Ascension Through Skills

The guard hurriedly escorted Taesan and the child. After a moment, a middle-aged man in splendid attire appeared.

“You are the child cursed by all things, correct? It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Yes.”

The child curtly nodded. The man smiled faintly.

“I am the saint who serves the great god of order, Horai. And so, cursed child, I hear you have passed all the trials?”

“The trials bestowed by His Majesty for me—I have passed them all and arrived here.”

“Truly remarkable!”

The saint suddenly shouted in a loud voice.

“You must have endured your pain and sins to come here! His Majesty’s mercy will surely be upon you!”

Unaware of the child’s reaction, the saint clapped his hands.

“Well then, come this way.”

The saint glanced at Taesan.

“I apologize… but this is His Majesty’s residence. Outsiders are not permitted entry. Please return.”

“No.”

The child shook their head.

“I will go together with him. Otherwise, I won’t go either.”

It was a small but firm voice. The saint’s expression wavered for a moment. He looked between Taesan and the child, deliberated, and made a decision.

“…Very well. Since this is your final request, I suppose it can be allowed. Normally, it would be impossible, but I will make an exception.”

The saint spoke as if granting a great mercy, raising his chin high.

He led the way, with the child following with a gloomy expression.

The temple was overwhelmingly ornate.

Contrary to the name of the god of order, it was covered in gold to the point of being blinding.

As they walked through the corridors, devotees they encountered bowed. Upon noticing the child, they flinched, trembling and instinctively retreating.

“Calm yourselves. He has come to offer himself.”

The saint reassured them as he led the way deeper into the temple.

When the massive door opened and they entered, the emperor was there.

A young man, appearing barely twenty, with a cold expression.

Sitting on the lofty golden throne, he gazed down at the child impassively.

“Your Majesty! Apostle of Horai!”

The saint knelt, crying out.

“The cursed child! He has passed your trials and come here to offer himself! Please, absolve his original sin!”

The emperor nodded silently.

The saint clasped his hands in awe. A divine power began to manifest.

Kiing!

Devices resonating with the divine power activated before the child.

“You are cursed!”

The saint shouted at the child.

“Cursed by all things, you kill life merely by existing! Even great magic cannot control it, nor the power of faith suppress it! Tragically, even your parents died because of your curse!”

The saint spread his arms wide.

“But His Majesty is different! The great one can contain your curse!”

His voice, filled with madness, suddenly softened.

“Of course, the cost is your life… but it cannot be helped. If you were to continue living, the entire world could fall under the curse. Truly a noble sacrifice.”

Before the child, a pillar of light formed.

“Enter it. His Majesty will contain your curse. Then, everyone can be happy.”

The child had passed the trials and arrived here for this.

Yet they only stared at the pillar of light, making no move to enter.

“…Taesan.”

The child spoke slowly.

“Could you explain it to me once more?”

“If you wish.”

Taesan opened his mouth.

“You said you’re cursed if you stay in one place for a day. But that’s impossible. The blue blood you possess is divine blood, a power beyond human control. Such a curse cannot exist.”

The saint’s face hardened. Taesan continued.

“But you’ve suffered, and your life has been twisted by this so-called curse.”

“Who are you to spout such nonsense in His Majesty’s presence? Leave now—”

“Silence.”

Zzeong!

At Taesan’s brief command, the saint’s mouth snapped shut. Startled, the saint attempted to speak, but his lips refused to part.

“You, tormented by pain, sought a solution from the emperor, and an oracle was given.”

“I must… offer myself as a sacrifice for the emperor.”

The child glared at the emperor seated on the throne.

The emperor gazed down at them with calm indifference.

“Your curse is the emperor’s doing. The oracle was also his. He is the root of all evil.”

“Why… why would he?”

“Your blue blood is a power beyond mortality. If someone as strong as the emperor were to acquire it, they might become even stronger.”

Of course, it was only a possibility. There was no guarantee that obtaining divine blood would lead to greater power.

Yet the child’s life had been distorted for this faint possibility.

“If the emperor hadn’t interfered, you could have lived an ordinary life, even with your blue blood.”

“…Targeting those around me wasn’t…”

“To obtain your power, you must offer yourself willingly.”

Taesan responded.

The child stared blankly at the emperor, their face twisting in anguish.

“Your Majesty. Is what he says true?”

The emperor did not reply. As if the child didn’t matter, as if he could control the outcome regardless, he only stared at Taesan.

The child’s face contorted further.

“So, the ones who killed my parents… wasn’t my curse, but you! Your Majesty!”

Only the child’s voice, filled with rage, echoed through the throne room.

The emperor remained silent. That alone confirmed the truth of the child’s words.

“Ha, hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

The child burst into mad laughter. No longer was there a child seeking love and blaming themselves. Only a being consumed by boundless rage remained.

“You! You!”

Their anger erupted.

Taesan spoke quietly.

“You now know everything. From now on, whatever you choose is your decision.”

“…If I make my choice, will you help me?”

Taesan nodded. The child, with a twisted expression, shouted.

“I don’t want to die!”

It was the child’s true feeling, buried deep within their heart—suppressed by the belief that they were cursed.

“I want to take revenge on the Emperor!”

“If that is your choice.”

Taesan raised his hand.

Following the content of the quest, he made his own decision.

This was Taesan’s choice.

“Ugh!”

The force holding the saint’s mouth shut released. The saint shouted urgently.

“You! What have you done?!”

[You have activated Zepar’s Black Storm.]

Kuwoong!

The space split open, unleashing a storm. A powerful force descended upon the earth, sweeping everything away.

“O-Oh no!”

The saint, his face pale, unleashed his divine power.

However, the black storm devoured even that, consuming it entirely.

Ku-goo-goo…

As the storm subsided, the temple was completely destroyed. The only things left intact were the Emperor and the golden throne he sat on.

The Emperor had protected only himself from Taesan’s storm.

“You let everyone else perish.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The Emperor replied impassively.

“They were nothing more than crude humans and their tools. With time, they can be restored. The human beside you is no different. No matter what that worthless tool says, break their spirit and cause enough pain, and they will eventually submit. It’s just a minor inconvenience.”

The Emperor’s gaze never left Taesan.

“You are what matters. To be honest, I was initially surprised. I thought another god had intervened to disrupt my plans.”

But as he observed more, he realized Taesan was not an apostle of another god. He was merely a powerful being.

“I don’t know how you came to my world, but I’ll crush you and resume my plans.”

The Emperor’s power began to emerge.

“Ah.”

The child’s face turned pale. The overwhelming power began distorting the very fabric of space.

“Stay back.”

“Y-Yes…”

Taesan used his power to shield the child, who hesitated but slowly retreated, glancing at Taesan.

Taesan drew his sword.

For the first time, he was facing a true transcendent apostle without any restrictions or conditions. The Emperor, wielding immense power, raised his sword.

“Die under the power of the great god.”

The power exploded.

The Emperor’s divinity surged toward Taesan, threatening to engulf him. Taesan stomped the ground.

[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Stained Chaos].]

[You have activated Avatar of Nature.]

[You have activated King’s Vessel.]

Taesan’s power and aura momentarily reached a transcendent state. He unleashed his energy against the surging divinity.

Kuwoong!

The shockwaves from the clash of powers engulfed the surroundings.

Taesan pointed his sword fiercely at the Emperor.

[You have activated Apostle Slayer.]

“Ugh…”

Even the Emperor could feel his own stature diminishing.

“You’re interfering with my authority?”

The Emperor grimaced and clenched his fist.

The Emperor’s body leapt toward Taesan.

Taesan raised his sword.

Kaang!

Sword and fist collided. The power radiating from the Emperor’s fist was something even Taesan could not underestimate.

Taesan understood—the Emperor, like him, was straddling the boundary.

Taking a breath, Taesan moved his body.

Kakakak!

Sword and fist clashed. The Emperor used a domineering martial art. His movements were rough, but each strike carried immense power.

However, that was all.

The martial art itself wasn’t extraordinary. It could easily be overcome.

Taesan’s eyes sharpened.

Zzeong.

Taesan pressed his sword against the Emperor’s fist, driving it back. As the Emperor tried to counter, Taesan blocked every move and swung his sword downward.

Kwajik.

The Emperor barely blocked it but couldn’t avoid being pushed back.

As Taesan moved in for a deeper strike—

“So, you are a being of the Labyrinth.”

Kiing!

The light surrounding the Emperor suddenly erupted.

It was a divine amplification so overwhelming that even Taesan struggled to withstand it. He quickly retreated.

“I acknowledge it. You are strong. You possess exceptional talent and have conquered the Labyrinth created by the gods, gaining the power to challenge me.”

The Emperor lowered his fist, and the divine energy surrounding him grew even more intense.

The intensifying divine energy took form.

It was a kind of domain.

The Emperor was a god’s apostle, and gods each possessed their own domain.

“But even so, it’s merely a mortal power. Even if you straddle the boundary, you haven’t obtained the power beyond it.”

The Emperor smirked arrogantly, his expression dripping with pride as he gathered his strength.

“I am the Apostle of Horai, the God of Order. I wield divine power. With your meager strength, it’s impossible to reach me. Foolish human, I will show you the power of the gods.”

Kiing.

The divine energy exploded. The transcendent domain of an apostle materialized in the world.

[The Law of Order is imposed upon you.]

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