Chapter 7 — Tower Catastrophe
The tower alarm rang before sunrise.
A deep metallic sound rolled across the city like distant thunder.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every hunter in the city immediately understood what that meant.
Emergency level alarm.
Inside the Dev residence, Devendra Dev opened his eyes instantly.
Years of tower expeditions had trained his instincts well. Even after retiring, the sound of that alarm still carried the weight of life and death.
He stood up quickly and grabbed his spear.
In the next room, Arjun nearly fell out of bed.
"What's happening?"
Devendra's voice was calm but serious.
"Tower emergency."
Arjun's eyes lit up immediately.
"Finally!"
From the hallway, Meera's voice came sharply.
"No."
Arjun froze.
"But—"
"No."
Her tone carried the quiet authority of someone who had treated far too many wounded hunters over the years.
"This is not training."
"This is real combat."
Arjun scratched the back of his head.
"Right…"
Kavya stepped out of her room already dressed in training clothes.
"Which floor?"
Devendra looked toward the distant tower visible through the window.
"The alarm code said floor seventy break."
Kavya's expression turned serious.
Golden Core level monsters.
If they escaped the tower in large numbers, the city would be in danger.
Arjun cracked his knuckles.
"Sounds fun."
Meera smacked the back of his head.
"Monsters that can kill Golden Core hunters are not fun."
Arjun rubbed his head.
"…noted."
At the end of the hallway, Aarav stood quietly.
He had already been awake before the alarm.
His calm eyes looked toward the tower.
Even from this distance he could feel it.
The disturbance.
Spatial instability.
Something had gone terribly wrong inside that structure.
And if his experience from nine previous lives meant anything…
This was only the beginning.
The streets were already filled with hunters when the Dev family arrived at the Hunter Association headquarters.
Armored cultivators rushed through the gates.
Weapons clanged.
Orders were shouted.
Above the building, a massive holographic display showed the tower status.
Several floors flashed red.
Floor 68.
Floor 69.
Floor 70.
And something even worse.
A symbol Aarav had not expected to see.
Portal fluctuation detected.
Devendra frowned.
"That shouldn't happen inside a tower."
A veteran hunter standing nearby muttered,
"This isn't just a floor break."
"It's a dimensional breach."
Arjun looked confused.
"What does that mean?"
The veteran answered grimly.
"It means something from another world might be coming through."
Aarav's eyes narrowed slightly.
Exactly as he suspected.
The boundary between worlds was weakening again.
The same pattern that had destroyed several of his previous lives.
Inside the briefing hall, the Hunter Association commander spoke quickly.
"All Golden Core and Nascent Soul hunters will participate in the containment operation."
"We are sealing the lower floors and preventing monsters from reaching the city."
A projection of the tower appeared above the table.
Red lights moved rapidly inside the structure.
"Current situation," the commander continued, "monsters from floors sixty-eight to seventy have broken through the tower gate."
"Estimated enemy strength: Golden Core level."
"Possibility of unknown species: high."
Devendra stepped forward.
"I'll join the expedition team."
The commander nodded.
"We need experienced hunters."
Kavya stepped beside him.
"I'm coming too."
Devendra hesitated.
"You're still young."
Kavya lifted her sword.
"I'm already Core Formation realm."
The commander glanced at her aura and nodded.
"She can assist."
Arjun stepped forward eagerly.
"And me!"
Devendra immediately shook his head.
"No."
"Spirit Awakening isn't enough."
Arjun protested loudly.
"I can punch—"
"You can punch later."
Arjun sighed dramatically.
Aarav watched the entire scene quietly.
He knew what would happen next.
This expedition would fail.
Not because the hunters were weak.
But because the enemy was not simply tower monsters.
Something else was coming.
Something he had fought before.
The tower gate opened.
A massive circular portal of dark energy stood at the tower entrance.
Hunters rushed inside in organized squads.
Devendra led one of the main teams.
Kavya followed beside him.
Arjun and Meera remained outside with the support teams.
Aarav stood near the edge of the crowd watching everything carefully.
Inside the tower…
the battle began.
Floor sixty-eight was already a battlefield.
Golden Core monsters filled the ruined landscape.
Massive wolf creatures with armored scales.
Serpents made of black crystal.
Hunters clashed with them in brutal combat.
Devendra's spear flashed like lightning.
One thrust pierced through a wolf monster's skull.
Another sweep shattered a serpent's spine.
Kavya moved like a silver shadow beside him.
Her sword cut through enemies with terrifying precision.
The training Aarav had guided for ten years now showed its true results.
Hunters nearby stared in amazement.
"That girl…"
"She's incredible."
But even as the hunters pushed forward…
Something else began happening deeper inside the tower.
A crack appeared in the air itself.
At first it was small.
Just a thin line of distorted space.
Then it widened.
Dark energy spilled out.
And from that crack…
A figure stepped through.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Wearing black armor covered in ancient runes.
Its eyes glowed faintly blue.
The creature looked around slowly.
Then it spoke.
A language none of the hunters understood.
Except one.
Outside the tower, Aarav's expression changed for the first time that day.
Because he recognized those words.
It was the language of his first life world.
The world of the Sword Emperor.
Inside the tower, the armored warrior drew its blade.
The weapon hummed with terrifying power.
Then it moved.
One slash.
A wave of energy cut across the battlefield.
Three Golden Core hunters were instantly torn apart.
The entire expedition force froze.
The commander shouted,
"Unknown enemy detected!"
"Strength estimate—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because the energy radiating from that warrior was far beyond Golden Core.
Far beyond Nascent Soul.
It was something the hunters of this city had never faced before.
Outside the tower gate, Aarav whispered quietly.
"Sky Sovereign realm…"
A level of power that should not exist in this world yet.
Which meant the portal connection had become far more dangerous than anyone realized.
Inside the tower, Devendra gripped his spear tightly.
He could feel the pressure of that warrior's aura crushing the battlefield.
Kavya stood beside him.
"Father…"
Devendra's voice remained calm.
"Stay behind me."
But both of them knew the truth.
If that creature reached the city…
Thousands would die.
Outside the tower, Aarav slowly stepped forward.
For ten years he had prepared his family.
For ten years he had watched the world carefully.
But now the disaster he feared had arrived.
And there was only one thing left to do.
Aarav Dev began walking toward the tower gate.
His expression was calm.
But deep inside his body…
something ancient stirred.
Because the moment of this life's end had finally arrived.