Floors 11 through 14 were different.
Not in difficulty—Yamamoto's team breezed through them. But in tone. The tests were more serious, the administrators more cautious, and the other Regulars gave them a wide berth. Word had spread about the Irregular who fought a Ranker to a standstill.
No one wanted to be his enemy.
But on Floor 15, something changed.
They arrived to find the test area empty. No administrators, no other teams. Just a massive open space with a single figure waiting in the center.
Rak Wraithraiser.
The giant alligator Regular from Floor 2 stood there, bigger than Yamamoto remembered. He'd grown—literally. His body had bulked up, his weapons looked more refined, and his presence carried actual weight now.
"Prey," Rak said, pointing at Yamamoto. "You remember me?"
"Yes," Yamamoto said. "You challenged me on Floor 2."
"And you crushed me without even trying." Rak's eyes burned. "I've been climbing. Training. Getting stronger. All to face you again."
"Why?" Yamamoto asked.
"Because you're the strongest prey I've ever seen!" Rak slammed his fist into the ground. "And a hunter doesn't run from strong prey. He gets stronger and hunts again!"
Yamamoto's team looked nervous. Ran stepped forward.
"You want to fight him? You'll have to go through us first."
"No," Yamamoto said. He waved her back. "This is between me and him."
"But—"
"It's fine." Yamamoto looked at Rak. Something in the alligator's eyes reminded him of young warriors from Soul Society. The ones who challenged him to prove themselves. "He's earned this."
Rak grinned. "Good! No holding back this time, Prey!"
"I'll hold back less," Yamamoto said. "But full power would kill you."
"Then I'll just have to survive it!"
Rak charged.
He was faster than before. Way faster. His spear came in with real technique behind it—not just brute force, but actual skill. Someone had trained him.
Yamamoto blocked with his staff. The impact was significant. Not Ranker-level, but getting there.
"You've improved," Yamamoto said.
"Of course I have!" Rak attacked again, this time combining spear strikes with Shinsu enhancement. "I've been preparing for this!"
They fought. Yamamoto still held the advantage, but Rak wasn't a pushover anymore. He'd learned, adapted, grown.
After two minutes, Yamamoto swept Rak's legs and put the staff to his throat.
"You lose," Yamamoto said.
Rak looked up at him. Then grinned. "But I lasted two minutes. On Floor 2, I lasted five seconds."
"True."
"So I'm getting closer." Rak stood up, dusting himself off. "Next time, I'll last five minutes. Then ten. Eventually..." He pointed his spear at Yamamoto. "Eventually, I'll win."
Yamamoto studied the young warrior. That determination, that refusal to give up. It reminded him of someone.
Himself, a long time ago.
"You're strong," Yamamoto said. "But strength without purpose is just violence. Why are you climbing?"
Rak looked confused. "To hunt strong prey. To become the strongest hunter."
"And then what?"
"What do you mean?"
"After you're the strongest. After there's no one left to hunt. What will you do?"
Rak opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "I... don't know."
Yamamoto nodded. "Figure that out. Because when you're at the top, when there's no one left to fight..." He paused. "That's when the real questions start."
He walked past Rak toward the exit portal. His team followed.
"Wait!" Rak called. "That's it? You're just leaving?"
"You got your rematch," Yamamoto said. "And I answered it. There's nothing else here."
"But—" Rak hesitated. "Can I... can I climb with you?"
Yamamoto stopped. Turned around.
Rak looked almost embarrassed. "You're strong. Your team is strong. I want to learn. Want to get better. And the best way to do that is to hunt alongside the strongest prey."
"I'm not prey," Yamamoto said.
"You're prey to me. The ultimate prey." Rak's expression was serious. "So? Can I join?"
Yamamoto looked at his team. Ran shrugged. Laure looked curious. Novick and Ship seemed okay with it.
"You follow orders," Yamamoto said. "You work with the team. You don't charge in alone."
"I can do that!"
"And you stop calling me prey."
Rak thought about it. "...I'll try."
"Good enough." Yamamoto continued toward the portal. "Welcome to Team 3."
Rak let out a whoop that echoed through the arena.
---
That night, on Floor 16's rest area, Yamamoto sat alone on a rooftop overlooking the artificial city. The others were celebrating—Rak's addition had energized the team. But Yamamoto needed quiet.
He was thinking about Rak's question. What are you climbing for?
He'd spent his entire life protecting Soul Society, commanding the Gotei 13, enforcing the balance. And then Yhwach killed him.
Now he was here. In a new world, with new rules, climbing an impossible tower for... what?
"Deep thoughts?"
Yuri appeared next to him. She'd gotten good at sneaking up. Or he'd gotten distracted.
"Just thinking," Yamamoto said.
"About?"
"Purpose."
Yuri sat down beside him. "Still looking for it?"
"Yes."
They were quiet for a moment. The city below them was alive with light and sound. Regulars living their lives between tests, between floors.
"You told Rak to figure out his purpose," Yuri said. "Have you figured out yours?"
"No."
"That's honest." She looked at him. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing good work. Your team—they look up to you. You're teaching them, protecting them, making them stronger."
"That's not a purpose. That's just what I know how to do."
"Maybe that's enough." Yuri stood up. "Maybe you don't need a grand purpose. Maybe you just need to keep climbing and see what happens."
She left him alone with his thoughts.
Yamamoto looked up at the Tower stretching above. One hundred twenty floors left.
But climbing for what? Toward what?
He didn't know. And that bothered him more than any fight.
---
Floor 17 came fast. Another combat test—this one a free-for-all elimination. Last five Regulars standing would pass.
Thirty fighters entered the arena. Yamamoto's team stuck together.
The fight started chaotic. Regulars attacking each other, forming quick alliances, breaking them just as fast. Yamamoto watched, analyzing patterns.
Then he saw it.
A young Regular—maybe twenty years old—fighting three opponents at once. The kid was good, talented, but outnumbered. He was about to go down.
Yamamoto moved without thinking.
His staff swept through the attackers, dropping them in seconds. The young Regular stared at him in shock.
"Why did you—"
"Because you were fighting well," Yamamoto said. "Didn't seem right to let them gang up on you."
"But we're competitors."
"So?" Yamamoto turned to face the next wave of attackers. "Being competitors doesn't mean abandoning honor."
The young Regular hesitated, then nodded. "Thank you."
They fought back-to-back for the next five minutes. The kid was good—fast, creative, adapting quickly. Reminded Yamamoto of his younger subordinates from the Gotei 13.
When the dust settled, Team 3, the young Regular, and two others were the last standing.
"You pass," the administrator announced.
The young Regular approached Yamamoto as they headed for the exit.
"I'm Khun Hatz," he said. "That was... incredible. I've never seen anyone fight like you."
"Experience," Yamamoto said. "You'll get there."
"Can I ask—why help me? I'm nobody. Just another Regular."
Yamamoto looked at him. "You reminded me of someone. A long time ago."
"Who?"
"Myself." Yamamoto headed for the portal. "Keep climbing, Hatz. You have potential."
He left the young fighter standing there, looking inspired.
Yuri was waiting on the other side. She'd watched the fight.
"You helped him," she said.
"Yes."
"Even though you didn't have to."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Yamamoto didn't answer immediately. But the question echoed in his mind.
Why had he helped? What made him step in?
And then he realized.
Because it felt right. Because protecting the talented, teaching the worthy, leading the strong—that's what he'd done for two thousand years. It wasn't about Soul Society or the Tower.
It was about who he was.
"Maybe you were right," Yamamoto said to Yuri. "Maybe my purpose is just being who I am."
Yuri smiled. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
They walked forward together. Yamamoto's team—now including Rak—followed. More tests waited ahead. More challenges. More floors.
But for the first time since arriving in the Tower, Yamamoto felt like he understood why he was climbing.
Not for glory. Not for power. Not even for purpose in the grand sense.
But because he was a warrior. A leader. A protector of those worth protecting.
And that was enough.
---
Floor 18 appeared before them. The portal glowed, ready.
"Ready?" Ran asked.
Yamamoto looked at his team. Ran, fierce and loyal. Laure, smart and careful. Novick, quiet and deadly. Ship, young and eager. Rak, determined and growing. And Yuri, his equal and ally.
"Yes," he said. "Let's keep climbing."
They stepped through together.
One hundred seventeen floors to go.
And Yamamoto was ready for all of them.