Utopian System

Chapter 411 System's Vulnerabilities

"How adorably pathetic!" Zahyla's voice floated to them from the distance. "Heart troubles while your world slowly crumbles. Isn't it charming?"

The two tensed, turning toward the voice. Zahyla floated beyond the barrier, her cruel smile visible even at a distance.

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"Oh, poor little human," Zahyla sang, floating closer to the barrier, her movements graceful and predatory at once. "So desperately in love with your leader. Did you know I could sense how your heart raced that day when you were close to him? It's quite pathetic, really."

Diana tried to pull Lila away, but Zahyla continued, her voice carrying a cruel melody:

"Would you like to know a secret? I can smell the pheromones you release. It's like a perfume of desperation." Her laugh was musical, almost beautiful in its cruelty. "Shame, arousal, guilt..."

"Shut up," Lila whispered, her cheeks burning with humiliation.

"Why? Because I'm saying aloud what your companion already knows?" Zahyla twirled lazily in the air, each movement deliberately casual. "Did you know that even the soldiers who foolishly patrol the edge make bets about when you'll finally break and confess? The pitiful blonde, they call you... Though you're not the only one that..."

Lila propelled herself toward the barrier, her fists clenched tight enough to draw blood.

"There it is!" Zahyla exclaimed with delight. "That little spark of rage. Much more interesting than a suffering maiden routine, don't you think?"

"Don't listen to her," Diana warned, but Zahyla was already on a roll, her words precisely targeted for maximum damage.

"What's it like, by the way? Watching someone else take what you want right before your eyes..." Zahyla feigned a romantic sigh. "Must be like tiny daggers in your heart each time."

Lila now stood mere meters from the barrier, trembling with rage and pain.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"And the best part is that he doesn't even notice you, right? All that love, all that devotion, and he probably sees you as a friend or a little sister. How... adorably tragic."

Lila launched a magical attack but Zahyla didn't even flinch, her high defense remaining unbreached.

Diana visibly paled. How did she know her name?

"Did I hit a nerve?" Zahyla laughed softly. "So you've achieved everything you wanted, resolved your mommy issues thanks to a magic potion. But there's something, isn't there? Something you desire as desperately as your friend."

"You know nothing about me," Diana whispered, but her voice trembled.

"Oh, I know more than you think. The advantage of boring repetition, I suppose." Zahyla floated upside down, like a curious child. "It's fascinating how you, such limited creatures, can contain so many layers of desire and denial."

She suddenly straightened, her expression turning serious. "Want to know the secret? The reason I find your dramas so interesting?"

She didn't wait for a response. "Because despite all my superiority, all my knowledge and power, you can experience something that I can only observe and analyze. It's like..." she searched for the right analogy, "like watching ants build incredibly complex structures through pure instinct. Fascinating and slightly irritating at the same time... Though I suppose you don't know what an ant is..."

"You're comparing us to something inferior, aren't you?" Lila asked, a spark of indignation in her voice.

"Ah! There it is!" Zahyla clapped with delight. "That spark, that pure emotion. See? When you're not drowning in self-pity, you really have fire."

She floated back slightly, her smile enigmatic.

"I must admit this has been the most entertaining interaction in weeks," Zahyla floated lazily, playing with two brilliant crystals between her fingers. "You almost make me feel bad about this whole keeping-you-prisoner business. Almost."

With a casual movement, she tossed the crystals through the barrier. Diana and Lila caught them reflexively, their eyes widening as they realized what they were.

"Before you panic," Zahyla laughed at their alarmed expressions, "no, it's not a deadly trap. I've already tried killing people by throwing crystallized mana in other... let's say, 'runs'. It doesn't work, the crystals or even the cores don't transfer damage... For being slow, the old man at least thought that part through."

"What does this mean?" Diana examined the crystal in her hands.

"One million mana points each," Zahyla responded casually, as if discussing the weather. "Since you're so interested in understanding each other, why not use that lovely potion of yours? I'm dying to know what you'll learn."

Lila looked at her crystal skeptically. "Why would you do this?"

"Boredom? Scientific curiosity?" Zahyla shrugged. "Besides, there's something deliciously ironic about giving you mana. Did you know that artromus are the true owners of mana? That's why they call you parasites."