BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 1183: Cornered



Emily landed in a crouch, her muscles coiled like springs. She activated Time Freeze again but kept the effect minimal-just enough to give her an edge against the two Vindicators while conserving her remaining mana.

The first Vindicator lunged, his light sword carving a brilliant arc through the air. In her slowed perception, Emily saw the attack coming and rolled beneath it, but it was hard.

She sprang up inside his guard, her fist connecting with his ribs. The armor absorbed most of the impact, though.

The second Vindicator circled around, trying to flank her. Emily ducked a sweeping kick, countering with a leg sweep of her own. Her opponent jumped over it - even in slowed time, their reflexes kept them dangerous.

Light flashed. Emily barely twisted away as an energy beam seared past her shoulder. To avoid it, the young woman had to slow time down a lot, further draining her mana reserves.

<This is not good.>

Emily made many neural links for Vex's brain crystal power, but she didn't know how to use it for melee fighting. Vex most likely used it in short bursts, which was what Emily was trying to do. The problem was the timing.

Her brain needed to process multiple variables at once-the speed and direction of incoming attacks, the position of both opponents, and the drain on her mana reserves.

Using Time Freeze too early would waste precious energy, but activating it too late could mean taking a hit.

Unlike regular combat, where muscle memory could guide her, this power required split- second conscious decisions.

It was like trying to catch raindrops-wait too long and you're already wet; move too early and your hand tires before the rain even falls. The neural links gave her access to the power, but mastering its efficient use was another challenge entirely.

She found herself unable to understand when to use it and when not to.

The first Vindicator pressed his advantage. Emily weaved between strikes, looking for an opening.

In her slowed perception, she watched his movements unfold like a dance. The Vindicator's sword arm traced arcs, each strike precise, and each movement measured.

His footwork shifted, weight transferring from heel to toe as he advanced. Even his armor plates seemed to flow like liquid metal, catching the light as he moved.

Emily saw the subtle tension in his shoulders telegraph his next attack. His blade came down in a diagonal slash that would have been blindingly fast at normal speed. But in her slowed- down time, she could see him move well enough to find the minute adjustments in his grip, the way his elbow locked to guide the strike.

She waited until the last possible moment. Even if she slowed time down, the man was still fast, and dodging the strike was all but easy.

When his commitment to the attack left a fraction of his defense open, she slipped her dagger through the gap in his guard. Her dagger found his shoulder, but the blade wasn't sharp enough to pierce his armor.

Then a punch caught her in the kidney. The second Vindicator had closed in while she focused on the sword from the other dude.

The pain exploded through her side, radiating outward like liquid fire. Emily gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to double over.

She poured more mana into Time Freeze, pushing the power further than before. The world slowed more, giving her precious moments to recover.

Her elbow caught the second attacker in the throat-a lucky strike that gave her the chance to move away.

Using the temporal effect, she staggered backward, despite the throbbing in her kidney. The increased drain on her reserves was substantial, but she needed the breathing room.

The air felt thick, like moving through honey, but it was worth the cost to put distance between herself and her attackers.

<Now I'm certain. They want to capture me.> She thought, panting.

Otherwise, she would have been dead already. If the Vindicator attacked with his brain crystal power or using a weapon, she would have had no way to avoid it.

However, the Vindicators were not going to stop soon. So, they dashed toward the young

woman.

Once they were in striking range, the sword came for her once again. Emily dropped low, the blade passing so close it singed her hair.

She grabbed the Vindicator's wrist, trying to disarm him, but that was a mistake, because it was clear the guy was better than her with grips.

He twisted his arm, breaking her grip, and in the same motion, brought his sword down in a devastating overhead strike that would have cleaved her in two. At least that was what she thought.

Without even thinking, Emily avoided the attack, albeit barely, by throwing herself backwards, the blade's energy trail leaving a faint burn mark on her shirt as it passed within inches of her chest.

Emily stumbled but kept her footing. Both Vindicators pressed forward, coordinating their attacks. A punch followed by a sword thrust. A kick synchronized with an energy beam. Each combination forced her to spend more mana maintaining the Time Freeze.

Emily soon found herself gasping for air, and that was with the other Vindicator not having used his power at all.

"Surrender," one of the Vindicators said.

Emily didn't reply. She knew that if she was caught, things would turn ugly for the others.

<C'mon Emily, you knew what you were getting into when you chose to follow him...> Indeed, she knew following Erik was dangerous, but she couldn't help herself. Love was partially the reason. It was a strong one, for sure, but not the only one.

She wanted to get stronger; she wanted to finally be able to manage everything life and people threw at her.

She lived her life in constant fear of being targeted-the threat of kidnapping and sexual assault loomed over her daily life.

Every dark alley made her heart race. Every stranger's lingering gaze sent chills down her spine. Years of watching over her shoulder had worn her down completely, and even all the guards her father gave her didn't reassure the young woman.

If her beauty was going to be a curse, she was determined to transform enough to break that curse. She needed to become strong enough that no one would dare threaten her again.

Taking control of her destiny meant more than just surviving-it meant thriving without fear. Erik offered a path to that strength, and she had to seize it.

Emily caught a sword strike with her dagger. Light made metal screeching against metal. The second Vindicator's fist hammered into her ribs. Emily gasped but countered, her knee driving into his solar plexus.

The sword wielder changed tactics, switching to quick thrusts that forced her to dodge. Each movement drained more energy.

A glancing blow opened a cut on her cheek. Another strike numbed her left arm. The

Vindicators sensed her fatigue, pressing harder.

<Where the hell are the others?> It was taking them too long to arrive. If they had left, they

should have seen her. Unless...

<Unless they left to search for me before I got back here...>

At this point, her only chance of salvation hinged on June finding her comrades.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Emily's back hit a wall. The sword came for her chest-a killing blow. She diverted the last of

her mana into Time Freeze, slowing the world to a crawl. The blade inched closer as she

twisted aside.

Her hand found the sword wielder's arm. Using his momentum, she redirected him into his partner. The Vindicators collided, buying her a moment to breathe.

The problem was that her mana reserves were almost completely spent. Emily raised her fists, knowing she couldn't win this fight, but then, her eyes went weird for a moment.

She felt the ground missing, and then reappearing as if mana was involved. She opened her eyes, confusion on her face. She didn't recognize her surroundings.

"Em!"

Emily turned. Amber was in front of her. Emily had never been more glad to see her in her life.

Her fiery red hair almost burning, her face contorted in worry, yes, but also in anger.

"Took you long enough to find me," Emily said, a smile playing at her lips.

"Sorry for the delay," Mira said, landing. Then June and the other clones came.

"We would have never found you if it wasn't for June."

Emily looked at him and nodded.

"I used almost all of my mana..." She said.

"It doesn't matter; we will take care of these guys..."

"Be careful. One of them can create a light sword, and he has a ranged attack. I'm not sure what the other can do. They seemed to be hell-bent on capturing me, so I don't know what they are really capable of with the intent to kill, but they are strong."

Amber nodded. "We have the Chimaeric Demons," Mira chimed in. "Don't worry; we will kill them and complete the next step of our plan. At this point, messing up the schedule is not important. If the Vindicators found you, it means they knew about the attack."

That was a scary thought.