Everyone was there—
except for Kana and Yui.
Eighteen warriors.
Silent.
Ready.
Resolved.
Renji kept his words short.
"We split from here.
Hayato, Naoki, Aoi, Takumi, Arata, Watari — second floor is yours.
The rest will stay on the first.
I'm going to the third."
Then Takumi stepped forward.
The familiar fire behind his eyes.
"If we all push through together, we'll finish faster.
Sacred or not… it's still a war."
His voice cracked the air like lightning.
Aoi turned, expression like carved stone.
"This isn't just war.
It's a thousand-year rite.
The tier system is belief itself.
Break it—and history already knows your name."
Takumi shrugged.
"Sometimes, victory costs something."
Kaito stepped forward.
His eyes sharp, unyielding.
"Do you even hear yourself?
Sacred towers aren't for cowards.
They're for those with honor."
Naoki's voice landed next.
Calm, heavy as judgment.
"Break sacred law… and I will kill you."
Takumi's posture stiffened.
"It was a joke."
Renji raised a hand—his tone a calm tether.
"This tower… is not just stone.
Ascending is not just duty.
It's passage.
You may not step onto the next floor until the one beneath it is cleansed."
"Those who did… were cursed.
Denied by the temples.
Forgotten by both allies and enemies alike."
A beat of silence.
Then Renji added:
"Stall the enemy below as long as possible."
He looked again at Takumi, with smile.
"I know you're not as strong as I was at your age.
But you'll learn. Don't fear the system."
Takumi's face turned crimson.
"I'm not afraid!" he barked.
Arata let out a sharp laugh.
Then Rin chuckled beside him.
Then everyone joined.
Renji's gaze drifted to Hayato and Watari.
They looked steady—but off.
They don't look ready, Renji thought.
The doors opened.
Inside:
a tower built of breath, steel, and dried blood.
12 warriors from Renji's team entered the first floor.
The second floor team ascended—
six Level Threes.
Measured.
Calm.
Prepared.
Watari and Hayato brought up the rear.
Renji reached out—grasped them both by the shoulder.
"You have the numbers. Don't overreach."
They gave no answer.
Then—
Renji stood alone.
A breath.
A blink.
He lifted his gaze to the staircase ahead.
This stair... every warrior dreams of it, Renji thought.
It's not just a path.
It's a trial.
I've climbed it before… and not always alone.
Three Level Fours.
Just me.
The weight settled deeper in his bones.
Each step was ancient, smoothed by time, and scarred by death.
On the first step, he paused.
His eyes caught a line etched into the stone.
"When you step onto a floor you have not cleansed—
the gods do not stay silent."
His fingers traced the grooves.
Renji thought:
Still cold.
Still sharp.
Second step:
"A warrior's place is marked by sweat.
The sky belongs to the patient."
These aren't warnings.
They're vows, Renji thought.
He took a breath.
One more step.
Third—barely legible, nearly erased:
"The ladder of strength is not on your back,
but in what you leave behind."
At the top, before the door—
a final inscription:
"The blade of the faithless will not cut.
Though the hand trembles, it will not find redemption."
Renji closed his eyes.
Just for a moment.
The stones remember what even the gods forget, Renji thought.
He opened the door.
From the darkness—a voice:
"So the loyal hound returns.
Welcome back, Renji."
Renji smiled.
But the smile never reached his eyes.
He stepped forward.
Into the storm.
----------------------------------------------------
Next chapter coming soon.