Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 426: 83rd Floor, Essence of the God of Fall (8)

“...What is that?!”

The flowing demonic energy.

It was not the black magic of any other being, but Taesan's own black magic.

“What is that?!”

The Apostle shouted with a twisted face.

It seemed as though he hadn’t expected Taesan to use his own black magic.

'As expected.'

He was currently in the God of Fall's domain.

The God of Fall must have examined Taesan’s inner power and confirmed the strength he possessed.

But even the gods don’t know everything.

The magic of Negation was a fusion of blackness and magic. Even Zerband, the God of Magic, hadn’t anticipated such magic.

Its origin was in the domain of the God of Magic.

Taesan’s own demonic domain was the same. The power he acquired had come from between the Demon God and Ba’al.

Both the God of Magic and the Demon God were transcendents, just like Essence.

No matter how powerful transcendents were, they couldn’t know everything that happened between other transcendents. Essence didn’t have complete knowledge of Taesan’s strength.

Taesan opened the demonic power.

Black magic uses demonic energy to create phenomena and summon entities within the demonic realm.

Taesan placed all his demonic energy into the realm.

The phenomenon he created was one of harmony and amplification.

And now, he had liberated the demonic realm here.

Creek!

The demonic realm manifested in the model garden, the domain of Essence. Like oil poured onto fire, it quickly expanded.

Negation magic was a fusion of blackness and Zerband’s magic. The demonic realm was closer to the domain of the Demon God. The boundary line was a mixture of blackness and divinity.

Without resistance, they began to merge as though greeting each other.

The demonic energy spread like spider webs through the boundary line and Negation magic.

Crackle!

The power of the God of Fall surrounding Taesan began to crumble.

The Apostle’s eyes widened.

“It’s impossible! This is Essence's power! The law of the world itself!”

“If you don’t understand, then die.”

[You activated Copy.]

The demonic energy copied itself. The amount of demonic energy doubled, merging with the boundary line and Negation magic.

It fused and fused, creating something that wasn’t just a boundary, nor simply Negation magic or black magic.

Inside, there was a power capable of negating the very laws of the world.

Taesan swung his sword roughly.

Whoosh!

A sound of breaking echoed. It wasn’t the sound of material or space breaking.

It was the sound of concepts themselves breaking apart.

Essence’s power collided with something that denied the laws, and the two nullified each other.

[You overcame the transcendent’s power. You have acquired the special activation skill [Law Negation].]

[Your proficiency in black magic increased by 4%.]

[Your proficiency in boundary lines increased by #$!!%.]

[Your proficiency in black magic creation increased by 5%.]

“Ah, ah...”

The Apostle stared blankly, his mouth agape.

Taesan took a deep breath. His condition wasn’t great. Mana and demonic energy were nearly depleted, and his health was rapidly decreasing.

He planned to end this now. Taesan stomped his foot. The Apostle snapped out of his confusion.

“G-God! Grant me your power! Everything that dares oppose you, throw it into the abyss...”

The prayer was cut off. Taesan was already right in front of the Apostle.

The Apostle hurriedly stopped his prayer and gathered all his strength.

With everything he had, he threw a punch.

The punch collided with the boundary line and collapsed.

The boundary covered the Apostle. His whole body began to crumble as the structure fell apart.

“Oh, ohhh!”

The Apostle let out a desperate scream. His body, which had been disintegrating, quickly returned to its original state.

But it immediately collapsed again.

It was like a broken vessel. While it could be roughly pieced together to resemble the original shape, that was its limit. Any shock would cause it to shatter again.

The Apostle’s body, that vessel, had already shattered completely and scattered.

“This can’t be!”

The Apostle cried out in negation. He was the Apostle of the God of Fall, the gatekeeper of the model garden, who had brought despair to countless adventurers and reveled in it.

He believed that he would live like this forever, enjoying it for all eternity.

But now, the end was coming.

The Apostle resisted, but the boundary line swallowed everything. Just as Taesan was about to land the finishing blow, a huge presence intervened.

The Apostle’s confusion and rage tried to directly influence Taesan.

[No. Essence. This kind of interference is no fun.]

Another presence spread power with a laugh.

It was a very familiar voice, that of a young girl.

The power that was about to engulf Taesan was instantly pushed away.

Taesan, with the boundary line in his sword, swung it.

The Apostle was buried within the boundary. The Apostle’s very existence was erased.

***

[Your Spiritual Ascension has been activated.]

[Your health has permanently increased by 4,545, strength by 875, and agility by 587.]

[Your Spiritual Ascension has been activated.]

[You have acquired the special constant skill [The Undying].]

Taesan sheathed his sword.

The ash faded, and nothing remained in its place.

The Apostle, who had served as the gatekeeper of the model garden for a long time, had completely disappeared.

“Ah...”

“Oh...”

A groan rang out from the audience.

They hadn’t fully understood the flow of the battle from the middle of the fight.

Forces that far surpassed the comprehension of mortal beings had continuously emerged. All they could comprehend was the result.

And the result was the Apostle’s defeat.

And if they won in the Colosseum, they would all be able to leave.

“Oh, ohhhhh!”

A cheer erupted. The sounds of joy filled the air, carrying all the emotions of the world.

What was contained in those sounds was intense worship and faith toward Taesan.

For a moment, Taesan could feel a divine presence that made him uneasy.

[Your proficiency in divinity has increased by 1%.]

“Is it enough to raise the proficiency?”

There weren’t many of them. Compared to the amount of faith Taesan received on Earth, it was nothing.

But still, the proficiency in divinity, which had been stuck at 90%, had increased.

Each one of them was a being at the very edge of mortality, so it seemed their faith carried a heavy weight.

“Ta-Taesan-nim!”

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The princess approached with a face filled with great joy, but also one of confusion.

“You really won, didn’t you? I believed it was possible, but this... this...”

Taesan raised his hand to silence her as she stuttered.

“It’s not over yet.”

“Eh, what?”

Taesan turned his gaze toward the air.

“Come out.”

[.......]

Crunch.

The space warped.

An intense, angry gaze turned toward Taesan.

All the people who had been celebrating fell silent, holding their breath. Their faces drained of color.

A rage that conveyed no other emotion, a rage so clear that even they could recognize it.

That emotion alone caused the model garden to distort.

And Taesan calmly let the anger flow past him.

[You.]

A voice echoed. A clear murderous intent was directed at Taesan.

Essence wanted Taesan dead more than anything.

But it couldn’t happen.

Even now, the Demon God was watching them from afar.

In the end, Essence had no choice but to suppress the anger.

[Damned Demon God. You dare play these kinds of games?]

Essence muttered through clenched teeth. It wasn’t just because the Demon God had blocked him that he was angry. After collecting his emotions, he made a declaration.

[You have won in the Colosseum. You are free. My toys.]

It was something he truly didn’t want to do, but Essence had no other choice. If they won in the Colosseum, they would be able to leave. It was a declaration made in his name. He couldn’t take it back now.

[And that damned thing. I will give you your reward.]

Essence’s power enveloped Taesan. It was a part of the power Essence possessed.

[You have acquired the special activation skill [The Fall of All Things].]

[You have obtained the Shoes of the Free.]

[Get lost. The next time I meet you, I’ll stake everything to kill you.]

With those deadly words, Essence’s presence disappeared. Only then did the people, who had been holding their breath, exhale.

“...Ha, haha.”

Someone laughed. The laughter spread, infecting everyone in the room.

Essence’s affirmation had come.

They were free to leave.

***

Everyone burst into cheers, expressing their joy. They had been trapped here for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, or more.

They had lived, clinging to hope, in the midst of terrible despair.

And now, they had seized that hope in their hands.

There was no way they couldn’t be happy. Reynaldo also grabbed Taesan’s hand, shaking it with an excited face.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you! I can’t even express how much! I’d love to give you something, but damn it, the restrictions haven’t been lifted yet, so that’s impossible!”

“Restrictions?”

“The God of Fall’s restrictions. We can’t give each other anything. We’ve been freed, but it seems like those restrictions still haven’t been lifted.”

Reynaldo chuckled.

“Once I return to my labyrinth, I’ll give you everything I have. Don’t refuse.”

“I have no intention of refusing.”

If he was offering a reward, Taesan was happy to accept it.

Taesan asked him,

“What do you plan to do from now on?”

“...I’m not sure.”

Reynaldo stroked his chin.

“We failed to clear the labyrinth. I don’t know if it’ll even be possible to go back down now. Above all, most of us, including myself, have no attachment to the labyrinth anymore.”

Reynaldo gave a wry smile.

“We’ve been here for far too long. We’ve realized that freedom is far more valuable than strength.”

“I... don’t know either.”

The princess mumbled with a vague expression.

What would they do after returning?

The suddenness of their freedom left them unable to come to a conclusion.

“For now, I want to meet Veldenkia. After that, I want to think things through.”

Diana spoke with a delighted face.

“By the way, why hasn’t anything happened yet?”

It had been hours since Essence declared their freedom, but they were still in the model garden.

A slight unease appeared on Reynaldo’s face.

“Could it be that they were lying?”

“That’s unlikely. They’re probably talking to the labyrinth’s administrator. It’s too much to just enter the labyrinth as it is.”

The adventurers who had reached the 83rd floor, over a thousand in number.

It wouldn’t be strange if the labyrinth were to burst from the overload. They waited, thinking this, and finally, a change occurred.

Boom!

As if the role of the world had been completed, the model garden began to fold in.

“Finally.”

Reynaldo muttered with an excited tone. Diana quietly closed her eyes.

Boom!

The world folded for the last time.

And Taesan returned to a familiar place.

[Quest completed.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have obtained the Ring of Endless Abyss.]

[??? obtained.]

On the 83rd floor, where the altar of the God of Fall stood, Taesan arrived.

And he was not alone.

“...Huh? Where did the others go?”

Diana looked around with a confused expression.

Everyone who had been captured by the God of Fall was gone. Only Diana remained by Taesan’s side.

[You have returned.]

And it seemed like Balbamba had been waiting, now settled in the labyrinth as well.

***

“Oh my.”

Diana covered her mouth with her hand.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Balbamba.”

[Indeed, Princess.]

They seemed to be familiar with each other. It wasn’t surprising, considering they had both reached the 83rd floor, so they must have had some prior acquaintance.

[This time, you’ve really done something grand. Thanks to you, we’ll have to redo the 83rd floor.]

“I’m sorry about that.”

[No. It’s fine this time. In fact, it’s been a good thing.]

Balbamba didn’t show the irritation it usually did.

Despite the added work, it seemed to be in a better mood.

[It’s not a bad thing for me either.]

Balbamba explained.

[We have a cooperative relationship with the gods. Generally, we can’t place restrictions on their actions. But honestly, the God of Fall is a god I don’t particularly like either.]

“No need to ask why.”

The purpose of the labyrinth was to observe the struggles of mortals.

But the God of Fall treated talented mortals as his toys, trapping them in the model garden.

That was the complete opposite of the labyrinth’s purpose. It wasn’t something Balbamba, the administrator, would have preferred.

[While I can’t do anything about the souls already bound, I don’t think any more souls will be used by the God of Fall from now on.]

“What happened to the God of Fall?”

[We had a conversation. As a result, we now have a rather unfavorable relationship.]

Balbamba spoke calmly.

[At least now, the God of Fall won’t show his face to you through the labyrinth again.]