The Divers stood on the platform of Zushi's capital, the winds of the Country of Space tugging at their clothes. Tall spires and silver bridges glinted under the sun. On a raised dais before them sat Queen Lumine in flowing azure robes, eyes bright and unwavering.
"Welcome to Zushi," she said, voice firm. "If you wish to claim the Orb of Space, you must tell me why you truly climb the Tower. Speak falsehood, and you will die."
Jack, Luna, and Waver exchanged uneasy glances. The challenge sounded simple, yet the queen's tone brooked no lies.
Gun stepped forward. "We understand, Your Majesty." He looked back at his friends. In their eyes, he saw trust—and curiosity.
"We trust you, Gun," Luna said softly. "After everything, we want to know your reason."
Jack nodded. "You've led us through a lot. If there's anyone who should answer, it's you."
Waver folded his arms and added, "You were the first to stand up to the Tower's tests. We chose you as our leader-for reasons we now want to hear." His voice was surprisingly earnest.
Gun swallowed. It felt strange to explain, but he owed them that much. "Alright," he said, voice steady. "I'll tell her."
Queen Lumine's gaze sharpened as Gun approached the dais. He could feel the power of Zushi swirling around the orb she held—a pale orb of starlight that pulsed gently.
Gun took a breath and spoke clearly. "I climb the Tower because it took everything I cared about. The one person I loved, he... he was taken from me when I was still in the Depths. The Tower turned me into something darker after that. I came here for revenge—revenge on the Tower itself."
He didn't lie. Every word was true, even if he didn't mention the Deepwoken conflict by name. His voice carried the weight of his loss.
Luna's eyes glistened. Jack's jaw tensed. Waver's brow furrowed. They all understood now—the anger that fueled Gun's every step.
Queen Lumine studied him closely. For a heartbeat, only the wind whispered. Then she nodded slowly.
"That answer is true," she said, surprising them with a smile. "The Tower is not just stones and trials—it is filled with purpose, and those it hurt deserve justice. Your truth is worthy."
Lumine held out the Orb of Space. It floated gently into Gun's outstretched hands, warm with celestial energy.
Gun let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He met his friends' eyes; relief and pride shone in them.
The queen stepped back. "You have proven yourselves. Take this orb. And go to the Altar of Eclipse in the center of the floor. There, combine the three Orbs and you will reach the next Floor."
With that blessing, Gun nodded and joined his team. He could feel new determination in his heart now that his secret was known to those he trusted. They set off at once.
The journey to the Altar of Eclipse was faster than any previous trek. Jack and Gun pushed themselves to incredible speeds across the broken landscape between the capitals. Jack was a bolt of lightning, streaking over hills and through forests in seconds; Gun followed even faster using [Friction].
Waver guided them calmly, yet even he moved nearly as fast, footsteps kicking up dust. It wasn't hard to reach Mach 10 now—ten times the speed of sound. They hardly felt the flight of time.
Luna managed a respectable pace, but even she couldn't match the others. When they gathered at the Altar platform, she arrived panting but triumphant.
"This feels too easy," Luna said with a grin. "I bet any rival climber would be exhausted by the time they got here."
"We don't have a Swiftgale among us," Waver chuckled. "But we do have a Core stone that cleans the air." He was thinking of the Gale Core and how it had saved their lungs up above.
Gun held the Orb of Space up to the light. It glowed a pale lavender. In the sky above, sun and moon hung on opposite horizons—a three-way twilight.
Waver glanced upward, his voice quiet. "Even then, remember how Slax moved? I measured it when he was here on his last visit. He said he was holding back. Even so, his top speed was easily exceeding Mach 1000."
Jack whistled. "A thousand times the speed of sound? That guy is unreal."
"Unimaginable," Luna breathed. She realized how small they still were compared to the strongest climber. "And he made us feel invincible by comparison."
Gun nodded, feeling some humility. "All the more reason we stay sharp."
They drew together. Before them on the carved stone pedestal of the Altar of Eclipse lay two other orbs: one golden, one silver-white. Their hearts quickened as the final piece of the puzzle snapped into place.
Gun placed the Orb of Space into the Altar's center. Luna and Waver touched the Sun and Moon orbs in turn. The three lights flared, drawing together in a pillar of iridescent energy. The air hummed with power.
They had done it. Or so they thought.
The sky darkened suddenly. The light from the orb fusion coalesced into a massive figure. Stone cracks rumbled underfoot.
From the shimmering pillar, a giant loomed: the Eclipse Golem. Its body was obsidian and starlight, magma-hot veins running through it. The creature's eyes glowed like two suns setting in darkness.
"A boss..." Waver breathed. "We didn't expect—"
Luna opened her mouth, but Jack and Gun cut her off simultaneously.
"We can handle it," Gun said, steel in his voice.
Waver had been ready. Even as the golem rose, Waver sank the Spear of Fear deep into the earth behind them, an artifact humming with his aura. Its presence alone began warping the air; they could see enemy magic around it flicker nervously.
The golem roared, a sound like a collapsing planet. Its first move was swift: a blazing arm of rock and flame swung at Luna.
Gun dashed between the blow and Luna. Flash Step carried him in a blur. He slid one hand flat against the roaring arm—steel meeting molten stone in a shower of sparks. In that instant, Devourer's passive activated: the runeblade's enchantment flared.
Gun's blade formed in his other hand. Avenger's Cut. The sword sang as it arced through the air.
The Eclipse Golem was caught off guard. Its flaming arm—already ruptured by Gun's side-pressure—split. One of the massive legs of stone cracked and fell away, tumbling as the Golem roared again.
But Mirror Slashes activated behind him. Like a cruel echo, a second strike sliced through the stone. The Golem's other leg disintegrated in mirror vision.
It stumbled, both legs gone. Their footing crushed, falling pieces showered the platform. Jetting flames from broken veins erupted in uncontrolled spurts of heat.
Gun backed away fast. The Golem, however, was not finished. It reared its great body upright using fiery fists, standing on what remained of its legs. Lava bulges spouted from where it had been cut.
It lumbered forward, towering over them.
Waver didn't hesitate. He and Jack had a plan.
"Thunder Bolt!" Jack and Waver shouted.
Simultaneously, he and Waver unleashed their combination: Conjoined Nexus. Waver's chilled thunder bound Jack's lightning aura, and the air around them crackled. A spear of pure stormfire shot through Jack's blade. He thrust it at the Golem's core.
The Eclipse Golem howled as the nexus pierced its chest. Lightning and ice and fire collided inside the golem, searing stone from within. With a tremendous CRACK, the entire upper body collapsed, fiery gears exposed.
The shockwave blasted over the dais, cracking another hundred meters of the platform. Dust filled the air as the golem's remains sank into molten pits.
Silence fell.
Luna, Jack, and Waver staggered slightly from the backlash, but their victory was undeniable. The Eclipse Golem lay shattered, undone in moments.
The floor-clear items finally dropped:
"Mastery Scrolls," Jack read aloud. "Three of them."
"First time we've seen these," Luna noted softly. "These are for training our abilities, right?"
Gun already knew. These rare scrolls could evolve their skills. It was a blessing to get them.
The others gathered around as they inspected the loot.
"We'll need to spend them now," Gun said. "It's only fair."
Luna grinned. "Extra healing, here we come."
Jack nodded. "Go ahead, Gun. You can use yours."
Gun nodded and took the scroll.
He used it on Avenger's Cut. Power swirled around him. He felt it expand, the skill evolving. Now Avenger's Cut would have an additional strike after the main blows. More importantly, that new slash would deal true damage—cutting straight through any armor or resistance.
Gun tested it against a harmless monster. Three ghostly slashes flickered out of Avenger's Cut's original swing. The last one hit perfectly, bypassing magical armor and fully dissipating the illusion.
Next, Luna used her scroll. She wove Ashen Veil around herself. Immediately, its powers doubled. A golden flame instead of a gray one began healing her wounds. As long as she had mana, she could create new limbs no matter how shattered. The veil's radius also expanded by ten percent.
Finally, Waver invoked his scroll on Glacier Walls. They became more numerous than before—he counted up to ten at once. Each wall was fifty percent wider and twice as sturdy as before, almost impervious to normal attacks.
They felt stronger already.
With newfound confidence, they headed toward the tower's teleport for the next floor. The platforms shimmered, carrying them upward and onward.
As they ascended, Gun turned to his team, feeling the bonds between them deeper than ever.
"Let's keep moving," he said with a determined smile. "Whatever Floor 12 throws at us, we're ready."
Luna and Jack exchanged excited glances, Waver simply steeled himself. Together, they had conquered one more test of the Tower—and emerged more powerful than before.