Ascension Through Skills

Chapter 407: Floor 81, Advanced Magic (6)

Thus, the blackened Frozen World was unleashed.

This negation magic was created by balancing two opposing forces. Interwoven with darkness, it took on a new, unnatural quality.

It could no longer be called Zerband’s magic. Wirad swung his staff, placing the white point in front of himself and conjuring hundreds of black points.

"Let’s test its power, shall we?"

Thousands of black lines poured from the hundreds of black points, filling the space densely, as if all previous attacks had been mere warm-ups.

The black lines collided with the frozen world of darkness.

*Crack!*

The black ice stood firm against the oncoming lines.

Exuding a corrupted black chill, it advanced, breaking through the black lines and pushing toward Wirad.

*Crack!*

But under the relentless assault, its strength gradually diminished until the ice finally exploded under the force.

*Boom!*

Fragments of black ice and black lines scattered across the world.

Wirad chuckled wryly.

"What monstrous power."

Hundreds of his black points had been neutralized by just one of Taesan’s frozen spells. He had anticipated Taesan’s power would grow, but this was beyond his expectations.

Wirad conjured hundreds more black points.

Taesan unleashed the Frozen World again to counter.

*Crack!*

The result was the same. Wirad observed the clash with a serious gaze.

'An absolute advantage in compatibility.'

The raw power of the Frozen World hadn’t changed much.

However, the black energy was a power from beyond the laws, the power of ancient gods that corrupted order and structure. This energy had merged with Zerband’s magic.

The result was a new force that held an absolute advantage in terms of compatibility.

Thus, it was able to break through and neutralize the overwhelming black lines.

The basis of Wirad’s magic was pure mana compression. Typically, it wouldn’t have a particular compatibility. Yet this blackened magic seemed to have a compatibility advantage over nearly all powers in the world.

'How did he even create such a thing?'

To combine black energy and magic, to mix the powers of ancient gods and a deity, was unthinkable.

Taesan raised his arm. Black energy and mana balanced in opposition.

>[You have activated Starlight Arrow [Negation].]

Starlight Arrow manifested.

But this was not the radiant arrow of light from before; it was now an arrow of pitch-black darkness.

The arrow shot toward Wirad, who laughed in anticipation.

"Excellent!"

He shouted, his beard shaking.

"This is the perfect power to test my authority! Come forth!"

*Buzz!*

The white point met the black arrow.

Hundreds of black points had been nullified by the Frozen World. Of course, a single point could not counter the Starlight Arrow.

But the white point didn’t falter.

Without a single tremor, it held the arrow at bay.

Taesan frowned, scrutinizing the white point.

From the beginning, it had felt unusual.

Rather than feeling like a source of raw power, it resembled a rule or law.

*Clang!*

The Starlight Arrow lost its strength and dissipated, unable to penetrate the white point.

Wirad waved his staff, releasing hundreds of black lines simultaneously.

Taesan leaped back to dodge, reactivating the Frozen World to neutralize the lines, then launched the Frozen World back at Wirad.

*Crack!*

But once again, the dark ice was blocked by the white point, unable to reach Wirad.

As Taesan observed the white point carefully, he realized something.

‘It exists in a different dimension.’

Wirad’s magic was based on manipulating points, lines, and planes—dimensional definition. And when he summoned the white point, he had activated an authority known as Dimensional Separation.

It seemed he had separated dimensions to create a point in an alternate dimension.

Although Taesan wielded the black energy, its fusion with magic meant it lacked the pure force of untainted black energy, which made it unable to break through the law-like white point.

‘That was too simple.’

Wirad’s magic was undoubtedly powerful, but it didn’t surpass what an immortal’s authority should be capable of.

This was Wirad’s true authority as an immortal.

Taesan calmly analyzed the situation.

The point possessed incredible defensive strength, but its area of effect was small, and it seemed to disappear after a short time. This indicated a limited duration.

If that was the case, he would use magic with a longer duration.

>[You have activated Undying Flame Bird [Negation].]

A dark bird of flame rose, scattering dark energy that corrupted everything it touched.

The unholy force continued to press against Wirad. Just as Taesan had anticipated, Wirad couldn’t freely use the white point, so he resorted to black points to defend against the flame bird.

*Boom!*

As Wirad defended against the attack, he waved his staff.

Multiple white points appeared around Taesan.

Taesan instinctively activated the Guardian’s Three Shields. The blackened shields protected his body.

The white points connected to form lines.

Trapped between the points, Taesan found himself directly exposed to their attacks.

*Crack!*

The black shields shattered instantly. Taesan twisted his body, narrowly evading the lines.

Wirad chuckled.

"You managed to block it briefly. You’re intriguing."

Taesan frowned as he dodged just in time.

The black lines were fast, but not impossible to avoid.

However, the lines formed between the white points were unavoidable.

It wasn’t just about speed.

The points connected without delay, forming lines instantly.

Wirad unleashed his power again. White points appeared and disappeared around Taesan, who twisted his body reflexively to escape their paths.

*Buzz!*

The points connected to form lines again.

This time, Taesan was certain.

‘Lines connecting the points.’

Wirad had created a dimension he could fully control, connecting the white points at will. Because it was under Wirad’s absolute control, there was zero delay, making it impossible to dodge by mere observation.

‘Powerful.’

It was as if he was controlling the very rules and laws themselves, using a separate dimension.

But it wasn’t unbeatable.

---

As Taesan dodged the lines, his mind raced.

‘There are limits to this.’

The rulers he had fought, like the King of Machines or the Destroyer, didn’t wield power of this caliber. They were powerful, but their strength operated within the laws. They couldn’t manipulate the laws themselves as Wirad did.

Wirad was clearly wielding power beyond his capabilities.

Every time he created a white point, Taesan could see a noticeable drop in Wirad’s strength. Dimensional Separation was an authority that exceeded Wirad’s power.

‘I don’t know how he controls such a force, but...’

The risk was clear. Taesan just needed to exploit it.

With his decision made, Taesan unleashed his power.

Summoning the dark phoenix, he blinked randomly, shifting his attack direction, and activated Starlight Arrow again.

The barrage of dark magic continued without pause.

But as time passed, Taesan began to feel the strain.

Using Partial World Alteration to forcibly enhance his mana control and wield negation magic had worked.

However, each spell required considerable mental strength, so he couldn’t even use support skills like Magic Overlap.

Moreover, the black energy was beginning to rebel, as if it no longer wished to obey.

"Stay put."

Taesan used a commanding incantation to suppress the rebellious black energy.

>[You have activated Earthquake [Negation].]

The ground trembled. Although this was Zerband’s own space and couldn’t be destroyed, the tremor sent waves toward Wirad.

Wirad used a black plane to crush the tremor.

Taking advantage of the moment, Taesan cloaked himself in darkness.

>[You have activated Invisibility [Negation].]

Taesan’s body vanished into the shadows. Momentarily, even Wirad lost track of his position.

Wirad, reacting swiftly, created hundreds of black points and spread them across the space, attempting to locate Taesan by absorbing the surroundings.

In that instant, Taesan donned a protective shield and charged through the black lines.

As Wirad identified Taesan’s location, he quickly created a white point and linked it into a line.

*Crack!*

The shield surrounding Taesan shattered instantly.

Taesan twisted his body, managing to evade most of the attack, but not entirely. Deep gashes appeared across his body.

However, he endured.

With heightened awareness and sharp instincts, he dodged the lines, unflinching despite the delayless strikes.

As he reached Wirad, he released his stored power.

The energy, teetering on the brink of imbalance, burst forth, a force on the verge of collapse.

>[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]

>

>[You have activated Starlight Arrow [Negation].]

Dark energy spread throughout the space. The wild magic surged toward Wirad.

Wirad summoned a white point to protect himself.

*Boom!*

The white point trembled violently as it met the attack.

Wirad’s face hardened.

The white point was shaking. The negation magic, barely maintaining its balance with the black energy, was certainly powerful enough to disturb the laws themselves.

"Not a chance!"

*Buzz!*

The trembling white points connected to form lines, which expanded to create a white plane.

The rampant negation magic was swallowed by the white plane.

It was as if the negation magic was consumed by a separate dimension, disappearing without resistance.

"Hah, haha!"

Wirad laughed hysterically, his face pale. The white plane, formed from the entirety of his dimensional powers, had erased the negation magic without a trace.

This was his first time handling

dimensional power at a plane level. A profound sense of fulfillment surged through him, knowing he had reached a new level.

And at that moment, Taesan was right in front of him.

Wirad’s eyes widened.

As he quickly moved to block Taesan with lines, Taesan’s hand moved.

>[You have activated Forced Exclusion.]

*Boom!*

An immense, invisible force struck Wirad. He tried to resist, drawing on all his mana, but he was pushed back.

"It’s not over yet!"

"No, it is."

Wirad raised his staff, but Taesan lowered his hand.

"What do you mean, it’s over..."

Wirad stopped, finally understanding Taesan’s words as he tried to cast another spell.

Only then did he realize he had been pushed outside the boundary.

"...Ah."

Finally, he remembered the conditions of the trial.

Taesan’s goal wasn’t to defeat him but to push him out of the boundary.

He had become so engrossed in the fight that he had forgotten his original objective.

"...Ridiculous."

Wirad chuckled bitterly. He had fought with all his strength against a Taesan limited to only magic, forgetting his initial purpose.

Meanwhile, Taesan had remained focused on his goal, strategically driving Wirad back.

It was an undeniable, flawless victory.

"You win."

With a calm voice, the system notifications appeared.

>[You have passed Zerband’s Trial. You will be rewarded based on Zerband’s evaluation.]

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>[Zerband’s interference zone has decreased.]

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>[Your level has increased.]

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>[Your level has increased.]

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>[Your level has increased.]

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>[You have acquired the intermediate magic [Mana Storm].]

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>[You have acquired the intermediate magic [Radiant Blue Barrier].]

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>[You have acquired the unique passive skill [Path of Magic].]

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>[You have acquired the Blue Mana Earring.]

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>[You have acquired the advanced magic [Cataclysm].]