I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-269

Ch-269. **Commencement of Battle**

—

A declaration of war.

If I didn’t crawl across the floor and pass between his legs, he would kill me the moment it started.

Maybe it was because we were both from Adrium.

He was speaking as if he were showing remarkable generosity.

So magnanimous it almost made me want to shed a few grateful tears for Aaron’s ocean-wide benevolence.

“Looks like death hasn’t really sunk in yet. Or don’t tell me—you think you can survive just by standing still?”

“Haha! Surely he’s not *that* stupid, Lord Aaron.”

“He looks like some sheltered scholar—can he even fight properly?”

“He’ll probably piss his pants before it even starts.”

Aaron and the holy knights behind him mocked me openly.

To anyone’s eyes, my isolation made me the perfect prey.

A confirmed death.

The man most likely to earn the title of *first to die*.

…All 999 other participants were surely thinking the same.

And yet, he claimed he’d *save* me from that death?

“I’ll make a prophecy too.”

I shrugged and spoke.

Aaron looked at me with interest.

“A prophecy? What, you think you’re some kind of prophet?”

“On the 11th floor, you’ll lose your left arm.”

“…?”

“On the 12th floor, your right arm will be cut off. On the 13th, your left leg. On the 14th, your right leg. And on the 15th… well, I’ll think about that when we get there.”

“What the hell is this lunatic spouting?”

Shing.

Shrring!

The holy knights drew their swords.

Good. At least they weren’t idiots.

They’d understood my intent perfectly.

From the 11th to the 15th floor of the Tower of the War God, the same rules applied.

Each floor would eliminate another 10% of the participants.

By the time they reached the 15th floor, just over half would remain.

Whether those dependable holy knights could protect Aaron all the way to the 15th floor—well, that remained to be seen.

*Has he lost his mind?*

Aaron’s previously relaxed expression twisted.

I wasn’t just saying I’d kill him—I was saying I’d dismantle him limb by limb with every floor.

No one would calmly listen to that.

Especially when it came from the weakest participant everyone acknowledged.

Had he lost all fear?

Or had he been so terrified that he’d gone mad?

“Fine. I’ll kill you exactly as you said.”

But soon, Aaron regained his composure and smirked.

A cornered rat bites the cat—this was exactly that.

The interpretation of the Life-and-Death Scripture was a pity to lose, but once I died, it would vanish like a mirage anyway.

In the end, the one who climbed the Tower of the War God to the very top would claim victory.

《Time remaining until the start of ‘Equal Struggle’: 1 minute.》

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

It felt like I could hear the clock hands moving.

“You’ve got sixty seconds left to live.”

Aaron shrugged and turned away.

But not far off, he and his knights were clearly poised to take my life.

Glinting eyes.

Thirty holy knights brimming with killing intent—it was obvious they would charge the moment it began.

*Final check.*

I slowly lowered my gaze and smiled.

…I’d finished making it.

*Unbreakable Conviction.*

The Unique-grade equipment that had once belonged to Wilhelm.

After endless refreshing, I had gathered every material and forged it.

 

—

**【Unbreakable Conviction (Unique Grade)】**

* Boots that can only be worn by one who possesses honorable and upright conviction

* Equip Requirement: Honor 10,000

* While moving, applies passive skill *Steps of Conviction (Lv.13)*

* When stationary, generates *Divine Shield (Lv.13)*

* Agility increases based on Honor (1 per 2,000 Honor)

* Current Honor: 45,480

* Agility Increase: +22

—

 

Whew.

A whistle escaped me without thinking.

The description was astonishingly simple—yet the options were so miraculous they needed no further explanation.

Honor, too, was shared with Randolph.

Honor was akin to the rank of one’s soul.

*Even looking at it again, it’s incredible.*

Only the honorable could obtain such overwhelming power.

And the honor I shared with Randolph had already surpassed countless trials, reaching a realm no one else could touch.

As a result, agility alone had increased by a whopping 22 points.

But the most important options of *Unbreakable Conviction* were *Steps of Conviction* and *Divine Shield*.

*Movement and stillness. Depending on control, the synergy is absurd.*

To truly use *Unbreakable Conviction*, one needed ultra-precise control.

*Divine Shield* activated at the instant one stopped—no more than a fleeting moment.

It required foresight, the ability to read several moves ahead.

And *Steps of Conviction*?

*A 130% movement speed increase.*

A passive that casually crushed most movement-speed buffs.

It allowed me to rush like the wind and smash my enemies.

Attack and defense as one.

Blocking and destroying charging enemies with just these boots would already be more than enough—but—

*This isn’t everything.*

What I obtained from the Golden Scale Shop wasn’t just the materials for *Unbreakable Conviction*.

—

**【Transcendent Earth Sword (Mythic Grade)】**

**【Lu-Maria (Mythic Grade)】**

**【White Dragon Talisman (Mythic Grade) – 2 Set】**

**【Demonic Dragon Talisman (Mythic Grade) – 2 Set】**

**【Cataclysm Talisman (Hidden Combination)】**

—

 

I completed the growth-type sword *Transcendent Earth Sword* and the combination sword *Lu-Maria*.

On top of that, six talismans were equipped to my Primordial Armor.

One of them was a hidden-combination talisman created using a *Hidden Talisman Cube*.

With this, all preparations were complete.

*Status window.*

I checked the stats displayed before my eyes.

—

**《Stats》**

Class: None

Strength: 150 (100 + 50)
Agility: 142 (100 + 42)
Stamina: 30 (10 + 20)
Intelligence: 80 (40 + 40)
Mana: 140 (100 + 40)

Remaining Stat Points: 0

—

Total stats: **542**.

That would do.

I could proudly say I’d done everything I possibly could.

At that moment—

《Time remaining until the start of ‘Equal Struggle’: 3 seconds.》
《Time remaining until the start of ‘Equal Struggle’: 2 seconds.》
《Time remaining until the start of ‘Equal Struggle’: 1 second.》
《‘Equal Struggle’ has begun!》

…Now then.

Let’s begin.

A struggle that is anything but equal.

—

—

 

“**For the Goddess!**”

“**Divine Sword!**”

The holy knights moved first.

Wrapped head to toe in blessings and buffs, they surrounded me in an instant.

Holding the Transcendent Earth Sword and Lu-Maria, one in each hand, I calmly scanned the front.

*Sloppy.*

No proper formation.

They’d merely encircled me.

Even a lion hunts a rabbit with full effort.

I stepped forward with my right foot.

“W-What?!”

“Why is he so fast—?!”

The holy knights scrambled in panic.

They moved to block me, but I’d already closed the distance.

Agility exceeding 140, combined with the movement-speed boost of *Unbreakable Conviction*.

Paper-thin defenses like these would be shredded in an instant.

“Hah!”

A holy knight in the front row swung his greatsword with all his might.

The sheer weight and destructive force would have been tremendous.

But I deflected the greatsword head-on.

**KWAANG!**

“Ghk!”

Unable to withstand the recoil, the holy knight’s arms flew upward.

When he stubbornly refused to let go of the sword—

**RIP—!**

“Aaagh!”

In a single fleeting instant, both arms were torn off.

《110% ‘Additional Strike’ has activated.》

The *Additional Strike* of the Celestial Whale Talisman had triggered.

An attack that amplified Strength from 0% up to 150%.

Even 110% was more than enough to rip off both arms of a holy knight.

“Sir Alken!”

“Kill that demon!”

So now I was a demon?

Not a demonkin, not a devil—but a demon.

Shweeeee—

*Stop.*

《You are stationary. ‘Divine Shield (Lv.13)’ activates.》

Shaaak!

An incoming arrow hit an invisible wall, slowed as if trapped in a swamp, then stopped completely.

Whoosh!

The arrow burst into sacred flames and burned away.

There was only one shield like this.

“D-Divine Shield?”

“No way! Don’t tell me he’s a high priest?!”

*Divine Shield* was a skill only high priests could use.

A skill reserved for those who were honorable and upright.

Even within the Church of the Goddess, only a handful ever reached that rank.

They’d never imagined a mere level-4 could use it.

“It’s heresy! Do not be deceived by the demon’s tricks!”

“Do not be misled by illusions!”

“O Goddess!”

The Church of the Goddess.

Pangaenia’s largest religion, worshipping the twin goddesses Leah and Pina.

They cried out the goddess’s name, trying to dispel the illusion.

Huuu— huuu—

Soft winds blew.

Blessing chimes rang above the holy knights’ heads.

The more blessings stacked, the stronger they became.

Only steadfast faith could save them.

*Wide open.*

I didn’t miss that opening.

The time it took to apply blessings—

That was a chronic weakness of holy knights.

Trying to play both priest and knight meant a gap appeared every time they switched roles.

Just like now.

“Aaagh!”

“Ghk—!”

A body split at the waist, the torso rolling on the ground as the head flew skyward.

Two died instantly amid death screams.

Thick armor and protective blessings were utterly useless.

This was the holy knights’ second chronic weakness.

Heavy armor and dulling blessings, meant to buy time for self-buffing.

Defense rose—but agility died.

“Move aside!”

Finally, a man guarding Aaron stepped forward.

Having finished his blessings, he let out an annoyed sigh.

“You—Hyun of Adrium, was it? Your swordsmanship is impressive. But how did you use Divine Shield?”

I shrugged.

How did I use it?

“I’m on pretty good terms with the Goddess.”

Of course, it was the effect of *Unbreakable Conviction*, but there was no need to say that.

His expression hardened further.

“I am Batrtash. Commander of these fools—and the one who will soon send you to the Goddess. Repent while you can.”

At least he didn’t tell me to go to hell.

Being ‘from Adrium’ probably helped.

…Even though Adrium wasn’t actually my true origin.

But Batrtash?

*Patrasche?*

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard.

The Dog of Flanders.

His sunken eyes made him look uncannily like Patrasche.

“Endurance. Atonement. Salvation. Fanaticism. Sanctuary.”

With each word, another blessing stacked.

All of them were top-tier blessings.

Soon, a vast sanctuary formed around Batrtash.

Absolute ground where the unholy couldn’t even set foot.

It showed just how powerful a holy knight he was.

“I declare it now. You will never be able to *reach* me. Naturally, you won’t even touch a hair on Lord Aaron’s head—”

Whoosh!

His eyes ignited, glowing together with the sanctuary.

It was as if he’d accepted a god.

A form that naturally inspired reverence.

Then he proclaimed:

“I pass final judgment. Die in regret.”

*Divine Word.*

The words of god, usable only by one who had accepted divinity.

Absolute language that pierced all space.

Not even a high priest could resist this power.

“…Hm?”

But nothing happened.

Had I died standing?

No.

Tap. Tap.

I was moving.

Batrtash frowned.

The Divine Word had been useless.

No—more precisely, it had been *canceled*.

And that wasn’t all.

Ssssh.

Ssssh.

“…What?”

Something unbelievable was happening.

The *sanctuary* beneath my feet was being erased.

Vanishing wherever I stepped.

He had never seen such a phenomenon.

No—he had.

Once.

The Pope.

Only His Holiness could accept all the goddess’s power and nullify it.

Fssssss—

As the sanctuary vanished, *fanaticism* followed.

The sacred fire in his eyes dimmed.

The closer I came, the worse it became.

And finally, salvation, atonement, and endurance faded as well.

All blessings.

All divine protection—

As if they *refused* to harm the man before them.

“You… you are an apostle of the Evil God…!”

Batrtash raised his sword.

If blessings didn’t work, he would defeat me with pure swordsmanship.

He took his stance and struck at the Evil God’s apostle now within arm’s reach.

Slash.

And then he saw it.

The ground rushing closer.

His head was falling toward the floor.

At the same time, he saw it—

The man calmly looking down at him.

Above the man’s head—

“G-Goddesses…! Why…?!”

…The forms of the **two goddesses** themselves.