Utopian System

Elio\'s Mana: 6

Speed Enhancement Rune (Aether Wind) 2He + Ne + 3N* + Li* + Mana → LiHe₂NeN₃* = Acceleration

His last mana points and all remaining strength in his muscles channeled into an explosive impulse.

Elio\'s Mana: 2

Zentros tried to stop him, but Elio was already moving, his body an arrow, shot toward his companions.

The distance seemed infinite, each meter an eternity while the artromus\'s claws descended toward Mei and Aria.

He arrived just in time, his sword intercepting the claws.

Enhanced Weapon Rune (Metallica) 33Fe + 3Ni + C* + Mana → Fe₃₃NiC* = Weapon 2x Enhancement

Elio\'s Mana: 0

The impact reverberated through his exhausted arms, but he managed to make a huge cut and deflect the lethal blow.

The victory lasted barely an instant.

The artromus, furious at the interruption, spun with a speed that shouldn\'t be possible for something its size. Its remaining claw found Elio\'s side, penetrating the system armor as if it were paper.

The pain was blinding, but Elio had no time to process it.

The monster took advantage of Elio\'s own momentum, using his movement\'s inertia to turn the grip into a brutal knock down that made Elio\'s enhanced sword fall from his hand.

The impact against the ground expelled almost all air from his lungs, the claws still buried in his side. The blow almost left him unconscious

But Elio refused to surrender.

Using what little air he had left, he let out a fury-filled cry while wrapping his arm around the artromus\'s wrist that held him.

If he was going to fall, he\'d at least take another piece of the monster with him.

His muscles, already pushed beyond their limits, protested when he tried to apply maximum pressure.

The artromus\'s wrist cracked, broken by Elio\'s monstrous strength.

Elio tried to rise now that the artromus had lost balance.

He made an enormous effort with his injured abdomen.

It wasn\'t enough.

Zentros appeared like a monstrous shadow above him, his transformed strength doubling that of the normal artromus.

His claw closed around Elio\'s arm with pressure that threatened to pulverize bones, forcing him against the ground again.

The first artromus, ensuring its prey wouldn\'t escape, used its free arm to completely immobilize Elio. The position was perfect, the human leader completely vulnerable, unable to move.

Zentros rose above him, his transformed maw curving into something that might have been a smile. The sword that had caused them so much trouble lay uselessly meters away, out of its owner\'s reach.

Zentros\'s claws rose, ready to separate Elio\'s head from his shoulders.

"ELIO!" Zara\'s desperate cry resonated through the chamber while she and Lila tried to break formation to reach him.

Throughout the chamber, voices rose calling their leader, but without mana, without impulse capability, it was like moving through quicksand.

Enid was the first to jump.

She was closer and still had a little mana left, barely enough for a combined explosion of fire and wind that propelled her forward.

It was time to support the leader she admired, the one who had given them power to act for themselves.

Her fingers closed around Elio\'s fallen sword at the last possible instant, interposing it between Zentros\'s claws and her leader\'s neck.

Arnaud observed the scene while thinking the same, he had jumped to, this was the moment to act for himself, his mind processing in an instant that he could no longer wait for someone else to push him to take initiative.

He had launched forward, and as if his movement had broken some kind of spell, Milo and Kai immediately followed. Stay tuned to empire

Taron wanted to join them, but like the others, he was trapped in a losing battle of strength against the artromus trying to break the defensive circle. Along with others, he used every ounce of power he had left to keep at bay the beasts that sought those who had run out of mana like Nessa, Kriz and Valeria.

The four warriors who managed to break free converged on Zentros in a desperate counteroffensive.

All seeking to create an opening to free Elio.

But their absence in the defensive circle had immediate consequences. One more artromus broke free to join the attack on Elio.

Several actions took place in an instant.

Elio made another effort upon seeing help coming to break free, barely managing to escape the weaker artromus\'s claws when everything precipitated into chaos.

Zentros, moving with impossible speed, struck Milo with enough force to send him flying against the wall.

In the same movement, his other claw impacted against the sword Enid was using to protect Elio, almost wrenching it from her hands and crushing Elio\'s head, but Aria joined Enid resisting with everything they had.

Kai had taken advantage of the distraction to tackle the artromus Elio had freed himself from. As he displaced it, the artromus tried to attack Kai but Mei jumped on its back to help...

But they didn\'t see the other monster that had joined the fray.

Arnaud did see it.

The artromus moved in deadly silence toward Enid and Aria\'s exposed backs.

Without hesitation, he interposed his sword between them, when he finally felt he was truly relevant to the efforts by his own will...

He didn\'t see Zentros\'s claw move behind him and catch his neck by the nape.

"NO!" Elio\'s cry tore through the air while he delivered a powerful desperate kick to Zentros.

It displaced him a few centimeters.

It was useless.

The transformed claws closed around Arnaud\'s neck. One movement, a crack, and the brave warrior\'s head separated from his shoulders.

Something broke inside Elio.

Fury exploded in his veins as he launched a right hook with all his strength at Zentros. The blow connected, sending the monster several steps back.

But the moment of victory turned to horror when the artromus Arnaud had been blocking took advantage of the opening to eliminate Elio.

Zara accelerated as much as she could, trying to arrive in time, but the artromus she had been facing caught her mid-movement.

The goddess\'s weapon descended toward Elio\'s neck in a mortal arc.

Then Enid moved first, being the closest to him in that instant.

There was no doubt in her movement, no hesitation.

She interposed herself between the sword and her leader, her body receiving the blow that was meant for him.

Her eyes found Elio\'s for one last instant, a small smile on her lips as she fell.