I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-345

Ch-345. **Let’s End This as Quickly as Possible**

—

*KWA—AAAAAAANG!*

A thunderous explosion shook the entire coliseum.

“…Have you gone mad with a death wish, you bastard?”

As the dust settled, **White King**, **Albino**, and **Raiga** emerged.

They had sensed White King’s attack instantly and intercepted it.

“……”

White King did not answer.

Having transformed into a gigantic white tiger, he glared at me like a raging beast.

I met his gaze head-on.

*He’s changed.*

Honestly, I was surprised.

This wasn’t the White King I knew.

White King always prioritized his own safety above all else.

He never entered a fight he couldn’t win.

No matter if he transformed into his true body, facing Albino and Raiga at the same time should have been impossible.

He must have smelled deep defeat—yet he charged in without hesitation.

Why would he attack me while accepting such a risk?

*Fifth-Pillar. The King of Corpse Crows.*

There was only one answer.

Fifth-Pillar—the ominous crow form Randolph had become.

Though Park Hyun-myung and Randolph had split in form and disposition, their souls had not been divided.

My soul was still one and the same.

Which meant White King had definitely sensed the crow’s scent from my soul.

And he had concluded that I reeked of it because I had devoured Fifth-Pillar.

In short—

*It’s a misunderstanding.*

…He was mistaken.

The problem was that I couldn’t mention Fifth-Pillar directly.

There were too many eyes watching here.

I couldn’t very well say that the sacred Golden Scale Druid was connected to the ominous King of Corpse Crows.

Even if I said it was a misunderstanding, or that I didn’t know, he wouldn’t believe it anyway.

No one knew White King’s stubbornness better than I did.

In situations like this, silence was the best choice.

Still—

*Wait. Is he… grieving Fifth-Pillar’s death?*

…No matter how I thought about it, White King and Fifth-Pillar weren’t particularly close.

They fought daily, if anything.

They were far from laughing together as friends.

It was a strictly business relationship.

That was why—

I never imagined White King would react to Fifth-Pillar’s death.

Much less by risking everything.

By taking on Albino and Raiga at the same time.

*GROOOOOAAAR!*

White King roared.

And then—

*CRACK! CRRRACK!*

Another change overtook White King’s body.

The *eyes* of **Extinction King Mork** began engraving themselves onto his flesh.

Then—

*SHIIK!*

“……!”
“……!”

It happened in an instant.

White King’s massive form vanished without a trace.

*Fast.*

It was faster than anything I had ever experienced.

Even as Wilhelm, I would not have been able to catch him if he tried to flee.

And now he seemed even faster than back then.

In the blink of an eye, White King slipped past Albino and Raiga—

*GROOOOOOO—!*

—and appeared right in front of me.

Mana gathered in a perfect sphere at his forepaw.

A **Sword Ring**.

A luminous orb embodying the principle of annihilation—sucking in and erasing everything around it.

If it detonated at point-blank range, it held enough power to kill even a god.

A single strike containing all his mana—

The **White Tiger Divine Fist**.

White King’s eyes seemed to say only one thing:

*Die.*

…This guy was truly insane.

White King poured everything into this one attack.

A full assault with no thought of retreat.

Mutual destruction—*let’s die together.*

“N-No…!”

—……!

I thought I heard someone scream.

But the scream was erased almost immediately.

*KWA—AAAAAAANG!*

White King’s mana exploded right in front of me.

—

—

 

The instant the explosion erupted—

“……!”

Raiga’s eyes shook violently.

*GROOOOO—*

As the mana burst outward, a massive black hole formed around White King.

It devoured everything within several meters, erasing whatever it touched.

If the outside was like this, the inside was beyond imagination.

“G-Golden Scale Druid!”

Albino went pale.

His face drained of color as he reached toward the black sphere.

Then—

*ZZZTT! ZZZZZT!*

With a sizzling sound, Albino’s hand vanished the moment it made contact.

He yanked it back in panic—and his hand reappeared.

But that wasn’t all.

*CRRRACK!*

A gigantic eyeball surfaced above the black sphere.

It resembled the eyes of Extinction King Mork.

Raiga’s expression stiffened even further.

“Soul Eater…”

“Soul Eater?”

“It’s an abyssal monster that devours souls. It seems Extinction King Mork evolved from that species.”

Raiga answered Albino’s question.

Soul Eaters lived deep within the abyss.

They were rare, extremely difficult to fight, and even other abyssal monsters avoided them—beholder-type horrors.

It seemed Mork had been evolved endlessly from that lineage.

The real problem was that Mork and White King had merged.

As a result, the *black sphere itself* had become White King.

Raiga understood his intent.

*He’s planning to devour him. The same way.*

Believing that the Golden Scale Druid had devoured Fifth-Pillar, White King intended to devour the Golden Scale Druid in return.

*Shing.*

Raiga drew his sword.

White King wouldn’t stop until he had devoured the Golden Scale Druid completely.

But the *black sphere* had taken on an indestructible form.

The moment one touched it, their soul would be taken.

Albino had only survived because his soul was unusually large.

—Give up.

As Raiga prepared to strike, the **Forgotten God** spoke.

—Physical force cannot reach *that*. Only a soul larger than the White Tiger Emperor’s could influence it.

And there was no one here with a soul vessel larger than White King’s.

If one truly inherited the White Tiger Emperor’s blood, no one in the world could match the sheer size of their soul.

The White Tiger Emperor had evolved and created countless species.

Nothing granted greater power than the desire for evolution.

Still, there was one exception.

*The one who defeated Truth. A perfect existence outside the rules.*

Could White King truly digest the Golden Scale Druid?

If he failed, he would be devoured instead.

*What will be created inside that sphere of evolution? How fascinating.*

Whether White King won or the Golden Scale Druid prevailed, the one who emerged would undoubtedly be transformed.

Then—

*SHWOONG—!*

A beam of light pierced through the sphere of evolution.

And as if that were only the beginning—

*SHSHSHSHSHWOONG!*

Countless beams of light burst through it.

*It’s over,* she thought.

It was faster than expected, but it meant the outcome had been decided.

What had been created inside the sphere?

Yet as she watched, the Forgotten God found herself tilting her head in confusion.

*RIIIP—!*

Something tore its way out of the sphere.

But it wasn’t what she expected.

Two figures emerged.

The Golden Scale Druid came out, carrying **White King**, whose transformation had been undone.

He hadn’t devoured White King’s soul.

He hadn’t erased it either.

But something had changed.

Something.

*That helmet…?*

First of all, the Golden Scale Druid was wearing a helmet she had never seen before.

A golden helmet engraved with an eagle.

Moreover, his appearance had changed—almost like the *Nameless Eagle*.

As if the Nameless Eagle had taken on a humanoid form.

At that moment—

“Ua…?”

—……!

The Forgotten God flinched.

…It reacted.

The **Primordial Human**.

Her child.

It was staring directly at the Golden Scale Druid.

—…….

The Forgotten God was stunned.

This was absolutely impossible.

After all—

How could a soulless doll, which should possess no emotions or reactions, speak and move on its own?

—

—

In the end—

White King failed to achieve his goal.

His plan to devour my soul collapsed.

Just as he had borrowed Extinction King Mork’s power, I had borrowed the power of the *Nameless Eagle*.

The moment the Nameless Eagle transformed into a helmet, White King’s power could no longer invade me.

In fact, he was destined to be devoured and erased instead.

But I had no interest in White King’s soul.

This had all begun from a misunderstanding.

He had thrown his life away thinking Fifth-Pillar—*me*—was dead.

Still, that didn’t mean I wanted nothing.

There was only one thing I wanted.

*The power of evolution.*

His authority.

Soon, I was able to read the *root* engraved within White King’s soul.

An ability honed over countless ages, like strands of DNA.

I grasped the authority of the White Tiger Clan, the records of the White Tiger Emperor—even their true names.

Then—

《You have acquired biological information about the “Primordial Beasts.”》

《Hidden Trait “Beast Lord” has evolved into “Beast God”!》

—

—

It was over.

I laid the unconscious White King on the ground and stopped Albino as he approached.

“It’s fine. Leave him.”

“B-But…!”

Albino was still seething with anger.

Though it had been unexpectedly fast, White King had slipped right past them.

And if he woke up like this, he might try the same thing again.

“He won’t attack again.”

I understood Albino’s feelings, but after clashing souls with White King, he must have realized something himself.

At the very least, he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.

I also learned—unexpectedly—that he held Fifth-Pillar in higher regard than I’d thought.

When I reassured him again, Albino looked at me in surprise.

As if he hadn’t expected forgiveness.

“Don’t just stand there. Take him with you. Isn’t he your commander?”

“…Thank you.”

Only then did the Tyrant Grizzly step forward hesitantly and take White King away.

The monsters’ gazes toward me were a mix of fear, reverence, and gratitude.

As if they were facing a true god.

Their attitude toward me had completely changed.

I added one last thing.

“Tell him to fight honorably.”

“…We will. I’ll pass it on.”

When White King awoke, he would hear it.

Everyone here knew his sudden attack had not been honorable.

The other monsters nodded as well.

Soon—

【The final match will begin in 5 minutes.】

I stared quietly at the message.

White King had been disqualified, and Andrew had apparently lost to the Forgotten God.

When I turned my head, Andrew was already beside me, trembling violently.

“B-Be careful. That woman… she’s beyond the standard. Truly terrifying.”

The **Heart of Darkness** had been utterly destroyed.

But more than that, Andrew was afraid.

Andrew—the one who once feared nothing as an apostle of the goddess.

*Pat.*

I gave his back a light pat and stepped into the arena.

—…….

The Forgotten God, who had been ranting nonstop until now, was strangely silent.

I shrugged.

“Let’s finish this as quickly as possible.”

The Forgotten God had no more cards left.

The **Primordial Human**, the emotionless doll of a woman.

Of course, I wasn’t much different.

I touched my helmet once and entered the field.

I was currently synchronized with the *Nameless Eagle*.

With my hidden trait evolving into **Beast God**, I could fully merge with the Nameless Eagle—taking on its very form.

Then—

【The match begins.】
【Golden Scale Druid (Nameless Eagle) VS Forgotten God (Primordial Woman, Lilith)】

…Lilith.

A woman who endlessly drew forth dark energy.

Even at a glance, she was ominous.

So ominous that I didn’t even want to approach her.

And yet—

—Lilith, what are you doing…? Obey my command!

The Forgotten God cried out in panic.

“Hm?”

But I was just as confused.

“Awng…?”

Lilith suddenly approached with a completely non-hostile demeanor, grabbed my hand—

“Awuu!”

—and smiled brightly.