YM778.TV Chapter 978: A Thousand Blackguards
Chapter 978: A Thousand Blackguards
"God, that was harder than I thought."
Erik basically killed everyone on that floor. 300 blackguards-a ton of juicy experience.
Luckily, the system replenished him with fresh energy every time he leveled up. From where it took that energy, Erik didn\'t know. Regardless, he was as good as new.
At this moment, he stood in front of the elevator. According to the system\'s information, this elevator should transport him to the ground floor.
However, he noticed that the area above was significantly more spacious than the rooms he had encountered thus far.
But at least he had already gotten through it when he arrived at the prison, because that was the ground floor from which he came.
<System, check how the situation above is. What should I expect once the elevator\'s doors\' open?>
The system didn\'t reply, not immediately at least.
It was likely analyzing the feed from the security cameras above.
<Based on the cameras, there are at least a thousand blackguards on the ground floor. They seem to be preparing for your arrival.>
"A thousand blackguards? That\'s pushing it, even for me."
Up until now, Erik had survived by using his illusions to reduce the number of opponents he had to fight at the same time.
But against a thousand enemies, that strategy would not work.
<System, is there any way to avoid a direct confrontation? Can we find another exit? C\'mon, until now, I had to work my ass off! Make things easier for me.>
<The ground floor is the only viable exit. The prison\'s layout funnels all pathways to that area. While the ventilation system could provide a hiding spot, it wouldn\'t get you and Richard out.>
Erik sighed. <Alright, system, let\'s think. Can we create enough chaos to slip past them?> <It\'s possible, but risky. You would need to use all available illusions and brain crystal powers to create maximum confusion. Invisibility will help, but they will still see Richard floating. That will be, for sure, weird. The blackguards\' response times are fast, and they\'re heavily armed; I don\'t honestly think you can get out unscathed. Maybe you have to leave Richard behind.>
<But this is going to defeat the entire purpose of coming here.>
<Yes. But it\'s clear that Richard doesn\'t hold the same value as you.>
<That\'s also true.>
Erik considered the options. His mana reserves were a lot, but not enough to kill a thousand blackguards without risking dying. His recent level-ups had granted him more power, and he got his mana refueled.
He glanced at Richard, unconscious on his shoulder.
<Didn\'t you say there was a healer among the blackguards on this floor?>
<Yes, but you killed her.>
<Well... Richard doesn\'t seem to want to wake up, and I don\'t honestly know if he would survive with things progressing like this. Besides, I can\'t keep fighting while carrying him.>
<The healer is 200 meters behind.> The biological supercomputer sent him an image of where he had to go, since it understood what Erik wanted to do.
Erik left Richard in front of the elevator and then went back to retrieve brain crystal and blood from the woman.
<Absorb them instantly.>
[HUMAN\'S DNA ACQUIRED. STARTING THE ANALYSIS.]
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
[1000 DNA POINTS USED TO ABSORB INSTANTLY THE DNA. PROCEDURE COMPLETE.]
[HUMAN\'S BRAIN CRYSTAL ACQUIRED. STARTING THE ANALYSIS.]
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
[1000 DNA POINTS USED TO ABSORB INSTANTLY THE BRAIN CRYSTAL. PROCEDURE
COMPLETE.]
Feeling a rush of mana coursing through him, Erik realized he had finally gained healing brain crystal power. He was going to use it to heal Richard.
<How is this called?>
<Mend wounds. Pretty basic, right?> The system seemed embarrassed.
<Yeah. Is it you who named the brain crystal powers?>
<Yes. > It said.
<Aren\'t you ashamed of yourself?>
<What have I to do? Healing powers are very similar to each other. How should I have called it
Hyper Mega gigatonic healing super duper power?>
<Even that would have been better.> Erik said with a smirk on his face.
<Yeah... yeah... Don\'t waste time anymore now.>
Erik made his way back to the elevator where Richard lay. He crouched beside the unconscious
man.
He then started channeling mana through his new brain\'s crystal power\'s neural links.
He could feel the raw energy coursing through him.
The younger man felt the mana flow from his brain crystal, threading through the neural links
as if they were roads.
His hands hovered over Richard\'s injuries, and he transferred the energy the brain crystal produced, or contained, to Richard.
A glow enveloped the older man\'s body. The wounds that marred his flesh closed, knitting together with miraculous speed.
Torn skin regenerated, bruises faded, and the ragged breathing evened out.
The mana Erik poured seemed to disappear into a pit, meaning that the extent of Richard\'s injuries must have been severe.
<Keep going, Erik. He\'s stabilizing.>
<This requires much more mana than I thought. Now I can see why healers were so pricey.>
Erik pressed on. Richard\'s wounds continued to mend, the healing working flawlessly. The skin on his body grew back, covering the raw, exposed flesh with new, unblemished tissue.
<He\'s almost there, just a little more.>
The light around Richard intensified for a moment before fading, leaving his body whole and
unscarred.
Erik sighed in relief, but his thoughts went to his father. If he had had this ability before, he could have been alive.
<That was a lot of mana,> Erik said. <Yes. His injuries were extensive. He needed that much. But he\'s stable now; you saved him.>
Erik looked at Richard\'s peaceful face, hoping he was going to wake up soon. <C\'mon,
Richard. Wake up.>
Some time passed, and then, as if on cue, Richard stirred, his eyelids fluttering. He groaned,
but at least he was regaining consciousness.
"Erik...?" Richard\'s voice was weak.
"Yeah, it\'s me," Erik said. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
Richard blinked, trying to focus on the young man\'s face. "What... what happened? Why are
you here? Did you...?"
"I came here to save your ass. It was the bare minimum since you are in this situation because of me," Erik said, helping Richard sit up.
"How did you enter? How did you go past the blackguards?" But then Richard turned around and saw what the man had done.
This place was a graveyard. There were no other words to describe the carnage surrounding
them.
Emily\'s father started understanding the real scale of Erik Romano\'s powers.
"It\'s a long story. But the short version is that we\'re not out of the woods yet. We\'ve still got a
thousand blackguards between us and freedom."
"A thousand?" Richard looked at him. "And you\'ve been carrying me through this?"
If Erik really did that while carrying him around, that was insane.
"Pretty much," Erik said with a shrug. "But now that you\'re awake, things should get easier.
Can you walk?"
Richard nodded, though he still looked weak. "I think so. Thanks, Erik. You saved my life."
"Don\'t thank me yet. A thousand blackguards above, did you forget?"
"No... Sorry."
<System, any updates on the situation on the ground floor?>
<The blackguards are still preparing. It\'s going to be a tough fight.>
Erik nodded. "Alright, Richard. Ready for a round?"
Richard gave a determined nod, but of course, he wasn\'t in that good of a situation. "Let\'s do
this."
Erik grinned. "That\'s the spirit. Stay close, and follow my lead."
They stood before the elevator. The doors slid open, and Erik stepped forward. Richard
followed.