Arc 2: The Tower of Power
A month and a half—45 days—had passed, and the tournament continued on relentlessly. Twenty participants remained. During their journey, they'd faced countless trials: endurance, willpower, control, cunning, split-second decisions… all sorts of challenges. From floors 1 to 20, these tested raw ability. Floors 20 to 40 demanded intelligence, speed, and precision. On floor 35, the labyrinth test required constant quick thinking, as its corridors shifted every minute. It was hellish—but most survived.
Now, the twenty survivors stood before the entrance to floor 40 of the Tower: among them were the Shisui sisters and their cousin Rebeca Shi... and a few elves, dwarves, and ferals.
Riding up in the elevator, they stepped into a room plunged in total darkness—so dense that the faintest spark couldn't penetrate, except for the elevator's own glow stretching a few meters ahead.
[Whispers over the darkness]"I can't see a thing—what kind of place is this?""Which way should we go?""I'm exhausted. I can't go on."
"Nora… I need to rest. My feet can't take any more," Nora said, squatting down to massage her sore soles.
"Let's camp here and get some rest," she added, immediately pulling out her tent. Rebeca followed suit, helping her set it up.
Nearby, other teams made the same decision: pitch tents near the elevator and rest.
"Helena, do we have wood?" Rebeca asked, gathering sticks for a fire.
"Yes—I've kept a few wedges. You planning to cook something tasty?"
"Guess we'll mix the leftover bird from two floors back with some veggies, toss it into a pot... and eat."
Helena grimaced at first but accepted the offer—hunger makes strange partners. Soon, what passed for "soup" was ready, and the three sat by the fire to eat.
"Not bad…" Helena exclaimed after her first sip, sensing the zing of ginger and the tang of game meat.
"You did well. Maybe you'd make a good wife," teased Nora, but Rebeca's expression darkened.
"Maybe… but I'll never live that dream," Rebeca confessed, plunging the mood into somber territory. She cleared her throat and continued:
"I once dreamt I was on a farm planting wheat. I wore simple clothes, felt at peace as the wind ruffled my hair. My children called my name… then I woke up in a mud-soaked trench strewn with blood. That dream was a lie."
Nora looked at her sister with steely resolve:
"No. Dreams exist to be realized—not just illusions."She set down her bowl, stood, drew a small knife, cut her palm and let her blood drip to the ground.
"I swear to you, Rebeca—by my blood—may I perish if I fail: I'll become queen, break the blood oath, unify our families… and free us all. Your dream will come true."
"Nora…" Rebeca gasped. The words sank deep into her soul. Tears streamed—tears of hope, thanks, and the first spark of real happiness.
"Now eat. We still have to figure our way out," said Nora, sitting back down.
They finished eating, crawled into the tent, and slept.
Four hours later, a heated debate woke them:
"We all must cooperate.""Cooperate? With cursed humans? I'd rather die.""We need some clue to guide us through this darkness.""We'll die down here, mark my words.""Was this all for nothing?""Maybe there's a time limit. We can't stay."
Exiting the tent, they saw a crowd arguing at the end of the hallway.
"Let's listen in," Nora said, moving closer.
"It's impossible—pitch-black. I tried, had to retreat," reported an elf.
"Tried a torch, but it died within a few meters," said a dwarf.
"The darkness… it consumes the light. I've never seen anything like it," said another elf.
"If what they say is true, we'll have to pass without seeing ahead," Nora concluded.
A blindfolded man in black—who'd once helped Nora on floor 2—stepped forward:
"Wait! I have a solution." His voice rang clear.He stripped off his coat, revealing — glowing with divine radiance. "This is my divine form."
Golden light streamed from his body like sunlight. Tiny luminescent "nano-fairies" fluttered around him. Luminous tattoos glowed across his skin—revealed only in this form.
The light pushed back the dark. Everyone stared, transfixed.
"Move quickly! I don't have all day," he commanded, voice urgent.
"Shall we follow him, Nora?" Helena whispered.
"Yes… his divine form reminds me of my own darkness form. He's clearly extraordinary."
"He just appeared from nowhere… I couldn't even sense his presence before," Rebeca murmured.
"Let's run—he can't stay in this form forever," yelled the man over his shoulder.
"In divine form, my strength, speed, agility all increase—but I pay for it. Every time I enter this state, I sacrifice years of my life… perhaps up to ten years. I can't do this lightly," he thought as he led them forward.
They ran in the gloom down the endless hallway.
"Helena—see anything?" Rebeca asked.
"I heard water splashing—but saw nothing," Helena replied in fear.
"I feel them… I'll incinerate them!" Rebeca shouted, conjuring a massive fireball to her left—revealing nightmarish forms.
Creatures of pure darkness, flying through the air, descended on the group.
"Run, damn it!""Whose idea was this?!""Of course someone had to mess it up."
"Run, Helena!" Nora cried.
"Stay together. Elevator's just ahead!" the man called out in his divine form.
"I need to strengthen the light, but the darkness is overwhelming…"
Amid panic and abductions, an elven mage shouted:
"Everyone, to the elevator!"
They reached the elevator—but the doors wouldn't open.
"Damn it… I have to—AHH!" The man drew a radiant sword—a celestial blade shimmering with electric sparks.
He stabbed it into the ground, causing a burst of brilliant light that repelled the darkness and cleared the corridor.
"Elevator's here! In, now!" yelled a dwarf.
"Quick, both of you—inside!" Nora shoved Helena and Rebeca in.
As they rushed in, the man exited divine form and reclaimed his sword. The elevator doors slid shut, ascending once more.
To be continued...