Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 424: 83rd Floor, Essence of the Falling God (6)

They charge.

The first to attack was the swordsman.

The swords clash.

Kaga-gak!

Taesan put strength into his arm. The opponent was thrown back, unable to withstand the force.

But quickly regaining their posture, they charged again.

Taesan was clearly stronger than them.

However, in terms of basic rank, they were on a similar level. It wasn’t a fight to take lightly.

Kagak!

Taesan used his sword to push the opponent back. Just as he did, a spear thrust its way in.

Taesan didn’t respond with his sword.

He quickly pulled a spear from his inventory.

He swung it in a wide arc, deflecting the opponent’s spear and then thrusting his own. The opponent didn’t retreat. On the contrary, they charged forward.

The opponent’s body moved instinctively.

They dodged Taesan’s thrust and pulled the deflected spear back into their hands.

It was an effective move, but the will behind it was absent.

That was a counter skill.

Taesan responded in kind.

[You have activated Counter.]

Two of the same skill are triggered simultaneously. In this case, the one with higher basic stats and proficiency wins.

“Krrgh!”

The opponent was shoved back.

There’s no time to relax.

Magic and dark magic flew toward Taesan. Bright arrows that obscured his vision, and a pitch-black wave that sought to consume everything.

Though the skill windows didn’t appear, Taesan knew what they were. Starfire Arrows and Marbas’ Black Wave.

[You have activated Starfire Arrows.]

[You have activated Marbas’ Black Wave.]

The same Starfire Arrows and Black Wave manifested.

They swallowed the opponent’s power and surged toward them. The opponent reacted in fear and activated a defensive skill to block.

“Ifrit!”

[Ah, looks like I’m facing a famous one from this side.]

Flames ignited, and a handsome man appeared.

The power he carried was formidable.

‘The Fire Spirit King.’

In that case, responding with the same Spirit King should work.

[You have summoned Minerva, the Wind Spirit King.]

Wind gathered, and a beautiful woman appeared.

“Haha. I didn’t expect to fight against another Spirit King.”

[We are mere bodies manifested in the world according to our contractor’s will. Let’s see what you’ve got, young Spirit King. Show me the power of experience.]

“I’m not going to lose!”

Wind and fire clashed.

Minerva pressed the attack against Ifrit. Though Ifrit counterattacked, the overwhelming strength of the wind blocked all his efforts, causing him to vanish.

The strength of the Spirit Kings correlates with the power of their contractors. Minerva could use her full strength.

Moreover, Minerva, who had consumed Vishnu’s core, was far stronger than other Spirit Kings.

Kugugung!

A 1v5 battle.

The fight proceeded with overwhelming dominance. The spear wielder was unable to block Taesan’s spear and had their arm pierced.

Quickly backing away, the opponent smiled faintly.

“...You’re monstrously strong. Someone like you was deceived by the Falling God?”

“Figure it out yourself. It’s too tiresome to explain.”

Taesan put the spear away and drew his sword. He activated Forceful Strike, knocking away the incoming sword. Then the frozen world enveloped Taesan.

Taesan activated the frozen world in response.

Tzzzt!

The frozen world quickly devoured the opponent’s frozen space and covered the battlefield. The opponent, managing to create distance with a limited Blink, grimaced.

“...What are you doing?”

“What?”

“Why are you fighting the same way each time?”

Taesan had been fighting in the same manner against each opponent.

Against the sword wielder, he used a sword.

Against the spear wielder, he used a spear.

Against the magic users, he used magic; against the dark mages, dark magic; against the spirits, he responded with spirits.

He had been matching their skills and using the same ones in return. There was something he was aiming for.

“I told you. I have something to test.”

Taesan casually replied and swung his sword.

The opponent managed to withstand the blow, but the battle was one-sided. The difference in skill and basic stats was too great. Even as Taesan used the same skills to match their attacks, one by one, they began to fall.

Kuuuung!

Finally, the last opponent collapsed. Taesan thrust his spear, piercing their heart.

The dying opponent’s face was calm.

“I don’t know why someone like you came here, but... in the end, it doesn’t matter. This place is designed that way.”

“That’s not for you to decide. It’s my job.”

The last opponent dissolved.

Their soul flew toward the village.

Then, the system message appeared.

[Your Soul Strength has activated. Counter proficiency increased by 1%.]

[You have used the same skill as your opponents to defeat them. You have obtained the special passive skill [Perfect Superiority].]

“Seems like it works.”

Skill acquisition doesn’t happen when there’s a huge difference in strength between the opponent and oneself.

So, could Taesan forcibly lower his rank to acquire skills?

The experiment was a success.

[Special Passive Skill: Perfect Superiority]

[Proficiency: 1%]

When responding to an opponent’s skill with the same skill, the power and speed of your skill increase.]

This was a skill that could only be obtained by fighting labyrinth adventurers.

The condition was to fight at least five opponents using different powers simultaneously and match their skills to win.

It was a rather difficult condition, as those five opponents had to use the same kind of power as Taesan.

Moreover, unlike those hiding in shadows, this skill could not be obtained if the difference in power and rank was too great.

“Now there’s a possibility.”

The skills Taesan had obtained in his past life, but not yet in this life.

Those skills might not be obtainable now, as he had grown too strong.

It was the boundary.

The crowd stepped back, sensing the rising ominous energy.

Though Taesan’s immortal rank had diminished, he could still wield it effortlessly. He swung the boundary again.

“Ahhh!”

The Apostle didn’t retreat.

“My God!”

The boundary contained a power that disrupted the laws themselves.

There was no way the Apostle could survive.

But Taesan could see it.

The Apostle was channeling a power from beyond what Taesan could comprehend.

“Give me your strength! I’ll throw everything that dares to challenge me into oblivion!”

The divine power then washed over Taesan, affecting all the strength he manifested.

The boundary shattered, and everything within it quickly diminished.

The Apostle clenched his fists and struck out at the boundary with all his might.

Boom!

The mist exploded, and black and gold swirled together.

Taesan watched the Apostle without changing his expression.

“Hahaha!”

The Apostle laughed.

His body was torn apart, one arm missing, his upper body shredded.

But still, he didn’t fall.

With a defiant smile, he glared at Taesan.

“I will never lose!”

***

Taesan overwhelmed the Apostle.

The Apostle barely managed to block the Great Collapse, but he had taken significant damage. He was unable to properly respond to Taesan's subsequent attacks, and wounds began to appear on his body.

However, he didn’t fall.

With a roar, he continued to pull power from within and somehow managed to hold on.

Those watching believed that Taesan would win, and it truly looked like it was going that way, but Taesan’s expression remained cold.

[You have activated Baal’s Black Space Surge.]

A space stained in pitch black charged forward. Within it was the great demon—Baal’s power. The Apostle, continuously being overwhelmed, could not block it.

"Ugh!"

But the Apostle still didn’t fall.

Even when pushed to the brink of death, he drew on some new strength and barely managed to block the Black Space Surge. It was the same way he had blocked the Great Collapse. A sigh mixed with regret escaped his lips.

"I told you! I will not lose!"

With a grin, the Apostle charged at Taesan.

Taesan swung his sword.

Clang!

The Apostle didn’t get pushed back. Unlike before, it seemed like he had adapted to Taesan's movements and countered with a swing of his fists.

To those watching, it looked like the Apostle was finding a way to exploit Taesan’s moves, but Taesan, facing him directly, could tell.

The Apostle was being forced to adapt to Taesan’s level.

It was like fighting an unbeatable boss in a game.

Even when his health dropped to 1, the Apostle would infinitely regenerate, constantly increasing his power and speed.

It was a tool designed to ensure defeat.

It seemed like the powers were being manipulated to give a false sense of hope, but in the end, it was an unbeatable boss.

Taesan’s sword began to glow with a mixture of black and gold.

It was the Boundary Line.

Those watching quickly stepped back. All the ominous energy was gathering on the sword.

Although the immortal level had fallen, Taesan was still more than enough to wield this power. He swung the Boundary Line.

"Oooh!"

The Apostle did not back down.

"My God!"

The power contained in the Boundary Line shook the very laws of reality.

The Apostle could not remain unharmed.

But Taesan saw it.

The Apostle was wielding a high-dimensional power that Taesan could not fully understand.

"Give me your power! I will cast down all who dare oppose you into the abyss!"

The divine power descended upon Taesan. It began to affect all of the power Taesan was manifesting.

The Boundary Line began to collapse. It felt as if everything inside it was quickly being drained, falling into an endless abyss.

The grayness wavered, and the black and gold began to show themselves once more.

The Apostle clenched his fists. He swung them at the incoming Boundary Line.

Boom!

The grayness burst out and split into black and gold.

Taesan looked at the Apostle without changing his expression.

"Hahaha!"

The Apostle burst into maniacal laughter.

His body was a wreck.

One of his arms was gone, and his upper body was shredded.

But he did not fall.

The Apostle remained standing, shouting at Taesan. His wounds healed almost instantly.

"Your power is undoubtedly strong! But! You don’t think that power is invincible, do you?"

The Apostle was a being from beyond the laws, a corrupter of the world.

But in the end, they had been defeated.

Driven away by the Transcendents, cast out to the farthest reaches of the world.

If you reach the level of the Transcendents, you could certainly resist the Boundary Line.

"You! You cannot defeat me! You cannot leave this place!"

The Apostle shouted with a voice full of certainty.

He smiled, and Taesan muttered to himself.

"That’s fine."

"...What?"

"It’s not about erasing, blocking, or nullifying—it’s about making the power itself fall. Interesting power. This is getting fun."

"You?!"

The Apostle thought Taesan had just used an empty trump card.

It was a despairing situation, but Taesan's expression didn't change.

In fact, there was even a glimmer of enjoyment in his demeanor.

"Why aren’t you panicking?"

"Why should I panic? I should be enjoying this."

Taesan said it indifferently.

"After all, this is the power I’m going to obtain."