I Ascend Alone-Chapter 89: SSS-Rank Dungeon Part XI

Alexander Graves, the Titan of Calamity, stood his ground. His face was bloodied, knuckles cracked from trading blows with a creature that could rival natural disasters. And yet—he grinned.

He planted his feet deep into the shattered earth, inhaled deeply, and roared, "Absolute Titanform!"

In an instant, his body ignited with a brilliant golden-orange glow, like molten steel brought to life. His already-massive frame expanded—runes etched across his skin flared to life, encasing him in layers of translucent energy plates that shimmered with an indestructible aura.

A dome of dense mana formed around him, warping space and dampening magic itself. The very dungeon moaned in protest, as if reality struggled to contain the transformation.

-

[Absolute Titanform – Unique Skill]

Ultimate defense manifestation. Increases physical durability and resistance beyond S-Rank thresholds.

Reduces all incoming damage by 95% for 10 minutes. Immune to instant-death effects.

Cannot be stunned or knocked back. Limited to once per day.

-

"Let's see you break this, bastard," Alexander muttered, his voice now deep and echoing with power.

Korthar, Dread Sentinel of the Abyss, did not hesitate.

He surged forward once again, this time with both arms raised above his head, black veins glowing across his stone-like flesh. As he brought his fists down, the air collapsed with them—like a singularity had formed between his hands.

Alexander didn't flinch.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The impact sent a mountain-cracking shockwave through the earth. Energy exploded outward in a wave of concussive force so potent it disintegrated the nearest stone pillars and flung S-Rank hunters hundreds of meters away, forcing even Gabriel's protective light barriers to flicker dangerously.

But as the dust cleared, Alexander was still standing.

Steam rose off his shoulders. His skin burned. The runes on his arms dimmed slightly—but his eyes blazed with unrelenting will.

"You hit like a goddamn mountain," he growled, "but you are just wasting your strength"

Alexander's glowing fist slammed into Korthar's gut, forcing the Dread Sentinel to stumble back for the first time. The giant coughed—his obsidian hide cracking with a thunderous groan.

Korthar snarled and spun, a massive black-fisted backhand whipping through the air—only for Alexander to catch it with both hands, stopping it cold.

Their auras exploded around them—gold against void, mortal defiance against ancient doom.

"Why do you resist?" Korthar bellowed, voice straining as he pressed forward. "Your kind dies screaming in the dark. That is the will of the Abyss!"

Alexander leaned in, teeth bared, his feet dragging sparks across the obsidian floor.

"Because I'm not fighting for glory," he growled. "I'm fighting to protect everything the Abyss wants to consume. And I don't give a damn how 'inevitable' you think you are."

Then he headbutted Korthar.

A loud crack echoed as the Dread Sentinel reeled—momentarily stunned.

Alexander took the moment.

He reached deep, and with a roar that echoed across the entire dungeon, he leapt and brought both fists down like twin meteors—a double strike that shattered the space between them.

"Titanfall Strike – Empowered Impact (Final Blow)"

Korthar was driven into the earth, the crater exploding outward with a sound like an entire mountain collapsing.

For a second, everything went still.

Breathing heavily, Alexander stood over the fallen sentinel, his Titanform is beginning to flicker.

"Interesting..." Korthar rasped, his chest heaving, but after a few seconds it grinned, "That was a heavy blow coming from a mere human"

A deathly hush fell over the battlefield.

The ground was torn, riddled with molten cracks and craters left in the wake of Alexander's ultimate strike. Dust curled in the air like smoke from a dying volcano. Even the air felt heavier—as though the very dungeon held its breath in anticipation.

But the Dread Sentinel... slowly began to rise.

Stone plates cracked and falling from his shoulders, voidlight bleeding from the gashes torn across his chest. His grin was maddening—like a god amused by a child's tantrum. One of his four eyes twitched, flickering with violet flame. His limbs trembled not with weakness... but with excitement.

Alexander took a slow step back, his golden form flickering like a candle in the wind. His Titanform, nearing its limit, began to show signs of stress—thin fractures glowing along the rune-etched armor layered over his skin.

Leon, standing atop a broken ridge nearby, could hardly believe what he was witnessing. His fingers tightened around his blade. "That strike should've ended it," he muttered.

Ji Seong-Ho's stance shifted slightly. The Celestial Blade narrowed his eyes, the first visible sign of discomfort. "That monster took a direct hit from Titanfall... and he's still standing."

Raiden Arakawa, floating in the back with stormwinds coiling at his heels, tilted his head, arms crossed. "No. He's not just standing—he's enjoying this."

Korthar cracked his neck slowly. "You have strength, Human, but it is not enough." He stepped forward. The dungeon trembled with each motion. "But do you understand what you face?"

His hand rose, black mist coalescing into twisted shapes—dozens of shadowed claws, eyes, tendrils writhing just beyond perception.

"You call yourselves Hunters. Defenders of humanity."

His voice thundered now, carried by the Abyss itself.

"But here... in the Abyssal Throne's cradle... you are nothing but guests."

The entire dungeon pulsed, walls shifting, and the ground warping like breathing flesh. A dark resonance echoed from the depths below, and every hunter in the vast chamber felt it like a hand pressing against their chest.

Korthar advanced, dragging behind him the essence of the Abyss itself—an ocean of writhing dark that whispered unspeakable things into the minds of those who dared look too long.

Hunters across the battlefield faltered. Some dropped to a knee, clutching their heads. Others simply froze, caught in the web of an ancient, incomprehensible malice.

Only the strongest held fast—and even they wavered.

"Gabriel!" Ji Seong-Ho shouted. "Sanctify the field! Now!"

From above, the Radiant Sovereign raised his staff, eyes blazing with celestial flame. "Sanctum Lux: Radiant Domain!"

A blinding sphere of divine light erupted around the battlefield, pushing back the encroaching mist. The tendrils of the Abyss recoiled, hissing and snapping as though burned. Hunters caught in the grip of Korthar's presence gasped in relief as the crushing pressure eased.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

But Korthar simply smiled wider.

"Light only delays the inevitable," he said, stepping through the holy barrier like it was smoke.