Chapter 360
Episode 110: The New Bradamante (Part 2)
“Why didn’t you just say that from the start? You’re making me worry for nothing.”
Murakan released his grip on Picon’s collar. Picon cleared his throat awkwardly.
[Since I no longer have the forge I used before, I can’t create the fire needed to work on Bradamante alone. That’s why I need the power of the Magic Sword Technique.]
“Enough with the noise. Just get on with making it. Honestly, every time you open your mouth, it’s a lie. Do you even know how strong Ozdok was?”
[Judging by the inner core, I can roughly guess…]
Picon’s eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at the core.
Though that look came from the hope of completing Bradamante, anyone unaware of the situation might think Picon was driven by some corrupt desire.
“If I’d trusted you and sent only the kids again, who knows what would’ve happened. Ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off. Here, take this.”
[Heh heh heh. Everyone, follow me. Let’s finish this work right away!]
Humming a tune, Picon headed down to the basement.
Murakan shook his head watching him go, and Jin shrugged.
“When he was human, his pride was unbearable. No matter who came by, he’d just yell and scream. Honestly, I think he was less troublesome back then. Becoming a god changed him.”
“Well, thanks to Picon, we started searching for Temar’s tomb. He’s just a bit mischievous, but a good guy.”
“Hmph. Finding that guy’s tomb wasn’t thanks to that bald one, but to Solderet.”
The two followed Picon down into the basement. There, Jin had built a secret forge far larger than the house above ground.
Their eyes were drawn to the massive anvil in the center. Bradamante gleamed brilliantly atop it.
A companion sword, a partner.
Since their academy days, Bradamante had been almost an extension of Jin himself.
‘It’s been months since I last wielded it. I’m looking forward to this…’
Picon placed the inner core onto Bradamante.
Then, as he’d said earlier, he only carved out about 30% of it with a hand knife, as if to say it wasn’t necessary to use it all. The tough core sliced smoothly like dough.
“Hey, don’t even think about pocketing that.”
[Who do you think I am, a thief? I’m not planning on it. Besides, I still don’t have a guardian dragon. Jin, what will you use the leftover core for? To restore that guy’s heart?]
The inner core of a magical beast acts as a potent elixir for dragons. Especially for a beast like Ozdok, restoring a shattered dragon’s heart wasn’t impossible.
But Murakan scoffed.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Baldy, my heart can’t be fixed with some core like that. If it were that easy, the kid and I would’ve been hunting core beasts from the start.”
[Then?]
“There’s another dragon I need it for. That one’s the real target.”
The Thunder Dragon Kaltor, Julian’s guardian dragon.
Jin planned to use the remaining core for him.
Picon licked his lips regretfully. He’d hoped that if Jin gave him the leftover core, he could craft other weapons.
Of course, Picon’s desire was purely as a blacksmith—he cared about the act of creation itself, not personal gain.
“I’ll keep gathering core beasts whenever I hear news of them. If there’s no urgent need, I’ll support you, so don’t be too disappointed.”
Reading his thoughts, Picon beamed.
[Really?]
“Yes. Now that I know the core can be used in blacksmithing, I need to make armor and weapons for my comrades and knights.”
[Good, good. Becoming a god was the right choice. Now, let’s get started.]
Picon darted behind Jin.
[Unleash the Flame of Ascension on Bradamante!]
“…Here?”
[Got a problem?]
“If you do that, the basement won’t survive the flames.”
[I’ll help with that, so don’t worry. Just focus the flames entirely on Bradamante. But if you feel my power interfering, don’t push it away.]
“Understood.”
With a whoosh—!
As Jin summoned his power, sparks flew. His eyes glowed with fire, and runes etched across his body pulsed with magic and aura.
Even Murakan flinched at the overwhelming flames that instantly filled the basement.
No matter how skilled Jin was, concentrating such intense fire into a small object like Bradamante was no easy feat.
‘If I’m not careful, not just the basement but the entire nearby territory could go up in flames.’
Just as unease crept in—
Pshhh—!
Right in the heart of the ascending flames, Picon breathed another kind of fire.
Blacksmithing required more than just iron and steel. Fire was an essential element, and the god of blacksmiths also wielded mastery over flame.
Picon’s fire blended with the Flame of Ascension, carving a path. Thanks to this, Jin could more easily focus the flames onto Bradamante.
[Hmm, still not enough!]
As Picon spoke, a blue flame flickered amid the red blaze. With a roar, the summoned Teth’s breath added fuel, and Picon smiled in satisfaction.
[That’s it!]
For a long while, they poured flames until their aura and magic were drained.
Jin had already set the sword down, gasping for breath, but the fire still spiraled toward Bradamante. The melting core made the sword glow golden.
[Good work. Rest a bit, and I’ll have it finished soon.]
Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened before Picon.
From it emerged a hammer larger than most war hammers.
Picon hefted it with all his might and began hammering.
Bang! Crash! The massive hammer strikes echoed, rattling eardrums.
Jin felt all his strength drain away and slipped into unconsciousness.
September 4, 1799.
A full day had passed since the hammering began.
“You awake? That took all day again. You said it’d be quick, but you lied, as usual.”
Murakan grumbled but muttered a barely audible “good job” at the end. Picon’s face was pale and drawn.
He’d swung that enormous hammer without a single break for an entire day—no wonder.
Yet despite his exhaustion, his eyes shone brightly with pride.
“Kid, you must’ve been pretty tired to fall asleep so suddenly. Was the fight with Ozdok tougher than expected?”
Jin shook his head.
“I don’t think so. I wasn’t this tired when I unleashed the Flame of Ascension.”
“Maybe you need some tonic.”
Though curious about the sudden sleep, Jin’s focus was on touching the finished Bradamante.
Picon’s hand trembled as he handed over the sword.
[Heh heh, the finest blade since Barisada…]
The warmth still lingered as Jin gripped the sword.
Before even swinging it, he knew this was a completely different weapon from the Bradamante he’d used before.
[How is it?]
“The sword has changed so much.”
[The activation phrase is ‘Armor Release.’ Since you have Multa’s rune, I matched both the activation phrase and appearance to it.]
Armor Release.
Like Multa’s rune, the moment Jin spoke the phrase inwardly, armor formed around him. The aura flowing from Bradamante enveloped his entire body.
Whoooosh…!
In less than a second, a full suit of armor appeared. It was sleek and agile-looking, but since it wasn’t forged from steel, it shimmered with the unique flicker of pure aura.
The armor formed by Bradamante had no seams or gaps.
Yet, Jin could move his joints freely without any hindrance.
It felt weightless—a flawless, jet-black armor. Truly a masterpiece worthy of the god of blacksmiths.
And the flowing cape was impressive.
[I added the cape to enhance your dignity. Of course, it’s not just for show—it specializes in blocking magic. And since it’s detachable, it’ll be very useful when you need to protect others. Do you like it?]
“Yes, thank you very much, Lord Picon.”
[Heh heh, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you make that face. Once you test its offensive power, you’ll be grinning ear to ear.]
Just as he said, as Jin infused aura into the sword, a smile tugged at his lips.
‘It’s different…!’
The sensation was on a whole new level compared to before. Even just infusing aura sent a powerful surge through the blade, like when it was fully unleashed.
[Originally, I couldn’t improve its offensive power any further, but thanks to your phoenix, Teth’s flames have unknowingly imbued it with new strength. It’s called ‘Pressure,’ I think?]
Between the blackened edges of the blade, a faint blue glow shimmered.
It was the energy of Cheonghwa. That power carried the full force of the Overbearing energy, a result of permanently infusing a portion of the Flame Elemental’s true power into the sword while Tess was forging it.
“So that’s why he fell asleep.”
After the battle with Ozdok and unleashing the Overbearing Flame, it had been taxing even for Jin.
The reason Jin suddenly fell asleep like that was because Tess had pushed the limits of this world’s interference by borrowing Jin’s energy.
All to imbue the sword his contractor wielded with the power of Overbearing.
Tess wanted Jin to be able to use the Overbearing power no matter the circumstances—even if, say, his magic ran dry and he couldn’t summon Tess.
Even though Tess possessed immense divine power as the Flame Elemental god, an ordinary blacksmith couldn’t craft a normal weapon like that.
It was only possible because a godsmith like Picon was handling the divine sword called Bradamante.
Of course, there were still limitations.
“The dimensional gate connecting to the Flame Elemental realm won’t open…?”
Tess had tried to be summoned to express his gratitude, but no matter the ritual, the dimensional gate wouldn’t open. Only blue flames flickered in the void, attempting to tear open the portal.
Still, perhaps because of the Cheonghwa energy sealed within the sword,
Jin could feel Tess’s “will” transmitted through Bradamante.
He was saying that to appear in the mortal realm again, he would need some time to recover his true form.