Biological Supercomputer System

There was a subtle tension in the air. Maybe it was the smell of smoke, the dust covering the sky, or maybe it was because of who they were searching for, but even the blackguards were on edge.

There was a group, their faces grim and their postures rigid, hands at the hilts of their weapons, fingers on strings and triggers, that had been searching for Erik Romano for hours.

But no matter how much they combed through the rubble and the destruction, they couldn't find him.

"The fact this fucker can shapeshift is a fucking bother," said a man. On his chest, there was a strap depicting Miciselen's flag.

"Damn, I wish you guys gave me shapeshifting brain crystal power, too." He said while looking at the blackguards.

They didn't show emotions at the man's remark, but not because they felt nothing, but because their masks prevented anyone from seeing them.

In truth, they were deeply unsettled. The man who just talked was Nikolai Vostok, a powerful man from Miciselen. He, like all those accompanying them on this mission to capture Erik Romano, received a brain crystal power from them.

That was the reward for them accepting to come to this mission-a reward that no one, aside from the blackguards, could grant, which they gave them beforehand to maximize the chances of the mission being successful.

This reward surpassed any material possession of value, as the blackguards' ability to give brain crystal powers didn't rely on tools-unlike Etrium's technology.

The blackguards didn't like the man's words; he was acting like an ungrateful brat. Highly trained as they were, the blackguards would have ignored remarks from people they barely considered as such, but the situation with Erik Romano put them so much at the edge that everything happening disturbed them.

As the soldiers searched for the young man, words spread through their ranks like wildfire.

Tales of Erik's devastating power and the trail of destruction he left behind were shared. Not because the higher-ups wanted to scare their soldiers, but to warn them about the risks they were facing.

"Did you hear about the squad they sent to the eastern sector?" one soldier asked. "Not a single remained alive. They say Romano tore through them like they were made of paper."

"Yeah... He is said to have at least four elemental powers. That lucky bastard. I just got one single brain crystal power that makes my weapons sharper."

"It suits you well with your ability to imbue your weapons with energy. You basically can do not only devastating ranged attacks, but even in melee, there is no way your slashes will be stopped by armors and other kinds of powers."

"It might be," the man said. "But against this dude, it looks like we are just mincemeat," he paused. "If I got something that would make me faster or increase my defense, I would have been happier."

One of the blackguards spoke at that point. There was a cold tint in his voice. "You got a power that was suited to your existing abilities. We strive for efficiency and compatibility when assigning people their second ability. Our choice wasn't baseless, so accept it without saying other stupid shit."

"Yeah, yeah..."

The talk about Erik resumed. The stories grew more horrific. Soldiers spoke of powerful warriors from other countries reduced to broken husks, their abilities rendered useless against Romano's overwhelming speed.

"It makes little sense," a veteran from Prare said. "We came here with thousands of people. All of us with powers that could level mountains. We also got another fucking brain crystal power, and yet, every time, it's the same story. No survivors."

The soldiers felt scared after hearing these battle stories. Even those who didn't believe the rumors at first and considered Erik's power to have been inflated started to worry.

They kept looking around nervously, afraid they might be the next ones to die fighting the younger man.

The problem was that Erik seemed to have vanished like a ghost, and like a specter, he could materialize anywhere at any moment.

It wasn't that long ago that the group received reports of his last sighting, which, of course, ended up in a bloodbath.

Despite the short time since his last sighting, they couldn't find him.

"For sure, the guy knows how to hide."

"Yeah. With all that power, I would have slaughtered everyone and turned the survivors into my slaves," a man from Reraiaph said. "He must be a coward."

At that point, one of the blackguards snapped again. "Erik Romano is no coward. We have been fighting against him for a while. There is nothing he does that has no reason behind it. He is not a coward; he is a strategist, and those under him are more, if not as cunning as him. Pray, just pray that you do not fall under one of his schemes, because that would be the last thing you will see."

"Cunning?" the soldier said. "That's a coward's way to fight."

"A lethal one, though."

Those discussions did nothing but increase the sense of unease that hung in the air.

They had all heard the stories of Erik Romano, and all of them were impressed and scared by that.

But for the blackguards, Erik was more than just a fearsome opponent. He was a threat to everything they had worked for, a wild card that could upset the balance of power they had sought to maintain, and that was already doing so.

As the soldiers talked, a strange feeling crept over them. It started as a faint unease, a prickling at the back of their necks that they couldn't quite shake.

Some shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting from place to place as if searching for some unseen threat.

As the minutes ticked by, the feeling grew stronger, morphing into something deeper and

primal.

The slight apprehension they felt at the beginning turned into fear. Then, it started shifting into something else a cold and clammy dread that seeped into their bones and set their

hearts racing.

Their discussion only made things worse. Some even began muttering under their breath, their words jumbled and incoherent.

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