Chapter 884: How many times did I fly back to Frant? (1)
Chapter 884: How many times did I fly back to Frant? (1)
<Uh? >
"E-ik."
"ERIK!"
Rebecca's voice snapped Erik's back to attention. A flying car just arrived at the Band of
Giants' parking lot.
"Are you ok?"
Erik paused. "Yes..."
Rebecca turned to June.
"Make sure he returns to normal once you leave the city."
"I will," June said.
Rebecca then looked at Erik. "Remember, the car will bring you two kilometers from the city. After that, it's up to you."
Erik nodded. Rebecca was worried. She tried to convince Erik not to leave the city, but he was adamant. He was leaving. She looked at him with longing as he entered the flying car.
Erik nodded solemnly, acknowledging Rebecca's concerns but remaining steadfast in his decision.
The car's engine hummed to life, breaking the tense silence as they pulled away from the parking lot.
They soared through Nokisi Point, the city's landscape unfurling below them. Buildings and streets became a blur as they made their way to the city's exit gate.
At the gate, the car came to a brief stop. The driver, affiliated with the Band of Giants, presented his ID to the guards.
With a cursory glance, they waved the vehicle through, no questions asked. The car then ascended sharply, flying over the dense forest that bordered the city.
As they reached a two-kilometer mark from the city, the car began its descent, diving through the air with haste to avoid the flying thaids. The world outside the windows rushed by in a blur until, finally, they touched down on the ground.
They were greeted by a contact. It was a woman. June told the Band of Giants where they left their belongings before entering the city, and they went to retrieve them. Erik's flyssa was there.
The exchange was quick. Erik and June exchanged a silent nod of thanks before collecting their items.
After that, the driver and the woman left, ascending at top speed toward the sky. "Master..."
"Yes?"
"We must go.
June turned into a wyvern, and Erik scaled on top of his gigantic back. Their journey started. A thought gnawed at Erik.
Despite everything, despite the powers at his disposal, he felt the pressing need for more strength.
Over the past few months, his focus hasn't been on his brain crystal powers or the new abilities of the biological supercomputer. There were myriad powers he could merge, refine, and even modify.
Erik had hesitated for a long time to absorb additional brain crystal powers, wary of the challenge of managing the ones he already possessed.
The prospect of juggling multiple abilities, much more than he already had, was daunting, but he realized that merging them could offer a solution. He would have stronger powers but fewer neural links to make.
But he would not merge everything. If he did, it would erase the number of neural links he had.
Erik knew he had to get stronger to face the blackguards and protect his loved ones. Even Liberty Watch was under his protection.
But what worried him even more was how his clones were doing in battle. How effective were they, and what were their chances of surviving the blackguards?
June's perspective had struck a chord. He couldn't handle the battle by himself, and it wouldn't be a good idea either.
To boost his clones physically? Piece of cake. But equipping them to tackle new and unseen threats was a whole different ballgame.
Erik needed to arm them with the right powers, and there weren't many that could run on stamina alone.
Most powers required mana, something his clones were devoid of. While brain crystal weapons offered a partial fix, crafting them was a puzzle Erik hadn't solved yet.
Brain crystal guns? They were pretty straightforward-just slap some mana on those bullets to increase their speed and punch. But brain-crystal weapons?
They were on another level. They harnessed the actual powers of the thaid whose crystal was harvested from, which was way stronger and more effective, but much more costly.
But here was the kicker: gearing up an entire army with these high-tech toys would not be cheap, and Erik's pockets weren't overflowing with cash.
As these thoughts coalesced in Erik's mind, he recognized the need for a conversation with Noah.
All of this information-the events in Fasard, the outcome of their daring mission, and the state in which they found Lucius-was critical.
They would provide Erik with a clearer understanding of the clones' current needs and their flaws.
Then Erik and Noah had to figure out what the clones needed. Those he already created could only wield brain crystal weapons and guns if they wanted to at least match the enemy.
What about the city? What did they need? More people, more infrastructure? More defense? Better neural link training techniques?
---
...
June, in his majestic wyvern form, glided above the vast expanse of forest that stretched out beneath them. Erik was on top of his back, enjoying the scene below.
The area teemed with monsters, mere ants to the duo's towering strength and experience. It was always funny to see them, because it reminded Erik of the hardships he had to face when he didn't have a flying companion with him.
He spent weeks and months traveling. All this while fighting harrowing monsters and trying
to survive.
By flying, they made their journey to Frant smooth. At least thus far, it has been. The only thing that made them uneasy was the distant presence of the Eldraith Mountain Range. The thought of the monsters that hid in that harrowing place made a cold shiver run down Erik's spine. It wasn't just the wyverns or the colossal Cerulean bird that came from Mur and was now living among those peaks that made him sweat.
Those were not the only inhabitants of that cursed place. All around it, at the base of the mountain, on its hills and forest, countless nightmarish thaids hid. They were not as strong as the wyverns, but they were powerful, and meeting them, for an average Joe, was akin to meeting one of those hellish flying lizards.