Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 472: Floor 89: The Old God’s Outpost (5)

When Taesan expressed gratitude, Paradise's eyes wavered.

He couldn’t comprehend Taesan’s words. He had displayed overwhelming, near-absolute authority, and yet his opponent was thankful. It was irrational.

But Taesan was sincere.

"So this is how I get an opportunity."

He was always calculating.

"I can't obtain every skill."

Countless skills he had acquired in his past life. Among them, some would undoubtedly have to be abandoned in this life.

"There are skills I must obtain, though."

Skills like Multiplication and Skill Designation Reset were invaluable. He had resolved to acquire those two at any cost.

And he had a plan to achieve it.

Before leaving the labyrinth, he would ensure they were his.

But other skills? They were less certain.

Particularly, Temporal Stasis.

The ability to freeze time in the surrounding area. A near-absolute skill, even effective against apostles.

But that was its limit.

While Multiplication and Skill Designation Reset directly affected Taesan himself, Temporal Stasis manipulated the world at large.

It was a skill akin to a rule—a law that interfered with the world itself.

For beings like transcendents or the Old Gods, such laws could be overridden by stronger laws or broken entirely.

This was a nuance he hadn’t known in his past life. Back then, he couldn’t even face a single apostle, let alone stronger opponents. There had been no need to consider such complexities.

But that was no longer the case.

Now, Taesan could defeat apostles with relative ease.

His main enemies were the Old Gods.

Against them, Temporal Stasis was unlikely to work.

Of course, it remained an extraordinary skill. At the level of immortals, it was practically invincible. Even transcendents would expend significant effort to counter it.

But the real issue lay elsewhere.

He had no way to obtain it.

Temporal Stasis was among the most difficult and luck-dependent skills to acquire.

Gathering thousands of repelling projectiles in a confined space to meet specific conditions was nearly impossible.

Even if the conditions were met, it would require more luck than skill or effort on Taesan’s part.

Unlike Multiplication or Skill Designation Reset, which he was confident he could earn under the right circumstances, Temporal Stasis was a gamble.

After much deliberation, Taesan had come to terms with letting it go.

But Taesan wasn’t disheartened.

He couldn’t have everything. To gain something, sacrifices were necessary. By giving up a few skills, he had achieved transcendent power that was unattainable in his previous life. That was something to celebrate.

And now, an enemy stood before him wielding the very power of Temporal Stasis.

Taesan couldn’t suppress a grin.

“Perfect.”

His greedy gaze locked onto Paradise.

Unconsciously, Paradise took a step back. Taesan braced his legs.

Boom!

His body accelerated. Taesan swung his arm, manifesting a wave of dark energy.

[You have activated Asmodeus’s Chains of Corruption.]

Clatter!

Chains materialized, flying toward Paradise. He quickly regained his composure and dodged.

[You have activated Sure Hit.]

The chains immediately adjusted their trajectory to pursue Paradise.

“Tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Paradise stomped the ground. The chains slowed enough for him to create distance without difficulty.

But the relentless pursuit of the chains posed a significant threat, no matter how slow they became. They would not stop until they hit their target.

[You have activated Limited Blink.]

Taesan teleported directly in front of Paradise.

[You have activated Call of Destruction.]

[You have activated Embers of Calamity.]

Two apocalyptic forces manifested, surging toward Paradise.

These powers, wielded by a transcendent, carried enough destructive force to obliterate the world.

Clicking his tongue, Paradise drew a pistol. He knew he had to destroy the pursuing forces or they would haunt him indefinitely.

He smoothly loaded bullets into the chamber, completing the action with practiced precision before raising the gun.

Bang!

The bullet tore through the air, shattering the forces chasing him and redirecting its trajectory toward Taesan.

Taesan neither dodged nor blocked.

[Your First Attack Immunity has activated.]

“Urgh!”

As the immunity took effect, Paradise’s body momentarily trembled. He resisted the power that tried to rewind his actions.

“How dare you!”

Paradise roared, forcing his body back to stability.

“So much resistance,” Taesan muttered. It was clear that the closer beings were to the level of the Old Gods, the more they could resist the labyrinth’s skills.

Taesan pressed forward, closing the distance. Paradise quickly reloaded his gun but refrained from shooting immediately. Instead, he dodged attacks and maintained his distance, only firing after some time.

Bang!

The bullet fired again. Taesan focused on defense, but the bullet grazed his arm as it returned repeatedly.

[Your Second Attack Immunity has activated.]

"It has a cooldown."

Paradise seemed to wait deliberately between shots. The power to rewind time likely required a certain cooldown period before it could be used again.

"Approximately ten seconds."

With that calculation, Taesan charged toward Paradise. But each time he fired, Paradise widened the gap, quickly reloading and moving farther away.

“What a strange power! But it’s useless!” Paradise laughed maniacally as he fired again.

His authority ensured his bullets would hit, no matter what.

In response, Taesan surrounded himself with barriers and holy energy, layering them evenly across his body.

The bullet struck his barriers.

Crack!

Time rewound repeatedly.

The bullet adjusted endlessly, seeking the correct answer. At this rate, it would eventually break through.

So Taesan consumed it.

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He summoned darkness.

Then, with Boundary Line, he enveloped the bullet.

Crack!

Time rewound endlessly.

But the bullet couldn’t penetrate the gray barrier.

It sought an answer but found none.

Paradise’s mocking smile faded as his pupils widened in disbelief.

Crack...

The bullet lost its power, failing to reach Taesan.

Tap.

“What the...?” Paradise stammered.

Taesan unleashed black magic and unholy spells toward the startled Paradise.

The earlier exchange had confirmed it: Paradise required his gun to block attacks. Without it, he had no means of defense.

Which meant Taesan could unleash his full strength.

Utilizing countless powers, he pressed his advantage. At the same time, he kept moving beyond the range of Paradise’s time interference.

Paradise, forced to use his bullets defensively, was unable to mount a proper offense. Meanwhile, Taesan countered each shot with Boundary Line, neutralizing the attacks without issue.

After a prolonged chase, Paradise’s expression shifted.

“Haha! Finally!” he exclaimed, spreading his arms wide.

“My master! I offer this world to you! Defile it with your presence!”

Screeeeeech!

The World Freezes.

Taesan quickly analyzed the flow of time.

"Five minutes."

Paradise had activated his authority to stop time, and exactly five minutes had passed before he could use it again.

The cooldown for his ability to stop time was five minutes.

Having confirmed this, Taesan detonated Boundary Line, forcibly restarting the frozen time.

Despite his authority being countered, Paradise’s face bore a confident, triumphant smile.

“You stand no chance! Your powers are indeed formidable, but their limits are all too clear!”

He had already recognized that Taesan wielded an unnatural, ashen power. What he hadn’t anticipated was that this power could resist the authority of the Old Gods so effectively.

But ultimately, that power would deplete.

In contrast, Paradise’s authority was infinite and inexhaustible.

In a prolonged fight, victory was assured. Paradise had no doubts.

Yet, no matter what Paradise proclaimed, Taesan paid him no mind, instead organizing his thoughts.

Paradise’s powers could be divided into three main abilities.

The first was his time-manipulation field, which slowed time in the surrounding area. The closer one approached him, the slower time would flow.

The second was his offensive authority to rewind time.

Its principle was simple: a battle of probabilities.

No matter how slim the odds of success, through endless repetition, the attack would eventually succeed. It mirrored the skill Ten Thousand Possibilities that Lee Taeyeon had once wielded.

The difference lay in execution. While Ten Thousand Possibilities involved analyzing probabilities and actively creating conditions for success, Paradise’s authority forcibly rewound time until the desired outcome was achieved.

It was essentially a superior version, but it had a limitation: it required the use of a gun.

Paradise’s weapon—a pistol—was integral to his authority. Despite his immense power, he meticulously and deliberately loaded his gun, as though performing a sacred ritual.

Even though he could manipulate time, he still took such painstaking care during the reloading process. This act was clearly a restriction tied to his authority.

The power itself, however, was undeniable. The Absolute Barrier, which could withstand over ten strikes from a high-level immortal, had been shattered in just two shots.

If one of those bullets landed, even Taesan wouldn’t emerge unscathed.

And finally, there was the third ability.

The absolute power to stop time.

Unless countered by Boundary Line, it was insurmountable. Once activated, it required a cooldown of five minutes.

These were the strengths of the herald of the Old Gods.

“Not impressive,” Taesan muttered.

It was tricky and unique. As an authority akin to a law of nature, it was certainly powerful.

But it posed no significant threat to him.

The analysis was complete.

Now, all that remained was for him to take what he desired.