Ascension Through Skills

The domain of the transcendent devoured the space. Taesan tried to distance himself, but the entire world had already been engulfed.

[You have activated Essence Identification.]

[You have activated Focused Detection.]

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]

He attempted to discern the power manifesting in the world.

However, nothing was revealed.

As when detecting divine blood, only jumbled letters chaotically flooded into Taesan’s mind.

The domain of the transcendent was incomprehensible, even with Taesan’s power.

Boom!

Taesan blocked the swinging fist with his sword.

Clang!

Taesan’s body was slightly pushed back. As the domain unfolded, the emperor had grown noticeably stronger.

However, the increase in power was not overwhelming.

If he chose to counter, he could handle it well enough. For a divine authority, it wasn’t particularly extraordinary.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

An arrow of light collided with the emperor. The divinity enveloping the emperor consumed the light.

Taesan swung his hand again.

Magic of all kinds manifested. The earth crumbled, and frost blanketed the world.

The magical power Taesan wielded was immense. Even someone of the emperor’s caliber struggled to endure it and approach.

Taesan continued to unleash his magic, pressuring the emperor.

The emperor, however, regarded Taesan with an arrogant expression.

“How rude. To dare wield such profane magic in the sacred land of a god.”

The emperor raised a finger.

“I shall establish a rule. In this divine Horai’s domain, every time magic is used, you must clasp your hands and offer a prayer.”

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the magic that was manifesting abruptly canceled.

“What?”

Taesan’s face briefly twisted in a frown.

Magic canceling midway? That had never happened before. Taesan quickly gathered his mana.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

Mana was consumed, and the power should have manifested.

But it did not work. It was like trying to ignite a flame underwater; the activation itself failed.

The emperor stepped forward, thrusting a foot at Taesan.

Taesan defended against the storm-like onslaught of attacks.

Clang!

Taesan clicked his tongue as he was pushed back. He manipulated magi instead of mana.

[You have activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Decay.]

A newly acquired black magic skill. Its effect: suppression.

Crack!

Chains ripped through space, binding the emperor’s body. The emperor thrashed, shaking his limbs violently. The chains groaned and began to break.

[You have activated Arrows of Unreasoning Tempest.]

Black arrows formed and shot toward the emperor.

The emperor shattered the chains binding him, swung his fist, and counterattacked.

Boom!

The clash of black and golden forces created a destructive explosion, reducing the surroundings to ruins.

“To dare wield black magic in this holy place?”

The emperor scowled as he made another declaration.

“Here’s a new rule: every time black magic is used, you must bow your head to the ground in reverence to the god.”

The black magic that had been manifesting was canceled.

“This is absurd.”

[What the hell is that?]

The ghost muttered, astonished.

It wasn’t just a restriction on Taesan alone.

The world itself was imposing a prohibition on black magic.

The emperor relentlessly drove Taesan back.

Crack!

Taesan, keeping his distance from the emperor, clasped his hands in prayer and cast magic. Thankfully, simply clasping his hands was enough for the magic to manifest. ℟ΑɴỐꞖƐŜ

Crack!

The frozen world unfolded properly.

Taesan’s eyes narrowed.

The emperor’s declarations were not lies. By abiding by the rules, he could exert his power, but without compliance, it was impossible.

“Your swordsmanship is reckless.”

The emperor smirked as he declared again.

“Before wielding your sword, you must kneel on one knee and offer respect to the god.”

Taesan, poised to swing his sword, hesitated.

The altered laws of the world prevented his sword from moving. Quickly, he knelt, then rose and swung his sword.

Clang!

“Damn it.”

Taesan clicked his tongue and summoned Minerva. The summoned Minerva unleashed wind, pressing the emperor.

“To dare summon a spirit in the land of a god? This is a sacred domain. A spirit summoned without proper tribute is not allowed. Begone.”

“Ugh!”

Minerva’s form disappeared with a scream.

Taesan, deflecting the emperor’s attacks, made a quick assessment.

‘Rules.’

A power that interfered with the laws of the world itself.

It was similar to partial world alteration but on a higher level.

The power of the god’s domain was partially drawn in, engraving unilateral rules onto the world.

Horai was the god of rules. These oppressive regulations were forcibly imprinted to disadvantage Taesan.

Taesan realized this was a power only apostles chosen by gods could wield.

Clang!

[Your First Attack Nullification has activated.]

The attack was erased. As his body returned to its state before the attack, the emperor scowled and charged again.

“This is ridiculous.”

Boom!

The emperor rushed in with clenched fists. While his techniques were simple, Taesan easily responded.

But the restrictions on Taesan were severe.

Magic, black magic, spirits, and even swordsmanship couldn’t be used properly.

Victory was possible as long as you discerned the possibilities.

Taesan moved his body, slowly analyzing the emperor’s power.

However, for the moment, it meant merely enduring. Taesan allowed the emperor’s attacks, and as a result, damage gradually accumulated on him.

All his attack nullifications were consumed, and his stamina began to dwindle.

Boom!

The emperor’s fist smashed against Taesan’s sword, pushing him backward.

“You cannot defeat me,”

The emperor declared arrogantly.

“The power of your true self is indeed stronger than mine. I won’t deny that.”

If they were to fight with everything, the emperor knew he would lose.

“But before great power, the strength of one’s true self is utterly meaningless.”

A power that rendered everything a mortal built meaningless—that was the power of a god. It was an absolute authority mortals could never reach.

“Do you understand, lowly tool?”

“Ah…”

The child, who had been watching the battle from afar, trembled.

Even though the combat was beyond the child’s perception, it was clear Taesan was being overwhelmed.

“This weak one faces death because of your stubbornness.”

“No…”

The child’s face turned pale.

Taesan was going to die.

Because of the child.

“I… I don’t want this.”

The child staggered forward, unable to bear the weight of knowing that many had already died because of them.

“There’s no need for that,”

Taesan interrupted, blocking the child.

“So, you truly desire the divine blood that much?”

“The power is far too great for a lowly tool like you to handle. Shouldn’t the one who takes it be someone worthy?”

The emperor laughed, his twisted smile filled with greed.

“Yes! I will absorb the divine blood, transcend mortality, and become an apostle seated beside the one true deity!”

With a mad laugh, he charged.

“Become my stepping stone, lowly being!”

Taesan raised his sword.

[You have activated Mental Acceleration.]

Blocking the oncoming attacks, Taesan calmly sorted his thoughts.

‘The enforcement of rules.’

Utterly one-sided rules, favoring only the emperor.

But the opponent was not a god.

At best, he was an apostle merely borrowing divine power.

There had to be limits to those laws.

Even the fact that the emperor couldn’t completely seal magic or black magic but only impose preconditions for their activation proved it.

‘He can impose conditions, but he cannot seal the abilities themselves.’

[You have activated Concealment.]

The ground collapsed under the emperor’s assault, obscuring Taesan’s form. His presence vanished momentarily.

Taesan moved behind the emperor and knelt.

Clang!

The emperor hurriedly twisted his body to block Taesan’s attack.

“You possess far too many unpleasant abilities,”

The emperor remarked but did not impose a rule against concealment.

‘He hasn’t imposed rules on attack nullification either.’

Although irritated and flustered, the emperor hadn’t blocked those powers. The same applied to Flow, which Taesan had activated during combat.

Taesan sheathed his sword. His fist collided with the emperor’s.

Boom!

Taesan had never specialized in martial arts. However, with his swordsmanship restricted by the rules, fighting barehanded was a better option.

Since his attack power was integrated through the Airak Weapon Technique, the damage itself was not a significant issue.

Fist clashed with fist as Taesan defended against the emperor’s strikes.

The emperor’s martial arts were not particularly sophisticated. By contrast, Taesan had fought countless opponents in the labyrinth, some of whom specialized in barehanded combat.

Knowing how to counter meant knowing how to act. While it was far from his swordsmanship in precision, it was sufficient to endure.

Due to the gap in experience, the emperor struggled to break through Taesan’s defenses.

“Lowly creature, you don’t even know shame. You should quietly accept your death,”

The emperor mocked Taesan.

But he did not take further action.

Even though he could have imposed rules on martial arts to suppress them instantly, he did not.

Taesan was certain now. The rules had limitations.

So what were those limitations?

‘If the rules are not one-sided but also apply to himself…’

All the rules imposed so far targeted magic, black magic, spirits, and swordsmanship—areas unrelated to the emperor’s martial arts.

If the rules applied to him as well, he likely wouldn’t enforce them.

‘Or perhaps there’s a limit to the number of rules.’

There might be a restriction on how many rules could be enforced simultaneously, explaining why martial arts weren’t included.

Testing it was not difficult.

[You have activated Spark of Calamity.]

Raging flames of destruction manifested in the world.

The power contained within was stronger and denser than anything Taesan had wielded before. Having defeated the core members of the Guides, he could now fully control the power of destruction.

“What is this…?”

The emperor scowled, retreating. Taesan focused his mind.

The spark of calamity, which burns all things in the world, could not be controlled if the user lacked either sufficient strength or qualifications.

Until now, Taesan had lacked both.

But now, he had them.

The flames surged.

True flames capable of burning the world tore through the transcendent’s domain.

Due to the inherent high level of destruction, even the emperor struggled to withstand it. Taesan seized the moment to clasp his hands in prayer.

[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]

Zing!

Magic and black magic activated. The rules did not block their use outright. As long as the preconditions were met, they could be wielded.

Power surged toward the emperor. Though he wanted to counterattack, the flames chasing him left little room for action.

Clicking his tongue, the emperor spoke.

“To dare wield such a base power in Horai’s domain. Flames that burn the world cannot exert their full force outside their original realm.”

New rules were imposed upon the world.

At the same time, Taesan noticed the initial rule restricting magic had disappeared.

The number of rules that could be enforced simultaneously was limited.

The limit was four.

The test was complete. Taesan had also devised a response.

Now it was his turn. Taesan gathered his strength.

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