BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

First Division Commander Vania stepped over the body of a dead scientist.

"These bastards," she said through clenched teeth. "They'll pay for every drop of blood they've spilled here today."

Around her, hundreds of elite blackguards moved. Swinging swords and blasting clones off with their brain crystal powers.

Dead bodies were scattered throughout the corridors in both directions - blackguard soldiers with their uniforms lay alongside researchers in lab coats, while the remains of clones were identifiable by their grotesque human-like form.

Blood stained the walls, and the lights flickered because of the damage the power systems sustained.

Alarms kept blaring, but there was no one else to alert, as they were all fighting already.

"Clear," said one of her guards, peering around a corner.

Vania touched the vial in her pocket, the prototype.

The untested serum would undoubtedly have side effects, but she had no choice in the matter.

She hoped she wouldn't have to use it, but she most likely was going to be forced to. Erik was simply too powerful, and even with her power and with the many neural links she made during these past months, it was likely she couldn't win.

At this point, all of this was no longer a matter of survival, at least not hers. It was just a matter of saving the scientists and the research. This way, they could at least bring forward their research.

Regardless, Vania was keeping the serum for when she had to fight Erik.

"Commander," one of her soldiers said over the radio. "We're losing the outer perimeter. The enemy is strong."

"Hold your position," Vania said. "We are going to wipe the enemy from the base and then join the fight outside. Just stop them from breaking in."

However, it was clear that was going to be a futile task. If Erik acted, stopping him would not be possible.

"Yes, Commander."

They reached a junction where three corridors met. To their left came the sounds of combat—the clash of powers and screams of the dying. Vania gave the signal to her soldiers, and the team moved toward the noise.

They entered what had been a cafeteria. Now it was a battlefield. Thousands of blackguards were fighting against a swarm of monsters and their mind-controlled thaids. The defenders unleashed elemental attacks in all directions.

"Support them," Vania said.

Her elite soldiers entered the fray. Some created earth barriers that diverted the thaids' attacks. Others created fireballs that turned the enemy to cinders.

The clones writhed as they burned. They tried to flee, only for more attacks to fall on them.

Vania herself joined the battle.

Sensing the blood across the ground, Vania channeled her birth brain crystal power. The pools of blood rippled and rose, twisting into spires that shot above her.

The liquid hardened into spikes, impaling hundreds of clones. More blood tendrils snaked across the floor, merging into a forest of crimson blades that tore through the enemy ranks and bloodied ropes that suffocated them.

She focused on the clones, knowing they were likely those controlling the thaids. The surviving blackguards rallied behind her.

"Kill them all!"

They kept fighting.

"How many casualties do we have?" She asked one of her soldiers.

The blackguard's expression darkened. "We don't have an exact number, but they are in the thousands, and they are still going up among the weakest members. The Research Division has been nearly wiped out. The security teams were the first to have been wiped out. These things must be shapeshifters; otherwise, they wouldn't have targeted the teams with the Veritas Lenses first. They attacked the barracks in the east wing while many were asleep, causing the greatest damage."

Vania didn't allow emotions to show on her face. Years of discipline kept her focused on the mission, not the losses.

"They're getting closer," one of her elite soldiers said.

Vania nodded. "We need to reach the command center. If we lose the central communications, coordination becomes impossible."

They moved out, leaving the secured training area behind. The hallways became increasingly damaged as they kept going—walls were torn open, and floors cracked from powerful attacks. They went past laboratories where shattered equipment and scattered research materials littered the ground.

"This is what comes of fighting such a powerful opponent," Vania thought, going past another dead comrade.

They knew Erik was hunting them. They had fortified this facility, trained nonstop, and equipped themselves with the most advanced technology available. And still, they were not able to stop him.

In truth, both factions were equal. The blackguards were stronger than the Dark Shapes, which comprised the bulk of Erik's army, but they had the thaids.

As they approached the command center, the sounds of battle grew more intense. The enemy had cornered the rest of the staff.

"Engage," Vania said.

Her elite blackguards burst into action, striking the clones from behind. The attack disrupted Erik's troops' formation, creating an opening for the trapped blackguards to regroup.

Vania looked around the command center. The monitors showed security feeds from across the facility—most showing either active battles or corridors strewn with bodies. Status boards flashed with critical system failures, backup generators were failing, and containment protocols had been breached.

They were losing, and Vania knew it.

She touched the vial again, considering. Not yet. Not until she faced Erik himself.

A clone lunged at her, its arm elongated into a blade. Vania sidestepped, countering a blood spear that pierced the creature's face.

Another approached from behind, but one of her soldiers intercepted it, encasing the clone in ice before shattering it with a strike.

"Commander," her officer said through the radio. "The eastern wing has fallen. The Chimaeric Demons have broken through our last defensive line there."

Vania closed her eyes for a moment. "I want some men to get the scientists out. The rest must come to the central hub; we will make our last stand there."

"What about the research?"

"Destroy what can't be moved. Nothing falls into his hands."

She turned to her elite guard. "Secure this room. I need five minutes to activate the emergency protocols."