Trait Hoarder-Chapter 277

Realized Prophecy – Part 2

Awakening failure!

Something that should’ve been nearly impossible.

The entire capability of Poca Cult had been devoted to this day for the past fifteen years.

So what does that mean?

It clearly means an external factor intervened.

The moment I heard it, I shot to my feet.

“Let’s go.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Was it just the awakening that failed, or are there other complications?”

“I-I’ll explain on the way.”

The ritual site wasn’t far.

I grabbed my weapons and followed the archbishop.

The air was tense.

Shouts, screams, and sobs echoed in the distance like rolling thunder.

Even inside the Temple Palace, the archbishop spoke under a sound barrier.

“Lord Poca coughed up blood.”

“Blood?”

“Yes. They said… it looked like poisoning…”

“Poisoning? Is that even possible?”

Even in Joseon-era Korea, royal food tasters were everywhere.

And now? We’re talking about the holy child of a massive 21st-century cult.

No doubt the security was airtight.

Nearly impenetrable.

The archbishop groaned.

“I don’t know how…”

We finally arrived at the ritual site.

Several Paladins stood guard, their expressions grim.

When the archbishop tried to enter, a halberd with a cannon attached blocked his path.

“Pardon me, Archbishop. We’ll need to search you first.”

“A body search? I believe I’ve already undergone soul inspection and mana signature scans. And now you want a body search?”

The archbishop frowned deeply.

But the Knight Commanders didn’t budge an inch.

With hardened faces, they repeated their stance like a broken record.

“Our apologies, but these are extraordinary circumstances. It’s a direct order from the Grand Archbishop. We ask for your cooperation.”

“Haa… fine. Just hurry up.”

The archbishop stiffly raised both arms.

One of the Paladins turned to me and spoke in a businesslike tone.

“You’re not an exception either, Knight of Paul.”

“I understand. It’s only natural.”

After the body search, we entered the ritual site.

An underground cavern.

A massive sinkhole had opened in the center, with lava bubbling deep within.

Suspended above it was a layered 3D magic array.

WEEE-UNG. WEEE-UNG.

Residual mana sparked violently from the awakening ritual.

That didn’t matter.

What mattered was the boy lying to the side of the cavern.

Barely looked like a middle schooler.

But immense mana pulsed from his heart.

A deathly pale face and limbs darkened to black.

That was the Sage Incarnate, Poca.

“Keep healing him!”

“Shut down the ritual! Shut it down now!”

“No! If the ritual’s mana is cut, Lord Poca will die instantly!”

“Fuck! If this continues, he’s going to die from a mana overload!”

“I’ll reduce the mana infusion speed as much as possible!”

“Damn it! I said heal him harder! His heart and lungs are going to disintegrate at this rate!”

Complete chaos.

The archbishops ran around like novice apprentice priests.

Frantically adjusting the mana flow into the magic circle, clinging to the collapsed Poca and pouring out divine power in a frenzy.

I calmly watched Poca.

I could see it.

A writhing force clustered around his heart, pulsing ominously.

A blackness darker than ink, deeper than the Mariana Trench.

It was familiar.

The same power I’d seen over and over again in Gwangju, in the Heavenly Demon Cult.

‘Why is this coming out here?’

Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Or rather, a poison refined from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

That’s the only way to describe the power eating away at Poca.

It had nearly consumed his heart, and was now spreading toward his lungs and stomach.

If the archbishops, including the Grand Archbishop, weren’t relentlessly casting healing spells, he would’ve been dead already.

The archbishop stomped his feet in panic.

“Lord Sword Star! What do we do? We’ve sent a request for aid to the Mama Quilla Cult, but it’ll take at least a few hours for a Sage Incarnate to arrive!”

Because of all the restrictions placed on Sage Incarnates.

Otherwise, during the Wraith King incident, one would’ve arrived before I even had the chance to act.

“It’s fine.”

“Pardon?”

“Bringing me here was divine providence. I’ll stop it.”

The archbishop looked at me with a glimmer of hope.

“I believe you, Lord Sword Star. Lord Poca prophesied that you would be the one to save her. I only pray that prophecy is fulfilled.”

He may be weaker than the other archbishops in terms of divine power and level.

But in terms of judgment and leadership, he was top class.

The fact that he had rushed to bring me here, even amidst this madness, proved it.

The poison of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Now that the Heavenly Demon is dead, who else but me or the Divine Army General could suppress it?

I approached Poca.

“Who… mm? Lord Sword Star?”

The Grand Archbishop scratched his brow, then relaxed upon seeing me.

But only for a moment.

He quickly returned to a blank expression and turned away.

“Thank you for your willingness to help, but there’s nothing a Warrior can do here.”

“No.”

I spoke with conviction.

“The poison Lord Poca has suffered can only be neutralized by a Warrior. Not a Priest.”

“What are you saying?”

“Step aside.”

I grabbed the Grand Archbishop by the shoulder and moved him aside.

“Wha—” he stammered, stumbling along.

I sat in his place and reached toward Poca.

Just as the archbishops were about to protest, I activated a copied trait.

My hand turned black.

As expected, it didn’t inscribe into my mana circuit.

But I could still control the Heavenly Demon Divine Art gnawing at Poca.

‘Slowly…’

The technique was simple.

Just like I’d done before.

Like when I detoxified the poison of the Iron Scorpion back in Shinwon Market.

The only difference was that it wasn’t my body this time.

I guided the black energy.

With my left arm—closest to the heart.

Little by little, drop by drop, as if scraping it together.

My veins melted.

Muscle, flesh, nerves—everything was disintegrating.

It was vicious.

Worse than any poison I’d ever encountered.

If I had been hit with this poison myself, even with [Indomitable] and its evolved form combined, I doubt I could’ve endured.

But since I was applying it externally, on someone else’s body, it was easier.

“It’s w-working!”

“The poison is reacting!”

“Regenerate the heart! Focus on the heart!”

Divine power struck the chest like a barrage.

Slowly, the heart began to regenerate.

His lungs and stomach recovered as well.

Now, the only thing left was the concentrated poison gathered in the right arm.

The archbishop who had brought me shouted triumphantly.

“Let’s cut it off! An arm is easily regenerated! After that, we can resume the ritual!”

So the ritual hadn’t completely failed yet.

I waved my hand to stop the archbishop.

“It’s not healed yet.”

“Pardon? But the poison’s all in the arm now…”

“This thing… its roots are embedded in the entire mana circuit. It’s feeding off the mana supplied by the awakening ritual and growing.”

“T-That can’t be.”

“Can the ritual be stopped? We’ll need to shut it down if we want to completely eliminate this.”

“T-That’s…”

The archbishop looked pained and turned to the Grand Archbishop.

The Grand Archbishop closed his eyes tightly before speaking.

“We cannot.”

“Why?”

“It’s…”

Is this some kind of classified secret?

The Grand Archbishop hesitated for a long time.

Only when I stared him down with silent pressure did he finally confess.

“If an awakening ritual fails once… the Sage Incarnate becomes an ordinary human.”

Ah. So that’s it.

The loss of an 8th-level transcendent and a figure of faith—permanent.

For Poca Cult, it would be utterly unacceptable.

And a total disaster for me, too.

“So what you’re saying is, stopping the ritual is not an option.”

“Yes. No matter the sacrifice, the ritual must succeed. We are already prepared.”

The Grand Archbishop bit his lower lip.

The other archbishops clenched their fists, bracing themselves.

They were ready to use sacrificial magic if necessary to ensure success.

What to do?

How can I remove the root and neutralize this poison?

‘Though… something’s odd.’

Was it the Saintess? Or did the Old Father act directly?

What kind of trick could turn the martial art of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art into a massive barrier and refine it into a poison like this?

[ [Eye of God] ]

I evolved [Bright Eyes] and scanned thoroughly.

I added in Gold Eye, Prophet’s Loop, and even Destiny Eye.

Also equipped were [Sixth Sense], [Magic Brain], and [Rapture], any trait that might help.

Poca’s divine body unfolded clearly in my mind.

Human, yet not quite.

Something far more transcendent, far more refined.

‘This is incredible.’

I’ve reconstructed my own body four times.

But Poca’s physique surpassed mine.

It wasn’t a mortal body (身體)—it was a divine body (神體).

The body of a Sage Incarnate.

Its form and structure etched instinctively into my mind.

Who knows?

Maybe one day, through a trait evolution, I’ll gain a body like that—something close to a Sage or a demigod.

‘There it is.’

In that beautiful, intricate construction that resembled a divine machine—

I spotted the black energy, grown deep like a poisonous mushroom.

The root of the poison.

I grasped it gently.

With the trait of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in my hand.

Carefully—like a surgeon during brain surgery—I applied delicate force.

But it didn’t budge.

Not even the slightest twitch.

Even as I willed it again, the result was the same.

It was acting entirely separate from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art embedded in my hand.

‘This isn’t the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?’

I observed it again.

Focused my entire consciousness on the root of the poison.

And then I saw its true nature.

Not martial power.

But divine power.

A divine force that held both darkness and light, evil and purity at once.

“Old Father…”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“This isn’t just a poison.”

“Of course it isn’t—”

“It’s martial power and poison, and at the same time, it’s a curse.”

“Pardon?”

It infects the target in the form of poison.

Destroys internal organs through internal martial arts.

Interferes with healing through its cursed nature.

And at the center of it all is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?

They really went all in on this.

‘Even someone who could wield the Heavenly Demon Divine Art wouldn’t have been able to save Poca if they couldn’t break the curse.’

It was a perfect plan.

That is, if it weren’t for me.

If I hadn’t visited the Heavenly Demon Cult.

If I hadn’t mastered mimicking the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

I stood up without hesitation.

“Seal it first.”

“Seal?”

“Yes. A divine seal. He should be able to hold on for about a day. And keep the awakening ritual going as much as possible. I’ll break the curse in the meantime.”

“Do you… know how to do that?”

“Of course. First, gather all the suspects. Not just the ritual participants. I need everyone who had contact with Lord Poca.”

“Yes. We’ve already gathered them.”

Poca Cult had maintained airtight security for fifteen years.

Even when I met with Poca, they staged it like an audience with the Grand Archbishop.

Naturally, only a tiny handful had direct access to him. And the moment the ritual went wrong, they were all rounded up and confined.

Priests and Holy Knights.

Only those two groups.

There weren’t any ordinary servants or maids at all.

Cooking, cleaning, and serving—everything was done directly by priests and knights.

As I entered the temporary prison, the cries erupted.

“Your Eminence, Grand Archbishop! Lord Poca—how is he? Is he safe?”

“Is he alright? He’s alright, isn’t he?”

“You can lock us up forever if you must! But Lord Poca must awaken safely!”

“May infinite glory and power be upon the God who is eternally reborn!”

Was it because their god truly existed in this world?

Or maybe because their one-way ticket to Mama Quilla’s heaven was already booked?

Every priest and Holy Knight behind the bars was obsessively worried about Poca like zealots.

As if they’d gladly die if it meant Poca’s awakening would succeed.

“Silence.”

The Grand Archbishop spoke in a heavy voice.

“The Knight of Paul has treated Lord Poca’s injuries. He will be fully healed soon.”

“Ohh! Thank you for your grace!”

“Thank you, thank you! O Savior of São Paulo, O Knight of Paul!”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Please, just say the word! We’ll tell you everything we know!”

The priests and Holy Knights all leaned their bodies through the bars.

Not a single one held back.

Their eyes sparkled with joy.

Even in captivity, a natural divine radiance emitted from them.

The Grand Archbishop furrowed his brow with a troubled expression.

“Could the one who cast the curse really be among them?”

The universal method for breaking curses.

Kill the caster.

“No way to know. But at the very least, the executor is here.”

Formulation and enchantment were likely done by the Old Father—or the Saintess.

The curse casting and transmission, by Mahu.

But Mahu herself wouldn’t have snuck in directly.

With her stealth and transformation abilities, infiltrating this deep would’ve been too difficult.

Only one person could have pulled it off.

Someone who serves Mahu, and whom Mahu could command directly.

‘Thousand-Faced Demon.’

That 7th-level bastard could do it.

Even in the game, he was top-class when it came to transformation.

So long as it was humanoid, he could mimic any gender, age, or body type.

He could fool even Level 8 characters using high-grade detection.

Then the question is—can he fool my evolved traits?

[ [Eye of God] ]

I scanned them one by one.

Male priests. Female priests.

Old knights. Young knights.

Burly types. Gaunt ones.

And then—my eyes locked onto one particular Holy Knight.

A handsome male knight.

He’d been one of the most vocal in asking the Grand Archbishop about Poca’s condition.

Like the others, he radiated divine light… but that couldn’t fool my eyes.

No matter how much the bone structure was altered, the skin tone or eye color changed, or fake traits implanted—there was something that couldn’t be hidden.

[Thousand-Faced][Boneless Demonic Body][False Divinity]

[Ghost Palm Technique][Ghost Step Technique][Smoke]

Mana circuits.

In other words, traits.

I raised my hand and pointed at the knight.

“It’s him.”