BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM C.1096: Levium (13)

But that was what the current head wanted. She wanted Erik; she wanted his ability to get multiple brain crystal powers, and as the servant he was, he obeyed.

However, Levium often wondered if it wasn't just better to go forward with Doran's research and forget about Erik.

But the allure of power was strong for everyone. Besides, why spent decades to achieve what Erik could give them in five minutes?

The problem was that Erik was powerful enough to bring ruin to their organization. <That's what he thinks, at least... He might be powerful, but if he is having this much trouble fighting me, then against the others, he might lose...>

Levium was a Vindicator, among the most powerful members of the organization, but Vindicators weren't the most powerful in absolute terms. Besides, he wasn't even the most powerful one among them.

Those truly scary people were still out there.

<If he could have killed me as easily as he did with the others, he would have already; this means we still have a chance to catch him. But this won't last for long... Given enough time, he will become the strongest person in the world.>

In truth, many considered Erik as such, but only the average people. There were fighters that were hidden, but that could rid the Mannard continent of humanity if just they wanted, but no one knew about them.

Of course, this wasn't the case in the past. What made such people this powerful was Doran's research.

Levium's gaze swept over the scene below. Amidst the sea of people, a lone figure caught his attention—a soldier waving his arms, trying to grab his attention. The commander's eyes narrowed, focusing on the man.

<What now?>

Levium channeled mana into his neural links, and using telekinesis, he made the man levitate. The soldier felt like an invisible force enveloped him, lifting him from the ground.

His feet left the earth, his body rising, guided by Levium's control, heading toward the commander. The soldier hovered directly before him in the sky, but close enough for them to talk.

"Report," Levium said.

The soldier swallowed hard. "Sir, something's wrong with some of our troops. They've gone mad. They're attacking each other!"

Levium's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

<Fuck... This is not good...>

"It's a bloodbath down there, sir. Our soldiers, those from Khunelerp, Etrium, Hin... even our own blackguards. They're tearing into each other like animals. It's like they've lost all reason."

Levium was silent for a moment. <This is Erik's doing for sure...> He sighed.

"Did you see any sign of Romano?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, sir. But... who else could be behind this? What other explanation is there?"

Levium's jaw clenched beneath his mask. The man was right. This had Erik's fingerprints all over it.

He thought hard about what was happening. Erik could have done that thanks to a myriad of strategies or powers.

However, he was inclined to think he had some kind of mind-controlling brain crystal power. <That's exactly what we needed.>

Erik had shown to be powerful, but somehow he still struggled to fight against thousands of people.

In truth, very few didn't. Of course, Erik was basically the only one known who could do this, but in truth, the blackguards had some who could do the same.

But if he could also control people's minds, then he would really be unstoppable. What he only needed was for him to control some particularly powerful blackguards, and he could kill everyone while being safe.

Levium didn't know everything Erik could do, but he knew Erik had shown powers they hadn't expected before.

But this strange event happened right when and where they were chasing Erik. This was too coincidental to be just by chance.

<What really worries me is why he decided to use this power just now... He could have kept it hidden and used it in a better situation where he would not have been found out.>

In truth, Levium was just overthinking. Erik was strong, that was true, but again, he was limited with his brain crystal powers. He couldn't do something that thousands of people did, exactly as he did when he fought with his body alone.

That meant there was a limit to how many people he could kill with Frostwind Fire Tempest, for example, and that was because stronger people had stronger defenses against other people's powers. Regardless of what these defenses were.

<Maybe he is just trying to escape?> Uncle Benjamin paused to think. <No... As much as it saddens me to say this, he could have already escaped if he wanted. The only reason he didn't is most likely because he wants to get revenge against me. >

But that was good for Levium, because it meant he would have time to kill or catch Erik.

<I need to neutralize him now...>

"Sir, what are your orders?"

Levium had already taken his decision.

"Pull our forces back from the area," he said. "And prepare for a full-scale bombardment. We're going to wipe this sector off the map. If Erik is the one behind this, we might be able to make him come out."

The soldier didn't really like those orders.

"But sir, our troops... they're still there. We can't just abandon them!"

"Those soldiers are already lost," Levium said. "If Erik has them now, regardless of how he did that, they might attack the other soldiers. We have to cut our losses and eliminate the threat. Do you understand?"

The soldier could only nod. The last thing he wanted was to make his commander mad.

"Relay the orders," he said. "And prepare for the strike."

The soldier saluted. "Yes, sir."

Levium brought the man down to the ground. Then, the soldier relayed the commander's orders to the other officers.

And then they gave the order. The bombardment began, and a rain of destruction poured down from the sky like the wrath of an angry god.