Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 422: 83rd Floor, Essence of the Falling God (4)

The Falling God revealed His will through the pillar.

That will was acceptance.

Before long, a massive Colosseum formed around the pillar.

Diana stood proudly at the center of the Colosseum.

The stands slowly began to fill.

“There are many.”

It wasn’t just a few dozen. It exceeded hundreds, even thousands. It seemed as if every living being in this place had gathered.

“The Falling God has been filling this model garden with mortals since the distant past. There are only about a thousand of them, so you could say it’s still small.”

“Is it something that all the people here are supposed to gather for?”

Reynaldo nodded.

“There are many who have given up. Even though their basic needs are met, the despair doesn’t change. But when the Colosseum opens, everyone gathers here without exception.”

“What exactly is the Colosseum?”

“The basic use of points is temporary enhancement of basic needs. The other use is the opening of the Colosseum for liberation.”

Reynaldo said in a low voice.

“The condition is the consumption of 100 points.”

100 points. You gain 1 point for each person you defeat. That meant Taesan would need to defeat at least a hundred people to open the Colosseum.

All those gathered here were stronger than the guides of sin. Collecting 100 points would be an incredibly difficult task.

“What do you gain by opening the Colosseum with such a tough condition?”

“It’s simple. This is the Colosseum for liberation.”

There was a glint of longing in Reynaldo’s eyes.

“The one who requests the Colosseum must battle the Apostle of the Falling God. And if they win, every soul trapped here is freed.”

“Freed souls?”

“You get to escape this damned place and return to the outside world.”

There was a heat in Reynaldo’s voice. His fist clenched tightly.

‘So that’s it.’

That was why there was hope in their eyes. That was why they hadn’t given in to despair.

Because there was a chance to return to the outside world. 100 points were a tough goal, but with the princess and the old man’s strength, it wasn’t impossible.

“Is this a battle with a chance of winning?”

“The princess has opened the Colosseum many times. It’s always been a near miss. She has fully analyzed the strength of the opponent from the previous battles. This time... it’s definitely possible.”

There was a deep sense of hope in Reynaldo’s voice.

Taesan turned his gaze to the others. They weren’t much different. In fact, some showed an even stronger sense of longing and hope.

But some of them were expressionless.

It was as if they weren’t expecting anything, watching the predetermined play unfold.

Taesan shifted his gaze to Diana, standing in the center of the Colosseum.@@@@

With three swords in hand, she awaited her opponent with an unshaken face.

Kugugung!

The pillar began to activate. The crowd buzzed with excitement. From the rotating pillar, space opened, and soon a single arm shot out.

“Well, you called for me already? Who’s it going to be?”

The owner of the arm revealed himself.

He had bronze skin with well-defined muscles on his exposed upper body. His hair was golden, and he had the appearance of a man who seemed somewhat flamboyant.

‘He’s strong.’

Taesan sensed the power of the Apostle.

It was significant.

Diana couldn’t easily guarantee her victory.

However, it wasn’t an impossible level.

She could still win.

“Is it you again?”

The Apostle looked at Diana with a stunned expression. Diana raised her three swords.

“I’ve analyzed all the movements and power you showed before.”

“Really?”

The Apostle grinned and raised his fist.

The once loud audience instantly became silent.

Diana, in a perfect stance, pulled her three swords and rushed forward. The Apostle bared his teeth, clutching his fist.

Kaaang!

The clash of three swords and a fist echoed. The Apostle swung his fist fiercely. Diana moved her swords.

[Hooh.]

A voice echoed in the air.

Diana’s movements were graceful.

She was effortlessly blocking all the Apostle’s attacks without losing her poise.

Kiiing!

Diana raised her arm. The trajectory of the fist missed. Diana seized the opening and the Apostle twisted his body to evade.

“Whoa!!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Diana was overpowering the Apostle.

The hope of returning to the outside world grew stronger.

It was probably part of the Falling God’s design. Even though these beings were strong, they were still mortals. They couldn’t perceive the tricks of transcendents.

The new power the Apostle obtained changed the entire structure of the battle.

Even if Diana managed to overcome this power, it was likely that another new power would emerge.

The Colosseum was, in the end, nothing more than a false hope.

“Too bad. You had false hope, but try again next time.”

The Apostle mocked Diana. His face was full of enjoyment. Diana’s pupils dilated.

Diana had endured desperately, but she had already spent most of her strength. The Apostle’s attacks began to hit Diana.

The once excited audience had now cooled down. The Apostle grinned and threw another punch. Diana’s abdomen was pierced.

Diana was defeated.

The people despaired. They had believed she could win, and now they were all in a somber mood.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

“Too bad.”

“But now we’ve grasped new power. We can defeat him in the next Colosseum.”

They weren’t wrong in their thoughts. After the Apostle defeated Diana, the blood-red energy dissipated. If Diana had held out just a little longer, she could have turned the tide.

If it hadn’t been for the Falling God’s intervention.

They scattered once more, holding onto hope.

“Too bad, but we learned something new, so it’s a good thing. I’ll be challenging it soon too. I need to think of a strategy in advance.”

Reynaldo wasn’t much different from the others.

Taesan asked him.

“Where is Diana?”

“She’s dead for now. She’ll revive after a day. She’ll probably be resting in the highest room in the village. She worked hard, so she deserves to rest today.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. So what will you do now? If you want, the princess and I...”

As Reynaldo looked at Taesan, he suddenly froze.

Taesan had disappeared without him noticing.

“...How?”

A voice full of confusion rang out.

The next day, Taesan arrived at the village and went to find Diana.

When he knocked on a very ornate door, a small voice called out.

“Come in.”

Creak.

As he opened the door and entered, he saw Diana sitting on a bed. She smiled brightly when she saw Taesan.

“Oh my. Taesan, welcome.”

Taesan entered without a word.

Diana wore a slightly apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I said I could return, but in the end, I was defeated embarrassingly.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was designed to be impossible from the start.”

“...Huh?”

Diana froze.

Taesan looked at her expressionlessly.

“If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have noticed. But didn’t you realize? The Colosseum is nothing more than a false hope.”

When the Apostle wielded the blood-red power...

Diana’s expression was different from the others.

It was as if she had known he would wield new power, a look of acceptance rather than shock, a quiet despair.

“Well, it’s obvious if you think about it. The Falling God would never truly liberate us. Most people either forget it or intentionally ignore it, but you seem to be different.”

Some of the figures in the audience, who showed no emotion...

They were the ones who didn’t react when Diana was defeated.

Their common trait? They were all strong enough to have reached the boundary.

They probably opened the Colosseum multiple times to try to leave. And they realized. This was a Colosseum they could never win.

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

Diana understood that she couldn’t win.

But she hadn’t given up on the hope of leaving.

In fact, she looked desperately determined. She wanted to leave the labyrinth no matter what.

“Is that because there’s something like that outside?”

“...Why do you ask that?”

A quiet voice echoed. Diana’s killing intent turned toward Taesan.

Taesan shrugged it off and said casually.

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

“Reason?”

“Beldenkia. Do you know it?”

Diana’s pupils widened with cold killing intent.

“How do you know that name...”

“As expected.”

Diana’s behavior and her tone. Her appearance.

Everything matched the characteristics that Beldenkia had mentioned. At first, Taesan was skeptical, but after observing the combat style, he was certain.

“Beldenkia is looking for you. He made a contract with a wizard and settled into the labyrinth for this reason. I came here to save you. The Princess of the Magician.”