Leon reached the gate of the [Heavenly Courtyard].
It stood tall and imposing before him, carved entirely from a kind of white jade he had never seen before.
The material looked smooth and flawless, yet it radiated an ancient heaviness that made Leon instinctively slow his steps.
Countless figures were engraved across its surface, beings with unfamiliar forms, weapons, symbols, and expressions.
So looked humanoid, others clearly did not. None of them matched anything Leon rembered from his past life.
He studied the engravings for a few seconds, committing the feeling to mory.
Then he placed both hands on the gate and pushed.
Creak!
The mont the doors began to part, blinding white streams of light spilled out from the gap, flooding the courtyard behind him.
Leon instinctively raised an arm to shield his face, squinting as the radiance washed over him.
Even with his newly acquired [Vessel of Darkness], this had nothing to do with elental weakness.
The light was simply overwhelming, dense with power far beyond anything he had experienced before.
When the gate fully opened, the light stabilized. Leon stepped inside.
Beyond the gate lay a massive hall, far larger than it had seed from the outside.
The ceiling stretched so high it vanished into a soft glow, and the floor beneath his feet was smooth and pristine, reflecting faint traces of light with every step.
Around fifty statues stood within the hall. Each one depicted a different being, frozen in a unique pose.
So raised swords toward the sky, their expressions fierce and commanding.
Others extended open palms, as if releasing invisible power.
A few clenched their fists, radiating dominance, while others displayed weapons Leon couldn’t even identify.
Every statue exuded pressure. Leon slowly walked among them, his eyes scanning every detail.
He didn’t recognize a single one. At least... not at first. Then he stopped.
Before him stood a statue that made his blood run cold.
It was standing still, both arms joined together in front of its chest. Around its hands, a strange symbol ford from light, an endless loop, constantly shifting yet never breaking: infinity.
"The [God of Eternity]...?" Leon muttered.
He could recognize that grin anywhere.
Even though it was nothing more than stone, the expression carved onto the statue’s face was unmistakable. Calm. Confident. Mocking. Exactly the sa as the one in Leon’s mories.
This was a statue, and yet the pressure it emitted was intense. Stronger than many of the others.
Worse still, Leon felt as if it were looking directly at him. He didn’t linger.
Leon quickly stepped away, forcing himself to breathe evenly as he moved toward the center of the hall.
And there, unlike the others, sat a single statue.
Its form was humanoid, but its face was completely obscured by darkness, as if shadows themselves had replaced stone.
It sat calmly, hands resting on its knees, while all the other statues stood around it.
It didn’t take much imagination to see the implication. All of them were paying homage to this one.
’Am I supposed to pick one?’ Leon thought, glancing around. ’All of these are probably gods... or beings close to them.’
He only recognized the [God of Eternity], but its presence here confird it. This hall wasn’t a place for trials of strength alone. It was a place of choice.
Before Leon could think further—
Ding!
[The "God of Ascension" has chosen you. Will you submit to his will?]
"Huh?"
Leon barely had ti to register the panel before a voice echoed directly inside his mind.
It was majestic. Overbearing. Absolute.
"Bow to , human, and I shall bestow boundless power upon you."
Leon’s vision blurred as the pressure intensified.
"Even gods and beings equal to them will tremble before you. You shall beco the supre existence of [Eternal Ascension]."
The voice grew louder, sharper.
"Submit to . Obey my commands. And this world will be yours to command."
Leon clenched his head, gritting his teeth as pain surged through his skull. The voice tried to dig deeper, wrapping itself around his thoughts.
The offer was tempting. No, overwhelmingly tempting.
He stood in a heavenly hall, surrounded by gods, offered power beyond imagination. Power that countless beings would kill for without hesitation.
But Leon didn’t move. He had seen this before.
Those who submitted to gods were never free. They gained strength, yes, but at the cost of their will.
Their lives beca tools, sacrifices, disposable pieces in gas far larger than themselves. And Leon knew the truth better than most.
He had watched people he cared about die at the hands of those very servants. He himself had been killed by them.
Empty promises. Flowery words. Chains hidden behind power.
Did Leon really believe this so-called [God of Ascension] could make him supre over [Eternal Ascension]?
’No.’
If such a thing were possible, this being wouldn’t need servants. Leon lowered his hands and smiled faintly.
"I think I’ll be stronger if I deal with things myself," he said calmly. "No thank you."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then—
"INSOLENT."
The voice exploded with rage.
"Idiotic and inferior being! You will regret this choice. None who ca here have EVER refused !"
Rumble!
The entire hall shook violently. The floor trembled beneath Leon’s feet as one statue after another began to release power.
Stone cracked. Energy surged. The statue of the [God of Ascension] slowly rose from its seated position.
’Holy shit,’ Leon thought. ’It’s alive.’
He looked around. Every other statue had turned its head toward him.
All their gazes were heavy but showed different things: indifference, curiosity, amusent.
"Death is imminent for you."
The [God of Ascension] extended a finger. In an instant, Leon’s body locked in place.
He tried to move. Nothing. Power surged through him as he activated his skills.
Powerful Fireball! Lightning Strike! Appraisal!
Nothing responded. A mysterious force suppressed everything.
"They call the strongest god for a reason," the statue said coldly, lifting its fist as power gathered around it. "You are vermin."
A bead of sweat rolled down Leon’s face.
’Is this... it?’
You couldn’t die during an assessnt. Failure would simply eject him.
But failing here ant losing everything he had gained. Losing the S-Rank reward. Being forced down to an A-Rank assessnt.
All because he refused to kneel. Was that the real test? Submit... or fail?
The statue’s fist descended.
Then—
The entire hall was engulfed in blinding light. The [God of Ascension]’s statue froze.
In the next instant, it shattered like a mirror struck by a hamr. Stone fragnts flew in every direction.
Then, impossibly, they reversed, reassembling into the statue once more.
A voice echoed through the hall. Calm. Absolute. Unquestionable.
[God of Ascension, I do not like to interfere in matters such as this. But you have no right to lay your hands on a candidate.]
"S-Sorry, Heavenly One!" the [God of Ascension] dropped to one knee instantly. "It will not happen again!"
[Hm. Do not do it again.]
"Yes!"
The pressure vanished. The panels disappeared.
Leon felt control return to his body, though he didn’t relax.
The [God of Ascension] stood once more, glaring at Leon with cold fury.
"Count yourself lucky, candidate," it said. "Begone."
The mont the words fell, Leon vanished from the hall in a blink. Silence followed.
"It is rare for the [Heavenly One] to interfere," one statue remarked calmly.
"It seems interested in that human," another replied. "What a waste of attention."
"We seek servants, not rebels," a third added. "One small human changes nothing."
Most of the beings lost interest imdiately. Only a few remained silent, watching where Leon had stood.
And the [God of Ascension] smiled.
"Leon Rykard," it muttered. "I shall rember this na."
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