Ascension Through Skills
Chapter 390: The Sixth Return, Earth (7)

A god descended to Earth.

Players from the Three East Asian nations, who had already experienced such events, were not overly shocked. They knelt and showed their reverence to the god.

However, this was not the case for players from Russia and India.

“Oh, oh…”

“Oh God…”

They stared at Maria in astonishment. The giant woman exuded an aura as if she belonged to a different dimension.

Overcome with awe and fear, they trembled and bowed their heads.

Maria spoke languidly to them.

[Do not worry. I have not come to harm you. I have descended to protect you.]

Maria’s power enveloped the people. The gaze that could bring death was blocked by Maria’s power and disappeared.

“Thank you.”

Taesan expressed his gratitude softly. Although the deadly gaze had no effect on Taesan, it was a serious problem for the other players. Thanks to Maria, the issue was resolved.

[Even they seem determined. To send that thing down already.]

“Do you know what that is?”

[I know it very well.]

Maria glanced at the formless entity and began to speak.

[The high gods cannot interfere directly with the world. So they create apostles to act on their behalf and send them to destroy the world. That thing is one such apostle.]

“Apostle…”

Lee Taeyeon, who was listening nearby, murmured. Maria’s voice was audible only to Taesan and Lee Taeyeon.

Maria continued.

[In particular, this one has survived for quite a long time among the apostles. Its power isn’t extraordinary compared to other apostles, but its abilities are extremely troublesome. It’s been a thorn in our side.]

Maria cast a displeased glance at the apostle but soon let out a soft laugh.

[Even that thorn will meet its end today. Like the others, I have no intention of intervening in the battle.]

Maria stepped back quietly and spoke to Taesan in a voice filled with anticipation.

[Now, show me your power.]

“I intend to.”

Taesan took a step forward. The onlookers held their breath as they watched him.

Clunk.

The apostle silently stared at Taesan as he approached. The system notification for instant death protection popped up noisily but was immediately dismissed.

“I knew this day would come, but I didn’t expect it so soon.”

This was the monster that had killed Lee Taeyeon and even driven him to his own death.

It was the creature that had played a decisive role in the destruction of the world.

Taesan bared his teeth. The ghost beside him was slightly startled. Despite having been with Taesan for a long time, it was the first time it had seen such intense emotions from him.

“I don’t know if you remember me, but… it doesn’t matter. This is my revenge.”

Taesan had turned back time.

In some ways, his anger and emotions might have been misplaced. After all, these events hadn’t happened in this world.

But it didn’t matter. This was his revenge.

Taesan began to draw upon his power.

His opponent was the monster that had once defeated him. There would be no carelessness. From the start, he would fight with everything he had.

[The opponent is a formidable enemy.] [You are fighting once more for your life against the being that defeated you. You have acquired the special, continuously active skill [Avenger].] [Your [Avenger] skill has activated.] [Your [Adversary of Destruction] skill has activated.] [Your [Half-Divinity] skill has activated.] [Your [Immortal Adversary] skill has activated.]

A cascade of skill activation windows appeared. Instantly, his physical and spiritual state ascended to an incomparable level.

[Your [Manifestation of Nature] skill has activated.] [Your [King’s Vessel] skill has activated.] [Your [Apostle Transformation: Chaos-Infused Darkness] skill has activated.]

The heightened state of his body and spirit amplified further.

He now stood on the precipice of immortality.

“Well then… let’s do this.”

Taesan stomped forward. The monster responded by shaking its massive form.

As their powers clashed, the earth and sky began to collapse.

“Ohhh…”

“Lord Taesan…”

The people watched in awe and began to pray.

Everything was falling apart.

The heavens were pierced, and mountains disappeared. The earth crumbled, forming massive craters.

It was a power that seemed capable of truly destroying the world itself.

Players from the Eastern Nations prayed fervently for Taesan. Meanwhile, the players from Russia and India were paralyzed with shock.

Lee Taeyeon, looking sheepish, glanced at Maria.

Maria was silently gazing down at her. The sight of the god’s attention made Lee Taeyeon incredibly uneasy.

[The flow of time is truly mysterious, isn’t it?]

“Pardon, pardon me?”

[No, let’s observe for now. The rest comes after.]

“Ah, understood…”

Lee Taeyeon turned her gaze back to the battle before her. Maria did the same.

The crucial matter at hand was Taesan and the Apostle of the Ancient God.

[Hmm.]

Amidst the thunderous noise, everything was being destroyed.

His power itself wasn’t particularly extraordinary. While it was power that could touch immortality, compared to Maria’s own, it was significantly inferior.

But the type and direction of that power posed the real issue.

Taesan was truly unique.

He possessed a realm of his own that even gods, who had lived for near-eternal spans, could not comprehend.

[How can such an existence even be possible?]

Her voice, filled with doubt, was buried in the cacophony of the battle.

KABOOM!

Taesan swung his sword, sending the Apostle’s form reeling from the intense impact.

Taesan was overwhelming the Apostle.

Unable to counter, the Apostle’s form began to change.

The Apostle had the ability to assume the form of those it had defeated. Now, the real fight was starting.

Ripple.

The Apostle transformed into a reaper wielding a scythe.

The scythe swung, and the space where Taesan stood seemed to sever.

Severing of Space.

In his past life, Taesan had failed to counter this and had to exhaust all his nullification skills.

But not this time. Taesan drew upon his mana.

[You have activated Distortion.]

KAAANG!

The severing of space and the distortion collided and collapsed. Blocking the severance, Taesan stepped back and swung his hand.

[You have activated Storm Arrow of the Unthinkable.]

A black storm arrow flew toward the Apostle.

A single arrow that pierced through anything in its way. The Apostle’s form changed into that of a hulking warrior wielding a massive shield. The shield met the arrow.

KAAANG!

The collision sent the Apostle’s body staggering backward. It pressed against the shield, only for the shield to shatter as the arrow exploded.

And in that brief moment, Taesan had already moved behind the Apostle.

The Apostle transformed again, now taking the form of a barbarian wielding dual axes.

The sword and axes clashed.

[You have activated Acceleration.] [You have activated Strong Blow.]

KAKAK!

The sound of metal clashing filled the air with sparks. Taesan met the Apostle’s attacks head-on, refusing to be pushed back.

In his past life, he had been outmatched in strength and speed, forced to evade at the cost of his life. But now, he could fight evenly.

Taesan’s sword gleamed golden. Filled with divine energy, the sword struck the axes, causing cracks to form.

KAAANG!

The Apostle was flung backward. Taesan charged forward without hesitation.

[You have activated Acceleration.]

The Apostle’s form shifted again, this time into a mage holding a staff and clad in a robe.

Taesan immediately responded.

[You have activated Spell Stacking.] [You have activated Frozen World.] [You have activated Starlight Arrow.] [You have activated Undying Flame’s Bird.]

Ice, light, and fire condensed into one. Taesan unleashed the combined power.

[You have activated Spell Release.] [You have activated Spell Focus.]

The gathered magic exploded toward the Apostle.

The Apostle’s staff moved, releasing a torrent of dense mana. The clash of forces began to collapse the surrounding space.

[You have activated Restricted Blink.]

Taesan teleported above the Apostle’s head and descended swiftly.

[You have activated Landing.]

The Apostle tried to transform to counter Taesan’s attack, but Taesan’s sword was already within reach. In desperation, the Apostle raised its staff, only for it to be sliced cleanly apart by Taesan’s blade.

[!#$!# deals @ damage.]

Groan.

A ripple of agony echoed.

The Apostle’s body suddenly swelled, energy condensing as if on the verge of exploding.

The power eventually burst outward, sweeping everything around.

But Taesan was already gone.

[You have activated Designated Mark Acceleration.]

Taesan had moved outside the range of the explosion. His movements were precise, as if he knew exactly where the blast radius would end—and he did.

“Sorry, but this makes it the third.”

Once in his past life.

And once during the trials of the God of Despair.

Taesan had fought against the Apostle several times before. His memories and experiences from those battles remained intact.

He already knew all the powers and abilities the Apostle would use.

Rippling.

The Apostle transformed again. It became something grotesque, a form that distorted the mind just by looking at it. All kinds of mental assaults were launched against Taesan.

“That won’t work.”

Taesan easily shook them off and charged at the Apostle once more.

[You have activated Gaf's Solid Boulder.]

The heavens opened, and a massive boulder fell like a meteor toward the Apostle.

The Apostle transformed into the form of a woman wielding a bow as large as her body. She drew the bowstring tightly and fired an arrow at the falling boulder.

Crack!

The boulder shattered into pieces upon impact with the arrow.

Through the falling debris, Taesan dashed forward.

The Apostle drew the bowstring again and fired directly at Taesan.

Taesan planted his feet firmly and sprinted toward the incoming arrow.

[You have activated Forced Exclusion.]

Wheeeing!

A wave of mana pushed the arrow away. The arrow resisted and struggled, but it couldn’t hold for long and was deflected.

Taesan, now within striking distance, swung his sword. Although his attacks lacked essence strikes at the moment, it didn’t matter. He was still capable of inflicting damage on the Apostle.

Crunch.

[!#$!# deals %@#! damage.]

The Apostle’s body wavered.

Taesan bared his teeth in determination.

It was clear.

At this moment, he was strong enough to defeat the Apostle—the being that had defeated him in his past life.

He had grown this powerful.

Taesan gripped his sword tightly and aimed for an opening in the Apostle’s defense.

That’s when it happened.

The Apostle transformed once more. Transformations had been ongoing, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

But Taesan hesitated for a moment.

This transformation was unusual.

Bluish skin, a serene yet unsettling smile devoid of humanity, and four arms.

Its appearance couldn’t be described as human. This transformation wasn’t present in Taesan’s memories.

And it wasn’t just the appearance.

The transformed Apostle exuded a completely different level of power.

“Ah, ah…”

The faces of the Indian players turned pale. They collapsed to their knees in despair.

“Tsk.”

Taesan clicked his tongue.

“Of course. It wouldn’t make sense for that to be the end.”

Maria had mentioned that this Apostle had destroyed countless worlds and survived as a thorn in the gods’ side for a long time.

Yet, Taesan hadn’t yet achieved true immortality. While he had means to temporarily reach such a state, he hadn’t used them.

A being that struggled against a mortal like him, even in his strengthened state, couldn’t possibly have survived while destroying multiple worlds and earning the gods’ ire.

“In my past life, I must’ve been killable with mortal power alone, so it didn’t bother using it.”

Even if the Taesan of his past life had been strong, he hadn’t reached the level of immortality.

There had been no reason to use the power of an immortal.

The trials of the God of Despair were based on his memories, so he hadn’t seen this form of the Apostle.

The Apostle could transform into the forms of those it had killed.

And the Apostle was a being that destroyed worlds.

Among the protectors of the worlds, there had been immortals.

The Apostle had now taken the form of an immortal it had killed in the process of destroying a world.

[Your opponent is an enemy against whom victory is impossible.]