Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 422: 83rd Floor, Essence of the Falling God (4)

The Falling God revealed His will through the pillar.

That will was acceptance.

Before long, a massive Colosseum formed around the pillar.

Diana stood proudly at the center of the Colosseum.

The stands slowly began to fill.

“There are many.”

It wasn’t just a few dozen. It exceeded hundreds, even thousands. It seemed as if every living being in this place had gathered.

“The Falling God has been filling this model garden with mortals since the distant past. There are only about a thousand of them, so you could say it’s still small.”

“Is it something that all the people here are supposed to gather for?”

Reynaldo nodded.

“There are many who have given up. Even though their basic needs are met, the despair doesn’t change. But when the Colosseum opens, everyone gathers here without exception.”

“What exactly is the Colosseum?”

“The basic use of points is temporary enhancement of basic needs. The other use is the opening of the Colosseum for liberation.”

Reynaldo said in a low voice.

“The condition is the consumption of 100 points.”

100 points. You gain 1 point for each person you defeat. That meant Taesan would need to defeat at least a hundred people to open the Colosseum.

All those gathered here were stronger than the guides of sin. Collecting 100 points would be an incredibly difficult task.

“What do you gain by opening the Colosseum with such a tough condition?”

“It’s simple. This is the Colosseum for liberation.”

There was a glint of longing in Reynaldo’s eyes.

“The one who requests the Colosseum must battle the Apostle of the Falling God. And if they win, every soul trapped here is freed.”

“Freed souls?”

“You get to escape this damned place and return to the outside world.”

There was a heat in Reynaldo’s voice. His fist clenched tightly.

‘So that’s it.’

That was why there was hope in their eyes. That was why they hadn’t given in to despair.

Because there was a chance to return to the outside world. 100 points were a tough goal, but with the princess and the old man’s strength, it wasn’t impossible.

“Is this a battle with a chance of winning?”

“The princess has opened the Colosseum many times. It’s always been a near miss. She has fully analyzed the strength of the opponent from the previous battles. This time... it’s definitely possible.”

There was a deep sense of hope in Reynaldo’s voice.

Taesan turned his gaze to the others. They weren’t much different. In fact, some showed an even stronger sense of longing and hope.

But some of them were expressionless.

It was as if they weren’t expecting anything, watching the predetermined play unfold.

Taesan shifted his gaze to Diana, standing in the center of the Colosseum.

With three swords in hand, she awaited her opponent with an unshaken face.

Kugugung!

The pillar began to activate. The crowd buzzed with excitement. From the rotating pillar, space opened, and soon a single arm shot out.

“Well, you called for me already? Who’s it going to be?”

The owner of the arm revealed himself.

He had bronze skin with well-defined muscles on his exposed upper body. His hair was golden, and he had the appearance of a man who seemed somewhat flamboyant.

‘He’s strong.’

Taesan sensed the power of the Apostle.

It was significant.

Diana couldn’t easily guarantee her victory.

However, it wasn’t an impossible level.

She could still win.

“Is it you again?”

The Apostle looked at Diana with a stunned expression. Diana raised her three swords.

“I’ve analyzed all the movements and power you showed before.”

“Really?”

The Apostle grinned and raised his fist.

The once loud audience instantly became silent.

Diana, in a perfect stance, pulled her three swords and rushed forward. The Apostle bared his teeth, clutching his fist.

Kaaang!

The clash of three swords and a fist echoed. The Apostle swung his fist fiercely. Diana moved her swords.

[Hooh.]

A voice echoed in the air.

Diana’s movements were graceful.

She was effortlessly blocking all the Apostle’s attacks without losing her poise.

Kiiing!

Diana raised her arm. The trajectory of the fist missed. Diana seized the opening and the Apostle twisted his body to evade.

“Whoa!!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Diana was overpowering the Apostle.

The hope of returning to the outside world grew stronger.

Diana pressed the Apostle without faltering. She thrust her sword. The Apostle defended but didn’t stop her thrusts, and their speed increased.

The accelerating swords drew afterimages, splitting into dozens of trajectories.

“Is this the higher version of a consecutive attack?”

Since she had escaped the labyrinth, the skill activation window didn’t appear.

However, it was possible to make an educated guess based on the effects.

Each of the afterimages had substance.

“I’ve seen this before!”

The Apostle grinned and focused all his strength into his fist.

A deep, dark energy formed around his massive fist.

He threw the punch. The fist was concentrated, enormous energy. In contrast, the afterimages of the swords were scattered power. They would likely shatter upon colliding with his fist.

But Diana pulled her sword deeper and thrust it forward.

The dozens of split swords converged and merged into one.

Kiiing!

“Grrrk!”

The sword pierced through the massive fist, clashing with the Apostle’s punch.

The Apostle hastily pulled back, but a deep wound had formed on his fist.

“I told you! I’ve fully grasped your power!”

Diana’s eyes sparkled as she charged again.

[Strong.]

The ghost watching from afar whispered in awe.

[I don’t want to admit it, but your swordsmanship is definitely superior to mine. With that level of skill, you could definitely win.]

Kugung!

The Apostle swung his fist wildly.

He wasn’t easily pushed back. He pressured Diana’s movements, occasionally launching attacks that Diana didn’t expect.

But Diana remained calm, countering and retaliating.

The difference in strength wasn’t that large. The outcome of the battle depended on who had the better grasp of the opponent.

And Diana had perfectly analyzed the Apostle.

Everyone in this place was strong in their own right. They knew it. The hope and expectations grew stronger.

[At this rate, you might clear the quest before I even do anything. Even if you fail, with that level of skill, you should be able to win without issue. Is this the condition for clearing the quest?]

The ghost spoke. The Apostle was on par with Diana, and Taesan was definitely superior to Diana.

If Taesan gathered the points and opened the Colosseum, he could secure an assured victory.

But Taesan’s gaze darkened.

The Colosseum, opened with the consumption of 100 points. If the Apostle of the God of Falling is defeated, the souls are freed. Taesan could guess why the Falling God allowed this possibility.

The Falling God didn’t want the beings trapped in this place to fall into despair, to give up all hope.

He was a god who wanted to see mortals rise to the top and then fall to the bottom.

This Colosseum was a device designed to make them fall.

Kaaang!

The Apostle staggered back. Diana caught her breath. Sweat dripped down her body, but her expression was bright.

She had a real chance of winning.

Though she would have to keep fighting for a long time, if no mistakes were made, she could definitely win.

Even the Apostle admired her.

“You’re good. You’re the first to push me this far. You’re worthy of being chosen by the Essence.”

“Right? I’ll make you regret using me.”

“No.”

The Apostle grinned.

“That won’t happen.”

The Apostle charged.

And Taesan saw it.

The flow of power that no one else could see, a power only someone who had reached the immortal realm could perceive.

Something new had appeared inside the Apostle.

The fist swung.

Kooong!

“Grrk!”

Diana, who blocked the punch, couldn’t withstand the force and staggered. A blood-red energy swirled around the Apostle’s body.

“Did you still have hidden power?”

Reynaldo gasped. From their reactions, it seemed the blood-red energy surrounding the Apostle was a new power, something that hadn’t been seen in the previous Colosseum battles. Diana, who barely regained her stance, forced a smile.

“...I hadn’t seen that power before.”

“There was no need to use it. The time limit is short, and the penalty is great. But it’s more than enough to knock you down!”

The Apostle bared his teeth.

But Taesan knew.

That power wasn’t the Apostle’s original power.

It was new power that had emerged during the battle.

‘It was designed to be impossible to win from the start.’

The Apostle’s power was on par with Diana’s. If she analyzed it and didn’t make mistakes, she could win.

That’s how it looked.

But in reality, as the battle continued, the Apostle would gain new strength in some way.

It was probably part of the Falling God’s design. Even though these beings were strong, they were still mortals. They couldn’t perceive the tricks of transcendents.

The new power the Apostle obtained changed the entire structure of the battle.

Even if Diana managed to overcome this power, it was likely that another new power would emerge.

The Colosseum was, in the end, nothing more than a false hope.

“Too bad. You had false hope, but try again next time.”

The Apostle mocked Diana. His face was full of enjoyment. Diana’s pupils dilated.

Diana had endured desperately, but she had already spent most of her strength. The Apostle’s attacks began to hit Diana.

The once excited audience had now cooled down. The Apostle grinned and threw another punch. Diana’s abdomen was pierced.

Diana was defeated.

The people despaired. They had believed she could win, and now they were all in a somber mood.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

“Too bad.”

“But now we’ve grasped new power. We can defeat him in the next Colosseum.”

They weren’t wrong in their thoughts. After the Apostle defeated Diana, the blood-red energy dissipated. If Diana had held out just a little longer, she could have turned the tide.

If it hadn’t been for the Falling God’s intervention.

They scattered once more, holding onto hope.

“Too bad, but we learned something new, so it’s a good thing. I’ll be challenging it soon too. I need to think of a strategy in advance.”

Reynaldo wasn’t much different from the others.

Taesan asked him.

“Where is Diana?”

“She’s dead for now. She’ll revive after a day. She’ll probably be resting in the highest room in the village. She worked hard, so she deserves to rest today.”

“I see.”

“Yeah. So what will you do now? If you want, the princess and I...”

As Reynaldo looked at Taesan, he suddenly froze.

Taesan had disappeared without him noticing.

“...How?”

A voice full of confusion rang out.

The next day, Taesan arrived at the village and went to find Diana.

When he knocked on a very ornate door, a small voice called out.

“Come in.”

Creak.

As he opened the door and entered, he saw Diana sitting on a bed. She smiled brightly when she saw Taesan.

“Oh my. Taesan, welcome.”

Taesan entered without a word.

Diana wore a slightly apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I said I could return, but in the end, I was defeated embarrassingly.”

“It doesn’t matter. It was designed to be impossible from the start.”

“...Huh?”

Diana froze.

Taesan looked at her expressionlessly.

“If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have noticed. But didn’t you realize? The Colosseum is nothing more than a false hope.”

When the Apostle wielded the blood-red power...

Diana’s expression was different from the others.

It was as if she had known he would wield new power, a look of acceptance rather than shock, a quiet despair.

“Well, it’s obvious if you think about it. The Falling God would never truly liberate us. Most people either forget it or intentionally ignore it, but you seem to be different.”

Some of the figures in the audience, who showed no emotion...

They were the ones who didn’t react when Diana was defeated.

Their common trait? They were all strong enough to have reached the boundary.

They probably opened the Colosseum multiple times to try to leave. And they realized. This was a Colosseum they could never win.

“But unlike them, it seems you haven’t given up.”

Diana understood that she couldn’t win.

But she hadn’t given up on the hope of leaving.

In fact, she looked desperately determined. She wanted to leave the labyrinth no matter what.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“Is that because there’s something like that outside?”

“...Why do you ask that?”

A quiet voice echoed. Diana’s killing intent turned toward Taesan.

Taesan shrugged it off and said casually.

“It’s simple. You might be one of the reasons I came here.”

“Reason?”

“Beldenkia. Do you know it?”

Diana’s pupils widened with cold killing intent.

“How do you know that name...”

“As expected.”

Diana’s behavior and her tone. Her appearance.

Everything matched the characteristics that Beldenkia had mentioned. At first, Taesan was skeptical, but after observing the combat style, he was certain.

“Beldenkia is looking for you. He made a contract with a wizard and settled into the labyrinth for this reason. I came here to save you. The Princess of the Magician.”