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Chapter 137

A thunderous roar echoed from beyond the bend of the corridor, accompanied by a flash of light and an intense heat. When the light passed, Vier could just barely make out the shadow of a warrior fighting a colossal being that was moving with dazzling agility.

As the shadows’ movements, reminiscent of a shadow play, continued, a heavy metallic sound rang out and one of the shadows’ movements abruptly ceased to a halt.

“It\'s over,” said someone flatly from beyond the darkness.

At that signal, Vier moved forward to examine the battlefield he had only witnessed in the shadows.

Fwoosh-

He gazed at the remnants of a giant golem being consumed by flames. The scorched and melted golem hardened Vier\'s expression.

The security golem’s durability was said to be at least A+.

If that was true, then defeating the golem single-handedly implied that the man in front of him possessed the strength of an S-rank hero. Shocked by the reveal of the man’s extraordinary strength, Vier examined the man standing next to the fallen golem.

“...”

Clad in dark red light armor, he was holding a long red sword approximately 180 centimeters long at his side. His right shoulder, covered by a cloak, was bare, and his face looked gaunt as if he hadn\'t slept for days. Yet just his gaze and presence were exuding an immense amount of pressure.

Moreover, the man had been through multiple battles but still appeared unscathed and not even out of breath.

So this is why they sent him alone.

At first, Vier thought them sending a one-armed man alone was akin to saying they were throwing him away together with the man, but it seemed he was mistaken.

With a new evaluation of the man, Vier focused on the man’s next words.

“Let\'s head further in.”

Yet unlike the interest Vier had in the man, the man’s voice was devoid of any interest at all. Being treated like a mere labor worker made Vier feel a momentary surge of displeasure, but he quickly suppressed it.

Now is not the time to be picky.

Since he was the one who had brought Puppeteer and the Demon Force into this mess, he knew he had to fulfill the mission no matter what.

Thus Vier pushed his pride down even further and nodded at the man—the infamous Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

“Got it.”

With Vier leading the way, the two moved past the remains of the golem and went deeper into the corridor.

Roughly three minutes of walking later, Vier, who had been scanning the endless corridor this entire time, extended his hand forward. His eyes turned gray.

Voom-

A faint pulse emanated from his fingertips. It was the activation of Vier\'s unique skill, Metal Resonance, which helped him resonate his mana with the core of ores.

As his mana rippled forward, the space before them soon became distorted and the view of the corridor changed.

Their path was now blocked by a massive door. Confirming that his mana was resonating with the door’s metal, Vier immediately channeled his mana to control it.

Rumble-

Pulled open by Vier’s will, the tightly closed door began to slowly open to the sides, revealing a new space before them. The space behind the door felt desolate, almost empty, with just a single old furnace standing inside.

The sight spellbound Vier.

Crackle-

From out of nowhere, a small flame ignited within the furnace, fueled by a few pieces of firewood. The furnace, with its ancient and outdated design, looked like it belonged in a museum.

However, Vier felt an inexplicable power emanating from the flames within.

What... is that...?

Though he had received instructions to lead the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter here, he hadn’t been told exactly what would be at the destination.

Enraptured, he stared intently at the furnace, wondering why such an object was there, when—

Crackle-

The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter grabbed his shoulder and flung him backward.

Thud!

Unable to resist, Vier tumbled to the ground.

“What the hell...” he asked, glaring up in anger.

But just as he was about to question the man, he caught a glimpse of the furnace again. All he could do was stare in stunned silence.

Crackle-

The furnace, which had been at least two hundred meters away when he first entered the space, was now right in front of him. Thinking that the furnace had moved itself, he glanced back but saw that the entrance had receded as much as the furnace had advanced.

Only now did he realize what had happened.

Was I that entranced by those flames?

He felt a chill run down his spine; he had almost thrown himself into the flames. Having grown up around blacksmiths’ workshops, he had seen many furnaces and special flames, but never anything like that.

What is the Emperor of Ascension even thinking....?

As Vier stared at the flames, a cold sweat ran down his back.

“This is the furnace of the Sacred Craftsman,” the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter said, finally breaking his silence. He had been calmly watching the entire time.

“...What?”

“To be precise, this is the furnace he had used before becoming a Perfect One. The flames inside contain a portion of his power.”

Vier looked at the furnace again, astonished.

So it was the furnace imbued with the Sacred Craftsman’s power. Vier accepted that he had been entranced by the flames. At the same time, he wondered how the Demon Force had known about it.

Is this man even from the Demon Force?

Feeling like the atmosphere was distinctly different than when working with other demons or criminal organizations, Vier\'s eyes slowly shifted to the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

There’s got to be so much that I don’t know.

A feeling that he was being used surged within Vier. It irritated him but he knew he had to suppress it.

It’s fine. I’ll probably be able to figure everything out once this is all over.

Telling himself that there was no need to rush to find out what he would eventually learn, he steadied his mind.

Then, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter extended his sword and ordered, “Put this into the furnace and make it resonate with the flames.”

“Is that all I have to do?”

“Once it starts resonating, the barrier will channel the mana from the flames on its own.”

Recalling his given task, Vier nodded and accepted the sword.

This is a top-quality weapon of at least Hero tier... and he’s using something like this as a key to start a reaction?

What exactly were they trying to create with this furnace? As a blacksmith himself, his curiosity spiked. Vier placed the sword inside.

Fwoosh!

Like they were excited, the flames in the furnace clung to the blade and burned even brighter. Initially, it seemed like the flames were just creeping up the blade, but upon closer inspection, Vier realized something.

The sword is... being consumed?

The power and skills contained in the sword were being overlaid by the small flames, transforming it into something else. With no time to spare, Vier quickly cast Metal Resonance before the sword was completely destroyed by the overwhelming presence of the flames.

Voom-!

The moment the sword started resonating with the flames, all his senses seemed to expand outward beyond his body.

This feeling...

As the furnace was now connected to the Vermillion Bird, a part of its consciousness was transferred over to Vier through the sword, putting a part of the fire mana spread throughout Borsippa under his control.

“Ha... Haha... Hahaha!”

Vier burst into laughter. He felt so omnipotent, so almighty from controlling the immense body of mana. Its tremendous power made his own body and mana feel like a lump of dust; his mind was instantly disoriented.

His connection with the mana deepened, spreading his control further.

Hummm-

He then felt a faint presence from the outskirts of Borsippa, in the residential area. The presence was similar to his own but empty, like a shell.

Puzzled, he focused his senses on that presence that seemed to be calling out to him.

“Ah, there you are.”

A chilling voice came from behind him.

Pssht!

Along with a terrifying sound, he felt a strange sensation in his chest. It pulled his senses back to reality, allowing him to slowly look down at his chest.

Seeing a red blade piercing through his heart, he slowly turned his head to look at the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

“What... are you doing...?”

“The head of your family personally asked me,” began the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter indifferently before he just as indifferently finished with, “to eliminate all evidence thoroughly.”

Whether the mission succeeded or failed, there would not be a single piece of evidence of the Barmuths’ involvement.

Vier\'s expression flashed between confusion, despair, and rage toward everyone who had led him to this moment.

“I will... kill... every...” Vier stammered, unable to speak properly. He felt his anger rising with his mana.

Observing his pathetic state, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s lips curved into a smile for the first time.

“You’ll be fine material.”

He then mercilessly withdrew his left hand.

Splat!

Vier, having immediately lost consciousness, swayed heavily before collapsing into the furnace.

Fwoosh-

Like with the sword, the flames inside the furnace excitedly clung to Vier’s corpse and soon began to resonate wildly with it.

Hummm!

The Vermillion Bird, which had connected with Vier earlier, started to gather mana to revive its true form.

“Screeeee!”

Massive amounts of mana poured down madly from the ceiling, walls, and floor into the furnace. The room was instantly bathed in a red glow as the flames in the furnace grew fiercer.

At the sight, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter placed his bloody hand on his chest.

Voom-

A purple mist of dream mana began to spread as he carefully retrieved an object contained within his body.

Holding the red crystal orb carefully with his left hand, he gazed into its flickering interior. His eyes were full of longing.

We will be able to meet again soon.

Soon, he could also kill the despicable traitor who had separated them.

With cold eyes, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter tossed the crystal orb into the furnace.

Vooom!

In an instant, the room was completely filled by the red flames spewing out of the furnace.

***

“The underground of the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing?”

Lan Fei, who had just managed to get the exhibition hall under control, raised his brow at Se-Hoon’s statement.

The staff members hadn’t even fully grasped the situation, yet Se-Hoon had already discovered the enemy\'s hideout. But that wasn’t what truly surprised Lan Fei.

“Yes. I confirmed it with the Vermillion Bird.”

He almost couldn’t believe that Se-Hoon had managed to negotiate with the resurrected Vermillion Bird.

In fact, Lan Fei almost dismissed it as a rude joke when he stopped upon seeing the mark on Se-Hoon’s hand—the sign of his contract with the Vermillion Bird—which confirmed that all of it was true.

Regardless, Lan Fei was still a bit in disbelief, but he soon came to a decision with a nod.

“Okay. I’ll dispatch a group of staff members immediately to inspect the underground.”

“Thank you.”

“As for you guys...”

Glancing between the mark on Se-Hoon\'s hand and the Vermillion Bird trapped in midair, Lan Fei grimly said, “I would like for you two to stay here and keep an eye on the Vermillion Bird, just as you have been doing. Can you do that?”

Thinking that perhaps he felt guilty about assigning work to students who should have already been evacuated, Se-Hoon smirked slightly and nodded. It turned out that Lan Fei was both detached and responsible.

“We’re also staff members here, so we need to earn our keep. Don’t worry about us.”

“...Thank you. I promise you guys will be rewarded once this crisis is resolved.”

Handing them communication radios, Lan Fei hurriedly ran outside, leaving behind Se-Hoon who narrowed his eyes.

The main building of the Department of Blacksmithing... but I thought there weren’t any special facilities underground.

The reveal of a secret furnace he had never heard of being there naturally brought Se-Hoon’s thoughts to the memories he had relived through the Phantasmal Spyblade.

No wait. Was it on the blueprint of the hidden facilities inside Babel that was among the documents the Frost Dog showed me?

The attached photos and blueprints had been heavily censored, meaning there was little information, but he was able to recall that there was something shaped like a furnace among the drawings.

Matching Kim In-Cheol as a Watcher was spot on, so those memories definitely weren\'t just a mere illusion, yet...

What was the purpose of the hidden furnace underground and how did Offering know about its existence? Troubled, his thoughts deepened, but he was pulled out of them by the Vermillion Bird’s voice.

“Ugh...”

The situation had changed. The stakes embedded in Vermillion Bird’s body started to emit a black light and the fire mana scattered around their surroundings was instantly sucked into the ground.

Whooosh!

Startled, Se-Hoon immediately looked up at Vermillion Bird.

“What’s happening?”

“They’re starting to extract all my power from underground...”

Until now, the Vermillion Bird had been sustaining itself off a source of power and its own strength, but now, the direction had reversed. The source was pulling in the Vermillion Bird’s power so strongly that its consciousness was starting to collapse.

Feeling as if its body was being torn apart, the Vermillion Bird urgently shouted, “Quickly, break the binds now! If this continues...!”

Realizing something had begun beneath the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing, Se-Hoon urgently shouted, “Luize!”

“Got it!”

In sync, the two of them quickly began channeling their mana, surprising the Vermillion Bird.

“They’re actually keeping their promise.”

It had been doubting them because they were humans, but perhaps they weren’t as bad as it had thought. It awaited its liberation, which seemed to be slowly inching closer.

“Spirit Bind.”

Shing!

But contrary to its expectations, the Vermillion Bird felt its body become tightly bound by dozens of chains shooting out from various points in the exhibition hall.

“What the... aargh!”

Along with itself, the power that was being drawn underground was bound tight, kept within the Vermillion Bird by the chains wrapping around its entire body. But that didn’t mean the pain ended.

Feeling the excruciating pain, the Vermillion Bird screamed, “I told you to break the binds! What are you doing?!”

“If we release you now, you\'ll just be dragged underground. Try enduring the pain for now.”

“Endure it? My soul feels like it\'s being torn apart!”

“I know; just hold on a bit longer.”

“You filthy... piece of...”

Ignoring the Vermillion Bird’s curses echoing in his ears, Se-Hoon continued to assist Luize in strengthening the chains which would strengthen their side of the tug-of-war with the unknown force underground.

But the other side was too strong. However, just as the chains were about to reach their limit and snap, the force dragging the Vermillion Bird downward suddenly halted.

“...Is it over?” asked Luize exhaustedly while still maintaining the incantation.

Se-Hoon looked down.

“Wait a moment...”

Voom-

A faint ripple of mana emerged from the radio Lan Fei had left behind, followed by his voice.

—We\'ve discovered a large flaming egg in the underground space of the Department of Blacksmithing. Judging by its mana pattern, it seems to be the Vermillion Bird’s spare body. You are to evacuate immediately if there’s any trouble up there.

Se-Hoon’s expression hardened.

So it was a trap.

The moment they destroyed the binds and the Vermillion Bird, the enemy underground would have had the newly revived body attack everyone who had arrived to help. It was a trap designed to hold them in place.

They had managed to handle it, but one lingering question nagged at Se-Hoon’s mind.

Where did the absorbed fire mana go?

Stumped by Offering’s true goal, his mind raced. Then, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly shouted into the radio, “Has anyone seen Professor Kim In-Cheol?”

There was a pause before a response came back.

—He was helping with the evacuation near the exhibition hall earlier, but then he went somewhere, saying he had something to investigate. Did something happen to him...?

At Lan Fei’s response, Se-Hoon immediately shouted to Luize, “I’m leaving things here with you! If anything dangerous happens, just run away!”

“Huh? What... Hey! Where are you going!”

Ignoring her call, Se-Hoon rushed out of the exhibition hall.

So, that’s it. They were trying to locate the Fire Heaven Greatsword all along.

The fact that the by-products of the Vermillion Bird could repair the Fire Heaven Greatsword ultimately meant that they were somehow related to each other. And that meant it wouldn’t be strange to use the Vermillion Bird’s power to find the Fire Heaven Greatsword hidden in In-Cheol’s workshop.

I won’t make it by running.

Chagrined that he had realized far too belatedly, he changed directions to the parking lot to secure a ride. There, he found In-Cheol’s large red motorcycle.

That’ll do...

With a quick examination of the bike, he realized it wasn’t starting due to the Vermillion Sky’s effect. However, he was undeterred; he climbed onto it and activated Erika’s Bond Imprint.

[Bond Imprint ‘Harmonite’ has been activated.]

Silver threads extended from his hand and into the bike, twisting and reinforcing the broken circuits inside to repair them. Checking that he had successfully improvised a fix to the mana circuits, he started the engine.

Roar!

With a gleam in his eyes, Se-Hoon turned the bike in the direction of the workshop.

Crash!

Disregarding anything in its way, the red motorcycle smashed through the parked cars and sped away like a wild horse.