Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 455: The Seventh Return, Earth (7)

After defeating the Apostle, there had been no major difficulties.

Whenever danger seemed imminent, Taesan personally took action to handle the monsters, so no one had died after that.

It was a strange thing.

When Taesan judged, Goshin could have sent down another Apostle. There was enough strength left for that.

However, there were no signs of any such move.

The number of S-class monsters had noticeably decreased, making defense completely manageable.

Taesan understood Goshin’s strategy.

“Is he conserving his strength?”

According to the explanation following the destroyed pillar, there would be penalties in the next quest.

Since the plan had already been disrupted when the Apostle fell, it seemed like Goshin intended to put all his power into the next quest to capture Taesan.

However, the people who didn't know that were simply rejoicing as they defeated the monsters without difficulty. They were burning with fighting spirit as they brought down the monsters.

Time passed without any major issues, and the quest was completed.

[Quest Ended.]

[One week later. The next quest will begin. Please take this time to recover from the damage and prepare for the upcoming battle.]

“Wow!”

“We won!”

“We were victorious!”

Those who had fought off the monster attacks cheered in celebration. Taesan approached Diana and Veldenkia, who had collapsed from exhaustion.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Ugh. This is tough. My stamina isn’t what it used to be.”

Veldenkia complained with a tired face. Diana's expression didn’t change much, but her breathing had become noticeably labored.

“This is hard. This is what it’s like in a world under Goshin’s invasion.”

“Thanks to you, many people have survived. I’m grateful.”

While Taesan was fighting the Apostle, S-class monsters had continued to appear.

Without the two of them, Lee Taeyeon would have had to handle it alone, but no matter how strong she had become, that would have been impossible. If Diana and Veldenkia hadn’t been there, the possibility of annihilation couldn’t have been ruled out.

“No, it’s something I wanted to do. If anything, I should be thanking you.”

Diana looked at the people with a gentle smile.

They were celebrating their survival from destruction.

For her, who hadn’t been able to save the people she wanted to, seeing them gave her great comfort.

“Is it over now?”

“No. A new quest will begin in a week. But for now, you should rest.”

They were given a week. It was a week that would barely be enough to assess the damage, but they had been through intense battles for a month. Rest was definitely needed.

Diana and Veldenkia followed Taesan’s advice. They approached the people celebrating.

“Ooooh!”

“The princess and the magician have come!”

“Thank you so much! My son survived because of you!”

The people greeted them with joy.

At first, there had been strange looks directed at Diana and Veldenkia.

Once they realized they weren’t from Earth, many had doubted them, wondering if they might be spies of the monsters.

However, as the quest progressed, those people had completely disappeared. Everyone was now expressing their gratitude.

The two of them had fully blended in with the people of Earth.

Though they were both embarrassed by the praise, they appeared happy.

The people were filled with joy and happiness. They rested, and for the first time in a long while, served cooked food. Due to a lack of ingredients, the dishes weren’t extravagant, but still, the people were content.

The leaders of the nations didn’t stop them. They understood that rewards were absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, Taesan was examining the new power he had gained.

[Black: Fragmentation]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[You can now separate and control your own fragments.]

It was the first skill categorized under "Black."

It was likely an ability unique to beings of the Apostle level. The effect wasn’t hard to guess.

[You have activated Fragmentation.]

At that moment, something erupted from Taesan’s body.

[What the hell?]

Bardray was momentarily confused.

A human-like form of energy, shaking, appeared in front of Taesan, the same size as him.

That was Taesan himself.

[...Master, you’ve been split.]

Akasha murmured, also startled. Taesan examined the separated energy.

There was no sense of will, but it was undoubtedly himself.

“Part of my power, rank, divinity... and even black—everything is there.”

[But it’s so small. Even now, I could easily erase it.]

Taesan stopped Fragmentation.

It was as the skill’s description said: he could now separate and handle parts of himself.

But what could be done with it, he still wasn’t sure.

He would have to think more about it and figure it out in time.

[By the way... what do I do with this?]

Bardray muttered with a pale face.

Taesan, now on top of a building in Las Vegas, was observing himself.

Around the building, countless people were bowing their heads.

The entire city was densely packed with people.

Millions of them were bowing their heads in worship toward Taesan.

Taesan had traveled across the entire United States to stop the Apostles.

Going from the east to the west, he had brought down the Apostles. During this process, people had directly witnessed his power.

Not to mention, it was Taesan who had brought Diana and Veldenkia, who had saved them.

Almost everyone, except for a few, was now worshiping him.

Truly, like a god.

When Taesan tried to block the hole he had made while capturing the Apostles, the people had shown reluctance. When he asked them why, they replied:

“This is a mark left by Taesan-sama to save us. We must preserve this place and tell future generations about it.”

“...I see.”

Taesan ultimately did not seal the hole.

His divine power had reached 99%. With that, the limits of his divinity seemed to have disappeared. At this point, with only a slight effort, he could likely cover the entire United States with his divine power.

However, he was still 1% short.

Taesan understood the reason.

Most people revered him, but there were still some who resisted.

“I acknowledge his strength, but he’s not a god.”

Pure unbelievers.

People who, as humans, did not believe in the gods.

“Could such a powerful being even exist? Could it be a trick with the enemies?”

Skeptics.

Those who doubted Taesan’s true identity and considered his connection with Goshin.

There were also many others who, for various reasons, didn’t worship Taesan.

When he received their faith, his skill proficiency would finally reach 100%.

“It won’t be easy.”

Before the world on the brink of destruction fell to Goshin, Taesan had received the worship of many, but there were fewer people, and they were all cornered. Back then, all who didn’t believe in him had fought and perished. So, it had been possible.

Akasha, who had been silent, spoke up.

[Master, the problem is those who do not believe in you, correct?]

“Exactly.”

[Then the solution is simple. Just kill them all. With your abilities, you could eliminate them without anyone noticing.]

Akasha spoke calmly.

Taesan looked at Akasha, who was resting quietly on his finger.

[That’s... too extreme, don’t you think?]

[But it’s a rational approach. The hearts of unbelievers cannot be swayed easily. It’s more reasonable to erase them than to try and convince them.]

“I don’t use methods like that.”

Taesan replied firmly. If he was going to solve it by killing them, there were far easier ways. But Taesan had rejected all of that and come here.

[Is that so?]

After a brief silence, Akasha quietly asked.

[Master, am I strange?]

[You’re not exactly normal, no.]

Bardray spoke with a slightly bitter tone.

[If you don’t believe, you kill them? That sounds like something a fanatic would say.]

[...I see.]

“Did your memory return?”

As Taesan defeated the Apostle, Bardray's offensive power had significantly increased.

It wouldn’t be strange if something changed in Akasha as well, who grew with every enemy defeated.

[Not exactly... but it’s coming back naturally. Emotions, or actions, I suppose. Something like that. It seems I was quite heartless when I was human.]

[Well, you’re an Apostle who believes in a god. It’s not surprising you’d have that temperament. You do seem to be a rather cruel god when I look at you.]

[Is this what cruelty feels like? It’s a strange feeling.]

Akasha murmured.

“Your point is the quickest, but I’m not planning to do that. I’m thinking of another way.”

Taesan said.

And so, time passed, and a day went by.

People began to examine the damage with serious expressions. The first thing they checked was the number of destroyed pillars.

“Fourteen out of 108 pillars have been destroyed.”

“I’m not sure if this is good or bad.”

“It’s not bad.”

Taesan answered. He had expected that up to twenty pillars might be destroyed. Fourteen was within an acceptable range.

In the places where the pillars had been destroyed, something strange could be seen.

“...What is that?”

It was a black substance.

Something as dark as pitch had squeezed into space and settled there. People instinctively feared it and didn’t approach.

Taesan walked toward the substance.

He reached out and grabbed it. The people watching held their breath.

But nothing happened.

‘A barrier?’

Taesan inspected the substance more closely but couldn’t make out what it was exactly. He considered using the Boundary Line, but Goshin was likely aware of it as well.

If he touched it carelessly, it could potentially work out in Goshin's favor, so Taesan only sealed off the area around it.

“Let’s leave it for now.”

“Understood. But why are the pillars that weren’t destroyed still standing, even though the quest is over?”

“Maybe they’re being kept for the next quest?”

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“Then we should consider placing them around the pillars.”

Kim Hwiyun answered calmly.

The number of deaths wasn’t very high.

It was around 20 million—about 10% of the total population had lost their lives. It was a significant loss, but those who had risen above billions of lives quickly recovered from their grief and moved forward.

The cleanup was finished quickly.

Everyone expected the next quest to be the last one.

And with that, they knew it would be incredibly difficult.

However, they had no doubt that they would overcome it again.

Everyone steeled themselves and waited for the next quest.

And a week passed.

The quest began.

[Special Quest Started.]

[14 Pillars Destroyed.]

[Checking conditions...]

[Conditions Confirmed.]

Clang!

The black substance shattered.

The black energy that leaked out began to coalesce into one.

“Huh?”

People instinctively shivered.

Something was descending upon them.

It wasn’t an Apostle.

It couldn’t be described as terrifying or alien, nor could any words or phrases explain it.

It was an existence beyond their comprehension.

[Condition: Defeat Goshin before all the pillars are destroyed. If you fail, all of humanity will lose their lives.]