Apollo, on the other hand, calmly and slowly went towards the path that led to the ninth floor. He didn't know what he faced, as the eighth floor already pushed him to the limits, and even using fire and space rules, his strength wouldn't increase much, so he had to be careful about it.
As Apollo walked the radiant path toward the final trial—the Ninth Floor—the very air seemed to shift around him. There was only silence. A silence so profound it felt like the universe itself was watching… and holding its breath.
The sky above the path turned darker with every step he took, not with shadow, but with depth. Stars flickered, not in patterns of constellations, but as drifting remnants of forgotten realms. The path under his feet gradually dissolved into strands of golden light, unravelling behind him—no retreat.
"What will the Ninth Floor be?" he wondered.
His instincts screamed at him—it wouldn't just be another fight.
