Ascension Through Skills
Chapter 425: 83rd Floor, Essence The God Of Descent (7)

The Apostle hesitated for a moment.

Taesan’s face showed certainty.

A certainty that he could obtain the power of the God of Descent that the Apostle had demonstrated.

Hearing his unwavering voice, even the Apostle, for a moment, found Taesan’s words convincing.

“Ridiculous!”

But the Apostle immediately denied his own thoughts.

It was impossible. Taesan’s power could never reach him.

Clenching his fist confidently, he charged forward.

Taesan responded in kind.

The course of the battle remained unchanged. Taesan was still overwhelming the Apostle.

However, the result did not change either.

The Apostle did not fall.

Rather, he was beginning to adapt to Taesan’s power.

“Wait a minute…”

“This is…”

Only then did the spectators begin to realize that something was wrong.

The power Taesan was displaying—each and every move—was clearly superior to theirs.

Even compared to the princess who had opened the Colosseum just a few days ago, he had reached an entirely different level.

And the Apostle was an opponent on par with the princess.

He should not have been able to withstand Taesan’s attacks.

Yet, despite his precarious state, the Apostle was continuing the battle without suffering major damage.

As if he had been designed that way from the very beginning.

“Ah…”

“This is…”

A wave of despair spread through the spectators. They, too, realized the truth about the Colosseum.

“Hmph. No need to keep up the act any longer.”

“You must have tried to hide it, but what a pity.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The Apostle sneered.

“It’s a bit earlier than expected, but He will be pleased. Those who believed an escape existed will now realize the truth and plunge into the abyss. It’s the kind of spectacle that Lord Essence greatly enjoys.”

The Apostle burst into manic laughter.

“Above all! You cannot give up! Even if there’s nothing at the end of the rope, you cannot let go of your only hope!”

The Apostle slammed his fists together.

“Come! Feel the weight of your own powerlessness!”

Taesan leisurely unsheathed his sword.

The battle continued. Taesan drew out countless powers, and the Apostle responded to all of them.

The Apostle’s face was filled with confidence, while Taesan’s face was lit with amusement.

An opponent who would not fall no matter how many attacks he landed.

A perfect adversary for increasing his proficiency.

Taesan used a multitude of skills, raising their mastery levels.

Even if their skill levels were similar, the difference in power was massive, making it difficult to gain substantial proficiency.

But he was more than satisfied. Taesan managed to significantly increase his proficiency in magic, black magic, and various other skills.

And in the process, he continued to analyze the Apostle’s power.

Once he completed his assessment, Taesan withdrew his sword.

“This is it. I lose.”

“…What?”

Rumble!

With the participant admitting defeat, the Colosseum came to an end. The Apostle was visibly taken aback by Taesan’s sudden surrender.

“You’re giving up just like that?”

“I’ve learned everything I needed to.”

Taesan casually left.

Amidst the Apostle’s confusion and disbelief, Taesan silently vanished.

The Apostle stood there, dumbfounded.

Taesan used his remaining points to book a decent room.

He never expected to win from the first battle.

What he wanted was information and a strategy. He had obtained more than enough. Since he had also raised his proficiency significantly, he only needed to recover before challenging the battle again.

‘It’s a shame I didn’t acquire any new skills.’

None of the skills he remembered had met the necessary conditions. A few new skills came to mind, but they carried considerable risks. Since he hadn’t fully grasped the Apostle’s abilities yet, there was no need to rush.

Taesan organized his thoughts.

The Apostle was an unbeatable boss.

No matter how much health was shaved off, it would always regenerate. The Apostle adapted to Taesan’s skills, acquiring new powers.

“And even countering the Boundary…”

This was his first time encountering interference with the Boundary itself.

Yet, Taesan was not particularly surprised.

The Boundary was powerful, but not omnipotent. He already knew that transcendents and immortals could break through it. There was no reason to be shocked now.

Instead, he found it thrilling to realize that he could obtain a power capable of interfering with the Boundary itself.

Knock. Knock.

A knock echoed at the door.

The Golden Princess, Diana, entered.

“Sir Taesan. Are you alright?”

“What’s the matter?”

Diana looked startled upon entering.

She had expected Taesan to be mentally shaken.

But there was no change in his expression.

“No… It seems you don’t need my advice.”

Diana calmly asked.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’m thinking.”

He had grasped the fundamental structure and principles.

But he had yet to figure out how to break through them.

Ultimately, the problem was the power of the God of Descent. He needed to overcome it.

Why was the God of Descent so certain of His victory? Because He planned to use His authority.

An authority was something built upon the very existence of its wielder.

For a transcendent being like Essence, it wasn’t surprising to possess such absolute confidence.

[Isn’t there some kind of loophole we could exploit?]

“That’ll be difficult.”

This was the domain of the God of Descent. A loophole would not be allowed. Even skills that surpassed the Boundary or those that relied on eternal faith were sealed.

Taesan pondered. Diana, too, furrowed her brows, deep in thought.

The Apostle was indeed taking normal damage.

However, as Taesan had predicted, his health never dropped below 1. The moment it reached 1, it would regenerate.

That meant the method to win was simple.

If the Apostle’s health couldn’t drop below 1, then Taesan only needed to force it to 0.

Taesan had a method to do just that.

The Boundary—a force that defied order and ignored the laws.

With this power, he could bring down the Apostle.

The God of Descent understood this, which is why He used His authority to block the Boundary.

Inadvertently, the God of Descent confirmed that the Boundary was indeed the solution.

“The authority of a Transcendent.”

That was what he needed to overcome.

However, this was the very authority of a Transcendent. In his current mortal state, Taesan had no chance of overcoming it.

Even if the authority wasn’t complete, the fact remained.

The power of a Transcendent was enough to erase the Boundary Taesan had created in his current weakened state.

But it hadn’t.

This meant the Apostle had limits in wielding the authority.

Even as an Apostle of a god, he couldn’t fully control the power of a Transcendent. There had to be a limit.

“I have to break through that limit.”

But how?

The Authority of Descent could even interfere with the Boundary. It was a law among laws, one of the highest-order laws. There was no way to break it using laws within the system.

Taesan had previously defeated an Apostle of Horai, who wielded the authority of a Transcendent.

But he hadn’t broken the authority itself.

Back then, he had exploited the fact that the Apostle hadn’t fully mastered the authority.

Essence likely determined that, no matter what method Taesan tried, he would be unable to break through the authority. That was why this trial had been imposed.

But what if he used a power unknown to the God of Descent?

Taesan reached a conclusion.

A day later, after fully recovering his spent power and gathering more points, Taesan reopened the Colosseum.

The spectator seats were packed again, but the faces were different this time.

Gone were the expressions of belief and anticipation.

Instead, they sat, half-dazed, their spirits crushed.

“…Princess.”

“Ah, Reynald.”

With a haggard face, Reynald approached Diana.

“Are you alright? You don’t look well.”

“In a place where we can’t even die, does health even have meaning?”

Reynald gave a bitter smile.

“We were fools. Running around without knowing the truth… Princess, did you know from the beginning?”

Diana nodded.

Reynald’s face twisted in anguish.

“…I’m sorry. I spoke thoughtlessly to you, without knowing anything.”

“No. Thanks to you, I was able to keep my mind steady. There’s no need to apologize.”

“…I appreciate that.”

After composing himself, Reynald turned to look at Taesan.

“I thought it would be years before the Colosseum opened again… Have you found a way?”

“Who knows.”

“The Princess doesn’t know either?”

“He didn’t give me a clear answer. When I asked why, he said the God of Descent might be watching.”

“That makes sense.”

This was His domain. There was no way He wouldn’t know what was happening here.

“But… he must have seen a possibility if he’s challenging it again.”

A glimmer of hope flickered in Reynald’s eyes.

And then, the Apostle appeared. His expression twisted in displeasure as he glared at Taesan.

In the previous battle, Taesan had declared defeat.

But there had been no sense of victory for the Apostle. Only the feeling of being used.

“I’ll kill you.”

The Apostle gritted his teeth.

Taesan silently raised his sword.

The battle began.

The pattern of the fight remained unchanged. Taesan overwhelmed the Apostle, and the Apostle barely managed to defend.

But no one cheered.

Everyone had realized the truth—this was a preordained performance.

Their faces sank deeper into despair.

“Hahahaha!”

Blocking Taesan’s sword with his fist, the Apostle laughed.

“You will never defeat me! That’s how this is meant to be!”

“Maybe not.”

Taesan took the materials and fed them into his wrist guard.

The wrist guard devoured the materials greedily.

And then, Taesan altered the world.

[You have activated Partial World Alteration.]

But what changed was not the world.

Taesan altered himself.

What he desired was control over mana.

[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]

A darkness colder than the void surged forth.

The Apostle’s face stiffened in an instant.

“Urgh…!”

The Apostle clenched his fist and swung.

Rumble!

Until now, the Apostle had always acquired powers that gave him superiority over his opponent’s abilities.

But this time, he failed.

The Magic of Negation was a fusion of darkness and magic. At its core, it inherently had superiority over all powers within this world.

In the end, the Apostle was swallowed by the pitch-black cold.

Crackle!

“…What is this?”

The Apostle, his entire body frozen, grimaced.

“You wield a rather unusual power. But it doesn’t matter.”

Breaking free from the ice, the Apostle spoke with conviction.

“This alone will not kill me.”

“I know that.”

The Magic of Negation granted an absolute advantage in compatibility. However, it did not completely ignore the laws of existence.

Likewise, while the Apostle did not fall, he also could not counter it.

That was enough.

The Magic of Negation was a fusion of the Power of an Ancient God and magic.

It did not fall under the domain of conventional laws.

Black and gold intertwined on Taesan’s sword, forming a gray hue.

He swung the Boundary.

“Hahaha! How foolish!”

The Apostle sneered at him.

“Oh, great deity! Grant me Your power! Cast all who dare oppose You into the abyss!”

Divine authority surged toward Taesan.

At the same time, Taesan activated his skill.

[You have activated Selective Exclusion.]

It was the power of Maria, the ability to erase the opponent’s choices.

But nothing happened.

Taesan clicked his tongue.

“Is it because it’s not an attack? Or is it simply ineffective against divine authority?”

Regardless of the reason, the Authority of Descent engulfed Taesan.

It intervened with his existence, nullifying all the powers he wielded and rendering them meaningless.

That included the Boundary.

The Boundary rapidly lost its power. The blackness and divinity within it began to separate.

In this state, he could not kill the Apostle.

Taesan knew this.

This was where the real battle began.

[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]

[You have activated Mana Storm [Negation].]

[You have activated the Undying Flame Bird [Negation].]

One after another, Taesan unleashed the Magic of Negation.

Each spell manifested alongside the Boundary—only to be erased upon activation.

The Authority of Descent was still wrapped around Taesan, making escape impossible.

Yet, Taesan did not stop.

Instead, he drew in even more mana, pouring out his power. Black and divine light intertwined again, recreating the Boundary.

Endlessly, forces powerful enough to collapse the world began to emerge.

“…You…”

The Apostle’s face hardened. He sensed something was off.

[You have activated Grand Collapse [Negation].]

A distorted sphere materialized in the world.

The Authority of Descent engulfed and erased the Grand Collapse.

Crack.

But something was different.

From the cracks in the divine authority surrounding Taesan, energy began to seep through.

As if he had pushed past the limits of the authority itself.

“…You!”

At last, the Apostle realized what Taesan was aiming for, his face twisting in horror.

“How dare you! Do you intend to challenge the power of a Transcendent directly? Ridiculous! He is a Transcendent! You are nothing but a mere mortal who can never reach Him!”

Transcendents ruled over concepts themselves.

They possessed domains befitting their divine status, wielding near-absolute influence within them.

The God of Descent was a Transcendent who ruled over the very concept of falling.

The Authority of Descent wielded by Essence was not just about making objects drop—it encompassed natural laws like gravity itself.

To break such power, one needed to wield another concept—to intervene in the very fabric of laws themselves.

In essence, only another Transcendent could counter it.

That should have been an impossibility.

And yet, Taesan was attempting to shatter Essence’s authority with sheer force.

“That’s not for you to decide. That’s for me to decide.”

But this was still not enough.

What he was trying to do now was to deny the fundamental laws of the world.

Even with both the Boundary and the Magic of Negation, it was not enough to pierce the Authority of Descent.

So, he needed one more thing.

Something that surpassed immortality—power that could reach a Transcendent.

Taesan unleashed his demonic energy.

But it wasn’t the black magic of some other demon.

It was his own black magic.

[You have activated Kang Taesan’s Domain Liberation.]