Ascension Gates: Rise of the Beast Monarch-Chapter 54: The One Who Falls

The chamber trembled with the relentless force of the ongoing battles.

Fragments of shattered stone covered the circular floor, scattered like broken glass across the ancient hall. The glowing runes carved across the chamber walls flickered wildly as waves of power surged through the ancient formations. Each clash between the guardians and challengers sent tremors rippling through the ruins.

Dust drifted down from the ceiling with every heavy impact.

At the center of it all stood Aether.

His pillar had already been claimed.

Golden light flowed upward along the ancient stone structure behind him, confirming that the guardian bound to it had already been defeated. The runes etched into the pillar pulsed steadily like a heartbeat, resonating with the power of the completed trial.

The Flame Sovereign Pup sat calmly beside him.

Its crimson flames flickered softly around its small body as its sharp eyes observed the remaining battles unfolding across the chamber.

Aether did not interfere.

The trial rules were clear.

Each challenger had to defeat their own guardian.

Only then could they claim a pillar.

And only three challengers would be allowed to advance to the next stage of the labyrinth.

Which meant one of the remaining three challengers...

Would fall.

The ruins had already decided.

---

Lucien’s duel with the Runic Ironfang had grown increasingly brutal.

The massive wolf-shaped construct moved with terrifying strength despite its heavy stone body. Each step from its colossal claws cracked the ancient floor, sending fragments of stone flying in all directions.

Every snap of its jaws carried enough force to crush armor like paper.

Lucien’s silver wolf moved like a streak of lightning across the battlefield.

It circled the Ironfang constantly, its claws striking with precise speed as it targeted the weak points between the guardian’s layered stone plates.

Lucien stood several steps behind his beast.

His posture remained relaxed, but his silver eyes were sharp and calculating as he observed every movement of the fight.

His voice remained calm.

Cold.

Controlled.

"Left joint."

The silver wolf instantly shifted direction.

Its body blurred as it dashed toward the guardian’s rear leg.

Its claws slashed across the exposed joint.

Stone cracked loudly.

The Ironfang roared with metallic fury as the attack damaged its structure. Its massive head whipped around, jaws snapping toward the silver wolf with crushing force.

Lucien smirked faintly.

"Too slow."

The silver wolf vanished from sight.

Then reappeared above the guardian’s massive body.

Its fangs plunged into the glowing rune embedded in the Ironfang’s neck.

CRACK.

Energy exploded outward from the damaged rune.

The massive construct staggered as its internal runic network destabilized.

Lucien slowly raised his hand.

"Finish it."

The silver wolf obeyed instantly.

Silver energy gathered around its claws as it launched a final devastating strike.

The energy surged directly into the rune core.

The Ironfang froze.

Then its entire body shattered apart into lifeless stone fragments.

The summoning circle beneath it dimmed immediately.

Lucien’s pillar ignited with brilliant golden light.

The chamber’s ancient voice echoed calmly through the hall.

"Pillar claimed."

Lucien stepped forward slowly.

His silver wolf returned to his side as the golden light stabilized around the pillar.

Two pillars were now complete.

Two challengers remained in battle.

---

Across the chamber, Rylan’s fight had become a chaotic storm of destruction.

The Abyss Coil Serpent was enormous.

Its massive body was easily three times larger than Rylan’s companion.

Crystalline scales shimmered along its body like hardened gemstones, deflecting many attacks while its monstrous tail strikes could smash entire sections of the chamber floor.

Water energy surged through the battlefield like crashing waves.

Explosions of liquid power burst across the stone ground with every strike.

Rylan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth as he stepped back from the battle.

"Alright..." he muttered.

"This thing is getting annoying."

His serpent hissed angrily as it twisted its body to dodge another crushing tail strike.

Lightning crackled across its scales as it gathered energy for another attack.

A bolt of lightning shot forward and struck the guardian directly.

But the massive serpent barely slowed.

The Abyss Coil Serpent opened its enormous mouth.

Water energy condensed rapidly inside its jaws.

Then it released a massive blast of pressurized water.

Rylan barely dodged to the side.

The attack smashed into the chamber wall behind him, leaving a deep crater in the ancient stone.

Fragments rained down across the floor.

Rylan exhaled slowly.

"Okay."

He cracked his neck.

"No more playing around."

His serpent’s scales began glowing brighter.

Electricity surged violently along its body.

The next clash would decide the battle.

---

But the most dangerous fight in the chamber was happening on the opposite side.

The silver-armored woman was struggling badly.

The Colossus Sentinel towered above her like a walking fortress carved from ancient marble.

Her stone panther had managed to chip away several sections of its outer armor, but the construct remained overwhelmingly powerful.

Each hammer-like strike from its massive fists shook the entire chamber.

The woman slid across the floor after barely blocking another crushing blow.

Her armor was cracked in several places.

Her breathing had become heavy and uneven.

But her eyes still burned with determination.

"Again," she whispered.

Her stone panther roared and leaped forward once more.

Its claws slammed into the guardian’s chest, tearing away another fragment of marble armor.

For a brief moment—

The glowing rune core inside the construct’s torso became visible.

The woman saw it immediately.

"That’s the core!"

She rushed forward without hesitation.

Her sword began glowing with concentrated energy as she aimed directly for the exposed rune.

But the Colossus Sentinel moved faster than expected.

One enormous arm swung downward with crushing force.

The blow struck both the woman and her panther.

The ground exploded beneath them.

The woman’s body crashed violently across the stone floor.

Her sword slid from her grasp and skidded across the chamber.

The panther struggled to rise beside her.

The Colossus Sentinel slowly turned toward them.

Its glowing eyes burned brighter as it raised its massive arm again.

The woman tried to stand.

But her body refused to move.

She had already pushed herself far beyond her limits during the previous trials.

Across the chamber—

Rylan noticed.

"...Damn."

Lucien watched silently.

Aether remained calm.

Because the ruins had already made their decision.

The Colossus Sentinel’s hammer-like arm came down.

The chamber shook violently.

Stone dust filled the air.

For a moment nothing could be seen.

Then the dust slowly settled.

The silver-armored woman lay unconscious on the ground.

Her stone panther had collapsed beside her.

The guardian stood motionless.

The summoning circle beneath it dimmed.

Then the chamber’s ancient voice spoke.

Cold.

Absolute.

"Challenger defeated."

The runes across the chamber shifted.

A beam of teleportation light surrounded the woman and her beast.

Within seconds—

They vanished from the trial.

Removed completely from the ruins.

The chamber fell silent for a brief moment.

Three challengers remained.

---

Rylan exhaled slowly.

"Well..."

He glanced at the empty space where the woman had stood only moments earlier.

"...that answers that."

His serpent hissed beside him.

The Abyss Coil Serpent attacked again, lunging forward with enormous jaws.

Rylan grinned.

"Guess we’re the final three then."

Electricity surged across his beast once more.

"Let’s finish this."

The battle resumed with explosive force.

Lightning crashed across the chamber as Rylan’s serpent wrapped its body tightly around the guardian.

The Abyss Coil Serpent thrashed violently as it struggled to break free.

But Rylan shouted.

"Now!"

His serpent unleashed a concentrated lightning strike directly into the guardian’s exposed head.

The blast exploded across the chamber like a thunderstorm.

The massive guardian froze.

Then collapsed heavily onto the stone floor.

The summoning circle faded away.

The final pillar ignited with golden light.

The chamber’s voice spoke once again.

"Pillar claimed."

The trial had ended.

---

The chamber slowly grew quiet.

The glowing runes across the floor stabilized as the violent energies faded.

Three pillars now burned with golden light.

Aether.

Lucien.

Rylan.

The final survivors of the trial.

The voice of the ruins echoed one last time.

"Final Selection Trial... complete."

"Three challengers remain."

The massive circular floor suddenly began shifting again.

Ancient stone mechanisms groaned as sections of the chamber slowly rearranged themselves.

At the far end of the hall, a colossal stone gate slowly rose from the ground.

Ancient symbols covered its entire surface. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Energy flowed across it like streams of living light.

Rylan stared at the enormous gate.

"...Well."

He whistled softly.

"That definitely looks important."

Lucien’s silver wolf growled quietly as it sensed the power coming from beyond the gate.

Lucien himself remained silent as he studied the structure carefully.

Aether looked at the gate calmly.

But deep within the ruins...

Inside a hidden sealed chamber far below the labyrinth...

The mysterious observer continued watching everything.

Three challengers had reached the final stage.

Exactly as the ruins had intended.

Yet something was different this time.

Because one of them...

Did not follow the laws of the ruins.

The projection displayed Aether standing quietly before the massive gate.

The ancient runes surrounding the chamber flickered again.

Reacting to his presence.

The observer leaned forward slightly.

Curiosity growing stronger.

Because beyond that gate...

Lay the Inner Sanctum.

And within it—

The being sealed at the heart of the ruins.

For centuries the ruins had waited for someone to reach this point.

Now the final stage would begin.

And soon...

The truth hidden within the ancient labyrinth would finally awaken.