Somewhere in the depths of the universe, a tower stood so magnificent that even if countless worlds were stacked atop one another, they could never reach its peak.
But on the tower's highest floor, chaos reigned. Lifeless bodies lay mingled as if they were mere toys discarded after use. Amidst this carnage, a bloodied figure sprawled on the ground—his arms and legs brutally torn from his body, his eyes gouged out. Each breath was ragged, blood escaping with every gasp, yet even in this shattered state, his indomitable will burned fiercely.
"Aagh... Lucifer, you've won this time. But mark my words—the day will come when even the abyss itself will tremble in fear."
A chuckle echoed as a lone figure stood before him, posture composed. Two curved horns rose from his head like a crown, and his dark, obsidian eyes were fixed on the bloodied mess before him. A wicked grin spread across his face at the words he had just heard.
"Ahahaha... Hahaha!" His laughter echoed through the vast chamber filled with lifeless bodies. He spoke, "It's been at least a million years since I last laughed like this. And I thought you were the worst Tower Lord to ever exist." He strode forward, digging his index finger into the wounded body, making the fallen lord groan in pain.
"It's been Eons since your pitiful gods tried to stop the abyss with this toy. Every time it breaks, they create another. And you—you're the weakest Tower Lord to ever rise."
A faint smile appeared on the Tower Lord's face. "Khugh... I know I was the weakest, but even so, other, far more powerful Lords respected and followed me—for a reason."
Seeing that smile, Lucifer's face darkened. His senses screamed that something was wrong. Instantly, he raised his hand to strike, but the Tower Lord spoke first: "System, initialize Final Sacrifice."
Before Lucifer's hand could strike, a blinding light erupted from the Tower Lord, forcing him to stumble back. The light surged across the floor, and within seconds, it engulfed the entire tower. In the midst of it all lay the Tower Lord's broken body, now beginning to dissolve.
In his final moments, he thought, "I always knew I was the weakest, but what made others follow me is that I possessed the SSS-rank talent, Sacrifice. With it, I could give up anything I owned to achieve what I needed. When I became Tower Lord, I created a command called Final Sacrifice—to offer up everything: my treasures, my soul, and even the Tower of Ascension itself. In return, it would grant a talent beyond any rank to someone worthy—someone who would make the abyss tremble."
Within seconds, everything began to dissolve into tiny particles. Lucifer and the other abyssal creatures stood frozen in place, as though time itself had stopped for them. As the last remnants faded, a faint voice echoed, "I hope my comrades' and my sacrifice will not be in vain."
With the Tower Lord's final words, everything faded into nothingness. The force binding Lucifer also vanished. He found himself suspended in a void, nothing but emptiness around him. Suddenly, darkness erupted from his body, disintegrating nearby stars. He snarled, "These fucking insects—always playing tricks at the end. I swear, whoever the next lord is, I'll butcher him piece by piece, and grill them in front of everyone."
⟡⟡⟡
Far, far above—beyond where any eyes could see—countless beings watched the chaos unfold at the tower. Some raged, some wept, and one was even caught getting a little too intimate with a plushie of the recent Tower Lord.
These were the gods who created the Tower of Ascension—a place where countless gifted individuals from across the universe gather to grow stronger, so that they and their worlds might stand against the abyss's hunger.
A being made entirely of lightning, arcs of different colors crackling around him, spoke in rage: "Tsk... I knew this Tower Lord was pathetic. He couldn't do anything from the start—didn't even last a thousand millennia." This was Voltaris, the God of Lightning.
Another figure, draped in a graceful white robe, had rivers of tears streaming down her cheeks. "B... But he did something g... great in the end," she stammered. She was Lacrimael, the God of Tears.
Other gods began to voice their opinions about the Tower Lord, while some remained silent, assessing the situation. They had witnessed the fall of countless Tower Lords over the ages.
Then a voice, not loud but absolute, echoed from the far side—a presence so massive that words could not capture its true size; even a galaxy might seem small beside him. He resembled a dragon. "The Tower Lord did his best with what he had. We cannot waste time arguing. We must begin the Trial of Towers at once, for we do not know what the abyss will do in the absence of the Tower of Ascension." This was Dracorynth, the cosmic dragon.
Every god agreed, for to them, years pass like seconds. But in the mortal realm, such delays could spell the end for countless worlds—they had no time to waste.
At the center stood a figure in a sleek black suit, glasses perched on his nose—not for himself, but for the sake of countless worlds. In his hand, he held a boundless ledger that contained the secrets of every being in the universe. Flipping through the pages, he announced, "Umm! This time, it's UMW-90221—Earth's turn to participate in the Trial of Towers." He was Archivon, the God of Records.
Upon hearing this, multiple gods spoke in unison, their voices ringing out like an anthem: "So let the Trial of Towers begin!"