BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 865: Hunting for Shade (22)

Bright, consuming flames soared upwards, painting everything in a vivid orange glow.

The shockwave rippled through the air, sending a wave of heat across every surface.

Despite the intensity of the fire, it was contained, not reaching beyond the immediate area of its origin.

Amid the chaos, some individuals reacted swiftly, erecting barriers of shimmering energy.

They must have been scared by Shade's words, and did as instructed. If their leader was worried, so they were too.

These protective domes stood resilient against the inferno, their surfaces reflecting the fiery dance but not allowing the heat to penetrate.

The room, for a moment, became a spectacle of light and shadow, where the power of the explosion was met with equal force by those prepared to defend against it.

[MULTIPLE HUMANS KILLED: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]

[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]

[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]

[3...2...1...0]

[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 291840 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]

[LEVEL UP!]

With those words, Erik felt a surge of energy rush through him. The biological supercomputer replenished his mana after the level up, and he found himself back at full strength.

From the outside, Rebecca and the others saw the spectacle.

The town hall illuminated the surroundings, lightening the sky with blinding light and making tall, gigantic pillars of smoke rise in the tranquil night.

"Well. That's our cue," Laria said, looking at Rebecca.

Then she picked up her communicator. "Kill them all," she said in an apathetic and cold voice.

With that, the Band of Giants members moved through the shadows and attacked the guards stationed around the city.

Many of them were going toward Erik's position, and it was the Mercenary Guild's job to prevent that from happening.

Meanwhile, June kept following the man who escaped, but more times than not, something weird happened.

Right when June almost got him, the man vanished without leaving even a faint trace of mana. That happened three times, sending June into a panic.

<Master, I can't find him! >

Erik was walking through the inferno he unleashed, walking toward the remaining gang leaders, around fifty, standing behind the barriers that some of them erected at the last moment.

All around him fire blazed, corpses had been made of ash and the few weapons not made of mana were glowing with an intense heat.

Erik's flames had been strong enough to make them reach the melting point.

Very few brain crystal powers could do so in a short amount of time without using large quantities of mana.

Erik used vast quantities, but that only to cover more ground as possible. The wyvern's flames were very strong, even if they weren't imbued with that much mana.

As June's words reached his mind, he gave the clone an answer.

<Shade is likely using his Brain Crystal Power. There was something weird when I saw him in the middle of the room. It looked... fake. As if that wasn't his real body. That guy is likely using illusions, and that would explain how he stayed hidden until now. You can't use your sight, June, turn into something! >

Illusions, that really explained how Shade could be able to take control of the underworld. He had only to create an illusion of a loved one to kill a target. He only had to create the shape of a monster to let people outside a house and then steal whatever he was targeting.

He needed to create the visage of business partners or friends to influence companies and organizations.

June pondered Erik's words. He had a multitude of options at his disposal.

For a moment, he considered transforming into the black wyvern, but that would only make it easier for his enemies to spot him.

He needed to convince Shade that he had eluded him.

"A cat it is then!" With that, he ripped his clothes off and twisted into a cat.

He sniffed the air and caught a scent. Someone had passed from here a couple of seconds ago,

and by the looks of it, it was the same man he was chasing.

<He went that way... that mother fucking cunning bastard! >

***

Erik was getting surrounded by more than 50 powerful people.

They weren't as strong as the Blackguards, and not nearly trained to use their brain crystal powers, and to fight, as the black nights were.

But he couldn't underestimate them.

A quick glance at their statistics with his analysis power made him learn those guys weren't

weak.

Their statistics were high, and some very nasty brain crystal powers.

"I will need some help."

With that, Erik channeled a little of his mana. A monstrous figure began to materialize, its form a shimmering, semi-transparent blue that hinted at its otherworldly origins.

It slowly took the shape of a Leylarhad. For those in Erik's sight, that would have appeared like a majestic yet terrifying sight, with silvery-white fur that should have shimmered under the light.

However, its beauty was marred by the artificiality of its creation, its essence not entirely of this world, and all of that instead scared the gang leaders.

Dominating its fearsome visage were two golden tails, adding a regal yet ominous touch to

its appearance.

From the depths of its wide, snarling mouth protruded two long, almost vampiric tusks,

curving inwardly.

From its maw dripped venomous drool, each drop sizzling as it fell to the ground, hinting at the lethal nature of that drool.

The very air around the creature seemed charged with a malevolent energy, as if its presence alone was a threat to all who dared to stand against it.

But Erik wasn't done. He knew he needed a lot this time, or he wouldn't get out of that

situation unscathed.

There were simply too many powerful people in that room.

Erik channeled more mana, the instability brain crystal power activated, helping him

understand his opponents' intentions, at the same time he channeled mana through Hais'

brain crystal power.

His eyes started noticing subtle hints in the posture of his opponents, the small beads of sweat running down the heads of these ruthless murderers, and at the same time, it allowed

him to be much more attentive to his surroundings.

And last, Erik activated the Xeridon Anteris' brain crystal power.

He channeled a lot of mana into hit, much more he had even done, and his strength and speed

increased by at least 35%, but he wasn't exactly sure of the numbers.

With that, he should have been able to kill these guys.

"Well, my friend," he said to his astral wolf, "Should we wreak havoc?"