It was 4:50 a.m.
A faint trace of grayish white had begun to appear on the eastern horizon.
It heralded the dawn.
The mountain where the Tower stood had now become a battlefield.
From the foot of the mountain to its slopes, and from the slopes to the summit, figures fought everywhere.
The roars of the Weirds, the thunder of clashing energy, and the screams of the dying intertwined into a chaotic, frenzied symphony of death.
The final night.
The final hour.
All the trial participants who had yet to collect every totem were making one last desperate push.
They attacked everything before them, trying to seize one last life-saving totem before sunrise.
Those who had already collected every totem raced desperately toward the summit.
Once they entered the Tower, they would be safe.
Chaos, madness, bloodshed.
The Qipao Weird led An Xiaoran and Tomeko through the chaos, struggling onward.
"Stay close."
The Qipao Weird's voice was low and calm, but fine beads of sweat had already formed on her forehead.
Repeatedly using Time Reversal at such intensity had drained her far too much.
Especially when she had killed that dragon-headed Weird earlier-she had nearly exhausted her strength.
But now, she had to hold on.
Because she was this little team's pillar.
They continued upward.
They had gone less than a hundred meters when three figures suddenly sprang out ahead.
They were three jackal-like Weirds, covered in grayish-brown fur, their eyes gleaming with greed.
Their levels were not high, only around the fifth tier, but they had numbers on their side.
"Roar!"
The leading jackal Weird growled and lunged at the Qipao Weird with its companions!
The Qipao Weird did not even glance at them.
She merely raised her hand slightly, and the ripples of time around her gently stirred.