Utopian System

Elio turned sharply, expecting to find the attacker in the sky, but something else caught his attention: the luminous sphere that had formed at the rays' convergence had vanished.

Everything seemed normal and smooth at the point where the energies had met.

But to Elio, who had paid special attention, the small sphere seemed to be missing.

'Did it break?' The thought barely had time to form in his mind. 'Did it let something escape?'

A buzz, almost imperceptible among the chaos of sounds filling the air, drew his attention like a magnet.

Even with his perception forced to its maximum, Elio had to concentrate to track the source.

There, silhouetted against the sky, a figure moved with a lethal grace that made previous Artromus seem clumsy. Its speed, about 50 points according to Elio's rough calculations, was just the beginning.

Elio positioned his book, trying to read the creature's statistics. He had to force his eyes beyond their limits, feeling blood begin flowing down his cheeks as his perception expanded painfully.

But he managed...

What he saw froze him.

This wasn't like the others. This was a true Artromus, a perfect fusion of all the elements they had faced until now.

Zantem Artrix (True Artromus Citizen)

Skills:

True Metamorphosis

True Element Magic (Wind, Fire, Water and Ground)

Mana: 1000/1000

Resistance: 10,000/10,000 (20,000/20,000)

Stamina: 100/100

Attack: 100 (200)

Magic Damage: 100 (200)

Strength: 50

Defense: 50 (100)

Magic Defense: 50 (100)

Speed: 50

Perception / Agility: 2 (A)

Goddess Armor 100 (10) / ((Def 50) (Magic Def 50) (Resistance (10,000/10,000))

Goddess Weapon 100 (10) / ((Attack 100) (Magic Damage 100))

Where the previous ones had been specialized, this one was universal. Earth, wind, water, fire... all elements responded to its will with equal mastery.

But it wasn't just its elemental control that made it terrifying. Its equipment defied everything Elio believed possible. Its armor and weapon weren't simple battle tools; they were masterpieces of divine power.

Where Elio wore the system armor, this creature wore its counterpart: the goddess's armor.

The statistics Elio could see through his bloodied vision told a story of power that made their previous achievements seem insignificant.

This wasn't a deposit guardian nor a simple Artromus soldier.

This was the true enemy God had tried to warn them about.

Elio's initial instinct was to shout retreat, but a quick mental calculation made him think again. Despite the wear from the previous battle, he still retained a respectable amount of mana.

The rest of the main group was likely in similar condition, and the almost two hundred support soldiers hadn't even had a chance to fight.

'When will we have an opportunity like this again?' The thought crossed his mind like lightning. The emblems weren't a permanent resource, and he had no idea where to get more.

If they let the artromus escape now...

The decision crystallized quickly in his mind. "Don't let it escape!" His voice resonated with authority. "Everyone, bring it dow…!"

A second buzz cut his order in half.

And his head.

Almost...

Only his superhuman reflexes saved him again, his muscles exploding with more energy than normal and his body moving by instinct while another blurry form passed grazing him.

His bleeding eyes widened in surprise while processing the new information.

It wasn't one artromus.

It was two.

The situation had just become exponentially more complicated. One enemy with the power of four elements was already a formidable threat.

Two of them, working in coordination...

The two Artromus positioned themselves in the air, their white divine armors shining with a radiance that hurt the eyes. The opportunity Elio had planned to seize had turned, in an instant, into an ambush against them.

♢♢♢♢

A piercing scream broke the moment's tension.

"My arm!" A soldier staggered backward, his cleanly severed limb had barely been able to help him keep his head in place.

The system armor glowed, beginning the healing process, but his eyes were bulging with shock.

"I didn't even see it coming!" another soldier shouted.

"Kyra!" Another scream, this time from the left. A builder fell to her knees, blood flowing from a deep cut in her shoulder.

"On your right!" "Watch above!" The shouts multiplied as more soldiers barely dodged lethal attacks.

Understanding hit Elio like lightning. "ACTIVATE PERCEPTION!" His voice resonated above the chaos. "EVERYONE! NOW!"

"They're too fas…!" Milo's voice cut off while blocking an attack.

Two buzzes cut through the air simultaneously.

Elio spun his sword in a defensive arc while his muscles exploded with power, barely deflecting the coordinated attacks with tremendous force. The metal sang with the impact.

"I have them!" he shouted triumphantly.

"ELIO, BEHIND!" Mei's desperate cry came with four new buzzes.

Too many angles, too much speed.

Not even his enhanced perception could...

"He's not alone!" Zara appeared on his right, her weapon barely intercepting one of the attacks.

"The boss is safe!" Kriz blocked another from the left, his usual smile replaced by a fierce concentration grimace.

Lila and Brok emerged almost simultaneously, their weapons tracing defensive arcs that stopped the other two attacks.

"Shield Formation!" Mei's voice cut through the air. The rest of the main team moved as a single organism, establishing a defensive perimeter around Elio.

"There are ten," Valeria counted quickly, blood dripping from her eyes from forced perception. "Ten damn Artromus!"

"Is the fire one what God called tutorial?" Kriz let out a nervous laugh. "What a sense of humor!"

The Artromus floated around them, their divine armors shining with power that made their system counterparts seem insignificant. Ten perfect warriors, each mastering the four elements, each armed with divine equipment.

"Don't separate," Elio ordered, his four-elemental sword glowing in response to the threat. "Whatever happens, maintain formation."

"Hope you have a plan," Zara murmured without taking her eyes off the enemies.

"Oh, he always has a plan," Brok growled, his muscles tense as steel cables. "The question is whether we'll survive it."

The ten Artromus rose above the group, their silhouettes cut against the sky forming a perfect circle. Their divine armors reflected light hypnotically while studying the humans below them. Frustration was almost palpable in their postures; the surprise factor hadn't given them the quick victory they expected.

Elio tightened his sword's grip while evaluating the situation.

Around him, the group maintained a tense defensive formation.

Even Milo and his team were already securing the outer perimeter.

But the numbers didn't lie.

'One hundred points of magical defense...' Elio made a quick calculation.

The soldiers, even with all their current power, could barely damage those divine armors, many hadn't combined their creatures yet. The group's mana, though considerable, wouldn't last in a prolonged battle against ten enemies of this caliber.

And that without considering whatever a true Artromus metamorphosis might mean.

God's words resonated in his mind with new clarity. It hadn't been an exaggeration about the fire Artromus; it had been a warning about this.

The blue sphere weighed at his side like a reminder. His priority wasn't to fight; it was to ensure this core reached the city.

In an instant he had made his decision.

"RETREAT!" Elio's shout cut through the air. "EVERYONE TO THE TUNNELS! NOW!"