The Whale struggled violently.
Then, a lone knight appeared, rushing in to save the day.
"You guys need help?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate it," Cinister replied quickly as he landed beside him.
Ragna enveloped his sword in electricity and sliced the Whale in half, but it regenerated instantly.
"Well, that sure is an annoying ability," Ragna said.
"Yeah, I really can't see us winning," Cinister said. "Unless we find its weak spot."
"Weak spot?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah. I was watching it the whole time, and it always heals the same way," Cinister explained.
"You mean from side to side?" Ragna asked.
"Exactly. So what if we combine [FireGun] and [AquaBlades] to create mini explosions?" Cinister suggested.
"Good idea, but we'll need a minute to prepare that," Ragna said with a scoff.
"Yeah, I know," Cinister replied. "Alya, you ready?"
"Yeah, of course," Alya said as she went blow for blow with the Whale, weaving through its attacks.
Cinister and Ragna moved closer, trying to synchronize their mana and form a powerful Conjoined Nexus. Flames and water swirled together, but the energy destabilized.
The spell fizzled out.
"Damn this is the third time" Ragna muttered.
"Our timing's off," Cinister said. "Its pressure is messing with the flow."
The Whale roared and slammed the sea floor, forcing Alya back.
"Can you guys hurry it up, I'm on my last legs" Alya shouted.
Cinister clenched his fist. "I think my adrenaline is too high from my blue flames."
"Shit, should I try to raise mine then?" Ragna asked.
"No. Just stab me in the leg," Cinister said.
"What? There's no way I'm doing that," Ragna replied.
"It's fine. I'll heal it later," Cinister said.
"No, I refuse," Ragna shot back.
Cinister suddenly grabbed Ragna's sword. Sparks erupted instantly, electricity surging through Cinister's body and forcing his mana to stabilize.
"What the hell, dude?" Ragna shouted.
"Quick. Cast the spell," Cinister said through clenched teeth.
They both began casting their spells at the same time. Fire and water clashed, then synchronized perfectly, forming a true Conjoined Nexus.
Ragna's [AquaBlades] ignited with Cinister's [FireGun], each blade tipped with compressed explosions. One hundred fifty blades shot forward in a devastating barrage.
The Whale was engulfed in consecutive detonations, its massive body blown apart, revealing a glowing core at its center.
"That's it," Alya said.
She activated [Sneak] and drove her blade straight into the core.
The Whale let out a final, deafening cry before collapsing lifelessly into the depths.
"Finally. That took forever," Cinister said, exhausted.
"Can we move on to the next floor now?" Ragna asked.
"No," Cinister replied. "According to the textbook, there are three Whales that can merge into a greater one. Since we killed two of them, that means a weaker version of that final Whale should be left."
As soon as he finished speaking, the last Whale approached.
It was far, far bigger than the merged one.
The three of them stared at it in silent fear. Then, unexpectedly, the Whale stopped and bowed its massive head.
"Huh?" Alya said, just as confused as the others.
A shout echoed from the top of the Whale.
"Hey guys, what's up!" Allen waved enthusiastically as he hopped down from the Whale's head.
"That's your pet?" Cinister asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. She's the best, right?" Allen said proudly.
"NO! THAT THING IS 543 TIMES BIGGER THAN YOU!" Ragna shouted.
"So specific," Cinister muttered.
"Anyway, I'm guessing you guys want to go to the next floor, right?" Allen asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Cinister replied.
"Well, normally you'd have to kill my pet here," Allen said casually, "but I already smashed the door to the next floor."
"You did what?" Alya asked.
"You know what, let's just not question it," Cinister said as he started dragging Ragna and Alya toward the next floor.
"I'll be waiting for our next fight, Cinister," Allen called out.
"Yeah. It'll be sooner than you think," Cinister replied calmly.
The Fangra, or at least its remaining members, arrived on the Twelfth Floor.
It was a peaceful village where people grew crops, played games, and lived quietly. A floor where technology did not exist.
"We should find a place to stay, right?" Cinister said.
"Yeah," Ragna agreed. "We should rest up and prepare. Almost all our gear was wiped."
The group wandered through the village until they found a small inn. It looked clean, welcoming, and cheap enough to fit their situation.
They went inside, paid for a room, and were given a simple key.
Once inside, they set their belongings down, exhaustion finally catching up to them.
For the first time in a while, the Tower felt quiet.
"Guys, I'm going to see my mother back on the surface," Alya said.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to see my parents too," Ragna added.
"Okay. Just be back in twenty days," Cinister said.
"Will do," they both replied before heading out.
Cinister left the inn soon after and climbed a nearby hill where a gentle breeze rolled through the grass. He raised his arms slightly, then lay back and stared up at the sky.
"I never thought I'd make it this far," Cinister said quietly. "Back in school, I was always bullied by popular kids for being weird. But now it feels like I don't care anymore."
He closed his eyes, letting the wind wash over him.
"It feels like that small part of my past has finally let go of me," he continued. "I can honestly say that I'm free."
A shadow suddenly fell over him.
"What's up, Choi?" Cinister asked.
"Nothing. Just wanted to check on my buddy," Choi replied calmly.
He sat down beside Cinister. "Doesn't this remind you of school, in some strange way?" Choi asked.
"Yeah. Even if it doesn't make sense, I can't help thinking about how it felt back then," Cinister said.
They lay there in silence, watching the sun sink below the horizon as the sky darkened. One by one, the stars began to shine brightly above them.