Utopian System

The King Locus plunged toward Elio with devastating speed, its jump even faster than its level 10 run.

Using mana to move would put their maximum damage output at risk.

And with it, everyone else.

But if he didn't, the result would be the same.

Death seemed inevitable if he didn't move, but Elio decided not to use his mana for anything other than attacks.

In the last instant, Elio disappeared from the impact point.

"Impulse!" Micah had shouted, using the same technique that Lucien and Selene had employed in the battle against Fathoran.

Elio trusted his friends.

They had discussed the strategy: Micah and Lila would move Elio, Kriz and Brok would move Zara, Mei would be a wildcard for unexpected cases.

When someone moved, they had to shout "impulse" to avoid confusion and prevent more than one person from acting and wasting unnecessary mana.

The movement saved Elio, who couldn't waste mana on dodging; every point was crucial for reducing their enemy's monstrous resistance.

But the victory was ephemeral.

The King Locus's next roar sent another expansive wave through the chamber. This time, most managed to cover themselves, except Elio and Micah, too focused on the escape maneuver.

Micah received 25 points of damage, while Elio suffered a devastating critical hit of 36 points.

Kriz, who had learned from his previous error, managed to avoid all damage by covering his face. The others received 13 points each, except Zara, who only took 11 thanks to her higher level.

Micah's mind worked quickly, processing the damage patterns. Based on the differences and everyone's reactions, his own face's pain... He realized.

"It's its magical attack!" he suddenly shouted. "Everyone behind Kriz and me!" Their magical resistance and Kriz's were the only ones that could overcome the monster's wind wave damage.

He had barely finished shouting when Zara launched another fire attack, drawing the monster's attention. The King Locus roared again and jumped toward her, but this time it was Kriz who moved her out of the way.

The next impact wave confirmed Micah's theory: Zara received 36 points of damage when exposed, Elio 11, but the others, protected by Kriz and Micah, suffered no damage.

"It's a new pattern!" Micah shouted while Elio launched another attack, causing the monster to change direction again.

♢♢♢♢

The battle continued at this new rhythm: fire attacks, monster jumps, expansive waves. Each roar shook the chamber, each impact tested their defenses.

It was Mei who noticed the crucial detail first.

"The monster has 100 mana points!" she shouted, her voice laden with concern.

Her narrowed eyes trying to distinguish the numbers on the crystal, remembering those she saw before entering and calculating quickly.

Lila caught the implication immediately.

"Elio!" she shouted. "You and Zara are losing too much resistance per impact! With your 770 resitance points you won't be able to hold out until the end!"

Elio began adjusting his posture, managing to reduce the damage to 11 points per impact by covering himself more effectively. Saving 25 points of damage in each impact.

But Brok shook his head, his expression grim.

"It's not enough," he murmured while they received another expansive wave. "Even if he reduces the damage to 11 points, the monster has 100 mana... It can take away 1100 points! He doesn't have that much resistance!"

The realization hit the group like a hammer: they were in a race against time. Each fire attack reduced the King Locus's life, but each roar brought them closer to their limit.

"I'll give him my resistance!" Lila said.

But she was too far from Elio and the emblem didn't activate.

"We need to change strategy!" Micah shouted, while moving Elio out of the way of another jump. "We can't keep trading blow for blow!"

Sweat ran down Elio's face as he calculated his options.

The battle had become a lethal equation: could they reduce the remaining 8946 life points of the King Locus before its magical attacks depleted Elio and Zara's resistance? More importantly, was there any way to change the terms of this equation?

♢♢♢♢

Forty-one hits after initiating their attack pattern, Elio's resistance had fallen dangerously low:

Elio: 70 Resistance / 188 Armor Resistance

Mana: 42/70

When attack number 42 impacted the King Locus (or number 53 counting the first 11), something changed in the chamber's atmosphere.

Kriz was the first to notice it, his experience with the sixth level Locus alerting him to the imminent danger.

"Watch out! It's like the last one! It's going to enter frenzy!"

He had barely finished warning when the King Locus's roar resonated in the chamber...

But this sound was different.

It was as if two roars overlapped, one treading on the heels of the other in a supernatural cacophony.

Elio barely managed to cover himself before the impacts hit him in rapid succession. His resistance fell brutally.

Elio: 70 Resistance / 166 Armor Resistance

"Elio won't resist!" Lila shouted, panic coloring her voice. "Zara can hold out with her doubled resistance, but he...!"

"Go behind Kriz, everyone in line!" Micah's voice cut through the chaos as he ran toward Elio. "Now!"

Micah canceled his camouflage to support Elio.

But the King Locus also moved, its speed doubled making it seem impossible to dodge.

Only their increased perception allowed them to react, using 4 helium impulses to help both escape by millimeters.

An attack from Zara managed to divert the monster's attention, momentarily saving Elio and Micah. However, the situation wasn't improving. Two more roars resonated in rapid succession, and Elio's resistance plummeted to a total of 214 before Micah could reach to protect him.

"Impulses!" Brok shouted while spending three mana points to help Zara dodge the next attack. The maneuver barely succeeded.

Elio launched another fire attack, trying to split the monster's attention to give Zara a breather. Micah positioned himself in front of him, managing to block the impacts of the double roar.

But when the King Locus turned and jumped toward them, the group had to spend six mana points between all of them to move both Elio and Micah in time.

"We can't continue like this!" Mei shouted. "The mana won't be enough to keep moving three people!"

Kriz made a quick calculation. "We need like fifty more attacks to bring it down! It's impossible!"

"And it's gotten faster!" Lila added, her voice trembling. "We can barely follow its movements!"

Brok grunted while helping coordinate another escape by impulses. "We have no other choice!"

The group found themselves in a downward spiral.

Each successful attack on the King Locus required too high a price in terms of mana. The battle had become an impossible equation: they didn't have enough mana to keep everyone safe, but they couldn't stop attacking or they would lose their only chance at victory.

"We need to change something!" Micah shouted while blocking another double roar for Elio. "This strategy will kill us before we reach the end!"