Ascension Through Skills

Taesan’s aura spread. The attendants in the Demon King’s castle, who were going about their tasks, dropped their dishes in instinctive fear.

The power extended beyond the castle.

Step.

Taesan moved forward.

The knights instinctively retreated.

Their faces under their helmets were filled with terror.

The Demon King shouted with a pale face.

“You! You!”

His face was full of denial.

As the king of the Demon Realm, the Demon King had seen the apostles of the Demon God several times.

So he could understand what kind of aura Taesan was emitting now.

“Impossible! For a mere human to become an apostle of Her!”

“I’m not her apostle. This is a different kind of power.”

But it didn’t make much difference to the Demon King.

Taesan stomped his foot. The demonic energy and aura began to engulf the Demon King’s castle.

“Ah, ah.”

Sensing the foreboding aura, the knights raised their shields. They prepared for the impending impact.

Taesan clenched his fist.

“Explode.”

Boom!

“Aaaaah!”

The knights fell.

They couldn’t withstand the emotional interference carried by the aura. They clutched their heads and started rolling on the ground.

Seeing this, Taesan laughed.

“Not bad.”

Apostle Transformation was a power granted by a god. It was a skill that accepted their aura.

Black magic was the power of demons.

And demons were beings similar to the high gods, strong from birth.

God’s power. And the power of the high gods.

Taesan had experienced combining the two to create a new boundary.

So when heading to the Demon King’s castle, he experimented with mixing black magic and Apostle Transformation and achieved it without much difficulty.

The burden wasn’t as severe as he thought, so he wondered if there would be an opportunity to use it. A perfect chance came, so he mixed Raum’s emotional agitation into his aura and spread it throughout the Demon King’s castle.

The result was effective.

The knights were rubbing their heads on the ground without any resistance. It was a far superior effect than simply scattering aura.

Taesan looked at the Demon King.

“Aaaaaah!”

The Demon King screamed. At the same time, black energy descended upon him from above his head.

That was the power of the Demon God.

“As expected of the king of the Demon Realm. You received a small amount of power.”

“Huff, huff.”

The Demon King exhaled heavily. He barely held on with the fragment of power bestowed by the Demon God, but he couldn’t completely block it.

His head throbbed. Fear rose, trying to swallow his emotions, and a discomfort like bugs crawling all over his body enveloped him.

“This, this…”

Raum’s Emotional Disturbance. It was also a type of black magic possessed by the Demon King.

But it never had such an effect. At best, it would interfere with the mind of the weak and subdue them, or treat those with mental issues.

He had never heard of it collapsing the mind itself in this way.

“You are…”

The Demon King looked at Taesan with trembling eyes.

“You!”

He shouted. Darkness surged. The demonic energy materialized and rushed at Taesan.

Taesan lightly waved his hand at the demonic energy trying to bite like a beast.

The demonic energy scattered and disappeared.

“Ah…”

His power as the king of the Demon Realm was crushed by a light gesture like a child’s tantrum.

Taesan murmured.

“I came here under the command of the Demon God.”

Step.

He walked towards the Demon King.

The Demon King, sitting on the throne, flinched and trembled.

“And she said Quaned and Anetsha were my helpers.”

To put it bluntly, it was strange.

The two didn’t have any significant information about the abandoned land. All they could offer Taesan here were the teachings of black magic and guidance to the Demon King’s castle.

And that could have been done by others. The Demon God could have directly sent Taesan to the Demon King’s castle and instructed the Demon King to teach him.

But the Demon God specifically introduced Anetsha and Quaned as Taesan’s helpers.

“What did the Demon God mean by that?”

The Demon God didn’t intervene directly.

Indirectly, it meant that he could interfere as much as he wanted.

Step.

Taesan arrived right in front of the Demon King. The king of the Demon Realm cowered on the throne in fear.

“This is a warning from the Demon God.”

Taesan placed his hand on the floor.

The Demon King’s throne was located at the highest point of the Demon King’s castle. From here, touching the sky, Taesan unleashed his power.

[You have activated Decarabia's Distorted Vegetation.]

Boom!

A passage opened from the bottom of the Demon King’s castle.

Roots piercing through the stars were summoned and surged upwards.

The Demon King’s castle was protected by numerous blessings and barriers. It was the magic of the Demon Realm, fortified over hundreds of years by the combined efforts of great Demon Realm wizards.

Breaking through countless barriers and blessings, they ascended to the top.

Boom!

The roots penetrated the entire Demon King’s castle like a giant pillar.

Taesan, touching the end of the root that reached right in front of the Demon King’s throne, opened his mouth.

“Let’s get along peacefully. It seems that’s what the Demon God wants. Understood?”

“Ah…”

The Demon King nodded blankly.

The Demon King slowly came to his senses.

He first let out a hollow laugh.

“…Really. It’s absurd.”

His purpose, plans, values.

It was a power that swept all of them away.

He gave up everything and told Taesan the destination in the abandoned land.

“…There is a small door behind the Demon King’s castle. It is a place protected by a barrier to keep out those who believe in the old Demon God. I will temporarily release the barrier there. Beyond the door is the abandoned land.”

“Got it.”

Taesan descended the Demon King’s castle, leaving the Demon King behind.

In the room remained the fallen knights, the Demon King, Anetsha, and Quaned.

The Demon King gazed blankly at Anetsha.

“I envy you. Truly.”

“…I think so too.”

Anetsha belatedly followed Taesan. Quaned also followed behind.

“Sir Taesan!”

She ran up, panting.

“…Thank you.”

She bowed her head deeply.

Taesan shook his head.

“Don’t thank me. Thank the Demon God. She asked for this.”

“I should thank both of you.”

She looked at Taesan with a face full of gratitude.

Taesan opened his mouth.

“Are you going to follow?”

Beyond here was dangerous. Just the aura emanating as the barrier was lifted was enough to risk Anetsha’s life.

“Yes.”

But Anetsha nodded resolutely.

“I am your helper, Sir Taesan. I cannot let you go to a dangerous place alone.”

“Then get ready. Prepare your gear in advance. I’ll be there first.”

“Ah. Yes!”

She hurriedly took Quaned and followed inside the Demon King’s castle.

Leaving them behind, Taesan headed to the back of the Demon King’s castle.

There was a small door.

The barrier that had spread around the door was temporarily lifted. Thanks to that, the power beyond could be sensed.

[It's all engulfed. It's on a level not much different from the worlds destroyed by the ancient gods. Since it's originally the realm of the ancient gods, it's only natural.]

The ghost whistled.

Taesan opened his mouth.

“I know you’re watching. Come out.”

[I've been caught?]

With a laugh, a dark space opened.

The Demon God appeared, resting her arm on the space.

[Well done, Taesan.]

The Demon God smiled faintly.

[The reason the Demon King dislikes Anetsha is that he thinks I favor her. If I had told the Demon King, he would have hated Anetsha even more. So I left it to you, and as expected, it worked out well. Now the Demon King won't be able to antagonize Anetsha anymore.]

“What are you trying to achieve by leaving this to me?”

The Demon God wanted Taesan to see Anetsha.

She wanted him to see how she was treated in the Demon Realm and to understand how she thought of Taesan. That’s why she introduced her as a helper.

[Where will your resting place be?]

The Demon God murmured softly.

[After all this is over, where will you settle and live?]

She narrowed her eyes.

[You are different, Taesan. Even to us, but even more so to mortals. Most will not be able to accept you. They will reject you and fear you.]

“I understand that.”

Taesan knew how Lee Taeyeon was treated just before the end. How he himself was treated.

Until just before their final demise, when people laid everything down, Lee Taeyeon and Taesan were not understood by anyone and were only on the outskirts of people.

People did not see them as the same human beings.

Even now, people on Earth worshipped him as a god.

[Even though I don't know what lies at the end of your path... it will be hard to find someone who accepts you.]

The Demon God spoke softly.

[But she is different. No matter how you change, she will stand by you. She will always wait for you and want to be with you. Having someone like that is more valuable than you think. This is advice from someone who has walked a similar path before, so listen well.]

“Thank you, but… I still can’t give a definite answer.”

[It's not a demand. I just like you. I hope you can make many choices on your own in the future, unlike me.]

The Demon God smiled. It was a childlike smile.

[I'm just presenting one of those choices. My poor lamb.]

“I will think about it.”

[That's enough.]

The Demon God turned her gaze to the abandoned land.

[You have many choices. Not just future choices, but also past choices. Among them, there will be choices like ours... and choices like theirs.]

“I don’t think there will be.”

[Normally, it would be impossible, but you are different. There is a possibility.]

The Demon God murmured.

[There won't be a great threat there. They will just present you with choices. Whatever you choose will be up to you, but I hope you choose our path.]

The Demon God stepped into the open passage.

[Then go. And win.]

“Understood.”

After a while, Anetsha and Quaned returned.

Their outfits were different from before.

In Anetsha’s case, she now wielded a staff flowing with demonic energy and wore a pointed hat. Her clothes had also transformed into neat black armor.

“Good. This will be enough to help Sir Taesan.”

“This feels nostalgic.”

Quaned laughed. He had descended into the labyrinth risking his life and had been returned to the Demon Realm by the Demon God. And he had been living a peaceful life since.

While that was satisfying in its own way, for someone who had once fought risking his life, he also missed the battles.

Taesan spoke to them before entering.

“In there, you must survive on your own.”

Taesan didn’t know what would come out of the realm of the ancient gods. There were limits to how much he could protect them.

If they couldn’t be of help, it would be better if they weren’t there. Anetsha nodded seriously with a determined face.

“I understand. I won’t be a burden.”

“Good.”

[You have summoned the King of Wind Spirits, Minerva.] [You have summoned the highest grade spirit of colorful light, Barkaza.]

Wind and rainbow light formed.

The summoned Minerva looked around and was surprised.

“What is this? The Demon Realm?”

[Is it finally my turn?]

“Spirit?”

“Gasp!”

Quaned was startled and grabbed his weapon when he saw Minerva.

“The Spirit King!”

“Huh?”

His gaze was full of vigilance. Taesan waved his hand.

“Relax. It’s not the spirit you think.”

“…Now that I think about it.”

It wasn’t fire, but wind. Realizing that, Quaned relaxed his grip on his weapon. Minerva spoke grumpily.

“Why is he looking at me like that?”

“He has bad memories with the Spirit King. I’ll explain later. For now, let’s go in.”

Taesan stepped into the realm of the ancient gods.

Crack.

As he entered the abandoned land, the barrier at the door reformed. It was as if it was afraid.

A thick, deep, almost dark energy emanated throughout the realm.

“Let’s see.”

It was generally dark.

The Demon Realm itself had a dense energy, but this was different. It felt more directly related to the ancient gods.

Taesan placed his hand on the ground.

Feeling the sensation, Taesan realized.

‘It’s similar to Earth.’

Earth just before its destruction. The sensation here was similar to that.

The difference was that this place had already been consumed by the power of the high gods.

And from that pervasive sensation, Taesan could feel a gaze directed at him.

It was probably the gaze of the old Demon God.

There was little hostility in that gaze.

It was closer to greed.