The staircase rose from the sand like a monument to something long forgotten.
It spiraled upward, carved from obsidian stone, glowing faintly with ancient runes that pulsed like a heartbeat beneath the surface.
Souro stood still, his body finally responding after the paralysis that had nearly killed him.
Twenty seconds.
That was the price.
Twenty seconds where he could not move.
Could not breathe.
Could not defend himself.
If Selene hadn't stepped in—
He exhaled slowly.
Albert was already climbing.
Of course he is.
Selene glanced back at Souro. "You good?"
"I will be."
Selene didn't speak. Her silver eyes were fixed on the staircase, as if she could hear something the others couldn't.
They climbed.
And the air changed.
The moment their feet touched the next floor, the world shifted violently.
The stone staircase dissolved into ash.
Heat surged upward.
The sky ignited.
Floor 2 was not stone.
It was a desert.
Black sand stretched endlessly beneath a cracked, burning sun that hung too low in the sky. Broken pillars stood scattered across the wasteland like the bones of an ancient empire.
The air itself shimmered.
It felt suffocating.
[Floor 2 Initiated]
[Environment: Sun-Scorched Dominion]
[Warning: Heat Resistance Recommended]
Selene wiped sweat from her brow. "This is worse than Floor 1."
Souro shielded his eyes. The sunlight felt unnatural—too heavy, too oppressive.
Albert stood still.
Completely still.
The sunlight wrapped around him like it recognized him.
The crescent mark on Souro's wrist burned faintly in response.
The two energies clashed invisibly.
Moon.
Sun.
Opposites.
A tremor shook the desert.
From beneath the sand, armored figures began to rise.
Tall.
Golden.
Helmets shaped like fractured halos.
Their armor radiated intense heat.
[Enemy Identified: Sun-Devoured Knight]
[Level: 999]
The level glitched.
Unreadable.
Nova clicked her tongue. "I hate when it does that."
One knight raised its blade.
The attack was immediate.
Selene dashed first, her blade flashing across the battlefield in sharp arcs of steel.
She was fast.
Precise.
But the knight barely staggered.
Albert stepped forward calmly.
The air around him shifted.
The oppressive heat bent toward him.
He raised his hand.
Golden light condensed in his palm—brilliant, blinding.
"Move."
A beam of concentrated solar energy erupted forward.
It pierced straight through the knight's chest.
The armor melted like wax.
The body crumbled into burning dust.
Silence fell.
Even the desert wind seemed stunned.
[Hidden Class Resonance Detected]
[Authority: Solar Alignment Confirmed]
Selene stared at him. "You've been hiding that."
Albert lowered his hand slowly. His expression remained composed, almost detached.
"My class was confirmed on Floor 1," he said quietly.
The system chimed.
[Hidden Class: Sunborne Sovereign]
[Authority Type: Solar Dominion]
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Radiant Supremacy]
Souro felt something tighten in his chest.
Sunborne Sovereign.
While I am—
Moonlit Refuse.
Refuse.
The word echoed in his mind.
Another knight lunged toward him.
Souro didn't retreat.
The crescent mark on his wrist flared violently.
Shadows poured from beneath his feet.
The knight's blade struck—
And split in half.
Dark lunar energy exploded outward, tearing through golden armor like fragile glass.
The knight disintegrated into ash and fragments of light.
Albert watched him carefully.
Gold eyes met silver.
A silent understanding passed between them.
Not friendship.
Not hostility.
Rivalry.
More knights rose from the sand.
Dozens.
The desert battlefield ignited into chaos.
Solar beams carved burning paths through enemies.
Lunar shadows shattered armor in violent bursts.
Nova moved between them like a phantom, finishing what they weakened.
Selene stood back—
But the cracked moon, faint in the sky despite the blazing sun, shimmered when she stepped forward.
The heat faltered slightly around her.
Souro noticed.
Albert noticed.
The system flickered again.
[Warning: Eclipse Probability Rising]
The cracked sun trembled.
High above, the broken moon began to rise.
The sky dimmed slightly.
Heat and cold clashed in the air.
The desert stopped feeling stable.
Something bigger was coming.
Albert looked up at the sky.
"So it begins."
Souro tightened his fist.
Floor 2 was not just a battlefield.
It was a proving ground.
Sun against moon.
Authority against rejection.
And somewhere above—
The sky was preparing to break.