Chapter 230
Just after Yan passed through the hole.
Aquinas, who had been watching the situation contentedly from the cockpit, suddenly stood up.
“This is insane!”
The chains of trials that had been binding Yan were shattered.
This meant that Yan had passed the trial.
A trial that even countless celestial beings had failed!
Aquinas bit his lip and walked out of the cockpit towards where Yan was.
Aquinas was anxious.
‘How on earth did he pass the trial?’
So far, only two humans had escaped the trial.
But even then, only one had truly passed it, and that was the Founder.
The Tower Master had not passed the trial but had used a trick to bend the dimension itself to escape.
But Yan hadn’t used any such trick.
‘Did my eyes deceive me?’
When he first saw Yan, he didn’t feel the same thrill he had felt with the previous two.
Especially the Founder, who was so intimidating that just his gaze was enough to instill fear.
Crack!
Thinking of the Founder, Aquinas ground his teeth and opened the city gate.
He then looked at Yan, who was scanning the celestial patterns with sparkling eyes, and asked.
“…What trick did you use?”
Yan, noticing Aquinas’ presence, turned his gaze towards him.
But he didn’t say anything, just smiled faintly.
Aquinas found that smile very irritating.
It felt as if he was being mocked.
Finally, Aquinas couldn’t hold back and shouted.
“How did a mere human pass the ‘trial’?!”
“I have no idea.”
“…What?”
Aquinas’ face twisted at Yan’s words.
A human who passed the trial didn’t know how he did it?
Unbelievable.
“Don’t spout nonsense…!”
“You don’t have to believe me. I didn’t ask you to.”
Yan pointed Ascalon at Aquinas.
“And even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
He smiled as he watched Aquinas grind his teeth.
“So, let’s stop the chit-chat!”
Yan kicked off the ground and shot towards Aquinas.
Whoosh!
With a sonic boom, Yan’s figure reached Aquinas in an instant.
Yan swung Ascalon horizontally.
Aquinas squinted his eyes and deflected the incoming strike.
A thin longsword had appeared in his hand.
Yan’s eyes flashed at the sight.
It wasn’t because Aquinas had easily blocked his strike.
‘He blocked it.’
Unlike with Merriott and Theo’s strikes, he had blocked it directly.
Yan’s lips twisted.
“It seems you can’t nullify attacks inside here like before.”
“…”
Aquinas frowned.
So that’s why he had suddenly charged, to find that out?
What a cunning fellow.
But.
“If you think that changes anything, you’re mistaken.”
Clang!
Aquinas extended his arm, and chains poured out from his sleeve.
The chains quickly engulfed the sky.
It looked like a net had spread out.
Yan’s eyes flashed as he examined the surface of the chains.
‘The same celestial patterns that bound my father are engraved on them!’
This meant he had to avoid the chains rather than block them.
He didn’t know the exact principle, but they would have a similar effect to mana restraints.
Clang!
The chains covering the sky descended towards Yan.
It looked like a snake opening its jaws to devour its prey, and Yan took a deep breath.
Whoosh!
His mana heart pulsed, infusing his entire body with explosive power.
Yan kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The ground cracked, and Yan’s figure shot forward in a straight line.
His speed was incredible, far outpacing the descending chains.
“…Is this enough?”
Yan put some distance between himself and the chains and then turned around.
He swung Ascalon.
Slash!
The blue energy from Ascalon flew towards the chains.
Boom!
The energy and chains collided, creating a shockwave.
At that moment.
Clang!
Through the thick dust, the sound of metal rang out.
The chains emerged unscathed, piercing through the dust towards Yan.
“Even energy attacks don’t work. What kind of thing is this?”
Despite using a sword energy that only superhumans could wield, the chains’ speed hadn’t decreased at all.
Yan clicked his tongue and kicked off the ground again, launching himself into the air.
Thus began a chase between the chains and Yan.
Aquinas watched the scene with a frown.
“You’re better at running away than the Founder!”
He shouted and waved his sleeve.
The chains chasing Yan began to change.
Whirl!
The chains started to intertwine.
The chains transformed into something akin to a spear.
At first, Yan thought it was just a change in appearance.
Whoosh!
But the chains’ speed increased significantly, tearing through the air with a sonic boom. Yan gritted his teeth and activated his movement technique.
Dark Dragon Art – Ascending Dragon.
Yan’s body shot up into the sky. The spear-like chains immediately changed direction, fiercely pursuing him.
‘If energy attacks don’t work, how do I shake these off?’
Although he had failed to analyze the chains that had bound his father, he had at least confirmed that they didn’t use mana. They seemed to be powered by a different energy, similar to divine power. While Ascalon could stop mana, it was risky to test if it could stop other energies.
If there was no other way, he would have to confront the chains directly.
As Yan pondered his options, he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. He reached behind his back, feeling for the daggers he carried, and pulled out one with a different texture.
Slash!
Even without touching his clothes, the side of his shirt was sliced open. Instead of being alarmed, Yan smiled in satisfaction. It had the same sharpness as he remembered.
He glanced at the item in his hand—a pitch-black dagger. It was ‘Unknown,’ a dagger he had stolen from Momon’s subspace. An artifact with no recorded origin or unique abilities, and it didn’t contain any mana. Yet, its sharpness alone surpassed most treasures.
As Yan debated whether to use the black dagger, the chains had already reached his feet.
“Tch. No choice.”
Yan clicked his tongue and gripped Unknown. He then hurled it at the gaping chains.
Fwoosh!
Despite not being infused with mana, Unknown flew towards the chains at an incredible speed. The dagger sliced through the air and collided with the chains.
“This is insane!”
Yan couldn’t help but curse as he watched. Unknown cut through the chains like paper, extending forward without any resistance. There wasn’t even a sound of impact, indicating how sharp the blade was.
Aquinas was equally shocked.
“What is that?!”
He had been watching with a sneer, thinking Yan would soon be caught. But now his eyes widened in disbelief.
Thud!
Unknown, having sliced the chains in two, embedded itself in the ground. Silence enveloped the area.
Yan hadn’t expected the chains to be dealt with so easily, and Aquinas was stunned that the chains, which filled the sky, had been split without any resistance.
Clang!
The chains that had been ascending towards the sky unraveled and fell to the ground. Yan was the first to move. He pulled out a wire bundle from his pocket and threw it towards Unknown’s hilt.
Whip!
The wire wrapped around Unknown’s hilt and shot back towards Yan, landing neatly in his hand. His face lit up with excitement.
“This is amazing!”
Like a child discovering a new toy, Yan’s eyes sparkled. After a moment of admiration, he turned his gaze to Aquinas, who was scowling on the ground.
With the chains destroyed, it was now his turn.
Yan sheathed Unknown back at his waist and gripped Ascalon with both hands.
“So, it does respond to mana, huh?”
Drawing mana into Ascalon, Yan continued, “Then there’s nothing better than this.”
He slowly lowered Ascalon vertically. Aquinas’s eyes widened in recognition.
“That stance?!”
Yan’s lips curled into a smile.
“Let’s bring this down to earth.”
Ascalon shone brightly.
The Founder’s Second Sword Technique: Suppression.
The force emanating from Ascalon pressed down on the celestial fortress.
* * *
Those watching from outside the Sky Fortress widened their eyes.
It was because of the phenomenon occurring within the Sky Fortress.
“What on earth is that?!”
“Did he really do it?!”
The Sky Fortress, which had been majestically floating in the sky, was now plummeting towards the ground.
Momon saw this and burst into laughter.
[Hahaha! I knew you’d cause a ruckus!]
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had confidently claimed Yan would die just moments ago.
Argon, watching the falling Sky Fortress, let out a sigh.
“If that fortress crashes into the ground, the foundation here won’t be able to withstand it.”
The moment such a massive structure collided with the earth, a catastrophe was inevitable.
Argon’s words caused the faces of the others to harden.
At that moment, Theo stepped forward.
“What if we use our sword strikes to break the fortress and reduce its volume as much as possible?”
Just as the others were about to agree that it was a reasonable idea.
[Kid, is a goldfish your ancestor? Do you think your sword strikes will even reach that thing?]
Momon mocked Theo with a sneer.
His words reminded the others of how their sword strikes had been nullified before even reaching the Sky Fortress, causing their faces to harden.
At that moment.
[Tsk, tsk, can I really leave this to these guys?]
Momon clicked his tongue and looked at the falling Sky Fortress.
Argon’s eyes flashed.
Having heard about Momon’s identity from Yan, he had a rough idea of his abilities.
A wizard said to be comparable to the Founder a thousand years ago.
Argon bowed deeply.
“Please, Momon!”
[You guys have no idea how much this is going to cost me.]
Momon’s lips curled into a slight smile.
[But Yan, that guy, knows well. He won’t let this go unpaid after I saved his father’s life.]
Calculating what he could extract from this, Momon extended his hand towards the Sky Fortress.
A storm of mana began to swirl.
The others were astonished by Momon’s display of power.
They couldn’t even fathom what level one had to reach to control such an amount of mana.
Receiving the astonished gazes of the superhumans, Momon shouted.
[Reverse Gravity!]
As the incantation was uttered, a massive golden magic circle spread out beneath the Sky Fortress.
Rumble!
The speed of the Sky Fortress’s descent visibly slowed.
Theo shouted as he looked at Momon.
“Your arm!”
Momon’s arm was gradually turning into that of a skeleton.
It was likely due to the immense power he had used all at once.
Momon frowned and said.
[Stop making a fuss and get ready!]
Not long after, Momon’s body had completely reverted to a small skeleton.
Thud!
The Sky Fortress finally settled on the ground.