Chapter 170 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: The Blacksmith's Flame
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Clang—! Clang—!
That day, as always, Dweno was forging a weapon.
Inside a remote cave.
Relying on a magic lamp, Dweno silently continued his work.
Lisinas and Luna were fast asleep, exhausted from the long battle.
The two, huddled under a blanket, showed no signs of waking despite the loud hammering.
This was the heart of Erebos's territory.
They were bound to be on edge.
Even without the dire circumstances, it would have been hard to sleep, yet the two women showed no sign of stirring.
They simply leaned against each other, heads touching, lost in a deep slumber.
That was how much fatigue had accumulated.
'In a way, the situation is hopeless.'
Shwaaaaa—!
Kyle scowled as he watched the rain drizzling outside the cave.
It was the kind of rain that was irritating just to look at.
He was staring at the black, life-draining rain with hatred when it happened.
"It's my fault."
"...?"
Kyle looked perplexed at Dweno's sudden words.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Ar-on."
The hand that had been hammering stopped.
"If the sword hadn't broken, Ar-on wouldn't have lost his life."
Dweno's voice trembled slightly.
Dweno was a blacksmith, and Ar-on was a warrior.
Ar-on was the one who used Dweno's creations the most, so the trust between them was deeper than anyone else's in the party.
Moreover, Dweno and Ar-on weren't just simple friends.
Lisinas was the party's leader and the oldest, but having lived deep within a dragon's domain for so long, she had less worldly experience than even Kyle.
Luna was a young lady who had dedicated herself solely to studying magic.
Kyle had plenty of worldly experience from his time as a mercenary, but it wasn't very diverse.
Unlike him, Dweno was rich in worldly experience.
A bard who praised beauty and had explored every corner of the world since his youth.
Though they often bickered, calling him a perverted eccentric, Dweno was the only one in the party who could be called an adult.
Ar-on, the youngest in the party, relied heavily on Dweno.
Dweno's hands trembled violently.
"If my weapon had been a little... stronger... if it could have withstood Erebos's attack...!"
Drip— Drip— Sssss—
Hot tears streamed from Dweno's eyes.
The falling teardrops landed on his large hands and evaporated.
Dweno's weapons were born from powerful flames.
Thus, Dweno was a wielder of powerful flames.
But Dweno did not like his flames.
The essence of fire was destruction.
For Dweno, who loved the beauty of the world, it was an unwelcome trait.
"What is beauty, anyway! If I had been more competent! If I had focused more on making weapons! Ar-on wouldn't have... wouldn't have ended up like that..."
Dweno hadn't cried at Ar-on's death.
He possessed a mental fortitude stronger than anyone else in the party.
In a desperate situation, he had not lost his composure and had silently become the party's pillar.
But now, those emotions had finally erupted.
Watching the trembling Dweno, Kyle gritted his teeth.
"Don't be ridiculous."
Kyle clenched his fists tightly.
"Both Ar-on and I survived countless times thanks to the weapons you made."
Kyle looked straight at Dweno.
"If you don't believe in yourself and just blame yourself, what does that make Ar-on, who trusted you until the very, very end... what does that make me?"
"... ."
"You need to pull yourself together. From now on, all we can do is move forward, no matter what."
"...I suppose so. But Kyle."
Clang— Clang—
Dweno started hammering again.
But his expression remained heavy.
"Weapons are born from flame."
"... ."
"And the source of Erebos's power is an undying flame."
Clang— Clang—
The sound of metal being struck echoed throughout the cave.
"Can the weapons forged from my flame... truly withstand the power of Erebos?"
Dweno's voice was filled with anxiety.
A flame is always devoured by a stronger one.
The fear that Kyle might die because a weapon he made couldn't hold up.
Even a dwarf with a will of steel couldn't help but break before an immortal flame.
"I won't die."
"...?"
"And like I said before, I'll trust you until the very, very end."
Kyle showed unwavering trust.
"No matter how I think about it, you're better at making weapons than art."
Kyle smiled.
"You said the beauty you create is immortal, right? Then a weapon made better than your art must also be immortal."
"It's a wonder when a brat with a rotten personality like you grew up so much."
"...Now you're sounding more like yourself."
Kyle let out a dry laugh.
"Right... my art is immortal."
Dweno's reddish-brown eyes flashed as he looked down at his weapon.
Kang—! Fwoosh—!
A bright yellow flame flared with Dweno's hammer strike.
"In that case... the weapons I forge can also become immortal."
***
Crash— Grab!
Kigorz shattered the display case and seized Dweno's sword.
Gwoooooo—!
"Ooooh!"
The demonic energy coiling around Kigorz's body began to grow even stronger.
Voom—! Voom—!
The sword made by Dweno began to hum, as if resonating with Kigorz.
'What? Why is Dweno's sword reacting to him?'
Dweno's creations were, in a sense, antithetical to Tartaros.
Weapons made to subjugate Erebos and Tartaros.
They were items imbued with the will and essence of a master blacksmith like Dweno.
It was an object that should bring misfortune to demons, yet he was gaining power from holding it.
"With this, I, Kigorz the Curse King, shall be resurrected!"
Kigorz's presence began to sharpen.
It was proof that he was gradually regaining his power as a Legion Commander.
'Whatever is happening, it's clear Dweno's sword is giving him power. I can't let him hold it!'
If he regained his Legion Commander's power like this, there would be nothing Leo could do.
Leo stirred his mana.
Flash—!
Kigorz's eyes turned to Leo.
In that instant—!
Craaack—!
Leo heard something cracking inside his head.
Thud—!
Leo's face contorted.
"To think you're still alive after being hit with that many curses? You. Are you really a first-year brat?"
Kigorz wore a look of disbelief.
'A curse.'
In an instant, hundreds of curses had been embedded in Leo's body.
From low-level curses to high-level ones.
He quickly dispelled them with curse-breaking formulas, but he couldn't counter the curses he didn't know or those that were simply overwhelming.
'There's a limit to what I can do with just curse-breaking formulas.'
Right now, Leo and Kigorz were in completely different weight classes.
He could no longer fight him with skill alone.
'A Legion Commander is going to be resurrected? Right in the heart of Lumerne?'
This was what Tartaros had been aiming for.
'What do I do?'
Just as Leo gritted his teeth.
Voom—
Leo's left arm began to glow.
It was the Folium he had received as a reward for clearing Luna's world.
But this Folium was just an empty shell brought from the World of Heroes.
Yet the Folium, which should have been powerless, was now glowing.
Leo's eyes widened.
A fresh, light green light.
It was neither Aura, demonic energy, nor spiritual power.
Nor was it mana.
'Divine power?'
And it was the power of a god Leo had met before.
'Pivua?'
The light instantly transformed into a gray hue.
It was a power Leo recognized.
'My power?'
To be precise, it was Kyle's power.
The power soon began to take shape.
Fwoosh—!
It became a bright yellow flame.
"Kugh?"
At the same time, a bright yellow flame flared up from the sword Dweno had made, which Kigorz was holding.
'Dweno's flame?'
Fwoooooosh—!
"Kuaaargh!"
Dweno's flame leaped onto Kigorz.
Writhing in pain, Kigorz violently threw the sword away.
Clang! Chrrrrk—!
The sword skidded to a stop in front of Leo.
"You damn Sword Saint! What did you do to this sword!"
Kigorz roared in fury.
'No. It's not like the Headmaster did anything.'
Leo looked down at his hand.
'The sword responded to Dweno's will.'
All the weapons Dweno made were imbued with his will and his flame.
That flame has awakened.
'It reacted to my power.'
Leo had inherited the essence of Dweno's power.
Dweno, who was loved by the flame, also possessed a strong resistance to it.
In his final moments, Dweno.
...had passed the essence of his flame to Kyle.
But that essence of flame had vanished long ago when Kyle died.
'It's only natural that knowledge remains, but power doesn't. And yet.'
Dweno's flame has been rekindled in Leo's hand.
'Pivua must have done something to the Folium.'
The god he met in Luna's world.
He must have done something.
Leo lowered his head.
Grab—!
Fwoooosh—!
The bright yellow flame burned even more fiercely.
But the flame did not affect Leo.
Dweno hated his flame.
Because destruction is the essence of flame.
But...
'Flame doesn't exist solely for destruction!'
Though Dweno hated the flame, he sought to use its power to benefit the world.
As he gripped the sword, he felt as if he could hear the old dwarf's grumbling voice by his ear.
'To think you're down after just that, the weapons I made for you would weep.'
'Thank you, Dweno.'
Dweno, the divine blacksmith.
An eccentric dwarf who was more interested in creating beautiful works of art than forging weapons.
Dweno, who wished to spread beauty throughout the world and be remembered by future generations as a great artist, ultimately failed to achieve his dream.
Forget art; the only story known about Dweno was that he created the strongest weapons.
'It couldn't be helped.'
Thud—
Dweno's flame burned away the curses.
'Because of you, I was able to fight until the very end.'
Dweno's flame was eventually extinguished by Erebos.
'Your weapon... it didn't break, even against that damn black flame.'
But the weapons he forged using that flame.
'I could entrust my life to them until the end.'
The will he left behind never broke, not until the very, very end.
Kigorz's eyes turned to Leo.
The power Pivua left in the Folium didn't grant Leo new strength.
It merely awakened the power of Dweno that Kyle once possessed, which had long since vanished.
A miracle connecting his past and present lives.
But that alone couldn't change anything.
"Leo Flove! Hand over the Sword Saint's sword!"
"This sword?"
Leo smiled and readjusted his grip on the sword.
"If you want it, I'll give it to you."
Fwoosh—! Kr-r-r-r-rack—!
"...!"
Kigorz's eyes widened.
From the hilt to the tip of the blade.
It glowed with a golden light, transforming into a sword so beautiful its radiance was blinding.
Beautiful patterns were embroidered on the flat of the blade.
"That's... what in the world!"
"Let me correct you on one thing."
Leo smiled.
"This isn't the Sword Saint's sword."
Grip—!
Leo tightened his grip on the sword.
Shhhhrrrk—!
Golden wings enveloped the sword.
The magic sword, awakened after thousands of years, radiated powerful magic.
The golden sword made by Dweno.
This sword wasn't a weapon for the Great Hero.
It was a masterpiece Dweno had painstakingly crafted for the other heroes assisting the subjugation party.
Leo called its name.
"Demon Slayer."
Krrrrack—!
As if responding to the call, Demon Slayer emitted an even more intense light.
Flash— Kra-koooom—!
Leo threw the sword.
Demon Slayer, wreathed in golden wings, pierced through Kigorz.
Kigorz couldn't even scream as he was sent flying through the wall of the Great Archives and disappeared.
Looking at the gaping hole in the Great Archives' wall, Leo scratched his cheek.
"This is going to be a mess."
He had aimed for the entrance area where there were no books, but the professors would surely foam at the mouth if they saw this.
"The Headmaster will probably cover for me."
Leo chuckled and checked his condition.
"Master!"
Arti, polymorphed into human form, ran to Leo.
Piora was perched on Arti's head.
"That was amazing! You look like a pretty boy on the outside, but you're so tough on the inside? And that rough touch! I really know how to pick my masters! *Slurp*—"
Watching Arti wipe the drool from her mouth with her arm, Leo muttered to himself.
'In my past life and now, why is there always a pervert around me?'
Leo clicked his tongue and created a summoning circle.
"Go back for now."
"What? But Lumerne is in crisis."
"I've dealt with that thing, so the major crisis should be over. Besides... there's someone I need to meet. That's an order. No backtalk."
Arti hesitated at Leo's words, but at his last command, she gasped, clutched her heart, and returned through the summoning circle.
Left alone, Leo departed from the Great Archives.
***
"He ran away."
Kalian landed on the first floor of the Hero's Tower and said nonchalantly.
The fragment of Silatuna that had been obstructing Kalian fled after their brief fight.
It had literally revealed itself just to stall Kalian for that short moment.
'What are they after?'
Kalian, narrowing his eyes, looked up.
Flash—!
Just as he registered a flash of golden light, a sword flew and embedded itself at his feet.
Thunk—!
Kalian's eyes widened upon seeing the sword.
'Clesis?'
His beloved sword, which he had wielded since his youth.
It had been a worn-out sword from the moment he first held it.
But it never broke and was a powerful sword that held immense mana.
That beloved sword was now before him, looking as if it were brand new.
Even for Kalian, its owner for his entire life, it was a sight he had never seen before.
Surprised, Kalian reached out his hand.
Krrrrack—!
The sword returned to its original form, as if a spell had been broken.
Kalian's eyes twitched as he identified the lingering traces of mana on the sword.
'Leo Flove?'
He could tell that the last person to wield this sword was Leo.
'What in the world happened?'
Just as Kalian wore a puzzled expression.
Whoosh—! Kraang—!
Something flew and crashed in front of Kalian.
Seeing it, the Sword Saint blew away the dust with his Aura.
And his eyes twitched.
"Kigorz?"
"Sword Saint...!"
Kigorz's eyes widened in shock.
"Why are you still alive?"
"Kugh!"
At Kalian's question, Kigorz tried to retreat hastily.
No matter how old, the Sword Saint was still the Sword Saint!
With his current power, he was no match.
'I was so close to succeeding.'
"I don't know how you're alive, but."
Gwoooooo—!
The Sword Saint's Aura stirred.
"I have no intention of letting you leave alive."
The Sword Saint emotionlessly swung his sword upward from a low stance.
Hwaak—!
In that moment, it felt as if the air itself was splitting.
The few steps between Kalian and Kigorz.
The air between them split in a straight line.
Kigorz's eyes widened.
He felt his vision shift for a moment.
The Legion Commander, who had dreamed of resurrection, thought.
'This is the end.'
So futilely.
His chance at resurrection was gone.
Pshuk—!
Blood splattered.
His disjointed vision turned to the sky.
He saw a split sky.
It was parted as if the clouds themselves had been slashed.
'You've become even more of a monster, Sword Saint.'
***
"I thought the timing was perfect."
Thump— Thump—
Leaving the chaotic Lumerne behind, which was in an uproar from the sudden demon invasion, Silatuna grumbled.
He had thought it was perfect timing.
'Do I have to predict everything perfectly and plan meticulously like Hell Kaiser?'
But that didn't suit his temperament.
Silatuna was the type of Legion Commander who preferred to crush everything in his path rather than weave conspiracies.
"With this, the Curse King is completely finished. And so are all the efforts we poured into Lumerne."
He had used every chess piece within Lumerne for this operation.
It was no longer possible to exert influence within Lumerne.
"A shame."
Smacking his lips, Silatuna curled the corners of his mouth.
'But it wasn't without its gains. The Sword Saint is definitely getting weaker.'
The end of the currently most threatening hero was not far off.
Just learning this fact was a huge boon.
'First, I should return to my main body and deliver the information...'
"Where are you going?"
"...!"
Hearing the voice from behind, Silatuna narrowed his eyes and turned his head.
"Hmph? A brat who still smells of his mother's milk has arrived."
Leo smirked at the sneering Silatuna and said.
"It's been a while, Silatuna."
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