Wrath of the Re-climber

Ethan walked away from the gathering, his mind set on a different path. He had no interest in pursuing the dragon witch; what he truly sought was superhuman strength and the skills to wield it effectively.

"Why aren't you taking her with you?" echoed the voice of his younger self, still harboring resentment over Ethan's decision to leave their childhood friend behind. Ethan gazed at the setting sun, his expression unreadable.

"I have my reasons," Ethan replied, clenching his fist tightly. His younger self considered delving into Ethan's memories for answers, but beyond the flying continent, everything was shrouded in darkness, as if some force was blocking access to those thoughts.

"So, what's your next move?" the younger voice inquired.

"We need to climb," Ethan stated cryptically. His younger self fell silent, puzzled by the notion of climbing, unable to grasp its significance.

*

Iik!

The rune circle glowed; Ethan appeared; the hall of the beginning was basically empty, with few people lurking around; he ignored them and walked towards the pillar supporting the tower.

{Don't tell me!}

"Yeah, to hunt them, we need to climb the tower passing by its center pillar," Said Ethan; it was a dangerous and exhausting task.

Without wasting time, Ethan held Halo and Leviathan; with one strike, the pillar's surface cracked, and the blade embedded itself nicely within; Ethan smiled in satisfaction, "let's go," He murmured.

Bang!

Dang!

Bang!

With one strike, then another, Ethan ascended the seemingly endless tower. Each step brought him closer to the unknown, his determination unwavering. Below, those who had chosen to remain behind watched him with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity. To some, he appeared mad, chasing an impossible goal. But others saw something different—something worth paying attention to.

Among the onlookers, a man smirked knowingly as he observed Ethan's ascent. His fingers twitched subtly, sending out a message through invisible waves. Not far away, a woman received it. Her eyes glowed faintly pink as a triangular symbol etched with intricate patterns illuminated her wrist.

The Faction Mark.

"We may have found a strong warrior, Miss," the woman reported, her voice steady but tinged with intrigue. She paused, nodding at intervals as though receiving instructions from the other end of the connection. "Yes, Miss, he's ascending the tower's pillar," she added, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief.

There was silence from the other side—a moment of hesitation, perhaps confusion. The choice to ascend the tower's pillar was unconventional, even reckless. But those familiar with its history understood the allure. At the summit lay treasures beyond imagination: powerful weapons, rare monsters, and the chance to face a Lord. Yet, the journey was perilous, fraught with dangers that had deterred even the bravest warriors. Few dared to take the risk, and fewer still survived to tell the tale, and yet, here he was—ascending without hesitation.

"If he succeeds in coming back, bring him to me," said the woman with pink hair; she sat on a throne looking down at numerous strong warriors; she smiled at them, "You all might very soon have a new member." She smiled at the army of strong men with a hollow expression.

[Faction of the Pink Rosalia]

High risk came with greater gains, Ethan thought as he struck the wall once more. He glanced down and realized he had made significant progress, passing the point where the floor was obscured by a strange, moving black cloud.

"What's that?" his younger self asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Ethan's expression twisted into a mix of a smile and annoyance. He knew they would come—the vultures of the pillars. These dark, mist-like birds with their sharp silver fangs looked like birds but weren't truly classified as such. They were given a name that reflected their predatory nature and the danger they posed to those who dared to ascend the tower.

[Human Crows]

Their wailing screech, a haunting sound worthy of an award for its chilling effect, was the most unnerving and grating noise imaginable. These creatures reveled in tormenting their prey, delighting in the chaos they caused. They would either drive climbers to lose their grip and plummet to their doom or mercilessly tear them apart midair. True sadists of the skies, these monsters were universally despised, embodying a malevolent force that thrived on fear and despair.

Dang!

Kyaaaaa!

The murder crows swooped toward him, and Ethan instinctively braced himself for the impending impact.

Boom!

Dodging was futile, and defending would only drain his precious energy. Instead, he steeled his body for the arduous and grueling climb ahead, knowing that the summit lay concealed beyond the horizon. Time seemed to blur as days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Before long, only three months remained in his relentless ascent.

DANG!

His body was marked by the repeated assaults from the crowd; Ethan gritted his teeth as he kept on going; the battered back was full of ugly scars, some wounds still bleeding.

Kyaaaaa!

Kyaaaaa

Kyaaaaa

The Crows circled him; this wasn't any encirclement; the numbers had threefold expanded, as it went beyond the natural murder of human Crows.

{Another impact!}

Warned by his younger self, who also faced the burden of the ascension, Ethan did not hear him as he was focused on climbing.

Boom!

"Damn it!" Missing the opportunity to strike the wall, he slipped and fell high...

{Get hold! Get hold! Fast!}

"Shut up!" Shouted Ethan, free falling; he immediately used the momentum of his fall to rush towards the pillar.

Bam!

Hitting it hard, he used Halo and Leviathan to slow the fall; he gritted his teeth, praying for the fall to stop and finally.

Gang!

He stopped, looking up, his bloody gaze was directed towards the crow who screech in the air as if laughing at his miserable existence, "damn bastard " He lost his patience, taking a deep breath, he clenched on halo as he lifted his arm, his muscle of his right hard bulged with terrifying veins popping up.

"Move away from my side!" Said Ethan; he shot Leviathan forward toward the murder of the crows.

Swoosh!

Boom!

The sword dagger drew an arc as it tore numerous crows on its way toward the surface of the pillar.

Bang!

Hearing the sound, he dragged the chains and flew towards the top; as he passed through the crowd, he made sure to slash numerous crows on his way up.

Kyaaaaa ark!

Ark!

Black blood rained down the pillar; he took out the Leviathan swiftly as he ran on the pillar's surface; it was Halo's turn, so he shot Halo, who flew towards the summit.

Dang!

Using the momentum, he flew higher and faster as his speed kept on increasing at the same time, an angry mob of murder crows circled the tower like a sky snake rushing towards Ethan in fury of their dead brothers.

Ethan dodged as he sped up towards the summit. His dagger, tied with his chain, served as a shield, circling around him, but each time, he had to send the next one up, why retrieving the other and defending against the Crows.

Bang!

Bam!

Dang!

Kyaaaaa!

He rushed and burst into the clouds, the sound of the wind flapping at his ears; he got ready to shoot Leviathan the moment he burst out. However, he was met with a pleasant surprise as he exited the clouds.

{The summit!}

"Seems like we made it," said Ethan, grinning widely, his attention shifted towards the murder of crows screeching at him. Their utilization was energy-consuming without a proper mana bank, but with the energy weapons granted by the bracelet, he could use one of them.

"Swift blade!" Added to the electrifying energy from the bracelet, the halo, and Leviathan vibrated in a dark, electrifying aura.

Swing! Swung!

The blades hungrily lashed around, slaying down the Crows into minced meat; the sky was covered in a cloud of dark and electrifying mist of blood.

*

Ethan walked towards the center of the pillar; he looked up and saw numerous giant doors levitating around in a spiral circle, each exuding a terrifying aura.

{What are you taking?}

Ethan had made his decision from the very moment he walked into the tower; to fight the higher beings, he needed a skill equivalent to their absurd strength and power, a skill not only for humans but for gods and beasts capable of slaying them.

"That door." Ethan pointed towards a dark golden door hiding within other doors; it was purposely staying away from the rest of the other doors and exuded zero aurae.

"The calamity door, it's a skill, can cause true death to gods; with that skill, I can kill them," Said Ethan.

{What about the other doors?}

"They are powerful existence within; sure, you would receive a skill upon defeating them and be strong, but that's all; those skills are already maxed out and can no longer grow," Said Ethan, walking towards the calamity door; he placed his hand towards it.

Iik!

A dark substance caught its hand, gradually dragging him within; he left himself to be absorbed.

{You mean that, the skill within this door...}

Ethan nodded, "Yeah, this skill is a living skill that can grow alongside its users." He got engulfed.

Clang!

In a world shrouded in darkness, with barren badlands and towering black mountains under a blood-red sky, Ethan laughed. "This place feels like the final realm consumed by the abyss," he mused, striding confidently toward the menacing wyvern perched atop jagged boulders. "I don't have time for you lesser creatures," he declared, his gaze fixed on the distant, trembling mountain.

From its peak, a colossal dragon Lord emerged, its scales as vast as mountains, unleashing a pillar of flames into the sky with a thunderous roar.