BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM - C.1046: Hotter Than a Summer BBQ (4)

<Well. There is not much I can do at this point. Better try everything I can.>

Erik focused on his Instability brain crystal power, injecting an astronomical amount of mana into its neural links, but enough to create a big ass illusion.

He then probed around with his mind, searching for the creature hidden in the steam and

swimming in the waves.

As Erik's consciousness expanded, he searched for a minute, then two. This went on until he found the beast, and oh... He found it.

If Erik wasn't already in a state of panic given what he saw, at that moment, for the first time in years, that feeling came back. Fear, simply pure and unbridled fear, rushed through Erik like a tidal wave crashing through a paper fortress.

The sheer enormity of the beast's presence almost overwhelmed his senses, making him feel as insignificant as a minnow facing a megalodon.

The depth and complexity of the emotions emanating from the creature were beyond anything Erik had ever experienced.

These weren't the chaotic, instinct-driven thoughts he usually found when reading a Thaid's mind. No, these were strangely coherent, almost... human-like in their structure.

Yet the sheer power radiating from the unseen monster, the immense cloud of vapor it generated, most likely thanks to the immense amount of mana it had, all pointed to something far beyond humans.

It had capabilities, even Erik didn't have. The young man dug deeper into the creature's mind. He found the creature didn't think in words like humans did, but it was very similar. However, its feelings and thoughts were clear, coherent, ordered, and terrifying.

The monster felt as if there was some kind of territorial intrusion. That much was clear.

<Shit... This must be the Leviathan Serpent.>

There was no other alternative. The ship went through the corridor within the two monstrous thaids Hin was wary of.

So, since the monster wasn't using tentacles, by exclusion, only the serpent could be the one before Erik, and it looked like it perceived the ship's presence as a violation of its domain.

But something didn't add up. Erik knew they weren't and had never been within the Leviathan's territory. Not before, and not now. This was especially true in the current situation, since Erik told June to bring the ship into the area controlled by the Shadowmaw Behemoth to escape the Serpent.

Erik thought hard. Harder than he had ever made, and suddenly realized something important, or rather, it got scared by something else other than the Leviathan Serpent.

<If this guy is so upset about us having somehow ended up within its territory, even though we didn't, how will the Behemoth react when the Serpent enters its area?>

It became clear that these sea monsters were much smarter than Erik had thought, but their territorial nature was still there, like for any other Thaid. That led to another scarier thought.

<What if all the thaids on the Mur continent are this clever? It can't be, right?>

Erik thought about how Hin, the country nearest to Mur, handled these clever sea monsters. He wasn't sure if his ideas about the creatures were right, but he couldn't ignore the possibility, and that humans, enemies at that, could somehow keep the monster at bay concerned him.

<The blackguards are there, after all... So, if this is true and Hin resisted, it's most likely because of them.>

Pushing these concerns aside for the moment, Erik focused on the task at hand. He channeled mana into the Leviathan Serpent's mind, trying to introduce calming thoughts and instill the idea that the ship was in another place. But the amount of mana Erik was using was a lot, and his reserves were draining quickly.

It was like the Leviathan Serpent's mind was a chasm, a gorge which not even the sea could fill.

"Fuck..."

The effort felt to Erik like he was trying to redirect a river with his bare hands. The Serpent's mind was vast, seemingly ancient, and incredibly powerful, contrary to everything Erik knew about Thaids.

His influence felt like a mere droplet in an ocean of consciousness. But he endured, pouring more and more mana into it. A droplet might do nothing, but many could do something, even if not that much.

Slowly, Erik sensed a shift in the creature's thoughts. The intense feeling of territorial aggression waned a little, replaced by curiosity.

Erik seized on this change, projecting images of peace and non-aggression. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours as Erik kept pouring mana.

<It's almost time.> Sweat poured down his face, not just from the intense heat, but because of how much mana he was using. Besides, the ice had already melted at that point, and Erik's skin was becoming red.

With his mana reserves already strained, Erik understood it was time to act.

<Let's go...>

Summoning his last reserves of mana, Erik focused on his Phantom Veil brain crystal power's neural links.

He pushed mana through them, and he concentrated on making a large-scale illusion. Slowly, the image of a ship materialized in the fog-shrouded waters.

The illusion wasn't perfect. Erik had to be crude with the details, given the size of the illusion and his dwindling mana reserves.

Even though the fake ship didn't look perfect. He didn't make it with the idea it had to be in mind, but the fog and his mind attack might be enough to fool the giant sea creature.

As the ship took form, Erik guided it closer to where he thought the Leviathan Serpent was. The connection with the creature was still there, and after some moments, Erik felt a shift. The thaid detected the silhouette of the false ship in the mist.

<Great... Now, bite the bait, you motherfucker!>

The monster's attention turned towards the illusion. The waves around the real ship calmed, and the oppressive heat lessened, but not that much.

<It's working>

The Leviathan serpent was moving away, chasing the phantom ship.

A sigh of relief escaped Erik's lips, but he knew he wasn't out of danger yet. The real ship continued its course towards the Shadowmaw Behemoth's territory, and that was as dangerous as heading toward the Leviathan Serpent.

But the area was vast, so it wasn't like he was going toward certain death, especially considering there was no sign of the other massive thaid or the Chimaeric Demons sent to find

it.

"Damn it."