Utopian System

Like an embodied lightning bolt, Selene appeared before him before he could even lift off the ground, before his explosion could even cover the surroundings.

As if she had been... waiting for this moment.

Her elemental water sword, empowered by Selene's mana and her knowledge of elemental weaknesses, cut through the fire explosion as if it were morning mist.

The force she applied to the impact was impossible for a human of her level, but there she was, keeping the monster in place against all logic. Her enhanced muscles strained against power that should have overwhelmed her instantly.

"NOW!" Selene shouted.

The new metal bands that enveloped him were different. Thicker, more complex, woven with the support of the new reinforcements. Each strand pulsed with combined power, layers of magical energy reinforcing the physical restraints.

Dozens of additional soldiers had descended during the battle's beginning, each contributing their power to the prison that now enveloped him.

Zantem tried to free itself again, but then it felt it: more human presence approaching from behind.

Not dozens, but hundreds of soldiers converged on its position. The air itself seemed to thicken with the concentration of human warriors.

The soldiers he had left behind when escaping the prison for the first time, the first humans to retreat from the deposit, had arrived as reinforcements.

What had seemed like a tactical victory for him now revealed itself as a mistake.

The restrictions multiplied faster than he could break them. The elemental attacks, though individually weak, accumulated in waves of coordinated assault.

Where before he had faced a handful of opponents, now he found himself surrounded by a coordinated army.

Zantem roared again, but this time there was something more than fury in his voice.

It was frustration.

The prey he believed cornered had not only escaped, but now he even found himself in an increasingly annoying prison.

♢♢♢♢

The numerical superiority filled Selene with cautious confidence.

With so many soldiers coordinating their efforts, with the monster contained, it was possible they could do more than just contain it.

'Numbers,' she thought while evaluating the situation. 'It's always been about numbers.'

Humans individually were less powerful. Their statistics were inferior, their individual power insignificant compared to an artromus.

But here they were, more than a hundred new soldiers joining the battle, each contributing their small part to a greater force. Like a tide rising inexorably, their combined power seemed to grow with each passing moment.

Like a Locus was weak, but in enormous quantities they were an impossible problem, they could transform into that for this monster.

'If we maintain this pace,' she thought while deflecting another energy explosion from the artromus, her arms trembling from the effort, 'we could eliminate it.'

Each attempt by the monster to release its power was intercepted by Selene's elemental sword. The blade moved with impossible precision, guided by experience and enhanced perception.

The soldiers maintained a precise distance, their attacks against the artromus calculated to avoid hitting their commander while she remained in close range, containing the enemy.

Everything was going relatively well...

Then the artromus began to laugh.

At first it was a low laugh, almost a murmur.

But it quickly grew until becoming a laugh that made the air itself vibrate. The sound carried something unnatural, a quality that made even veteran warriors shiver.

'Has it gone mad?' Selene studied the monster with concern. 'Did being overwhelmed break it?'

The theory seemed to confirm itself when the artromus stopped fighting completely. Its arms fell to its sides, its resistance ceased.

The soldiers, though surprised, maintained their assault, leaving only the monster's head outside the restrictions while continuing their magical bombardment of ice and electricity. Their discipline held firm despite the unsettling change in their enemy's behavior.

But the laughter wouldn't stop.

The seconds passed, and something began to bother Selene.

With the number of attacks they were launching, even a monstrous resistance should be diminishing, perhaps should have fallen already. However...

'It can't be.'

Selene launched forward, channeling all her magical power into the sword. The blade shone with intensity while executing a perfect thrust directly to the monster's eye.

The impact resonated like thunder.

But behind the indestructible sword's tip...

Not a scratch.

"Was that an attack?" The artromus's voice dripped cruel amusement.

"Please, don't tickle my eye like that, it's annoying. Though of course," his smile widened impossibly, "tickles are all you can do to me."

The realization hit Selene like an icy fist in the stomach.

"Unless you have more than 200 damage points," the Artromus continued, savoring each word, "you'll never be able to do real damage to me."

Selene's eyes opened with horror while the implications sank into her mind. Their best attacks, the most powerful combinations they could execute... nothing surpassed that threshold.

"Impossible," she whispered, but reality didn't lie.

The monster had already received thousands of attacks.

The soldiers also began noticing something was wrong. Their continuous attacks, which should have been wearing down the enemy, hadn't left even a mark on its transformed form.

"Commander!" shouted one of the soldiers. "The attacks aren't working!"

The artromus let the silence extend, savoring the moment when desperation began infiltrating the human ranks.

He had been waiting for this moment.

"Beginning to understand, parasites?" His voice was almost gentle, like a teacher explaining something simple to particularly slow students.

"You can contain me all you want. You can launch your pathetic attacks until you run out of mana. But eliminating me..." his laughter returned, crueler than ever, "that's beyond your capabilities."

Zantem Artrix (Goddess Cursed Metamorphosis)

Level 100 (10)

Skills:

True Element Magic (Wind, Fire, Water and Ground)

Mana: 17/100

Resistance: 70,860/200,000

Stamina: 81/100

Attack: 400

Magic Damage: 400

Strength: 100

Defense: 200

Magic Defense: 200

Speed: 100

Perception / Agility: 2 (A)

"Damn it! If we can only contain it, risking so many soldiers makes no sense!"

The logic was clear: keeping more than two hundred warriors spending mana on ineffective attacks was a strategic waste, even suicidal.

"RETREAT!" Selene's voice cut through the air like a whip.

But before the first soldier could move, the artromus's laughter resonated again.

"So soon?" His voice distilled false disappointment. "Won't you stay to play a while longer?"

The reddish glow began emanating from his body again, the energy pulsing with promises of destruction. Selene gritted her teeth, recognizing the signal.

"Move!" she ordered while maintaining her position. "I'll contain it!"