Utopian System

The Artromus attacked from every possible angle, their patterns impossible to fully predict. Each strike was a masterwork of precision, their divine weapons leaving trails of elemental energy in their wake.

Elio leaped from point to point, his four-elemental sword blocking lethal attacks while his mind worked frantically searching for a solution. Blood continued dripping from his eyes as he pushed his perception to its absolute limits, trying to track ten simultaneous threats.

"On the right!" Kriz shouted, intercepting an attack aimed at a group of soldiers. His winged rabbit summon strained to match the incredible speeds they faced.

Valeria and other warriors who had opted for speed combinations moved as best they could between critical points, but the artromus's aerial superiority forced them to remain constantly defensive. Their movements, though impressive by human standards, seemed almost sluggish compared to their opponents' fluid grace.

Zara and Lila's summons created control zones with water and burning metal, while Mei, Aria, Brok, and other defenders established barriers where they could.

But without being able to use too much mana, their ability to deny aerial space was limited.

'We can't use impulses,' Elio calculated while blocking another attack.

The mana cost to maintain prolonged aerial combat would be prohibitive. Each jump required precious energy they couldn't afford to waste.

A soldier screamed when a wind blade opened a cut in his shoulder. The system armor began healing, but the message was clear: they were losing control. The Artromus's coordinated assault was slowly but surely overwhelming their defenses.

'Think,' Elio demanded of himself while dodging another attack. 'Diana is being pursued. We can't maintain this defense forever. We need...'

His bleeding eyes scanned the battlefield, desperately searching for any advantage they could exploit.

♢♢♢♢

Moments before...

Zantem rose in the air, leaving behind the battle's chaos. His divine armor gleamed in the artificial light as he ascended.

The humans had tried to stop him with their pathetic aerial impulses, but the coordinated assault of his brothers had given him the opportunity to begin pursuit.

Now he had better problems to worry about...

His objective was simple: the Fire King's core.

From his height, the carbon tunnel extended like a perfectly straight black line toward the walled city. The humans had been predictable in their construction, sacrificing security for efficiency.

Or so he thought, as he couldn't have known that until before his awakening, the tunnel was hidden.

'Pathetically convenient,' he thought while descending for better observation. His multifaceted eyes analyzed every detail of the structure below.

On the tunnel's exposed roof, several humans ran at full speed. Zantem studied them with clinical interest, calculating their maximum velocities with mathematical precision.

'Must be 10 base points... some reach 20 or 30 with short impulses... considering the distance from the deposit to the city...'

His calculations were quick and precise. Even the fastest couldn't have reached beyond half the tunnel by now.

With his 50 points of speed, overtaking them was trivial.

Zantem descended approximately halfway between the deposit and the wall, his weapon gleaming with elemental power. The air itself seemed to bend around his divine armament.

A single wide attack was sufficient.

A large section of the carbon tunnel exploded under his power, creating a significant breach in the escape route. The black structure crumbled like paper before his might.

Zantem positioned himself strategically, waiting. The first humans wouldn't take long to arrive, and then...

'Let's see if the core bearer is so brave when in plain sight.'

♢♢♢♢

Diana didn't allow herself to think about those she left behind.

The moment the core touched her hands, her world reduced to a single mission: reach the city.

Everything else, the battle, the screams, the chaos… became secondary to this paramount objective.

The carbon tunnel extended before her like a path to salvation. At her maximum speed, the distance to the wall shouldn't take more than a few minutes, or so she hoped.

The tunnel's structure, at least, facilitated rapid movement. Each step brought her closer to her goal, her feet barely touching the ground as she pushed herself to her limits.

The Fire King's core pulsed against her chest as she ran.

The battle cries faded behind her, but she refused to look back. She couldn't allow herself that moment of weakness, that instant of doubt that might make her hesitate.

Her footsteps resonated with an extremely fast and constant rhythm while maintaining a calculated speed. Every muscle in her body worked at the limit of its capacity, but without wasting energy. She would need every drop of mana and stamina she could conserve.

Diana stopped abruptly.

Sweat was beginning to pearl her forehead when she reached the first group of stragglers.

A dozen builders had stopped in the tunnel, some leaning against the walls, others sitting catching their breath. Diana felt her throat tense, preparing to shout at them to move, that each second of rest could cost them their lives, but...

The flash of elemental energy interrupted her before she could emit any sound.

The builders recoiled with cries of surprise and fear, some stumbling in their haste to move away from danger.

Diana stopped dead in her tracks, her instincts taking control. The attack had come from ahead, which meant at least one Artromus had managed to overtake them.

The core seemed to grow heavier while she evaluated her options.

They had been overtaken, taking advantage of the Artromus's superior speed, but... how many? How far ahead were they?

'This complicates things,' she thought while evaluating her options.

The direct route was compromised; continuing to advance through the main tunnel would be like voluntarily walking into a trap.

The builders charged with escorting her began regrouping, looking to her for direction.

The responsibility weighed on her like a mountain: not only must she protect the object that could save their city, but also decide about the lives of these soldiers who depended on her decisions.

A second flash of energy, this time closer, confirmed her worst suspicions.

Diana clutched the core tighter.

'My biggest advantage is that they don't know exactly where I am,' she thought while evaluating her options, 'I can't let them find me.'

Not while the core was in her hands. The question was no longer how to reach the city by the fastest route, but how to prevent the enemy from knowing exactly where to look.