Ascension Through Skills

Ice, earth, and starlight surged forward. The Emperor hastily opened his mouth to speak.

But by now, Taesan understood. For the Emperor to enforce order in the world, he must declare it aloud.

And the time required for that declaration was by no means short for Taesan.

In an instant, dozens of spells materialized in the world. As if destruction itself had been unleashed, the force exploded, engulfing the Emperor.

“Grrrk!”

The Emperor amplified the divinity cloaking his entire body.

The divinity clashed with the spells, gradually eroding away.

“In the sacred domain of Horai, one must clasp their hands in prayer each time magic is invoked!”

The Emperor declared again while enduring the spells. Dozens of spells simultaneously lost their power and vanished.

Before the Emperor could finish his declaration, Taesan closed the gap with a restricted Blink and unleashed Starlight Arrow. The divinity surrounding the Emperor was nullified by the arrow, and Taesan placed his hand on the Emperor’s body.

[You have activated Branch of Despair.]

A torrent of overwhelming emotions surged through the Emperor’s mind.

Negative feelings sought to dominate him. Taesan immediately activated another skill.

[You have activated Forced Descent.]

The Emperor’s movements visibly slowed. Seizing the opportunity, Taesan swiftly widened the distance and clasped his hands together.

Crack-crack-crack!

Magic raged violently.

Taesan invoked magic and black magic according to the rules. Though the Emperor’s movements were sluggish, he couldn’t exploit the gaps.

“Urrgh!”

The Emperor’s face contorted under the torrent of emotions.

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

He roared angrily.

“I am the Emperor! The Apostle of God! Such petty emotions cannot stop me!”

With fierce determination, divinity surged within the Emperor.

But the torrent of emotions did not vanish.

Deep within his mind, the assault continued, eroding his psyche.

The Emperor gnashed his teeth.

“What is this? Why won’t it disappear?”

Branch of Despair was a skill directly bestowed by the God of Despair.

It was an evolved version of Seed of Despair, ranking among the most valuable of Taesan’s skills.

In terms of potency, it stood equal to the Emperor’s power. Even the Guides of Sin could only endure the effects of Seed of Despair with sheer willpower. ṟᴀ𐌽òʙÈṣ

Likewise, the Emperor, wracked with pain, couldn’t focus on the battle.

Taesan didn’t miss the opportunity.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

In an instant, Taesan closed the distance to the Emperor. After dropping into a kneel, he leapt forward with full force.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

The Emperor barely managed to defend and shouted with a distorted face.

“I declare! I belong to Horai! As long as Horai does not permit it, mental interference with me is impossible!”

With the imposition of this rule, the effect of Branch of Despair vanished.

The restriction on black magic was also lifted. Taesan quickly gathered dark energy.

Rumble!

Black magic manifested consecutively.

Chains bound the Emperor, arrows of the storm tore through space, and black waves engulfed the world.

[You have activated Amon’s Pitch-Black Spike.]

Crack!

The spike struck the Emperor, sending him sliding backward with a powerful impact.

Gnashing his teeth, the Emperor declared once more. With the new rules, the power of black magic waned.

“You insolent pest!”

The Emperor charged Taesan, brimming with anger.

Given the rules, it was nearly impossible to block the Emperor’s attack. Therefore, Taesan had no intention of blocking it.

[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]

Taesan’s body instantly moved backward.

The speed resembled a spatial leap, causing the Emperor’s pupils to widen in shock.

“How is this possible?”

Taesan kicked the ground.

Using Designated Mark Acceleration, he moved freely through space. The Emperor, caught off guard, struggled to respond. It was a power he had never encountered before.

After a moment of hesitation, the Emperor roared.

“This is the domain of Horai! To leap through space, you must first declare your position!”

A restriction was imposed on spatial movement.

The Emperor charged forward aggressively.

[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]

Once again, Taesan moved to the mark’s location.

It wasn’t a spatial leap but rapid movement through space. Thus, the restriction didn’t apply.

The Emperor’s face twisted in frustration.

“I imposed the rule! Why isn’t it working?”

As the new rule applied, the restriction on spirits was lifted.

[You have summoned the Wind Spirit King, Minerva.]

“What’s the big idea? Summoning me just to chase me away! That’s too much!”

Minerva, seething with anger, unleashed a tempest. The divinity surrounding the Emperor gradually thinned.

Taesan smirked mockingly at the Emperor.

The Emperor was undeniably strong.

In pure power alone, he wasn’t inferior to Taesan. The authority of his rules was overwhelmingly selfish, capable of restraining all of Taesan’s actions.

Had he wielded it effectively, he could have nullified most of Taesan’s efforts.

But the Emperor failed to do so. His use of the rules was overly simplistic, and his grasp of Taesan’s power was so poor that he wasted energy.

His lack of combat experience was glaring.

It wasn’t surprising. Even the strongest in the outside world barely reached the level of the 30th or 40th floor. The Emperor, standing at the boundary, couldn’t possibly match someone of equal footing.

Perhaps he had never truly fought since becoming an apostle.

“Honestly, the Guides of Sin were tougher.”

If they, with their vast experience, had wielded the power of rules, they might have defeated Taesan. Such was the potential of the rules.

Power alone meant nothing.

One must learn how to wield it effectively, counter an opponent, and manage unforeseen variables.

This understanding was why the gods created the labyrinth.

Power without experience wasn’t frightening at all. The Emperor dismissed Minerva with a declaration. Seizing the moment, Taesan closed in on the Emperor.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

He thrust his sword fiercely. The Emperor opted to evade rather than block.

[You have activated Sure Hit.]

Crack.

The sword’s trajectory twisted, piercing the Emperor’s shoulder.

“What is this! What is happening!”

The Emperor shouted angrily. He couldn’t comprehend Taesan’s abilities. His ignorance led to confusion, and confusion slowed his actions.

Crunch.

Taesan swung his sword with force.

[You have activated Call of Ruin.]

The power of ruin burst into the world.

Startled, the Emperor cloaked himself in divinity.

Call of Ruin was a power obtained after defeating the Demon King in the ghost realm. It was far stronger than the Ember of Catastrophe.

Though Taesan had yet to master it, he could now wield it to some extent.

Ruin, which devoured all, consumed the divinity surrounding the Emperor. The divinity visibly diminished.

“The power of ruin cannot exert its full strength outside its original world!”

The Emperor barely managed to shout.

But this resulted in the restriction on swordsmanship being lifted.

Taesan swung his sword violently.

[You have activated Blade of Will.]

The Emperor struck with his fist.

Boom!

Fist and sword collided. Divinity was eroded. The Emperor widened his eyes and drew upon his strength.

“Die!”

Boom!

The exploding divinity engulfed Taesan.

But Taesan was already gone from that spot.

Having moved to the side, Taesan gathered dark energy. He had already prepared for the black magic.

The Emperor, gritting his teeth, charged forward. His anger clouded his judgment as he intended to ignore Taesan’s black magic, relying on the divinity cloaking his body to attack.

Until now, Taesan’s black magic had only chipped away at his divinity without causing any direct damage.

The Emperor rushed toward Taesan.

Taesan unleashed his magic.

[You have activated Beyond the Boundary.]

[You have activated Arrow of the Unthinkable Storm.]

[You have activated Forced Amplification.]

An arrow imbued with power beyond mortality hurtled forward.

The Emperor instinctively recognized it.

That power could pierce through his divinity.

But it was too late to respond. He hastily tried to amplify his divinity further, but the arrow shattered it before he could.

Thud.

The storm arrow pierced the Emperor’s heart.

Rumble…

“Cough.”

The Emperor spat out blood. Staring blankly at his pierced chest, he looked dazed.

He was Horai’s apostle. Even with his heart pierced, as long as his divinity wasn’t fully consumed, he could recover.

But the heart pierced by the storm arrow wasn’t healing.

The power contained within the arrow surpassed the level of his divinity, which existed on the boundary.

“Ha.”

The Emperor let out a hollow laugh. With time and focus, he could recover fully.

But his opponent wasn’t going to just stand by and let that happen.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

The Emperor withdrew the transcendent domain he had spread across the world.

Screech!

The apostle’s power concentrated entirely into his fist.

All the rules that restricted Taesan were lifted.

This was the power the Emperor reserved for dire situations.

It was his trump card.

If Taesan could block this attack, everything would end.

There was no need to hold back anymore. Taesan gripped his sword.

Tap.

The Emperor leaped, throwing a fist meant to obliterate everything.

Taesan met it head-on with his sword.

Black energy coated the blade.

Then gold overlaid it.

The result was a hue of gray.

Boom!

The power of the apostle and the boundary collided. The mingled gray force gaped open, devouring the apostle’s power.

“What is this?”

The Emperor was horrified. As an apostle, he recognized the gray force.

It was a power beyond mortality.

No, perhaps even beyond that.

His thoughts were cut short as the gray exploded, engulfing his entire body.

“I’ve lost.”

The Emperor, his body mangled, admitted defeat. His face showed neither great rage nor despair.

“To think I’d return to Horai like this… I’ll have to meet and apologize.”

An apostle was a being who offered their soul to their god. For them, death wasn’t the end. It’s merely shedding their physical form and returning.

The Emperor’s soul emerged from his lifeless body.

“Ah…”

The heavens opened.

A colossal presence appeared. Its power felt cold and devoid of warmth.

It was the God of Order, Horai.

“Oh, my god…”

The Emperor gazed at Horai with a hazy look.

Horai stared at the Emperor with an indifferent gaze.

The light in that gaze was utterly merciless.

“G-god?”

The Emperor was flustered. Horai’s gaze was anything but benevolent.

Suddenly, the Emperor felt fear and tried to flee, but there was nowhere to escape.

“Aaaaaah!”

Horai’s power forcibly devoured the Emperor’s soul. There was no compassion, no kindness, no mercy. It crushed him like a tool that had outlived its usefulness.

The Emperor disappeared with a scream.

[Your Soul Ascension has activated.]

The Soul Ascension system notification appeared. Taesan calmly drew in the remaining divinity to heal his body.

“It’s over now.”

“Ah.”

The child shuddered.

Even during the battle, the Emperor had ensured the child wasn’t harmed. As a result, the child remained unscathed amidst the ruins.

Taesan spoke to the child.

“The curse tormenting you is gone now.”

The curse had been something imposed by the Emperor.

Now, the child was merely a bearer of the divine blood, an ordinary child.

The child stared at Taesan blankly, unable to grasp the reality.

“…Everyone I knew is dead.”

The child’s family had perished by the Emperor’s hand.

“The world will still hate me.”

To the world, the child remained accursed. People might believe the destruction of the temple and the Emperor’s disappearance were due to the child’s curse and persecute him further.

“I’m still a cursed child. That hasn’t changed. But…”

The child looked at Taesan.

Taesan had fought the Emperor for him. For no one else but him.

“Even so… I’ll live.”

The child decided to live, no matter what trials awaited, at least for Taesan’s sake.

It was the choice the child made in the end.

Taesan nodded.

“If that’s your choice.”

With those words, Taesan’s body vanished.

The quest’s conclusion transported him back to the labyrinth.

“Sir Taesan?”

The child stood still for a moment, then slowly began walking.

He would live despite the pain and suffering. The child had made his decision.

But there was a problem.

What purpose would he live for?

He didn’t have one.

He had wanted an ordinary life, but that was now impossible. And he no longer wished for normalcy.

After some thought, a place came to his mind.

“The labyrinth?”

The child recalled the stories Taesan had shared about it.

A place where warriors from all worlds gathered. A place to grow stronger, if one could survive.

Taesan had said he was descending into it.

“…Perhaps.”

The child decided his goal in life. With unwavering steps, he moved forward.

[It is finished.]

“…You could have waited just a little longer.”

[Do you not think this ending is acceptable?]

The voice of the God of Choice was filled with satisfaction.

[That child will live on. They will face countless choices… and eventually, they will come here. It will be an entertaining time.]

Maria chuckled.

[You did very, very well. You showed me everything I wanted to see.]

And so, an appropriate reward would be given.

With those words, Maria waved a finger.

A crystallized force took shape and began materializing in Taesan’s hand.

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