I Start with 13 Hidden Traits Chapter-456

Chapter 456 **The Heavens Have Opened Again**

—

*Ending the world?*

*Who?*

Dietrich was momentarily struck speechless.

Countless questions surged through his mind, yet he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Because he had a rough idea of *who* Satan was talking about.

But… was that even possible?

*The end.*

An ending. Erasure.

No matter how overwhelmingly strong Phantom might be—beyond the reach of anyone else—the sheer scale of such a thing was hard to imagine.

—You’re talking nonsense, Satan. I don’t know how you obtained a physical body, but there is no way to end this war peacefully.

“Big words for someone in that condition.”

Satan glanced briefly at the mass of flesh Dietrich had bound together.

He didn’t need to see it to know what kind of suffering the Dwarven God had endured after being captured.

Devoured, again and again.

So much pain that his mind must have shattered long ago.

There was not a shred of hope left in the Dwarven God.

“Rundmal and Lemegheton both owe me a debt. If I speak, they’ll at least pretend to listen.”

Satan shrugged as he spoke the names of the two kings.

He was a being who had long claimed the role of guardian, maintaining balance in this world.

Every living thing in this world owed Satan something.

—You… clearly haven’t seen the two kings lately. They’ve gone mad. Their lust for power has crossed the line. They’ve become monsters who know no satisfaction.

“Relax. I’m not exactly mild-mannered myself.”

—They’ll try to devour you.

“I’m not planning to die before bonding with my eternal partner.”

—Foolish…

“What a disappointment. Where did that old fire go? The one who led the dwarves, explored the world, and never feared war—was that really you?”

—You don’t understand. You say that because you haven’t faced their greed. I… I…

The Dwarven God’s words trailed off.

He was afraid.

That fear was born from a chain of memories too horrific to bear.

—Pangaenia is finished. If they devour Apsellon and even you, Satan, who could possibly stop Rundmal…?

“You’ve lost it.”

Satan shook his head.

The Dwarven God had become so pitiful that he could hardly be called a god anymore.

The brave figure who once crossed worlds and led warriors was nowhere to be seen.

Only a cowering coward remained.

—That man you place such blind faith in, this ‘Phantom’—he can’t reach Rundmal and Lemegheton either. We must feed ourselves to Apsellon now. Only Apsellon is hope!

“Andro. Do you think so too?”

Satan turned to Guardian Knight Andro.

The question needed no explanation.

Did Phantom truly stand no chance against Rundmal and Lemegheton?

“……”

Andro remained silent.

The king he served—Rundmal—was unquestionably great.

He possessed power vast enough to encompass the world.

Guardian Knights were little more than formalities; there was no real need to protect someone that powerful.

And yet—

Andro had seen it.

*Phantom.*

The Phantom working in the tunnels.

He loved his world.

Even if it was dull, stagnant, and seemingly untouched by storms—it was the world where he was born, raised, and held pride.

Andro revered the countless runes passed down through generations.

He didn’t want their value to be reduced to nothing.

And it was true—the kings’ attitudes had changed recently.

If things continued like this, the outcome was all too clear.

So—

“……I want this war to end peacefully.”

Andro forced the words out.

—Just who *is* this Phantom? Has he become Pangaenia’s new chief god? Even if he were a chief god, even if the goddesses themselves returned, Rundmal cannot be stopped!

The Dwarven God’s doubt was natural.

He himself had once been a god of the Divine Hall.

Inferior to the twin goddesses, perhaps—but still a chief god who ruled over a race.

Even after fleeing and losing much of his divinity, he was still an invincible existence against mortals.

But the kings of this world were different.

They were mortals who had amassed a rank higher than immortals.

So powerful that even he, at his peak, would have been defeated.

Even the return of the two goddesses wouldn’t be enough to handle them.

And yet—was Phantom supposed to be something even *greater*?

“He’s far removed from anything like that.”

Satan answered.

He didn’t fully understand Phantom himself.

But when Phantom dismantled and reforged Satan’s rune—when he was completed anew—Satan had glimpsed what lay within him.

There were godlike beings.

Souls that surpassed gods.

And even more complex, entangled chaos.

But among all of that, Satan sensed one thing more vividly than anything else.

He spoke it bluntly.

“Closer to annihilation than a god.”

—Annihilation…?

“I don’t know the details either. Honestly, I can’t even grasp how something like that can exist. I’ve watched every evolutionary lineage there is, and even I doubt whether such a thing should be possible. Even among those ‘heavenly vermin’ beyond this world, I’ve never seen anything like him. But one thing is certain.”

KURURURUNG!

The tower shook violently.

Proof that King Rundmal had appeared.

Satan began to walk forward as he spoke.

“There’s nothing to gain by provoking him.”

So let’s try to settle this as peacefully as possible.

Murmuring that to himself, Satan headed toward where Rundmal was.

*

*

“Incredible. To absorb at such speed!”

King Rundmal marveled.

Apsellon rampaged, shaking the tower itself.

In his frenzy, he was devouring runes at a terrifying pace.

You could practically *feel* his power increasing in real time.

But absorbing a rune was supposed to take time.

Devouring another being completely and making it your own was never instantaneous.

In fact, even Rundmal himself had not yet fully absorbed Apsellon’s rune.

*Is it because it was emptied once?*

Apsellon had already lost his rune once.

Rundmal and Lemegheton had each devoured half of it.

Yet somehow, remnants of the rune had survived.

*The Dwarven God must have interfered.*

He must have fused those remnants with his own heart, resurrecting Apsellon in the form of a dwarf.

Naturally, a rune that had been emptied once would crave being filled again.

That desire resulted in this *frighteningly fast absorption rate*.

*Go on. Devour everything and see how far you can go.*

That was why Rundmal had merely watched Apsellon’s rampage.

If he devoured the fully restored rune again—

There was no telling how powerful Rundmal himself would become.

Even now, there was no equal to him in this world.

Only one being—Lemegheton, who had also consumed runes—could rival him.

In moments, Apsellon slaughtered Guardian Knights and stripped them of their runes.

Rundmal had effectively offered his own knights as feed.

Then—

Rundmal moved.

“Apsellon. What a pitiful state you’ve fallen into.”

【KIEEEEEEE—】

Perhaps because he evolved too quickly—

His body had exceeded its limits.

Apsellon’s current form was grotesque beyond measure.

An enormous frame, with the heads of Guardian Knights protruding from his shoulders.

Countless multicolored runes embedded all across his body.

Such a sight had never been seen before.

Runes—meant to be singular, meant to appear only after death—sprouting all over a living body.

It must have been the Dwarven God’s trump card.

ZZRANG!

The runes flared.

Highly compressed magic surged toward Rundmal.

Rundmal extended his hand.

Then—

GOOOOOO—

The center of his palm split open, transforming into a mouth.

That mouth swallowed the torrent of magic whole.

“Not very tasty. I’ll return it.”

WHOOOOSH!

KWA-RURURURUNG!

The compressed magic burst from his mouth, rebounding toward Apsellon.

【KRAAAAAH!】

Apsellon raised both arms to block—but it wasn’t enough.

“What’s wrong? Isn’t it yours? Even you find it tasteless, Apsellon?”

Rundmal flicked his finger.

The scenery shifted instantly.

In the sky, as if right beside them, hung an enormous red moon.

Rundmal’s authority—his dominion—had manifested.

SCHRAAAK!

The center of the red moon tore open, revealing another mouth.

The moment it appeared, magic began draining from Apsellon’s entire body.

A moon that eroded its target and devoured everything by force.

“Let’s see how long you last this time.”

It was the same authority that had once killed Apsellon.

Apsellon screamed and writhed.

Before such absolute power, all beings were helpless.

“That’s enough, Rundmal.”

“…?”

At that moment—

Someone tore through the dominion itself and appeared.

Rundmal turned toward the voice, frowning.

“…Satan?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

“What is that filthy appearance?”

“…What? Filthy?”

“Disgusting. I can hardly bear to look at it.”

At Rundmal’s blunt assessment, Satan’s expression stiffened.

No one had ever insulted him like that before.

“…What the hell is this bastard talking about? You saying this isn’t cool?”

“Don’t speak to me. I think there’s a strange smell.”

“……”

Satan’s face twisted.

Unable to endure it any longer, he snapped.

“I’ll kill you.”

“I was thinking the same. I searched everywhere—never thought you’d be stupid enough to walk into my domain yourself.”

Snap!

Rundmal snapped his fingers.

The red moon split into two.

As magic began draining from Satan as well, Rundmal spoke leisurely.

“By the way, Satan. Did you evolve? And of all forms, you chose to look like a slightly oversized dwarf. Both you and Apsellon have clearly lost your minds.”

“……”

“Ah, I suppose it’s hard to talk. I understand. I’ve strengthened my authority by consuming Apsellon’s rune, after all.”

“…Why did you try to kill Apsellon?”

“What nonsense. He tried to kill *us* first.”

“Everyone knows Apsellon was the most pacifistic among the three.”

“Was he? Then what were *you* doing? Protecting the dwarves, perhaps?”

“……”

“Ridiculous. Both Apsellon and you. You’ve both gone insane—coddling invaders like that.”

“…What changed you?”

Satan’s expression hardened.

Rundmal was nothing like he used to be.

Such a drastic change couldn’t have happened without cause.

Then—

Smirk.

“The heavens have opened again.”

Rundmal answered.

The closed heavens—had opened once more.

And that wasn’t all.

“Oh. Was the dwarves’ homeland you’re trying to protect called Pangaenia? Lemegheton has already departed for Pangaenia. He should be arriving by now.”