Ascension Through Skills
Chapter 426: 83rd Floor, Essence The God Of Descent (8)

“……What is that?!”

Dark energy seeped out.

It wasn’t the black magic of anyone else—it was Taesan’s own black magic.

“That… what is that?!”

The Apostle shouted with a twisted expression.

It was as if he had never expected Taesan to use his own black magic.

‘As I thought.’

He was currently in the domain of the God of Descent.

The God of Descent must have examined Taesan’s inner self and confirmed the power he possessed.

The Magic of Negation was a power created through the fusion of black magic and conventional magic. Even Zelbando, the God of Magic, had not foreseen it.

Its origin was within the domain of the God of Magic.

The demonic domain that Taesan had acquired was the same. It was a power obtained from both the Demon God and Baal.

And the God of Magic and the Demon God were transcendents, just like Essence.

No matter how transcendent one might be, they could not grasp the events that transpired between other transcendents. Essence did not fully comprehend Taesan’s power.

He unleashed his dark energy.

Black magic created phenomena and summoned entities within the demonic domain by harnessing dark energy.

Taesan poured all the dark energy he possessed into the domain.

The phenomena he created were harmony and amplification.

And now, he had unleashed the demonic domain here.

Kkigigijik!

Essence’s domain—the Model Garden—was now infused with the demonic domain. Like oil thrown into a raging fire, it swelled instantly.

Magic of Negation was a force mixing black and Zelbando’s magic. The demonic domain belonged to beings akin to high gods. The boundary was a blend of black magic and divinity.

As if welcoming each other, as if feeling a sense of kinship, they began to merge without resistance.

Dark energy spread like a spider’s web, following the boundary and the Magic of Negation.

Jjeojeojeojek!

The authority of the God of Descent, which had surrounded Taesan, began to collapse.

The Apostle’s eyes widened.

“This is impossible! This is Essence’s authority! It is the law of the world!”

“If you can’t understand it, then just die.”

[You have activated Copy.]

Dark energy was duplicated.

The doubled dark energy intertwined with the boundary and the Magic of Negation.

Through endless fusion, it became something that was neither the boundary nor the Magic of Negation, nor even black magic.

Contained within it was a power capable of negating the very laws of the world.

Taesan swung his sword with force.

Jjeoeoeong!

A shattering sound echoed.

It was not the sound of material or space breaking.

It was the sound of a concept itself being shattered.

Essence’s authority collided with something that negated laws, and they canceled each other out.

[You have overcome the authority of a transcendent. You have obtained the special activation skill: Law Negation.]

[Your proficiency in Black Magic has increased by 4%.]

[Your proficiency in Boundary has increased by #$!!.]

[Your proficiency in Black Magic Creation has increased by 5%.]

“Ah, ah……”

The Apostle stood in a daze, mouth agape.

Taesan steadied his breathing. His condition was far from good. His mana and dark energy were nearly depleted, and his health was draining rapidly.

He intended to finish it now.

Taesan stomped forward.

The Apostle finally snapped back to his senses.

“G-God! Grant me Your power! Cast everything that dares defy You into the abyss…”

The prayer was never completed.

Taesan had already appeared right in front of the Apostle.

The Apostle hastily stopped his prayer and gathered all his strength.

He put everything into his punch.

But as it collided with the boundary, it crumbled.

The boundary engulfed the Apostle. His entire body began to collapse, disintegrating from its very structure.

“O, oooooooh!”

The Apostle let out a desperate roar.

His body, which had been disintegrating in an instant, was restored to its original state.

But it immediately collapsed again.

He was like a shattered vessel.

He could force the pieces back together to imitate his former shape, but that was his limit.

With even the slightest shock, he would break apart once more.

The Apostle’s body—the vessel itself—had already been shattered and scattered beyond repair.

“This can’t be happening!”

The Apostle shouted in denial.

He was the Apostle of the God of Descent, the gatekeeper of the Model Garden, who had brought despair to countless adventurers and reveled in it.

He had never doubted that he would live like this forever.

But now, his end had arrived.

The Apostle resisted, but the boundary consumed everything.

As Taesan prepared to deliver the final blow, a massive presence intervened.

A force filled with both astonishment and fury tried to directly affect Taesan through the Apostle.

[No, Essence. Intervening like this isn’t fun.]

Something else spread its power with laughter.

A voice—young, familiar, and unmistakably that of a little girl.

The force that had been about to strike Taesan was repelled in an instant.

Taesan infused his sword with the boundary and swung it.

The Apostle was engulfed by the boundary. His very existence was erased.

[Your Soul Ascension has activated.]

[Your Stamina has permanently increased by 4,545. Strength by 875. Agility by 587.]

[Your Soul Ascension has activated.]

[You have obtained the special passive skill: The Undying One.]

Taesan sheathed his sword.

The gray haze vanished, leaving nothing behind.

The Apostle of the God of Descent, who had long served as the gatekeeper of the Model Garden, had been completely annihilated.

“Ah……”

“Oh……”

Groans of disbelief came from the spectators.

From the middle of the battle, they had ceased to fully understand what was happening.

The forces unleashed had far surpassed the comprehension of mere mortals.

The only thing they could grasp was the result.

And the result was the Apostle’s defeat.

With victory in the Colosseum, they would all be able to return to the outside world.

“Ooooooooh!”

A roar erupted.

The sound carried all the joy of the world within it.

Inside it was fervent worship and faith directed toward Taesan.

For a moment, Taesan felt an overwhelming surge of divinity that even he found discomforting.

[Your proficiency in Divine Power has increased by 1%.]

“For it to rise this much…”

Their numbers were not great.

Compared to the faith he received on Earth, it was a mere speck.

But because each of them stood at the precipice of mortality, their faith carried tremendous weight.

“L-Lord Taesan!”

The princess approached with a face filled with both joy and disbelief.

“You truly won. I believed it was possible, but this…”

Taesan raised a hand to stop her stammering words.

“It’s not over yet.”

“Wh-what?”

Taesan turned his gaze toward the empty air.

“Come out.”

[…….]

Kkuduk.

The space distorted.

A gaze full of rage locked onto Taesan.

All those who had been cheering swallowed their breaths.

Their faces turned pale.

A single, undeniable emotion filled the air—rage so intense that even they could sense it.

That fury alone was enough to distort the Model Garden.

Yet Taesan remained composed, letting the anger wash over him.

[You.]

A voice rang out.

A murderous intent aimed squarely at Taesan.

Essence desperately wanted to kill him.

But it could not.

The Demon God was still watching them from afar.

In the end, Essence had no choice but to swallow its anger.

[That damned Demon God. Playing tricks like this?]

Essence muttered through clenched teeth. But it did not seem like its anger was solely because the Demon God had stopped it.

After composing its emotions for a moment, it made a declaration.

[You have won in the Colosseum. You are free. My toys are gone.]

Essence didn’t want to say it, but there was no other choice.

Victory in the Colosseum meant freedom. It was a declaration made under its own name, and those words couldn’t be taken back now.

[And damn it all. I will grant you a reward.]

Essence’s power seeped into Taesan.

It was a fragment of Essence’s authority.

[You have obtained the special activation skill: Descent of All Things.]

[You have obtained The Shoes of the Free One.]

[Get lost. The next time we meet, I will stake everything to kill you.]

With those murderous words, Essence’s presence vanished.

Only then did the people who had been holding their breath finally exhale.

“……Ha, haha.”

Someone let out a laugh.

The laughter spread like a wave, infecting everyone around them.

Essence had given its word.

They could leave.

Everyone burst into cheers, unleashing their overwhelming joy.

For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, they had been trapped here.

They had barely clung to life, holding onto the faintest glimmer of hope in the face of despair.

And now, they had seized that hope with their own hands.

How could they not rejoice?

Reynald, too, grasped Taesan’s hand, shaking it with an excited face.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you! I can’t even put it into words! I’d love to give you something in return, but the damned restriction still hasn’t been lifted, so I can’t do even that!”

“Restriction?”

“It’s the restriction of the God of Descent. We can’t give anything to one another. Even though we’ve been freed, it seems that constraint hasn’t been lifted yet.”

Reynald chuckled.

“When I return to my labyrinth, I’ll give you everything I have. Don’t refuse.”

“I don’t intend to.”

A reward was a reward. He would gladly accept it.

Taesan then asked him,

“What will you do now?”

“……I don’t know.”

Reynald stroked his chin.

“We failed to conquer the labyrinth. I don’t know if going back down is even an option at this point. More than that, I doubt most of us have any desire to continue anymore.”

Reynald let out a bitter smile.

“We were trapped here for too long. We’ve realized that freedom is worth far more than strength.”

“I… don’t know either.”

The princess murmured, wearing a complicated expression.

What would they do once they returned?

The sudden freedom left them all uncertain.

“For now, I want to meet Veldencia. I’ll think about it after that.”

Diana spoke with a bright face.

“But… why isn’t anything happening?”

Hours had passed since Essence declared their freedom, yet they were still in the Model Garden.

A trace of unease crossed Reynald’s face.

“Did it lie?”

“I doubt it. Maybe it’s negotiating with the labyrinth’s administrator? There are just too many of us to let in at once.”

Over a thousand adventurers had reached the 83rd floor.

It wouldn’t be strange if the labyrinth was overflowing.

They waited with that thought in mind—until change finally came.

Kuguguguung!

As if the world had fulfilled its purpose, the Model Garden began to fold in on itself.

“Finally.”

Reynald murmured with excitement.

Diana quietly closed her eyes.

Kuguguguung!

The world collapsed one last time.

And Taesan returned to a familiar place.

[Quest Clear.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have obtained The Ring That Falls into the Endless Abyss.]

[You have obtained ???.]

The 83rd floor.

The place where the altar of the God of Descent was located.

And he was not alone.

“…Huh? Where did everyone go?”

Diana looked around in confusion.

All those who had been imprisoned by the God of Descent had vanished.

Only Diana remained beside Taesan.

[You’ve returned.]

And waiting for them, as if expecting their arrival, was Balbabamba.

“Oh my.”

Diana covered her mouth with her hand.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Balbabamba.”

[Indeed, Princess.]

They clearly recognized each other.

It wasn’t surprising—if she had made it to the 83rd floor, they were bound to have crossed paths.

[You’ve made quite the mess this time. Thanks to you, I’ll have to rebuild the 83rd floor.]

“My apologies.”

[No, this time, it’s fine. You’ve done well.]

Unlike before, Balbabamba did not sound annoyed.

Even though it meant more work, he actually seemed pleased.

[This isn’t a bad thing for me either.]

Balbabamba explained.

[We are in a cooperative relationship with the gods. By principle, we cannot place restrictions on their actions. However… to be frank, I’ve never liked the God of Descent.]

“No need to ask why.”

The labyrinth existed to witness the struggles of mortals.

But the God of Descent had treated talented mortals as mere playthings, trapping them in the Model Garden.

It directly contradicted the purpose of the labyrinth.

There was no way an administrator like Balbabamba would approve.

[There’s nothing we can do for the souls already bound, but from now on, no more souls will fall into the God of Descent’s hands.]

“What happened to the God of Descent?”

[We had a conversation. As a result, our relationship has… deteriorated.]

Balbabamba spoke calmly.

[At the very least, you won’t see it appearing before you through the labyrinth again.]