Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 505: 93rd Floor, Demons (4)

[Urgh!]

Amon groaned in agony. The ash-gray blade piercing his chest carried enough power to end the life of any ordinary being.

But he was a demon.

Immutable and eternal, he could not die. Countless transcendents had attempted to kill him, and all had failed.

Amon believed this time would be no different, even against Taesan.@@@@

[...Huh?]

But then he realized something.

The ash-gray energy was slowly devouring him.

Starting from his chest, it spread through his body, greedily consuming his flesh and power.

[A-Aaaah!]

A sudden wave of terror engulfed Amon, deeper and darker than anything he had ever known.

It was the fear of death.

[Spare me!]

For the first time in his existence, Amon begged for his life.

He thrashed and struggled to escape, but the ash-gray power swallowed him whole within moments.

[S-Spare...!]

Even his voice was consumed.

The being known as Amon ceased to exist.

His body, his power—everything was erased and absorbed into Taesan.

“Hmm.”

Taesan calmly consolidated the new power that had taken root within him. It was Amon’s domain.

[Your Rank Ascension has activated. You have claimed [Amon]. Lemegeton’s Throne has been strengthened.]

[You have killed a demon. You have acquired the passive skill [Demon Slayer].]

“So even against demons, the Rank Ascension triggers, despite the disparity in strength.”

Whether it was due to the unique nature of demons or some other reason, Taesan had been able to claim Amon’s power despite the usual restrictions of the Rank Ascension system.

Regardless, it was a favorable outcome. It meant there was more to gain from fighting demons.

Taesan adjusted his blade.

The remaining demons stood frozen in place, staring blankly.

[T-This... What is this?]

[What just happened?]

They understood what had occurred.

Amon’s domain had been stolen.

No—Amon himself had been erased.

Their companion, who had existed since the dawn of creation and whom they believed to be eternal, had vanished without a trace, discarded like garbage.

[W-Who are you? What are you?!]

Shouts of confusion and fear echoed, but none dared approach Taesan. Instead, they retreated, paralyzed by an unfamiliar and overwhelming terror.

“If you won’t come to me, then I’ll come to you.”

Taesan pressed his foot to the ground.

[You have activated Chaos Summon.]

[You have activated Acceleration.]

[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]

In an instant, Taesan disappeared from their sight.

When he reappeared, he had already passed through them.

[H-Huh?]

[What...?]

Five demons collapsed, their bodies severed. Even as they fell, they couldn’t comprehend what had killed them.

[S-Save... me...]

Their domains were stolen by the Rank Ascension as they perished.

These demons, who had once mocked and slaughtered countless lives for sport, were helpless and powerless as they disappeared.

[What is happening?!]

The remaining demons finally snapped out of their shock, releasing their powers as they backed away.

[Kill him! All of you, attack at once!]

With a furious cry, the demons unleashed their combined might.

Boom!

The power of over thirty demons materialized in the air, an overwhelming force capable of shattering planets and leveling continents.

Even dark magic that Taesan had used before was among their arsenal.

But Taesan’s expression remained unchanged.

He hadn’t used dark magic in a long time.

The reason was simple.

‘It’s too weak.’

Demonic dark magic was inadequate.

Though the demons were undoubtedly powerful, their strength had limits. At best, they were on par with immortals. While their endless reserves made them superior to typical immortals, they could never surpass their inherent boundaries.

Taesan, on the other hand, was far beyond such limits—surpassing even the average gods of faith.

Given the inefficiency of mixing ash-gray energy with dark magic, he preferred advanced magic instead.

[Gaaaaah!]

One by one, the demons were eradicated.

Finally realizing that fighting was their only option, they still hesitated.

[Run!]

Some turned and fled instead.

Taesan let out a scoffing laugh.

“Even now, you’d rather run than fight. Truly pathetic.”

The demons scattered, their expressions frantic as they tried to put distance between themselves and Taesan.

But their flight was short-lived, halted by an immense wall.

[Fight for your lives, you defective creations. This will be your final struggle.]

Baal’s tone was calm, unbothered.

Taesan gripped his blade tightly and approached the panicked demons at a measured pace.

[Aaaaaah!]

Despair drove the demons to charge him in a final act of desperation.

Taesan swung his ash-gray blade.

Boom!

Another demon was impaled and obliterated, their domain twisted and added to Taesan’s own.

[You have activated Chaos Collapse.]

Boom!

The magic of chaos tore through the demons, crushing and disintegrating them.

There was no escape. No victory.

Overwhelming despair consumed them.

Some demons stood frozen, drooling and wide-eyed, their minds shattered by the sheer hopelessness of the situation.

[Baal!]

One demon roared in fury, charging toward Baal.

But an invisible barrier stopped him cold, barring his approach.

[You planned this from the start! You brought us here to die!]

Baal chuckled softly.

The demon tried to scream further accusations, but Taesan’s blade pierced his back before he could finish.

Crunch.

One by one, the demons disappeared.

Finally, only one demon remained.

He was an old man, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, standing quietly as if unaffected by the slaughter.

Even as Taesan eradicated his kin, the old man hadn’t moved a muscle.

The old man spoke calmly.

[Are you satisfied?]

[Quite, yes.]

Baal appeared beside him, his posture relaxed.

[Thank you, Bifrons. I wasn’t entirely sure you would comply, even when I asked.]

[You are my lord. Whatever you command, I will do.]

Bifrons smiled faintly.

[Besides, I never cared much for my brethren.]

Taesan now understood why the duel hadn’t ended.

For the duel to conclude, every demon had to declare defeat.

But Bifrons had sided with Baal from the start, deliberately refraining from declaring defeat so that the demons would perish by Taesan’s hand.

“So, this was your plan all along?”

From the moment Baal had summoned him, he had intended for the demons to be eradicated.

[It was a rare opportunity to clean up. I couldn’t let it slip away.]

[Then, Lord Baal.]

Bifrons bowed slightly toward Taesan’s blade.

[May you achieve all that you desire.]

[Thank you, Bifrons. Farewell.]

Taesan’s blade pierced Bifrons’ chest. The old man accepted his death without resistance.

His power flowed into Taesan.

In total, Taesan had claimed the domains of thirty-eight demons.

The accumulated domains merged with the one Taesan already possessed, transforming into something entirely new.

[[Dark Magic] has undergone significant changes.]

[The basic dark magic [Marcosias’s False Flames] has been removed.]

[The basic dark magic [Dekarabia’s Distorted Vegetation] has been removed.]

[The basic dark magic [Marbas’s Black Waves] has been removed.]

And so it continued.

System notifications flooded his vision, listing every change and deletion.

The transformation wasn’t limited to the spells.

Lemegeton’s Throne, the cornerstone of Taesan’s dark magic, began to evolve into something greater.

[[Lemegeton’s Throne] has evolved into [A Fragment of Malice].]