1160 nning the Assault (1)


    Erik took his seat in the living room, gesturing for Amber, Mira, and Emily to join him on the nearby sofa. The three women quickly found their spots and understood that whatever Erik wanted to talk about was no simple matter. Erik brought aputer with him, and he had already turned it on by the time the three women arrived. In fact, Mira and Amber had taken quick showers before joining the group, while Emily had spent the time making neural links. Holographic maps and tactical disys hovered above the wooden coffee table Erik made. There were also photos of the Law Gate the Chimaeric Demons made over the past three months.


    Erik and the clones had already devised a strategy to tackle the Law Gate, and the clones started its preparations. The battle there wasn''t going to be the same as the one on Maynard Ind, because this time Erik could prepare, and not just an army at that.


    He sent the Chimaeric Demons to prepare the battle area, creating long tunnels going around the base and ready to be used to breach the Law Gate''s walls when needed.


    "I think we''re ready to go to Mur," Erik said, activating a holographic disy of the fortress. "But first, we need to deal with this."


    The Law Gate materialized in glowing blue lines before them. A massive city-like fortification built close to Hin''s western shores, its walls rising over 100 meters high. Multiple defensive rings formed ayered security system. Not that anyone had ever needed to breach it. The Law Gate served only as a ckguard stronghold, and as far as Erik knew, its primary purpose was to provide ess to Mur. Few would be fool enough tounch an assault on such a fortress, and even fewer would have a reason to do so. Erik, however, was cut from a different cloth—the kind of man who''d saunter into a dragon''s den armed with nothing more than a toothpick and a cocky grin. He was going to be that guy attacking such a ce.


    "The outer wall houses their anti-aircraft defenses," Erik said, highlighting sections of the structure. "Automated turrets, missile systems, and energy shields that can repel most attacks. The ckguards have enhanced these further since getting Etrium''s technology."


    "Who made this?" Mira asked, referring to the presentation Erik was using to exin the situation.


    "I did, why?"


    Mira remained silent, only a smirk appearing on her face.


    "What about the tunnelwork? Is it done already?" Amber asked, leaning forward to study the underground sections of the disy. "These were the tunnels you sent the Chimaeric Demons toplete, right?"


    Erik gestured, and the image shifted to show aplex maze of passages beneath the fortress. "Indeed. We''ve been working on this for three months. The Chimaeric Demons made three major tunnel systems." Red lines appeared, showing their diggings. "Eachrge enough to move substantial forces unseen."


    "How haven''t they noticed?" "They have, partially," Erik said. "But they think they''ve found all our tunnels. What they don''t know is that these obvious tunnels are just decoys. The realwork..." He pressed a button, and dozens more passages appeared in green, "lies much deeper."


    The women studied the underground system with growing appreciation. The tunnels created a web that would allow their forces to emerge anywhere within the fortress-like city, but most importantly, that would allow Erik''s troops to reach the area safely.


    If not for the barrier, at least. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Chimaeric Demons were also secretly doing something else. They were eliminating all the thaids in the area surrounding the Law Gate to bolster their own forces. Erik didn''t want to lose more Chimaeric Demons, so he nned on using the undead thaids as cannon fodders, while the clones would take care of key targets.


    "Each Chimaeric Demon will control their own undead force. When we strike, we''ll have armies emerging from every level simultaneously."


    "What about the divisionmander?" Mira asked. "After what happened here on Maynard Ind, they''ll be expecting something like this, knowing you can steal their powers."


    Erik nodded, switching the disy to show the fortress''s centralmand structure. "That''s where you threee in. "


    "The divisionmander''s chambers are most likely here," Erik pointed to a heavily fortified section near the top of a towering building. "We are not sure about that, but our scouts reported they have often seen the guy around that area. Unfortunately, they couldn''t go too close, or they would be found by the Veritas Lenses. But everything suggests those are his private quarters." He paused.


    "But that''s not where we''ll likely find him when we attack. Intelligence suggests they''ve prepared multiplemand centers throughout the facility, so the guy might be anywhere, really."


    "Like a shell game," Emily noted. "Exactly." Erik manipted the disy, creating a simtion of their nned assault. "What we are going to do is infiltrate the ce using the tunnels. It will be the five of us going in."


    "Are you sure you want to give this task to us? The Chimaeric Demons might be better suited for this."


    "I know, but I want them on the main battlefield. What we are going to do is a covert operation. You will also have to tell us when the ckguards send something against us." "Besides," Erik turned to her. "At this point, I can''t keep you in the rear anymore. You might not be as powerful as the Chimaeric Demons in terms of physical might, but your mana is much higher than theirs, meaning you stand a better chance in a brain crystal powers'' fight."


    "We never said we weren''t willing," Mira said.


    There was a pause.


    "Now." Erik highlighted multiple hangars around the fortress. "I told you where the Division Commander might be. As for our main target, the aircraft, they''ve concentrated on the remaining ones here. We need to keep them safe."


    "What about their Vindicators? Based on what you said, you expect us to join in the fight, but what if those guyse?" Amber asked.


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