BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 1215: Journey to Mur (3)



"What kind are they?" Erik asked. "The more information I have, the more I can come up with a plan."

There was a pause before the clone gave his answer. "We don't know, Master. These were not on the documents you made us read. They're unlike any flying thaids we've ever seen or that should have reasonably been over these waters. The only thing I can say with certainty is that they look extremely powerful."

Erik felt a chill run down his spine. His army was made of thousands of clones transformed into Black Wyverns, the most feared aerial predators known to exist. While this didn't make them stronger, the Thaids shouldn't have been able to know that.

For a group of Thaids, or for anyone looking at his army, these were just wyverns, meaning the most dangerous Thaids on the planet, at least in theory.

That these Thaids were approaching such a massive gathering of apex predators meant one of two things: either they hadn't noticed them yet and were going in their direction just because of chance, or worse, they were so powerful they didn't care about the wyverns.

Maybe Wyverns were not the most dangerous Thaid race at all. Who knew?

"How many?" Erik asked, dreading the answer the clone was going to give him.

"At least ten thousand, Master."

The Chimaeric Demon shuddered involuntarily as he reported the numbers-though in his current form, the tremor resembled a small earthquake.

Even in this powerful shape, the thought of such a vast number of unknown thaids, and from the Mur continent, at that, made him shiver, and he wasn't the only one shivering. All those who heard him had the same reaction, including Erik, who could do nothing but grimace at the news.

Even with their superior numbers of fifty thousand against ten thousand, Erik's group couldn't afford to engage in a battle here, over open water, with unknown enemies. The lack of solid ground beneath them eliminated any tactical advantages they might normally have, and a fight would leave them vulnerable to both the mysterious thaids and the dangerous waters below.

<What do we do?> Erik asked the biological supercomputer.

[Well, it's not like we have much choice, right?]

<Yeah...>

Erik turned to the Chimaeric Demon who had just given him the report.

"We are going to change course. Thirty degrees south. Maintain altitude and speed."

Erik's mental message soon reached all of his forces.

The massive formation of black-scaled bodies shifted like a cloud as thousands of wings adjusted their angle.

Like a wave, the army turned together-the front rows moved first, and the rest followed in perfect order.

Erik's strategy aimed to determine whether these thaids were simply passing through the area by coincidence or if they were deliberately targeting his army.

It was like two ships passing in the night-alter one ship's course, and they would miss each other entirely. If it was mere chance, changing direction would prevent their paths from intersecting.

But if these thaids had spotted his army and were chasing them on purpose, changing direction wouldn't help at all. They would simply adjust their own trajectory to match that of Erik's army, and in that case, a battle was assured.

The next few minutes would tell him which scenario they were dealing with, and that would tell him what to do, at least in theory.

The Chimaeric Demons not only adjusted their course, but they also changed that of the undead, most of which were called back near the bulk of the army, while some stragglers were kept in the distance to act as scouts.

Erik's hands went to his pouch. He grabbed it and felt the weight of the many seeds he was carrying. Somehow, he felt them heavier, especially considering his and the army's survival was going to depend on them.

He knew that if the flock was really going to attack them, he might quickly end up being the only person with a safe means to provide food.

Erik wasn't certain of his survival on this journey, though he should theoretically make it- after all, the Chimaeric Demons' main purpose was to make sure he got there safely.

They were most likely going to sacrifice their lives to protect him, Mira, Amber, Emily, and June, and by the clones' own suggestion, whenever a group of local thaids approached, part of the group would leave the main army to lure the others away if things went bad.

In truth, Erik wanted to avoid this, not only because he cared about the clones but also because it would create serious problems once they reached Mur-if they made it there at all. Erik had limited knowledge of the Thaids' average strength of Mur, with only two reference points: one sea thaid and one flying thaid. Using these as examples wasn't reliable since both types were naturally more powerful than the land-based thaids that dominated the continent. Now, of course, using the clones as cannon fodder to stall the enemy advance was going to be the last resort solution, and there was still a chance all of this was just a coincidence. Besides, the best thing would still be to fight like a cohesive unit. 50 thousand starlight fireballs every second were too many for every kind of enemy to avoid them. At least Erik hoped so.

Two or three Chimaeric Demons could rip to shreds an enemy, even if it meant their death. The problem was that if even that was not going to work, leaving some clones behind as a lure was the only thing Erik could do.

Erik hated the idea of sacrificing any of his forces. These weren't mindless creatures, but his clones. The thought of deliberately leaving some behind as decoys made his stomach churn.

But when they had discussed their options during the planning phase, both Erik and the clones had to face the hard truth.

Against overwhelming numbers or particularly powerful enemies, splitting up to ensure the mission's success was their best tactical option.

Still, knowing it was necessary didn't make it any easier to accept. Every time Erik thought about potentially having to give that order, he felt the weight of command pressing down on

him like a physical burden.

"Fuck... Let's just hope this is because of chance."

Barely a few hours into their journey, and they were already facing potential fights. The ocean beneath them suddenly seemed even more threatening, its dark waters stretching in every direction, offering no refuge if things went wrong.

[Erik, you need to calm down,] the biological supercomputer said. [Your anxiety is clouding your judgment. We need you to think clearly now more than ever. Panic is contagious. If you lose your composure, it will affect the clones. Take a deep breath and focus on what we know,

not what we fear.]

Erik nodded slowly, his jaw set with determination as he forced himself to steady his breathing and focus on the immediate situation.

Yet the situation wasn't going to allow him to relax, because as soon as the system gave him that message, Erik received a mental message. One that made his blood run cold. "Master," the Chimaeric Demon's voice echoed in his mind, filled with urgency.

"Unfortunately, the thaids changed their course. They're still coming toward us... and they're

moving incredibly fast!"

Erik's jaw clenched.

<What were you saying?>

[Erik, stay calm; panicking won't help anyone!]

Unfortunately, though, this situation was no chance-the thaids following them were@@novelbin@@

targeting them, and they were being hunted.

His hands gripped the wyvern's scales tighter as a wave of helplessness washed over him. On land, he could have prepared. He could have created barriers, dug trenches, and established defensive positions.

But here, suspended above the endless ocean, there was nowhere to hide, no terrain to use to their advantage. It would be pure strength against strength, with no tricks or tactics to fall

back on.

Here, they were exposed in a way they'd never been before.

But Erik wasn't stupid; neither were the Chimaeric Demons. They all knew that would have been the situation if a group of flying thaids had found them and decided to give chase.

"Everyone, increase the flying speed," Erik said. That made several nearby wyverns' wings

beat faster.

Even the undead seemed to move with urgency now, despite them not having a shred of fear in their beings. But it was clear that would happen. They were controlled by the Chimaeric Demons, and if they were nervous and restless, that would obviously reflect on the undead

under their control.

<We may not be able to avoid them entirely, but we can buy ourselves some time.>

[Use this time to calm down a little...]

Erik's heart was beating fast, and the biological supercomputer could see that easily.

The massive formation surged forward as one, their wingbeats growing more powerful. Erik knew all of this was futile. There was no way to avoid this fight, but at least he could make sure that, whatever happened, they were closer to land.