Utopian System

The crunch of carbon penetrating flesh and bone echoed through the deserted street, a sickening sound that seemed to hang in the air.

Fathoran let out a howl of pain that chilled the blood of all who heard it. His blood, dark and thick, gushed from multiple wounds, soaking his once immaculate armor. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, mixing with the acrid smell of smoke and death.

Fathoran: 478 - 30 crit = 20 Resistance / 393 Armor Resistance

Elio panted, his chest rising and falling erratically. The sweet taste of vengeance mingled with the bitter aftertaste of exhaustion in his mouth. He hadn't managed to claim his fifth macabre trophy, but...

He had wounded Fathoran.

However, the price had been high, too high.

Elio: 161 = 10 Resistance / 151 Armor Resistance / Mana 0

Suddenly, his power over carbon vanished. The elephant, his faithful companion in this battle, shrank until it became a tiny, intangible figure. The harsh reality of his situation hit Elio like a slap to the face:

he was exposed, vulnerable, at the mercy of his enemies.

He couldn't finish eliminating these wretches... Without mana, his blows wouldn't... He felt fury consuming him once more.

Then he remembered. Varick, the bastard, must be near death...

But when he turned to look for him where he should have been, Varick wasn't there.

His bloodshot eyes frantically scanned the area. It couldn't end like this. If he was going to fall, he'd take someone else with him.

He found him. Varick!

He was next to Lucien, just a few meters away. A savage smile spread across Elio's face. Another of Fathoran's descendants, another opportunity for revenge.

Without a second thought, Elio launched himself towards Varick. His legs, propelled by adrenaline and rage, drove him forward at extreme speed.

Varick barely had time to register the approaching threat.

Seeing Elio run, Selene and Raelar also ran towards Lucien.

5 seconds earlier...

Fathoran, still with the stakes embedded in his body, experimentally moved his fingers.

The carbon responded to his will, twisting and bending. Gradually, the stakes began to exit his body, slowly freeing him from his self-inflicted crucifixion and leaving behind wounds that closed on their own. Even the armor repaired itself with a blue mana shine.

Fathoran Mana: 4

It was a spectacle that defied all logic.

Varen, sprawled on the ground where Fathoran had thrown him, watched with wide eyes. Terror kept him paralyzed, unable to do more than watch as his savior regenerated before his eyes, like a phoenix rising from its ashes.

Finally free from his carbon prison, Fathoran stood tall. His gaze, a well of icy fury, fixed on Elio.

Without wasting time, Fathoran began to weave another attack. His hands moved in complex patterns, manipulating the elements to his will. The air around him crackled with contained energy.

It was then that Selene, Raelar, and Lucien understood the gravity of the situation.

If they didn't do something now, Elio would die. And with him, any hope for change in the city would vanish.

Without a word, the three acted in unison, driven by an instinct of collective survival.

Selene unleashed a gust of wind. Raelar summoned a fireball. Lucien generated an ice attack.

Their attacks converged on Fathoran in a symphony of elemental destruction.

Fathoran Mana: 3

But the Patriarch was prepared. With a gesture as fluid as it was arrogant, he raised carbon walls around him.

The attacks of the three Summoners crashed against the barriers in an explosion of light and sound, dissolving into a shower of harmless energy.

Lucien shouted a warning, Elio was almost upon them, his fist raised.

At that instant, Elio perceived Fathoran's movement out of the corner of his eye. The Patriarch was preparing another attack, his hands weaving complex patterns in the air.

Elio's survival instinct conflicted with his thirst for vengeance. At the last second, he halted his charge towards Varick, preparing to dodge Fathoran's imminent attack.

'I can't fail him again,' Lucien thought.

Elio, seeing the danger looming over him, tensed every muscle in his body. He prepared to jump, to roll, to do whatever was necessary to dodge the blow he knew would kill him.

That would deny him his sweet revenge!

But Fathoran had other plans. With a wave of his hand, the carbon rose around Elio like hungry tentacles. In the blink of an eye, a carbon cage materialized, trapping the young Summoner inside.

Fathoran Mana: 2

Elio had no escape.

In that critical instant, when it seemed fate was sealed, the unthinkable happened.

Without hesitation, Lucien moved to place himself between Elio and Fathoran's imminent attack. He knew what would happen, but his heart had already made the decision.

Selene felt time slow down. She saw Lucien move and understood his intention in an instant.

"Lucien, no," she whispered, fear constricting her throat.

Raelar, for his part, felt something break inside him. The words he had thought before echoed in his mind. He wouldn't back down now!

He wished he had Lucien's courage.

'It's now or never,' Raelar told himself.

The three Summoners moved almost in unison, their actions driven by loyalty, desperation, and the desire for redemption.

Lucien covered Elio.

Selene covered Lucien.

Raelar covered Selene.

At that moment, it seemed as if the planets aligned. Three lives, three destinies, united in an act of sacrifice converged in front of Elio, forming a human barrier against Fathoran's attack.

Fathoran's attack cut through the air like lightning, charged with devastating energy.

Fathoran Mana: 0

Elio, trapped between his fading fury and surprise at the act of those he thought were his enemies, remained motionless, unable to process what was happening.

But he would be even more confused.

Varick, the same Varick who had been the target of Elio's wrath moments before, moved in front of Lucien, Selene, and Raelar, placing himself directly in the path of Fathoran's attack.

Varick, with arms outstretched in a gesture of defiance, decided to prove he truly was the honorable knight he had claimed to be. The impact hit him full force, tearing through his body as if it were paper.

His eyes widened in surprise and pain, reflecting in them before they dimmed forever.

Raelar, standing right behind Varick, suffered the same fate. The attack, though diminished by its first impact, still carried enough force to be lethal. It pierced his chest, tearing a choked cry from him.

The impact Selene received failed to break her armor.