Ascension Through Skills
Chapter 422: 83rd Floor, Essence The God Of Descent (4)

The God of Descent expressed his will through the pillar.

That will was acceptance.

Before long, a massive colosseum formed around the pillar.

Diana stood confidently at the very center of the colosseum.

The spectator seats of the colosseum began to fill one by one.

“There are a lot of them.”

It wasn’t just dozens.

The number easily exceeded hundreds.

It was as if every living being in this place had gathered.

“The God of Descent has been filling this model garden with mortals since an unfathomable past. A mere thousand is actually a small number.”

“Is this truly an event that everyone here would gather for?”

Reynald nodded.

“There are quite a few whose spirits have been broken here. Even if their basic needs were met, despair remains unchanged. But even those people come here without fail when the colosseum is opened.”

“What exactly is this colosseum?”

“The primary use of points is the temporary elevation of basic needs. Another way to use them is to open the colosseum for liberation.”

Reynald spoke quietly.

“The condition is the consumption of 100 points.”

100 points. One point was earned for defeating a single person. That meant one had to defeat a hundred people.

Everyone gathered here was stronger than the Guides of Sin. Collecting 100 points was bound to be an arduous task.

“What do you gain from opening the colosseum under such strict conditions?”

“It’s simple. This is the Colosseum of Liberation.”

A deep yearning flickered in Reynald’s eyes.

“The one who requests the colosseum must fight the Apostle of the God of Descent. And if they win that battle, every soul trapped here will be freed.”

“The liberation of souls?”

“They can escape this cursed place and return to the outside world.”

There was heat in Reynald’s voice. His clenched fist tightened with conviction.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Why did these people have hope in their eyes? Why hadn’t they collapsed in despair?

It was because they still had a chance to return to the outside world.

Earning 100 points was certainly a challenging condition, but with the strength of the princess and the old man, it wasn’t an impossible goal.

“Is the battle winnable?”

“The princess has opened the colosseum multiple times. Each time, she came devastatingly close to victory. But through those battles, she has completely analyzed her opponent’s strength. This time… it’s entirely possible.”

Reynald’s voice was thick with hope.

Taesan shifted his gaze, observing the others.

They weren’t much different.

If anything, they burned with even stronger desire and hope than Reynald.

However, a few of them remained expressionless.

As if they held no expectations at all, watching as if it were a predetermined play.

Taesan turned his gaze to Diana, standing at the center of the colosseum.

Holding her rapier, she waited for her opponent with an unwavering expression.

Rumble!

The pillar began to activate.

The crowd stirred with excitement.

From the rotating pillar, a space opened up, and before long, an arm burst forth.

“Well, well. You called me already? Who’s up?”

The owner of the arm revealed himself.

His skin was a taut bronze. His muscular upper body was bare, his hair golden, and his demeanor exuded a certain carelessness.

‘He’s strong.’

Taesan analyzed the Apostle’s power.

He was formidable.

Even Diana couldn’t guarantee victory easily.

But it wasn’t unwinnable.

Diana had a real chance of seizing victory.

“You again?”

The Apostle looked at Diana with an exasperated expression. Diana raised her rapier.

“I have analyzed every movement and every ounce of strength you have shown.”

“Oh yeah?”

The Apostle smirked and raised his fist.

The once-noisy spectators fell into instant silence.

Diana assumed a flawless stance, drawing her rapier before dashing forward. The Apostle bared his teeth and clenched his fist.

Clang!

Rapier and fist clashed. The Apostle swung his fist wildly, while Diana maneuvered her rapier with precision.

[Ohh.]

The ghost murmured.

Diana’s movements were exceptionally fluid.

Without losing an ounce of composure, she deflected every attack.

Kiiing!

Diana lifted her arm, redirecting the trajectory of the Apostle’s fist.

She immediately struck at the opening, forcing the Apostle to twist his body to evade.

“Oooooooh!”

A cheer erupted from the audience.

Diana was overwhelming the Apostle.

The anticipation of returning to the outside world swelled.

Diana pressed forward relentlessly.

She thrust her rapier.

The Apostle blocked, but she didn’t stop thrusting, her speed accelerating.

The accelerated strikes left afterimages, splitting into dozens of paths.

“A higher-tier version of continuous strikes?”

There was no skill activation window—perhaps because she was no longer bound by the Labyrinth.

But based on the effect, it could be inferred.

Each afterimage held substance.

“I’ve seen this before!”

The Apostle grinned, channeling all his power into his fist.

A dense, immense force took shape, forming a colossal fist.

He unleashed it.

That force was a concentrated mass of raw power.

In contrast, the rapier’s afterimages were ultimately fragmented strikes. It was clear that they would shatter under the blow.

But Diana pulled her rapier back, then thrust forward.

The dozens of split rapier strikes converged into one.

Kiiiiing!

“Gah…!”

The rapier pierced through the massive fist, colliding with the Apostle’s hand.

He hastily retreated, but a deep gash had already formed on his fist.

“I told you—I have analyzed your strength completely!”

Diana’s eyes gleamed as she charged again.

[She’s strong.]

The ghost let out an admiring sigh.

[Much as I hate to admit it, her swordsmanship surpasses mine. At this rate, she really might win.]

Boom!

The Apostle swung his fist fiercely.

He wasn’t going down easily.

He pressured Diana with his movements, occasionally launching unpredictable attacks.

But Diana responded with composure, countering every strike.

The difference in strength wasn’t overwhelming.

The battle would be decided by who had better knowledge of their opponent.

And Diana had nearly perfected her understanding of the Apostle.

Everyone here was strong in their own right.

They recognized it too.

Their hope and anticipation grew ever stronger.

[At this rate, you might clear the quest before you even lift a finger. And if she fails, you could handle this without any trouble. Is this the quest’s clear condition?]

The ghost spoke. The Apostle was on par with Diana, and Taesan was undoubtedly superior to her.

If Taesan gathered points and opened the colosseum, his victory would be certain.

But Taesan’s gaze darkened.

A colosseum opened at the cost of 100 points.

Defeating the Apostle of a god would lead to liberation.

It was clear why the God of Descent had created such a possibility.

The God of Descent did not want these souls to resign themselves to despair in this model garden.

He was a god who delighted in watching mortals rise to great heights, only to crash back down.

This colosseum was a mechanism designed to make them fall.

Kaang!

The Apostle stumbled backward.

Diana steadied her breath.

Sweat streamed down her entire body, but her expression remained bright.

The odds were in their favor.

The fight still had a long way to go, but as long as she didn’t make any mistakes, she could definitely win.

Even the Apostle was impressed by her.

“You’re impressive. You’re the first one to push me this far this quickly. You were definitely worth being chosen by Essence.”

“Right? You’ll regret using me.”

“No.”

The Apostle smirked.

“That will never happen.”

The Apostle lunged forward.

And Taesan saw it.

Something no one else could perceive—only he, who had reached the realm of the immortal, could see it.

A new power was being born within the Apostle.

The Apostle swung his fist.

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

Diana, who blocked the punch, staggered under its force. A dark red aura swirled around the Apostle’s body.

“He was hiding more power all along?”

Reynald let out a sigh of despair.

Judging from their reactions, this dark red energy had never appeared in any of the previous colosseums.

Diana barely managed to regain her stance and forced a smile.

“…I’ve never seen that power before.”

“There was no need to use it. It has a time limit, and the penalty isn’t small. But it’s more than enough to take down someone as exhausted as you!”

The Apostle bared his teeth.

But Taesan understood.

That power was not something the Apostle originally possessed.

It was a force that had just emerged during the battle.

‘So victory was never possible from the start.’

The Apostle’s strength was equal to Diana’s.

If she could analyze his power and avoid mistakes, she could win.

At least, that’s how it seemed.

But in reality, the longer the battle continued, the Apostle would somehow gain new strength.

It was likely the work of the God of Descent.

No matter how strong they were, they were still mortals. They couldn’t perceive the machinations of a transcendent being.

And that newly acquired power completely shifted the flow of battle.

Even if they managed to overcome this, another new power would arise.

The colosseum was nothing but a false hope.

“How unfortunate. You clung to a foolish dream—try again next time.”

The Apostle sneered at Diana, his face filled with amusement.

Diana’s pupils widened.

She fought desperately to endure, but she had already exhausted most of her strength.

Bit by bit, the Apostle’s attacks started landing on her.

The once-excited audience had gone silent.

With a twisted grin, the Apostle threw his fist forward.

Diana’s stomach was pierced through.

---

Diana lost.

Despair gripped the people.

They had believed she could win, which made their disappointment all the heavier.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

“That was unfortunate.”

“But we’ve figured out a new power. Next time, we’ll be able to take him down.”

Their reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.

Shortly after the Apostle defeated Diana, the dark red aura disappeared.

If she had just held on a little longer, she could have turned the battle back in her favor.

That was, if the God of Descent hadn’t intervened.

Still, they clung to hope and dispersed once more.

“It’s a shame… but at least we’ve learned something new. I’ll be challenging it myself soon. I need to devise a strategy in advance.”

Reynald was no different from the rest.

Taesan asked him,

“Where is Diana now?”

“She’s dead at the moment, so she’ll revive in a day. She’s probably resting in the highest room in the village. She went through a lot, so she deserves a day of rest.”

“I see.”

“Well, what do you plan to do now? If you want, you could join the princess and me—”

As he spoke, Reynald turned to look at Taesan—only to freeze in shock.

Taesan had disappeared.

And he hadn’t even noticed when Taesan had left.

“…How?”

His voice was filled with bewilderment.

---

The next day, after arriving in the village, Taesan sought out Diana.

He knocked on a lavishly decorated door, and a soft voice answered.

“Come in.”

Creak.

As he entered, he saw Diana sitting on the bed.

Upon seeing him, she smiled brightly.

“Oh my, Taesan. Welcome.”

Without a word, Taesan stepped inside.

Diana gave him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry. I said I’d bring us back, but in the end, I lost so miserably.”

“It doesn’t matter. You were never meant to win.”

“…What?”

Diana’s expression stiffened.

Taesan stared at her emotionlessly.

“Others might not have realized it, but you must have noticed. The colosseum is nothing more than false hope.”

When the Apostle wielded that dark red energy—

Diana’s expression had been different from the others.

Rather than shock, she had shown something closer to resignation.

As if she had known all along that her opponent would gain new power.

“Honestly, anyone who thinks about it for a moment should realize it. The God of Descent would never truly grant liberation. Most people either forget this or choose to ignore it, but you’re not like them.”

Among the spectators, some had shown no reaction at all.

Even when Diana lost, their expressions remained unchanged.

They all shared one trait—they were the strongest among the gathered.

They must have challenged the colosseum multiple times in an attempt to escape.

And they had come to understand.

This was an unwinnable battle.

“But unlike them, you haven’t given up.”

Diana understood that she couldn’t win.

Yet she still held onto the hope of escape.

More than that—there was a deep sense of desperation in her.

She was utterly determined to leave the Labyrinth.

“Is there something that important waiting for you outside?”

“…Why do you ask?”

A quiet voice filled the room.

A chilling hostility radiated from Diana.

Taesan brushed it aside nonchalantly and spoke.

“It’s simple. You might be one of the reasons I’m here.”

“A reason?”

“Veldencia. Do you know that name?”

Diana’s pupils dilated.

“…How do you know that name?”

“So I was right.”

Her actions, her speech, and even her appearance—

Everything matched the description Veldencia had given him.

At first, he had been uncertain.

But after watching her fight, he was sure.

“Veldencia is looking for you. To do so, he made a contract with the wizard and established himself in the Labyrinth. I came here to rescue you—Princess of the Magician.”