The Celestial Player: Conquering the Tower of Gods

Chapter 12: The Gate to the Unknown

The battlefield was silent. The Celestial Guardian lay in ruins, its once-magnificent golden armor shattered into fragments. The survivors—less than half a million—stood motionless, their breaths heavy from the fight.

And before them, the Gate of Ascension loomed.

It was unlike anything Jin had seen before. Massive, ancient, and humming with energy, the gate pulsed as if it were alive. The runes on its surface shifted, rearranging themselves in a language Jin couldn't understand.

> [Final Trial Complete.]

[You have been deemed worthy to proceed.]

Jin exhaled. We survived. But this isn't the end.

Beside him, Aerin wiped the blood from her daggers, her gaze locked onto the gate. "This whole time… we thought we were climbing the Tower. But this was just the entrance."

Jin nodded. If this was just the first step, then what the hell was waiting beyond?

And then, the gate began to open.

---

The Truth of the Tower

As the gate creaked apart, a blinding light engulfed the battlefield. The moment it touched Jin, a wave of information flooded his mind.

Memories that weren't his.

Visions of other Towers across different worlds. Battles fought by warriors before him. The endless struggle for ascension.

And then—a voice.

Not the system's voice. Something older.

> "You who have survived… the real Tower awaits."

Jin's vision snapped back into reality just as the gate fully opened.

Beyond it was not a staircase. Not another floor.

But an entire city.

---

The First Floor: Elysium

Jin stepped through the gate, and instantly, the air around him changed. The oppressive weight of the trial was gone.

What lay before him was a massive floating city, suspended between the stars. Towering spires of silver and gold stretched into the sky, while rivers of energy flowed between them like veins of light.

And all around—thousands of people.

Not just the survivors from the trial. Other challengers. Other beings.

> [Welcome to Elysium – The Tower's First Floor]

[Here, the true climb begins.]

Jin scanned the city. It wasn't just a resting place. It was a battlefield.

Warriors sparred in open arenas.

Merchants sold weapons made from fallen celestial beings.

Guilds recruited newcomers, each vying for power.

Jin exhaled. So this is where it really starts.

Aerin smirked beside him. "Not what I expected. I thought we'd get a break."

Jin chuckled. "In this place? I doubt it."

And then, the system spoke again.

> [Phase One: Selection Begins.]

[New challengers must prove themselves in the City of Elysium.]

[Time Limit: 72 Hours.]

Jin's smirk widened. "Looks like we're not done fighting yet."

---

End of Chapter 12