BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM C.1087: Levium (4)

It didn't take much for the enemy to arrive at the new site of battle. It was just that, this time, they were all levitating.

Erik turned to look at Levium, who was flying above the giant cloud of dust created by the building's collapse, his frame visible because of the sun relentlessly beating behind him.

"That bastard!"

Uncle Benjamin behaved as if he were a movie star. <No, that would not even be enough to describe it. He thinks he is a god.>

This feeling of being better than everyone else wasn't just Uncle Benjamin's characteristic. Many of the blackguards usually felt the same sense of superiority, of omnipotence, that came with their special position within society.

It was a big part of who they were. Their great power, plus years of special treatment, made them think they were supreme beings to which the others had to bow.

Erik knew this well, as he used to pose as one of them when Frant was under siege.

He had seen how feeling superior could change good people into bullies who thought they could do no wrong.

Even those who started with good intentions often ended up thinking they were above everyone else and didn't have to follow the rules.

A massive wave of ranged attacks followed, filling the air with a barrage of different kinds of blasts of energy and various projectiles.

The sky darkened even more than it already was, especially from Erik's and the Chimaeric Demon's positions. The sheer volume of incoming fire made it look like it was about to rain. It was just that; it wasn't just water that was going to fall.

"Jump!" Erik said. There was no way they were going to survive that if they tried. The only thing they could do was get the fuck away from there.

Erik and the clone didn't waste a second. They jumped off the roof just in time. A split second later, a storm destroyed where they had been standing.

The building they were in collapsed under the heavy attack. As Erik and the clone fell, an enormous cloud of dust and broken pieces shot up around them, adding to the one that was still there, following the destruction of the first building.

This kept rising, hiding them as they fell and giving them a brief shield from the enemies chasing them.

The Chimaeric Demon didn't even need to get an order, because the first thing he did was shapeshift.

Its body grew longer and sprouted huge, feathered wings, deadly talons, and a huge beak. In just a moment, it turned into a Zephyrwing.

Erik landed on the clone's back. He crouched low, gripping the creature's feathers as they soared away from the devastation behind them. freewebnoveℓ.com

"Nice save," Erik said, patting the clone's neck.

<Thanks, master!>

The problem was that Uncle Benjamin wasn't staying idle. More and more soldiers soared through the sky, tossed around like dolls by Levium, that really looked like a god now. The display of power he was showing was simply heaven-defying, because the sky was not only obscured by the dust cloud resulting from the collapses, but even by the soldiers the man was using to chase after Erik.

<Damn... I used Hais's brain crystal power wrong...>

Erik didn't have a power like that, though, one that could get some extra benefits by using it with parallel will. Most of Erik's powers, at that time, didn't require a constant concentration or usage of mana to control multiple things at the same time.

It was different for telekinesis.

<That will be a great add to my arsenal.>

Erik had mixed feelings about getting Levium's powers. He knew they would be very useful in fights and even in many other situations. Being able to toss buildings at an enemy was a tantalizing prospect.

But Erik also felt uncomfortable with the idea of taking this power. Levium used to be like family to him, even though they were enemies now.

He would have to kill Uncle Benjamin; that was true, but getting his power would make things more personal than they already were.

<Damn... I almost feel violated now, and I didn't even get that power yet.>

Erik tried to push these thoughts away and focus on the surrounding danger. Now that they weren't anymore amid the enemy, the blackguards unleashed their full might.

Loud explosions echoed between the buildings as the enemy chased Erik and the Chimaeric Demon into the sky.

Fire and smoke filled the air as buildings fell apart. The streets were a mess, covered in broken concrete and twisted metal.

The entire neighborhood was destroyed in seconds. The enemy soldiers were attacking without even trying to avoid casualties.

People were screaming and running away, but their voices were hard to hear over the noise of destruction.

Windows broke, sending glass everywhere. The ground shook with each blast, making more buildings fall down.

"They really care about no one!"

Erik clenched his jaw. He didn't care about those from Hin, of course. Damn, he barely cared about the ones from Frant. The problem was that these fuckers weren't leaving a centimeter of space for him to flee.

<Flee? What the hell am I even thinking? There is no damn way I'm going to leave that bastard alive!>

Nonetheless, he knew he couldn't keep fighting forever. Even with his powers, he would eventually get tired and run out of energy, and the Chimaeric Demon would find the same end.

<How many people did we kill?> Erik asked.

<I didn't count them, master, but around 300.>

Three hundred was not enough. There were tens of thousands of soldiers chasing them, and now that they were in the sky, they didn't even need to hold back.

<We need to get out of here,> he said telepathically to the Chimaeric Demon. <I don't know if I can take them all on my own, but you need to go, find the others, and bring back reinforcements.>

The Chimaeric Demon hesitated. <But Master.> The clone's thoughts were filled with concern.

<I can't leave you here alone. You'll be overwhelmed. Besides, the others should have heard the explosions. They are probably coming here en masse.>

<I don't want to take risks.>

<For you or for me, master?>

<For everyone.>

The Chimaeric Demon remained silent. <Don't tell me you want to reduce the number of casualties among the civilians?>

<Yes... No...> Even Erik didn't clearly know why he was sending the clone away. Surely, part of it was that he didn't want to see him die. The clones were like his children, but were also him, in a sense. Seeing yourself die would not be a pleasant experience. <I'm not like them...> <Master,> the clone said. <There are too many enemies. If it was a couple of thousands, I might have said there was no problem, but here there is an entire army. You can't take them

all alone.>

<I will not do that,> Erik said.

As they talked, the Chimaeric Demon flew. It twisted and turned, barely avoiding the attacks from the chasing army. They weren't that fast, but it was a rain. A deadly rain, at that, one they barely escaped from.

Various kinds of energy blasts flew past them, missing by just a little. Brain crystal rifles'

attacks joined them.

The clone suddenly flew down, then changed direction. This made some of the attacks hit each other, causing an enormous explosion.

It flew between buildings, using them as shields against the attacks. The clone was fast, but if it wasn't for Hais's brain crystal power, he wouldn't have been able to do that. There were simply too many attacks, and only the investigator's brain crystal power allowed him to keep

them all under check.

Luckily, the parallel will brain crystal power Erik got from Hais allowed the clone to perceive everything in slow motion. It was able to see and react to the attacks.

<I'm going to shapeshift.>

<If they have the Veritas Lenses, it will not be that useful,> the clone said, avoiding a fireball.

<That's if they will be able to stay close enough for them to see me.>

<Master, I understand your intention, but this is too risky,> the Chimaeric Demon said.

<We're stronger together. Splitting up now could be disastrous.>

Erik gritted his teeth. <We don't have time for this debate.>

<This is precisely why I shouldn't leave you,> the clone countered.

Erik's grip on the Zephyrwing's feathers tightened. <I'm ordering you to go. Find help. That's final. We have a chance to kill a bunch of enemy soldiers, among the most powerful of them.

We will lose a lot of brothers, but there is nothing we can do. One thing is sure: without the others, even I can't win. There is no fucking way I'm going to leave that prick alive!>

The Chimaeric Demon's thoughts carried a mix of reluctance and resignation. <As you wish,

Master.>

Suddenly, the Zephyrwing and its rider vanished from the sky. The pursuing soldiers stopped

their advance.

"Where did they go?"

"They were right there!"

The sky, moments ago filled with the heat of battle, now seemed empty. The soldiers hovered

in place, their weapons still raised, their eyes darting in every direction.

"They shapeshifted into something tiny!" Levium said.

"Didn't you see it before? The guy following Erik Romano turned into a flying thaid! Don't be

stupid and find them! They couldn't have just disappeared!"

In the meantime, the Chimaeric Demon and Erik went their separate ways.

<This is going to be hard.>