Ascension Through Skills
Chapter 430: 84th Floor, Levynenoff’s World (3)

“For someone supposedly exiled, they sure are appearing a lot.”

Taesan wasn’t surprised. The High Gods were revealing their ambitions in this world, attempting to cross over by any means necessary.

If the Transcendents had truly banished the High Gods completely, they wouldn’t be able to manifest in this world at all. Or at the very least, it wouldn’t be such a struggle to drive them out.

Yet, the Transcendents required Taesan’s help.

It meant the power of the High Gods was growing stronger.

“There is nothing eternal in this world. In the end, everything fades. Even the seals of the Transcendents are no exception.”

The man twisted his lips into a distorted smile.

“But they are different! Their power and existence are eternal! Even the Transcendents couldn’t truly defeat them, so they resorted to exile as a temporary measure! This world belongs to them!”

His voice, filled with unwavering conviction, echoed loudly.

“So you devoted yourself to them for that reason?”

“Isn’t it wiser to worship something eternal and unchanging rather than beings that will eventually fade away?”

The man smirked.

“Abandon this fragile world and worship them. That is the proper path.”

“If they’re such great beings, then they wouldn’t need someone like me, would they?”

Even as strong as Taesan was now, he was only at the level of an Immortal, still far from a Transcendent. From the outside, he didn’t seem valuable enough for the High Gods to take interest in him personally.

“I thought the same. But my master thinks differently.”

The man spoke, his expression tinged with curiosity.

“My master told me—‘You are the key. With you, many things become possible.’”

A key.

It seemed that something Taesan possessed was immensely attractive to the High Gods.

And it wasn’t hard to guess what that was.

‘The Boundary.’

A force that intertwined divinity and darkness shattered laws, and even the Transcendents failed to fully comprehend it.

The High Gods desired Taesan for his Boundary.

“Come with me, Taesan.”

The man extended his hand.

“They will grant you eternity. If you desire, they might even give you a seat at the lowest ranks of their great hierarchy.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course not. If you wish, they will never interfere with your small world again. Even the Labyrinth—if you want, they will make it yours. In the world they rule, everything you desire will come true.”

The man whispered seductively.

“Even if they rule the world, your world will remain the same. The people you know will live happily and die as they always would. And strangers—people you don’t even know—are meaningless, aren’t they?”

“That’s… quite the tempting offer.”

Neither Taesan nor those around him would suffer. Only those he didn’t know would be affected.

“If they’re willing to go that far, how about adding another condition? Tell them to leave the Transcendents alone too.”

“No.”

The man shook his head firmly, his voice resolute.

“Every last Transcendent will die. Their domains will be defiled, and their names erased from everyone’s memory. That is the one thing we cannot compromise on.”

“So, in the end, the High Gods’ goal is to annihilate the Transcendents.”

“They only see mortals as playthings anyway. Why should we care about them?”

Taesan stroked his chin while the man patiently waited for his response.

After a brief pause, Taesan finally spoke.

“You didn’t actually think I’d accept your offer, did you?”

“Of course not. I’m not that foolish.”

The man laughed mockingly.

“I was simply following my master’s orders to make the offer. But as someone who has reached the level of an Immortal in this world, I understand. Someone like you would never accept such a deal.”

“You understand me well.”

Lee Taeyeon, Kang Jun-hyeok, Geum Junggeun, and the people of Earth.

All of them had been killed by the High Gods once before.

“I don’t think the Transcendents are necessarily good. Most of them see mortals as mere entertainment. I won’t deny that.”

Taesan drew his sword.

“But that doesn’t mean I have any reason to take your side.”

From the beginning, Taesan’s answer had been a refusal. He had only prolonged the conversation to gather information.

The High Gods’ objective was Taesan’s Boundary and the annihilation of all Transcendents.

That was enough information.

“I figured as much. So I’ve been contemplating my next move.”

A powerful aura emanated from the man.

“I can’t kill you. But someone like you won’t surrender mentally either. So I decided to keep things simple.”

He smirked and reached for the hilt of the sword embedded in the temple’s floor.

“I’ll just erase your mind completely!”

Kuguguguguung!

As the man pulled the sword, the temple began to collapse. The ceiling crumbled under its own weight, and the ground split apart.

Taesan quickly retreated outside the temple, while the man was buried beneath the falling debris.

[This isn’t self-destruction…]

Kugugung!

The collapsed temple slowly began to tremble.

And then—it emerged.

The man held a sword. But it was no ordinary weapon.

A colossal black sword in the shape of a bastard sword rose high into the sky.

Taesan had to crane his neck all the way up just to see the tip of the blade.

It was, quite literally, as massive as a mountain.

The man looked like an insect in comparison.

[…Wow.]

“Hoo…”

The man took a deep breath and steadied his grip on the sword. Despite its size, the mountain-like blade moved effortlessly in his hands.

“I am the Incarnation of the Hollow Horror! A traitor who sided with the High Gods, the one who has slain countless Immortals and destroyed multiple worlds!”

He grinned—his face twisted in madness.

“I am the one who wields the world in my grasp! Come, hound of the gods! Become the foundation for this damned universe’s destruction!”

[The opponent is an undefeatable enemy.]

The massive sword sliced through everything as it swung down toward Taesan.

[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Chaos-Soaked Darkness].]

[You have activated Vessel of the King.]

[Your skill 'Enemy of the High Gods' has activated.]

A flood of system notifications filled his vision.

Gripping his sword, Taesan launched himself forward.

The incoming greatsword alone was enough to generate a massive storm.

Taesan did not retreat. Instead, he charged straight at the greatsword.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

[You have activated Strong Blow.]

Clenching his weapon with both hands, he swung at the incoming blade.

KAAAAANG!

A deafening metallic crash rang out.

And it was Taesan who was sent flying.

To be precise, it wasn’t just that he was pushed back—his body was entirely blown away by the sheer force.

[You have activated Landing.]

His body, which would have been hurled far into the distance, was forcibly anchored back to the ground. Taesan stomped down hard, firmly securing himself.

KWADUDUK!

The earth shattered and split apart. The ground collapsed as though struck by a violent earthquake.

“A monster, huh.”

Taesan immediately abandoned the idea of fighting head-on. Even with stats surpassing fifty thousand, he was being overpowered.

A sword as large as a mountain.

Rather than wielding it, it felt as though the wielder was being dragged along by it.

How much control did he really have over that blade?

[You have activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]

Taesan’s body shot into the sky. He accelerated rapidly, closing in on the man.

“Hmph.”

The man scoffed and flicked his wrist.

A tiny, nearly imperceptible movement.

Yet, that was enough to shift the greatsword’s trajectory.

The blade swung toward Taesan, tracking him with precision. He managed to dodge, but he couldn’t keep it up for long.

The greatsword was immense.

But that also meant its reach was vast. If he could get inside its attack range, it would actually be easier to deal with.

Taesan accelerated every movement of his body. The sword smoothly pursued him. The moment he reached a razor-thin gap, he activated his skill.

[You have activated Limited Blink.]

In an instant, Taesan closed the distance.

Then, activating Landing again, he appeared right in front of the man.

The man sneered and moved his arm.

KAGAGAK!

With just the sword’s hilt, he deflected all of Taesan’s attacks.

“Everyone assumes my weakness is close combat.”

The man chuckled.

“But that actually works in my favor.”

Thanks to the sword’s sheer size, even its hilt was as long as a spear. The man roughly pushed Taesan away before spinning the blade, using the broad side to slam down and crush him.

[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]

Ultimately, Taesan gained no advantage from closing the distance and had to pull back.

But the greatsword was as large as a mountain.

Retreating was not an option.

Taesan changed his approach. Instead of evasion and defense, he would attack relentlessly.

[You have activated Frozen World.]

[You have activated Mana Storm.]

[You have activated Great Collapse.]

[You have activated Marbas’ Pitch-Black Wave.]

A rapid chain of magic and dark magic erupted. Taesan clenched his fist.

[You have activated Magic Separation.]

The spells split into dozens of threads.

[You have activated Sure Hit.]

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

Then, he charged directly at the man.

A force unleashed from all directions.

The man grinned and pulled back his arm.

The atmosphere distorted. The sky quivered uneasily.

Then, the man swung his arm forward.

The greatsword swept across everything in front of it.

A vacuum explosion erupted.

The black energy contained in the sword surged outward, obliterating every spell Taesan had cast before racing toward him.

There was nowhere to escape. It was like the detonation of a star, consuming everything in its path.

Blocking it was possible.

But doing so would require a heavy price.

Taesan made a swift decision.

He abandoned evasion and defense.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been activated.]

The incoming strike vanished.

The man’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You have some interesting abilities. But if that’s all you have, you’ll never defeat me!”

“That seems to be the case.”

Taesan nodded.

He couldn’t deny it.

The man was definitely stronger.

At this level, he seemed comparable to Ainzhar.

He wielded the massive sword as if it were an extension of his own body. If it was just raw physical force, Taesan could handle it. But the sword was imbued with the man’s power as an Immortal.

Most likely, the sword itself was his Authority.

And that wasn’t all.

Great Collapse was an advanced spell. Even Ainzhar would struggle to block it.

Yet the man had done so effortlessly.

The reason was simple.

That sword contained ‘black energy.’

“It’s similar to the magic of negation.”

An absolute superiority over all attributes.

Unfortunately, Taesan was currently unable to use negation magic. He had exhausted all the materials required for a partial world alteration.

His odds of victory looked incredibly slim.

If the man simply swung his greatsword with full force again, Taesan wouldn’t be able to withstand it—he would be utterly crushed. Both the man and Taesan were fully aware of that fact.

“They abandoned you. Foolish beings. They failed to recognize your worth and discarded you like this. Why risk your life fighting for such beings?”

The man raised his greatsword.

Depending on Taesan’s response, he was ready to strike down at any moment.

“It’s not too late. Join my master now.”

“No.”

Taesan answered immediately, without even a moment of hesitation.

“Unfortunately, it seems you and I are quite different.”

The man had lost everything because of the Transcendents’ games. He claimed that the High Gods had saved him.

For Taesan, it was the opposite.

It was the High Gods who had forced him into this mode, the ones who had almost killed him.

And the ones who had blessed him with power were the Transcendents.

They had bestowed their blessings upon Taesan.

Taesan prayed to them in his heart.

And the gods answered.

[Lakiratas has granted you the Authority of the Howling Struggle.]

systemend

A blessing from Lakiratas.

His divine power.

The essence of struggle itself settled within Taesan’s body. The man’s eyes widened.

“Lakiratas’ blessing?”

A blessing was a divine power bestowed by a god.

It required a god to expend part of their influence over reality.

And Transcendents were selfish beings. They would never use their influence recklessly.

Even when bestowing blessings upon their own apostles, they did so only on rare occasions.

That was why the man was so utterly shocked.

Taesan did not appear to be an apostle of Lakiratas.

For a god to grant their power to someone unrelated to them? That was unheard of.

“…You must have offered an absurd number of tributes.”

After a long moment of contemplation, the man came to a conclusion.

Taesan must have sacrificed a massive number of offerings to barely obtain this divine blessing.

That was the only explanation that made sense to him.

“But one blessing alone won’t be enough to reach me.”

“I know.”

Divine blessings were powerful, but the gap between them was too vast for one blessing to bridge.

But Taesan had received far more than one.

[Maria has granted you the Immutable Choice.]

The blessing of Maria, the Goddess of Choice.

[Zelbando has granted you the Fundamental Elements of the Universe.]

The blessing of Zelbando, the God of Magic.

[Lucifer has granted you the Cherished Child of Darkness.]

The blessing of Lucifer, the Demon God.

[Ehili has granted you the Master of the Sword.]

The blessing of Ehili, the God of the Sword.

[Aphrodia has granted you the Coiled Despair of Darkness.]

[Balthasar has granted you the One Who Seizes Victory.]

[Oman has granted you the Infinite Trials.]

The blessings continued to descend, one after another.

The man stood there blankly, watching.

He couldn’t even think to attack while Taesan was receiving them. He was too stunned to move.

“Why would the gods…”

“Because they favor me,”

Taesan smirked.

“Unlike you.”

[The Wizard of the Labyrinth has granted you the Blessing of the Labyrinth.]

Finally, the last blessing settled within him.

“Hoo…”

Taesan took a deep breath.

The blessings of the gods surged through his entire being.

His strength and presence reached the very threshold of transcendence.

“Let’s try this again.”

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