Chapter 360: The New Bradamante (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 360: The New Bradamante (2)
“Then you should have said so from the start! Why scare people for no reason?”
Murakan released his grip on Picon’s collar. Picon cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.
[I no longer have the furnace I once used, so I can’t produce a fire hot enough to reforge Bradamante by myself. That’s why I need the power of the Magic Sword Secret Technique.]
“Shut up and get to work. Honestly, every time you open your mouth, it’s a lie. Do you have any idea how strong Ozdok was?”
[I can guess, now that I’ve seen the inner core…]
Picon stared at the inner core with eyes full of greed.
While his gaze stemmed from the sheer excitement of finally being able to complete Bradamante, to an outsider ignorant of the situation, it looked like the indulgence of some corrupt desire.
“If I had trusted your word and sent only the kids this time, there’s no telling what would have happened. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me angry all over again. I should just…”
[Hehehe. Everyone, follow me. Let’s go finish the job right now!]
Picon hummed a tune as he headed down to the basement.
Murakan watched his retreating back and shook his head in disbelief, while Jin simply shrugged.
“Back when he was human, his pride was second to none. He used to scream at anyone who dared visit him. Honestly, I think he was less obnoxious back then. He’s gotten strange since becoming a god.”
“Even so, it’s thanks to Lord Picon that we started searching for Temar’s tombs. He’s a good person, just a bit mischievous.”
“Hmph. Why is finding that guy’s tomb thanks to some baldie? It’s thanks to Solderet.”
The two followed Picon down into the basement. There lay the secret forge Jin had built for him, its scale far grander than the small house visible above ground.
Their eyes were drawn to the massive anvil placed in the center. Atop it, Bradamante emitted a brilliant gleam.
A beloved sword—or rather, a partner.
Since he had obtained it during his cadet days, Bradamante had been no different from an extension of his own body.
‘It’s been several months since I last swung it. I’m really looking forward to this…'
Picon placed the inner core on top of Bradamante.
Then, as he had mentioned, he sliced off about thirty percent with his bare hand, as if he didn’t need the whole thing. The incredibly hard inner core was cut as smoothly as a piece of dough.
“Hey, hey. Don’t even think about pocketing that.”
[Who do you take me for, a thief? I have no intention of doing so. Besides, I don’t even have a guardian dragon yet. Jin, what are you going to do with the rest? Use it to restore that guy’s heart?]
A monster’s inner core was a powerful elixir for dragons. An inner core from a monster like Ozdok, in particular, made the prospect of restoring a destroyed dragon heart not entirely impossible.
However, Murakan snorted.
“You only say that because you don’t know any better. Baldie, this body’s heart can’t be fixed by a mere inner core. If it were that simple, the kid and I would have been hunting down monsters with inner cores long ago.”
[Then what?]
“There’s another dragon besides me who needs it. I’m going to give it to him.”
The Lightning Dragon Kaltor, Julian’s guardian dragon.
Jin intended to use the remaining inner core for him.
Smack.
Picon licked his lips regretfully. He had harbored a small hope that if Jin gave him the rest of the core, he could use it to craft another piece of equipment.
Of course, as a blacksmith, Picon’s desire lay solely in the act of ‘creation’ itself; he had little interest in personal gain.
“I plan to keep obtaining inner cores whenever I hear of such monsters. If there’s no urgent need for them, I’ll provide them to you, so don’t be too disappointed.”
As Jin read his mind and spoke, Picon broke into a wide grin.
[Really?]
“Yes. Now that I know inner cores can be used in blacksmithing, I’ll need to craft equipment for my comrades and my knights.”
[Good, good! I’m starting to think becoming a god was a great choice. Now, let’s begin!]
Picon spoke as he scurried behind Jin.
[Unleash the Karma Fire onto Bradamante!]
“…Right here?”
[Is there a problem?]
“The Karma Fire will destroy this basement.”
[I’ll help with that, so don’t worry and just unleash it. Converge it as much as possible onto a single point—Bradamante. But even if you feel my power intervening, don’t push it away.]
“Understood.”
Whoosh!
As Jin gathered his power, sparks flew. His eyes were instantly dyed with flames, and mana and aura began to flow through the runes engraved across his body.
A massive surge of fiery energy, enough to make even Murakan flinch, instantly filled the basement.
Even for Jin, concentrating such an immense amount of fire onto a small object like Bradamante was no easy task.
‘If I slip up, not just the basement, but the entire estate could burn down.’
Just as a flicker of unease ran through him—
Pwaaaa!
Picon exhaled a fire of his own into the center of the burgeoning Karma Fire.
Blacksmithing requires more than just iron and steel. Fire is an indispensable element; thus, the God of Blacksmiths also possessed the ability to manipulate flames.
Picon’s fire blended with the Karma Fire, carving out a path. Thanks to this, Jin was able to converge the Karma Fire onto Bradamante with much greater ease.
[Hmm, still not enough!]
As soon as Picon finished speaking, the Azure Fire flared to life amidst the red flames. Greeee! As the summoned Tess added his breath, Picon burst into a satisfied laugh.
[Yes, this is it!]
For a long time, they poured out flames until Jin’s aura and mana were nearly depleted.
Jin was already gasping for breath, his energy spent, yet the flames continued to spiral toward Bradamante. Bathed in the melting inner core, the sword was now glowing with a golden light.
[Good work. Rest for a bit. I’ll have it finished in no time.]
Zing!
Suddenly, a dimensional gate opened in front of Picon. What emerged from it was a hammer larger than a grown man.
Picon hoisted it with all his might and began his work.
Clang, K-BOOM!
The sound of the massive hammer striking Bradamante rang against their eardrums.
Jin suddenly felt the strength drain from his body and fell fast asleep, right then and there.
*
September 4, 1799.
A full day had passed since the hammering began.
“Are you awake? It took him a whole day, too. He said it would be quick—another lie, as usual.”
Murakan grumbled, but he added a nearly inaudible, “Good job,” at the end. Picon’s face, having finished the work, looked incredibly haggard.
It was only natural, as he had swung that massive hammer for a full day without a single second of rest.
However, unlike his gaunt face, his eyes shone brightly, filled with a deep sense of accomplishment.
“Kid, you must have been exhausted, falling asleep so suddenly like that. Was the fight with Ozdok harder than I thought?”
Jin shook his head.
“I don’t think that was it, but I’m not sure. I wasn't this tired even when I was unleashing the Karma Fire.”
“I should get you a tonic or something.”
While he was curious about his sudden slumber, he first wanted to touch the completed Bradamante.
Picon’s hands trembled slightly as he held out the sword to Jin.
[Hehe, it’s the greatest sword since Barisada…]
As Jin gripped the hilt, a lingering warmth seeped into his hand.
Even before swinging it, he could tell. This was an object incomparable to the Bradamante he had used before.
[How is it?]
“I didn’t know a sword could change this much.”
[The activation phrase is ‘Armor Release.’ Since you possess the Rune of Mul-ta, I matched both the phrase and the appearance to it.]
Armor Release.
Just like with the Rune of Mul-ta, the moment he recited the activation phrase in his mind, armor formed. Spirit energy flowed from Bradamante, enveloping his entire body.
Vroooom…!
In less than a second, armor had materialized over him. It had a sleek, seamless appearance. Since it wasn't forged from steel, it didn't shine; instead, it shimmered with the unique light of spirit energy.
The armor formed by Bradamante had no visible seams or gaps.
Despite this, it didn't hinder his movements in the slightest.
A pitch-black armor of absolute perfection—weightless and without blind spots. It truly possessed a majesty worthy of being called a masterpiece by the God of Blacksmiths.
And the magnificently fluttering cape was an impressive touch.
[I added the cape with your future dignity in mind. Of course, it’s not just for show… it’s specialized for blocking magic. Above all, the cape is detachable, so it will be very useful in situations where you need to protect others. Do you like it?]
“Yes. You’ve worked hard, Lord Picon.”
[Hehe, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you make a face like that. Once you check its offensive performance, your mouth will practically split from grinning.]
Just as he said, the moment Jin injected spirit energy into the sword, his lips curled upward.
‘It’s different…!’
He felt a sensation on a completely different level from when he used to channel spirit energy into Bradamante. Though he had only just begun, an intense power surged forth as if he had fully unleashed the sword.
[Originally, I couldn't improve the offensive side any further, but your phoenix… thanks to Tess’s flames, a new power was imbued without me even realizing it. You call it ‘Pressure,’ don’t you?]
A faint blue energy swirled within the blackened blade.
It was the energy of the Azure Fire. That power contained the essence of the Authority of Pressure, a result of Tess permanently imbuing a portion of his original power as a god of the Fire Realm while the sword was being forged.
‘Ah, so that’s why I fell asleep.’
Unleashing the Karma Fire after the fight with Ozdok was certainly a strain, but the real reason he had fallen asleep so abruptly was that Tess had borrowed his energy to interfere with this world to the absolute limit of his power.
All to imbue the power of Pressure into the sword his contractor would wield.
Tess wanted Jin to be able to use the power of Pressure in any situation—for instance, even when his mana was depleted and he couldn't be summoned.
Even with his immense authority as a god of the Fire Realm, Tess couldn't have done this if an ordinary blacksmith were crafting an ordinary weapon.
It was only possible because a God of Blacksmiths like Picon was working on a divine sword like Bradamante.
However, it wasn't without its drawbacks.
‘The dimensional gate to the Fire Realm won’t open…?’
Jin tried to summon Tess to express his gratitude, but even after he formed the signs, the gate did not appear. Only faint blue sparks flickered in the air where it should have been.
Instead, perhaps because of the power of the Azure Fire now dwelling in the sword, Jin could feel Tess’s ‘will’ transmitted through Bradamante.
Tess was telling him that he needed time to recover his original form before he could manifest in the human world again.