Lero-Ro then led the group to a large hall at the mothership's highest point. There, a muscular woman with white hair in a military uniform stood firmly, waiting for them. She was the Ruler of the second floor, Evankhell, one of the 300 strongest Rankers in the entire tower.
The test administrator was momentarily confused to realize that Evankhell was already aware of his schemes; however, he smiled slightly upon seeing that his superior seemed to accept his idea. "Lady Evankhell, I leave you this group of particularly talented young Regulars so that you can test them properly, knowing that they managed to bring me to my knees. You would agree that this group doesn't have to take their tests with the other Regulars."
"I observed the course of your special test. You did well to take that initiative, but now you can step back, Lero-Ro, and resume overseeing the tests. I will take care of them from here." she said in a professional tone, even though it was clear she was holding back her desire to fight.
When Lero-Ro left, all the Regulars felt the growing pressure of Shinsu emanating from the High Ranker in front of them. Even though they wouldn't admit it, seeing Evankhell look at them like that, with her haughty expression and her red eyes glowing with a scarlet light, instilled a feeling of fear in them.
"You two, the fencing princess and the clever kid from the Tu Perie family, can access the third floor, you have my full approval. You have used all your abilities to achieve the feat, as regulars of F-rank, of bringing down a Ranker who is not the weakest among us. You can be proud, and the second floor has nothing left to teach you." said the Ruler emotionlessly, only looking at Yeong, without even glancing at Rose and Aldwin.
The two teammates were surprised by such a statement, but they didn't rejoice, as they knew deep down at that moment that Evankhell had specifically planned something for Yeong. For if earlier her tone could be perceived as disconnected from reality, this time the Ruler of this floor spoke in a thoroughly contemptuous manner when addressing the heir of Yirang. "You, on the other hand, child of the Yeon family, have been particularly pathetic. You held back throughout both of your tests; in the first, out of fear of killing a competitor who is not a criminal, while your opponents wanted nothing more than your death..."
However, Yeong interrupted her angrily, delivering a speech filled with denial of the situation. "I'm not afraid of seriously injuring my opponents, Evankhell! I simply think that shedding blood is unnecessary in such a deadly trial when it's possible to make my enemies surrender."
"Dare not lie to me!" shouted Evankhell, slamming her hand on the table beside her and leaving a burn mark where she struck. "You could lie to someone else, but not to me, who possesses a flame similar to yours! I've observed that even in the fight against the princess of the Arie family, your flames had no intention of burning your opponent; you just wanted to scare her and force her into making a mistake. By denying the nature of your primitive flame, you bring shame to your heritage! Moreover, no one in the tower, except for the former princess Eurasia Enne Zahard and the head of the Ari family, Ari Han, is as foolishly pacifist as you are. But unlike them, you don't have the power necessary to be so. Indeed, if you want to impose your worldview, you must be stronger than everyone, even stronger than King Zahard."
"The young man from the Yeon family was truly stung in his pride and shouted at Evankhell as flames appeared beside him, fueled by his strong emotions. "You'll see! If I can't dethrone King Zahard and turn his entire corrupt system to dust, you'll see if I don't impose my pacifism throughout this tower! You're probably right about the first trial; I held back. But in the second, I didn't want to take my allies down with my flames, wasn't that obvious to you?!"
"Now, that's better, you're showing your true face, and your flames are growing with your determination. However, you're still being hypocritical. In your fight against Lero-Ro, what truly restricted you was your lack of confidence in your comrades and in your ability to wield your healing primitive flame, which in theory can save everything. You like to don a mask of support and humility, but in reality, you are someone who doesn't trust your allies and is very proud, thinking they wouldn't be able to dodge your flames." she said in an irrevocable tone.
Yeong couldn't help but grind his teeth in response to her words, laughing bitterly before retorting. "Indeed, it's hard for me to trust allies I've only met today, knowing that I've never known a single person in 18 years whom I could call my friend. However, you seem to know too much about the secrets of my family. May I ask where all this knowledge comes from?"
"In addition to being hypocritical, you are childish. Friendship has nothing to do with the advice I gave you. I wanted you to become aware of your pride so that you would use your flames to their full potential on every occasion, and that if, by misfortune, your teammates were caught by your offensive flames, you would have the confidence to save them with your green flames. But I must have expected too much from you, a lucky kid who inherited the two primitive flames of the Ancients." said the Ruler of the floor, sighing heavily.
Yeong furrowed his brows at the mention of that powerful species of the tower, now extinct, known as the Ancients. They resembled giant, superhuman creatures, each possessing a unique elemental power, but had ultimately been exterminated by Zahard and the leaders of the great families. The heir of the Yeon family knew that this was the most painful memory for his mother, as every time she tried to recall the event she had suppressed, she suffered from a severe headache.
"To answer your question, kid, you should know that your family head, Yirang Yeon, when she first ascended this tower, acquired her great powers through a very powerful member of a people that once existed in the tower. At the end of her training with her master, she was able to receive two immensely powerful abilities commonly known as primitive flames; one flame capable of burning everything like Shinsu, and another flame capable of saving anything.
However, few members of the Yeon family inherit one of these two primitive flames, as they weaken over generations until they become nothing more than an ordinary flame. The fact that Yirang Yeon has not had any direct children further reduces the chance of inheriting her powers. The reason I know all this is not that I am a banished member of the Yeon family, but because me and your family head share the same master she spared during the extermination of this people by the Ten Great Families. That's why, knowing all this, I wonder who you are to Yirang Yeon to have inherited her two primitive flames at their full power," she said, urgently demanding an answer.
Evankhell's entire monologue was listened to with great interest by the young member of the Yeon family, who calmed his anger and became eager to measure himself against her, knowing she was one of his mother's master's students. Thus, he introduced himself with dignity. "My name is Yeong Yeon, heir of the Yeon family and only son of its head, Yirang Yeon."
The Ruler of the floor, upon hearing this, was euphoric and cracked the knuckles of his hands, trying to suppress his bloodlust as much as possible. "Well, it's no surprise that you possess the two flames of the Yeon family, and I'm not surprised that a family head would adopt you, because you are, like them, an irregular. There's no need for you to be surprised and try to lie to me again; I've lived too long to know that a regular, even from a great family, could never manipulate Shinsu as you do, to the point of stopping a Ranker's attack dead in its tracks"
"Tsk! No use hiding it, I am an irregular," said Yeong, annoyed at having been discovered. "I would have been surprised if you knew one of Zahard's secrets and those of the family heads, had you not been a student of my mother's master. But I now know perfectly well where your information comes from, indeed they are all actually irregulars and not, as the other inhabitants of the tower think, some sort of gods. Now that you know my secret, what will you do with me?"
When Yeong let those words slip, Aldwin, who already knew this fact, was not surprised, but Rose was stunned, not only that Yeong was irregular, but that his father was one too. On the other side, when the young Yeon confirmed his suspicions, Evankhell displayed a carnivorous smile and let her flames pour all around her, significantly increasing the heat in the room.
"Ha, ha, ha, I knew it! This floor, as you must know, has formal orders to exterminate any irregulars or threats to the empire that may appear. However, since only the Rankers of Zahard's army have the right to intervene against regulars in the tower, the only way for us test administrators to take the lives of candidates is to propose a special survival test, so they lose their lives against us in combat.
Normally, I would completely ignore Zahard's orders and let you pass, but considering that we both possess the primitive flame that even destroys Shinsu, I am greatly tempted to face you. Yes, that's a good idea. If you manage to survive 5 minutes against my attacks, then I will allow you to ascend to the third floor. Regardless of whether you win or die, your allies will certainly be able to advance. But you can still refuse and wait for Zahard's army to come for you." She said with a wild smile.
His team wanted to intervene and help, but Yeong pushed them back with a bit of Shinsu and reassured them with a serious smile as he looked at his future opponent. "There's no need for you to intervene; this is not your fight. You've already secured your passage for what comes next. I am an irregular and the son of Yirang. If I can't survive 5 miserable minutes against one of my mother's master's students, then I will never achieve my goal. So don't worry, just wait for me and trust me."
"That's excellent; this is what I wanted to see, you're already showing improvement in your way of thinking." The Ruler of the floor's desire to fight could be felt radiating from her body. "Indeed, it would be a shame to end the life of my future opponent while he's still a child at heart."
"Thank you, Lady Evankhell. Thanks to you, I've become aware of some of my weaknesses. At first, I was afraid to meet you, scared of being killed by you because of my condition as an irregular. But now, I'm taking this opportunity, which may never present itself again, to test the limits of my flames and try to fight you." He said, eager to confront her for the first time in his life.
Evankhell crossed her arms and looked at Yeong with a semblance of respect before turning around and destroying part of the windows in her office with a single fire punch, creating an exit from her mothership to the battlefield of the first test. And before jumping down from such a height, even though she could have teleported, she addressed the son of Yirang. "For our survival test, we will take the battlefield below. All strikes are permitted, and we can use our full power, with no one to interfere."
Without jumping out of the window as Evankhell did, Yeong reached the battlefield by gliding with Shinsu. Once he landed, he assumed a fighting stance, preparing to deploy his flames."I am ready to survive, High Ranker Evankhell. Let's begin the special test!"
[ Yeon Yeong Shinsu Control Style - Great Tide of Flame ]
[ Evankhell Shinsu Control Style - Rare Orb : Inferno ]
The confrontation between the great tsunami of flames and the massive orb of fire instantly transformed the once pastoral battlefield into a sea of fire that engulfed everything caught in its flames, be it vegetation, Shinsu, or even mountains. The heat was unbearable, and only the two individuals fighting each other remained, seemingly unfazed by the destruction they were causing around them.
"You at least know how to defend yourself; that's something. Even though I'm disappointed in my flames, in the past, I would have already extinguished yours with mine and reduced you to ashes. But as I told you, the primitive flames weaken over time..." she said, this time launching not one orb but four.
But Yeong was not afraid at all; he was fortunate that his opponent was a wave controller like him. He used Ataraxia after analyzing her first orb to evaporate the Shinsu from the four orbs approaching him. Then, he made large movements with his arms and hands to shape a massive mass of fire into the form of a bird before launching it directly at the Ruler of the floor.
"Don't forget that I am an Irregular. Such an attack by Shinsu, no matter how powerful, will never be able to touch me. Blossom has always told me that I could have the ability to surpass her, and I will prove it to her by sending you this." He said, tensing all his muscles to unleash a powerful fire attack."
[ Yeon Yeong Shinsu Control Style - Phoenix Flight ]
As the enormous flaming figure was about to engulf Evankhell in flames, the High Ranker fearlessly pulled a kind of red tube from her pocket, which was the handle of a Shinsu weapon. By channelling her power into the object, a long blade made of fire emerged, allowing her to easily cut the flame phoenix in two, much to Yeong's disappointment.
"It's not a flaming pigeon that will overcome me. However, now that I've realized you're very strong at a distance and that you're trying to buy time against me, I won't hold back anymore. I will target your weak point: close combat, to see if you can survive the onslaught of all my fiery punches." She said, as she approached Yeong, while he sent all sorts of waves of flames at her, which she sliced through with her sword.
And despite all her efforts to try to push Evankhell away, she approached him and delivered a right hook, infused with all her offensive Shinsu to his stomach. The shockwave from this attack sent the young heir flying a great distance, as he spat out a trickle of blood from his mouth. When he tried to get up, he unfortunately couldn't, and his vision was blurred, but not enough to prevent him from still discerning the silhouette of his opponent in the distance.
He knew he had to take decisive action to survive, so he thought of something completely crazy, recalling the previous conversation he had with Evankhell.
"Argh! She hit me hard. Even if I heal myself with my green flame, she'll come to strike me again like earlier. I need to find a solution quickly, or this will be the end of my journey.
Even if I have to take her life, I must defend myself; I can't hold back for the sake of what's dear to me! But! There might be a potential solution, completely insane, that could help me win, detonating all the Shinsu present in the flames on the battlefield. I don't know how much damage it will cause, but even a high Ranker shouldn't survive such power.
But I might not survive either. However, as Evankhell said, I must trust my flames, especially the healing one" He thought as he prepared his plan."
[ Yeon Yeong X Blossom Shinsu Control Style - Phoenix Dress X Shinsu Explosion ]
Drawing on all his strength from his green flame, Yeong curled up like a worm in its cocoon before detonating all the flames on the battlefield. The effect was so powerful that the entire floor trembled under his attack, and Evankhell was caught in the blast of the Titanic explosion. But shortly after, as calm seemed to return to the horrific landscape of an ash-filled plain, a sound like that of an elephant echoed across the field before a great beast of fire appeared in the form of a fire elephant.
"Evankhell, this time you're very lucky that I'm here. The son of my father's best student seems to be a very powerful individual, capable of pushing you to your current deplorable state." Said the giant fire elephant majestically, which was an Ancient residing within Evankhell.
Yeong felt despair as he saw Evankhell's body still standing, laughing heartily, even though she was extremely injured. "Ha, ha, ha! Don't say that! I didn't expect to have so much fun in a simple survival test, as it's been so long since I've been this close to death!' she said in a slightly crazed voice, looking in the direction of the Yeon family member. "Yes, I want more! Show me all your abilities, show me how far your body can go!"
But before Evankhell could use all her power to turn Yeong to ashes, a scream suddenly stopped the Ruler of the floor from fighting, as he recognized the source of the noise. The being that made the scream soon revealed itself, it was a massive grey eel soaring above the entire floor, so large that Yeong and Evankhell looked like insects in comparison. The identity of this eel was that it was, in fact, the administrator of the second floor, who appeared to be truly angry about the damage his floor had suffered.
"Lady Evankhell. Your battle has been so loud that you disturbed my sleep. Moreover, if that weren't enough, you have turned this beautiful landscape that I created into ashes, even though you are supposed to preserve it, not destroy it, as the ruler of this floor. There will not be a second mistake; otherwise, I will be forced to make you leave." He said, before shooting a laser beam at Yeong, who couldn't do anything. But instead of killing him, it merely teleported him to the third floor.
"You shouldn't have intervened; we weren't finished with our special test!" Evankhell retorted, as her fire elephant returned to her body, and Rose and Aldwin were also teleported by the administrator.
"I have the right to intervene, especially when the irregular has passed your test. Indeed, five minutes have passed before you realized it, Evankhell." said the administrator of the second floor with authority.
Upon hearing this, Evankhell was frustrated and placed her headdress back on, briefly watching the administrator restore her floor to its previous state. "I understand, so I will wait until he becomes a Ranker, so we can fight full power."
From now on, after heavy trials, Yeong and his group have finally arrived at the third floor. But what new encounters await them in the future?