Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 471: Floor 89: The Old God’s Outpost (4)

"How dare you. First, you kill the Avatar of the Vacant Abomination. Then, you steal a fragment of the World Breaker. And now, you target the very outpost I manage?"

The Avatar’s voice dripped with venomous hatred and fury. Yet, amid the tirade, Taesan gleamed a valuable insight.

“So the Avatars do have detailed knowledge about me.”

The Avatar's face twisted with rage.

"I am Paradise, the Avatar of the Monster Who Walks Through Time. And I will kill you."

"Go ahead. Give it your best shot."

Taesan replied calmly, his tone almost mocking.

Paradise raised a hand to the sky.

Taesan didn’t hesitate. He had faced the Avatar of the Vacant Abomination before and knew the power an Avatar could channel. Allowing that to fully manifest would be a grave mistake.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

Taesan surged forward, his speed quadrupled by the overlapping buffs. His movement was so swift that Paradise momentarily lost track of him.

“Damn you!”

In a blink, Taesan closed the gap, his blade poised to pierce Paradise’s throat.

Paradise panicked, retreating rapidly. But Taesan’s speed was more than enough to catch up.

And yet, something felt off.

As he neared Paradise, Taesan felt his body slow down—gradually but undeniably.

Paradise managed to retreat a safe distance, glaring at Taesan with a smug expression.

“Such rudeness. But what can you expect from an insolent fool who opposes the Old Gods?”

‘What is this?’

Taesan steadied his stance, his sword still raised. The sensation wasn’t ordinary. It wasn’t just that he had slowed down; the phenomenon was alien, unnatural.

Paradise extended his hand to the sky again.

"I am the Avatar of the Monster Who Walks Through Time! Hear my plea, O Great One, and descend your authority upon me! Grant me the power to walk your time!"

Boom!

The sky split open, and an immense power descended, enveloping Paradise entirely.

“Ahh...”

Paradise exhaled, his voice laden with satisfaction. From the fractured air, he pulled forth a weapon—a small, antique-looking musket.

"Even if you’ve reached the threshold of transcendence, it doesn’t matter. The power of the Old Gods is meant to kill even the strongest transcendents."

He smirked arrogantly.

"I’ll show you the might of a true authority."

Parsing Paradise’s Authority

The Monster Who Walks Through Time...

The name alone suggested its authority revolved around manipulating time itself.

Taesan remained composed. He needed to analyze Paradise’s ability before engaging fully. Drawing mana, he unleashed an initial probe.

[You have activated Great Collapse (Divine).]

[You have activated Magic Acceleration.]

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

Boom!

A radiant golden sphere surged toward Paradise. Though meant as a probing attack, its destructive power was immense. Even a high-tier immortal would struggle to survive a direct hit.

Taesan prepared to follow up, ready to activate Guaranteed Strike or Magic Detonation based on Paradise’s reaction.

But Paradise’s response defied expectations.

Paradise didn’t move. He simply stood still.

As the golden sphere approached, Taesan noticed something peculiar—it began to slow down. The closer it came to Paradise, the more its speed dwindled.

Paradise sidestepped with ease, avoiding the attack entirely.

[You have activated Magic Detonation.]

Boom!

The golden sphere exploded, sending shockwaves reverberating through the air. But just like before, the explosion slowed dramatically as it neared Paradise, its force dissipating entirely.

"If it doesn’t hit, it’s meaningless."

Paradise reached into the air, bending space and time to forge a bullet. Carefully, reverently, he loaded it into his musket, as if performing a sacred ritual.

Click.

The musket’s chamber locked into place, and Paradise aimed the weapon at Taesan.

‘A gun?’

This was a new kind of opponent. A weapon forged from compressed spacetime wasn’t something Taesan had encountered before. He needed to observe its nature and strength before devising a countermeasure.

Paradise fired.

The pitch-black bullet flew at a blinding speed, almost too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Taesan twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the projectile. Or so he thought.

Zzznnng!

The bullet left an unnatural ripple in the air, curving mid-flight.

Taesan felt an intense impact against his chest, sending him skidding backward.

[What the hell?]

Crash!

The impact shattered Taesan’s Self-Stabilization completely.

Taesan clicked his tongue.

The bullet had twisted and turned, as though rewinding time itself, to target the weakest point in his defenses.

‘A thousand possibilities condensed into one?’

He wasn’t entirely certain yet, but he was beginning to understand. Every single one of Paradise’s abilities was annoyingly complex.

Yet Taesan’s expression wasn’t dark. In fact, his eyes sparkled.

"Not bad."

Taesan adjusted his stance.

Paradise clicked his tongue in irritation.

"You cannot block or overcome the authority bestowed upon me by my master. And yet you cling to your pathetic hope? Truly foolish."

Paradise smiled darkly.

"Then I shall shatter even that hope for you."

With supreme confidence, he raised both arms wide.

The world began to warp.

Something was twisting.

A colossal force was tearing apart the laws of reality.

Paradise let out a booming cry.

"Oh, my lord! I offer this world unto you! Defile it with your glory!"

Kiiiiiiii!

An eerie sound filled the air as powerful shockwaves rippled outward.

Taesan prepared to move in response but immediately realized something shocking.

He couldn’t move.

No—more accurately, the world itself had stopped moving.

‘What?’

Inside, Taesan reeled in disbelief. Time within the entire area had come to a complete halt—even for him.

‘This...’

He recognized the phenomenon.

Paradise laughed triumphantly.

"This is the greatest authority my master has granted me! Witness its might!"

The servant drew a dagger and charged at the frozen Taesan, aiming for his chest.

"Die!"

Taesan tried to respond.

But it was impossible.

Neither mana, nor magic, nor his physical body would move. Ordinary means had no effect in this suspended time.

Only powers of equal standing could function.

Within the frozen world, both divine energy and the black energy of corruption began to stir.

Even though both powers were greatly restricted by the halted time, they managed to barely manifest.

Taesan combined the two forces into one.

A gray energy erupted into existence within the suspended reality.

And then, he detonated it.

BOOM!

Paradise hastily retreated as the explosion shattered the time-stopping authority. The frozen world resumed its normal flow.

Taesan immediately put distance between himself and Paradise.

Paradise narrowed his eyes.

"...You managed to resist the authority? No wonder my master warned us about you. But that’s all it amounts to."

The servant grinned.

"My authority is control over time itself! No matter how hard you struggle, victory is beyond your grasp!"

The authority bestowed by his master allowed him to manipulate the absolute concept of time.

Convinced of his victory, Paradise glared at Taesan, expecting despair in his eyes.

Instead, his pupils quivered in disbelief.

On Taesan’s lips, there was a smile.

It wasn’t one of defiance, but pure amusement—almost joyous.

"You... what are you?"

Paradise’s voice faltered.

He had just stopped time—a feat no being in this world should be able to resist. It was an absolute law under his complete control.

And yet Taesan showed no signs of shock or fear.

It was as if this display of power was something familiar, something mundane to him.

"No, seriously."

Taesan’s smile deepened, unable to suppress his growing excitement.

"Thank you."