The time it took the four of them to pass the fifth floor was not very different from how quickly they had climbed through the first four floors, but as the seconds turned into minutes, the difference in their speeds began to show more clearly.

At first, it was subtle, then it became obvious.

"Lady Vera has reached the seventh floor before Sir Veda!"

Nina’s voice rang out sharply, leading the cheers from her group as she pointed toward the glowing window above.

"Sir Veda isn’t far behind."

Linda replied from her side, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked toward Vera’s group, clearly displeased with how loudly they celebrated.

Not long after...

Felix and Henry both stepped into the seventh floor, their pace steady, though slightly behind.

Inside the tower, all four of them were now facing the same obstacle.

Elder Portia.

This floor slowed them down.

The Akia matches stretched longer as Portia moved with precision, weaving, blocking, and countering each shot with careful control.

On Vera’s side, Portia wielded the Big-4barrel revolver, firing in bursts that forced Vera to remain constantly aware, but Vera’s choice of weapon allowed her to counter quickly.

Her eyes remained calm and focused.

Every movement were calculated.

Round after round of gunfire echoed through the floor, bullets clashing mid-air, sparks flashing with each collision.

After nearly thirty round exchanges...

Vera found her opening.

Her body shifted slightly with her gun aligned.

Bang!

Portia fell fading into dust.

While on Veda’s side, the battle was more physical in nature.

Portia used the Acu-Vector Mk.I., unleashing rapid bursts that pressured him continuously.

Veda moved.

Not just dodging but weaving between needles after needles.

His revolver was used almost like a baton, deflecting shots, redirecting force, keeping his body within the circle while minimizing damage.

In close combat, Veda was overwhelming, but Akia was different.

Here...

Precision mattered more than instinct.

His accuracy lagged slightly behind Vera and Felix.

So, the battle dragged on, then something changed.

His movement sharpened and speed increased.

Cognis surged through his body as he performed alchemy mid-motion, creating bullets for his revolver while still evading incoming attacks.

Bang!

He fired.

Moved and reloaded.

Bang!

The timing between his shots tightened, nearly overlapping.

Portia could not keep up and four bullets struck her body causing her to collapse and vanish before hitting the ground.

The door appeared.

Veda moved without hesitation.

On Felix’s side...

The approach was different.

He relied more on calculation and on advantage.

That’s why he created the AK-47.

Using its size, he blocked incoming needles, absorbing attacks while waiting for openings.

Then...

He fired.

Controlled bursts, with precision

However, his weakness showed blatantly that his physical reaction speed was not enough to fully capitalize on his advantage, and Portia, even in her Novice form, was not someone who could be overwhelmed easily.

She dodged and countered.

Dragging the fight longer than Felix wanted.

Minutes passed and eventually her Cognis began to run low, slowing down her movement which helped Felix in pressing harder and finally, he broke through.

On Henry’s side, the struggle was clearer.

He lagged behind the other three, but he still pushed forward, forcing his way past the seventh floor after spending more time than the rest.

Outside...

Priscilla and Bale watched closely, their eyes fixed on the tower, waiting for someone to fall so they could enter while the noise from every group grew louder as the cheers overlapped, the energy in the training ground rising now that Veda, Vera, Felix and Henry had reached what could clearly be called the first true wall of the trial.

This floor demanded time.

Focus and control.

To face Lord Astraea.

When Veda stepped onto the circle and her figure formed across from him, standing still with that same composed posture, his expression tightened just a little, his jaw set and his gaze narrowed showing something deeper.

There was clear resentment there.

Locked and unspoken.

The light turned green.

Both of them moved at the same time.

Veda did not hesitate, nor did he allow his thoughts to wander, because he understood that even a brief moment of hesitation here would cost him everything. He refused to give her that space, refused to let the fight stretch longer than necessary.

They were both Binder rank Alchemists.

Their strength was close, but he was faster.

His hands moved sharply, pulling out the material and completing the alchemy in one clean motion, his weapon forming just before hers had fully taken shape.

AA-12.

He gripped it firmly, his eyes steady and focused.

BANG!

The first shot tore through the air without delay.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

He continued firing without pause, his shoulder absorbing the recoil as he pressed forward within the limits of the circle, his stance firm and grounded. He did not stop to observe the result, did not slow down to confirm the hit.

He kept shooting.

Even as Astraea’s SAR-80 began firing back, the two streams of attacks collided mid-air, sparks bursting as pellets and bullets clashed violently.

Then...

An explosion.

The impact from the collision shook the space, dust rising from the ground.

Veda did not stop.

He made sure he emptied the gun completely.

Click.

Only then did the firing cease.

Astraea’s body had already been thrown out of the circle by the sixth shot, her form breaking apart as the door appeared.

Veda lowered the gun slightly and stepped forward immediately, not wasting a single second.

To those outside, it looked like a clean and overwhelming victory, but only Veda knew...

What it had cost him to force that speed.

On Vera’s side, the moment she stepped onto the circle and Astraea appeared before her, her eyes remained calm, as if she wasn’t facing an opponent but simply observing something that needed to be solved.

Both of them chose the same weapon.

AK-47.

They raised their guns at the same time.

The moment the light turned green...

They fired.

Gunshots echoed rapidly as bullets collided in the air, sparks scattering while the ones that slipped past were dodged with minimal movement, each shift of the body precise and measured.

Round after round, they continued.

Neither side, breaking rhythm, neither side gaining advantage.

Their speeds matched and their reactions matched.

Each of them reading the other.

But Vera watched more than she reacted.

Her eyes followed every movement Astraea made, from the angle of her shoulders to the timing of her trigger pulls, her mind quietly breaking everything down piece by piece.

Then...

A small smile appeared.

Not wide nor obvious, but there because she had seen enough.

Her body tilted slightly to the right just before Astraea fired like she already saw the future action that Astraea will take.

The bullet passed the space where her head had been.

At that same instant...

Vera fired.

Her shot struck Astraea’s left leg.

Causing a shift, a slight imbalance and that was enough.

Vera stepped forward in one smooth motion, her grip steady as she adjusted her aim and fired again in controlled bursts.

The shots landed clean.

Astraea’s head snapped back as the final bullet connected.

Her body dissolved.

The door appeared.

Vera lowered her gun, her expression returning to calm as if nothing had happened, then she blew a small kiss toward the fading figure before walking through the door.

Meanwhile...

Felix and Henry remained on the eighth floor, the difference in their situation was clear.

They struggled.

Astraea’s attacks forced them into defense, her shots coming at angles that made it difficult to counter cleanly, dragging the fight longer than either of them wanted.

Time passed.

More time.

They remained there fighting and enduring with everything they had until...

Nearly an hour had gone by.

At that point, the focus shifted upward.

Veda and Vera had already reached the ninth floor.

Facing Lord Val.

The difficulty rose again.

The moment the match began, both Veda and Val chose the same weapon.

AA-12.

BANG!

The first shots collided, the impact sending vibrations through the floor as dust lifted into the air.

They did not move unnecessarily, not wasting any motion and no hesitation in their action.

They stood within their circles, firing, blocking, countering.

Each blast from the shotgun struck with force, the recoil traveling through their arms as they maintained their footing, their bodies steady despite the pressure.

When the drum ran empty, they moved fast.

Alchemy activated and a new drum bullet holder formed.

They reload at the same time and...

BANG!

Again, and again.

The rhythm continued.

Create, fire, empty and create.

The fight stretched longer than any before it, their Cognis being pushed further with each exchange, their stamina steadily draining as neither side gave ground.

The air filled with smoke and dust, the echoes of explosions bouncing off the walls as the battle continued without pause.

This was no longer an Akia of quick draw, but now an Akia of endurance.

On Vera’s side, the moment the fight began against Lord Val, she didn’t try to overpower him. Instead, she stayed on the defensive, her body moving lightly within the circle as she adjusted her stance, choosing to observe rather than clash head-on.

The weapon she formed this time was the SAR-80.

Compared to the AA-12, it lacked the same raw destructive force, but it gave her control, precision, and consistency—something she clearly preferred in a fight like this.

Val, however, did not hold back.

His heavy weapon fired with force, each shot carrying weight that shook the ground slightly, forcing Vera to step back, pivot, or tilt her body just enough to avoid direct hits while returning fire in measured bursts.

The fight stretched.

Time passed with minutes turning into more than an hour.

The repeated cycle of firing, evading, reloading, and recreating weapons pushed both of them further, their Cognis steadily draining with every action.

Vera’s breathing became slightly deeper, her fingers tightening just a bit more around her weapon each time she recreated it, yet her expression remained composed, her eyes still calm as she continued to watch Val’s movements closely.

She was waiting.

And Veda...

On his side, the situation was not much different.

His fight was just as intense.

Just as long.

The two of them, though using different approaches, had reached the same conclusion.

They couldn’t overpower him directly.

So instead they endured.

Both Veda and Vera slowly pushed the fight into a battle of attrition, relying on their slightly higher Cognis reserves and better control to outlast the illusion.

They did not rush nor did they panic.

They forced Val to keep firing.

Again, and again until...

The small signs appeared, a slight delay in his movement and a faint drop in reaction.

The moment Val showed signs of his stamina thinning, both of them acted decisively, tightening their attacks and finishing the fight.

It had been long, but they had won.

At that same time, the twins stepped onto the final floor.

Their father stood there facing them.

Younger, but no less imposing.

Down below...Felix had just reached the ninth floor.

The moment he saw Val appear, something in him snapped into place.

He did not think twice, quickly, he pushed his Cognis immediately.

Higher.

Higher than before.

His veins surfaced along his neck and arms as he forced the energy through his body, ignoring the strain as he performed his alchemy.

A dual-barrel shotgun formed in his hands.

Blood began to drip from his nose and from the corner of his eyes, but he didn’t care.

Across from him, Val raised the Baske 1945.

The light turned green.

Val fired first.

The shot came fast.

Felix barely reacted immediately, his mind racing as he calculated the trajectory, his body moving as he pulled the trigger...

BANG!

His shot met Val’s.

The collision created a violent explosion between them, the force expanding outward and pushing against Felix’s body hard enough to almost throw him out of the circle.

His legs trembled under the pressure.

But he held himself from falling by forcing more Cognis into his legs, muscles tightening as veins bulged, anchoring himself to the ground while the wind from the blast pressed against him.

Val... stood firm, his body steady as he blocked the scattered debris and particles without shifting his stance.

Felix’s breathing became heavy and rough.

Each inhale sharp, each exhale uneven, but Val still looked composed and barely affected.

On the other part of the tower... Henry was still fighting Astraea.

Time continued to pass.

Another hour.

The battles dragged on.

Above...

Veda and Vera continued their fight against their father, neither able to gain a clear advantage anymore as their Cognis reserves dropped closer to their limits, their movements slowing just slightly compared to before.

Below...

Henry finally broke through, but just barely.

One of his arms had been blown off, blood staining his side as he forced himself forward, step by step, until he reached the circle on the ninth floor.

He stepped in.

The fight started...And ended almost immediately.

Val raised a different weapon this time.

Springfield M1903A4.

A sharp sound cut through the air.

Henry didn’t even have time to react. The bullet pierced straight through his head.

His vision blurred and in the next moment...

He was outside.

Priscilla had already grabbed him and dragged him out of the door without hesitation.

"Move it," she said plainly, not even looking at him.

Henry blinked, his sight still unfocused as he looked down at his body, noticing the injuries had already been reset.

A weak laugh escaped his mouth.

His eyes were still a little hazy, but he steadied himself, then lifted his gaze toward the tower.

Up there...

Veda and Vera were already on the final floor.

"I really did want to challenge the last floor..." he muttered, letting out a quiet breath.

He turned and walked back toward his group.

The moment they saw him, cheers erupted, loud and proud, their voices overlapping as they celebrated the fact that their leader had reached the highest point among them.

Henry raised a hand slightly in response, his expression returning to normal as he sat down.

Behind him...

Priscilla stepped forward to the door scanning her card and entered the tower.