It was neither the path of ascension, nor the path of ritual, nor the path of corruption...
But the path of the clergy, or rather, the path of the priest.
It was precisely because Julius's vision was so short-sighted that he hadn't realized Father Ludwig wasn't merely offering him an empty promise.
The jealousy burning fiercely in his heart, the shock of seeing a dazzling star rise from his grasp—the Gold-ranked Transcendents were no longer just high and unreachable legends, but close at hand, and he himself could very well block their path.
It was this sense of "control" that could erase the intense inferiority complex brought about by the sense of distance. To confront the jealousy within his heart, to pursue visible goals with full confidence and effort... that too was a form of the desire for ascension.
It was enough to ignite his desires, elevating the obstacles that had stymied him to the level of Gold.
