area delimited by walls not taller than the trees, but definitely tall.>

Erik processed this information. <How did you get in?>

If the blackguards really did this much, getting into the perimeter must not have been easy.

<I shapeshifted and got a ride. The blackguards are strong, but rather predictable once you know their protocol.>

The clone continued, <I couldn't see the lab itself, it was too far, and the outside area was large, but I had been able to keep them under observation inside the outer perimeter.>

Erik felt a hint of pride. <Good work.>

<Master, there's something I didn't say yet,> the clone added. <You need to mobilize all available forces and move to the facility as soon as possible.>

<Why?> Erik liked that even less. Sure, that was what he wanted to do all along, but the clone's voice hinted at something bad going on, which meant that Erik's wish was a necessity.

<All the blackguards I saw had elemental powers, master. All of them,> the clone said. <Not just one element, but multiple. I saw guards manipulating earth, summoning fire, generating wind, and controlling water. Having this many people with elemental powers is weird… I don't think that's natural, and for sure it's dangerous with the blackguard's mana pools.>

Indeed, there were people with more than a thousand energy points among them. They were not so common, but not even that rare.

Erik's blood ran cold. Somehow, the blackguards had advanced their research even more, giving multiple brain crystal powers to their soldiers this time.

<They could already make it so they had 3 powers; did they now reach 7? 8?>

Based on what the clone said, they at least had five: those four, plus their birth one, and those were only the soldiers who didn't receive a second or third brain crystal. If they did that, then what else had they achieved?

<How many blackguards did you see?> Erik asked.

<Approximately ten thousand in the outer perimeter alone,> the clone said.

<Based on the facility's size, I believe there are between one hundred and ninety thousand personnel inside.>

Erik nodded, but had a grim expression on his face. <Good work. Keep observing them and avoid detection at all costs.>

<Yes, master.>

The connection faded. The news changed everything. Their timetable had just sped up significantly.

Erik closed his eyes, focusing on the mind link with his dark shapes. He reached out to the nearest clones, those within his immediate telepathic range.

He felt them respond. Through them, he reached further, to more distant clones, creating a cascading network of connections.

<New orders,> Erik said. <We have found the blackguards at the SEP-01 Facility. Everyone must converge there immediately. Do not engage until I'm there.>

Erik paused. <Prioritize stealth over speed. The Blackguards have at least five brain crystal powers per person now.>

Erik felt the reactions flow back through the chain, thousands of minds receiving and processing his order.

The Dark Shapes would relay the message to the enslaved thaids, then to the Chimaeric Demons, who would direct the undead monsters they collected toward the base.

An army was now in motion, converging on a single point from all directions across the Lorogia region.

Erik opened his eyes and looked at his sleeping companions. He would need to wake them up soon.

The blackguards' multiple elemental powers changed everything. Erik knew he had to expect changes in their ranks, but not something so drastic.

But he had something they didn't—an army of clones with the Essence Flow brain crystal power.

The ability to replenish mana indefinitely would be the key to finally killing the blackguards. No matter how many powers they had, they would eventually run out of energy. Erik's forces wouldn't.

He stood up, his decision made. The last battle was upon them, sooner than expected, but not unwelcome. After weeks of searching and preparation, they had finally found their target.