Utopian System

Chapter 373 System's Pain Mastery - 2

What followed was a brutal demonstration of pure strength.

Strength: 160 SS

With a fury-filled cry, Elio's enhanced muscles exploded with transformed power as he used the monster as a living hammer.

The impact when he smashed it against the artromus that had tried to block his attack was deafening.

Before the two could recover their bearings, before their enhanced bodies could even begin to process the damage, Elio's sword was already in motion. The blade sang through the air, leaving trails of displaced energy in its wake.

The first cut cleaved through the decapitated artromus's torso with terrifying efficiency, the blade meeting less resistance now that its power had been amplified again.

The other artromus launched itself forward to intercept the next cut, its body moving with desperate speed to protect its fallen companion's remains.

The creature's protective instinct was admirable, but ultimately futile.

Elio had already anticipated the movement, his enhanced perception reading his opponent's intentions before they could even fully form.

With fluid grace, his foot connected with the headless body, using the momentum to wrench his sword free and alter its trajectory in one smooth motion.

The blade found the new interceptor's neck with surgical precision, sinking deep into flesh. Dark ichor sprayed from the wound.

The other two artromus saw their opportunity and attacked simultaneously, their movements perfectly coordinated.

The wounded monster, seeing a chance to give its companions an advantage, made a desperate gambit. With strength born of desperation, it grabbed the sword embedded in its neck and yanked hard, trying to hold Elio in place.

Elio's response was immediate and unexpected: he simply released the weapon.

The artromus, having committed its full strength to pulling the sword, stumbled backward from its own momentum.

The creature's surprise was evident even through its transformed features, clearly not having expected such a tactical sacrifice.

Elio, now disarmed but free to move, weaved his hands in a complex pattern.

Lithium prisons materialized around the two attacking artromus like metallic spider webs, each strand humming with potential energy.

Electricity roared through the specialized magic metal, the power of the transformed state making the discharge far more potent than anything Elio had previously managed.

The 2 transformed artromus convulsed as the now-sufficient current tore through their enhanced bodies, their nervous systems temporarily overwhelmed by the shocking force.

The fallen artromus lurched to its feet, fury radiating from its transformed form at the humiliation it had endured.

'The potion is temporary,' Zentros's strategic command resonated in their minds as he watched Elio dismember another of their kind with two cuts where three should have been necessary.

'We only need to survive until the potion effect ends. At least one must escape to wake the Queen!'

Artromus pride rebelled against the very idea of retreat, their warrior culture screaming against such a tactical withdrawal. But logic was undeniable, and survival of their species took precedence over individual glory.

The mission came before all else, artromus put their race first, unlike humans with their individual priorities.

The three survivors deployed their wings and soared toward the crater's upper opening, cutting through the air in their desperate ascent.

That was when they discovered Elio had not the slightest intention of letting them escape.

He rose after them like an avenging comet, his body and magic responding to his will flawlessly even in full flight.

The first of the artromus barely registered the metallic flash around it before a lithium prison completely enveloped its form. The discharge that followed was devastating, Elio's power seemingly multiplying with each second that passed, now dealing 1720 points of damage over their defense.

Without losing momentum, while the first artromus fell wrapped in lightning, Elio spun in the air like an aerial predator while his sword traced a lethal arc toward the next fugitive.

At the last possible instant, the second artromus interposed itself in the sword's trajectory. The blade found its flesh, carving a deep furrow that crossed its back from side to side and severed a wing in the process.

But what appeared to be a victory of sorts... soon turned into Elio's realization that something was wrong.

The sacrifice had served its purpose, buying crucial seconds for the priority artromus.

The third artromus, the one the sacrifice seemed determined to protect, was nearly reaching the crater's exit.

But Elio's attack was too fast, too precise.

It wouldn't make it.

Elio didn't stop. His free arm rose, metal already responding to his will to form one final prison. The distance closed rapidly, he was much faster at short range, his prey wouldn't reach the crater's exit.

"ELIO, LOOK OUT!"

Selene's cry resonated just as Zentros appeared like a meteor propelled by wind element's maximum power, positioning himself between them.

He positioned himself as a living shield between Elio and the fleeing artromus.

'RUN!' Zentros's mental order shook the air as he faced Elio. 'Wake her... Carry the message. Tell the Queen what has happened here!'

The last artromus disappeared through the crater's opening while Zentros prepared for what might be his final battle.