Regression of the Tower's Final Survivor-Chapter 39: Seira’s Choice

Seira Valen was waiting at the Floor 9 exit gate, her dark hair unmistakable even among the scattered groups of climbers near the portal.

Dante spotted her before she noticed him, noting how exhausted she looked with her usual polish worn away by whatever the Burning Halls had done to her. Her team was smaller than before, four survivors where there should have been six, the missing faces presumably left somewhere in the volcanic depths.

’Two dead, then. Wonder which ones didn’t make it.’

"She followed us all the way from Floor 8." Astrid adjusted her axe strap without looking at the woman in question, her tone making it clear exactly what she thought about that. "Like a lost dog that won’t take a hint."

"Her choice to make." Dante angled toward the gate instead of the gathering area where Seira had positioned herself, keeping his pace steady. "We don’t owe her anything."

"She looks like she wants to talk, though." Astrid matched his stride, boots crunching on the volcanic gravel that Floor 9 left everywhere. "Got that desperate look going on."

"She always wants to talk, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen."

Seira had spotted them now, though, moving to intercept with quick steps that bordered on frantic while the calculated charm from Floor 8 stripped away completely from her expression.

"Dante, please." She stepped directly into his path, forcing him to either stop or walk through her. "I need to speak with you."

He stopped because making a scene would draw exactly the attention they didn’t need, though he didn’t bother hiding his irritation. "Make it quick."

"I know you hate me for reasons you won’t explain, from some past I don’t share." She kept her voice low while glancing at nearby climbers who were definitely pretending not to listen. "But I’ve lost two people since the last floor, good climbers who were also friends, so my remaining team is barely holding together."

"I’m sorry for your loss, but that doesn’t change anything between us."

"It changes everything." She stepped closer while behind Dante, Ravenna’s heat signature spiked as she shifted into something protective. "I can’t finish Floor 10 with what I have left since Leon is burned across half his body, Sera can barely walk, so we need help or we’re going to die on that floor."

Leon and Sera, two names that dragged up memories he didn’t want.

’Those were YOUR teammates once, faces you remember from another timeline before the higher floors claimed them like everyone else.’

Knowing they were suffering somewhere behind him, knowing they might die on a floor he conquered years ago, made something twist uncomfortably in his chest.

’This isn’t your problem since you don’t owe her anything, don’t owe THEM anything, though the voice in your head sounds hollow when you think it.’

"What exactly are you asking?" He uncrossed his arms since the defensive posture wasn’t helping.

"Join forces for Floor 10, just that one floor." She clasped her hands together with knuckles white from tension. "Once we’re through the gate, you can go your way while I go mine, so I’ll never bother you again if that’s what you want." Her brown eyes searched his face with desperation that looked genuine. "I’m not asking for forgiveness for whatever I did in your other life since I’m only asking for mercy for people who haven’t done anything wrong." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Ren cleared his throat, shifting his weight so his shield scraped against his back. "She’s not wrong about the tactical value since we’ve got four capable fighters, but her team would add a tank plus a healer for a floor boss scenario."

"Or they’re dead weight that slows us down." Astrid was already shaking her head because injured people in combat were liabilities in her experience.

"They wouldn’t be dead weight." Seira’s voice sharpened as she turned toward Astrid. "Leon is our tank, so even injured he’s one of the best defenders I’ve ever seen, while Sera is a healer who’s low level but effective, meaning actual healing magic so your people don’t die from wounds that potions can’t handle."

A tank plus a healer meant two roles his party currently lacked in specialized form since Ren was versatile but wasn’t built for dedicated tanking, while none of them had real healing abilities beyond potions.

’You’re actually considering this, actually considering working with HER, which means you’re either growing as a person or losing your mind.’

He was considering it, though, so he might as well figure out if it made tactical sense.

Dante looked at his team while reading their expressions the way he’d learned over weeks of climbing together. Ravenna’s eyes were hard with opposition obvious in every line of her face, though she wasn’t objecting out loud since she was trusting him to make the call. Astrid had shifted to neutral while earlier hostility gave way to practical calculation. Ren was still running scenarios behind his eyes, already figuring out how to make seven fighters work better than four.

In the back of his mind, Dante heard the echo of his own words about saving people when he had the chance.

’You said you were done letting people die when you could prevent it, so did you mean it or not?’

"One floor." The words came out before he could second-guess them. "We fight together through the gate while clearing whatever Floor 10 throws at us, then we part ways permanently with no exceptions or extensions."

Relief flooded Seira’s features, her shoulders dropping as tension bled out of her frame. "Thank you, you won’t regret—"

"Don’t thank me since you shouldn’t mistake this for forgiveness." He stepped closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "This is logistics, nothing else, because your people might help us survive so that’s the beginning and end of what this arrangement means."

"I understand." She held his gaze without flinching, something in her eyes that looked almost like respect.

"Make sure you do."

He walked past her toward the gate while his party fell in around him, Ravenna on his left with Astrid on his right while Ren brought up the rear. Behind them, Seira gathered her wounded team with quiet efficiency.

’You’re either being smart or being stupid, though you won’t know which until one of them gets someone killed or saves a life that would have been lost without them.’

Ravenna’s hand brushed against his for just a moment, warm against his skin in a way that grounded him.

’Guess we’ll find out together.’

---

Floor 10’s gate hummed with building energy as they approached, its surface larger than previous transitions, rippling with patterns that suggested something significant waited beyond.

Other climbing parties gathered nearby, checking equipment while trading the kind of farewells that might turn out to be permanent, so the atmosphere was thick with the particular tension that came before difficult floors.

"How bad is Floor 10?" Ren kept his voice low while falling into step beside Dante.

"It’s called the Iron Fortress, so you’re going to hate it." Dante checked his blade, running his thumb along the edge from habit rather than necessity. "Mechanical enemies, steam-powered golems, plus automated defenses that get smarter the deeper you go."

"What about the boss?"

"The Iron Warden is the largest construct I’ve ever seen, bigger than a building with weapons that can level city blocks." His jaw tightened at the memory. "In my original timeline we had eight people, though we barely survived with only three walking out."

Ren absorbed that, his expression shifting from curious to calculating. "We have seven now, assuming Seira’s people hold up."

"They’ll hold up since I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I thought they’d break."

Leon and Sera joined their group, introduced briefly by Seira. Leon was a mountain of a man, his left side wrapped in burn bandages that showed ugly red through the gaps, though he moved with the steady confidence of someone who refused to let injuries slow him down. Sera was small and quiet beside him, her healer’s staff crackling with green energy that spoke of genuine ability.

The fourth member of Seira’s team, some archer whose name Dante hadn’t bothered to learn, had stayed behind on Floor 9 to recover from whatever the volcanic floor had done to him.

Seven fighters against a floor designed for twelve, which meant they’d need to be twice as good as normal climbers just to survive.

’This is either going to work or it’s going to be a massacre, so you’d better hope you made the right call.’

"Formation?" Astrid stretched her arms above her head, the question practical.

"Ren and Leon split tank duties while alternating aggro so neither gets overwhelmed, since if one of you goes down we’re all dead." Dante pointed at each person as he assigned roles. "Astrid, you’re the hammer, so when something needs breaking that the tanks can’t handle, that’s your moment to shine."

"Finally, something good about this arrangement." She cracked her knuckles, a grin spreading across her face.

"Ravenna, you’re our ace." He turned to her, watching the way firelight played across her features. "Save your strongest abilities for the boss since if you burn out before the Warden we’re done."

"What about you?" She raised an eyebrow, arms crossing.

"I coordinate while finding weaknesses so I can finish what the rest of you start." He tapped his sword hilt. "Same role as always."

"What about me?" Seira’s question came hesitant since she stood slightly apart from the group like she wasn’t sure if she belonged in the circle.

"Stay close to Sera while using your seer abilities to predict attacks." He met her eyes, keeping his voice neutral. "Your combat value is secondary to keeping our healer alive since without healing we don’t survive sustained engagement."

She nodded without complaint, accepting the subordinate role.

The gate pulsed, energy building toward the threshold that signaled transit was ready.

"Last chance to back out." Dante raised his voice so everyone could hear. "Floor 10 is going to be the hardest thing most of you have ever faced, so if you’re not ready to potentially die in the next few hours, say so now."

Silence stretched for three heartbeats before Astrid broke it with her usual impatience.

"We doing this or what? I didn’t come here to stand around talking."

"Then let’s move."

They stepped through together, seven climbers who trusted each other just enough to walk into the unknown side by side.

---

[Floor 10: The Iron Fortress]

[Format: Siege warfare]

[Objective: Reach the central chamber]

[Hazards: Mechanical defenders, steam vents, structural collapse]

[Boss: The Iron Warden]

[Recommended party size: 8-12]

The first thing Dante noticed was the geometry, all hard angles with no organic curves anywhere since whoever designed this place prioritized function over form. Steel and iron worked into angular shapes stretched in every direction, the corridors wide enough for machines rather than humans, while everywhere came the noise of grinding gears, hissing steam, plus the steady pulse of some massive engine buried deep in the structure.

"This place feels wrong." Ravenna moved closer to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not evil wrong, just empty, like it’s thinking without actually being alive."

"The Iron Fortress is the Tower’s most advanced construct, built to test strategy as much as combat." Dante led them forward while following routes his memory insisted still existed. "Raw strength won’t get you through alone, so you need to be smart about every engagement."

"Good thing we have you, then." Astrid’s voice dripped sarcasm, though there was warmth underneath.

"Humble gets people killed, so I’ll take competent instead."

The first defenders appeared within minutes, emerging from panels in the walls that slid open without warning.

Steam-powered golems stood two meters tall while bristling with weapons that looked like industrial tools crossed with medieval armaments. Six of them arranged in a semi-circle that cut off retreat, their movements mechanical and precise as they pivoted to face the party.

"Tanks forward!" Dante drew his blade in one smooth motion. "Everyone else, wait for openings so you don’t get in their way!"

Ren and Leon charged together with shields raised, their footwork synchronized like they’d trained together for years instead of meeting ten minutes ago. The golems’ assault slammed into enchanted steel with impacts that rang through the corridor, driving both men back several steps, though they held their ground.

Astrid circled behind the nearest golem while scanning for weak points, then threw her entire weight into a punch when she found the joint between torso and arm. Metal bent with a shriek while sparks flew, leaving the golem staggering with its arm hanging useless.

Ravenna’s Hellfire followed before it could recover, concentrated beams of black-edged flame that melted through plating then machinery until the golem collapsed in a shower of sparks plus molten slag.

"Left side!" Seira’s warning cut through the noise. "Leon, check left, something’s flanking!"

Her call came a half-second before the attack did, so Leon’s shield was already moving when the second golem tried to catch him from the side. Metal crashed against metal instead of finding flesh while he countered with a shield bash that knocked the construct off balance.

Sera’s healing magic flowed over Leon as he fought, green energy sinking into burned skin to soothe damage that was slowing him down. His movements grew sharper with each passing second, stronger, more confident.

’The healer was worth bringing, which means this might actually work.’

Dante waited while watching the remaining golems coordinate their assault, looking for the moment when their patterns would leave an opening. When one of them overextended on a swing that Leon barely caught, he moved.

Shadow Step carried him through the gap between defenders, reality blurring for a heartbeat as he passed through space he shouldn’t have been able to cross. Primal Strike gathered in his blade as he emerged behind the golem’s guard, then he carved through the core where its systems clustered.

The construct crashed down without a sound while power failed instantly through its frame.

The last two golems fell seconds later, Astrid crushing one’s head with her bare hands while Ravenna’s fire consumed the other from the inside out.

[Enemy slain: Steam Golem x6]

[System points: +1200]

"Good work, everyone." Dante surveyed the group while counting injuries plus assessing fatigue levels. "That was the warm-up, so drink your potions now since the real challenges are ahead."

Seira moved to help Sera, who was pale from the exertion of sustained healing, while Leon tested his shield arm then found it responding better than before.

Seven climbers remained standing, all of them still capable of pushing forward.

’Maybe this arrangement actually has a chance of working out.’

They pressed deeper into the fortress, following corridors that twisted then turned while occasionally threatening to collapse on top of them.

Somewhere deeper in the structure, Dante could feel something waiting for them.