Chapter 283: Chapter283-First Among All, Faustus

Faustus appeared on the second floor.

The guardian of this floor was an iron-skinned puppet with the strength of a low-grade sage.

"Divine Domain—Chaotic Reincarnation."

Without the slightest hesitation, he unfolded his Divine Domain. In an instant, it crushed the iron puppet’s Divine Domain beneath it!

Once again, an iron chest appeared in front of him.

[Ding! You have obtained a [Large Spatial Transfer Scroll] (supreme-grade)!]

[Ding! You have sold the [Spatial Transfer Scroll] to the Doom Guild, triggering Millionfold Boost! You have obtained a [Large Spatial Transfer Scroll] (Divine-grade)!]

A small Spatial Transfer Scroll could only teleport its user within a starfield, while a large one could cross the boundaries between starfields.

Daniel nodded in satisfaction and put it away.

"On to the third floor!"

His figure vanished from the second floor in an instant.

At this moment, however, there was still no news of any of the first group of nine-star powerhouses clearing the third floor.

The guardian on the third floor was a mid Divine-grade puppet. Even a nine-star powerhouse could only wear it down little by little.

On the third floor.

The moment Faustus appeared, he immediately summoned his clones and deployed his Divine Domain.

Dense layers of Divine Domains unfurled simultaneously, their overwhelming might filling the entire floor.

The guardian here was a silver-white humanoid puppet at mid Divine-grade.

Killing a mid Divine-grade opponent alone would take some time. That was precisely why none of the nine-star powerhouses had managed to clear the floor yet.

The moment Daniel unfolded his Divine Domain, countless skills poured down like a torrential storm.

Immortal Icon!

Endless Divine Power!

Void Annihilation!

Arrow of Judgment!

Judgment of Frost and Flame!

What made Faustus truly terrifying was his ability to instantly unleash innumerable skills. Every single skill could be amplified many times over, and every attack dealt true damage.

Coupled with his Law of Fate, not a single strike missed!

A hundred overlapping Divine Domains layered upon one another, reducing the gap between him and a mid Divine-grade sage to almost nothing.

In the viewing arena, the second group of eliminated contestants poured into the spectator zone, their gazes locked unblinkingly on the vast projection screen in the sky.

"As expected of Harris, a descendant of the number one race in the starry skies! He’s about to kill the guardian of the third floor!"

"Flora’s Strength can’t instantly kill targets with such a vast rank difference, but she’s nearly worn it down."

"Julian’s blade is terrifying indeed. Even a mid-grade sage guardian can do nothing but passively endure his attacks."

"That James from the Canaan starfield is really something. He has tens of thousands of clones surrounding one guardian and beating it senseless. Is that really necessary?"

...

Within the Spirit Tower, the guardians on several floors were already on the verge of collapse, needing only one or two more attacks to be finished off.

The first powerhouse to step onto the fourth floor was about to be born!

In the spectator stands, the eliminated contestants held their breath, their hearts pounding like drums.

Was the finest challenger of the third-floor trial finally about to emerge?

Julian of the Samuel starfield. Harris of the Aurora starfield. Igor of the Maritim starfield. Faustus of the Canaan starfield. Udi of the Copper starfield...

These powerhouses were like elite runners on a racetrack, charging toward the finish line almost shoulder to shoulder. No one knew who would break through first.

"Harris, go! Take first place and bring glory to the Aurora starfield!"

The spectators from the Aurora starfield clenched their fists, veins bulging on their foreheads.

"Igor! Igor is the strongest!"

Even the Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Maritim starfield was shouting encouragement.

"Udi, hurry! Charge!"

The spectators from the Copper starfield were so excited that they shot to their feet.

"Julian, claim first place!"

The powerhouses of the Samuel starfield roared loudly.

"Faustus..."

Chanelle, the Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Canaan starfield, stared at that figure and murmured under her breath.

"Can you do it again?"

At that very moment, on one of the projected images, a silver-white guardian was finally slain!

Every single person in the viewing arena held their breath.

The result was out—the first powerhouse to kill a guardian on the third floor had appeared!

...

On the third floor where Faustus was fighting, the guardian was being battered by an unending tide of damage as violent as a tsunami.

"Just a little more."

The mid Divine-grade guardian had already become nothing more than a living target. It was only barely surviving thanks to the might of its sage rank.

Faustus’s skills dealt far too much damage, and they could be stacked layer upon layer. His firepower was simply outrageously overwhelming.

Then, at a certain moment—

Boom!

The guardian abruptly exploded, its body shattering into pieces.

[Ding! You have slain the guardian of the third floor of the Spirit Tower.]

A treasure chest gleaming with silver light dropped from the fallen guardian.

Faustus walked forward and opened it.

[Ding! You have obtained the special item [Scroll of Forced Equilibrium] (supreme-grade)!]

[Ding! You have sold the [Scroll of Forced Equilibrium] to the Doom Guild, triggering Millionfold Boost! You have obtained a [Scroll of Forced Equilibrium] (Divine-grade)!]

He lowered his gaze toward the item in his hand.

[Scroll of Forced Equilibrium (Divine-grade)]

Special Type: Single-use consumable item

Effect: After use, suppresses the target’s sage-rank might to the same level as the user’s.

Restriction 1: Only effective against targets below Oracle-grade.

Restriction 2: Only suppresses the target’s sage rank. The target’s own inherent strength is unaffected.

Restriction 3: This effect cannot be amplified, duplicated, extended, or otherwise enhanced...

Duration: 40 seconds

Daniel swiftly read through the description before putting the item away.

This thing was useful, but it was not overwhelmingly powerful.

It could only suppress sage rank. The target’s fundamental strength would remain intact.

Against an opponent at the peak of Divine-grade, it could at most prevent their sage rank from being quite so overwhelming.

However, the terror of a high Divine-grade or peak Divine-grade powerhouse lay in every single aspect of their power. Therefore, this scroll could only be used as a desperate trump card when gambling on a slim chance of victory.

Without the slightest hesitation, he chose to enter the fourth floor.

[Spirit Tower Announcement: Congratulations to Faustus, contestant of the Canaan starfield, for becoming the first to reach the fourth floor of the Spirit Tower!]

Boom!

In the viewing arena, the spectators from all the major starfields instantly widened their eyes.

Just moments ago, they had still been shouting themselves hoarse in support of their own powerhouses. Yet on the screen, only Faustus had managed to overpower and kill the guardian of the third floor.

One had to remember that he had not even been among the first contestants to enter the third floor!

He had started later, yet arrived first, becoming the first person to reach the fourth floor!

The spectators from the various starfields wilted like frost-stricken eggplants, each of them falling silent and dispirited.

"How is that possible?! Faustus took first place again!"

"No! Harris was only a hair’s breadth away! What a pity!"

"Just what corner of the universe did Faustus crawl out from? Since when did the Canaan starfield secretly cultivate such a terrifying monster?"

"Fine. I have nothing to say about this outcome. Faustus started challenging his guardian later than most of them, after all!"

"Uh... I admit I’m convinced, but it’s still such a shame..."

The expressions of the Oracle-grade powerhouses in the spectator stands were equally fascinating.

A proud look appeared on Chanelle’s face, the corners of her lips rising slightly. She did not need to say a single word.

The Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Viridis starfield merely smiled calmly, offering no comment.

The Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Samuel starfield looked as though flames were about to erupt from his eyes as he stared fixedly at Faustus’s figure.

The Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Aurora starfield had an extremely gloomy expression. If Nox had not been killed by Flora, then with his unparalleled ability to pierce through a single point with explosive offensive force...

The Oracle-grade powerhouse from the Alba starfield raised the corners of his mouth in a faint smile.

"Faustus... interesting."

Ever since the elimination round began, Faustus had forcefully dominated the announcement board.

By now, the Oracle-grade powerhouses from all the major starfields had thoroughly committed his name to memory.

Meanwhile, inside the Spirit Tower, all the contestants reacted differently the instant they heard the announcement.

"Why is it Faustus again? I’m already sick of hearing that name."

Udi grumbled sourly. In a fit of anger, he slammed his fist into the guardian in front of him, shattering it into fragments.

[Spirit Tower Announcement: Udi, contestant of the Copper starfield, has entered the fourth floor!]

"Every single time, I think I can surpass him, yet every single time, he ends up one step ahead of me! I, Harris, am clearly supposed to be the greatest prodigy of this generation! Where in the world did this Faustus come from?!"

Harris furiously crushed the guardian before him.

[Spirit Tower Announcement: Harris, contestant of the Aurora starfield, has entered the fourth floor!]

"Faustus is extremely dangerous!"

A flash of light passed through Julian’s hand, and the guardian in front of him collapsed with a thunderous crash. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[Spirit Tower Announcement: Julian, contestant of the Samuel starfield, has entered the fourth floor!]

...