Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 493: 92nd Floor. Faith (4)

“What... What’s happening?!”

Upon hearing the commotion, the guards rushed over. When they saw Taesan, transformed into Remidaos, they froze in shock.

“Wh... W-what?!”

“I am Remidaos.”

A quiet voice echoed throughout the entire city. Dwarves, who had been hiding with their heads under blankets, slowly started to raise their heads.

“I have come to liberate you.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Slink!

The guards drew their swords. They had been tools of oppression for Remidaos' faith, so it seemed they hadn’t recognized Taesan’s appearance, as they had never seen Remidaos in their dreams.

“What kind of strange costume is this? Shut up and die!”

The guards rushed at him.

Taesan lightly flicked his fingers.

Crack!

An intangible wave of energy crushed them. In an instant, more than ten guards were slammed to the ground, unable to scream as they fell unconscious.

“Wooooo!”

“Remidaos-sama!”

The dwarf family cried out. Their voices reverberated throughout the city.

Clank.

Doors slowly began to open as dwarves emerged from their homes.

They approached Taesan as if hypnotized.

“Ah... Aah...”

“Remidaos-sama?”

Seeing Taesan’s appearance with their own eyes, they collapsed to the ground.

With blank, disbelieving stares, they looked at Taesan.

Golden hair and golden eyes, a radiant robe made entirely of gold.

It was exactly the appearance of Remidaos that they had seen in their dreams.

[You have activated Complete Reconnaissance.]

[These people...]

...

Hundreds, thousands of system windows appeared, blocking Taesan's view for a moment.

The vast amount of information about the many dwarves appeared before him.

Taesan quickly filtered through the data and spoke.

“I am Remidaos.”

“Aaaah...”

“I foretold to you. When your emotions and true faith reach me, I will descend, shining brightly, to lead you and save this world.”

“Ooooh!”

The dwarves responded passionately. The reason was simple. It was the very words Remidaos had spoken to them in their dreams.

Kiiiiing!

Divine energy covered the city. The golden aura that enveloped them made the people’s eyes grow heavy with awe.@@@@

“Follow me.”

Taesan began to move forward. The dwarves, as if in a trance, followed behind him.

Taesan headed towards the largest building in the center of the city.

Made of iron, this building took up about a third of the city.

“Everyone, prepare!”

Inside the building, dwarves scrambled to arm themselves. These weapons had all been made to oppress others.

Taesan flicked his fingers.

The divine energy manifested and struck the building.

Koooom!

“Uaaaah!”

“Save us!”

The building collapsed. Those who had been hastily preparing for battle fled in panic, their faces a picture of terror. In an instant, the building that had taken up a third of the city’s area crumbled into rubble.

“O-oooooh...”

Those who had followed Taesan couldn’t contain their astonishment.

Despite the massive building collapsing, they felt no repercussions. Taesan was untouched, not even a speck of dust on him.

It had been an ordinary building with no magical defenses. Simply applying force was enough to destroy it. Even if someone else, like a guide leader, had done it, they could have achieved the same result.

But to these people, it was nothing short of a divine miracle.

“I will punish those who oppress you and bring you freedom.”

“I’m talking about your true king.”

The dwarves looked confused. They didn’t even know that the shopkeeper had existed. Considering the time he had spent in the labyrinth, it made sense. Remidaos wouldn’t have allowed traces of anyone who interfered with his faith.

‘What a shame.’

But that was of little concern to Taesan.

Taesan continued to gather the faith of all the people.

When he felt that nearly everyone, aside from a few, worshiped him, Taesan decided it was time to finish what he started.

“I’m going to deliver the punishment.”

“Ooooooh!”

“Remidaos-sama! Please, punish him severely!”

He headed toward the Immortal’s location. The Immortal had seen Taesan’s movement but did not act.

Step.

Taesan led the people to where the Immortal resided.

It was a place of great splendor. A palace made of gold. Inside the enormous structure, which could have housed thousands of people, the only presence was the Immortal.

“Collapse.”

[You have activated the Declaration of Collapse.]

With a brief declaration, the palace crumbled.

Though the Immortal resisted, sending out waves of power, everything was crushed and obliterated by Taesan’s command.

Koooom!

In an instant, the palace turned to rubble.

“Ooooooh!”

The crowd cheered as they watched the destruction. Taesan gave them a brief command.

“Wait here.”

Taesan entered the collapsed palace.

Clearing away the obstructing debris, he made his way inside. The Immortal was waiting for him.

“You...”

It was a muscular dwarf. With a thick, lush beard, he stared at Taesan with trembling eyes.

He gritted his teeth.

“This is Remidaos-sama’s domain!”

“I know.”

“He is an incredibly powerful being! No matter how great you are, you can’t defeat him!”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“Leave now!”

The Immortal swung his arm forcefully. A strong wave of energy swept through the area.

“I’ve already informed Remidaos-sama! How dare an outsider trespass in his domain!”

“You don’t need to inform him. He already knows.”

Taesan responded casually, but Karak shouted harshly as if he hadn’t heard.

“You’re certainly strong, but he has truly reached transcendence! He has the faith of many worlds! You cannot defeat him!”

He gasped for air. Taesan opened his mouth without reacting.

“I know that too.”

“...What?”

“That’s exactly what I’m aiming for.”

Karak’s pupils widened. His face twisted as he realized Taesan’s goal.

“...You!”

Karak clenched his fist. All of his power concentrated in a single strike aimed at Taesan.

Taesan gently took a step forward. With that single motion, all of Karak’s strength shattered and crumbled. Karak fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

Karak gritted his teeth as he got up.

“You... filthy plunderer!”

“Are you really going to say that?”

Taesan sneered and unleashed his power. Divine energy surged, scattering debris. The crowd outside watching saw Karak lying defeated and Taesan standing tall.

“Ooooooh!”

The people cheered. Deep, profound faith now directed at Taesan.

“You need to be overwhelmingly defeated. And they need to see it.”

Karak’s face twisted in anguish.

“Are you going to make a spectacle out of me?!”

“You were already playing with these people, weren’t you? I think this is just karma.”

Taesan hummed as he drew his sword.

“I’ve got plenty of places to go, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”