Tower of god:Skybender

The air on the 16th floor was heavy with an unnatural stillness, the mist swirling low over ancient stone pathways. The ruins here looked older than time itself—twisting spires and shattered archways stretched into an endless, fog-choked horizon. Shinsu hummed faintly in the air, alive yet eerily calm, as though the very floor was holding its breath.

Kael stepped cautiously through the ruins, his grayish-blue wings tucked close to his body. The weight of the battles below still clung to him, the chains on his arm faintly pulsing as they sensed something unusual. Each step crunched against broken stone, the echoes of his movements swallowed instantly by the thick mist.

Then he saw her.

Perched atop a crumbling archway, silhouetted against the pale light filtering through the mist, was a figure. A woman—her dark silhouette lithe and unnervingly still—watched him with unsettling intent. Her hair was dark and flowed like ink in water, her form draped in light, flowing layers that seemed to shift with the breeze. She radiated a quiet but dangerous presence, her sharp eyes—slightly luminescent gold—locked onto him.

As Kael's gaze adjusted, he realized what stood out most: nine tails. They stretched behind her like a fan of shadows, their tips curling languidly as though they had a mind of their own. Even at this distance, he felt the predatory weight of her gaze.

"Lost?" Her voice echoed softly, lilting like a whisper on the wind, but the undertone of it had a resonance that dug into his senses—a voice that seemed too human and not human enough all at once.

Kael tensed but didn't draw his weapon. "Who are you?"

The figure tilted her head slightly, golden eyes narrowing, amused but cold. With a graceful leap, she descended from the archway, landing with the softest of sounds. Up close, her presence was even more striking. Her porcelain skin and unnaturally sharp features lent her an otherworldly beauty, but the closer Kael looked, the more dangerous details emerged. The faint gleam of sharp claws, the slight sway of her tails as they moved like serpents, and the way the mist seemed to retreat around her feet.

"I could ask you the same thing," she murmured, stepping closer. Her posture was casual, but Kael's instincts screamed that she could strike at any moment. "Not many make it here unscathed."

Kael straightened, his gaze steady despite the unease that prickled at his skin. "I'm passing through."

Her lips quirked into a small smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Everyone here says that at first."

As she circled him, Kael noted how quiet her steps were, her presence like a shadow barely touching the ground. His chains pulsed faintly, responding to the charged air that surrounded her. She paused just behind him, her voice softer, almost teasing. "What are you looking for on this floor, winged one?"

Kael turned to face her, his chains subtly unfurling as a precaution. "That depends. What's waiting for me?"

The woman stopped, her golden gaze assessing him again—this time more curiously, as if weighing something about him that she wasn't ready to share. Her voice dropped lower, carrying a quiet intensity. "Your fate will depend on how well you listen."

Her form shifted slightly, the faintest ripple of shinsu revealing her true nature. For the briefest of moments, Kael saw the sharp, inhuman beauty of her Kumiho form—a flash of elongated fangs, golden eyes blazing, and the silent sway of those nine dark tails. The vision vanished just as quickly, as though daring him to question if he'd seen it at all.

"Name's Ami ," she said, her tone settling into something more neutral—yet still layered with that otherworldly calm. "If you're smart, you'll keep up."

Before Kael could respond, Ami turned on her heel and strode toward the mist, the motion so fluid it felt almost ethereal. Her nine tails drifted behind her, and with every step, the mist seemed to coil and move around her like it obeyed her will.

Kael hesitated for only a moment before following. He didn't trust her—not yet—but something told him that this woman, with her unsettling calm and dangerous presence, was more than she appeared.

The mist grew thicker as Kael followed Ami Han deeper into the ancient ruins of the 16th floor. Each step forward was marked by the faint hum of shinsu, as though the floor itself were alive and watching. Ami moved soundlessly, her golden eyes glinting whenever she glanced back at him, unbothered by the ominous atmosphere.

Suddenly, the mist seemed to part, revealing an open space unlike anything Kael had seen before. The walls rose impossibly high, cracked and weathered, with intricate carvings of celestial beasts and strange symbols snaking across their surfaces. The center of the room held a massive stone platform, the floor engraved with a grid-like pattern—rows and columns intersecting like a giant chessboard. At the far end of the platform stood a massive door etched in gold, pulsing faintly with energy.

The silence was broken by a low, rumbling voice.

"Looks like the last two have finally arrived."

Kael's gaze snapped upward to the source of the voice. On a raised podium at the far side of the room stood a hulking figure—a humanoid turtle, easily over seven feet tall, clad in a flowing crimson robe that contrasted with the gray-green of his thick, scaled skin. His eyes were small and dark but intelligent, and he held a long wooden staff, its top carved into the shape of a rook-like tower. The turtle-like figure exuded an air of authority, a quiet confidence that filled the room.

"Welcome to the Strategic Gate Test," the test administrator said, his deep voice echoing across the chamber. "I am Varo, your administrator for this floor."

Kael stepped closer, his wings rustling softly as he scanned the area. Ten other contestants stood in a loose cluster near the platform—warriors, scouts, and all manner of strange figures, each one looking as tense and wary as he felt. Among them, Kael recognized the telltale signs of strong shinsu users—blades crackling with latent power, energy cloaks shimmering faintly, and piercing gazes calculating every movement.

Ami came to a stop beside him, arms crossed loosely as she studied the administrator with an unreadable expression. "This should be interesting."

Varo planted his staff into the ground with a heavy thud, commanding everyone's attention. "Listen closely. The Strategic Gate Test is not one of brute strength alone. This challenge will test your mind as much as your ability to act under pressure."

With a wave of his clawed hand, the massive grid beneath them began to glow, illuminating the platforms in a checkerboard pattern—black and white tiles sprawling across the entire stone surface. The room itself seemed to hum in response as walls of shinsu shimmered around the edges, sealing off any escape.

"You will be split into two teams of six," Varo continued. "Each team will take turns making strategic moves across this board—think of it as a mix of shogi and chess, but with far greater stakes."

As he spoke, miniature constructs of golden shinsu rose from the grid—a series of pieces that resembled soldiers, knights, archers, and strange hybrid creatures. They moved fluidly, demonstrating formations as Varo narrated.

"Each player will control a piece on the board. The goal: capture the enemy team's 'King'—a role that one of you must assume. However, unlike a simple game, you will embody these pieces, moving yourselves across the board while adhering to their rules."

Varo's eyes scanned the crowd as the weight of the test settled on the participants. "The board will reward planning and punish recklessness. Some tiles are traps, others are enhancements—find them, exploit them, or suffer their effects. Use strategy, communication, and misdirection to succeed."

Kael's brow furrowed as he processed the explanation. "So we're the pieces? That means this is more than just a game. It's combat and tactics combined."

Ami smirked, her tails twitching faintly. "And here I thought today would be boring."

Varo's voice interrupted, his tone more commanding now. "Two minutes. Choose your King and strategize your formations. If you do not choose, one will be selected at random."

At once, murmurs broke out among the contestants as they sized each other up. The ten other participants split into two rough clusters, their distrust clear as they debated who would lead and who would take supporting roles.

Kael exchanged a glance with Ami. "We need to be on the same team."

Ami's lips curved into a sly smile. "I don't mind babysitting. Let's go."

Together, they approached a group of players gathering near the black side of the board. A burly man with spiked gauntlets was already arguing with a scout in a tattered cloak over who should take the King position.

"We'll lose if we don't pick someone with a brain!" the scout snapped. "You're all brawn."

"And you're too weak to hold it!" the burly man shot back, his voice booming.

Kael stepped forward, his tone calm but firm. "I'll be the King."

The two turned to glare at him, but something about Kael's unflinching gaze—and the chains pulsing faintly on his arm—seemed to silence them. He glanced at Ami, who tilted her head as if to say, Go on, let's see what you've got.

"I've led a team before," Kael said, meeting each of their gazes. "And I'm not here to lose."

The group hesitated for only a moment longer before the scout finally grunted. "Fine. But if you screw this up, we'll blame you."

"Fair enough." Kael turned back to the board, his mind already racing through possibilities. Six of us. I'm the King. That means I need to keep moving, protect myself, and rely on them to attack.

Ami tapped him on the shoulder, her voice low but sharp. "I'll play defense. You focus on calling the shots."

Kael nodded, a plan beginning to form. "You'll be the rook. You're fast and strong enough to hold the flanks."

Varo's voice boomed once more. "Time is up. Kings, take your places at the center of your teams. The game begins… now."

As Kael stepped onto the glowing grid, the tile beneath his feet hummed with energy, marking him as the King. Around him, his team moved into position—Ami standing tall as the rook, the burly gauntlet-wielder becoming the knight, and the scout taking the archer role. Across the board, the other team mirrored their movements, their King—a tall, cloaked figure—watching them with a chilling stillness.

The tension crackled in the air as Varo raised his staff high. "The first move belongs to the black team. Play wisely."

Kael's gaze sharpened as he scanned the board, studying the enemy's positions and the potential traps glowing faintly beneath certain tiles. His chains pulsed in time with his heartbeat as he lifted his voice, steady and confident.

"Rook—Ami. Take the left flank. Scout, find high ground. Everyone else, form a shield around me."

The game had begun, and Kael knew one thing for certain: the stakes were far greater than they seemed.