BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

He took stock of his surroundings. The battlefield was different now. He didn't really know how much time had passed since the biological supercomputer started the absorption process. The chaos of battle had subsided in Erik's immediate vicinity. Where moments ago the air had been filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and shouted orders, an eerie silence settled. The smell of smoke still lingered, but the fires that had raged earlier were now reduced to smoldering embers. <I wonder who put them out…>

Debris lay scattered across the ground. It really looked like Erik was in the middle of an apocalyptic movie.

In the distance, he could still hear the echoes of ongoing skirmishes, but here, in this small pocket of relative calm, he had a moment to gather his thoughts and try his new powers.

He reached out with his mind, lifting a small piece of debris. It rose from the ground, responding to his will as if it were an extension of his own body.

<It doesn't even consume that much mana…> But of course, that wasn't what Erik really wanted to check. He started channeling mana through his Will of the Hydra's neural links. This power required much more mana than Erik expected. He pushed more and more of the substance until he heard something snap.

<I guess I just made a new head, like the system called it.>

The feelings Erik was having were similar but also different from the ones he had with Hais' brain crystal power.

<It's still good…>

However, there were differences between the two brain crystal powers. For starters, by checking his stats, Erik saw that his intelligence didn't increase. <Martin's power increased it... Too bad this doesn't do it…>

Another difference was that the world was perceived slightly differently from how he perceived it with the investigator's brain crystal power.

It was still like slowing down, and he still could put more attention to the surroundings, but it looked like Hais' power put particular emphasis on these aspects. <With only one head, it is like I have a tuned-down version of Hais' brain crystal power... But I guess the power's true strength comes from increasing the number of heads.>

Erik was happy with his new power, the Will of the Hydra. Even though it wasn't as strong as Hais' power at the beginning stages and didn't make him smarter, it was still very good. The best part was that it could get better as he added more "heads" to it. This meant Erik had a lot of room to grow it stronger.

Then Erik turned to the biological supercomputer. <System… How many DNA points do I have left?> <544,916. The process consumed a significant portion but left you with ample resources for future enhancements.>

The system said nothing else. <Well… At least I'ven't been left with nothing.> Erik allowed himself a small smile. The gamble had paid off. He now possessed two of the most powerful and versatile abilities he had ever encountered. With his already existing powers, he might be able to go to Maynard Island and not suffer as he did now. <Damn… I basically won because of Emily. I should really reconsider how strong these girls became.>

But it wasn't just that. Getting a greater number of neural links, Emily's power started being less random and more precise. She could now glimpse into the future and get clearer pictures of her vision, but simultaneously, she could have visions whenever she wanted.

This wasn't really the greatest boon she got. By practicing, she got a sort of secondary power. Well, it wasn't really a new power, but a micro-usage of her existing one.

<An ability would be more appropriate to call it rather than a power.>

She could glimpse some seconds in the future without overloading her and without making her unable to move or interact with the environment. In short, she didn't lose consciousness anymore. <That is probably how she planted that bullet so well.>

It was a scary ability, because with a proper brain crystal weapon, she could basically kill everyone and everything. She would never be ambushed; she would never be hurt. Of course, that ability was demanding. Not in terms of mana used, but in terms of mental load.

She had to see the future while being aware of what happened outside of the vision, and she needed the reflexes to capitalize on that future. The shorter she glimpsed into it, the easier it was to use the power, but the higher the reaction speed she needed.

"We need to move," Erik said to himself. "The blackguards will be preparing for our assault on Maynard Island. We need to gather intelligence and make a plan."

Erik reached out to a Chimaeric Demon with his Instability brain crystal power. <Is there any news about the team sent to replace Hin's president?> The Chimaeric Demon got surprised a little. He was focused on something else, and hearing Erik's words in his mind all of a sudden scared him a little.

<Master?>

<Yes… Its me. Now, answer the question; we don't have that much time.>

The clone's face remained impassive, but Erik sensed a flicker of activity. <One moment, sir. I'll need to check.> The demon reached for its radio.

<Fuck… Too much time wasted…>

Erik waited. The Chimaeric Demon must have done a series of calls or had to wait to get news of the situation. In the end, he told Erik what he wanted to know.

<Sir, we've received confirmation. During the battle, our team infiltrated the president's hiding place. Salena Turke has been replaced, along with her entourage. However, my brothers are saying they will need some time to fully replace the government.>

<How much?>

<We would have already done it if we didn't have to fight this battle. Unfortunately, we didn't have clones to spare for this task, but now we do. We will find people as soon as possible and send them to replace key figures within the government in a week. Don't worry.>

<All right. What about the battle? There should have been a lot of enemy soldiers in the city. I'm sure I killed a couple of thousands, but many must still be there. How is the situation?>

The clone paused.

<We are still dealing with them. They are much more than we assumed, but we are still more than them. We should not have any problem dealing with them.>

<All right…>

A surge of satisfaction coursed through him. Finally, after all the planning and maneuvering, Hin was under his control.

With this done, Erik had just cut off the blackguards from their main allies and gained a good place from which he could start his invasion of Mur. But he knew better than to celebrate too early. There was still much work to be done, and destroying Maynard Island would not be a simple affair.