Utopian System

Chapter 378 System's Unity

During the flight back, while his mind processed the day's events, Elio reviewed his updated statistics.

A detail caught his attention: he now had the right to attempt the eleventh challenge.

But as soon as he returned and crossed the barrier to the first ring, the option disappeared.

Elio went back, crossing into the second ring again, the option returned...

He crossed to the first ring again and it disappeared once more.

"The challenges are linked to the rings," he reflected while observing the changes in his book. "We need to physically advance to attempt higher levels."

Selene nodded, her eyes evaluating the distance to the deposit. Her wings flickered and dissolved as they crossed back into the first ring. "We should hurry to the deposit. The others..."

Her voice trailed off, but Elio understood. The cost of their victory weighed heavily on both their minds.

Elio had to carry her through the last stretch.

Read latest stories on empire

The return flight was tense, each impulse bringing them closer to where their companions should be recovering some mana and breath.

As they approached, they could distinguish figures emerging from the metallic dome.

When they landed, the scene they found was solemn.

The survivors moved with the heaviness of those who have paid a terrible price for victory. Some carried the bodies of the fallen, their faces marked by exhaustion and loss.

The steel dome that Elio had constructed to protect his companions still stood, its surface marked by the impacts of the brutal battle.

Elio and Selene landed near the entrance, where Taron and Mei were organizing the collection of the fallen. The heavy silence was only interrupted by the occasional murmur of summons that still maintained their form.

Gorgita, Lila's summon, helped move the bodies with a delicacy that seemed impossible for its enormous size. Brok's elephant and Zara's iron salamander stood guard, their tense forms betraying their owners' exhaustion.

"Elio!" Zara's cry resonated across the deposit.

Their eyes met across the distance and something seemed to break within her. The iron salamander vanished when Zara lost concentration, her steps faltering as she moved toward him.

It wasn't her usual confident stride, her movements betrayed the exhaustion of battle and something deeper, more visceral.

"Idiot," she whispered when she reached him, her hands trembling as they gripped his still-transformed form. "When that monster was about to release that explosion... you stood in front of me... I thought..." Her voice broke, unable to finish the sentence.

Elio felt discomfort grow as she embraced him. His body, altered by the potion, still maintained features that made him look like he was disguised as an artromus.

He tried to gently pull away, but Zara held on tighter.

"No," she murmured against his chest. "I don't care how you look. You're still you. You're still my Elio."

The words came out broken, mixed with a tremor that shook her entire body.

Elio held her while she struggled to maintain composure.

Lila, her cheeks tinged red, had taken a step forward beside Zara but stopped. "I-I also... also think you're Elio regardless of your form," she murmured, her voice barely audible but laden with feeling.

The transformation began to fade then, the artromus features dissolving like mist under the sun. Exhaustion hit him like a wave, but Zara's hands held him firmly.

Around them, the others approached slowly.

Kriz limped, supported by Brok, but their faces showed more concern for Elio than for their own injuries. Aria and Valeria exchanged a meaningful look before approaching as well.

"For a moment I thought..." Zara took a deep breath, straightening without releasing her grip on his uniform.

"But it didn't happen," Lila's voice rose, gentle but firm. Gorgita vanished as she approached. "Elio came back. Like he always does."

"As it should be," added Selene, a small smile touching her lips despite the exhaustion. "Our leader is too stubborn to die."

"Ha!" Kriz's laugh resonated, breaking the moment's tension. "Stubborn? That's the only word you can think of to describe him? The bastard came back transformed into some kind of artromus and kicked ass like it was the most normal thing in the world!"

"Language," Mei muttered automatically, but there was a smile on her lips as she approached.

"What language nothing?" Brok flexed his muscles in one of his characteristic poses. "Our leader turned into a monster to kick monsters! That deserves all kinds of swearing!"

A choked laugh escaped from Zara, who finally loosened her grip slightly.

Taron approached then, holding the transparent cores that remained after the battle. His usual stoic expression showed cracks of emotion as he observed the crystals. "Seven cores. Seven victories paid for with blood and valor."

Taron's words generated another silence...

That was broken once more by Kriz's booming voice. "What's with all the long faces?" He stood straighter. "We won, didn't we?"

"The hero of the day!" Kriz's voice resonated again. "Our leader has saved us all!"

"No," Elio interrupted, his voice firm despite the exhaustion. "This victory isn't mine." His eyes settled on the bodies of their fallen companions.

The weight of his words seemed to return solemnity to the moment. Eyes turned to where the bodies of their fallen comrades lay.

"Damn it," Nessa murmured, her voice breaking slightly. "Arnaud finally acted on his own, just when..."

"When it mattered most," Elio completed, his voice firm despite the pain he felt. "He chose to protect others, to act according to his own convictions. We couldn't be more proud."

"And Enid..." Milo began, but the words seemed to stick in his throat.

"Saved our leader," declared Kriz, standing tall. His usual joking attitude had been replaced by a fierceness rarely shown.

"Enid..." Emotion threatened to choke his words. "Enid gave me the chance to keep fighting with her sacrifice."

Milo and Kai exchanged solemn looks while Brok bowed his head in respect.

"Today many died like warriors!" Kriz shouted, raising his fist to the sky. "They gave their lives not just for us, but for everyone back in the city. For their families, for our future!" His voice carried across the gathering, igniting something in the tired faces around him. "Will we dishonor their sacrifice with tears? Or will we celebrate the victory they helped us achieve?"

"Kriz is right," Taron's voice boomed. "We cannot let their sacrifices be in vain. We must move forward, stronger, more united."

A different energy began to grow among the group, something that transcended exhaustion and pain. Elio felt it, saw how it reflected in the faces around him.

"For the fallen," he began, his voice rising with each word. "For those who gave everything to bring us here!"

"FOR THE FALLEN!" The cry came first from Kriz, then from Brok, spreading like fire among the survivors.

"FOR THE FALLEN!" The shout was unanimous, a promise and tribute that resonated across the deposit.

Zara squeezed his hand, and Elio felt the silent support of all those who surrounded him. They had lost invaluable companions, but they had also gained something precious: a unity forged in battle's fire.

"It's time to return," Elio announced after the echoes faded. "Our families wait, and we have to honor our companions as they deserve."