1141 The battle for Maynard Island (18)
Monica's lips curled into a malicious grin as she looked at the burning hilltop. There was a twisted and cruel satisfaction in the woman's eyes, making Erik want to kill her more.
"Oh, poor Erik," she said. "Look at you, the valiant protector, who failed to do his job. Where are your precious friends now? It seems your efforts to keep them safe have failed."
She grinned again.
Flame tendrils spread, creeping across the hilltop like living shadows. The fire consumed the grass and vegetation in its path, leaving behind a trail of ash and scorched earth. Monica then circled around Erik, her wyvern's massive form casting an ominous shadow on the ground below, obscuring the moon for those fighting on the ground. Her laughter echoed across the hillside. "Face it, Erik. You've failed them. And now, as we speak, my forces will destroy yours."
Erik's gaze swept over the battlefield below. The blackguards under Monica's command had been reduced to a mere handful. They had been decimated by the Chimaeric Demons. The advanced turrets and mechas had been destroyed. There wasn't a single piece of machinery standing, scattered across the blood-soaked earth like discarded toys. Only the lights illuminating the area had been spared.
The problem, though, was the huge undead horde below. For every fallen soldier, both from the Chimaeric Demons and the Blackguards, another rose to join Monica's undead army, making the difference in strength between Erik's Chimaeric Demons and Monica's forces disappear.
It didn't help that less than ten thousand of his clones were still alive, and resisting against a horde of monsters more than tripled their numbers, and some of them were as powerful as the clones themselves.
Erik clenched his fists; the odds tilted in Monica's favor, and he was unable to do anything. However, there was a reason for him to still be relatively calm. Emily and the others were alive, just further down the hill, to which Monica was awfully close. She failed to see them because they were hiding.
<I need to sell this well.>
Erik had to make Monica believe the sniper had been killed, because otherwise she would pay attention to the shots.
The younger man did his best to make a convincing face, which contorted with anguish, his eyes welling up with tears. His hands trembled as he clenched them into fists. A ploy to show Monica the barely contained rage and despair that should have threatened to overwhelm him.
"No!" he said, his voice cracking with emotion. "You monster!" Tears streamed down his face.
Monica's laughter rose.
Erik raised his head, eyes red and puffy, glaring at the woman with a mixture of hatred and defeat. "You'll pay for this," he said between sobs.
But in truth, as he said that, he was thinking about something else. <System, show me the status.>
—Status—
[Host Information] NAME: Erik Romano
AGE: 18
SYSTEM LEVEL: 352
EXPERIENCE: 330,528,972
DNA POINTS: 77,409,823
HEALTH: 47,860
MANA: 47,790
{Attributes} STRENGTH: 542
INTELLIGENCE: 474
DEXTERITY: 522
ENERGY: 1592
Molecular Restructuring: Aσ1A-RANKED
Aegis Morph: Aσ1A-RANKED
{Skills} Kyokar hand-to-hand style (MASTER)
Etrium's sword style (ADVANCED)
Crypt of the Desert Style (MASTER)
Alchemy (Intermediate)
Architecture (Beginner)
Thaid Expertise Proficiency (Advanced)
Flora Expertise (Master)
Tactical Expertise (Advanced)
Management Proficiency (Intermediate)
Stealth Proficiency (Intermediate)
—END—
Erik gained 20 levels during the battle against Monica, all thanks to the Chimaeric Demons. Despite the level gains, though, Erik's mana reserves were low, depleted by the combat. It was incredible how much mana he had to use just to injure the beast. The constant barrage of attacks had drained his mana faster than the level-ups could replenish it, and that was especially true when he used those powered-up wind blades. If not for the biological supercomputer absorbing mana from those who died below, Erik would have been defeated long ago. The wyvern's mana was too much, and its body too resilient. It didn't help that Monica often healed it.
<For how long can she go on? Healing the Wyvern must have taken some mana away, but I wonder how much she is using just to keep that thing in its undead state.>
The problem was also that there were just Chimaeric Demons giving him experience at that point. As their mana left their bodies, upon death, the biological supercomputer was going to absorb it. But the Chimaeric Demons didn't have that much mana yet.
Yes, they could increase it as Erik did, but it was still a slow affair, and the clones didn't have that much time to make their astral brain crystals more powerful, meaning there was only a certain amount of mana he could get from them.
The wyvern spread its wings, preparing to resume the battle against Erik once again. Monica wanted to take advantage of Erik's supposedly bad mental state. <How are you?>
<We are fine,> Mira said.
<Can you place a shot?> Emily heard what Erik said. She immediately sent a mental message to Erik.
<If you stay close to the hill, I might be able to do it, but you must also prevent her from moving too much...>
<I don't know if I can do that,> Erik said. <You try. If you can do it, I think I might be able to kill her...> Emily said. Then Erik turned to Amber mentally. <How are your mana reserves?>
<Not bad, but I'm not even halfway to getting them full...>
Erik paused.
<I need a favor,> he then said.
<I think I already know what you want to ask me.> She glanced down below at the battlefield. The Chimaeric Demons were on the verge of being overwhelmed.
<I will do what I can,> the woman said, <But even if I am able to flood the area with my corrosive gas, I don't know how many undead I will be able to bring down.>
<It doesn't matter,> Erik said. <Unless fully destroyed, the undead will keep fighting, but this doesn't mean we can't at least affect them. Focus on making the clone's life easier.>