A gray domain descended upon the world.
Simultaneously, the domains forged through centuries of battle began to unravel and dissipate.
"[Th-This is...]"
The grayness could not be called part of this world.
It was foreign, an anomaly—a domain where nows or order held sway.
"[You have activated the Great Copse (Negation).]"
A pitch-ck sphere materialized in the world, swiftly hurtling toward Paragup. He hastily reinforced his entire body in defense.
BOOM!
"Kuh-ugh!"
But his efforts were in vain.
The ck sphere pierced through his defenses, striking directly at his essence.
"Urgh!"
In an attempt to endure the impact, Paragup tried to synchronize with the power of the earth. Yet the ground, consumed by the grayness, no longer heeded his will. His authority faltered, its mechanisms beginning to fail.
"What in the world is this...?"
"[Hah! Come,e! Face me!]"
Keboruak pped his wings furiously. He was summoning the forces of the heavens to disperse the grayness in one decisive strike.
But the energy refused to gather. It was as if a barrier had cut him off, leaving him disconnected from the world.
Their senses, cast adrift by the cradle of chaos, consumed them.
Step.
And then, Taesan—the master of the grayness—approached them.
Paragup''s pupils quivered. Emotions, always suppressed and tranquil, surged within him like turbulent waves.
"Ugh... UAAAAH!"
Unable to withstand the terror, he lunged forward. Keboruak, trembling from head to toe, spread his wings and charged at Taesan.
Taesan greeted them with a swing of his de.
KABOOM!
The battle erupted. Stripped of their domains, Paragup and Keboruak spiraled into panic, unable to mount an adequate defense.
"There’s nothing left to salvage."
Taesan resolved to end it.
"[You have activated the Frozen World (Chaos).]"
CRACK!
A gray frost engulfed the immortals. Despite their panic, their instincts desperately tried to counter Taesan’s assault.
But it was futile. The grayness shattered their defenses, neutralized their power, and delivered devastating blows to their very essence.
"Guh!"
"Argh, ugh..."
Even their screams faltered, leaving unerasable wounds upon their bodies and souls.
At that moment, the domain of chaos dissipated.
The gray world that had swallowed everything vanished without a trace.
"...This is absurd."
Checking the cost of his actions, Taesan let out a hollowugh.
The Chaos Domain had onlysted for a minute or two, and its range was limited to the void within the rift—a scope insignificant when measured against the world atrge.
Yet, even this brief activation had drained the entirety of his divine essence and ck energy.
"This isn’t a power to be used recklessly."
But the results were undeniable. The gray domain had engulfed the world, erasing the immortals'' domains in an instant. Unable to continue their resistance, they had fallen.
The battle was over.
Taesan’s victory was absolute.
Approaching the immortals now frozen in ice, Taesan stood before them. They stared back at him with dazed expressions.
"You... You shouldn’t exist in this world..."
Paragup managed to rasp out.
He had encountered transcendents several times before. He had some understanding of their power and their nature.
But what Taesan had disyed was unlike anything he had ever seen.
It wasn’t the power of a transcendent. It was something alien, something that didn’t belong to this world.
"You are... a force that corrupts the universe. You shouldn’t exist..."
He muttered in a trance-like state.
Without responding, Taesan raised his de to Paragup’s chest. Summoning what little remained of his divine essence and ck energy, he prepared to act.
Flicker.
The grayness extended toward Paragup’s chest.
But Taesan did not strike.
Paragup, braced for death, stared up at him in confusion.
Slowly, the grayness began to spread across Paragup’s body, creeping over him like a tide.
And then, Paragup shuddered.
Something twisted, alien, reached into the deepest part of him.
An unfamiliar force touched his very essence.
"S-Stop."
Though he had steeled himself for death, an unbearable fear overtook him.
"Please... stop. I beg you..."
He trembled violently, pleading with quivering words.
After a moment’s pause, Taesan withdrew the grayness.
The Boundary Line distorts and shatters the world’sws. It had proven capable of purging even the corruption of the Old God that had merged with a transcendent.
If the Boundary Line could erase the corruption of a transcendent...
Could it not also obliterate the authority of an immortal itself?
Could it strip away their power, forcibly reducing their very nature?
It wasn’t an impossible notion. The Chaos Domain had already temporarily erased the domains they had forged.
And so, Taesan had conducted an experiment against the immobilized Paragup.
However, it was impossible.
It was as if something refused to allow such an act. Taesan couldn’t pierce into the deepest part of Paragup’s essence.
“So, this won’t work.”
Yet at the same time, Taesan realized something—it wasn’t truly impossible.
Though it was far off, the possibility existed.
Havingpleted his test, Taesan thrust his sword.
Paragup’s expression rxed into one of relief, even as hey dying.
[Your Soul Rank has increased. Permanently...]
[You have obtained the soul skill, He Who Treads Upon the Earth.]
At the same time, both Bardray and Akasha underwent changes. They let out faint groans as an immense power surged within them.
Taesan swiftly dealt with the unconscious Keboruak.
[Your Soul Rank has increased. Permanently...]
[You have obtained the soul skill, Master of the Skies.]
“It’s over.”
The two immortals, who had tormented the world for centuries while striving for divinity, met their end.
Taesan had emerged victorious against thebined assault of two immortals.
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And he had done so without significant injury. Despite experimenting with various techniques during the battle, his triumph was overwhelming.
This, even in his unstable state as a newly ascended transcendent.
"Truly overwhelming."
Reaching the level of a transcendent ced one on a ne far above that of immortals.
But even Taesan, with his irregr powers from the Boundary Line, couldn’t match the most supreme transcendents. A vast gap still remained, one that sheer strength alone couldn’t bridge.
What he needed was a major transformation.
Fortunately, Taesan possessed the means to bring about such change.
Though he was still refining his ns, the foundations were steadily falling into ce.
With these thoughts in mind, Taesan turned his attention to his newly acquired skills.
Soul Skills
[He Who Treads Upon the Earth]
Mastery: 1%
Description: One who treads and stands firmly upon the earth. While touching the ground, synchronize with it to im a portion of the world as your own. The longer you remain in one ce, the greater your influence.
[Master of the Skies]
Mastery: 1%
Description: The ruler of the skies. When your body leaves the ground and upies the heavens, you gain the ability to manipte the sky at will. Freely soar through the air, and the longer you remain aloft, the greater your influence.
The two immortals had represented earth and sky, and their abilities reflected this duality. Beyond that, they weren’t fundamentally different.
Testing his new power, Taesan nted his feet firmly on the ground and concentrated. Immediately, the earth began resonating with him.
Rumble.
The ground rose, encasing Taesan’s body in armor.
“So, this is how it feels.”
Simply by standing on the earth, his authority activated. The conditions were easy to meet, and the ability consumed no resources.
Paragup had used this authority to create an endlessly regenerating suit of armor.
Though Taesan couldn’t yet wield it to that extent, it provided formidable defensive support.
As for Keboruak’s authority, it was remarkably efficient. Taesan kicked off the ground, his body soaring into the air.
Focusing his mind, he found himself moving freely through the sky, like a bird.
Previously, he had relied on fairy wings for flight. Now, he could maneuver through the air effortlessly without activating a skill.
Moreover, he could manipte the winds and elerate his body using the energy of the heavens.
Both skills required no energy expenditure. Since they activated in opposite domains—earth and sky—they were easy to integrate. They were highly practical powers.
In addition, Bardray’s attack power had significantly increased, likely due to their sh with the immortal-level opponents.
Bardray: Prince of a Ruined World
The prince of the fallen empire of Cavert. Bardray, reborn as a de incarnate.
Attack Power: +3,012
His attack power had surged by 150 in one go.
Even Akasha underwent a noticeable change.
[No... This... No...]
“What is it? Did somethinge to mind?”
Akasha muttered iprehensibly. After a moment of silence, her tone turned confused.
[Enemy. Ally. Chaos... Everything is jumbled together. Memories... My memories...]
Akasha groaned in pain, unable to finish her sentence.
[Just... give me a moment. I need time to sort this out.]
“Take your time.”
Taesan left Akasha to her thoughts.
The quest wasplete. Using the Master of the Skies authority, Taesan emerged from the battlefield.
“Oh! Ohhh!”
The people waiting outside cried out in relief and joy at the sight of him.
“The ones who forced their faith upon you are no more.”
Taesan addressed them. The people bowed their heads, offering him their gratitude and reverence.
“I will leave now. This world is yours to govern. Unite with one another,pete when necessary, and strive to make this world peaceful.”
“Yes!”
“We will follow your words, Lord Taesan!”
How long would this reverencest?
These people would spread the tale of what they had witnessed and experienced.
They would speak of a god named Taesan who appeared, punished those who sought to force faith upon them, and then vanished.
Religions and sects would form to worship him. His name would be passed down, etched into their hearts as a divine entity.
Generations woulde and go, and they would tell the story as if it were an ancient legend.
They would recount the days when this world was in chaos, gued by two ferocious beings who demanded worship.
And of the one who appeared, vanquished them, and freed the people.
This tale would continue to spread. Over time, the name of Taesan would be an indelible part of this world’s history.
That was enough.
Taesan’s physical form disappeared. He was no longer in this world.
But the people remained kneeling, heads bowed. Even hours after his departure, they held their positions, unmoving.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[You have obtained the Staff of Crawling Something.]
[You have obtained ???.]
The rewards for clearing the floor were generous.
The Staff of Crawling Something was a piece of equipment tied to ck magic. The secret reward appeared to be of a simr nature.
“This should be enough to acquire at least one intermediate ck magic skill.”
There was no reason to dy.
Taesan descended the stairs without hesitation.
[Quest for Floor 89 has begun.]
[Destroy the outpost of the Old God in the universe.]
[Reward: The Ring of Eternally Echoing Reverberations.]
[Secret Reward: ???.]