Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 432: 84th Floor, Levinenov’s World (5)

[Aaaaah!]

The man's soul screamed in anguish.

He thrashed about, trying to escape from Taesan's grasp.

But Taesan easily overpowered his resistance, forcefully extracting the power and prestige imbued in the soul.

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Permanently increased: Health by 10,147, Strength by 2,278, Agility by 2,202, Intelligence by 587.]

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. Twisted Soul Tuning proficiency increased by 5%. Black proficiency increased by 5%.]

[Your Soul Ascension has been activated. You have acquired the soul skill [Sword of the World].]

With the activation of Soul Ascension, the blessing that had been bestowed upon Taesan dissipated.

A wave of exhaustion washed over his body. While he was still immensely powerful, the blessing had raised him to a state beyond his natural limits, placing a significant strain on his body and soul.

“So, this is what the state of Ainzhar feels like,” he murmured.

He had experienced a sensation close to the pinnacle of transcendence.

Taesan clenched his fist. It wouldn’t be long before he reached that level himself.

He opened his skill window to check his progress. Twisted Soul Tuning had finally reached 80% proficiency, and Black had climbed to 20%.

“It took long enough.”

He wanted to test it immediately, but there were more pressing matters to address.

Raising his hand, Taesan commanded, "Ascend."

[You have activated Declaration of Levitation.]

The remnants of the temple began to rise into the air. Amid the debris, Taesan found the sacred relic embedded within.

The temple, having been at the epicenter of the battle, was so thoroughly destroyed that not even its original shape could be discerned.

Yet the sacred relic remained unscathed, as pristine as when he first saw it, exuding divine power.

Taesan grasped the relic. Looking up at the sky, he could see that the battle was nearing its conclusion.

His task here was complete. Taesan returned to the labyrinth.

---

[84th Floor Cleared.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have obtained the Weapon's Engraving.]

[You have obtained ???.]

---

[You’ve returned,] a voice greeted him.

Waiting in the labyrinth was Balbabamba.

[You don’t seem to have suffered any major issues. That’s good. So, have you uncovered the truth you sought?]

“Enough for now,” Taesan replied, meeting Balbabamba’s gaze.

Balbabamba's eyes searched for an answer.

[You’ve acquired the sacred relic, haven’t you?]

Taesan held up Levinenov's relic for him to see. Balbabamba nodded in approval.

[Good. Let’s move on.]

[Balbabamba activates #000231.]

**Rumble!**

The labyrinth twisted and reformed. In the blink of an eye, Taesan found himself on the 78th floor, in the Library of Myriad Realms.

[You have many questions, but they can wait until you complete Ainzhar’s quest. It will be more convenient for both you and us that way.]

“If you insist.”

Taesan turned and headed toward Ainzhar. He found him sitting at the entrance to Levinenov's hidden chamber, resting.

When Ainzhar noticed Taesan’s approach, he leapt to his feet.

“You—you’re back already? Did you retrieve the relic?”

Taesan revealed the relic.

Ainzhar’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“O-oh... ohhh...”

“How is Levinenov faring?” Taesan asked.

“She had a seizure not long ago, but she has stabilized since.”

“Then we can proceed.”

Taesan entered the hidden chamber.

Inside, the goddess remained as he had last seen her—sitting serenely with a gentle smile on her face.

But the aura she exuded was undeniably weaker. The corruption emanating from her heart had only grown more potent.

His task was clear: purge the corruption and restore the goddess to her original state.

Taesan lifted the sacred relic.

---

[What are you planning to do?]

Balbabamba had not left. The library’s guardian, Jorge, also arrived, observing Taesan intently.

“Purging a god’s corruption isn’t a trivial matter, even for my master. If this succeeds, I’d like to document the process,” Jorge remarked.

[What about you, Balbabamba? Shouldn’t you be managing other parts of the labyrinth?]

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[What happens here could significantly impact the labyrinth. As its administrator, I must ensure no lasting damage occurs.]

[Ah, I see.]

The ghost nodded. Ainzhar, however, asked anxiously, “What do you plan to do?”

“Though much of her is corrupted, Levinenov has been containing it within her heart. The corruption mirrors the boundary I wield.”

Taesan explained his plan to use the boundary to cleanse the corruption from Levinenov's heart.

“My initial intent was to purify Levinenov’s entire realm, but that proved impossible. It has become entirely an Old God’s domain.”

The realm itself was beyond salvation. Instead, Taesan would focus on purging the corruption consuming Levinenov’s physical form.

“The goddess will lose her domain and much of her power. Failure isn’t unlikely either.”

“That’s fine,” Ainzhar said, his voice tinged with desperation. “Even a sliver of hope is enough.”

Taesan approached Levinenov, holding the sacred relic.

The corruption in her heart lashed out violently as if sensing his intentions. Dark energy rippled through the chamber.

Undeterred, Taesan pressed forward, shrouding his hand in divine power.

**Buzz!**

A boundary manifested above his palm.

Without hesitation, he drove his hand into Levinenov’s heart.

---

Levinenov's eyes snapped open, and she let out a deafening scream.

[Aaaaagh!]

The corruption erupted like a wild beast sensing its demise, releasing a torrent of destructive energy in all directions. Ainzhar hastily conjured a golden barrier, while Balbabamba fortified the chamber with his administrator’s authority.

The corrupt energy lashed out, attempting to infiltrate Taesan’s body and overwhelm him.

It failed.

The boundary surrounding Taesan's hand devoured the corruption instead.

The taint of an Old God, potent enough to destabilize even transcendent beings, had no effect on him. Strengthening the boundary, Taesan plunged his hand deeper.

At the core of the corruption, he found its source—a writhing, malevolent essence.

The root of the goddess’s defilement.

Taesan detonated the boundary.

The essence fought back with all its might, releasing a catastrophic shockwave.

**Boom!**

Ash-gray energy flooded the chamber. Ainzhar instinctively recoiled, knowing contact with it could warp his very existence. Balbabamba exerted his full strength as the labyrinth’s administrator.

[Balbabamba activates #000001.]

**Rumble!**

The labyrinth fractured as Balbabamba severed the chamber from the rest of the structure. It was his ultimate authority as the labyrinth's guardian.

Even so, the ash-gray energy threatened to breach his containment.

[Hmph.]

Balbabamba focused harder, isolating the chamber as though sealing it away.

With a final push, Taesan seized the essence.

For a fleeting moment, he felt a presence—a vast, incomprehensible being from beyond this world. Its gaze bore into him, accompanied by a sinister smile.

Taesan crushed the essence, suppressing the presence with his boundary.

The source of Levinenov’s corruption was finally extracted.

---

[You have obtained a Fragment of the Old God.]

[Boundary proficiency has increased by !!@%$.]

[You have purified the Old God’s corruption. You have acquired the special activation skill [Purification of the Profane].]

[Aaaaah...]

Levinenov’s scream abruptly faded. Her body went limp, and the life drained from her features. The forceful removal of the corruption had destroyed part of her physical form, leaving her unable to sustain herself.

Taesan quickly placed the sacred relic into her heart.

**Rumble!**

The relic fused with the goddess seamlessly, restoring the void left by the corruption.

---

“Phew...”

As the ash-gray energy subsided, Ainzhar rushed to Levinenov's side.

“My goddess!”

He cradled her weakened form. Though still unconscious, her presence now felt pure—untainted by corruption.

“Oh... ohhh...!” Ainzhar wept with joy, holding the goddess tightly.

[Sub-quest Complete.]

[Ainzhar and Levinenov grant you a reward.]

---

Taesan examined the fragment in his hand.

---

[Fragment of the Old God.]

[A piece of an Old God that transcends laws.]

---

The fragment oozed profane energy, attempting to corrupt him. But the boundary enveloping Taesan rendered it powerless.

“You actually succeeded,” Jorge said, his tone laced with curiosity. “Even the Library of Myriad Realms has no record of someone like you. You intrigue me more with every passing moment.”

Ainzhar, still shaken but elated, staggered to his feet.

“Thank you... truly, thank you.”

He gripped Taesan’s hand firmly.

“I will repay this debt.”

“Not yet. She’s not awake, and we don’t know how she’ll recover. Focus on protecting her for now.”

“You’re right. For now, I must dedicate myself to Lady Levinenov’s well-being. When she awakens, I’ll ensure you’re properly rewarded.”

Taesan nodded, unsurprised by the delay.

“It’s over

,” he muttered.

[Indeed.]

Balbabamba silently observed him.

[Let me open the way for you.]

[Balbabamba activates #000004.]

A portal appeared, leading to a shimmering space filled with swirling colors.

[The rest is up to the labyrinth’s mage.]

Stepping through, Taesan entered a realm of chaotic energy, where the mage awaited him.

"Sorry, but you can’t stay here," the mage said to a lingering spirit. "Leave."

[What?]

The ghost was powerless to resist and disappeared from Taesan's side.

“You too, Green Witch. This secret is not meant for you.”

[Wait!]

A flustered voice faded in an instant. The mage conjured a chair and sat down casually.

“From here on out, we’ll be discussing secrets too great for others to hear. I trust you’ve grasped the basics by now?”

“More or less,” Taesan replied, taking a seat across from the mage.

“The Old Gods are gradually revealing themselves in this world, aren’t they?”

“It’ll take a long time, but yes, they will return one day. The thought of repeating that wretched war is sickening.”

The mage’s tone was weary, as though he had personally faced the Old Gods in battle before their banishment.

“With some luck, they might be sealed away again... but who knows how things will unfold this time?”

“That being called me a key,” Taesan said, cutting to the point. “It claimed that with me, many things become possible. Do you know what it meant?”

“You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?”

The mage pointed a finger at Taesan.

“You wield the Black. And you do so without issue.”

“Is handling the power of the Old Gods truly so rare? In Levinenov’s realm, I saw an avatar of an Old God—it was an immortal. It wielded the Black quite effectively.”

“That’s a different case entirely. It ascended to the rank of an immortal and then willingly offered itself to the Old God. In return, it gained the ability to manipulate the Black.”

The mage leaned back, crossing his legs.

“But you? You have no contract with the Old Gods, yet you wield not only the Black but also an anomalous force—the Boundary—that mixes divinity with it.”

His eyes, dark as the abyss, fixed on Taesan.

“That power allows for many things. Severing the connection between an Old God and its avatars, purifying a corrupted goddess... What else might it achieve?”

“Have you figured out what I am?” Taesan asked.

The mage had previously admitted to being intrigued by the uniqueness of the Boundary, yet unable to uncover its origins.

“I’ve found some answers.”

A bitter smile crossed the mage’s lips as he began his explanation.

“We waged war against the Old Gods.”

It was a conflict from a distant past, one known to only a handful of transcendents.

“Countless transcendents perished—and were born anew. Space collapsed, timelines twisted, and concepts themselves unraveled. The war, one that seemed as though it would last until the universe’s end, somehow reached its conclusion.”

The victors were the transcendents.

“But we couldn’t kill the Old Gods. All we could do was banish them. Together, every transcendent layered countless laws to create an impenetrable seal. Not even the Old Gods could break it. The universe was finally freed from their influence.”

The mage paused, his expression darkening.

“Yet that seal is fracturing. The Old Gods are reappearing, and their target is you.”

“Why me?”

“It’s simple,” the mage said, voice firm. “Your Boundary. With it, you could undo the seal and release the Old Gods.”