There was no response.
No additional cue.
Vergil stepped forward.
The blue-cloaked figure vanished for a moment, then reappeared in a single breath, his katana flying straight toward Gabriel's neck.
The strike was cold, fast, and devoid of emotion—a blow born from countless battles.
Metal clashed.
Gabriel twisted his wrist, the pale-white shovel blocking Vergil's katana at an almost impossible angle.
The sharp impact echoed across the summit of the Qliphoth, the vibration running up Gabriel's arm, yet he remained unmoved.
Vergil continued his assault without pause. The second strike, the third, the fourth—all precise, relentless, as if trying to exploit the tiniest opening.
Gabriel stepped back half a step, rotating his body, deflecting each attack with minimal, efficient movements.
No magic. No flashy techniques.
Only timing and control.
They passed each other, then halted a few steps apart.
The wind rustled through the branches of the Qliphoth.
It was at that moment that the system quietly began its count.
Time limit: less than one hour.
The Trial battle had officially begun.
With a smooth motion, Vergil sheathed his katana.
But that calmness was a sign of danger. Without warning, invisible blades tore through the space around them.
SLASH…!!! SLASH…!!! SLASH…!!!
Judgment Cuts rained down, emerging from impossible angles—front, side, behind—each strike born from spatial distortions nearly imperceptible to the eye.
Yet each time, Gabriel had already moved.
His body shifted by mere fractions of a second before the blade fully formed. His Ki detection read Vergil's intent before the space could even tear, predicting the attack's direction while it was still merely will.
As a result, every Judgment Cut shredded only empty air.
The technique had been neutralized.
Then, the pressure shifted.
Vergil took a single step forward.
The space before him collapsed inward.
Void Slash.
The vertical strike was no ordinary attack—it was a fracture of reality itself. The air trembled, the space warped, and the world seemed to be sucked into a single line of destruction.
At the same moment, time slowed.
Gabriel's Gigan output surged sharply.
The world around him shattered into separate frames, like images being pulled apart one by one. Within that split-second gap, Gabriel focused his Ki.
Pale white Mana surged, wrapping the shovel from base to tip.
At the center of his chest, the Hogyoku mounted as Equipment pulsed gently.
No Grimoire.
No additional medium.
Yet the power remained intact.
[- Dark Matter Magic: Michael Endschneide des Leerenlichts -]
SLASH…!!!
Gabriel swung the shovel horizontally, countering the downward vertical strike of the Void Slash.
BOOM…!!!
The impact shook the peak of the Qliphoth. The pale wooden floor cracked lengthwise, dust and splinters soared high, and the air vibrated as if screaming.
Shockwaves rippled outward, forcing both of them back.
There was no pause.
Gabriel and Virgil pressed forward again, pushing against each other. Blows met parries, steps met shifts.
Strike after strike exchanged at ever-increasing speed, until the line between offense and defense blurred completely.
Time kept moving.
Twenty minutes passed.
In the end, the projection of Virgil collapsed beside Gabriel, its head cleanly severed from its body. The figure gradually faded, like a shadow losing its source of light.
Gabriel stood, breathing heavily yet controlled.
Across his body marked a single long slash—cutting from shoulder to chest, as if intending to split him in two.
But the wound did not last.
The torn flesh throbbed faintly, knitting itself back together. Muscles reformed, bones hardened, and blood ceased flowing.
The wound sealed, regenerated by his high Vitality attribute, reinforced by the effect of the Hōgyoku, which refused to let its Master remain injured for long—creating an unnatural healing process.
Gabriel exhaled deeply.
Then he lifted his gaze.
Before him, the system notification appeared, displaying the rewards for completing the First Floor Trial.
Ding!
[The trial had been completed.]
[You have successfully completed this trial in ten minutes and ten seconds.]
[Evaluation Result: S]
[Congratulations, Herald Serial Number 95.111 has cleared the First Floor of the Infinity Tower.]
[You may choose one of the following five rewards.]
_______________
Reward List:
First option: 1 Free Attribute Point
Second option: 1 Free Skill Point
Third option: Full Physical Restoration
Fourth option: Full Mana Restoration
Fifth option: 5,000 System Points
_______________
[Please make your selection.]
Staring at the list of rewards, Gabriel scratched the back of his head.
Not out of itchiness, but genuine confusion.
Options three and four were immediately crossed off his consideration. With the Hōgyoku in his possession, running out of mana or suffering prolonged physical damage was no longer a real threat.
As long as the artifact remained equipped, his body and energy would be forced to endure.
That meant the only remaining options were the first, second, and fifth.
Gabriel paused for a moment. Meanwhile, the slash mark across his chest had fully healed, his skin restored as if it had never been torn. He exhaled softly, then without hesitation chose the fifth option.
System Points.
The most practical and flexible resource for his future plans.
Even so, he couldn't suppress a small sigh, realizing the other two options he had to forgo were quite tempting.
"What a shame," he murmured quietly.
In the next instant, Gabriel's body faded from the peak of the Qliphoth. With a bit of focus, he activated the system, initiating the transition to the Second Floor.
The next trial awaited.
***
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Gabriel had completely shut himself inside the Infinity Tower.
He did not return, did not eat, and did not truly rest.
His body's basic needs were replaced by a constant flow of Mana, forced to circulate to keep his organs and muscles from collapsing.
With the Hogyoku in his possession, that Mana supply was virtually limitless.
The situation reminded one of a certain figure who had challenged the Captains, standing unyielding without depleting spiritual energy—even when facing the most formidable opponents.
Yet, it was not only his body that bore the burden.
The mental strain accumulated mercilessly. Battle after battle against high-class opponents, carried out relentlessly without pause, until he finally reached the Twentieth Floor.
No sleep.
No mental recovery.
Only progress.
As a result of this relentless ascent, Gabriel earned five free attribute points and twenty-five thousand System Points.
Now, he stood in the midst of an expansive desert. His clothing was tattered and torn in several places, while three pairs of wings stretched across his back, shimmering faintly under the alien Infinity sky.
Not far ahead, the body of the Golden Sperm lay motionless, a testament to the battle that had just ended.
Yet Gabriel's attention was not on his fallen opponent.
His gaze was locked on the holographic display before him, showing the details of the Ascension Mission he had submitted.
________________
Ascension Mission Level: Tier Four
Mission One: Reach the 20th Floor of the Infinity Tower with all Evaluation Results at rank S on every floor.
Mission Two: Defeat an opponent with strength equivalent to Authority Level 4.
Mission Three: Complete a Mission in the Meta-multiverse at Medium difficulty under sealed conditions.
Penalty: None
Reward: Authority Level 4
________________
[Mission One completed. You have reached the 20th Floor of the Infinity Tower with Evaluation Results of S on every floor.]
[Mission Two completed. You have successfully defeated an existence possessing power equivalent to Authority Level 4.]
[Mission Three completed. You have successfully completed a Mission at Medium Difficulty under sealed conditions.]
[Herald with Serial Number 95.111 has completed all Ascension Missions for Level Four.]
Ding!
[Congratulations!]
[Your Authority Level has successfully increased to Level 4.]
[The maximum combined Attribute Points has been raised to 300 Points.]
[The maximum Skill Level has been increased to Level 2.]
[The maximum Equipment Tier you can use has been increased to Bronze Level.]
[The maximum number of Worlds that can be stored in your World List has been increased to 100.]
[The Mission World Difficulty has been increased to Medium.]
[With the rise in Authority Level, you now have the rights to access anything up to Bronze Tier. All facilities within the Infinity Room have also been upgraded.]
A series of notifications from the System confirmed that Rian had officially reached Authority Level 4.
Gabriel smiled with satisfaction, then closed all the floating notification windows before him.
"All Ascension Missions complete," he murmured casually. "Time to distribute System Points and Skill Points."
Yet, just before calling up the Status Screen, he paused.
His arms crossed over his chest, head slightly bowed, lost in contemplation that did not come without reason.
Hogyoku.
The artifact was not merely a power booster. It could force evolution, rewrite its user's body, even surpass the limits of a race once thought absolute.
That realization caused the corner of Gabriel's lips to curl into a faint smile.
His right hand reached toward the center of his chest, where the Hogyoku was embedded.
Beneath his tattered clothing, the Hogyoku had fused perfectly with his flesh.
A faint violet-blue energy pulsed across the surface of his skin, like delicate roots beating slowly, as if alive.
Almost simultaneously, shadows of memories flickered before him.
The powerful foes he had faced during the ascent, the pressure that had nearly crushed his body, and the limits forced through one by one.
"I need more power…" Gabriel murmured quietly.
As if answering that whisper, the system notification screen reappeared before him.
Ding!
[Detected!]
[Herald Serial Number 95.111 possesses Equipment capable of influencing Base Attribute and Skill Status within certain limits.]
[Equipment Indicator: Hogyoku.]
Ding!
[With the Hogyoku, you can freely enhance Attribute and Skill Status up to the maximum limit of your current Authority.]
Gabriel's gaze sharpened, yet his smile grew thinner, deeper.
The opportunity had finally arrived.