MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

While others seemed captivated by the unfolding scene, Anthony and Lucian remained unfazed.

Their gaze remained fixed ahead, both acutely aware of the ticking timer.

Lucian glanced at the clock before speaking, noting that only five minutes remained.

"When do you intend to begin?"

He asked, his tone unaffected by the dwindling time.

Anthony cast a brief look at the timer, then allowed a subtle smile to play on his lips as he replied.

"Don't you intend to ascend?"

"I have full confidence in my ability to make it in time"
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Lucian answered, his pride evident.

"Hmm… Perhaps we should race to see who reaches the top first"

Anthony suggested, his voice laced with challenge.

Lucian paused, considering the proposition, before responding.

"How about we ascend together and arrive at the same time?"

"Agreed. No problem"

Anthony replied smoothly.

Every eye, save those still engaged on the staircase, was now fixed on the two of them, the youngest participants, both human.

Anthony's eyes shifted to the clock, now showing only two minutes remaining, before he spoke once more.

"Let's begin then"

In an instant, the two vanished, appearing simultaneously on the staircase, poised to make their ascent.

The moment their feet made contact with the first step, their senses warped, plunging them into the illusion.

Yet, this did not halt their progress.

Their feet found the next step without hesitation, and the trial began.

A second per step.

They remained unruffled.

Each step was deliberate, calculated.

Their timing was flawless, unwavering.

As their feet connected with the steps, the very air seemed to resonate with an echo, a testament to their precision.

Anthony's skill, 'True Illusion Immunity', worked its magic, allowing him to navigate the illusion with remarkable grace.

With every step, the illusion's intensity intensified, but it had no effect on him, his skill rendered it irrelevant.

Within mere seconds, Anthony reached the 50th floor.

The illusion shifted once more, but this time, it became more vivid, more intricate.

Before him appeared a scene from his past, his childhood at the orphanage.

He was small, surrounded by friends, playing with other children his age, blissfully unaware of the harshness of the world.

Anthony watched, a detached observer in his own memory, until the tranquility was shattered.

Armed robbers stormed in, mercilessly slaughtering every one of his friends before his eyes.

They left him for last, but just as they prepared to end his life, the wail of sirens pierced the air.

The police arrived in time to stop the carnage, leaving Anthony as the sole survivor of the brutal attack.

Before the illusion could unfold further into Anthony's path of vengeance and villainy, it fractured as he ascended to the next step.

This time, the illusion shifted, he was no longer a child, but a grown man, adopted by a wealthy, impotent couple, and became the sole heir to their vast empire.

He indulged in lavish luxuries, spending money freely, but he also earned it through hard work and found contentment in his new life.

Yet, the illusion shattered once more as Anthony reached the 80th step.

The world seemed to hold its breath as every onlooker watched Anthony and Lucian, their expressions frozen in stunned disbelief.

Now, the illusion continued from a different chapter of Anthony's life, his existence before reincarnation.

After securing a modest job, he steadily climbed the corporate ladder, eventually rising to the position of manager.

He fell in love, and soon after, he married the CEO's daughter.

The illusion shifted once more, this time revealing a harrowing scene, Michael and Mitchelle, his parents, slain by demons.

Their lifeless bodies were then taken over, possessed by the very creatures that had killed them.

Reality wavered again, distorting as their voices echoed in Anthony's mind, cruelly condemning him.

They called him a failure, a son unable to wield mana, and stripped him of the Null name, banishing him from the family.

In the wake of their rejection, Anthony discovered his true affinity for spiritual energy, yet his newfound power did little to ease his suffering.

Eventually, he was killed by an elf from the Forsaken Cult, driven by jealousy of his potential.

Each illusion pierced the core of what Anthony held most dear beneath his seemingly indifferent exterior, touching the wounds of his past that he carried within.

But the Ascension Mirage was far from finished with him.

The illusion contorted once more, and this time, the unknown figure, ???, emerged.

After Anthony reached the zenith of the multiverse, ??? seized control of his body, revealing the harsh truth: he had been manipulated all along.

???, coldly informing him that he was nothing but a worthless soul, one who had died without leaving any lasting legacy, he had never earned his reincarnation.

The Mirage warped again, this time showing a scene where Michael, Mitchelle, Collins, and Irene discovered that Anthony was a reincarnator.

They imprisoned him, torturing him for every scrap of information they could extract.

Mitchelle was the most merciless, her heart shattered as she realized her son had been overtaken by another soul.

Irene, unable to bear the brutality, refused to participate.

Then, Anthony stepped onto the 90th floor.

The Mirage shifted again, this time depicting a scene where Anthony was caught and violated by monstrous men.

His only respite between each assault was a brief hour before they returned, relentless in their torment.

Anthony's soul screamed in agony, unable to withstand the unending pain.

The Mirage twisted once more as he ascended.

Now, both Mitchelle and Michael were captured by a rival family. Anthony was given an impossible choice: which one to save.

The moment he made his decision, he was trapped in an unbreakable loop, forced to relive his torment endlessly.

Finally, Anthony reached the last step, the 100th floor.

The illusion changed one final time.

In this last vision, Anthony saw his real parents, the ones who had birthed him on Earth.

They had returned for him after his college graduation.

Though their lives were modest, they loved him unconditionally.

They had even given birth to a daughter, Anthony's little sister.

For the first time, Anthony felt the presence of the parents he had always longed to know.

Although he was immune to illusions, witnessing this vision threatened to make him falter.

The warmth of his real parents' love was a bitter reminder of what could have been.

But, at the end of the day, he knew they were just illusions, fakes, in the truest sense.

The illusion shattered as Anthony and Lucian reached the summit together, stepping onto the final threshold simultaneously.