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Chapter 173: Finishing the ‘Divine’ Sword
When Aldrian and the others arrived at the royal palace, they were greeted by a large crowd surrounding the vast field beside it. In the center stood a newly established platform, and everyone knew its purpose. This was the execution platform—a place where many fates had already been sealed, and today, it would seal yet another.
As they entered the royal palace, they were greeted immediately by King Douwin himself. He seemed more enthusiastic than usual, but Aldrian could sense what was on the king’s mind. Although angered by the treachery of certain nobles within his kingdom, his optimism about the completed Divine Sword outweighed his frustration. This was a moment of truth for him and many of the Forgeheart Kingdom’s nobles.
Duke Valiard and Mardred were also there, sharing the same enthusiasm, so Aldrian greeted them as well. Even though Mardred had already entrusted the matter of the Divine Sword to him, Mardred wanted to witness this historical moment firsthand. After all, he had overseen the sword’s completion for many years.
As the king received them, he had already prepared a place where the sword could be completed, and he had moved the sword there as well. This location was an artificial secret realm, created by a space-element artifact shaped like a teleportation portal. It was a more complex version of a standard teleportation portal, broadening Aldrian’s understanding of artifacts.
"This is our family’s secret realm, where we forge the Divine Sword," the king explained. "Whenever there is a breakthrough in our research on the sword, we bring it here to continue the forging process, making it a continuous endeavor that has spanned millions of years. Inside this secret realm are all the necessities for forging the Divine Sword. I have already moved the sword inside, so you can begin as soon as we enter."
Aldrian nodded at King Douwin’s explanation. Without further delay, they entered the secret realm. Inside, Aldrian saw a massive chamber filled with all the necessities for artifact forging. Countless tools—many of which he had never seen before—lined the space, and all were of at least low Heaven grade. He could even sense a few divine-grade tools among them. For any blacksmith, this would be a paradise, with nothing lacking.
Aldrian then spotted the Divine Sword, resting in its revered place atop a golden table. He walked closer to examine it, wanting to inspect it one last time before he began. Though he had examined it yesterday, he wanted to be absolutely certain. With the combination of his knowledge of the symbol and his Eyes of the Heaven, he felt confident he could complete the sword. He trusted his Eyes of the Heaven to guide him toward the best results in the forging process.
He took a deep breath and grasped the sword. Even though it lacked a grade due to being incomplete, he could already feel the immense power contained within it. He marveled at the sword’s beauty, crafted in the same form as the Origin Sword. A wave of sadness washed over him as he remembered the Origin Sword, but he quickly shook off the feeling.
The weight felt perfect in his hand, and he sensed an immediate connection with the sword, understanding what it was. The karma he shared with the blueprint and the Origin Sword was also linked to this sword. Once again, he felt as if he were being guided by invisible hands. However, he didn’t mind, he needed this sword, and he was ready to claim it.
After Aldrian assessed what he needed to do, he took out the Divine Iron. As soon as the Divine Iron emerged from his storage ring, the incomplete sword seemed to resonate with it. Aldrian raised an eyebrow as he observed the sword, which, though not yet sentient, trembled in the presence of the Divine Iron. To him, it was as if the Divine Iron and the sword were like magnets, drawn irresistibly to each other.
King Douwin and Mardred widened their eyes at the sword’s unusual movement; they had never seen it behave this way before. Witnessing this phenomenon, their optimism soared as they felt history being made in that moment. For Aldrian, he was once again amazed by the Dwarves’ craftsmanship in forging this Divine Sword. Although it wasn’t yet 100% perfect, the fact that it could resonate with the Divine Iron was a strong indication that the Dwarves were largely on the right path.
He then grasped the special hammer, which he sensed was a mid-level divine artifact, demonstrating that the best tools for forging were available in this place. He turned to the others and said,
"I will now begin."
"Are you sure you don’t want any help?" King Douwin asked again, his concern evident as Aldrian had repeatedly refused assistance. Aldrian had insisted that the true way could only be understood by him and had asked the king to trust him. However, despite Aldrian’s capabilities and reassurances, worry still lingered in King Douwin’s heart.
Aldrian smiled and replied to the king, "I’m fine, Your Majesty. You can watch if you’d like. I will do my best to ensure this sword is completed."
He then manipulated the Divine Iron to soften it before hammering away a substantial chunk—about 50% of what remained. Next, he hammered the rock that encased the Divine Iron, along with all the impurities surrounding it. Thanks to the higher grade of the hammer compared to the one used to create the Eternal Spirit, it was much easier to remove the impurities.
He then placed the pure Divine Iron inside the large forge, which was significantly bigger than the one in Duke Valiard’s workshop. As Aldrian opened the lid of the forge, heat radiated outward, a level of warmth far beyond that of the blue flame. He understood exactly what kind of flame burned within this forge.
"The Sky Flame, the strongest flame grade on this continent," Aldrian thought.
He then infused his golden energy into the fire, controlling it with his fire laws. He knew that even though the Sky Flame was the highest grade on the continent, it still wouldn’t be enough to heat the Divine Iron swiftly. If he allowed the fire to burn the Divine Iron continuously without his golden energy help, he would have to wait weeks for it to finally turn red, and even then, it wouldn’t reach the right temperature.
By controlling the Sky Flame, he heated the Divine Iron in under ten minutes. Thanks to the higher grade and quality of the flame, the process was much faster. He then took the Divine Iron with a pair of tongs and hammered it to make it thinner. Throughout this process, he continuously released his golden energy, injecting it into the Divine Iron to keep it stable.
Clang, Clang, Clang
The sound of the hammer echoed continuously as he remained focused, following the guidance of his Eyes of the Heaven to ensure the Divine Iron could later be mixed with the sword. He lost track of time as he repeated the process of heating and hammering. Only when the Divine Iron was shaped according to his Eyes of the Heaven’s vision did he pick it up and place it in the furnace.
Now came the most crucial part: mixing the blade with the Divine Iron. He had to be careful; if he failed at this stage, all the efforts of past generations of the Forgeheart Kingdom would be in vain, and the sword’s mixture would be destroyed. At this moment, he was fully concentrated as he placed the blade of the Divine Sword into the furnace, injecting it with his golden energy. This was the correct way to forge this sword, and his golden energy was essential to its success.
Inside the furnace, the resonance between the sword’s blade and the Divine Iron grew much stronger. Aldrian knew that if he didn’t control it properly, the Divine Iron could ’devour’ the blade instead of mixing with it. He remained amazed by this material, as it seemed almost like a living entity. Using his energy, he guided the blade and the Divine Iron closer together within the furnace.
He kept everything steady, and when the sword and the Divine Iron finally touched, he swiftly lifted both and placed them on the long anvil, positioning the blade atop the Divine Iron. Now, he was ready to employ a blacksmithing technique from the symbol, the most compatible method for creating this sword.
The Creation of Origin
The name was overbearing, but he was not surprised; this was the technique that had created the Origin Sword. For the Dwarves to forge most of this sword’s parts without this technique was already an extraordinary feat worthy of respect. The only drawback was that, without this technique, blacksmiths would have to spend a long time merely shaping the blade and mixing the materials.
He then began to hammer them with his technique activated. Each time his hammer struck the Divine Iron, he experienced a sense of familiarity, as if déjà vu washed over him.
