Trait Hoarder-Chapter 266

The Beginning of War – Part 1

The cannons open fire.

Like war galleons of the Age of Exploration—thoom, thoom, thoom—the cannon ports open wide.

Magic cannons poke out, their ominous presence marked by barrels inlaid with black-gold filigree and crimson mana gems embedded in their muzzles.

Communications surged.

[Evade! Evasive maneuvers now!]

[It’s a mana cannon strike! Deploy magical shields!]

Drones prepare to fire missiles.

Fighter jets scramble to dodge while simultaneously activating magical barriers.

Normally, that level of defense would suffice.

But against an airship’s assault, it wouldn’t be nearly enough.

I pressed the button firmly.

The Air Force belongs solely to the National Army.

I have no command authority over them.

But I can’t just sit by and watch them die.

“Deputy Commander of the Eastern Army, Warrior Kim, orders all targeted personnel to initiate emergency ejection immediately.”

“What?”

The accompanying National Army staff officer stared at me like I was speaking nonsense.

“There’s no need for that! No matter the attack, the barrier can block it once!”

Bullshit.

I spoke with force in my voice.

“I repeat the order. Emergency ejection. Now.”

I didn’t just shout.

[General] [Command] [Order]

[Leadership] [Shout] [War Cry]

I mobilized every useful trait I had.

This was the best I could do.

Fortunately, the pilots listened.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cockpits ejected across the battlefield.

Some had deployed magical barriers, but even those were pierced, launching the pilots out.

Dozens of fighter jets began spiraling down.

Because all the pilots had escaped.

The National Army officer’s face contorted in disbelief.

“Those discipline-lacking bastards! What the hell are they doing?!”

But it was a wise decision.

In a world where magic and gods exist plainly—

Pilots are usually superhumans of the Warrior type.

And their warrior instincts had warned them of the danger.

Zzzzaaaang!

Finally, the black-gold beam fired.

Dozens of jets.

Hundreds of drones.

And beyond that, anything floating in the sky was hit by the black-gold beam.

The drones tried grouping together to form a shield, but it was useless.

The magical barriers deployed by the jets—same result.

It pierced through everything as if nothing existed, blowing up cockpits, engines—everything.

“W-What the…?”

The National Army officer’s eyes widened.

The sky was burning.

Fighter jets, drones, helicopters—all ignited and fell from the sky.

As if someone had cast a fire rain spell.

“What the hell!”

No wonder the Saintess’s airship was treated like a boss.

[Creeping Apocalypse]

An attack that pierced all defensive capabilities.

A superhuman might withstand it.

Because they have innate magical resistance.

But machines?

Jets, drones, helicopters?

They couldn’t survive it.

Tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground forces—same story.

As long as the airship remains in the sky, no armored unit or air force can get close.

“This is quite entertaining.”

The Tower Master, watching the River Goddess, clapped.

“Time for me to step in. Everyone else, just sit back and watch.”

“Yes! This is when a mage has to shine! Give it a big one!”

“Hoho. Just watch.”

The Tower Master rose into the air with a swoosh.

I opened the hatch for him, and he stepped outside, raising his staff.

Click—his staff transformed into a long rifle. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He began to concentrate.

I felt a tremendous surge of mana.

An energy so intense, so pure, and so scorching—

Ultimate Flame.

In terms of raw firepower, it ranked among the top in all of Arcane Seoul’s magic.

Red fire element gathered and swirled at the muzzle of the rifle.

Fwooooom.

Even the airship sensed it.

Its targeting system locked onto him and deployed a barrier.

A translucent, black-pearl colored barrier with black-gold constellations drifting across the surface.

Could even Ultimate Flame pierce that?

The [Fire of the Ancient God]?

“Die!”

The Tower Master roared.

Click. The trigger was pulled.

A massive fireball shot forth.

Fireball? No.

That was a sun.

A descending sun, trailing fire element behind it like a comet or meteor.

It shook the very vision.

The atmosphere screamed as shockwaves shredded everything in every direction.

KRAKOOOOM!

The shot slammed into the barrier with incredible force.

Shrrrk, shrrrk—sounds of something tearing.

Reality itself was tearing apart.

A world crumbling.

Mana flow ruptured, sending violent tremors through the air.

Anyone could see the barrier and the airship should’ve exploded together.

But I already knew the result.

The Tower Master descended proudly to the bridge.

“How was that? This is the culmination of hundreds of years of the Solar Tower’s magic—the ultimate spell, Ultimate Flame!”

“As expected of you, Tower Master!”

The National Army officer clenched his fist and punched the air.

“Surely even the Saintess tasted the heat! She might’ve taken a critical hit!”

“Hahaha! No doubt about it!”

But only the Tower Master and the officer were laughing.

Everyone else wore grim, stiff expressions.

Why?

Because I was staring straight ahead with a hardened expression.

“Hyung?”

Even Kim Mabeob, the Tower Master’s grandson, looked at me nervously.

The Tower Master noticed and frowned.

“You brat? Your grandfather just made a big play—what’s with the funeral face?”

“Hmph. Hey, Tower Master?”

The Legion Commander, who couldn’t take it anymore, spoke up.

“Quit jumping around and check it properly. I’ve got a feeling it didn’t do much.”

“That’s impossible! This one shot alone could’ve ended that damn traitorous Sword Emperor from back in the day!”

“Ugh, act your age, man. Take a closer look. Aren’t you a mage?”

There was no need to look.

My [Bright Eyes] and instincts already confirmed it.

The airship was completely intact.

That is the [Fire of the Ancient God].

Taking down an airship with artillery alone is extremely difficult.

I didn’t install the Ultimate Flame Main Cannon for nothing.

“Everyone, hold on tight.”

I sat in the commander’s seat and gripped the controls.

[Dragon Knight] [General] [My Home]

[Mana Soul] [Flash Step] [Air Raid]

I activated Dragon Knight.

Through all the traits, I became one with Sky River.

[Be careful.]

The River Goddess whispered to me almost simultaneously.

I saw it.

A flash of ominous red light.

The gathering of mana ahead.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of attacks converging on me and Sky River.

Zzzaaaang!

Creeping Apocalypse activated.

It pierced through Sky River’s mist and the always-active barrier like they weren’t even there.

Flash!

But Sky River wasn’t in that spot anymore.

By the time the black-gold beam tore through space, it had already become a streak of lightning, darting across dimensions.

“W-What?!”

“Guaaack!”

“Oho, now this is fun!”

The National Army staff officer, experiencing this kind of thing for the first time, screamed.

The Tower Master was startled, while the Legion Commander burst into laughter, thoroughly amused.

Sky River had just cut down several kilometers in an instant.

Mana drained away like a receding tide.

If not for the goddess and Sky River’s auxiliary mana circuits assisting me, even I would’ve been gasping for air.

“Director Kim! Mabeob! Priest!”

“Main cannon fully charged!”

“Opening main cannon bay!”

Fwooooom!

The prow opened.

It split left and right, pushed up and down, and the main cannon revealed itself.

The Ultimate Flame Main Cannon.

The only true weapon on Sky River.

Its one drawback: it’s hidden inside the hull during standby, meaning it takes time to deploy.

And once it’s out, maneuverability drops. That’s a given.

Naturally, the other officers got to work in a frenzy.

“Deploy all barriers!”

“Deploy full magical shielding!”

“Fire all weapons! Suppress the airship!”

“Missiles 1, 2, and 3—launch!”

“Gunner stations, full attack!”

Brrrrrat! Fwoooosh!

All auxiliary weapons fired.

Fishfolk and mutants manned the gun stations, pulling the triggers.

Bullets and missiles imbued with water attributes flew through the air.

Their calibers were a bit off for military use.

But thanks to the goddess’s power, they packed serious punch.

The airship’s barrier began to erode visibly.

Swwiiiish!

The airship picked up speed.

Its sails opened fully.

From triangular to square sails, black-gold light shimmered across them, forming wings of light.

Massive mana surged out from the black dome and was funneled into the airship.

Replenishing its spent energy.

But it didn’t stop there.

The cooldowns for Creeping Apocalypse and Fire of the Ancient God were forcibly reduced.

“Main cannon bay fully open! Ultimate Flame Main Cannon is ready!”

“Huh? Ultimate Flame Main Cannon?!”

Even now, the Tower Master widened his eyes in surprise.

I slammed the red button on the commander’s panel.

“Fire!”

“Ultimate Flame Main Cannon, fire!”

Vroooom…

A vibration shook Sky River to its core.

Mana could be seen running through the world tree’s lumber.

The enormous cannon at the prow gleamed with blinding light.

And fired.

Flaaash!

It was a golden dragon.

A radiant golden beam pierced toward the airship.

Had the Fire of the Ancient God’s black-gold barrier not manifested in time, a massive hole would’ve been blown through it.

The Tower Master stepped forward enthusiastically.

“I’ll finish it.”

“Save your strength for now. You’ll need it soon.”

“If you say so…”

We gave chase.

Clinging tenaciously.

The airship tried to flee at full speed—but impossible.

Under the effects of Air Raid, Sky River used Charge, Leap, Quickstep, and Mobility in succession. The airship couldn’t shake us.

Eventually, it opened its cannon bay.

Creeping Apocalypse.

Flash!

I used Flash Step to evade.

The captain controlling the airship wasn’t a pushover.

He delayed by half a tempo—then fired the mana cannon right at the moment Sky River re-materialized from lightning form.

“D-danger!”

The National Army staff officer shouted.

“Hrm!”

The Legion Commander instinctively clenched the armrest.

Meanwhile, the Tower Master cast a barrier on himself and on Kim Mabeob.

Kim Mabeob sensed it and turned toward him.

“Grandpa! Don’t waste your mana! Don’t use it on stuff like this!”

Kim Mabeob was right.

If someone else had been piloting, they wouldn’t have dodged it.

Creeping Apocalypse was incoming in real time.

And I’d just used Flash Step.

But I completely betrayed the expectations of the Old Father’s Cult.

Cooldowns?

Meaningless.

Why?

Because I had two Flash Steps.

[World]

A trait I already had equipped.

My mana circuit flashed, shifting into a different trait.

[Flash Step]

Sky River became lightning again, leaping through space.

Kim Saje shouted loudly.

“Mana is still charging! I need more time!”

“It’s fine. Just pour everything into the auxiliary weapons! Only fire where I target!”

[Yes, Sir Sword Star!]

[Yes!]

I moved my hand precisely.

Where I pointed, a red dot appeared.

And to that spot, the mana cannons, autocannons, and missiles converged.

All weapons personally blessed by the goddess.

Under the effects of [General] and [My Home], the attacks struck with far greater force.

Naturally, the airship’s barrier wavered dangerously.

[Monsters!]

[Get back!]

[Return fire! In the name of the Old Father!]

[In the name of the Old Father!]

The airship launched a counterattack.

In terms of firepower, the Saintess’s airship was superior.

And it carried the blessing of the Old Father.

That intense firepower pounded at Sky River’s barrier and shield.

“Starboard D-7 barrier down! Current output at 56%!”

“Focus the mana! Max out mana circuit output!”

“Urgent need to recharge the Ultimate Flame Main Cannon!”

“Forget the main cannon—focus on defense. Goddess? Will you lend your aid?”

[I shall.]

The River Goddess flew to starboard herself.

She merged completely with the barrier.

And Sky River was further strengthened.

Layer upon layer of water-attributed shielding.

On top of that, a hull reinforced with world tree branches.

Even if mana shells pierced the barrier and hit the ship, it could endure.

“Good!”

“Give it more power!”

“Fire!”

“Let’s kill it!”

There was another advantage.

Even if crew members were injured—critically wounded—they bounced back like punching bags.

Naturally.

Water and wood attributes innately possessed healing and regeneration.

And with the River Goddess fused to it, and the air carrier made from world tree wood?

It was like having dozens of priests constantly at your side just by standing still.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Bang!

The airship and Sky River raced side by side.

Port to starboard, exchanging volleys of cannon fire.

No fatal hits, but the airship was visibly taking damage bit by bit.

Superhumans manning the gun stations or standing on deck using their psychic powers roared with rage.

“What the hell is that thing?!”

“Goddamn it!”

“O Old Father! Show mercy upon your faithful!”

“Grant us power! Power!”

In terms of firepower and defense, they were neck and neck.

But the difference lay in regeneration.

Sky River healed itself even as it took hits.

The airship couldn’t.

Magical drones flew in to make repairs—but were shredded into scrap by autocannons and mana blasts.

“That’s right!”

“Kill them!”

[Kyakya! It’s the blessing of the Goddess!]

[Kill the unbelievers! Kill them all!]

Mutants and fishfolk who usually acted like cows staring at chickens.

Now, they were completely united.

Singing arm-in-arm as they fired their weapons.

In close-range bombardment, Sky River had the clear advantage.

All the trouble it took to bring over the Skidbladnir, to win over the goddess of the Nile, to nurture the tree matron into a world tree—it was worth it.

Fwooooosh!

The captain of the airship must have realized that too.

He overclocked the mana circuits to try and escape.

Can’t let that happen.

If you give the airship distance, it’ll start recharging mana again.

And in a long-range duel, even Sky River can’t guarantee victory.

“Ultimate Flame Main Cannon fully charged!”

“Fire immediately!”

“Ultimate Flame Main Cannon, fire!”

Flaaash!

A golden beam struck the airship’s tail directly.

It was just barely in time.

The black-gold barrier grew like soap bubbles.

But it didn’t seem fully charged—so the golden beam only grazed the airship.

Fwooom!

Flames burst out, and the airship caught fire.

Magical drones swarmed in to extinguish it.

Damage was damage.

The Legion Commander shifted in his seat.

“Looks like it’s almost over? Want me to lend a hand?”

“No, Commander. You’ll have a separate role to play.”

“Hm… huh?”

I brought up the ground status.

The battlefield of the Western Army, under the Legion Commander’s jurisdiction.

I thought they’d be advancing hard—but no.

Three distinct figures stood out.

A gunner riding a motorcycle, darting across the field.

A holy mage with mechanical wings, flying and raining down lightning.

A tank radiating sacred divine light.

The Western Army Legion Commander had deployed himself—but was surprisingly struggling.

Because of the mana and blessings.

Mana endlessly supplied from the black dome.

And hundreds of overlapping blessings.

“Tsk tsk.”

The Legion Commander clicked his tongue.

“Disgusting fanatics. They’ve prepared quite a bit.”

“Would you lend a hand? I’ll descend once we’ve subdued the airship.”

“Subdue it? Why bother? One more cannon shot and it’s done, no?”

“There’s a better way than destroying it.”

In the game, shooting down the airship was the final step.

That’s how Episode 3’s final field, the Divine Kingdom of the Old Father, would open.

But…

I don’t think it’ll go that way here.

In the game, the black dome in front of me didn’t even exist.

“Understood.”

The Legion Commander nodded lightly.

“Then I’ll go play with that old lady Chae.”

Thud!

He leapt down to the ground.

As a Level 8 superhuman, he didn’t need a parachute or magical propulsion boots.

“Sir Sword Star, what should I do?”

The Tower Master stroked his new staff, clearly itching to fire another Ultimate Flame.

“Wait just a little. Once I board the airship, come then. There’s something only you can do, Tower Master.”

“Oh, it’s not a problem… but board it? What do you mean by that?”

“Eh? Sir Sword Star?”

“Hyung?”

I stood up from my seat.

A few steps down from the bridge.

I sat in a strange contraption placed between Kim Chulkwon, Kim Mabeob, and Kim Saje.

No, calling it a “chair” would be generous.

It looked more like a coffin.

Put a shell around it and someone might mistake it for a missile or warhead.

Click, click.

I pressed the buttons, and safety restraints wrapped tightly around my body.

Kim Chulkwon looked at me in shock.

“Sir Sword Star! Are you seriously doing this?!”

Kim Mabeob let out a panicked cry.

“Hyung! You’ll die!”

Even Kim Saje was flailing his legs in panic.

“It’s too dangerous! Hyung! You’re not really going through with this, right?!”

“I’ll be fine. I won’t die.”

What’s the point of a feature you never use?

Even the Tower Master stared at me like I was insane.

“Sir Sword Star. Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m perfectly sane.”

A Level 8 body. Transcendently strong.

The magic circles carved into the chair.

The magic inscriptions inside the main cannon.

It’s possible.

As I fastened myself tightly, I spoke.

“Fire.”

Kim Chulkwon clenched his eyes shut.

He grabbed the protruding lever and pulled with all his might.

BOOM!

A dull shock shook my entire body.

That was the signal.

The seat I was strapped into—the human warhead—dropped beneath the bridge, was loaded into the main cannon, and then immediately fired.

Projectile, away!