The moment Shirou stepped onto the 11th floor, the air changed. Thick, suffocating mana pressed down from all sides like an invisible mountain.
[You have entered the 11th Floor.]
A faint breeze swept over the blackened stone beneath his boots, carrying the scent of smoke and ashes. Lightning cracked through the stormy sky above the mountain summit, casting flashes of white light across the cavernous space. This was the same place as before. Jagged cliffs stretched around him like the rim of a colossal crater, and glowing blue crystals pulsed from the rock walls, giving the mountaintop an eerie twilight glow.
Then came the rumble.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The ground shook with each step as if the world itself was holding its breath. From the shadows around the circular arena, eight towering figures emerged, their bulky silhouettes outlined by flashes of lightning.
They were enormous. At least ten feet tall, each creature looked as if it had been carved from the very mountain itself. Their bodies were composed of dense stone, layered like armour, interlocked with veins of glowing enchanted ore. Their eyes—if they could be called that—burned with molten mana, and at the centre of each chest was a spherical core, beneath that rock-hard shell
Shirou's eyes narrowed. "Garganite Titans."
They were slower than him. Weaker, too—at least by level. But they were relentless, and they moved as one. Like last time.
The circle closed around him.
Eight Titans. One Shirou.
He looked around calmly, then chuckled. "Only eight? Huh. Last time, there were ten."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I really did kill two permanently. Well figures… or I could just come back here again and again to grind levels?Which would have been great."
A second later, the Titans charged as one, stone feet pounding like war drums.
Shirou smirked, fire sparking in his eyes. "Ahh, I missed you too."
With a flick of his hand, a flash of crimson light formed in his grip. Inferno Fang materialized—its sharp edge glowing like heated steel, flickering with dormant fire mana.
The first Titan behind him lunged without warning, its arm swinging down like a collapsing tower.
Shirou didn't even look.
He dropped to a crouch, then rolled forward in a smooth blur of motion.
BOOM!
The Titan's fist slammed into the floor where he'd just stood, sending shards of stone into the air. But Shirou was already moving—eyes sharp, breath steady.
He burst forward like a flame catching wind.
The closest Titan came into view. Shirou leapt into the air, twisting mid-flight. He slashed across the Titan's chest in a flaming arc, aiming for the glowing core underneath.
SCREECH—CRACK!
The blade didn't pierce fully, but it left a glowing gash across the chestplate. Sparks rained down as the Titan recoiled.
"Too shallow," Shirou muttered as he landed. His eyes tracked the others.
Another Titan charged from the side, fists raised like twin sledgehammers.
Shirou slid under the first strike, his coat trailing sparks across the stone. He emerged behind the golem and spun into a rising slash.
CRACK!
This time, Inferno Fang struck true. The blade pulsed with fire, and Shirou pumped mana into it.
BOOOOOOM!
The Titan exploded in a shower of rubble and heat. Mana burst out like a shockwave, throwing dust into the air.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
"That's one," he said coolly, already turning.
The others didn't give him a second to breathe.
Seven Titans thundered toward him. Shirou blurred to the right, barely visible. One Titan reached for him—he kicked off its arm, using it as a springboard. Air twisted around him as he soared up and landed on its shoulder.
The Titan roared and shook violently, trying to dislodge him.
Shirou dug Inferno Fang into the shoulder joint.
CRUNCH!
Fire erupted from the blade's edge, and the Titan's entire arm exploded into fragments. Shirou launched himself into the air again, targeting another enemy.
One Titan swung at him mid-flight—he flipped and narrowly avoided it, but the shockwave sent him spiralling into a rock wall.
His body hit the stone hard. He winced.
"Okay," he muttered, shaking it off. "Still hits like a truck."
He landed on his feet and burst forward before the Titans could regroup.
A massive foot stomped down to crush him—Shirou rolled under it and sliced across the glowing ankle with precision.
SLASH—BOOM!
The Titan's leg exploded, and it collapsed, arms flailing.
Shirou leapt onto the crumbling body, then used it as a springboard to fly toward another golem. His dagger left a trail of burning crimson in the air.
He spun, slashing directly into the chest.
CRACK—CRACK—BOOOOM!
[You have defeated the opponent.]
Two down. Six left.
Shirou landed in a low crouch, sweat rolling down his brow. The Titans had adapted, forming a wider circle now. Smarter. More coordinated.
"Let's raise the tempo."
Two Titans lunged together, one from each side. A classic pincer.
Shirou waited—then suddenly tossed a ball of fire mana to the ground.
FWOOSH!
A pillar of flame erupted, creating a smoke screen.
Using the cover, Shirou burst forward between them. He slashed one Titan across the leg, then twisted upward in a coiling spiral of motion. The core was exposed.
He jammed Inferno Fang in with all his strength.
BOOM!
As the explosion lit up the smoke, Shirou already moved.
He climbed the back of the second Titan, stabbed the shoulder for grip, then flipped over its head. Mid-air, he hurled Inferno Fang directly into its glowing chest.
CRACK! BOOM!
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have levelled up.]
He landed on one knee and caught Inferno Fang mid-spin. "That's four."
The last four Titans trembled. They'd watched half their number fall. Their movements were no longer just calculated—they were desperate.
One charged blindly.
Shirou met it head-on.
He ducked the first swing, then leapt off the ground and struck the core directly with a surge of burning mana.
The Titan's body cracked apart as flames surged through it.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
The sixth Titan swung both arms together like a collapsing wall. Shirou jumped, bounced off its forearm, and slashed across its neck, then drove his blade downward into the core.
The explosion rocked the battlefield.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
Two left.
They stood together, backs touching, mana gathering in their chests.
"Trying something new, huh?" Shirou grinned. "Not bad."
He bolted before they could fire. One lashed out—he blocked with Inferno Fang, steel meeting stone. Sparks flew. The second Titan turned too slowly.
Shirou leapt behind it, drove his dagger into the back, climbed, and stabbed the core from above.
BOOM!
He landed on the arm of the final Titan as it howled in fury. It swung wildly, stone fists pounding.
But Shirou was already sprinting along its arm, closing in on the glowing chest.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Time to sleep."
With a final burst of mana, he plunged Inferno Fang into the core.
The Titan exploded in a brilliant storm of rock, fire, and light.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have levelled up.]
When the dust settled, only Shirou remained, standing in the heart of the broken arena. Around him lay the shattered remains of eight defeated Titans. His chest rose and fell steadily, his fingers still tight around Inferno Fang's hilt.
Then, a low hum.
A shimmering blue portal opened at the far end of the mountain top, casting an inviting glow across the battlefield.
Shirou wiped the sweat from his brow, flicked the dust off his coat, and let Inferno Fang vanish back into his inventory.
He rolled his shoulders with a smirk.
"Well... that got the blood pumping."
Without another word, he stepped into the portal, vanishing into the light.
The 12th floor awaited.