Floor 5 was waiting for them.
Yamamoto and Yuri stepped through the portal and immediately knew something was wrong. The test administrator's platform was empty. No announcements, no explanations, no setup.
Just a massive arena with a single figure standing in the center.
"That's not good," Evan said, appearing next to them. He looked worried—more worried than usual. "That's Ren. A Ranker. Actually ranked, not just test administration."
The figure in the arena looked human at first glance. But as Yamamoto studied him, he saw the differences—too-smooth skin, eyes that didn't reflect light right, movements that were slightly off. The man wore expensive armor and held a spear that radiated Shinsu like a living thing.
"An Irregular," Ren called out. His voice carried easily across the arena. "The one who beat Evankhell. I had to see for myself."
"Great," Yuri muttered. "They sent an actual Ranker to test you."
"Who sent him?" Yamamoto asked.
"Probably Tower administration. Or maybe he came on his own. Rankers do that sometimes—challenge Irregulars to prove they're still relevant." She looked at Yamamoto. "You don't have to fight him. We can refuse, move to another floor."
"And he'll follow us," Yamamoto said. He'd dealt with this before—people trying to prove themselves by challenging the strongest opponent they could find. "Better to deal with it now."
He walked down into the arena.
Ren watched him approach. The Ranker's expression was hard to read—not hostile, but not friendly either. Evaluating.
"Genryusai Yamamoto," Ren said. "The Irregular who fought Evankhell." He spun his spear. "I'm ranked 97th. Want to see how your world's power stacks up against mine?"
"Not particularly," Yamamoto said. "But you're not going to leave unless I do."
"Smart man." Ren lowered into a combat stance. "Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. Just... measure you."
"You won't like what you find."
"We'll see."
Ren attacked.
Fast. Way faster than Evankhell had moved. The spear came in from three angles at once—or that's what it looked like. Some kind of afterimage technique combined with Shinsu manipulation. Each strike was aimed at a vital point.
Yamamoto deflected them all.
His staff appeared in his hand, moving in perfect arcs. Each parry was minimal, efficient, wasting zero energy. Ren's spear crashed against wood with metallic clangs that shouldn't have been possible.
"Interesting," Ren said, pulling back. "You read my Spear Wave. Not many people can do that on first sight."
"I've fought spear users before." Yamamoto adjusted his stance. "Your technique is good. But predictable."
"Predictable?" Ren laughed. "Let's test that."
He moved again, but different this time. The spear multiplied—not illusions, but actual Shinsu constructs. Ten spears, all attacking from different directions, each one solid enough to kill.
Yamamoto spun his staff.
The movement was simple, a basic kata he'd practiced for a thousand years. But the application was perfect. His staff traced a circle, and every spear that entered that space was deflected. Not blocked—redirected, sending them crashing into each other or spiraling off into the walls.
When the assault ended, Yamamoto was standing in the same spot, untouched.
"Okay," Ren said. He was breathing harder now. "You're the real deal. Time to get serious."
His Shinsu changed. Became denser, heavier, taking on a violet color. The spear in his hand grew, extending until it was twice its original length. Around Ren, the air started to distort.
"This is my True Spear technique," Ren said. "Full Ranker reinforcement. I've climbed for five hundred years to get here. Let's see how it compares."
He charged.
The speed was different now. Ranker-level speed that left afterimages, that broke the sound barrier. The spear came at Yamamoto like a bolt of lightning.
Yamamoto met it head-on.
He didn't dodge. His staff came up, caught the spear mid-thrust, and stopped it dead. The impact created a shockwave that cracked the arena floor and sent dust flying. For a moment, they were locked together—Ren pushing with all his Ranker-enhanced strength, Yamamoto holding steady.
Then Yamamoto pushed back.
Ren flew backward, hit the ground, skidded for ten meters. He came up fast, eyes wide.
"You didn't even use your Zanpakuto," Ren said. "That was just raw strength."
"Yes."
"And you're not even breathing hard."
"No."
Ren stared at him. Then, slowly, he started to smile. "Evankhell wasn't exaggerating. You're beyond normal scaling." He laughed. "Way beyond."
Yamamoto said nothing.
Ren stood up straight, lowering his spear. "I'm 97th ranked. I've climbed for five hundred years to earn that." He looked at Yamamoto with something like respect. "And you just handled me without even releasing your weapon."
"Are you done testing me?"
"Yeah." Ren dismissed his spear. The Shinsu around him returned to normal. "I came here thinking I'd put you in your place. Show you that Rankers aren't to be messed with." He grinned. "Instead, you just made me feel like a kid."
Yamamoto didn't respond to that.
Ren walked toward the exit. "I'm going to report back. Tell them you're the real thing. Probably save some lives—people who were thinking of coming after you."
"Appreciated."
"Don't thank me yet." Ren paused at the doorway. "You're on their radar now. The real powers. Top 100, maybe Top 50. They're going to want to know what you're about. Some will try to recruit you. Others..." He left it hanging.
"Let them come."
"Yeah." Ren looked back one more time. "You would say that. Good luck, old man. You're going to need it."
He left.
Yuri jumped down into the arena, landing next to Yamamoto. "That was almost too easy."
"He wasn't trying to kill me. Just measure me." Yamamoto looked at his hands. "But he was strong. A real Ranker, not just administrator level. If I'd fought him when I first arrived in the Tower, it would have been harder."
"You're adapting," Yuri said. "Learning Shinsu techniques, understanding how the Tower works." She studied him. "Getting more efficient every floor."
"Yes," Yamamoto said. "That's the goal."
They headed for the exit. Evan was waiting, looking relieved they hadn't destroyed the floor.
"That could have gone worse," the Guide said.
"It could have gone better too," Yuri countered. "Now word's going to spread even faster. Every Ranker with something to prove is going to come looking."
"Good," Yamamoto said. "I didn't come to this Tower to hide."
They walked through the portal to Floor 6.
---
High above, in the upper reaches of the Tower, a meeting was taking place.
Three figures sat around a table in a space that existed outside normal floors. They were shadows, visible but not really there—Rankers communicating through Shinsu projections.
"The Irregular," one said. Their voice was distorted. "Ren confirmed it. He's beyond normal scaling."
"Evankhell said the same," another replied. "Fire-based power that exceeds High Ranker level. He retained everything from his previous life."
"That shouldn't be possible," the third said. "Irregulars start with potential. They grow as they climb. But this one..."
"Started at the top," the first finished. "Yes. It's unprecedented."
"What do we do?"
Silence for a moment. Then the first speaker continued.
"Watch him. See what he does, where he goes, what he wants. If he's just climbing for personal reasons, we leave him alone. But if he starts interfering with Tower politics, challenging the order..."
"We eliminate him," the third said.
"Can we?" the second asked. "Ren is ranked 97th. He said the Irregular didn't even try. What if we can't stop him?"
More silence.
"Then," the first said slowly, "we'll need to call in someone from the Top 10. And we all know how much they hate being disturbed."
"It won't come to that," the second said, but there was doubt in their voice. "He's just one person. One Irregular. The Tower has handled them before."
"Has it?" the first asked. "Phantaminum destroyed an entire floor and left. Enryu killed a Guardian. Urek Mazino changed everything." They paused. "This Tower hasn't 'handled' Irregulars. It's survived them. Barely."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Make sure he stays friendly. Give him what he wants. Keep him focused on climbing, not on breaking things."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we pray to whatever gods might listen," the first said, "because a being with power beyond our scaling system? If he decides to tear this Tower apart..."
They didn't finish the sentence. They didn't need to.
---
Yamamoto walked through Floor 6, Yuri by his side, Evan floating behind them. He didn't know about the meeting in the upper floors. Didn't know that his climb had already caught the attention of the Tower's true powers.
He only knew one thing: he was going to keep climbing. Keep moving forward. Keep searching for whatever purpose this second life was supposed to have.
And if people got in his way?
He'd burn through them like he always had.
"What floor are we on?" Yamamoto asked.
"Six," Yuri said.
"One hundred twenty-nine to go," Yamamoto said. "Let's pick up the pace."
Yuri laughed. "You're going to kill every test administrator in the Tower."
"They'll adapt," Yamamoto said. "Or they won't. Either way, I'm not slowing down."
They walked forward together into the next test, into the next challenge, into whatever the Tower had waiting.
And somewhere high above, in the unreachable upper floors, the real powers of the Tower watched and wondered.
What had they let in?