1122 Trust and Tension


    "I See the Ind."


    It was nothing more than a small dot in the distance what they were seeing, but it was, without a doubt, Maynard Ind.


    Erik looked at Mira, Amber, June, and Emily, feeling nervous. The chances of surviving a battle here were few, even for the Chimaeric Demons, and he didn''t know if the four would be able to do it.


    They were strong, that was true, but they were not at the level of those they were going to fight against. If they wanted to survive, they had to y it safe, and if they wanted to be useful, they had to y it smart. Even he felt rather unprepared for the uing battle.


    <System, show me the status.>


    —Status—


    [Host Information]


    NAME:Erik Romano


    AGE:18


    POWER LEVEL:1,420


    SYSTEM LEVEL:298


    EXPERIENCE:22,440,024/27,115,216


    DNA POINTS:4,244,916


    HEALTH:28,540/28,540


    MANA:28,470/28,470


    {Attributes}


    STRENGTH:542


    INTELLIGENCE:474


    DEXTERITY:522


    ENERGY:1422


    Avable attribute points:5


    {Powers}


    [Biological Super Computer Powers]


    Brain Crystal Maniption


    Brain Crystal Power Extraction


    Brain Crystal Power Merging


    Brain Crystal Power Analysis


    Brain Crystal Power Editing


    Brain Crystal Power Strengthening


    (LOCKED)


    DNA Maniption


    DNA Extraction


    DNA Merging


    DNA Editing


    DNA Strengthening


    (LOCKED)


    Analysis Brain Information Injector Device Maniption


    [Host''s Powers]


    PLANT MASTER:Aι3B-RANKED


    CHIMAERIC DEMON:Aα3X-RANKED


    SELF HEALING:Aι2A-RANKED


    INSTABILITY:Aλ2B-RANKED


    Phantom Veil:Aθ2A-RANKED


    Frostwind Fire tempest:Aη3A-RANKED


    Force Bastion:Aν1B-RANKED


    Lightning Lord:Aη3A-RANKED


    Beastwalker:Aθ1B-RANKED N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Telekinesis:Aσ1A-RANKED


    Will of the Hydra:Aσ1X-RANKED


    {Skills}


    Kyokar hand-to-hand style (MASTER)


    Etrium''s sword style (ADVANCED)


    Crypt of the Desert Style (MASTER)


    Alchemy (Intermediate)


    Architecture (Beginner)


    Thaid Expertise Proficiency (Advanced)


    Flora Expertise (Master)


    Tactical Expertise (Advanced)


    Management Proficiency (Intermediate)


    Stealth Proficiency (Intermediate)


    —END—


    Erik observed his status. Will of the Hydra and Telekinesis were there, Levium''s powers, but he still made no Neural links in them as he didn''t have the time.


    <I doubt I will be able to use them effectively in battle.>


    Erik couldn''t even make more heads for his Will of the Hydra brain crystal power. He didn''t have the time, busy as he had been for having to get rid of the ckguards in Sleb Harbor.


    All in all, he was worried about his and the fours'' chances of survival.


    <Guys. I''m going to assign you to a small group of Chimaeric Demons. They will protect you at all times. I know you won''t really like this, but I would like for you to stay at the edge of the battlefield.>


    <What?> Mira didn''t like that at all.


    <Why should we avoid the battle while you and the clones do it?>


    <She is right, Erik,> Amber said.<We might not be that powerfulpared to those we are going to fight, but we can hold ourselves.>


    <I know you can,> Erik said. <But I still feel uneasy. If there are more people like Levium, I don''t know what will happen.>


    <If we have to talk about destructiveness,> Amber said. <I think I have the greatest destructive power of you all here.>


    It was indeed true. Fighting a gas was impossible. Unless you stayed away from it, there was nothing to dodge. The gas would inevitably melt whoever Amber wanted to melt. Kill whoever the woman wanted to kill.


    He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing, <Look, I understand your desire to fight alongside us. But it would give me peace of mind knowing you help from a safe location.>


    <The Chimaeric Demons I''m assigning to you are skilled fighters. They''ll keep you safe while allowing you to observe and potentially assist from a distance. This way, if things go south, you can be our backup n.>


    <All right,> Mira said. <We will stay outside from the core of the fight, but in exchange, we have free reins on what to do.> The woman smirked.


    <What do you have in mind?> Erik asked.


    <It''s none of your business…>


    Erik sighed, realizing how futile his attempts to keep the girls out of harm''s way would be.


    Mira''s words rified they were going to do some stupid shit on a battlefield they shouldn''t even have been to begin with.


    But it wasn''t like they were useless. Erik knew that. The stunt Emily pulled on Levium was... unexpected, yes, but a positive surprise.


    Even if they would be wiped out in a melee fight, if they kept distant, they could actually deal a lot of damage.


    Mira and Emily could take care of enemy defenses, while Amber could kill enemy bulks if needed.


    <Listen, Erik,> Amber said. <I know you are worried about us, and you want to protect us, but we are not damsels in distress that need the white prince to rescue us. We can do that ourselves. Did you forget who taught you to fight?>


    That was true. Amber did that. In terms of pure martial skills and weapon usage, she was still much better than him. The problem was that the ckguards weren''t any worse, and they weren''t two or three people.


    Reluctantly, Erik epted he couldn''t control their actions. He would have to trust in their capabilities and hope that the protection he provided would be enough.


    <Okay… then.>


    Mira had an idea, in truth, to really do something significant to help Erik. It was just that; she needed his permission to act. Erik stillmanded the Chimaeric Demons, and if he told them to bring the four back to Sleb Harbor, they wouldn''t hesitate.


    <Keep an eye on them, June.>


    <Of course, Master.>


    As the ind got closer, Erik thought about all the things that could go wrong. He looked at his lovers, seeing both bravery and fear in their faces. He wondered if they would all make it through the fight alive and told all the Chimaeric Demons to ensure they would.


    As night fell, the ind''s features emerged from the darkness, illuminated by an array of lights, most of theming from the artificial lights installed here and there. The ckguards were at a disadvantage as much as Erik was in the night''s darkness. They needed to see well. That was why they used the lights.


    10:43


    Though not expansive, the ind wasrge enough to house several structures, and not one of them was small.


    Training areas and what he assumed were sparring grounds were visible, scattered among what appeared to be barracks.


    It was just that they looked rather luxurious, fitting for the status the ckguards had.


    They were adorned with polished marble facades,rge windows, and intricate metalwork.


    Surrounded by weirdly manicured gardens and pathways that in truth inteced the area like a spiderweb and showed the ckguards'' special status and endless resources.


    Erik looked at the fancy buildings and gardens with disgust.


    <This is ridiculous. They''re just showing off how rich and powerful they are. To whom, I wonder…>


    He shook his head. <All this fancy stuff won''t help them when we attack.>


    However, while beautiful and ostentatious these buildings were, they were nothing muchpared to the ind''s most likely important building: a massive structure of metal and ss.


    This stood out not just for its size but for its appearance. Despite being constructedrgely of ss and the shine reflected from the lights illuminating the area, it was pitch ck.


    Erik''s eyes narrowed as he studied the structure.


    <That must be the main building... Whoever controls the ckguards is most likely there unless they fled.>


    But there was no doubt in Erik''s mind that the ckguards'' leader would never flee, especially when he, their main target, was there.


    <The ckguards must have known I wasing by now.>


    But while Erik observed the surroundings, he noticed them. The base defenses.


    The ind''s perimeter was filled with artillery weapons. Erik had no doubt these were powered by brain crystals.


    <I would expect no less from these pricks.>


    Along with the fixed defenses, there were groups of ckguards controllingrge mechas. These machines, like the stationary weapons, were probably powered by brain crystal technology.


    They weren''t few, but they were less than Erik expected.


    <This is weird.>


    Indeed, it was. The ckguards most likely expected such an attack to happen since they learned he left for Hin, and especially after they learned about him defeating Levium.


    It was impossible for them not to know that. They had spies everywhere, and even if they didn''t, knowing what Levium''s mission was, even a day without replying to their calls or making a report, was enough to make them understand what destiny befell on him.


    They had a lot of time to prepare, and yet the defenses were underwhelmingpared to what he expected.


    This was further confirmed when Erik saw the various troops on the ground. Some wielded weapons that crackled with barely contained power, while others seemed poised to unleash abilities that defied easy categorization, and all of them were ckguards. The problem was…


    <They are too few…>


    There were no more than 20 thousand of them, which was weird considering where this ce was, what it represented for the ckguards, and who their attacker was. In truth, there was a reason for that.