SSS Ranked Awakening: All My Skills Are at Level 100 Chapter 426: Ascension Tower Awakening—2

"NO! It absolutely cannot be!"

Her voice, though divine, quivered with an unfamiliar tremor in the desolate expanse.

For uncounted eons, I haven't been dormant in this accursed confinement. This outcome is unimaginable. While my own strength is insufficient to shatter this seal, it has been an eternity since I severed every mystical tether to that wretch. He should be incapable of locating or tracking me, even should this seal falter or break entirely.

Yet, a chilling certainty, born from an unknown source, gripped her with even greater intensity, unsettling her to her core. Precious few entities across the cosmos could instill genuine fear in her, even diminished as she was after epochs of imprisonment. Escaping most perilous situations was a trivial concern.

Why, then, does my heart seize with such profound foreboding?

An alternative presented itself, the only viable path. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she disbanded the intricate divination spell she had painstakingly woven to glimpse Leon's future—a ritual already representing the pinnacle of arcane knowledge.

Its sustained energy expenditure was far too exorbitant. Years had already been fruitlessly spent attempting to chart his destiny, a feat that should have been effortlessly achievable given his current insignificance. This extreme difficulty had already alerted her to his unique nature—a soul seemingly guided by fate itself.

But now, my immediate future demands scrutiny. I must discern the peril that directly threatens me.

However, upon directing the grand divination spell towards herself to perceive her own fated path, she encountered only void. Utter blindness, mirroring the impenetrable obscurity she had repeatedly faced when attempting to divine Leon's trajectory—an absolute inability to ascertain any outcome.

This divergence from the natural order is deeply, profoundly wrong.

Her brilliant intellect arrived at a stark, chilling realization: the current unfolding crisis was inextricably linked to that very boy, Leon. The anomaly she had been observing.

The divinatory arts—in which her mastery was surpassed by only one other being in existence—utterly failing was an unprecedented and disturbing event.

Suddenly, she perceived an approaching presence—vast and inescapable.

BURST!

Her divine essence erupted outward, expending the last vestiges of her carefully hoarded power. The Wheel of Time materialized spectacularly around her—a luminous construct forged from pure, concentrated temporal law.

STOP!

Within her dominion, time itself ground to a halt, suspending all existence in perfect stasis within her sphere of influence.

She stood poised, prepared to utterly annihilate the mysterious force instilling this existential dread. It felt impossibly near—right here, within her sanctuary.

Yet, her ancient gaze fell upon something that turned her divine blood to ice.

The immense, golden circular chamber, circled by myriad concentric rings engaged in ceaseless, intricate rotation—the very prison that had held her captive for innumerable ages.

The ancient divine script adorning every facet of the rings began to writhe and transform before her incredulous eyes. Sacred sigils shifted, reconfigured, coalescing into entirely unfamiliar patterns.

Witnessing this impossible spectacle, her eyes widened in stark, primal terror. Her entire divine form convulsed involuntarily, overcome by genuine fear.

"NOOOO! WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHO DARES?!"

Her voice, laced with desperate panic, pierced the fabric of frozen time.

She could not comprehend the unfolding events or identify the architect behind them, but with each alteration of the hallowed symbols, her heart grew heavier, the oppressive atmosphere intensifying. The source of this fundamental restructuring of her prison remained utterly elusive.

This cannot be! This seal was forged by the Keeper!

She desperately sought to halt the transformations, unleashing her remaining divine might against the changes with every ounce of her being.

But her efforts proved futile; she could not impede the alterations in the slightest. More horrifyingly, all her divine energy was being ruthlessly siphoned away against her will, fueling the prison's metamorphosis through some perverse, unfathomable mechanism.

My own power is being weaponized against me! Used to reinforce my own cage!

BURST! CRACK! SNAP!

Colossal chains erupted violently from seemingly impossible angles around the circular prison structure. Her meticulously maintained temporal stasis shattered instantaneously, like fragile glass—her energy reserves utterly depleted, rendering its continuation impossible.

Though diminished, her divine might remained formidable, her physical form alone possessing immense power even in her weakened state. She could still manipulate ambient mana to alter time to a considerable degree, requiring no expenditure of her precious divine energy.

However, colossal chains swiftly bound her limbs before she could react or mount a defense.

The instant the chains made contact with her divine essence, her soul convulsed in agonizing pain.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Her scream erupted, raw and involuntary.

In the next terrifying moment, she watched her divine body collapse, lifeless, onto the cold marble floor as an overpowering force forcibly ripped her soul from its physical vessel.

Helplessness washed over her—a sensation alien to her being after eons of existence.

She struggled fiercely, employing every known technique, exerting her remaining strength to resist.

I can't break free! The chains hold fast! They're pulling me!

She felt an irresistible pull towards an unknown destination, yanked across space and dimensions by unbreakable chains. Her consciousness frayed, rapidly dissolving like smoke on the wind.

Her last coherent thought before succumbing to oblivion: I refuse to die. Not like this. Not after enduring so much suffering for such an impossibly long time.

Divine tears welled in her fading eyes as her awareness finally dissipated into nothingness.

____

Leon stood resolutely before the colossal Tower, his gaze fixed on the system screen. He watched, holding his breath, as the progress bar surged from 99% to 100% in an instant.

DING!

He had braced himself for a cataclysmic event; the system's peculiar, formal request for permission, granted with unlimited deliberation, had implied monumental importance and peril.

Yet, the outcome was decidedly anticlimactic, almost underwhelming.

The system simply presented a clear, unadorned message:

[Awakening of the Ascension Tower Completed Successfully]

The gate, previously impenetrable and a source of Leon's frustration, now shimmered as a gently rotating portal of blue-white energy. Beyond this transformation, no other dramatic or destructive phenomena occurred.

The ground felt more stable, and the mana flow throughout the area seemed more settled. A subtle, fundamental shift in atmosphere and essence, rather than a visible structural alteration, permeated his surroundings.

That's it? After all the foreboding warnings and ominous build-up?

Suddenly, without preamble, a torrent of system messages flooded his vision:

[You Have Earned the Title: World Keeper (Legendary)]

[A New Item with Potential Beyond Divine Rank Has Been Born Through Your Direct Influence]

[You Have Earned the Title: Creator (Mythic)]

[You Have Become One of the Few Ascension Tower Owners in the Solmyra Universe]

[You Have Earned the Title: Path Forger (Epic)]

[You have become a low-level administrator of the Tower and the Owner of Ascension Tower No. X3301]

Damn! Look at all these rewards!

Surveying the overwhelming cascade of system notifications, Leon's excitement grew as he recognized that the Tower had proven to be an exceptionally worthwhile acquisition, despite the significant challenges, costly sacrifices, and arduous setbacks encountered during its activation.

A genuine smile of deep satisfaction graced his features as he delved into the detailed descriptions of his newly acquired titles, scrutinizing their effects and benefits.

Seraphine, who had stood steadfastly beside him throughout the ordeal, observed his smile, a look of profound contentment and relief. She intuitively grasped that something immensely positive must have finally transpired for him after such a period of intense stress.

That's the expression of someone who has just gained something incredibly valuable.

She felt a surge of happiness witnessing his relief and newfound peace after enduring so much strain and devastating blows throughout this entire taxing experience.