I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-121

Ch-121

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**“Something I can’t even comprehend—something beyond imagination—is unfolding over there right now.”**

His lips went completely dry.

Something beyond imagination.

Perhaps a level of terror incomparable to any disaster humanity has ever faced… was lurking inside that place.

*

*

 

Gracia frowned.

Countless warps opened across the entirety of the Abyss, and an enormous number of people began pouring out.

“W–what?”

“Where are we?”

Just the ones visible to the naked eye numbered in the tens of thousands.

Across the whole Abyss, there must have been hundreds of thousands.

And they were all Earthlings.

Why were Earthlings suddenly appearing here in the Abyss?

Earthlings—numbers this large?

“Wait. Isn’t that Gracia?”

“Huh? Sir Gracia!”

“I don’t know what happened, but we’re saved!”

They recognized Gracia and rushed toward him.

After all, the once-declared-dead Gracia was alive.

But Gracia found something strange.

*‘Why is no one losing their mind?’*

Most of them were East Asians.

Judging by their appearance and the text on their clothes, they were Koreans.

But none of them were being affected by the Abyss.

The powerful curse that had driven even him to the brink of madness… had no noticeable effect on the newly-arrived people.

“Sir Gracia, we knew you were alive!”

“Where are we?”

W–we can get out of here, right?”

People surrounded Gracia like a protective wall.

—Kaaaak?

—Kaaaaaaak!

At the same time, the “Bells of the Curse” caught their scent and charged in.

“Ugh!”

“Mon—monsters!”

They screamed.

Earthlings weren’t used to monsters yet.

There was clearly no time to explain anything or answer questions.

“Heavenly Swords.”

Gracia drew forth a thousand swords.

His stamina was waning, but he was still alive.

He still had just enough strength left to do what he had to do.

—KAAAAAAK!

—KIEEEEK!

He slaughtered the charging cursed creatures in one sweep.

“As expected of Sir Gracia!”

“No wonder he’s called a hero!”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

People began shouting his name in even greater fervor.

To everyone here, Gracia looked like a savior—an actual hero.

But their excitement did not last long.

*CRAAAAACK!*

The black cocoon split apart.

*GOOOOOOOH!!!*

…Because Baal burst out from within.

And in a far more evolved form than before.

*Flap! Flap!*

Its body, its wings—everything was monstrously larger.

Each flap of its wings sent violent gusts sweeping across the entire Abyss.

“T–there’s a monster that big?”

“Holy crap! That thing’s bigger than a 63-story tower!”

“It’s fine! We have Sir Gracia!”

Would my presence really change anything?

Surely… they weren’t expecting *me* to fight that again?

Gracia bit his lip softly.

Had the Golden Goat he’d entered with died?

Of course it had. Nothing could survive against *that*.

He drew in a deep breath.

Then exhaled slowly, making his resolve.

Though he had been defeated once… this time, he needed to show the dignity of a hero.

Even if he died—he would die heroically.

At the very least, he couldn’t show any more disgrace.

*GOOOOOOOH!!*

But Baal seemed… off.

One would think it was preparing to kill the Earthlings next.

Yet it continued staring warily toward the inside of the cocoon.

*‘What’s in there?’*

Lord Darkan and his soldiers had all entered the cocoon.

Did *they* force Baal out?

If the paladin Pamel and the soldiers were involved, it wasn’t impossible.

But soon Gracia realized how wrong he was.

The one that had driven Baal out—

The reason Baal had burst out as if fleeing—

The being that shot out of the cocoon after Baal—

“…”

He lost his words for a moment.

…Gracia had seen many things recently and prided himself on not being easily rattled anymore.

The ancient dragon Riley, the bizarre reapers, the Golden-engraved, Baal itself.

He had met beings one might not encounter once in a lifetime.

But the thing that appeared now—was different.

“…”

“…?”

The onlookers also fell silent.

Their reaction was clearly different from when Baal had emerged.

They were simply left speechless.

Gracia finally frowned, unable to stop himself from muttering:

“…………What is *that*?”

—

 

The Demon King, who had been soaking in the Crimson Jade Bath, suddenly frowned.

*‘How strange.’*

Truly strange.

Unbelievably, impossibly strange.

Unless heaven and earth themselves had shifted, there was nothing that should ever make him feel this way.

*‘One of the four seals broke on its own.’*

The four seals—shackles that were not yet meant to be undone.

One of them had unraveled by itself.

But such a thing was never part of the plan.

It wasn’t something arranged to happen now.

Who would break it—and with what intention?

*‘…If they broke it knowingly, then they understand the intent hidden behind the seal of the Four Calamities.’*

Tap. Tap.

The Demon King stroked his chin, then slowly rose to his feet.

At once, the countless “Demonic Breeds” around him knelt.

As he had grown stronger, so had they—far beyond the quality of before.

The second “Invasion” was approaching, and preparations were already complete.

But what weighed on him more than the strengthening of his army… was that the seal of a Calamity had been broken.

That seal was supposed to shatter only after the erosion rate had risen further.

*‘But regardless of whether someone knew the truth or not, it’s already too late. Baal has become one with the Abyss itself. No one exists who can stop that endlessly evolving beast.’*

He shook his head.

Whether it was broken by chance or by design—there was no longer any method to defeat a Calamity.

Baal would instinctively destroy both worlds.

It would devour endlessly until satisfied.

By the time it was done, at least dozens of cities would have sunk.

However…

*However*, if by some miracle the Calamity *were* defeated?

And the *hidden thing* inside the Calamity emerged earlier than planned?

*‘…That would be a bit troublesome.’*

Not that such a thing would ever happen. Tch.

The Demon King clicked his tongue softly.

*

*

**《You activate “The Most Radiant Light.”》**

The Throne of Radiant Light.

Using the items purchased at the special auction as offerings, I invoked the prefix “Most Radiant”—something I had never once used before.

With the Throne of Radiant Light I had summoned Riley and cleared the Abyssal Labyrinth.

So how far could “Most Radiant” go in summoning another hero?

*‘A typical 6-star hero won’t be able to beat Baal.’*

Whom should I summon?

Of course, if Riley, merged with the Supreme Dragon, appeared, things might change, but I couldn’t gamble on uncertainties.

I needed someone beyond a 6-star hero. Or—I myself had to become the one I considered “most radiant.”

*‘Am I finally able to summon Wilhelm?’*

Perhaps now, at long last, I could summon the Knight-King Wilhelm.

Especially since I had even used the complete Golden Scale, not just a fragment.

**《The user will be perfected into the “Most Radiant” form befitting their current state.》**

But “The Most Radiant Light” was not a summoning ability.

It perfected *my own self* into the most radiant possible form.

Then… would I see Randolph’s potential?

**《The ‘Corpse Crow King’ transforms into its Most Radiant Form.》**

**《“Dreadful Harbinger, Randolph.”》**

…?

It was still Randolph—but the meaning was entirely different.

Against all expectations, my form began to change into something else altogether.

I transcended the Corpse Crow King and reached a further extreme.

A Dreadful Harbinger.

A form more terrifying than an omen, more dreadful than a sign.

No longer a simple corpse Crow—but something akin to a *phenomenon* itself.

*‘…So this is what it meant by perfecting my state.’*

Perhaps it tailored itself to my situation.

I didn’t know whether it was influenced by the Baal Set, or whether it judged the Corpse Crow King form stronger than my human form.

However—

**《The “Dreadful Harbinger” grows stronger by devouring nearby curses and ill omens.》**

Magnificent.

It couldn’t be better.

There was no place more ill-omened than this.

And who else possessed a curse as powerful as Baal?

Yet the meaning of “growing stronger” differed from what I expected.

My body grew rapidly larger.

Soon my full size rivaled Baal’s.

*‘…Most giants wouldn’t even qualify for comparison.’*

So *this* was what it meant to grow stronger.

The two colossal beasts faced each other.

*GOOOOOOOOH!!*

Sensing the dread radiating from the Harbinger, Baal spread its wings threateningly and charged.

I had never moved a body this large before—but I could not afford to lose the struggle for initiative.

I, too, let out a mighty cry.

*KAAAAAAAH!!*

*

*

Two super-giant beasts clashed in midair.

Everyone sunken into the Abyss could only stare in shock.

“…What is that?”

“Am… am I really seeing this?”

Every person transported from Jeju Island was left speechless.

A goat-headed beast and a massive black bird resembling a raven were colliding.

*KWAAAAANG!*

Each impact caused an earthquake.

The ground shook, and hurricane-force winds blasted outward.

“…Swords.”

Gracia opened the Thousand Swords.

A defensive stance.

A thousand blades arrayed themselves, generating barriers in between.

*BOOM! BOOOOM!*

Damn.

Just blocking the shockwaves made his hands throb.

Beads of sweat formed across his face.

*‘What is that enormous raven?’*

It was a creature Gracia had never seen.

It looked like a raven, but in truth it resembled “black fire” shaped like a bird.

A flame of pure ill omen, pressing Baal back.

But this place was Baal’s Abyss.

How could there be another entity equal to Baal here?

*‘Is it the lord of another Abyss?’*

He’d heard that Abyss Lords sometimes fought over territory.

But he shook his head.

Only one Abyss had enveloped this area.

The Abyss of the resurrected.

Baal’s domain, with no overlapping realms.

*‘If not that… could it be the Fifth pillar?’*

Such a monstrous presence.

Could it be the Fifth pillar—the one who had slain Riley in the Abyssal Labyrinth?

The one once called the Corpse Crow King, the one personally favored by the White King.

Gracia had always wondered about its true form.

The Fifth pillar that had instantly crushed the Riley he himself had failed to kill.

And that raven, the one bearing the name *“Randolph”…*
Could *that* possibly be the colossal beast before him?

If so, then the “Randolph” he knew and *that* “Randolph” were clearly two entirely different beings who merely shared a name.

“P-please save us!”

“Mom! Mom!”

“Aaaahhh!”

Men and women, children and the elderly—everyone fell into panic.

The suddenness of the situation left them unable to regain their senses.

But even that was not the end of it.

“W-what… what is *that*?”

“And… it’s not even just *one*…?”

Startled voices rang out, and Gracia also turned his gaze.

Flaming feathers had fallen from the Harbinger as it clashed with Baal.

Those feathers wriggled and transformed, taking the form of ravens dressed like Taoist sages—robes and long beards included.

*Kaaak!*

*Kaaaak!*

A legion of Taoist-sage ravens—too many to count.

When they all pressed their palms together and cried out in unison, an ominous “Black Sun” formed above the Harbinger.

From the Black Sun, bloody tears continued to fall.

And when those falling drops of blood touched the Abyss—

*GOOOOOOOH—!*

Baal suddenly let out a scream filled with pain.

A sound Gracia had never once heard from it, despite all the countless attacks—both his and others—that had struck Baal so far.

He didn’t know exactly what that Black Sun was,
but he understood *what it existed for*.

**【Death】**

…That thing was death itself.

If Baal’s entire domain were soaked in the blood shed by that Black Sun, Baal would truly die.

*Shudder— shudder— shudder!*

Gracia’s body trembled before the Black Sun.

It was an authority that brought *absolute* death.

A fundamental death entirely different—utterly incomparable—to the “poison” he himself carried.

*‘…There’s no other word. That thing is the real monster.’*

So *that* was the Fifth Pillar.

To think the master of the Labyrinth was such a monstrosity.

*‘There’s a reason the White King officially proclaimed the Labyrinth city.’*

Why the White King shrouded the Fifth Pillar—who inhabited it.

Thus, Gracia made a firm resolution.

*‘The Labyrinth city of the Fifth Pillar is a forbidden land that must never—under any circumstances—be touched.’*

No matter what happens, the Labyrinth must remain untouched.

If it could kill the Supreme Dragon Riley and overwhelm the Calamity Baal,
there was no further explanation needed.

 

 

 

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