Chapter 425
The Apostle faltered for a moment.
Taesan’s face was filled with certainty.
Certainty that he could obtain the God of Fall’s [Authority] that the Apostle had just revealed.
The Apostle, momentarily swayed by Taesan’s unwavering voice, almost believed him.
“Nonsense!”
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Impossible. Taesan’s power would never reach his own.
He clenched his fist confidently and charged.
Taesan responded in kind.
Crack!
The pattern of the battle didn’t change. Taesan continued to overwhelm the Apostle.
But the result didn’t change either.
The Apostle still didn’t fall.
On the contrary, he began to adjust more and more to Taesan’s power.
“Wait…”
“This is…”
Only then did the onlookers start to realize—something was wrong.
Taesan’s power, one by one, clearly surpassed theirs.
He had reached a level beyond even the princess who had opened the colosseum just days ago.
And the Apostle was on par with her.
There was no way he should have been able to endure Taesan’s attacks.
Yet the Apostle, though struggling, continued the fight without serious damage.
As if it had been designed that way from the start.
“Ah…”
“This…”
Despair spread through the audience. They had realized the truth of the colosseum.
“Tch. Guess there’s no need to keep up the act anymore.”
“They were probably trying to hide it, but that’s over now.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The Apostle sneered.
“It might be a bit early, but he’ll be satisfied. Watching those who believed in an escape realize the truth and fall into despair—that’s a scene Essence loves.”
The Apostle let out a mad laugh.
“Above all! You can’t give up! Even if there’s nothing at the end of the rope, you won’t be able to let go of your only hope!”
The Apostle slammed his fists together violently.
“Come! Feel your powerlessness!”
Taesan calmly drew his sword.
The battle continued. Taesan unleashed numerous [skills], and the Apostle responded to them all.
Confidence lingered on the Apostle’s face, while joy grew on Taesan’s.
An enemy that would never fall no matter how much you attacked—
The perfect opponent for training [mastery].
Taesan used countless [skills] to raise their mastery.
Even if their [ranks] were similar, the gap in strength was still large, so he couldn’t gain much.
But it was satisfying. He had significantly increased the mastery of many [skills], including magic and dark magic.
And throughout the battle, he continued to analyze the Apostle’s power.
After confirming everything, Taesan lowered his sword.
“That’s enough. I concede.”
“…What?”
Rumble!
With the participant’s surrender, the colosseum ended. The Apostle was caught off guard by Taesan’s sudden withdrawal.
“You’re giving up like this?”
“I’ve learned everything I needed.”
Taesan casually left the battlefield.
In the midst of confusion and bewilderment, he disappeared silently.
The Apostle stood there dumbfounded.
Taesan used his remaining [points] to reserve a decent room.
He never expected to win the first fight.
What he wanted was information and a strategy. He had gained enough of both. He’d also raised his [mastery], so once recovered, he could try again.
‘It’s a shame I couldn’t gain any skills.’
None of the [skills] he remembered met the conditions. A few new ideas had emerged, but the risk was high. Without fully analyzing the Apostle’s power, there was no need to attempt it yet.
Taesan organized his thoughts.
The Apostle was an unbeatable boss.
No matter how much health was reduced, it would recover. When Taesan used a new [skill], the Apostle gained new power in response.
“And even counters the Boundary Line…”
It was the first time he’d seen interference at that level.
But Taesan wasn’t surprised.
The Boundary Line was powerful, but not absolute. At the level of [transcendents] and [immortals], it could be countered. It was nothing to be shocked about now.
Rather, the fact that there was an [Authority] that could interfere even with the Boundary Line made him excited.
Knock knock.
A knock came at the door.
The Golden Princess—Diana—entered.
“Mr. Taesan. Are you alright?”
“What is it?”
Diana looked surprised.
She had assumed Taesan would be shaken mentally.
But his face showed no change in expression.
“No, it looks like you don’t need my advice.”
Diana asked calmly,
“What do you plan to do?”
“I’m thinking.”
He had understood the basic structure and logic.
But he hadn’t yet found a way to break it.
The issue ultimately came down to the [Authority] of the God of Fall. It had to be overcome. That was why the God was so confident in his victory—because he intended to use his own [Authority].
[Authority] was something built from the existence of a being.
For a [transcendent] like Essence, absolute confidence was only natural.
[Can’t you break it with some clever trick?]
“Unlikely.”
This was the domain of the God of Fall. No loopholes would be allowed. Even [Beyond the Boundary] and [Eternal and Undying Faith] were sealed.
Taesan pondered. Diana groaned, clutching her head.
The Apostle did take damage.
As Taesan suspected, when HP reached 1, it didn’t drop further—it instantly recovered.
That meant the solution was simple.
Forcefully reduce HP from 1 to 0.
Taesan had the card for that.
The [Boundary Line]. A power that disrupted order and defied rules.
With it, he could defeat the Apostle.
The God of Fall knew this—and blocked the Boundary Line using his [Authority].
Which meant the God had inadvertently told him that the Boundary Line was the correct answer.
‘A transcendent’s authority.’
That had to be broken.
But that was the [Authority] of a [transcendent]. In his current mortal rank, Taesan could never shatter it.
Even if the Apostle didn’t wield full [Authority], it was still beyond him.
But it wasn’t perfect either.
The Apostle was merely a vessel. He couldn’t wield the [Authority] completely. There had to be a limit.
‘I need to break that limit.’
But how?
The God of Fall’s [Authority] could interfere with the Boundary Line. It was among the highest forms of law. It couldn’t be broken using a power that existed within the system.
Taesan had defeated a [transcendent’s] Apostle before, one that used Horai’s [Authority], but he hadn’t truly broken the [Authority]—he had exploited the opponent’s inexperience.
Essence had judged that no method Taesan possessed could overcome his [Authority]—so he issued this trial.
Then what if Taesan used powers the God didn’t know about?
Taesan reached a conclusion.
* * *
A day later, after fully recovering and gathering more [points], Taesan opened the colosseum again.
This time, the audience seats were full again—but their faces no longer held belief or hope.
They sat with hollow eyes.
“…Princess.”
“Ah. Reynald.”
Reynald, looking gaunt, approached Diana.
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“In a place where death doesn’t exist, what does health even mean?”
Reynald gave a bitter smile.
“We were just clowns. Dancing without knowing the truth. Did you… know all along?”
Diana nodded. Reynald’s face twisted in pain.
“…I’m sorry. I spoke so thoughtlessly to you without knowing anything.”
“No. Thanks to you, I stayed sane. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Thanks.”
Reynald composed himself and looked at Taesan.
“I didn’t think the colosseum would open again for years… Did something come to mind?”
“Who knows.”
“The princess doesn’t know either?”
“He didn’t give a straight answer. Said the God of Fall might be watching.”
“That’s true enough.”
This was his domain. There was no way he wouldn’t know what happened within it.
“But… he must see some chance. That’s why he’s trying.”
Reynald’s eyes glimmered with hope.
Then the Apostle appeared. He looked at Taesan with irritation.
Taesan had conceded in the previous battle. But the Apostle felt no triumph—only that he’d been used.
“I’ll kill you.”
The Apostle gritted his teeth.
Taesan wordlessly drew his sword.
The battle began.
The flow didn’t change. Taesan overwhelmed the Apostle, and the Apostle barely defended.
But no one cheered.
Everyone now realized it was a scripted performance. Their faces darkened further.
“Hahahaha!”
The Apostle blocked Taesan’s sword and laughed.
“You’ll never defeat me! That’s how this works!”
“Maybe not.”
Taesan inserted [materials] into his wrist guard. The guard devoured them greedily.
And Taesan altered the world.
[You have activated Partial World Alteration.]
It wasn’t the world that changed.
Taesan changed himself.
What he desired was control over mana.
[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]
An inky-black chill surged forth. The Apostle’s face stiffened.
“Ghh!”
The Apostle swung his fist.
Boom!
Until now, the Apostle had gained superiority against every power Taesan used.
But not this time.
[Negation Magic] was a fusion of black magic and magic. By nature, it held dominance over all powers of this world.
The Apostle was swallowed by the inky frost.
Crackle!
“…What is this?”
Frozen, the Apostle grimaced.
“You wield a strange kind of power. But it won’t matter.”
Breaking free from the ice, he spoke with confidence.
“This can’t kill me.”
“I know.”
[Negation Magic] held absolute superiority in matchups—but it couldn’t completely defy the laws.
Still, while the Apostle didn’t fall, he couldn’t counter it either.
That was enough.
[Negation Magic] was fused with the power of old gods.
It couldn’t be classified as a normal worldly power.
Black and gold mingled on Taesan’s sword. Ash-gray surfaced.
He swung the [Boundary Line].
“Hahaha! Foolish!”
The Apostle mocked him.
“My god! Grant me your power! Cast all who defy you into the abyss!”
[Authority] descended upon Taesan.
At the same time, Taesan activated a [skill].
[You have activated Choice Exclusion.]
Maria’s [Authority]—a skill that erased the opponent’s choices.
But nothing happened. Taesan clicked his tongue.
“Not an offensive ability, or maybe it doesn’t work on Authority.”
Either way, the God of Fall’s [Authority] engulfed Taesan.
It interfered with him, nullifying all his powers.
That included the [Boundary Line].
The Boundary Line rapidly lost its force. Black and divine light began to separate.
At this rate, he couldn’t kill the Apostle.
Taesan knew that.
This was where it truly began.
[You have activated Frozen World [Negation].]
[You have activated Mana Storm [Negation].]
[You have activated Undying Firebird [Negation].]
One after another, [Negation Magic] activated.
Each time, they manifested alongside the [Boundary Line] and were pulled into oblivion. Their power erased.
The God of Fall’s [Authority] surrounded Taesan. Escape was impossible.
Even so, Taesan didn’t stop.
On the contrary, he gathered more mana and poured out more power. Black and divinity merged once more into a new Boundary Line.
Limitless forces capable of shattering the world began to take form.
“…You—”
The Apostle’s expression hardened. He realized something was off.
[You have activated Great Collapse [Negation].]
A warped sphere manifested in the world.
The God’s [Authority] swallowed it and tried to erase it.
Crackle.
But something was different.
Through the seams of the [Authority] surrounding Taesan, energy began to leak.
It was as if it had surpassed the limit of [Authority].
“…You—!”
Only then did the Apostle realize what Taesan was aiming for.
“You dare… defy the great one’s Authority directly?! Don’t make me laugh! He is a transcendent! You are nothing!”
Transcendents ruled over concepts.
They possessed domains befitting divinity and wielded near-absolute influence within them.
The God of Fall was a [transcendent] who ruled over the concept of “falling.”
Essence’s [Authority] governed laws like “apples fall to the ground,” or “air flows from high to low pressure”—the fundamental laws of the world.
To break such [Authority], one had to control a concept and intervene in law.
Unless one was also a transcendent, it was impossible.
Yet Taesan was trying to crush Essence’s [Authority] through sheer force.
“That’s not for you to judge. That’s my decision.”
It wasn’t enough yet.
What he was attempting was to deny the world’s laws through raw strength.
Even using both [Boundary Line] and [Negation Magic], he still couldn’t break the God’s [Authority].
He needed one more thing.
A power that surpassed immortality. One that could reach transcendence.
Taesan released his demonic energy.
But this wasn’t any other demon’s dark magic.
It was Taesan’s own dark magic.
[You have activated Kang Taesan’s Domain Liberation.]