Trait Hoarder-Chapter 269

The Beginning of War – Part 4

Do I even need to hesitate?

I reached out and placed my hand on the surface of the barrier.

Of course, I didn’t touch it recklessly.

If I ended up mentally contaminated, that’d be a problem.

[World] [Vajra Body] [Indomitable]

[Undying] [Sacred Knight] [Magic Brain]

With these traits active, I made contact.

An immense power surged into me.

This black dome—was no ordinary magical barrier.

It was a fortress of sheer will.

Or rather, a concept. A culmination.

It felt as though some powerful superhuman had taken their unwavering resolve, their pure and unshakable soul, and forged it into the shape of a barrier.

If I had to express that resolve in words, it would be:

[Absolute]

[Invincible]

[Overlord]

It was like watching the Massacre Empress’s [Untouchable] turned into a barrier.

The dome radiated a sense of will.

Even without a personality, the will alone was enough to overwhelm me.

‘What the hell is this thing?’

How did the Saintess even manage to create something like this?

Even if the Old Father had a hand in it, I couldn’t feel any of his usual aura here.

Pushing aside my doubts, I focused.

On World.

On this young trait, whose roots had only just begun to sprout.

VWOOM.

My mana circuits and the World trait began to quake.

Then, the sprouting mana root rapidly multiplied.

Fine tendrils burst out like whiskers.

The trait stabilized and matured further.

It didn’t fully evolve—but it gained a distinct new ability.

I spoke almost without thinking.

“Trait Replication.”

VWWWMMM!

As if it had been waiting for me to say the words, light flared from my chest.

A mana circuit burst forth and projected onto the surface of the dome.

The plant-shaped structure stamped into the barrier like a seal.

The barrier shimmered, rejecting the intrusion—but it was useless.

The pattern compressed into a single seed and floated gently before me.

I’d seen this before.

When Baek Sorin, Janet, and Kali received the big three sword arts.

When I fixed traits in place with diamonds.

But this wasn’t just copying my own traits.

Now, I could replicate external ones too.

“Huh?”

“Did he… did he just copy the barrier?”

“In all my hundred years, I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The transcendents stared, mouths agape.

My disciples’ eyes sparkled like stars.

“Wow! Teacher! What is that?”

“As expected from the Heavenly Demon’s heir.”

“Of course…”

“Teacher, do you know what that thing is?”

I reached out in silence.

Just like when I engraved the big three sword arts—focusing on World, trying to accept this unknown power.

Carefully.

But decisively.

I held it in both hands and brought it to my chest.

Naturally, I expected it to merge with my World trait and grant me a new one—

Fsssshh.

But the moment the trait seed entered my circuit, it fizzled out.

Like someone dumped a bucket of water on a small campfire.

“Eh?”

“What happened?”

“Did you mess something up?”

‘Why…?’

Thankfully, the trait had no cooldown.

I copied it again using World.

Fsssshh.

Same result.

The moment it neared my mana circuit, it lost its power and vanished.

After equipping Bright Eyes, Sixth Sense, and even activating Eye of Fate, I finally understood why.

“This… its tier is insanely high.”

“Tier?”

“Yes. I’d need to be Level 9 to use it.”

That was it.

In game terms—it had a [Level 9] requirement.

Meaning only divine beings or constellations could wield it properly.

The Commander frowned deeply.

“That’s divine power? Something you need to be Level 9 to replicate? That’s insane.”

“It’s not impossible, though.”

“What are you talking about, kid? After the Godslayer War, there aren’t any Level 9 beings left on Earth except a few divine beasts! If even one of them were hunted, Commander Chae or I would’ve known immediately.”

“You saw it too, Commander. The cooperation request I brought.”

“What about it?”

“Ah!”

The Western Army Commander slapped his knee.

“That’s right. The Queen of the Night!”

“The Queen of the Night? Why?”

“You muscle-brained fossil. Think. That document mentioned something about her heart. She’s some maniac who calls herself the Queen of the Night. If she’s that crazy, it’s not weird if she’s hiding a Level 9 heart somewhere.”

“No way… a Level 9 heart…”

No, the Commander was right.

My deduction about the Queen of the Night’s identity?

She’s none other than Mahu.

The Heavenly Demon’s second disciple—and the Blood King’s junior.

Ranked number three in the Demonic Cult. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The Heavenly Demon Sect had clashed with divine beings multiple times throughout history.

It wouldn’t be strange if they had a Level 9 heart tucked away somewhere.

“Commander. There’s something you should know.”

“What is it?”

“The Queen of the Night. I believe it’s highly likely she’s Mahu.”

“What?!”

The Commander jumped like he’d been shocked.

“Why the hell didn’t you say that sooner?!”

“I figured we needed to focus on the war. Even if she showed up, I was confident I could handle it.”

“Well… yeah, that’s true. Only the Divine Army General could go toe-to-toe with you now. Mahu’s a genius, sure—but she’s definitely a notch below you or the General. That’s why the Heavenly Demon passed down the Heavenly Demon Arts to the General alone.”

“Mahu…”

“Heh…”

No doubt about it.

The shadow of the Heavenly Demon loomed large.

Just hearing her name—Mahu—made both the Western Commander and the Tower Master uneasy.

Even my disciples stiffened.

“That’s odd. If they had a superhuman like that, why wouldn’t they deploy her here in the defense? Even if the Saintess is occupied with the ritual…”

“They must’ve had faith in the barrier. And look at us—stuck here flapping our gums.”

“We should also track Mahu’s movements. You said she was dispatched somewhere, right? Wherever she’s gone, it won’t be anything good for us.”

“Um, shouldn’t we be focusing on breaking this barrier first?”

“Take this!”

Baek Sorin swung Masamune with full force.

A vivid blade of Sword Force slashed into the barrier, glowing gray and sharp.

Naturally, it had no effect.

“Let’s go together!”

“Hiya!”

“Hup!”

My disciples joined in.

Kim Chulkwon, Kim Mabeob, Kim Saje—all launched attacks.

They combined their strength and channeled Ultimate Flame.

Other superhumans jumped in too.

Mutants led by Bear Fist and Skull Serpent.

Aquatic humans clustered around five Level 7s.

Still, there was no change.

‘Should I call the dragons?’

I wasn’t sure about beings from the Castle of the Inexplicable, but dragons would arrive fast.

Nah. Dragons, my ass.

Even if I summoned every ally I had, it wouldn’t help.

The black barrier stood like a giant, or perhaps a demon king in the sky, looming over us.

Hoo.

I tried replicating the trait again.

But this time, I didn’t absorb it into my body.

Instead, I held it in my hand and attempted to control it.

I reversed the mana flow.

Fired it into empty space.

FLASH!

Unexpectedly, it reacted.

A single streak of pitch-black light surged out and struck the ground.

And something astonishing happened.

The earth itself began to vanish—erased, as if wiped clean.

No flash, no shockwave, no sound.

Just… gone. Like someone scrubbed it out with an eraser.

The Tower Master jumped to his feet.

“Ultimate Erasure Beam?!”

“No… it’s not that.”

The Commander narrowed his eyes.

His gaze grew cloudy, as if he was tracing back to some long-past memory.

“This feels… familiar…”

Was it just beams?

I tested more.

A sword manifested—Ultimate Erasure Blade.

I loaded it into my Jeongjo Rifle—Ultimate Erasure Bullet.

When I wielded it like Ultimate Flame, it worked just the same.

The Tower Master stared so hard at the trait seed, it looked like his eyes might pop.

“Sir Sword Star… where in the world did you learn that? At this rate, you’ll become a Trait Devourer.”

“Hahaha.”

I thought he was only interested in the barrier trait.

Turns out, it’s my World trait he’s really eyeing.

I just gave a sheepish laugh.

Well, maybe someday it’ll happen.

Like I predicted long ago—

Not just transplanting my traits to others, but devouring and assimilating everyone’s traits for myself.

“Hey, Old Chae. Doesn’t that look familiar?”

“That thing?”

“Yeah, that.”

Both of them looked uncertain.

I held the trait seed out toward the Commander.

“Would you like to try it yourself?”

“Wait, you can do that?”

“Of course.”

I’d already used trait replication to make materials for elixirs.

Passing this unidentified trait to someone else? Easy.

Even if they couldn’t fully assimilate it.

The Eastern Commander reached out—and the Western Commander and the Tower Master subtly edged closer.

“Mind if I give it a shot?”

“Please, Sword Star.”

“Me too, just once… I might be able to design a new magic even beyond Ultimate Flame.”

Says the man whose disciple does all the designing.

Still, I didn’t discriminate.

I handed the trait seed to the Eastern Commander first.

His face contorted instantly.

“Gahh!”

Like he was gripping a burning coal.

Unable to bear it, he hurled it away.

BOOM!

Unlike when I handled it, the reaction was intense.

The light twisted, like ripping through the sky—

Like fractures etched into the earth—

Like veins, spreading in every direction, splitting the space itself.

“Mmm…”

The Commander groaned.

He instinctively turned to the Western Commander.

The Western Commander clenched his jaw.

“Old Chae. It’s that, isn’t it?”

“Now that I’ve seen it… I’m sure. I think so too.”

“Could it really be?”

“There’s no way. Not at this scale. Even he couldn’t replicate something this massive himself.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Had they figured it out?

I asked, but neither of them answered.

Instead, the Western Commander held out her hand.

“Let me try. I’ve experienced this with my own body before.”

“Huh. Commander Chae? What is this thing?”

“You’re too young to know.”

“I’ve told you, I’m over eighty-one years old.”

“Shut it, boy.”

Groan. The Tower Master grumbled.

Poor guy’s getting bullied by both Commanders.

I handed the trait seed to Commander Chae.

She didn’t touch it directly.

Instead, she used a hand woven from illusions to grasp it.

She couldn’t control it either.

Blood vessels popped in her eyes, turning them red and wild.

“Ugh!”

Within seconds, she tossed it away.

Clearly, a very different reaction than mine.

Why the difference?

I pushed the question aside and watched the seed shoot upward into the sky.

It embedded itself high in the air—and etched a single character:

[天]

The character for “Heaven.”

“Of course…”

The Western Commander nodded in recognition.

The Eastern Commander stroked his chin, clearly in agreement.

I felt it too.

That deep, inky aura.

The weight of [Absolute], [Invincible], [Overlord].

And now, this single character:

[Heaven].

There’s only one possible conclusion if I connect all this to Mahu.

Even though I was the one who deduced it, it was hard to believe.

‘Mahu committed something that blasphemous?’

In the game, she’d always been proud and arrogant.

But never came off as especially evil or depraved.

She just gave off the classic martial dominance vibe—very fitting for the Demonic Cult, where the strong reigned supreme.

Ah, well. One thing.

She was obsessed with martial arts techniques. That much was true.

“Sir Sword Star? May I try it as well?”

“Yes. I’ll hand it over.”

I passed the trait seed to the Tower Master without much thought.

Then the Western Army Commander shouted in alarm.

“Watch out!”

Huh? Why?

Just as I handed the trait seed to the Tower Master—

Fwoosh.

The Ring of the Prophet on my finger flared crimson.

And at the same time, an overwhelming sense of danger hit the back of my neck.

It was going berserk.

The trait seed in the Tower Master’s hand began to swell grotesquely.

“Careful!”

I snatched it back in haste.

The moment I did, the mana calmed like a ghost vanishing.

Like a newborn pup curling up in my hand, it slept quietly without a fuss.

The Tower Master looked as if the nation had fallen.

“Why…?”

“Obviously.”

The Western Commander clicked her tongue.

“This is the pinnacle of martial arts. The ultimate truth of all combat disciplines. A mage could never handle it.”

“Hmph. Of course.”

“Ha! You mages always get offended so easily. But you two Commanders can’t use Ultimate Flame, can you?”

“Wouldn’t want to, brat.”

“But seriously, why is this showing up here?”

“Exactly. Not even the Heavenly Demon could deploy a barrier of this scale.”

All the clashing stopped.

Everyone sheathed their swords and turned their ears to our conversation.

Baek Sorin looked puzzled and asked Seo Woojin.

“Heavenly Demon? Woojin, do you know what they’re talking about?”

“Uh… well…”

Seo Woojin glanced between me, the two Commanders, and the Tower Master.

Raised by a prestigious family and well-versed in superhumans, he seemed to be piecing things together.

“Gasp!”

Even Kim Mabeob caught on.

He suddenly inhaled sharply.

“Mabeob? What’s wrong?”

“Hyung?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

Kim Mabeob whispered something into Kim Chulkwon and Kim Saje’s ears.

“Gasp!”

“Gasp!”

Naturally, they gasped as well.

Watching them, I quietly placed my hand back on the barrier.

[Mukho Invincible Sword Art] [Mukho Invincible Cultivation Technique] [Master of the Sword]

[Mana Soul] [Bright Eyes] [Sixth Sense]

From the perspective of a transcendent swordsman, the answer was now clear.

This black dome wasn’t magic, nor a barrier, nor a holy ward.

It was martial arts.

Inner Qi Armor, you could say.

Its sheer scale had masked what it truly was.

Its proper name—

Heavenly Demon Steel Wall.

One of the strongest defensive martial techniques in Arcane Seoul.

“Commander Gu. Commander Chae. Am I right?”

“You are.”

Both Commanders confirmed it without hesitation.

“This is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”