Return of the Fallen Volume 13 Chapter 87
*Bang!*
Kazuki swung his fist down like a hammer and struck the fiery piece of metal. Everyone watched on in shock.
“Did he just…
Several whispers and gasps arose among the crowd until it became a full-blown commotion.
Editrix as well heard the sound of the crowd grow louder and louder but could not see due to the crowd.
“What’s the damn fuss? Get back to work before I report all of you wastrels.”
No one paid any attention to Editrix and he grew frustrated. He tried to push his way through the crowd but he was too small for that. Instead, his ring lit up and a gush of wind lifted him above everyone else. As soon as he floated above the clamoring smiths, he finally understood what all the excitement was about.
*Bang*
Kazuki’s fist came down once again, striking the blade repeatedly and accurately. Each blow caused the blade to glow as impurities were knocked away to the ground.
Editrix saw this and his mouth fell open. He now understood why everyone was chatting away and watching with admiration and disbelief.
(How can a human do this?)
Editrix had given Kauzki a task that he should not have been able to complete. Using a damaged anvil, rusted tools, and inferior materials. it should have all ended in Kazuki’s failure but who knew Kazuki had no need for such tools. He did something that went completely against common sense.
He held everything together with his aura and heated it directly in the forge. After pulling it out he poured the liquid metal into forms. Removing the unstable blade from its form, he added his own magical energy before hammering away at it with his bare fist. This was something unheard of, yet here he was doing it.
Not only was he doing something that should not be possible, Kazuki was performing such a feat with perfect accuracy. Each strike left these Gerians and Editrix enamored. They all had a love for forging and could recognize a true master of their craft. Seeing how Kazuki shaped this blade it became apparent his skills were heaven above their own.
After the initial clamor, the crowd grew absolutely still and silent as they watched on. The way he hit the metal with precision and just enough force. Never too much nor too little but as close to perfection as one could truly get to. They were in the presence of a true master and did not wish to distract him in any way. And so, just like this, they looked on without making a single noise, not even the tiniest peep.
Not only did they have to admire Kazuki’s skills but also his efficiency. What would have taken them hours or days to complete, Kazuki had finished in mere minutes. When completing a sword one had to remove certain imperfections, and certain weaknesses from the blade itself. Some of these flaws were easy to see with plain eyes but others were deeper within the blade itself and had to be sensed or felt.
These Gerians did not have such a high perception when it came to sensing things with their aura. So in order to find such flaws it took them hundreds if not thousands of tries as they struck the blade with a hammer. Even when they found the flaws if they were not accurate enough and they could not remove them right away, they would have to go through a whole new heating and tempering process.
Kazuki could forgo all of that. He could sense every single flaw and fix them with a single strike. Not just one or two flaws but dozens or even hundreds if there even were that many. He could easily fix them all with a single strike. He could have in reality made an entire sword in a mere second or so but he thought he should hold back slightly.
First, he would get all of their attention and then he would shock them in a way that all eyes could only be focused on him.
With a final strike, Kazuki inspected the blade before giving a nod.
(Nearly perfect.)
Kazuki was about to present the sword to Editrix when Basha broke through the crowd. She sent elbows and palms into people’s faces and sides until she escaped from the thicket of bodies.
There were several complaints but Desetos appeared behind them and glared at them, keeping their true words swallowed down in the pit of their stomachs.
Basha had rushed out of the crowd and almost tripped when she got to Kazuki. Kazuki reached out and caught her causing her to smile bashfully.
*Euhm*
A grunt from Desetos snapped Basha out of it and she looked away from Kazuki and instead focused on the sword floating in between them. Her hands reached forward as she wore an obsessed expression.
“Kazuki, do you mind?”
Kazuki pulled the blade away which caught Basha and a few others off guard. They thought Kauzki was being selfish by not sharing the blade and letting Basha have a look but that quickly changed when he said.
“I just finished so it’s way too hot for you.”
Basha stared up at Kazuki with an almost blank expression before several people in the crowd laughed as if to say of course he doesn’t want her to get burned.
Basha chuckled as well.
“Hehe, that makes sense.”
Basha snapped her fingers and a pair of crystalized green gloves flew over. Lifting her hands into the air the pair of gloves landed perfectly over her small rough hands.
She held out her hands as if asking for a loaf of bread.
“Now can I?”
Kazuki laughed inwardly before releasing his aura and thereby dropping the newly made sword into her hands.
As soon as she caught it she screamed.
*AHHH!*
Everyone was frightened and thought she really did somehow get burned before Basha suddenly started laughing confusing eveyrone.
*Hahaha*
“Incredible, amazing. I’ve never felt a more balanced weapon in all of my life. The moment it touched my hands, I could tell just how great this sword is!”
Everyone felt stupid for worrying and shook their head while complaining. This time Desetos didn’t stop them as even he was embarrassed by Basha’s behavior.
Basha did not care about the outside noise and ignored everyone’s comments. Instead, she was entirely focused on the blade in her hands. She turned it at an angle and looked down one side with one eye closed. After inspecting the edge she was taken aback.
“How can it already be so sharp!?”
(Oh she could recognize without even touching that part.)
This was just one of the many surprises. Kazuki had made the blade nearly identical to the other blades in this workshop. The difference between his sword and the others was on a different level.
Basha noticed several inscriptions within the blade and her eyes widened.
“So simple yet refined.”
With a thought she activated the magic in the sword and a burning fire covered the edge of the sword. Normally these swords were made for regular soldiers and could produce a simple red flame around the blade. This flame however was several shades brighter and let off a much hotter temperature. So much so that as soon as she activated the sword, those around her had to take a step back and the flames climbed nearly 10 feet high into the air.
This sudden updraft of fire caused Basha to jump reflexively and drop the sword. The flames shut off the moment it left her hand but because the fire was so hot around the blade when the sword landed with the pointed end toward the ground, the blade burned a hole into the black and red bricks. This caused it to sink several inches before the carry-over heat dissipated and it stopped nearly a third down into the ground.
Basha had fallen on her ass and the crowd that had been growing louder and louder once more went dead quiet and stared with widened eyes.
…
“Absurd, absolutely absurd.”
“No more like ridiculous.”
Several people spoke up but none of their words seemed to do this situation justice.
“A sword like this is a one-of-a-kind!”
As soon as that was said, everyone began to look around the room at one another. The same thought popped into their heads and greed filled the open air. Suddenly someone shouted.
“I want to try it too!”
As soon as these words fell, there was a mad dash for the sword. People were pushing and tripping one another. Stomping and climbing over anyone who fell, all just to get to touch the sword.
Basha was still on the ground and was about to get crushed by the maddened fools when Desetos rushed forward. His wings swept others away, knocking them back while his tail and arms threw people across the room. He quickly swooped in and protected Basha from the crazed crowd.
Kazuki did not expect this type of frenzy and wondered if he should try and stop it when Editrix’s ring glowed once again. The element of wind filled his lungs and amplified his voice as he roared.
“STOP!!”
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