Ascension Through Skills

"An Immortal, huh?"

A being clearly stronger than Taesan at present.

Taesan first observed his opponent. Attacking without any information was almost like a gamble.

However, there was no time for such thoughts as the apostle’s four arms moved.

At that moment, Taesan realized it: around him, a massive force was gathering.

**Boom!**

Everything around him collapsed. The ground was obliterated, and the air was erased. An absolute destruction that even caused space itself to collapse, enveloping Taesan.

Unable to dodge, Taesan allowed the apostle's attack to strike him.

[Your First Attack Nullification skill has activated.]

Taesan staggered backward, clicking his tongue as he glared at the apostle.

"What the hell?"

He had been on high alert for the apostle’s movements.

No matter how the attack came, Taesan was ready to counter.

But he hadn’t been able to dodge. To be precise, he hadn’t even thought of dodging.

The apostle’s four arms moved again. Taesan retrieved a shield from his inventory.

[You have used Aegis’ Shield. You are immune to all damage for 1 second, but you cannot move.]

At the same time, immense pressure weighed down on Taesan.

Aegis' Shield granted complete immunity to damage. No damage could reach him.

But Taesan still felt the crushing force of destruction pushing him down.

**Crrr!**

The material around him split at the atomic level. The force was strong enough to potentially take down Taesan in a single strike. When the shield’s effect expired, Taesan used Restricted Blink to leap through space.

"This is ridiculous."

It was like fighting a monster. The apostle had been casually handling these devastating blows as if they were nothing but ordinary attacks.

[You have activated Focused Detection.]

[You have activated Essence Perception.]

[You have activated Reconnaissance.]

[Destroyer.]

Only one piece of information appeared.

The people of India watching the battle screamed in terror.

"Ooohhh!"

"Shiva, please! Have mercy on us!"

They bowed their heads, terrified of the apostle. Their emotions flooded toward the apostle.

"Shiva?"

Taesan turned his gaze toward the apostle. Blue skin, four arms, and an alien smile.

It was definitely similar to the image of Shiva he had seen online before.

Whether it was a coincidence or related, it wasn’t important right now.

The apostle’s arms moved again. Taesan released his divine power. Golden energy enveloped his entire body, and he launched himself into the air.

[You have activated Perfect Fairy Wings.]

First, Taesan attempted to dodge. Given how the apostle’s arms were moving, figuring out the attack conditions was not difficult. Taesan moved quickly through the air.

**Swoosh!**

However, the apostle’s power precisely targeted Taesan, even as he attempted to evade.

Cracks immediately spread across the golden aura that surrounded him.

In Earth, where divine power was directly supported, Taesan’s divine energy could regenerate endlessly. But there was a limit to the total amount he could handle at once. If his opponent’s power exceeded that amount, his divine power could not block it.

[You have activated Magic Overlap.]

[You have activated the White Rune Shield.]

Taesan layered defensive magic and released it, but even then, he couldn’t withstand the apostle’s power. The destructive force broke through his defenses and hit Taesan.

[Your Second Attack Nullification has activated.]

The second nullification skill was expended.

But Taesan had gathered some valuable information.

‘I can’t dodge.’

Though the principle was unclear, the apostle’s power was perfectly aimed at Taesan.

It wasn’t about directly hitting Taesan. It was more like the force simply moving in that direction. At least for now, there was no way for Taesan to avoid it.

And it was futile to try to block the force of destruction. The opponent was an Immortal. A clearly superior being, and blocking such a force was impossible.

So, what was the way to respond? Taesan quickly came to a conclusion.

He would confront it head-on and break through with sheer strength.

The apostle’s four arms moved again. Taesan gathered his strength.

[You have activated the Call of Destruction.]

The power of destruction surged forward. It clashed with the collapsing force trying to crush Taesan.

**Screech!**

But even the power of destruction couldn’t reach Taesan. The dense and deep energy broke apart and dissipated.

Taesan gathered even more strength.

[You have activated the Ember of Cataclysm.]

[You have activated the Light of the World.]

Flames and light erupted. Taesan followed with magic and dark magic, activating them in rapid succession. The collision of their immense power began to distort the space around them.

**Swoosh!**

The destructive power couldn’t touch Taesan, shattering into pieces.

The apostle hadn’t used any of its energy to respond. On the other hand, Taesan had exhausted a lot of mana and magical energy, including cooldowns for his Call of Destruction, Ember of Cataclysm, and Light of the World. If the battle continued this way, he would inevitably lose due to sustainability.

"I didn’t want to use this already, but..."

[You have activated Partial World Alteration.]

The laws of the world began to change. A world where the apostle was at a disadvantage and Taesan at an advantage began to take shape.

The apostle clasped its four hands together.

**Creeeak!**

The laws of the world twisted.

The world that had been overlaid with partial alterations distorted as the laws collided.

The apostle once again used the power of destruction. Taesan drew his mana and magical energy together.

**Boom!**

The power clashed, and the world trembled.

---

### *Aftermath of the Battle*

"Ahhh!"

"Lord Taesan!"

Players from the Three Kingdoms offered fervent prayers.

Russian players, hesitant at first, began to join in their prayers.

But India was different.

They weren’t praying to Taesan.

"Shiva, please! Please! Have mercy on us!" @@novelbin@@

"Please don’t abandon us!"

They were still clinging to their belief in Hinduism.

And now, the apostle’s form closely resembled the image of Shiva from their mythology.

As a result, they began to believe that the apostle was Shiva’s incarnation, the god of destruction, who had come to eliminate them.

In turn, they started to offer their fearful prayers to the apostle.

Their faith made the apostle stronger. Taesan, who had created a parallel world through Partial World Alteration, began to gradually falter.

Maria quietly observed them.

At that moment, a presence approached her.

[...My Lord.]

[You are the one bound to the labyrinth. What brings you here?]

The ghost steeled himself.

[Please, help Taesan. Great God.]

[Hmm.]

A languid voice echoed. The ghost tensed.

Asking a god for help without permission was dangerous. If the god had a bad temper, it wouldn’t be surprising if the ghost was destroyed on the spot.

But the ghost didn’t back down.

After a moment of silence, Maria muttered.

[Tell me. Why do you want me to help him?]

[...Because he will lose.]

Taesan had won many battles he thought he couldn’t win.

But this time was different.

[The opponent is an Immortal.]

An Immortal.

A being that fully transcended mortality.

Even Taesan, though capable of reaching immortality now, could only do so with limitations. While he could hold his own and counter the opponent, the longer the battle went on, the more certain his defeat would be.

[He has defeated immortals before, but that was only because his opponent was in a broken, senseless state. This time is different.]

The apostle was now fully an Immortal.

Though the powers it wielded were weaker than an actual Immortal, it was still an Immortal. Even with diminished power, immortals were not something mortals could contend with.

Taesan would ultimately lose to the apostle. It was an inevitable outcome.

[If it were you, you could help Taesan win. The fact that the apostle came down means that the gods have allowed that much influence.]

[I won’t deny it. That’s true. But why should I do it?]

Maria chuckled softly.

The ghost swallowed nervously.

Gods expected an equal price in return for granting a mortal’s wish.

The ghost gathered his resolve.

[I will offer myself.]

[That’s not a very attractive proposal. You have little value to me...]

[It’s the literal meaning. I offer everything I am.]

Maria fell silent.

In the quiet, her voice rang out.

[You know what that means, don’t you? Offering yourself means you will cease to exist. Your wish will never be granted.]

[Yes, I understand.]

The ghost replied calmly, as if he had already come to terms with it.

Maria looked at him for a moment and then muttered.

[That’s your choice, huh?]

[Huh?]

[That’s for later. Want me to help him?]

[...Yes.]

[Sorry, but I refuse.]

[What?]

The ghost was taken aback.

[You don’t want him to die, do you? Are you really...]

[You’re mistaken. I don’t need to help him.]

[But...]

[For now, just watch. You’ll understand soon enough.]

Maria

said leisurely. The certainty in her voice made the ghost fall silent.

---

### *Aftermath of the Prayer*

"Ooohhh..."

"Aah..."

The people of India continued their prayers to the apostle.

They were pleading for salvation from the very being that sought to destroy them.

Only Hassan remained calm, observing the situation.

‘What must I do to change this?’

He couldn’t participate in the battle before him. It was a fight beyond his comprehension and understanding.

But he couldn’t just stand by. He had to find a way to turn the tide.

After much thought, Hassan came up with a plan.

The golden light that surrounded Taesan.

Hassan didn’t fully understand what it was. To him, it was a power on a much higher level.

But he could tell that it was somehow tied to faith, a power related to worship.

Worship and faith.

Hassan looked at the players from the Three Kingdoms. They were praying to Taesan.

"...."

He couldn’t be sure. Gaining power through worship? It felt almost godlike.

But the possibility was there.

Hassan was sure that this was something only he could do, so he quickly composed his thoughts and spoke.

[Hassan has activated the Roar skill.]

"Wake up!"

The loud voice echoed, and the people who had been praying to the apostle suddenly snapped out of it.

Hassan shouted with a twisted face.

"That’s not our god!"

"But..."

"I know! The god of destruction, Shiva! It looks just like him, doesn’t it? But we all saw it!"

Hassan pointed at the apostle.

"It’s changed its form! It’s disguised itself as our god to deceive us!"

Whether it was true or not, Hassan didn’t know.

But he was declaring what he believed to be the truth. And that was enough. The fear that had covered the faces of the people slowly began to fade.

"It’s trying to kill us! So the one we need to believe in is right here!"

**Boom!**

A huge sound echoed.

The people’s eyes shifted to Taesan.

"He’s fighting for us! He’s protecting us against the one you thought was Shiva!"

"O-oh..."

The space twisted and everything began to crumble. The shockwaves from the battle were tearing everything apart.

Amidst it all, Taesan stood alone, facing the apostle.

The power Taesan displayed was unlike anything human.

It was like that of a god.

Hassan spoke softly.

"An unreal god won’t protect us. It’s the living beings of this world that protect us. Now you know who we need to believe in."

No one looked at the apostle anymore. All eyes were on Taesan.

***

Taesan, who had continued to battle the apostle, realized something.

At some point, the faith directed toward him had been growing stronger.

As he blocked the apostle's attack and turned his gaze, he noticed a few Indians praying to him.

‘This...’

The faith was steadily amplifying, and the threshold to a new realm was growing closer.

The faith of India was still weak. There weren’t many people offering prayers.

Taesan needed to make that faith stronger and encourage more people to believe in him. The method was simple.

Boom!

The power of destruction clashed. Cracks spread across the space.

The duration of the Partial World Alteration was almost up. Through the battle, Taesan had fully grasped the apostle's strength.

Now, it was time to make his decisive move.

Taesan gathered his strength. As the apostle’s hands moved, the force of destruction surged toward him.

Taesan didn’t respond.

[Your Third Attack Nullification has activated.]

Time rewound.

And Taesan moved.

[You have activated the Beyond the Boundaries skill.]

[You have activated the Eternal Flame Phoenix skill.]

[You have activated Forced Amplification.]

The Phoenix of Flames manifested in the world. Flames enveloped his body. The apostle moved its four arms to manipulate the force of destruction.

In the clash of powers, Taesan activated another skill.

[You have activated Eternal Immortal Faith.]

[You have activated Mental Burden Transference.]

The gap between mortality and immortality was temporarily breached.

Taesan gripped his sword and charged. The duration of the Eternal Immortal Faith was very short. He had to finish this before it expired.

He spread his divine power. In the collapsing world, golden light engulfed everything. The people cried out.

The apostle gathered its four arms, as if in prayer.

At that moment, an overwhelming pressure unlike anything before crashed down on Taesan.

This force twisted reality itself, a power that could not be resisted by beings bound by the laws of existence.

But Taesan charged even harder.

The golden light around him clashed with the apostle’s overwhelming force, turning into a grayish hue.

Taesan swung the gray energy forward. The pressure shattered, creating a path toward the apostle.

Taesan launched himself at the apostle, pouring everything into his strike. The apostle swung its four arms wildly.

Boom...

A blinding light that seemed to bring about the world’s end engulfed the people. Maria’s barrier trembled for a moment.

When everything settled, the people’s vision returned, and Taesan stood unharmed.

But his appearance was the only thing that remained intact.

[Your Final Chance skill has activated.]

[You have taken @#!!! damage.]

[Your Endurance skill has activated.]

Even though the Final Chance had blocked the attack, the aftermath still triggered the Endurance skill. The immense power was being forced to be contained by his Eternal Immortal Faith, causing this effect.

The duration of Partial World Alteration had ended.

The Eternal Immortal Faith had also expired.

Taesan looked at the apostle.

"I couldn’t kill it."

The apostle did not fall. In the end, it had withstood using Goshin’s power.

Two of its arms had been severed, and its lower half was almost destroyed, but it was still alive.

There was no longer any hope of victory for Taesan.

But this was enough.

"Oooh..."

Everything settled, and the people saw Taesan standing strong and the apostle severely damaged.

It was an incredibly dramatic scene. The deity they had believed to be the god of destruction was broken by Taesan. In that instant, the faith of the people exploded.

It was the faith of countless lives.

The faith sent by every living being on the continent, part of a vast world.

The faith, so thick it could be seen with the naked eye, reached Taesan.

At the same time, Taesan’s status rose beyond mortality.

He reached a realm that until now had only been accessible in limited, incomplete ways. The sensation that covered his entire body was qualitatively different from before.

It was a realm that surpassed mortality.

[Your mastery of Divine Power has increased by 3%.]

[You have gained [Immortality].]