Ascension Through Skills-Chapter 414: 82nd Floor, Lemegeton (3)
The eyes of every other Lemegeton bearer lit up with anticipation.
Unlike Taesan, the others were not adventurers from the labyrinth. They didn’t have a quest window appear before them, but Baal’s words had made it clear enough.
Belial’s Throne.
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Whoever claimed it would ascend to a prestigious position.
Greed and desire stirred within them. Baal observed them, his expression indifferent.
[Then, I will open the gate. The rest is up to you.]
A deep rumbling resonated as Baal waved his hand, and a massive darkness engulfed them all.
“Aagh!”
“Ugh!”
The overwhelming dark force was intense enough to make them fear for their lives. Screams filled the air as they squeezed their eyes shut.
Rumble...
As the darkness gradually dissipated, they slowly opened their eyes, realizing they were still alive.
“...Ah.”
“So this is it.”
They marveled at the sight before them.
The world around them was crumbling, dying—a world once ruled by the now-deceased Belial.
---
The group quickly took in their surroundings, realizing they had reached their destination.
The sky was filled with spiny, sea-urchin-like shapes clustered densely above them. The ground was cracked and broken, with floating fragments hovering in mid-air.
And within the air itself was an immense, oppressive power.
Someone couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
It seemed they were in a safe zone for the moment, yet the strength emanating from the surroundings was overwhelmingly ominous.
As they scanned the area, they noticed another presence beside them.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Observer, once a servant to Lord Belial, who has now vanished.”
An old man in dark clothing bowed respectfully. Despite his ordinary servant’s appearance, his eyes were a pitch-black void.
‘He’s powerful.’
Taesan gave a quiet nod of appreciation. Although the servant hadn’t reached immortality, he was just below that level, close to the boundary.
Compared to Taesan, he was noticeably weaker, but in general terms, his strength was exceptionally high.
It seemed that any entity closely connected to Belial held considerable power.
The servant sighed deeply, an expression of genuine regret.
“It grieves me deeply that worms such as yourselves have set foot in my master’s domain, but it cannot be helped.”
“They say the demon of this domain is dead.”
One of the five contract holders, a woman with two small horns and a revealing outfit—a succubus—smirked.
“So there’s no problem if we become demons ourselves, right? Besides, isn’t it beneficial for you to have a new master?”
“It would be better to die than to let such unworthy worms claim my master’s domain.”
“Well, that’s not a problem. We’ve already earned our qualifications.”
The woman spoke confidently. The demon she had contracted with had granted her permission to claim Belial’s domain.
The servant remained impassive.
“Think as you will. Ultimately, this is the will of greater beings. As a servant, I am here to observe those who have gained the right to be my master.”
His gaze held no trace of emotion. It was evident he didn’t believe these visitors could ascend to a demon’s position.
“Hmph.”
Another member of the group—a muscular man wielding a long spear—scoffed disdainfully.
‘If I become a demon, he’ll be the first I kill.’
He smiled darkly to himself.
The man was a promising figure even within the vast demon realm.
Born into a prestigious family, he bore the name Khalid and possessed extraordinary talent, receiving full support from his house.
But for Khalid, the demon realm felt confining. Many of its strongest, like the apostles of the Demon Lord, had left to wander other worlds.
Realizing he could no longer grow within the demon realm, he left to explore and gain strength across different worlds.
Although he knew of the labyrinth, he hadn’t found it particularly appealing.
Instead, he searched for more effective ways to enhance his power.
He stopped at nothing in his pursuit of strength, and in doing so, destroyed several worlds lacking planetary gods.
Despite the curses of the countless people whose homes he had ruined, Khalid merely sneered.
To him, the world was a stepping stone to greatness. The death of others in the process was insignificant.
In the end, Khalid was chosen by a demon.
The demon Marbasi took him as his subordinate and granted him Lemegeton.
Khalid was thrilled.
A demon. A being of great power. He could stand as an equal to the master of the black magic he wielded.
He had no intention of missing this chance.
With a smirk, Khalid turned to the other contract holders.
“Let’s form a temporary alliance.”
He addressed the others, hiding his contempt. To him, they were lowly beings, unworthy of power, driven by greed.
Still, he had to admit they were powerful. They each possessed strength on par with his own.
They would be excellent tools for his ascension to demonhood.
Concealing his intentions, he continued.
“I’d like us to work together.”
“...Work together?”
The pale man muttered, and Khalid replied as if it were obvious.
“You don’t think you can get through this alone, do you?”
“...”
The man fell silent.
They all understood. Even though this domain had fallen after its master’s death, the lingering demonic power was deadly.
One misstep would see them crushed by the remnants of Belial’s power.
Even the location of the throne was obscured by a powerful force.
“Only one of us can become a demon, but that just means we share the same goal. So, let’s cooperate until we reach the destination.”
“Hmph.”
“I don’t like it, but... there’s no other choice.”
One by one, they agreed to join forces. All but Taesan.
“He’s aware of his limits. You’re irrelevant, so stay out of this.”
Khalid sneered at Taesan.
Taesan had no demon supporting him.
This meant he was unchosen.
It was obvious that someone without a patron would be weak.
Khalid assumed that Taesan was hiding his power out of desperation to conceal his weakness.
However, Khalid soon found himself perplexed.
Taesan didn’t seem to care about him at all.
It was as if he didn’t even acknowledge Khalid’s existence.
Instead, Taesan quietly observed Belial’s domain.
“So, this is what it’s like.”
He muttered softly and began to walk forward. Before anyone could stop him, he stepped into Belial’s domain.
“Huh?”
Before long, Taesan’s figure disappeared behind the shattered terrain.
Momentarily taken aback, Khalid quickly collected himself.
“He knows his place and left on his own. Good riddance.”
It seemed he understood his limitations and had chosen to go off alone rather than risk being cast aside. Khalid dismissed Taesan from his thoughts.
“Now, let’s discuss our strategy. So, what’s the plan?”
Each of you will be my stepping stone.
Hiding his true thoughts, Khalid smiled calmly.
---
“Hm.”
Taesan strolled through Belial’s domain.
He already knew where Belial’s throne was. The powerful energy emanating from it made it impossible not to notice.
But he wasn’t heading directly for the throne.
Instead, Taesan chose to explore further, intending to learn more about his surroundings.
“Well done, worm.”
A low voice echoed. It was Belial’s servant.
Taesan replied nonchalantly, “You might want to focus on them instead of me.”
“I am a servant of Lord Belial. Creating projections is a trivial matter.”
The servant responded indifferently.
“I don’t care for you either, as you covet my master’s power, but choosing not to cooperate was the correct decision.”
His face twisted with disdain.
“To seek my master’s throne through collaboration with others... It’s a detestable ambition, one that is, fortunately, unattainable.”
The servant seemed confident that they would never reach Belial’s throne.
“Regardless, you at least have the decency to attempt this on your own. For that, I offer a small amount of praise. Now, accept this and perish here.”
With those words, a burst of energy exploded from the floating spiny orbs above. The remnants of the deceased demon moved to expel the intruder.
*Shhhk!*
Thorns shot toward Taesan in a straight line, filling every possible space with no room for evasion.
The power contained within them was demonic.
It was unstoppable by mortal means. Convinced of Taesan’s demise, the servant began to turn away.
“Stop.”
[You have activated a Declaration of Cessation.]
*Whump.*
The thorns froze just before reaching Taesan.
“...What?”
The servant’s eyes widened at the sight.
The thorns hung in the air, halted by nothing more than Taesan’s single declaration.
“How... how could this be?”
“It’s strong, but without a master, it’s just stray power.”
Using his Word of Authority, Taesan could neutralize it entirely. He casually touched one of the frozen thorns.
“Very similar to Hafran’s domain.”
In Hafran’s domain, when the will of the world had been defeated, the world itself had begun to die. This place was much the same.
The difference was that, here, Belial’s power still lingered considerably.
“Maybe there’s something worthwhile to gain here.”
Taesan clenched his fist.
The thorns shattered like brittle sticks, clearing a path forward.
The servant stood speechless.
---
Meanwhile, the other Lemegeton bearers had banded together to advance
through Belial’s domain.
The spiny orbs trembled and shot toward them.
“Khh!”
Khalid groaned, raising his hand to release Marbasi’s false flames to fend off the onslaught, only to have them shattered as the thorns pierced through.
The elderly man who had contracted with Dekarabia pressed his hand to the ground, summoning twisted roots to rise and intercept the attack.
*Crash!*
The five black mages wielded the power of demons, using every ounce of their strength to barely withstand the assault.
“Hah... hah...”
They wiped the cold sweat from their brows, catching their breath.
“Such a monstrous power...”
Even though it was only the remnants of a deceased demon, it was deadly. Without cooperation, they wouldn’t have survived.
But this realization only fueled their determination.
If they reached the throne, they could claim this power as their own.
Greed and desire swirled within them. By now, they had all but forgotten about Taesan. Struggling as a group of five, they assumed he had already perished.
The servant, who would normally mock their efforts, was too shocked to say a word.
The group steeled themselves and continued forward, risking their lives and using each other to press onward.
Meanwhile, Taesan strolled leisurely through Belial’s domain.
“I wonder if there’s a skill here I can acquire.”
He was already contemplating the possibility of gaining new abilities.
