Chapter 983: Strategies


    ?


    Erik had to find a way to attract the lightning, but that would not be simple.


    <Do you have any ideas?> he asked the biological supeputer.


    <Yes,> the supeputer said. <You can use your frost and wind powers inbination to create conductive and re-directive barriers. Here are the options you have:>


    Erik focused as the supeputer gave him ideas.


    <First, you can create ice paths or objectsced with moisture. Moistureden ice can


    conduct electricity, creating a pathway that would attract Volkov''s lightning away from you and Richard.>


    He nodded. To do that, he could slightly ice the walls so that the lightning was going to stay away from him. The problem was that he wasn''t exactly sure how much time it would take for the walls to moisturize enough to attract the lightning.


    The system said it would work, but how effective would it be? Would he need to stay close to the walls?


    <Second, generate a wind vortex. A whirlwind can serve as a barrier to divert lightning strikes away from you and Richard. This wind barrier would redirect the electrical energy, offering a measure of protection. This is the same thing Becker did, more or less.>


    That was another good idea, one Erik knew it would work based on what Richard said. Though he knew that doing that would be the hardest among the options he had avable, and that was just because of its mana consumption.


    The bigger, faster, and stronger the winds he made were, the higher the mana expenditure on his brain crystal. Wind wasn''t easy to use to begin with and was the most unpredictable and hard to control of all the elements he had at his disposal.


    <Third,bine ice and wind. Create a funnel of ice within a wind vortex. Thisbination will channel the lightning into the ice, where it can be safely conducted away.>n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But of course, that presented the same problems as before, if even more, since he would have to mingle ice with wind.


    <Fourth, use ice pirs as lightning rods. Erect some tall ice structures at key points. These pirs should be able to attract and absorb lightning strikes.>


    <This is not a bad idea at all.> But it was also the one Erik had in mind from the beginning. The pirs of ice were going to stay there for a while after he created them, likely able to absorb two or three attacks before he had to make them again.


    Lightnings produced a lot of heat, after all. The biological supeputer was not done yet, though.


    <Fifth, consider frost armor. Coat yourself and Richard in ayer of ice. While not providingplete immunity, this armor will help diffuse the electrical energy, reducing its damage.> The idea might work, but he might still be damaged, and if he didn''t use enough mana to offset the one Volkov would use into the lightnings, he would get a ton of damage.


    All in all, this was the riskiest move of it all, and that was without considering that, since he and Richard would be the only ones with the armor, the lightnings would be attracted by them.


    <Alright,> Erik said to himself, while weighing the options. <We need to move fast.>


    Erik turned to Richard. "I''m going to make some pirs. I won''t make anything else since it would be too taxing on my mana, and I don''t know how to solve the situation outside easily, so be careful where you stay. I will make sure you have a ce where to hide, but from here on, your survival depends on you."


    Richard nodded. He trusted Erik, especially after seeing what he had done until now, but of course, he was nervous. It wasn''t every day he had to fight 200 ckguards and Sinisa Volkov at the same time.


    Erik showed he could handle this number of people, but they both had to consider the circumstances. It was true Erik defeated a lot of ckguards until now, but never in such an open ce, and always where Erik could use the surroundings to his advantage.


    "Got it."


    After a while, the three corridors ended. Erik and Richard were in front of the exit door, the same one the younger man used toe into the prison.


    There was no one there; most likely, everyone was outside, waiting for him.


    Erik then turned to look at Richard; there was a serious look on his face.


    "We have little time; we need to kill Volkov and Zakir and then get the hell out of here. The ckguards within the base are likelying here, so if we don''t want to find ourselves surrounded, we better do this fast."


    "I''ll assist as I can; I won''t spare any mana."


    Erik raised his hands, channeling mana into his Frostwind Fire brain crystal powers''s neural links.


    He focused, and tall pirs of ice sprouted in front of the prison''s courtyard. The pirs towered over the ckguards waiting outside.


    The sudden appearance of the ice structures startled the present.


    Among them stood Volkov, his eyes narrowing as he understood what Erik wanted to do, but wondering how he could create such ice pir.


    Though the ckguards told him, he could get how many brain crystals he wanted, so he wasn''t that surprised he could also control ice.


    However, it made the situation harder than he and the ckguards initially assumed. Despite how crazy he was, he was not stupid. He knew those pirs had been thought to counter his brain crystal power.


    But even knowing that the pirs wouldplicate his use of lightning, a confident look remained on his face.


    He was not alone. Beside him was Zakir, Dark Tendrils, whose presence alone was enough to bolster his confidence.


    They were also surrounded by 200 ckguards; it was impossible for Erik toe out of this situation victorious, and if they stalled them for enough time, the ckguardsing to the entrance were going to reach them.


    Volkov raised his voice. "Erik Romano has reached the exit. We''re going to make him pay for daring toe to this ce!"


    A chorus of shouts erupted from the ckguards. They positioned themselves for the imminent fight, weapons drawn and eyes fixed on the prison''s doors.


    Inside, Erik and Richard stood ready. Erik kept manipting mana and creating ice pirs. "Break them apart!" Volkov said, and the ckguards started doing just that.


    But the sheer number of pirs Erik created was incredible. They filled the whole courtyard


    outside.


    But as many as the pirs were, there were also many ckguards. Though Erik would not make the pirs easily breakable.


    With ast gesture, the prison doors opened, revealing the imposing figures of the ckguards and their leaders waiting outside.


    But Erik had one more trick up his sleeve.


    Instead of rushing out to face their enemies, Erik told Richard to conjure up a tall stone wall in front of the exit. So that they could at least avoid the frontal assault they were going to


    receive.


    The heavy stone rose quickly, blocking the ckguards'' view.


    "What the-?" One of the ckguards said, looking to Volkov for direction.


    "Richard Stone... Attack!"