BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik watched the battle unfold with a cold and analytic detachment, watching the explosions below rock the area and limbs fly in the air.

He was still protecting the clones with his barriers, but the blackguards were resourceful and found ways to get past them.

Besides, they too had barrier masters, and they were in no way inferior to Erik if they worked together.

Whenever a barrier got destroyed by both sides, carnage ensued. The Chimaeric Demons went through the blackguard ranks with brutal efficiency, but pockets of resistance remained.

In fact, not all the blackguards were weaker than them; quite the opposite. Many of them had already reached the level of the Chimaeric Demons.

Elemental attacks flashed across the battlefield as the defenders defended the place with desperation.

Bolts of fire cracked the air, leaving scorched paths where they struck. Walls of earth rose and shattered under Erik's clones' attacks.

Water spiraled in violent torrents, swallowing everything around.

The blackguards formed tight defensive formations; some collapsed from exhaustion only to rise again, hands trembling as they used their remaining mana.

The earth itself buckled under the battle's attacks, creating craters that filled with bodies.

Despite Erik's forces having the advantage, the Blackguards inflicted heavy casualties on the Dark Shapes, Erik's weaker clones.

For each blackguard that died, two clones followed a similar fate. Even with the superior numbers the thaids gave them, the situation wasn't the brightest.

But it didn't matter. The latest of his Chimaeric Demons were almost there, and once that happened, Erik could end this battle alone.

A clone approached him. "Master, we've lost contact with three squads inside the eastern wing. The blackguards are consolidating their defenses around the research labs."

Erik nodded, remaining impassive. The blackguards fought as expected—with skill and tactics born from years of training, and that only geniuses could use.

Erik turned to Amber. She was standing several meters behind him, looking at the conflict with narrowed eyes.

The blackguards were too powerful for his friends to join the fight, at least not those who had melee powers.

Mira, Emily, Martha, Floyd, Mickey, and Aaron were all fighting, albeit remaining on a safe side of the battle formation. Their powers allowed them to fight from a distance, and they were taking advantage of that.

Gwen, Amber, Benedict, and Allan were just waiting. Without a doubt, their powers were going to be devastating once the Chimaeric Demons arrived.

The entire group went through enough bloodshed during the war in Frant that killing didn't affect them anymore.

"It's time," Erik said.

Amber stepped forward, her lips pressed into a thin line. "The clones?"

"I'll order them to pull back." Erik stated this while transmitting a mental command through the hive mind. <All forces outside must withdraw. Return to the breach immediately.>

The clones didn't wait; they knew already that if things didn't go as expected, Amber was going to act.

The clones outside, regardless of type, disengaged from combat, retreating toward the wall breach.

The Chimaeric Demons provided cover, absorbing attacks meant for their fleeing brethren when Erik's barriers failed or weren't present.

The mind-controlled thaids followed their handlers while the undead continued their mindless assault, buying precious seconds for the others.

The blackguards hesitated, uncertain whether to chase or keep their positions; they didn't have to go anyway. Some advanced cautiously, suspicious of the sudden retreat.

"Now," Erik said.

Amber closed her eyes, drawing breath deep into her lungs. Mana flowed through her body. She extended both arms, palms facing the enemy army.

From her, plumes of vapor erupted. The gas billowed, expanding into a fog that rolled across the battlefield.

The first blackguards caught in the cloud screamed. Their bodies convulsed as the corrosive gas touched their skin.

Armor, clothes, flesh, and skin dissolved. Within seconds, men and women melted into formless heaps of liquefied tissue.

Those far from the advancing fog understood what was happening and who they were dealing with. The others didn't. Though a line of blackguards stepped forward, creating barriers of different kinds.

Some used fire to superheat the air, creating updrafts that pushed the gas above. Those using earth-controlling powers raised stone walls to block its spread. Wind controllers made currents that tried to disperse the deadly cloud.

Their defense worked—temporarily, at least. The gas slowed, swirling against the barriers.

"Clever," Erik said. "But not enough."

He channeled mana. The energy grew, forming a sphere of swirling flames that emitted waves of scorching heat.

The fireball expanded until it dwarfed his body, straining against his control like a caged beast.

"Take cover," Erik said to the clones.

Erik launched the fireball toward the blackguards' position. It streaked through the battlefield, leaving a trail of scorching air in its wake.

When it struck the barriers, the resulting explosion shattered the entire defensive formation.

The blast destroyed the stone walls and barriers, overpowered the fire users' defenses, and killed hundreds of blackguards instantly. The wreckage flung the survivors back, shattering them among the debris.

The explosion created a vacuum that pulled Amber's gas forward, accelerating its spread throughout the building and the soldiers defending it. The corrosive fog rushed into the breach, engulfing the surviving defenders.

The blackguards scrambled to escape, some trying to outrun the cloud while others tried to make new barriers. None succeeded.

The gas overtook them, dissolving armor, weapons, and flesh with equal efficiency. Screams echoed across the area, silenced as the vocal cords dissolved.

Within minutes, the outer section of the base became a graveyard of half-melted corpses and equipment.

Erik observed the devastation with cold satisfaction.

"The gas won't penetrate far into the main facility," Amber said.

"It's served its purpose already."

The gas dissipated, revealing the extent of the destruction. What had been a battlefield minutes ago was now a wasteland.

Erik turned to June and Rick. "The outer defenses are neutralized. We move inside now."

Rick nodded. "The Chimaeric Demons report the southern and eastern wings are partially secured."

"Where is the First Division Commander?"

"She is close."

"Bring me to her."

The clones nodded.

Erik stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the compound. The surviving Dark Shapes fell in behind him, followed by the Chimaeric Demons with their undead thralls. Amber walked to his side.

"Spread out," Erik said to the other clones. "Secure the research labs and the command center. Capture the surviving scientists if possible, but don't risk your lives. If they resist, kill them."