Utopian System

Chapter 392 System's Recognition

The color drained from Lucien's face when he saw the new hostages.

"Ten," Zahyla counted on her fingers like a child. "It's an interesting number, isn't it? And since we have our set of ten..." She turned to the artromus who had executed the first hostage. "I'm afraid the other nine have become... necessary."

With a wave of her hand, all the prisons shattered simultaneously. The executioner artromus opened its jaws, approaching the next hostage.

"Stop!" Lucien's voice thundered.

"Oh, you do care after all?" Zahyla tilted her head. "I suppose we could reconsider."

She gestured and the artromus stopped.

"Although..." Zahyla approached the barrier, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"We could resolve this right now. One final fair battle. I just need to see your true leader." Her eyes gleamed. "Or would you prefer we keep playing this numbers game until there are no soldiers left to count?"

Lucien's laugh resonated with disbelief. "A fair battle? Against a hundred transformed artromus?"

"Oh, no, no," Zahyla waved her hand carelessly. "Just me. One battle, one leader. Rather fair, don't you think?"

"And why should we trust your word?"

Zahyla's smile widened as she pointed to the artromus next to the hostages.

"Because the alternative is so... tedious. You see, when my warrior devours these hostages, there will be two who can cross the barrier. Two hunters we'll set to stalk your soldiers day and night from outside... One slip and bam..."

The artromus opened its jaws, biting hard close to a hostage's neck.

"Then we'll be three, or four," continued Zahyla, her light tone contrasting with the horror of her words.

"Then six, maybe eight thanks to the increase in parasite 'collectors'. Can you imagine it? Your soldiers, constantly watched, eternally hunted. They won't be able to level up anymore, eternal level 10s, because we don't sleep, Lucien. We'll be here, surrounding your miserable first ring, waiting."

Her eyes gleamed with cruel amusement.

"How long do you think they can maintain morale when they can't advance beyond level ten? When every attempt to grow stronger is interrupted by one of us?"

"And you know what's best?"

Zahyla began floating parallel to the barrier, her movements fluid as water.

"Is it another irregular? Or perhaps a known irregular... History has a curious way of repeating itself, doesn't it?"

The smile returned to her face, wilder than before. "Oh, this is unexpected for the final battle. Things won't be so boring if I can't read my enemy as clearly as I thought."

But as quickly as it appeared, her joy began to fade. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Lucien more carefully.

"Although..." Her voice turned thoughtful. "There's something familiar about all this. Maybe it's not the Fathoran I remember, but..."

She approached the barrier again, her curiosity evident.

"Could you at least grant me the name of this leader you protect so much? For the old times... 9,999 old times."

Lucien's smile widened, and for the first time, Zahyla felt a shiver run down her spine.

"That, my liar lady," his last finger began to descend with deliberate slowness, "was precisely the third thing, we can distinguish them so easily but..."

Anticipation charged the air as he continued.

"Your mistake was showing 'Elio' the exact location of the artromus capable of crossing here."

Zahyla's eyes snapped open upon hearing that name.

It was new.

Recognition, understanding, and something else... concern?, crossed her face in rapid succession.

Lucien's finger stopped mid-descent.

The flash of light that exploded from it was blinding. Explore stories at empire

A sound came after, from behind her, a delayed explosion that shook the air itself.

Delayed because everything had ended by the time the sound arrived.

When Zahyla's vision finally cleared through her powerful regeneration, the horror of reality hit her: Zalvek and his newly fed warrior lay split in two perfect halves behind her.

And there, emerging from the mist like a specter, was he.

Elio.