Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 - Chapter 266

Chapter 266: History of Ascendants
The Old Saintess nodded. “Yes. Just like that. Never to be seen again… for centuries.”

Her next words sent a chill down Max’s spine.

“Until suddenly, a new group of people appeared— Ascendants. ”

Max’s breathing slowed.

“They were mysterious.”

“People only ever heard their name—but never actually saw one.”

Her expression turned grim, her tone lower.

“But strangely… rumors of the Ascendants spread across all of Acaris.”

“Rumors that they were the strongest beings in the entire world.”

Max’s brows furrowed.

“And then?” he asked, his voice steady.

The Old Saintess exhaled slowly.

“It took another millennia before they finally revealed themselves to the world.”

Max could feel it—her next words were going to be crucial.

Then she turned to him, staring directly into his eyes.

“And do you know what the first thing they did after revealing themselves was?”

A strange heaviness filled the air.

Max’s heart pounded once.

He held his breath.

“…What?” he asked.

The Old Saintess’s smile darkened.

“They declared an Ascension Ceremony against a genius of that time.”

Max’s eyes widened slightly.

An Ascension Ceremony?

The Old Saintess continued, her tone cold and filled with bitterness.

“At first, people resisted. They didn’t agree to the rules of the Ascension Ceremony—saying it was unfair, unjust, that it made no sense.”

She shook her head.

“Many geniuses outright refused to take part.”

Max listened carefully.

But then—

Her next words sent a chill through his spine.

“That all changed… when Cain appeared.”

Max’s body stiffened.

“Cain?”

The Old Saintess’s eyes turned colder as she spoke.

“Cain oversaw the situation personally. And to make a statement—he destroyed dozens of cities filled with innocent people.”

Max’s face darkened.

Tens of cities, just wiped off the map—just like that?

He clenched his fists tightly, feeling an unfamiliar sense of rage bubbling within him.

The Old Saintess continued, her voice growing heavier.

“After that… he made his next move.”

She paused, then stared directly at Max.

“He gave a simple command—’If any of the candidates refused to take part in the Ascension Ceremony, then I will destroy the entire faction they are from… along with everything in a thousand-mile radius.'”

Max’s breathing slowed.

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

This was slaughter.

It was a display of absolute dominance.

And from the way the Old Saintess spoke, this wasn’t an isolated incident.

It was something systematic. Something repeated.

Max’s jaw tightened.

“And what happened next?” he asked, his voice low.

The Old Saintess continued, her voice laced with a mix of anger, bitterness, and resignation.

“Since then, nobody rejected the Ascension Ceremony anymore. Even if they were dissatisfied with the rules, they had no choice but to comply.”

Max felt a deep unease settle in his chest.

“But every single genius who ever participated… they were defeated.”

Her words hung in the air.

“Easily. Effortlessly.”

Max’s expression hardened.

The Ascendants were playing with them—announcing a ceremony, forcing the world’s strongest geniuses into it, and then crushing them as if they were nothing.

But then—

The Old Saintess’s expression darkened even further.

“But it wasn’t that there were no geniuses who could fight back.”

Max’s breath hitched slightly.

“There were. Hundreds of thousands of them.”

“Geniuses who almost defeated the warriors from the Ascendants.”

Almost?

Max scoffed.

He could already hear what she was about to say.

Then—

The Old Saintess’s next words proved him right.

“But then the worst happened.”

“They transformed into Nulls.”

Max’s fingers tightened into fists.

“And the rest… is history.”

Silence.

Nulls.

The same creatures that had appeared out of nowhere ten thousand years ago.

The same creatures that had waged war, only to suddenly vanish.

And now—they were appearing again.

Both after the war ten thousands years ago.

And now in his time.

The Old Saintess exhaled, shaking her head.

“Since then, nobody has ever won an Ascension Ceremony.”

Her next words carried a weight that felt suffocating.

“This has been going on for ages.”

“For thousands of years—Ascendants have appeared, issued an Ascension Ceremony, challenged the greatest geniuses of our world… and crushed them.”

Max’s mind was spinning.

This was far worse than anything he had imagined.

Then—

The Old Saintess looked straight into his eyes.

“But that all changed.”

“Not until a day ago, that is. When someone won in the Ascension Ceremony.”

Max sat there, stunned.

The sheer weight of what he had just heard crashed down on him.

For thousands of years, every genius who had participated in the Ascension Ceremony had been defeated. Every single one.

Not just beaten—but crushed effortlessly.

And those who came close to victory?

They had transformed into Nulls.

It was a cycle—a brutal, unbreakable pattern that had continued for nearly ten thousand years.

Until yesterday.

Until him.

Only he had managed to win.

Max’s hands clenched into fists, his mind racing.

The Old Saintess fixed Max with a serious gaze, her tone carrying the weight of warning.

“Therefore, Max, you need to be on high alert.”

Her words made his shoulders tense, but he didn’t react outwardly.

“You are the only individual in ten thousand years who has ever won an Ascension Ceremony.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“And that makes you an even bigger target for the Ascendants.”

Max’s breath steadied, his expression unreadable.

“God knows what their plans are.”

The Old Saintess’s voice darkened.

“But what we do know… is that it won’t be anything good.”

Max remained silent.

“Considering their past actions, we can be sure of one thing—”

Her eyes locked onto his, sharp and filled with a warning.

“You have now become their prime target.”

A heavy pause.

“So, Max—”

“Be extra careful.”

Max exhaled slowly, absorbing everything.

The Ascendants weren’t just some powerful organization.

They were something far worse—something ancient, something that had been manipulating the world for millennia.

And now—he was in their sights.

Max’s fingers tightened slightly before he loosed them.

He thought for a moment before calmly shook his head.

Max exhaled slowly, then stood up, a small smirk forming on his lips.

“Yeah, you’re right. But for now— I’m safe.”

His voice was calm, but there was a steadiness behind it.

“I don’t want to waste time overthinking something I can’t control. I’ll deal with whatever comes my way when it happens.”

His gaze sharpened, a flicker of determination in his eyes.

“For now, I just have to make sure I’m getting stronger with each passing day.”

The Old Saintess and Klaus exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

Max stretched slightly, then grinned.

“And the best way to do that?”

His fingers cracked slightly as he clenched a fist.

“Training.”

This wasn’t fear.

This wasn’t hesitation.

This was resolve.