BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1123  The landing

Erik couldn't make a count for them all, but it was clear they were less than the Chimaeric Demons.

<The blackguards have the defense advantage, but it's impossible for them to think they can win against the Chimaeric Demons with just this…>

Well, unless these guys were as powerful as his clones, which he doubted, or if they had a secret weapon of the sort.

Suddenly, the night sky lit up as the first volley of fire erupted from the island. Beams of energy and projectiles of unidentifiable composition streaked towards Erik's army.

<Evasive maneuvers!> Erik said, his voice carried to the Chimaeric Demons through their mental link.

The clones scattered, but not all of them did so in time because of the cramped space. Then it happened.

Erik saw several of his clones being struck by a multitude of attacks. Some of the weapons were so destructive that his clones disintegrated in mid-air.

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

<Master, we're taking heavy losses.>

Erik gritted his teeth. <Keep moving. We need to close the distance, and don't forget to counterattack. We might be able to destroy some of their attacks with the starlight fireballs. It is night; they are at their strongest.>

<Yes, master.>

The intensity of the enemy barrage increased. The blackguards' mechs added to their firepower, making the mix deadlier than it already was. The sky became a maze of energy beams from different kinds of sources. The explosions they generated lit the sky like a chaotic firework display gone terribly wrong.

<Form up into arrow formations,> Erik said. <Each arrow led by those focusing on defensive powers. Rotate positions to share the burden of shielding.>

The Chimaeric Demons followed Erik's orders. They changed their formation into arrow shapes. The toughest and newest clones led each arrow.

Everyone used their powers to stop attacks from reaching them, but again, it didn't always work.

He turned to the Chimaeric Demons, carrying Mira, June, Emily, and Amber. The situation was becoming a little too dangerous for the army. Not that he expected something different from happening by attacking the blackguards.

<Bring them to the rear!> He said to the clones. Of course, he wanted Mira, Amber, June, and Emily to get safe.

The girls heard that.

<Wait, Erik!> Mira said.

<What?>

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[ALLIED CHIMAERIC DEMON KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

<Me and Emily can do something about this situation!>

<I KNOW!>

But Erik was reluctant to put the four in danger.

<Erik,> Amber said. <You must trust us.>

The woman looked at him in the eyes. There was some distance between them, but to Erik, Amber's eyes appeared as clear as water. The young man battled with the urge to take the three girls and bring them back to Hin. They were some of the few people he really cared about. Those he considered his family.

<Erik…> Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Not without difficulties, Erik relented.

<All right! Do what you must…>

With that, the three, followed by June, went close to the head of the formation.

<Can you see them?> Amber asked both Mira and Emily.

They had discussed this already, while Erik was focused on ensuring his clones reached Maynard Island's shores. Emily and Mira were in range to destroy the artillery units and most of the defense on the island's beach.

<I can,> Emily said.

<Me too, more or less.> Mira was already taking aim.

<Bring them down then!>

Emily set his scope on an artillery unit in the back. She was the only one who could reach it with her sniper rifle right now.

It didn't matter if it had protection, or if it was powered by brain crystals, or if it was made from the most resilient of the ores. Her rifle allowed her to destroy it.

As Emily took aim, Mira nocked an arrow to her bow. She drew back the string, her eyes narrowing as she focused on some shore defenses.

"I see you," she said. The bow, while not mechanically as powerful as the rifle, could do the same job.

The Chimaeric Demons had their hands full. They were already busy trying to protect themselves and their brethren from the enemy's attacks.

They couldn't focus on destroying the artillery, and even if they wanted, their powers didn't have that reach.

Because of this, Mira and Amber were the only ones who could destroy them. The problem was that there were many artillery units to deal with.

Exhaling and sharpening her focus, Mira released the arrow. It streaked through the air and pierced the metal casing of the artillery unit she was targeting, finding its mark on the pilot within. Mira didn't need to destroy the weapon; she only needed to know where the pilot was.

The massive weapon fell silent, its operator killed.

Mira allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction before reaching for another arrow. There were many more targets to eliminate.

Emily did the same. After having locked on her target, she pulled the trigger. It was just that her weapon allowed her to use her mana differently from how she was used, this time not to glimpse into the future but to do damage in a more direct way. The mana bullet ended up making the machine explode.

Despite this, they were still losing Chimaeric Demons at an alarming rate.

<We need to bring more down!>

<I know!> Emily said.

They redoubled their efforts, and as the women worked, gaps appeared in the defensive fire, allowing more of Erik's forces to slip through unscathed.

But the blackguards were quick to adapt. They deployed barrier masters in front of the artillery units, preventing a lot of them from being destroyed. Not always Mira and Emily pierced the barriers, but that didn't mean they never did.

Slowly, as the vast flock of clones got closer to the shores, the number of problematic defensive stations decreased.

<Master, we're within range for a landing attempt,> a Chimaeric Demon said.

Erik surveyed the sky. They had lost almost a third of their forces, but the rest were still combat-effective. It was now or never.

<All units, prepare for landing. Those focusing on defensive brain crystal powers must take the charge; those focusing on ranged powers must take the rear. Keep your brothers healed and patched up, but try to conserve your mana. This will not be a sprint, but a marathon.>

Erik then turned to Amber. <Amber, I need you to clear us a landing zone before the Chimaeric Demons set foot.>

Amber nodded.

<I will need some help to make the gas reach the shores.>

<I've got this,> Erik said.

As they approached the shoreline, she started channeling mana into her neural links, and then her corrosive gas came out of her body. Erik, using his brain crystal powers, generated a strong wind that brought the gas to the shoreline without scattering it.

The cloud descended, engulfing a section of the blackguards' front line.

Agonized screams pierced the air as Amber's corrosive gas engulfed the front line.

The screams of those on the shores echoed across the area. They sounded like a symphony of tortured violins.

The cries got louder and softer, like a terrible song, as the gas continued to hurt them. The gas burned their skin, then melted it, and when it couldn't find it anymore, it devoured the flesh. When nothing more than a pile of bones remained, it consumed even that.

As the soldiers writhed and fell, a significant gap materialized in the defenses.

<That's the spot!>

The opening widened as more blackguards died, presenting Erik with the opportunity he had been waiting for. It was the perfect moment to strike.

<Now!>

The Chimaeric Demons dove towards it, shifting form as they descended. Those tasked with primary defense hit the ground as massive creatures to shield their brothers. They immediately engaged the nearest blackguards in close combat.

Erik landed amid the chaos, his feet touching the sand as explosions and energy beams continued to light up the night sky around him. He immediately assessed the situation, noting the positions of his forces and the remaining enemy defenses.

<Spread out and secure a perimeter,> Erik said. <June, you and the others keep the girls safe.>

Then Erik erected a huge ice wall around the landing Chimaeric Demons, keeping the sides and a narrow area in the front open to allow the clones to fight and push deeper into the enemy lines.

<We are finally on this fucking island…> Erik said.

They had made it there, but at a terrible cost, and the real fight had yet to begin.

Erik's gaze fell on the black structure at the island's center. Somewhere in there were the answers he sought and the blackguards' leader, whoever he was.