The last construct shattered under Gale’s final strike, and its body collapsed into a heavy pile of fractured stone as dust settled into the deep cracks of the broken bridges.
Klein stood there at the edge, watching Gale standing amidst the dust with its body wrapped in that faint, swirling green current.
The energy around it felt sharper now and more defined, as if something within the spirit had settled into place during the fight.
Without any command Gale pushed off the ground and rushed back toward him in a blur of wind before slowing just enough to stop in front of him.
Klein lowered himself slightly, crouching as the spirit came to a stop.
The wind around Gale softened as it approached and the pressure turned into a gentler current that brushed lightly against him.
Klein reached out and placed his hand on its head.
"...You did great." he said quietly.
His fingers moved through the faint outline of its bod, feeling the condensed wind that made up its body shift under his touch.
He gave its head a light pat, "Attabo-"
Klein paused ’Wait a minute... is it a boy or girl? Orpheus did say something like, ’Every spirit is woman...’
"...Boy?" he muttered.
Gale tilted its head and then shook it.
"...Girl?" he tried again.
This time, Gale nodded.
Klein let out a quiet chuckle under his breath, "...Attagirl."
Gale’s ears perked slightly at that, and the green energy around her gave a faint, pleased ripple in response as she leaned just a little closer into his touch.
Klein straightened slowly, his hand falling back to his side as Gale moved with him, naturally falling into step beside him without needing another command.
His gaze lifted toward the distant platform where the exit gate shimmered faintly.
"...Let’s move, we have so many floors to go."
---
The eleventh floor opened into a series of narrow, winding tunnels filled with dense fog.
Visibility dropped to only a few meters.
Packs of fog-wraiths tried to ambush him from the walls.
Gale’s wind-enhanced senses cut through the fog and the jaguar struck first every time, ripping the wraiths apart before they could fully solidify.
The twelfth and thirteenth floors were filled with groups of armored beastkin constructs.
Floor 14...
Floor 15...
By the fifteenth floor he started using short-range spirit bindings to lock single targets in place while Gale dismantled the rest of the group.
The method was efficient and conserved mana.
Floors sixteen through eighteen were a continuous stretch of escalating combat.
On the nineteenth floor, an enormous guardian construct covered in layered stone armor blocked the exit gate.
Klein didn’t dwell much on itand smashed through it to the next floor.
[Hollow Crown Tower - Floor 20]
Klein stood on the wide stone platform suspended over the sand with Gale crouched low at his side.
A deep, grinding sound echoed from the far edge of the platform.
An enormous snake emerged from the darkness beyond the pale light bridges.
Its whole body was covered in red scales, and a pair of slit-pupiled eyes looked at Klein the moment the serpent fully rose, and a long tongue flicked out, tasting the air.
The presence it carried was on a completely different level from anything on the lower floors.
Gale’s fur bristled and the jaguar spirit let out a low, warning growl, but it did not advance.
Even the contracted spirit recognized the difference in power.
The enormous snake coiled part of its body onto the platform and the stone cracked faintly under the weight.
Its head rose high above Klein, towering over him as it swayed slightly from side to side.
When it opened its jaws, rows of curved fangs glistened, and a low, vibrating hiss rolled across the suspended floor.
Gripping his spear, Klein dashed forward.
Mana flooded his legs in a sharp burst and the stone platform cracked beneath the first step as he closed the distance in a single explosive surge.
The enormous black snake reacted instantly, and its massive body coiled tighter, rearing its head back to strike.
*hiss*
The serpent’s jaws snapped downward with enough force to shatter the platform edge.
Klein slid low at the last instant, letting the wind of the bite pass over his back, and drove the spear upward in a rising thrust.
The tip scraped along the underside of the snake’s jaw, sparking against the dense scales but failing to pierce.
The impact still forced the serpent’s head slightly off-line.
*swoosh* Gale lunged from the flank at the same moment, and green wind exploded around its claws as it raked across the snake’s side.
Sparks flew, and the jaguar’s attack bought Klein the half-second he needed to reset his stance.
The snake’s tail whipped around in a wide arc.
Klein planted his feet, twisted, and met the incoming mass with the shaft of the spear.
*THOOM* The collision sent a shockwave up his arms, but he redirected the force instead of absorbing it, using the momentum to spin fully around and deliver a heavy horizontal slash across the serpent’s midsection.
This time the spear bit deeper.
A thin line of black blood welled up where the blade had scorched the scales.
The snake hissed in pure rage and slammed its entire upper body down in an attempt to crush him.
Klein leapt back, then immediately reversed direction the moment the platform shuddered from the impact.
He sprinted along the length of the coiled body, and a white glint passed through his eyes.
[Trait - Spear Intent]
The air around the blade sharpened, and Klein’s next thrust did not bounce off the scales.
*spreech* The spearhead punched straight through the dense red armor with a wet, tearing sound.
He drove it in to half the shaft’s length, twisted hard, and ripped sideways.
*sleesh* A long, ragged gash opened across the snake’s side and dark blood sprayed across the stone platform in a wide arc.
*HISSS* The serpent convulsed violently and its massive body thrashed, nearly throwing Klein off his feet.
He ripped the spear free and immediately followed with a second thrust, this one aimed higher along the same wound.
The blade sank in again, tearing the opening wider.
Scales cracked and peeled away under the sustained pressure of Spear Intent, revealing the pale, dense flesh beneath.
Gale seized the opportunity, leaping onto the wounded section and digging both sets of claws deep into the exposed tissue that enlarged the injury even further.
The enormous snake reared back and turned its head to look at Klein with pure killing intent.
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