Utopian System

When Elio emerged from the challenge, his corruption level ready to advance to 21, he had questions prepared for Dionz about his new combination. But all thoughts fled his mind at the sight that greeted him.

There, floating in the confined space, was an impossible visitor, Gorgita, Lila's salamander ajolote familiar.

"Elio!" Lila's voice, clear and unmistakable, rang out through Gorgita's form as she launched herself at him. The impact was strange - like embracing pure energy given barely-there physical form. The invocation was nearly weightless but undeniably present as it pressed against him.

"Lila? How..." Elio's arms wrapped around Gorgita's form instinctively, even as his mind struggled to process what he was seeing.

"We found a way," Lila's voice trembled with emotion. "Those mana increases you kept sending... they helped us prepare, get stronger. We knew you had to be alive, had to be fighting somewhere."

Her consciousness, fully present in Gorgita's form, radiated warmth as she clung to him. "When I figured out how to transfer consciousness to familiars, everything changed. We could try reaching you without risking our actual bodies."

She pulled back slightly, Gorgita's form shimmering with barely contained feelings. "The others... they sacrificed to get me through.

"Until you made it," Elio completed softly, understanding now why Dionz had been so impressed.

"We had to reach you," Lila's voice strengthened. "After Zahyla took you, after everything that happened with Zara... we couldn't just wait. The city needed hope, needed to know you were still fighting."

Her words spilled out faster now, as if she'd been holding them back too long. "Your mana gifts changed everything. We're not just surviving - we're expanding, we will claim territory in the rings. Each increase lets us push further, establish stronger positions… we will reach you and…"

"Tell me everything," Elio said, guiding her to sit. It was strange, interacting with a form that barely had physical presence, but the consciousness within was undeniably, wonderfully Lila.

"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Dionz appeared, looking inordinately pleased with himself. "Though I have to say, I was betting on Selene's flying fish making it through. Those aerial maneuvers were spectacular!"

Elio froze, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. The familiar's presence here should have been impossible. The monster-filled rings, Nala's protection...

"What... how?" Elio managed, still staring at Gorgita. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire

"Well," Dionz created a series of viewing windows, showing scenes from the past weeks, "it seems your friends have been quite busy. Those mana increases you've been sending to the city? They put them to good use."

The first window showed Lila discovering how to transfer her consciousness into Gorgita. "It started with her, actually. Quite clever, figuring out consciousness transfer through familiar bonds. Though she did give Lucien quite the scare with her initial solo attempts. Out of ten of them, she was the only one to make it through all ten rings. Though the strategy they developed was brilliant."

"Ten?" Elio managed, still staring at the impossible visitor.

"Oh yes!" Dionz created more viewing windows showing the team.

Another window revealed Selene teaching the others. "They developed it into quite the system. Ten of them in total - Lila, Mei, Kriz, Brok, Selene, Milo, Kai, Nessa, Valeria, and Aria. All learning to exist as pure consciousness in their familiar forms."

"But the monsters in each ring..." Elio started.

"Oh, they failed many times," Dionz confirmed cheerfully. "But death means little when your real body is safe in the city right? They just kept trying, learning from each attempt, just like you."

"Your mana increases gave them resources to prepare properly. They could have each obtained scorpion combinations with their wildcards, but instead..." He grinned, creating a display of their chosen familiars.

"They all chose flying forms to support their formation. Kriz with Mirror Coat, Brok with his falcon-penguin hybrid, Selene's flying fish. Mei chose to combine a falcon with a swift, perfect for quick strikes. Milo went with an electric eel swift variant that could glide through the air. Kai merged the torpedo fish with a hummingbird for precise maneuvering. Nessa chose a falcon flamingo for its grace and stability in flight. Valeria and Aria took a falcon penguin and a falcon salamander respectively."

The displays showed their preparation and practice. "They spent weeks perfecting their aerial coordination. Each form chosen specifically to support their ultimate goal - getting at least one of them through to you."

Images showed their journey through the rings.

"They worked out this brilliant formation," Dionz continued, clearly impressed. "Using their different abilities to cover each other. Kriz would confuse attackers while Selene's precision guided their movement."

The first seven rings posed challenges but their formation held strong. Ten flyers moving in perfect sync as they advanced.

Elio watched as the images showed their journey. Each ring brought new challenges, faster and stronger monsters, but they adapted, learned, improved.

"The eighth ring is where it got serious," Dionz continued, showing their first real loss. "Kai's hummingbird form got caught trying to scout ahead. Even with nine remaining, they adapted their formation to cover the gap."

The ninth ring's viewing window showed even greater challenges. "Lost both Nessa and Milo here."

"But the remaining seven pressed on," Dionz displayed their adjusted formation.

The tenth ring's challenges were devastating to watch. "Lost Valeria and Aria in the first wave when they tried to block an attack. Mei's swift form lasted another few minutes before a monster caught her."

The god showed the final moments of their push. "Kriz, Brok, and Selene made it halfway through the ring before a coordinated monster attack separated them."

"But Lila?" Dionz's grin widened. "She learned from every attempt, every loss. Used the chaos of the final battles to slip through gaps. All those weeks of practice, all those failed attempts teaching her exactly how to move, when to push, when to wait..."

He showed Gorgita's final approach. "And with a tiny help from me - just a small breach in the city barrier, barely noticeable really - she made it through. Nala being temporarily occupied made it much easier to arrange, of course."