Ascension Through Skills

"Through my contract with Sociét, I shall aid you, Apostle of Ehilliye."

[Dersha has transferred ownership of the puppet.]

Bardray temporarily gained control over Sociét, who had become Dersha's possession.

"That is mine. Even the smallest scratch, and I won't stay silent."

"I can't guarantee that. I'll try my best."

"Hmph."

Dersha scoffed and withdrew from Sociét.

"Then, shall we begin again?"

"However you like."

It was like puppetry. [Forced Duel] could only deal damage to designated targets. But it didn't restrict attacking the puppets or possessions of those targets.

"Sociét."

Bardray spoke briefly. With no will of her own and obeying only commands, Sociét drew a line in the air at Bardray's will.

Rip.

Space tore open. A space of black and red violently mixed revealed itself.

Nothing could be felt within. It looked no different from painted-over space.

But Taesan knew.

That was death. Itself.

Death surged toward him. Taesan forcibly drew upon [divinity] and spread it around him.

[Divinity] collided with the black-red space and shattered as it clashed.

And Bardray didn't stay idle either. Gathering his strength, Bardray gripped his sword with both hands.

[Bardray has activated Unity with the Divine Sword.]

Bardray leapt.

His movement was on a different level from before. If Taesan didn't respond properly, he could be overwhelmed in an instant.

Ka-gak!

Taesan blocked Bardray's attack. He dodged and deflected the flurry of strikes, then activated a [skill].

[You have activated Deflection.]

A Labyrinth [skill] that deflects the opponent's attack upon collision. Bardray, having faced it before, knew how it worked.

But Bardray did not retreat from the strike.

Instead, he swung even harder toward Taesan.

Once [Deflection] activates, there's no need to mind the opponent's attack. The sword gets deflected—then it's time to counter.

Taesan thrust at Bardray.

The moment the swords were about to clash, [Deflection] activated, twisting Bardray's blade trajectory.

At that moment, Bardray's wrist moved.

A smooth flick of the wrist corrected the forcefully twisted path of his sword.

There was no delay in that process. It was swordsmanship bordering on divine.

Clang!

Their swords collided.

Taesan quickly pulled back. Bardray charged at him again, so Taesan raised his blade.

[You have activated Strong Strike.]

[You have activated Acceleration.]

The sword came crashing down.

Even if Bardray had become Ehilliye's Apostle, Taesan's [stats] were overwhelming. And with [Strong Strike] and [Acceleration] added on—

There was no way Bardray could keep up.

But Bardray didn't back down.

He moved his sword toward the descending blade.

Clang!

As the two swords met and Bardray's was being overpowered by sheer force, his wrist moved again.

Ka-gak.

Moving with uncanny smoothness, like a living creature, Bardray's sword deflected Taesan's power.

He countered overwhelming force and speed with technique alone.

"Tch."

Taesan clicked his tongue and backed away again.

It wasn't a level achievable by simply being skilled with a sword.

The opponent had become the Apostle of the [God of the Sword]. Like other Apostles, he could wield part of his god's [authority].

That was the source of Bardray's humanly impossible movements.

Bardray closed in on Taesan.

His sword was sharp like a wolf's fang.

It was the first wolf fang of Storm Scar.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

[You have activated Raging Gale Dash.]

Taesan swung his blade fiercely, meeting Bardray's attack with storm-like movement.

He couldn't win with just strength or speed. He needed something else.

[You have activated Counter.]

A [skill] that automatically retaliates against the enemy's attack. [Counter].

It enabled the user to block attacks even if they couldn't react in time.

Ka-gak!

Taesan's body moved. He slipped past Bardray's attack and thrust his blade.

And in that moment, Bardray's sword movement changed.

His blade slithered along Taesan's sword like a snake.

The second sword. Dancer's Dance.

That alone could be dealt with using [Counter].

But only if Bardray used just Dancer's Dance.

Instead, he pressed Taesan like a wolf, while slithering like a snake.

From Bardray's hands, both Wolf Fang and Dancer's Dance emerged simultaneously. [Counter], designed to react automatically, began to falter.

Ka-gak!

Taesan had no choice but to retreat.

[…You can use Storm Scar's sword like that?]

The ghost couldn't hide his shock. Bardray's swordsmanship had reached a realm even the original creator of Storm Scar never imagined.

By becoming the Apostle of the [God of the Sword], Ehilliye, his swordsmanship had attained a higher dimension.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

Taesan was pushed back once more.

Despite having superior [stats], and with [Ability Sword] surpassing Storm Scar's swordsmanship—

Taesan could do nothing and was being overwhelmed by Bardray.

'So this is an Apostle of the God of the Sword.'

A god who rules over the sword itself. The [authority] his Apostle possessed.

He couldn't win with the sword. Then he would respond with other means.

[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]

A magic blended with black.

Frost surged toward Bardray.

Bardray, who had been pressing fiercely, swung his sword with a hardened expression.

[Magic of Negation] was a power that overrode all affinities.

Just like it canceled the power of the [Immortal] Wirad, Bardray couldn't easily overcome it either. He focused on defending against the negation magic. (T/N: Wirad was the immortal from the Magic Tower Arc, where he learned advanced magic.)

Taesan didn't miss the opening.

He charged forward and stabbed Bardray's back.

A perfect gap—impossible to block without a [skill].

Just when Taesan believed he had landed the blow—

Bardray's body suddenly moved.

While fending off the negation magic, he twisted and swung his sword at Taesan.

It was a physically impossible movement, as if space distorted and time compressed.

Ka-gak!

In the end, Taesan failed to land a hit. He grimaced.

"So it's not just swordplay you're good at."

Bardray advanced and shouted.

"Sociét!"

At the same time, a black-red wave of death surged forth.

What resided in Sociét was Dersha's [authority]—the power to command death.

Taesan swung his [divinity] to repel it. Sociét's corpse swung her arm. Space split as numerous corpses reappeared.

They all charged at Taesan.

These corpses were on another level from those before.

Perhaps due to Dersha's [authority], their movements felt almost human, as if they had their own will. They targeted Taesan with murderous intent.

[You have activated Mana Storm [Negation].]

Ka-ga-kak!

A black storm shook the Labyrinth.

Corpses were torn apart, but some endured and rushed at Taesan.

'Troublesome.'

Unable to gain an edge in swordsmanship, magic or black magic was now being blocked by Sociét.

He considered summoning Minerva, but this was a battle between those beyond mortality. She wouldn't be much help.

Taesan, his eyes calm, moved his body.

—

Kwaaaang!

Swords clashed.

Death surged, only to be pushed back by black magic and [divinity].

Taesan didn't stop.

He blocked all of Bardray and Sociét's attacks and countered. Pushed back, Bardray frowned.

'He's not even getting tired.'

While not a drop of sweat ran down Taesan's face, Bardray himself was slightly out of breath. The basic difference in stamina was larger than expected.

'…How many skills does he even have?'

With Sociét's help, Bardray repeatedly tried to exploit Taesan's openings.

But each time, Taesan pulled out a new [skill] to shut the opening down.

He hid himself in darkness, used the power of ruin, even erased Bardray's attacks altogether.

No matter how much pressure was applied, he had a new trump card every time.

And Taesan was becoming increasingly familiar with Bardray and Sociét's movements. As time passed, it became harder to create any opening.

Frankly, if not for Sociét, he would've lost long ago.

Grimacing, Bardray lowered his sword.

"What are you doing?"

His gaze turned to the ghost.

"I now understand that I can't beat you alone. So let me ask. The dead me—why are you just standing there?"

Bardray looked at the ghost.

"If he dies, I resurrect. I can descend the Labyrinth again. I can clear it."

That wasn't arrogance.

Taesan himself judged that Bardray had the talent and strength to clear the Labyrinth.

"You must have spent a long time with him. You'd know all his weaknesses and trump cards. Tell me now. I'll defeat him and fulfill our wish."

[That's impossible.]

The ghost replied calmly.

[Even if you clear it, your wish won't come true.]

"You're lying."

Bardray denied it instantly.

"If I clear the Labyrinth, I get my wish. That's the info I received—that's why I came here."

[Clearing and conquering are different. No matter how hard you try now, conquering is impossible.]

"I don't believe you."

Bardray spoke sharply.

"Even if your words are true—so what?"

He pounded his chest.

"I came here to save everyone! Even if it's close to impossible, I don't care! I will never give up! If I can't fulfill my wish, I'll find another way, even if I have to turn back time—I will save my world!"

It was a declaration bordering on madness.

The cry of one who would never let go of their wish.

[You… really are different from me.]

The ghost said quietly.

He too had once been like that. Willing to throw away his life for a wish. That's probably why Societ betrayed him so easily.

But the ghost had gone through much with Taesan. He had matured and come to terms with reality.

In the end, he accepted his failure.

[I won't say you're wrong. But I'm no longer you. Your words no longer reach me.]

"……You!"

As the ghost finished, Bardray's face twisted.

Taesan readied his sword.

Exirea, Ehilliye, Dersha's [authority]…

Their [powers] governed laws themselves. Even for Taesan, they weren't easy to handle.

So he focused on defense and evasion.

As a result, he was able to grasp the full extent of Bardray and Sociét's powers.

'If they've revealed nothing new until now, then what they've shown must be everything.'

Then it was time to end it.

[You have activated Baal's Surge of the Sevenfold Black Space.]

Rumble!

A wave of black space surged forth. Bardray shouted loudly.

"Sociét!"

A crimson-black death wave rose and clashed with the spatial surge.

Neither side gave way. They stood at a stalemate.

Taesan poured in more power.

[You have activated Great Collapse [Negation].]

Rumble rumble rumble!

Taesan was using [Magic of Negation] with Twisted Spirit Coordination, without needing Partial World Alteration.

And he instantly collapsed the completed negation magic using Twisted Spirit Coordination.

[You have activated Magic Explosion.]

[You have activated Aegis's Shield.]

A dark sphere exploded, shaking everything. Death warped and was pierced.

Exposed to the aftermath, Bardray chose evasion over defense. It was a wise decision—the power contained in [Great Collapse] could not be blocked without taking damage.

But as a result, the distance between Bardray and Sociét widened.

Taesan gripped the air.

[You have activated Blade of the World.]

Rumble!

A massive blade appeared in Taesan's hand.

What it contained was the world itself.

Taesan infused it with black and swung it toward Bardray.

Bardray barely managed to block it.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

"Urghhh!"

Blown far away, Bardray watched as Taesan launched himself at Sociét.

Sociét tried to summon more corpses, but Taesan was faster. Bardray, preoccupied with blocking the Blade of the World, couldn't issue commands in time.

Stab!

Taesan's sword pierced Sociét.

Dersha's [authority] stirred inside her.

[How dare you wound what is mine.]

A voice filled with rage echoed.

It was Dersha's voice.

[Did you really think you could touch a Transcendent's possession and walk away unharmed?]

At the same time, Sociét's eyes shot open.

"Kyahhhhhh!"

A scream burst forth. The [authority] of Dersha inside her forcibly exploded, engulfing Taesan.

It was the law of death.

[You have activated Fall of All Things.]

[You have activated Law of Negation.]

[You have activated Choice Exclusion.]

Taesan resisted with his own [Transcendent] powers.

But what engulfed him was the law of death itself.

No matter how much he negated or rejected, he couldn't escape. Death sought to leave an indelible scar on Taesan's soul and body.

[Let's see how your proud gray resists this.]

Dersha mocked. Taesan's [Boundary Line] could only be used with his sword. It couldn't protect his entire body.

But Taesan, with no change in expression, spread black across his entire body.

His mastery over black had reached 20%.

As a result, Taesan could control it more stably.

He mixed [divinity] into the black.

The newly formed [Boundary Line] surrounded his entire body.

It was nothing like unstable [Boundary Recoil]. The [Boundary Line] wrapped Taesan seamlessly.

The laws and concepts of the world could no longer touch him.

Death drew away from Taesan.

[…You bastard!]

A voice filled with panic echoed. Taesan detonated the [Boundary Line] enveloping his body.

Sociét's corpse crumbled instantly.