The descent did not feel like falling.
It felt like being pressed into place.
Kaito's boots struck metal—solid, unforgiving—followed by a deep, resonant vibration that traveled up through his legs and into his spine. The sound echoed endlessly, multiplied by massive structures hidden in the shadows.
The First Floor had no sky.
Above them stretched a ceiling of iron and stone, layered with colossal beams and rotating mechanisms that groaned under impossible loads. Pistons the size of towers rose and fell in slow, deliberate rhythm, exhaling clouds of heated steam that turned the air hazy and orange.
This place was not built.
It was forged.
Jun staggered forward, catching himself against a vertical support column. The metal was warm to the touch, humming faintly, as if the floor itself were alive—working, enduring, bearing the weight of every level above it.
— …This place… Jun muttered.— It's holding everything up.
Kaito nodded slowly.
He felt it too.
Every step pulled at his muscles, not with supernatural force, but with raw, structural pressure. Gravity here was honest. Relentless. Uncompromising.
Then—
The ground shifted.
A violent metallic clang thundered through the space as massive plates slid into place around them. Walls rose from the floor, slamming shut with earth-shaking force, dividing the area into multiple corridors.
— Kaito! Jun shouted.
A pillar dropped between them and the path behind, cutting off retreat.
At the same time, distant shockwaves echoed from other sections of the floor.
The others had arrived.
Elsewhere — The Forge Team
Ren landed on one knee, steel grinding beneath him as he absorbed the impact. The moment he stood, his expression hardened.
The weight here was different.
Heavier.
But centered.
— This floor… he said.— It wants us to stand.
Beside him, Gōrin cracked his neck, a feral grin spreading across his face.
— Good.— I was starting to get bored.
Saeko adjusted her footing, eyes darting across the towering machinery surrounding them—conveyor rails, suspended counterweights, rotating arms tipped with brutal precision tools.
Iori exhaled slowly.
— We're not alone.
The metal ahead split open.
From the darkness emerged a towering figure clad in layered industrial armor, plates bolted directly into his flesh. A massive hammer rested on his shoulder, its head scarred by countless impacts.
The Commandant of Mass.
His footsteps alone sent shockwaves through the floor.
— Ren, Gōrin, Iori said quietly.— That one's yours.
Gōrin laughed.
— Took the words out of my mouth.
Ren stepped forward, shoulders squaring.
— Let's clear our path.
Elsewhere — The Tribe Team
Shiori felt it before she saw it.
The vibration.
The resonance.
Ancient markings carved into the floor—half-buried beneath steel and rust—began to hum softly as she stepped forward.
— This place was built over something, she murmured.
Haneul's chains rattled softly at her sides as she scanned the shadows.
— And it doesn't want us here.
The air twisted.
Metallic tendrils slid from the walls, weaving together into a humanoid form bound by chains and segmented restraints. Its body moved unnaturally, each step accompanied by the sound of tightening links.
The Commandant of Bonds.
Its head tilted.
— Identified threats detected.
Shiori's tattoos pulsed faintly beneath her skin.
She inhaled sharply—and stopped herself.
Not yet.
— Haneul, she said calmly.— This one's yours.
Haneul smiled, chains snapping free from her wrists.
— Finally.
Back to Kaito & Jun — The Core
The corridor ahead widened into a massive circular chamber.
At its center stood a throne forged from layered steel and compressed stone—raw, angular, unadorned.
And seated upon it—
Gōrin no Ō.
The King of Foundations.
He did not rise.
He did not move.
Yet the moment Kaito stepped forward, the pressure doubled.
Jun staggered, dropping to one knee as the air crushed against his chest.
Kaito remained standing—barely.
The Ten's presence radiated outward, not as malice, but as authority. This was his floor. His domain. His rule.
A deep, resonant sound echoed—not a voice, but a vibration that carried meaning.
"So the Zero arrives."
Kaito clenched his fists.
Jun pushed himself upright, breathing hard.
"And the human who refuses to break."
Jun's eyes widened.
The Ten leaned forward slightly.
The floor beneath Jun's feet cracked.
Kaito stepped forward instinctively—
— Don't.
Jun raised a hand without turning.
— Let me.
Kaito froze.
— Jun—
Jun took a step forward, placing himself between Kaito and the throne.
His legs shook.
His breathing was uneven.
But his voice was steady.
— If this floor is about weight…— Then I'll carry it.
The Ten's presence sharpened.
The pressure on Kaito intensified, forcing him back, anchoring him in place like a living pillar.
"You understand."
The throne creaked as Gōrin no Ō stood.
The sound echoed like a war drum.
"Very well."
The chamber sealed shut.
Jun squared his stance, fists tightening.
Behind him, Kaito watched—unable to move, heart pounding.
Across the floor—
Metal screamed.
Chains clashed.
Steel shattered.
The First Floor had chosen its battles.
And none of them would be gentle.