Stepping into Roundtable Hold for the first ti in a while, Bai Shi suddenly felt the place was sowhat unfamiliar.
With the return of so many Tarnished, Roundtable Hold had grown much livelier.
The layout and decorations were unchanged, but perhaps because Bai Shi had been away for so long, sothing just felt different.
If he had to put his finger on it, it was probably the presence of so many earnest young knights. The atmosphere had changed, however slightly.
Bai Shi walked past the new faces, making his way to Hewg's smithy.
Unexpectedly, however, the door to the smithy was closed.
Bai Shi paused outside, hearing a low, slow voice drifting from within:
“...Ah, forgive . Please, forgive .”
“It is still not enough. It cannot touch a god.”
“But I will... I absolutely will grant your wish...”
“Please, forgive , Queen Marika...”
Bai Shi's expression turned a little odd.
Eavesdropping was a bad habit, but he hadn't ant to listen in.
To be fair, the soundproofing in each of the Roundtable's private chambers was quite good.
Aside from a certain man with a hundred ears, the average Tarnished wouldn't be able to hear a thing, even with an ear pressed against the door.
But his hearing was so sharp that the soundproofing was practically useless.
By the ti Bai Shi realized it, he had already taken in the words.
It didn't matter, though. He rembered hearing those lines in the ga.
Dwelling on it no further, Bai Shi knocked on the door.
He would have preferred not to interrupt the old man's prayers.
But with Godfrey's return imminent, Bai Shi had to prepare. There was no ti to spare for such courtesies.
Upon hearing the knock, the prayers from within ceased abruptly, replaced by the sound of dragging chains.
Hewg opened the door, his eyes eting Bai Shi's.
Hewg looked a little surprised to see him.
“...Oh, oh. It's you.”
“I was wondering who that could be.”
He finished, nodding to himself.
“Makes sense. It's been a long ti since I last smithed a weapon for you.”
“Well, the work's the sa. Bring out your weapon.”
Hewg opened the door wide, then turned and walked back to his anvil.
After stepping inside, Bai Shi closed the door behind him and shielded the entire room with a storm barrier, ensuring no sound would escape.
He didn't want anyone else to know what he was about to do.
Bai Shi stood before the old smith's anvil and said:
“Master Hewg, I need you to forge a weapon for —one that can slay a god.”
Hearing Bai Shi's words, Hewg flinched.
Staring blankly at the anvil before him, Hewg hesitated for a mont before speaking slowly.
“A god-slaying weapon...”
“A god-slaying weapon is no easy thing to forge.”
“To create sothing that can fell a god, ordinary smithing stones won't do.”
“Only a legendary smithing stone, an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, offers even a sliver of a chance.”
“Legend says the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone is a scale from the Dragonlord of a bygone era, and thus possesses the power to warp space and ti.”
“Only a material like that could possibly forge a god-slaying weapon...”
Bai Shi smiled and nodded, laying out several translucent Somber Smithing Stones of various sizes on the anvil.
Without exception, they were all high-grade.
Among them, two stones were particularly special, perfectly ford, with edges so sharp they seed to cut the air.
A faint, space-distorting power emanated from them, and just looking at them was enough to make one's eyes sting, making it difficult to stare directly.
“Yes, a scale from the Dragonlord.”
“They say the Dragonlord holds court in the crucible of ti, which is why his scales exhibit a slight spatio-temporal distortion.”
“Of course I knew all this before coming to find you.”
Hewg stared at the exceptionally high-quality stones, sowhat dazed.
He had never imagined Bai Shi would casually produce two Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones.
But it made sense. This was, after all, the Sun King, whose star was on the rise in the Lands Between.
Besides Bai Shi, who else could possibly accomplish such a feat?
The old smith sighed.
He had been forging weapons his entire life, yet now he felt a wave of pressure.
Forging a god-slaying weapon was sothing he had never truly attempted...
No, that wasn't right. He had tried, but he had failed—failed miserably.
“I can't guarantee success...”
Bai Shi smiled, completely unconcerned.
“Don't worry about it. Just give it your all.”
“I trust your skill.”
Hewg seed to be lost in thought for a mont, then said slowly:
“Alright. Since you've put it that way, I can hardly refuse.”
“Bring out the weapon you wish to strengthen.”
Bai Shi nodded, retrieving the Sword of Night and Fla from his spatial disc and placing it in the old smith's hands.
This ti, Bai Shi planned to strengthen the Sword of Night and Fla to its absolute limit.
He currently had two Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones on hand.
Under the circumstances, he didn't have many weapons to choose from.
Although he had collected many weapons as novelties, he only used two or three that were powerful enough for real combat.
Aeperia, having absorbed the power of Bountifulness and Rot, had already reached its apex and couldn't be enhanced with smithing stones.
But Bai Shi still had no way of completely neutralizing the Rot, so for now, he could only entrust the weapon to Ashmi, who was immune to status effects.
Logically, the best choice would have been to upgrade the paired Starscourge Greatswords to their maximum potential.
As paired weapons, they would require double the smithing stones, but the effect would be just as potent.
Two unrelated god-slaying weapons and a matched pair of god-slaying weapons were two entirely different concepts.
In the end, however, Bai Shi chose the Sword of Night and Fla over the Starscourge Greatswords.
When it ca to his first god-slaying weapon, he was a little sentintal.
Once upgraded, this weapon would beco his signature armant.
The Starscourge Greatswords were, after all, Radahn's famous weapons; it just felt odd to claim them as his own.
The Sword of Night and Fla was different. It was a personal gift from Ranni, which made it incredibly aningful.
Of course, that wasn't his only consideration.
In terms of power, the Sword of Night and Fla could serve as a conduit for his solar energy, allowing him to fully unleash the sun's blaze.
That alone was reason enough for Bai Shi to make it his highest priority for upgrading.
After all, the strongest power he currently possessed was that of the sun, which completely overshadowed his other abilities.
If he could fully channel the sun's power, its strength would far exceed any other weapon he might upgrade to god-slaying status.
It was only because it had previously been stuck at a
7 enhancent that the Sword of Night and Fla was starting to fall behind in battle.
The last two tis he used it, the sword had nearly been lted into slag by his own blaze. It desperately needed to be strengthened.
Once the Sword of Night and Fla was fully upgraded, it would be able to better withstand the sun's blaze, allowing Bai Shi to wield even greater power.
Old man Hewg took the Sword of Night and Fla, frowning as he touched the blade's slightly lted surface.
“How did it get burned like this...”
“Now I'll need so ti to repair it before I can even start strengthening it.”
Bai Shi scratched his head.
Oh my, how could this have happened? It was all so baffling.
As for why a perfectly good sword was in this state... perhaps so television science program could explain it to Master Hewg in the future.
Right now, Bai Shi was more concerned with the important questions:
“It's not a serious problem, is it? Will it affect the final upgrade?”
After examining the blade from top to bottom, Hewg delivered his verdict.
“Not a problem at all.”
“Though the blade is damaged, its properties haven't been affected.”
“In fact, the lting from that power has been sowhat beneficial.”
“That exceptionally pure fla burned away impurities, raising the weapon's own fire-based power to another level.”
Hearing Hewg's words, Bai Shi finally relaxed.
He never would have guessed that scorching the sword twice had actually purified its blade, leaving it with only so 'superficial wounds'.
Master Hewg had already raised his hamr, placing the Sword of Night and Fla in position to begin his work.
He glanced up at Bai Shi one last ti and said:
“You don't need to stay here the whole ti.”
“The process of smithing is likely quite dull for you lot.”
Bai Shi nodded but didn't leave right away.
“How long will the repairs and upgrade take?”
“This is too important. I don't intend to let it out of my sight.”
Hewg thought for a mont. “Worried about that All-Knowing fellow?”
“The weapon itself holds little allure for him, but I can understand.”
“In that case, just wait a while.”
“Compared to forging a weapon from scratch, strengthening one is a much quicker process.”
Bai Shi nodded. If it wouldn't take too long, he would wait.
Having overheard Hewg's private prayer outside the door, Bai Shi was now quite curious about his story.
It would be a good way to pass the ti while he waited.
“Actually, I accidentally overheard your prayer outside.”
“I didn't an to, it's just that... the soundproofing in Roundtable Hold isn't quite enough for .”
“I'm a little concerned about what you ntioned, regarding Queen Marika.”
Master Hewg didn't seem to mind that Bai Shi had heard him praying.
It wasn't exactly a shaful secret, after all.
And the fact that Bai Shi could hear him even with the door closed was an unexpected surprise; Hewg could only chalk it up to his own carelessness.
Sighing, the old smith asked in return:
“So, you plan to get to the bottom of it?”
Bai Shi nodded.
“Yes, I'm curious.”
“And beyond that, I'm curious about your past as well.”
“After all, there aren't many blacksmiths in all the Lands Between with such incredible skill.”
Hewg tossed the Sword of Night and Fla into the forge to heat it, speaking without turning around.
“Fine. Just don't expect much from an old, tired story.”
——
“Smithing is the art of the giants.”
“In the distant past, forging was considered a ritual to honor the gods.”
“The trolls, being descendants of the giants, inherited this special craft.”
“My story begins in that sa distant past.”
Hewg spoke as he hamred the red-hot Sword of Night and Fla, which he had pulled from the furnace.
“It was a ti when the Crucible of Life was still differentiating, and all creatures were varied, each sharing the traits of others.”
“Back then, my body was not as old and gaunt as it is now.”
“The Crucible blessed
with a physique that far surpassed my peers. Even the Leonine Misbegotten couldn't compare to my forr self.”
“But among the Misbegotten, I was an anomaly.”
“Though ordinary Misbegotten had different forms, they were largely similar.”
“And the strangely-shaped Leonine Misbegotten possessed an innate authority, a proof of their station.”
“An oddity like
was not accepted. Faced with so many others, I could not resist, and was eventually driven out.”
Hewg let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“It's strange when you think about it. I was a cast-out Misbegotten, yet in my wanderings, I was taken in by the trolls and giants.”
“From then on, I fell in with them and even learned the art of smithing.”
“I wonder if they accepted
because they mistook
for one of their own kind.”
“After all, back then, there were humanoid creatures covered in horns, larger than trolls and nearly as big as giants.”
“Accurately distinguishing between races was no easy task in those days.”
“Of course, it's also possible they were just feeling charitable for once.”
Hewg's hands never stopped moving, as if he were recounting soone else's story entirely.
Soon, the Sword of Night and Fla had been restored to its forr sharpness. The repair work was complete.
Hewg picked up a smithing stone, preparing to begin the strengthening process.
Bai Shi remained silent, simply leaning against the wall and listening.
“But what I was before... it no longer matters.”
“I am a slave. That much should be obvious from the shackles on my limbs.”
“But I have never told anyone who enslaved , or why I am here.”
Turning to glance at Bai Shi, the old smith continued:
“...Ah, don't misunderstand.”
“I'm not complaining about my enslavent.”
“It has nothing to do with you lot, and I don't resent the work of forging weapons.”
“No matter my station, I can still make a weapon stronger—skill and ti, they do not betray you.”
“...And it helps
forget, for a ti, just how terrifying that person is.”
Hearing this, Bai Shi finally spoke up.
“That person...?”
“Are you referring to Queen Marika, or King Godfrey?”
Old man Hewg looked up. “Queen Marika. Though, if you must know, both of them.”
“You must know how the war with the giants ended.”
“Naturally, I sided with the giants. I fought King Godfrey himself.”
With his unique smithing technique, the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone gradually fused with the Sword of Night and Fla.
“I was the one who forged the Grafted Blade Greatsword, and I was its first wielder.”
“And so, it was only natural that I, an enemy of the Erdtree, was defeated by King Godfrey.”
“Wielding the Grafted Blade Greatsword also nearly exhausted the Crucible's life force within , leaving
on the brink of death.”
“But Queen Marika took an interest in my smithing skills.”
“And because of my body's composition, I didn't harbor the power of the Fell God like the giants and trolls did.”
“So she intervened, altering my fate. She changed , made
look like any other common Misbegotten.”
“Ever since, I have been forging to fulfill her wish.”
“As for what she wished for... forgive . A brand was seared upon . I cannot speak of it.”
Hewg brought his hamr down with a final, resounding blow. The Sword of Night and Fla flashed, and in that instant, blood trickled from the corners of his eyes.
Averting his gaze from the brilliant edge, Hewg smiled at Bai Shi in satisfaction.
“Excellent. So sharp that a re glance will slice one's eyes.”
“This is what a god-slaying weapon ought to be.”
Bai Shi stepped forward and took up the fully strengthened Sword of Night and Fla.
As he raised the blade, the very space around it seed to fracture and shatter.
Sword of Night and Fla
10. A true god-slaying weapon.
Sigh, I don't get this review stuff, it's so frustrating :(
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