The Tower's interior was far more complex than Altaïr had anticipated.
The massive, sprawling base in particular was practically a labyrinth.
Fortunately, above the base, the Tower narrowed into a fairly uniform cylindrical shaft. Each floor had a similar layout and covered several thousand square meters.
Beyond the main open area, each floor also contained several small, self-contained stone chambers.
If this had been a leisurely Expedition, Altaïr might have considered searching every one of those rooms. He might even have stumbled upon treasures left behind by the Ancient Civilization.
Under the current circumstances, however, that was clearly not an option.
The Oroshi Kirin leading the way never once looked back. It strode onward with such aloofness that it seemed unlikely to wait if anyone fell behind, forcing the three to quicken their pace.
They had already discovered that the Tower's interior was far from safe. Several powerful Monsters inhabited it.
Not long before, Altaïr had found several tufts of thick, coarse, dark-brown fur that carried a faint reek of blood. They had clearly been shed recently.
Although he had never faced one himself, the fur's shape and color matched what he remembered well enough that it had almost certainly come from a Rajang...
He had good reason to suspect that without the Oroshi Kirin guiding them, the climb to the summit would have exposed them to countless unknown dangers.
Nor did that account for the Kushala Daora high above, drawn by the "noise," brewing a storm as it watched them with predatory intent...
The Tower was immensely tall. Even without any actual attacks along the way, the climb from the entrance at its base took nearly two hours.
When the three finally climbed the crumbling, vine-linked steps and emerged onto the summit, Altaïr realized they had risen above the storm clouds.
The gale remained fierce, but the rain could no longer reach them. Yet when they looked up, they could see neither clear sky nor the full moon.
Above the dark cloud layer lay still more clouds, stacked even higher...
Altaïr's nerves had been taut ever since they entered the Tower. Now that they had reached the summit, his vigilance sharpened to its absolute limit.
Sensing a gaze upon him, Altaïr spun around, one hand reaching for the sword hilt over his shoulder.
Then he froze.
The figure before him was no lurking Monster, but... a young girl?
She wore robes cut in an ancient style. Her pale crimson eyes swept over him without emotion, as though she were inspecting a rock beside the road.
One thought flashed through Altaïr's mind. The color of her clothing was wrong. Wasn't the person Lambert and the Diva had mentioned supposed to be the Young Girl in White?
Lambert and the Young Diva had also noticed her. Lambert narrowed her eyes and hefted her Hunting Horn onto one shoulder, while the Young Diva furrowed her brow and took two cautious steps backward.
The Oroshi Kirin that had guided them there trotted lightly to the side of the girl in ancient attire, then lowered its large head to nuzzle her.
The girl gently stroked its cheek, but kept her gaze fixed on Altaïr, Lambert, and the Young Diva.
"It really is you, meow!" Shalan stepped out from behind Altaïr and bared her fangs. The silver fur along her back stood on end, making her look tense and irritable.
The girl in ancient attire shifted her gaze and studied Shalan for an extra two seconds.
"It's you." The mysterious girl clearly recognized Shalan.
"Glad you remember, meow! What kind of trick are you trying to pull this time, meow?" Shalan demanded. She clearly had little fondness for these "mysterious people" who came and went without a trace.
The girl in ancient attire ignored the challenge and looked instead toward Lambert and the Young Diva. "Let us begin. The King is about to awaken."
The moment she spoke, a fierce gale swept across the summit. A figure clad in scales that gleamed like finely forged steel swooped down and landed atop the Tower, its entire body shining silver.
It was the storm-stirring Kushala Daora!
"Neigh!" The Oroshi Kirin cried in irritation.
Freezing air coalesced around its body, and its crystalline horn began to glow faintly.
Across from it, the Kushala Daora watched the Oroshi Kirin warily. Its pride as an Elder Dragon would not allow it to show weakness, and a strange pressure unlike any ordinary wind coiled around its body.
The pressure generated by the standoff between the two Elder Dragons was extraordinary. Even Altaïr, who had faced Elder Dragons more than once, felt his chest tighten for a moment.
Yet the girl in ancient attire, standing right beside the Oroshi Kirin, seemed entirely unaffected. She glanced at the Kushala Daora, then said softly to the Oroshi Kirin, "Let us go."
With that, she led the way toward the stairwell descending into the Tower.
The Oroshi Kirin glared at the Kushala Daora and snorted, then turned and followed the girl in ancient attire.
Altaïr's scalp prickled. If the Oroshi Kirin left with the mysterious girl, that would leave his group to face the Kushala Daora alone.
He had long been prepared for the worst, but if this outcome could be avoided, he wanted to avoid it at all costs.
"Wait!" Altaïr called, stopping them. "This Kushala Daora might interrupt the concert. Is that acceptable?"
The girl in ancient attire stopped and turned her head slightly, her tone as flat as before. "It came at your invitation.
"An Elder Dragon is not some small animal that can be summoned and dismissed at will. Find a way yourselves."
With those words, the girl and the Oroshi Kirin vanished into the descending passage.
"..."
Altaïr was speechless for a moment, but he had to admit that she had a point.
There was no other way.
Altaïr drew the Tyrant Blade [Heaven Swallower] from his back and readied himself for battle. He could only hope things would go as smoothly as the Wyverian Diva had claimed.
Once the Oroshi Kirin and the mysterious girl had left, the Kushala Daora's gaze settled on the small group before it, especially the Hunter at the front.
It drew a deep breath. As a long howl rose from its throat, the surrounding clouds gathered with astonishing speed.
"BOOM!"
Lightning flashed through the clouds, and torrential rain crashed down upon the Tower's summit.
"The 'accompaniment' you wanted is here, meow!" Shalan pulled the conch from her back. As she prepared to bestow her blessing upon the Hunter, she shouted toward Lambert and the Young Diva.
"We can't hold it off for long, meow! Get started already, meow!"
Lambert and the Young Diva exchanged a glance.
The Young Diva was clearly the more experienced singer. She stepped onto a stone platform covered in moss and vines, spread her arms wide, and began to chant.
The driving rain and thunder pounded against their ears, but the Diva's chanting voice, like a breeze sweeping through a sea of trees, cut through the din and carried across the summit until it reached Altaïr clearly.
For a moment, Altaïr felt as though the entire world had sharpened into focus. He could even sense the paths of the air currents flowing around him.
BOOM!
CRACK-BOOM!
The resonant blast of the Hunting Horn rang out alongside the muffled thunder in the clouds. Lambert stepped onto the stone platform and joined the performance.
At first, she did not open her mouth to sing. She simply swung and struck the Hunting Horn, building the melody in silence while accompanying the Diva's chant.
The booming notes and chanting voice had initially seemed jarring and impossible to reconcile, but they melded within the roar of the wind, rain, and thunder.
The Divas' performance had officially begun.
The Kushala Daora naturally heard their song. As an Elder Dragon born and raised in the wild, it had no understanding of something like a "ballad."
But it heard the sounds of "Wind" and "Thunder." Those were supposed to be its sounds to command!
Anger flickered in the eyes of the Kushala Daora, which had originally come more out of curiosity than hostility. It raised its head and inhaled deeply as a violent torrent of air gathered in its mouth.
An immensely powerful blast of wind was taking shape, aimed directly at the Divas' "stage."
At that critical moment, an inconspicuous Flash Pod landed in front of the Kushala Daora's eyes. A blinding light erupted an instant later.
"Roar!"
The sudden flash not only robbed the Kushala Daora of its sight for a moment, but also disrupted the breath attack it had been preparing.
Retracting the small claws she had used to throw the Flash Pod, Shalan continued her cheering dance and yelled at Altaïr, "It's just a Kushala Daora! What's it got to be so cocky about, meow? Altaïr, get going! Chop it up, meow!"