Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 458: The Seventh Return, Earth (10)

The ashen domain spread across the entirety of the United States. At the same time, the screen Zervand had been showing to the people flickered out.

“W-What?”

“What's happening?”

The people were bewildered. Lee Taeyeon, without realizing it, turned to look at Zervand, but he shook his head.

“I didn’t do this. He did.”

“Huh?”

“This is interesting.”

Zervand observed the ashen domain with a curious expression.

Zervand’s magic had been forcibly canceled within the ashen domain, as it couldn’t be accepted there.

Even through his vision, he couldn’t discern the true power contained within the ash. It was, in every sense, alien. This space couldn’t be considered a part of this world.

But it wasn’t Goshin’s domain either.

It was a space made solely for Taesan.

Boom!

The battle continued within the ashen domain. Taesan, enveloped in the ashen power, charged toward Goshin.

The giant raised its arm and struck down. Taesan didn’t retreat and leapt forward, swinging his sword through the ash.

Boom!

Taesan was pushed back, but he wasn’t the only one.

The giant also staggered back.

He had successfully countered the blow that was meant to destroy him.

The giant, annoyed, regained its stance and extended its arm. Taesan activated the Great Collapse.

[You have activated Great Collapse [Chaos].]

The ashen Great Collapse collided with the giant.

With a thunderous noise, the giant’s arm was pushed back.

[!!!!!]

A howling sound erupted. The giant’s silent roar carried immense power. If it still possessed its full strength, the force would have torn the atmosphere apart.

But not here.

Taesan, who had absorbed the howling into the ash, pushed forward, charging at the giant.

Boom!

He wrapped his body in the Boundary Line and enhanced his strength as he swung his sword. The clash between the giant’s massive fist and Taesan’s sword shook the very space around them.

Boom!

This was Taesan’s domain.

Everything was within his grasp.

The giant began to be pushed back. It focused not on attacking, but on defending.

The ash, which had engulfed the world, climbed up the giant’s foot. It tried to shake it off by stomping, but the ash gradually climbed up and enveloped the giant’s body.

Crack!

A mark appeared on the giant’s arm where Taesan’s sword collided. Red blood poured out like a waterfall.

Within the ashen world, the giant’s divine power that cloaked its body began to twist and shatter.

Crack!

Taesan sliced through the giant’s fingers. Flesh flew in all directions.

He didn’t stop there—he swung his sword, hitting the giant’s chest with a powerful strike.

Boom!

The giant, unable to withstand the attack, collapsed. Taesan climbed on top of its chest.

“Devour it.”

Crack!

At Taesan’s will, the ash surged and enveloped the giant’s body.

The ash gripped the giant’s limbs and tore open its chest. In an instant, the giant’s innards were exposed. The giant tried to resist, but the ash that bound its body made it impossible to shake off.

Inside the giant’s chest, its core was visible.

Taesan reached out his hand into the air. Space split open.

[You have activated the Sword of the World [Chaos].]

It was the shattered Sword of the World.

The Sword of the World took considerable time to recover after its use. Since it had been broken by the giant’s attack, it wouldn’t be usable for a while.

But that didn’t matter.

The ash crawled toward it. The broken part of the Sword of the World was filled with Boundary Line.

With the ash mingling with the sword, Taesan swung it down toward the giant’s core.

Crack!

The giant’s core screamed. The giant shook its body in resistance, but the ash didn’t budge.

The core couldn’t endure and cracked, spreading like a spider’s web. Taesan gathered all the world’s power into the sword, and with all his might, he struck.

Kaang!

Like a glass orb, the core shattered. The power contained within it burst out into the world, trying to return to its original owner.

But the Boundary Line blocked its movement, forcing the power to be stolen back as Taesan’s Divine Will surged.

[You have defeated the Seventh Fragment of the World Crusher.]

[Your Divine Will has surged.]

[The skill proficiency of Twisted Divine Will Calibration has increased by 6%.]

[The proficiency of Blackness has increased by 6%.]

[The proficiency of Boundary Line has increased by !%@@#%.]

[The proficiency of Will of All Things has increased by 5%.]

[You have stolen the Transcendence [Self-Immutable].]

[You fought and won against Goshin. You have gained the special passive skill [Resistance to Beyond].]

A system window blocked Taesan’s view. Inside the shattered core, a tiny blood drop was visible.

Taesan reached out and grasped the blood drop.

[You have obtained the Blood Drop of the World Crusher.]

It was over.

Taesan extinguished the Chaos Domain. A wave of intense exhaustion and fatigue washed over his body. Even his immortal body, which usually never felt fatigue, was now in a state of collapse.

That was closer than I thought.

As the ash faded, Zervand’s magic resumed.

What the people saw was Taesan, standing alone in a devastated world.

The one who won was Taesan.

A roar like thunder erupted. The sound was so loud it shook the entire United States.

They had survived.

They had won.

[Quest Complete.]

[One week later, the labyrinth will begin again.]

***

A festival broke out. After the Earth quest had ended, people typically didn’t celebrate too wildly. Though they had survived, the damage had been immense.

But this time, it was different.

Thanks to Taesan, the quest to protect the pillars had minimal casualties, and in the final quest, not a single person had died.

It was a perfect clear, a success beyond expectations.

Moreover, the power and authority Taesan had displayed.

They had defeated a monster that could not be described by words. There was no reason for the mood to be anything less than celebratory.

Taesan was also thoroughly satisfied. He had achieved all the goals he had set out for.

[Divinity]

[Proficiency: ???]

A token granted to those who receive the faith of the world, a mark of one who may be called a god.

Divine power had transformed into true Divinity.

And the changes that came with this transformation were immense.

Taesan lightly released his power. The golden light spread across the world, eventually enveloping the entire United States.

There was no significant consumption of power, no drain on his mental strength.

Until now, there had been limitations on handling divinity. It had been blocked beyond a certain threshold, as though it was forbidden.

Now, those limits had disappeared.

As long as the total amount of power allowed it, he could easily cover the entire world in divine energy.

Moreover, the quality and magnitude of his divinity had changed. Previously, divinity was primarily focused on healing and defense. Now, it could also be used offensively.

That was why Taesan had been able to block Goshin’s attacks with divinity alone.

Now, he could imbue spells, even dark magic, with divinity.

He could enhance his entire body, or apply pressure on his enemies. As a support ability, it was almost omnipotent.

In addition, the combination of divinity and black energy allowed Taesan to use the Boundary Line to its fullest extent. No longer was it limited to merely surrounding his sword or protecting his body; now, he could create entire domains.

[Chaos Domain]

[Proficiency: ???]

A domain created by mixing divinity and black energy. Within this domain, everything can be manipulated according to the caster’s will.

Taesan, after contemplating for a moment, activated the Chaos Domain.

He expanded it to a small area, the size of a single building.

It was the ashen domain.

As its master, Taesan knew this place well.

The laws of the world did not apply here.

If he wished, he could erase even the concept of death from this domain.

Of course, there were limitations.

On Earth, as he received direct faith, his divinity was limitless. Now, with the true divinity he possessed, the restrictions had almost completely vanished.

However, even with the faith he received, he couldn’t quite keep up with the divinity consumption required for the Chaos Domain.

It was uncertain whether he could manage the costs of such power in places other than Earth.

While reflecting on its effects and limitations, someone entered his domain.

“How does it feel?”

“It’s not bad.”

Taesan responded.

Zervand entered the ashen domain, grinning widely.

Taesan looked at him. This was his domain. He could feel Zervand’s power and authority, but at the same time, Taesan realized there was still more to uncover.

He couldn’t fully perceive everything yet.

He could understand the surface level, but the depths of Zervand remained beyond his grasp.

“You’re still far from it.”

“Really? I thought the opposite.”

Zervand extended his arm. Magic began to manifest, but the ashen space did not allow it.

“Where you’ve reached, it only holds power in this space. It’s not rare across the universe, but not common either. Here, it’s fine, but from my perspective, it’s not that impressive. It’s an incomplete place where once you leave your world, limitations appear.”

Much like how Hemon and Levinef achieved their states through faith.

Such gods, although powerful, were leagues apart from true transcendents who governed the very concept of existence.

The Demon King easily wiped Hemon off the map, demonstrating the difference.

“But even a god of magic like me can’t freely use magic in your domain. Of course, if I were to seriously try and kill you, it would be different... but just that alone makes it hard to believe.”

Taesan’s Chaos Domain, a space he had created, suppressed even the magic Zervand, a being who controlled the very concept of magic, sought to use.

This alone spoke volumes about the peculiar nature of the Chaos Domain.

“Of course, you’re still lacking. The place you’ve reached is an unstable one, only attainable through faith. With that alone, you can’t reach us. But... what if you rise to our level? What then?”

Zervand’s face held pure curiosity.

Taesan shook his head.

“I don’t know how I should reach it either.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

He was in a twisted state.

Even the sorcerer who created the labyrinth didn’t know what had happened. Taesan himself wasn’t sure what his goal was or how he would reach the level of transcendents.

Zervand laughed.

“Take your time. We’ll help you.”

Zervand’s power flowed out again. Taesan extinguished the Chaos Domain.

“There’s plenty more to discuss... but first, I should take care of what I need to do. You’ve defeated Goshin. You deserve a proper reward.”

[God’s Power Manifestation.]

[Blessings Descend.]

[You have received the blessing of the gods [Magic Talent].]

The blessing was bestowed upon all of humanity.

The people who had been celebrating were suddenly taken aback. A new sensation they had never felt before washed over them.

[God’s Blessing: Magic Talent]

[This is the blessing of the gods. It grants talent in magic. Additionally, by offering tribute to the god of magic, one can gain further access to magic.]

“...Is this alright?”

Magic could only be learned by a very select few.

Even Bardray had failed to properly master magic, giving up after his efforts.

But now, every single person on Earth could use magic.

“Though it’s a hefty cost, you’ve shown us something worth it, so it’s no problem. However, this blessing means little to you. So, I’ll give you something of your own.”

Zervand smiled.

“You defeated Goshin on your own, without my help. You have quite a bit of leeway left.”

Power flowed from Zervand once more, but this time it entered Taesan.

[You have obtained the high-level magic [Teleport].]

[You have gained the title [Grand Magus].]