Grim spread his arms wide.
Dark magic boiled out of him, warping the battlefield as necromantic circles ignited beneath the shattered earth.
"Alright," he said, smiling like a man unveiling a masterpiece.
"I'll show you why I'm Number Six… and your first real challenge."
The ground split.
Five coffins of black stone tore their way out of the battlefield, each one radiating a familiar, oppressive aura.
Eryndor's eyes narrowed.
"…So that's your play."
The coffins burst open.
From them stepped the dead rulers of Atlas:
Garron Vale — earth incarnate, his transcendent form cracked but functional Michael — metal authority reforged through necromancy Lexus — darkness condensed into a hollow shell Nax — curse sigils crawling across his corpse Grim himself — standing at the center, throne dissolving behind him
Five enemies.
Five allies.
Grim chuckled.
"Five against five. Fair, no?"
Eryndor stepped forward, storm clouds answering his presence.
"I'll take you," he said calmly.
Grim's grin widened.
"Good."
The battlefield exploded into motion.
The moment Grim moved, the sky answered.
Storm winds collided with necrotic miasma as Eryndor vanished—reappearing mid-strike with lightning-coated fists.
Grim raised a skeletal hand.
Curses layered over one another—decay, erosion, suppression.
Eryndor punched straight through them.
Lightning detonated on Grim's chest, hurling him back—only for shadows to reform his body mid-flight.
"Storm authority," Grim muttered.
"Annoying."
Dark chains erupted from the ground.
Eryndor stepped between the links—his body phasing with storm resonance—then slammed his foot down.
THUNDERFALL.
Lightning crashed downward, tearing the battlefield apart as Grim countered with a necromantic wave that erased the strike halfway.
Their clash warped space itself—storm versus death, neither yielding.
Garron roared, earth surging around him like living armor.
Kaelus didn't slow.
Tempest Blade screamed as he moved—slashes landing in impossible angles, wind pressure drilling into Garron's defenses.
"You again," Garron laughed.
"Still standing?"
Kaelus smiled.
"Barely—but that's enough."
Garron slammed the ground, pillars erupting upward.
Kaelus ran along the air, kicking off invisible currents, spiraling downward—
TEMPEST CROSS.
Two intersecting wind arcs tore through Garron's torso, destabilizing his earth enforcement.
Kaelus finished it with a thrust straight through the chest.
Garron's form cracked… and collapsed into dust.
Michael attacked first—metal flooding the battlefield, blades erupting from every direction.
Rein didn't dodge.
He walked forward.
Metal bent as it entered his dominion.
"Cancel," Rein said.
Michael's authority failed.
Rein grabbed him by the face and smashed him into the ground—once, twice, again—each impact shaking the tower.
"You talk too much," Rein growled.
A final punch erased Michael's head entirely.
Curses flooded toward Stellar like crawling insects.
She stepped forward.
The air froze.
Curses slowed… crystallized… shattered.
Nax screeched and launched curse constructs—only for Stellar to move faster, her fists striking pressure points with surgical precision.
Ice bloomed across Nax's body.
"You rely on tricks," Stellar said softly.
She snapped her fingers.
Nax froze solid—then shattered into shimmering frost dust.
Darkness swallowed darkness.
Lexus tried to merge into the shadows—
—but found ownership denied.
Darius stood at the center, shadows bowing.
"You don't understand," Darius said calmly.
"Darkness answers me."
Chains wrapped Lexus instantly.
One pull.
One command.
"Execute."
Lexus vanished into the abyss—no sound, no return.
Grim staggered as the last of his resurrected champions fell.
"…Impressive," he admitted.
Eryndor appeared before him, lightning crawling across his body like a living mantle.
"Fight's over."
Grim laughed weakly.
"No… it's just—"
Eryndor's fist connected.
Lightning detonated inside Grim's core, storm authority ripping through necromantic bindings.
Grim collapsed, his body unraveling into ash.
Silence followed.
The battlefield stilled.
Five stood where thousands had fallen.
Rein cracked his neck.
"Mid diff."
Kaelus laughed breathlessly.
"That was fun."
Stellar smirked.
"Next."
Darius glanced upward.
"Rooms five through one won't be forgiving."
Eryndor looked toward the tower's higher floors, storm clouds tightening above.
"Good," he said.
"Neither will we."
The real ascent had begun.