BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

In the monitoring station, a clone's blade missed its target by millimeters. The blackguard spun in his chair and raised his arm. A shield of mana appeared before him, deflecting the clone's second strike.

"Intruders!" he said, running to the emergency alarm button and slamming his fist onto it.

The siren pierced the facility like an arrow through flesh; its howling echoed through every corridor, alarming every single person inside that building that they were under attack.

Red emergency lights filled the rooms as the clone and the blackguard grappled. Three more people burst into the room, but they were not on the clone's side.

Jets of fire engulfed the Dark Shape, reducing it to ash in seconds. Similar scenes played out across the facility as the alarm prompted responses from the Blackguard security teams.

In the research wing, the blackguards swiftly overpowered the clones. The Dark Shapes were no match for their superior combat abilities and a high number of neural links.

The element of surprise was officially gone. What should have been silent executions quickly turned into a full-scale battle.

But it didn't matter.

First Division Commander Vania sprinted down the corridor, her hand pressed to the communication device in her ear. (Read on Webnovel, the official source.)

"Report!" she said. "What's happening?"

A frantic voice came back through her earpiece. "Commander, we're under attack! Humanoid creatures infiltrated the facility. They're killing everyone on sight."

Vania didn't have time to ponder the humanoids' identity, motives, or sender, albeit she had some inklings.

"Casualties?" she asked, rounding a corner toward the main research lab.

"Thousands, ma'am; we can't confirm the number of dead people. The science division has been hit hard, but we killed all the attackers at and near the labs."

Vania cursed. She was expecting an attack, from Erik at that, and had prepared accordingly. Yet somehow these humanoid creatures went past their defenses, their patrols, and infiltrated the compound. There was no doubt Erik Romano was involved in this.

"Activate all defensive protocols. I want every available soldier at their stations."

The door to the primary research lab slid open, revealing a scene of carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the floor—both scientists and strange humanoid creatures. Standing in the center of the room was Dr. Lena Mercer, her personal guard surrounding her, weapons drawn.

"Lena!"

Vania rushed to the chief researcher. "Are you alright?"

Dr. Mercer nodded; her face was pale but composed. At her feet lay one of the creatures.

"Your troops got to it in time," Dr. Mercer said, pointing at the dead clone. "It was targeting me specifically."

Vania kneeled beside the creature. It had a human-like appearance, but it also looked… worm-like.

"Several of them attacked simultaneously," Dr. Mercer looked around the lab where more dead clones lay, but they weren't the only ones, as many scientists found the same destiny. "They came from nowhere—just materialized from thin air."

Vania stood. "Shapeshifters. Damn…"

"This is Erik Romano's work," Vania said. It couldn't be otherwise. "They must be on Mur, after all. Too much time passed." If she realized that, it was clear everyone else did.

The gathered scientists and guards exchanged worried glances. Erik Romano's name carried weight, and a fearful one at that. (Read on Webnovel, the official source.)

One of the senior researchers stepped forward. "How did they find us?"

"It doesn't matter how," Vania said. "What matters is that he's here, which means—"

The rest of her sentence disappeared in the deafening rumble of an explosion. The entire building shook, dust and debris raining from the ceiling. Lights flickered as the power grid struggled to compensate for the damage.

"He's making his move," Vania steadied herself against a nearby table. "The infiltration was just the beginning."

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—***—

Outside the facility, Erik stood amid the rubble of what had been the outer wall. The massive stone barrier was already in fragments, smoke rising from the detonation site. His palm still glowed with residual mana from the attack.

Through the breach poured his army. The mind-controlled thaids led the charge, their eyes vacant as they followed the commands of their Dark Shape controllers.

Behind them came the undead thaids, and following them were the rest of the clones.

The blackguard at the entrance moved, elemental powers activating as they formed defensive lines. Fire, water, earth, and air elements combined into savage attacks, cutting down the first wave of mind-controlled thaids.

Erik watched calmly as the creatures fell. They were tools, nothing more—cannon fodder to exhaust the blackguards' energy reserves before his more valuable forces engaged.

The second wave crashed into the defenders' line. Undead thaids absorbed devastating elemental attacks without slowing; their dead flesh was unaffected by pain, and their minds were impervious to fear or reason.

They grappled with blackguards, dragging them down through sheer weight and numbers. The more creatures died, humans and monsters alike, and the more the number of troops on Erik's side increased.

There was a limit to how many creatures the clones could command, though, given their mana. Erik got more and more notifications, regardless.

A clone appeared beside Erik.

"Master," the clone said, "the infiltration was only partially successful. We eliminated approximately sixteen thousand targets before detection."

Erik grimaced. "What happened?"

"The blackguards are stronger than anticipated," the clone said. "Many have five or more brain crystal powers, and they have many neural links. Even with the surprise advantage, our attacks were countered more often than not."

Erik watched the battle unfolding before him. His clones were being outmatched. Not that much, of course, but the difference could still be seen.

Some clones fell to Blackguard physical attacks—some from combined fire and lightning, others crushed between stone walls.

"The clones are at a disadvantage," Mira said. "Our combat skills are inferior to the blackguards'."

"Shit…" Erik started getting worried.

"The Chimaeric Demons are almost here," a clone said.

Erik gave the clone a nod. "We keep fighting then. We inflicted as many losses as we could without a direct fight. If the clones are at a disadvantage in a direct fight, it means killing this many blackguards with assassinations was the right choice."

Erik then turned to the Chimaeric Demons that were already there. They didn't have essence flow but were still stronger than the Dark Shapes and, for sure, were stronger than the blackguards.

The clones went through the breach. (Read on Webnovel, the official source.)

—***—

Inside the facility, Vania strapped on the last piece of her armor. Around her, the elite guard of the First Division prepared for battle.

"Status report," she said.

"The main wall has been breached," a soldier said. "The enemy forces are engaging our outer defenses. They've deployed thaids as the first wave—both controlled and undead variants."

"And behind them?"

"Humans, apparently." The base was still filled with the humanoid monsters. There was a giant battle going on inside.

Dr. Mercer approached, clutching a vial. "Take this, commander." She gave her the vial.

The woman nodded. "What's this?"

Dr. Mercer looked the woman in the eyes. "The prototype."

Vania knew what that meant. This was the prototype for THAT thing. (Read on Webnovel, the official source.)

The first division commander turned to his guard. "We are going to wipe the monsters from the base. We start with the inside. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."