Trial by Hammer
The dwarf was shocked! Right after Liraum strode out confidently with the finished weapon in hand, she was promptly kidnapped by Rionne.
“What? You want me to teach that kid? You can do it yourself.”
“I can’t, that’s why I’m asking you!”
“For fuck’s sake, what kind of bullshit is this?”
Liraum glanced sideways at Enoch, who was watching them from a distance. His eyes were full of distrust; it was obvious he was thinking something like, She made the weapon this fast? It’s not defective, is it?
Liraum had no intention of offering excuses. There was no need to lecture him about how she’d wrapped her hammer in gang qi to boost both speed and quality, or to explain her secret techniques in detail. He’d understand once he used it.
“Ugh, whatever. Tsk. I don’t know. He’ll learn after getting his ass kicked a few times.”
Get—getting his ass kicked!? She was going to hit Enoch…!?
Rionne threw a tantrum, but Liraum simply strode forward with heavy steps. The insolent brat was staring at her with sullen eyes.
“Here.”
Liraum handed over the completed weapon. A pair of gauntlets with a faint greenish hue. They didn’t flop loosely, but their deceptively soft appearance made suspicion flicker in Enoch’s eyes.
“Now then.”
As soon as Enoch casually slipped the gauntlets on, Liraum lifted her hammer.
“...?”
“Let’s get hit a little first, kid.”
Whoooosh—! The hammer swung, and KWAANG—! Enoch’s body smashed straight through the workshop wall and flew into the distance.
“Enoooook…!”
Leaving Rionne’s scream behind, Liraum stomped the ground. Thud—!
Her body shot forward at blinding speed. The moment she spotted Enoch frowning at the numbness in his blocking hand, she raised her hammer high.
“Uryaaa!”
KWAANG—! The ground where the hammer struck cracked and split apart. Enoch, who had barely dodged, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. Damn midget.”
“Look at this little shit’s attitude! I’ve lived dozens of times longer than you, punk!”
Whoooosh—! Boom—! Liraum’s hammer kept swinging. Enoch tracked it with his eyes and dodged. It was fast, but it lacked any profound technique, so avoiding it wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Oh? You’re dodging?”
Hwaaaak—! Red mana surged into Liraum’s hammer. Hammer qi.
“Adapting to it’s going to take some real effort!”
The gauntlets Enoch wore were a masterpiece the irritated Liraum had created with everything she had. It was an excellent weapon in its own right, but wielding it properly demanded considerable skill. Therefore, the current fight also served as a test.
Though it did include a tiny bit of venting her anger. And just the smallest sliver of the educational intent Rionne had requested.
Enoch glared at Liraum and spread his hand. In raw power, she held the clear advantage. In that case, he would deflect it.
Tap— His hand brushed the side of the falling hammer. He pushed it aside, and KWAANG—! A deafening roar erupted as the hammer slammed into the ground.
Enoch immediately condensed lightning in his other hand.
Pazzzut—! The dwarf’s short, stocky frame. One fist-sized hole would end it, so what he needed now was the second form.
Piercing Kill. His hand, sharpened like a blade, thrust toward Liraum’s chest.
Liraum’s eyes sparkled.
“Hoh?”
With a smirk, the corner of her mouth lifted, and her figure vanished in an instant.
“You can already handle that much?”
At the voice coming from behind, Enoch spun around quickly. He hadn’t even withdrawn the hand that had thrust out the Piercing Kill. Seeing the hammer swinging toward him, he muttered.
“Gather and block.”
Pazut—! Lightning converged to form a barrier. It was Lightning Shield. Its defensive power was a bit lacking, but crack—! It could buy him a small window of time.
In that interval, Enoch pulled himself free and glared at Liraum.
“Hehe, would you look at that. That woman has created quite the monster, hasn’t she?”
Without taking his eyes off the laughing dwarf, Enoch glanced at the hand that felt strangely different. And sure enough—
“This is…”
The nails formed of lightning had taken on a remarkably clear shape. Not only that, their power seemed greater than the force he had put in. He had already realized from blocking the hammer earlier that the gauntlet itself was exceptionally sturdy, so even without knowing the details, he could tell this was no ordinary item.
Of course, none of that was Enoch’s concern.
“Nothing special.”
“What did you say, you brat!?”
The furious dwarf charged. Enoch calmly calculated the power behind her attack and the power he could output, then charged to meet her.
“Gather and mix.”
Magic-infused lightning layered over the nails. The strongest attack he could deliver in this state was Massacre - One Origin—the very technique used to create Stab Kill - One Origin.
While Stab Kill was more concise, its raw destructive power was actually greater with One Origin.
KWAAAAAAAAANG─────────!
Hammer and nails collided. Enoch instinctively realized he could deflect the hammer like this and crush that dwarf’s skull.
However, Liraum was a battle-hardened warrior. Before Enoch could deflect the hammer, his hand was sent flying back with a heavy boing—!
“……!?”
“You brat, I’ve been a blacksmith for over two hundred years!”
Normally, blacksmithing iron and combat had little connection. But when that experience accumulated over centuries? And when countless battles were added on top of it?
The result was that Liraum could manipulate anything the way she shaped iron with her hammer—whether it was an opponent’s head or a weapon.
“Just one hit!”
The enraged dwarf’s hammer came crashing down toward Enoch’s head. Enoch instinctively knew. Ah, this is really going to hurt.
As the hammer grew larger and larger in his wide, unblinking eyes—
“No!!”
KWAAAAAAAAANG────────!!!
This time the hammer was the one sent flying into the distance.
Liraum, who had barely kept hold of her weapon, twisted her face in fury.
“Hey, you bitch! Weren’t you the one who asked for help!?”
“E-even so, how could you hit a child like that!”
Enoch stood there blankly. At some point Rionne had wrapped him in her arms, shielding him.
“Haa, this fucking…! This isn’t working, you bastard! Let’s just settle this properly today!”
Hwaaaak—! The red light clinging to Liraum’s hammer deepened. The gradually intensifying mana soon embraced the star within her inner world, and people called it this.
Proof of a Master — Gang Qi
* Of course, a mere Master could do nothing to Rionne.
The thoroughly toyed-with Liraum brought out a large barrel from somewhere and chugged it straight.
“Krruu…! Fucking hell!”
“Watch the swearing. There’s a child here.”
“…Ugh, shit.”
Liraum ground her teeth as she gulped down the beer. No matter how you looked at it, that woman was definitely still holding a grudge from the old days. To still be like this over something from more than a hundred years ago, her heart had to be as tiny as a sardine’s despite those huge breasts!
“Anyway, Enoch, you understand now? Dwarves aren’t a race to look down on. The gauntlets feel good now that you’ve tried them, right?”
“Hmph.”
“Enoch?”
It was nothing much—just calling his name once more. But Enoch pressed his lips tightly together before finally nodding.
“…Yeah.”
“And honestly, everything I said before was about her. The other dwarves all have good reputations across the continent.”
“What the hell, you bitch!?”
Liraum exploded.
Rionne didn’t show much reaction. She simply stared at her. Just thinking about that time still made her blood boil… She couldn’t exactly do anything about her, either. After letting out a long sigh and calming herself, Rionne stood up.
“Since we’ve come this far, shall we go meet the other dwarves too?”
“Huh?”
“The dwarves gathered here are all obsessed with blacksmithing, so they’re a bit eccentric… Still, once you meet them, Enoch, I think your opinion will change.”
Enoch hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Honestly he wasn’t particularly interested, but since it was Rionne’s suggestion, he accepted it.
Liraum, who had been half-forced into the guide role, grumbled.
“Why are you dragging me along too?”
“How many dwarves do I know besides you?”
“Well, that’s true. Since you’re the Millennium Sword Queen and all.”
She spat it out grumpily, but it wasn’t wrong. There were quite a few famous anecdotes about the Millennium Sword Queen, but among dwarves she was known as a dwarf-hater.
Of course, Rionne didn’t actually hate dwarves. However, if asked whether that dishonorable nickname wasn’t her own karma… Well. Her words and actions had played a rather large part. If you asked Rionne, she would surely say it was all Liraum’s fault.
“Here. This is the old man’s workshop. It’s where the oldest dwarf in this volcano stays.”
Ah, of course he’s younger than you, Rionne. Liraum added, only to receive a smack.
“Anyone home?”
Rionne knocked on the workshop door.
“Why are you knocking? Just go in.”
KWAANG—! Liraum kicked the door open.
An answer came immediately.
“What rotten bastard is it!?”
“It’s me, old man!”
“You rotten bitch, I’ll just…!”
Thud—! Thud—! Footsteps approached, and soon a dwarf appeared.
White hair and a face full of wrinkles. Yet thanks to his bulging muscles, the skin on his still-taut body looked extremely strange in contrast.
Enoch stared at the muscular old man, who was even shorter than himself.
“What are these? An elf and a human?”
“Don’t you recognize them?”
Liraum grinned.
“It’s that Millennium Sword Queen.”
The reaction was immediate.
“Kyaaaaaaaak…! It’s the witch…! The witch has appeared…!”
Enoch’s hatred for dwarves deepened even further.