Chapter 467
C467
Upon exiting the workshop, what Hephaestus saw was a world entirely transformed into a sea of flames.
Even Hephaestus, who until a moment ago was inside the forge, felt a heat intense enough to make even him, with his tolerance, furrow his brow.
Holding a sword in hand, Hephaestus stepped outside and frowned.
"The heat outside the forge is not exactly pleasant."
How many of the High-Rankers could describe the heat of the flames, which was even difficult for most to endure?
Despite being in a state of burns all over his body, Hephaestus showed no concern.
Kwak-!
[Abnormal condition: Burns increase to level 4]
With level 3 burns, the skin was turning into cooked meat. Although the pain from the burns was more intense than the pain of tearing and cutting flesh, Hephaestus showed no concern.
Level 4.
Only level 4.
He was confident he could withstand the flames.
Of course.
"...This is a bit troublesome."
If only the flames were what stopped him.
Tilting his head, Hephaestus saw that around the forge, a gigantic serpent of purple color was writhing.
Perhaps Yamatano Orochi, whom Susanoo had cut, would be of that size? No, maybe even larger.
The snake covered in purple scales wrapped around Hephaestus's forge with its tail.
Crack~
The forge, which he was sure could withstand Surt's flames, collapsed and broke.
"Wow."
With astonishment mixed with admiration, Hephaestus jumped forcefully upwards, away from the forge...
Wooosh-, Baang-!
Hephaestus's small forge collapsed.
Hephaestus, who had jumped so far, looked at the scene. If his heart didn't ache after the forge that accompanied him throughout his history collapsed, he would be lying.
But...
Looking at the sword in his hand, Hephaestus could console himself a little.
'Anyway, I wasn't planning to use it anymore.'
He had decided not to look at the gift from Olympus a long time ago.
Now, the important thing was to deliver this weapon.
'Where is he...?'
That's how Hephaestus turned his head.
Woah-!
A giant snake tail flew towards him.
'It had two tails-.'
Baang-!
The snake's tail struck Hephaestus. In that life-or-death moment, instead of dodging or blocking the tail, Hephaestus tightened the sword in his hand even more.
Somehow, he had to make sure not to let it go.
Then...
['?(Incomplete)' resists the 'Greedy Snake Crawling On The Ground.']
[The use of '? (Incomplete)' is not allowed.]
["?(Incomplete)" Fails resistance].
With various messages, an agony that felt like all the bones in his body were breaking took hold of him.
In the direction he was hit by the tail, Hephaestus flew away and fell to the ground. Amidst several collapsing buildings and the earth turning over.
"Cough!"
Hephaestus coughed violently, quickly squeezing his chest with his hand. He didn't know how many bones were broken.
Fortunately, he didn't lose consciousness. Hephaestus looked up thinking about how far he had flown and saw the snake that attacked him.
Every time the snake moved, the city's topography changed. Somehow, in that short period, it seemed like its size had become even larger.
'It's a miracle to be alive.'
Despite being hit by the tail of such a sizeable snake, Hephaestus was still alive.
Regardless of his skill as a blacksmith, Hephaestus's strength was not that great. How could it be otherwise when Olympus sent a normal Ranker to capture Hephaestus?
In comparison, the snake seemed difficult to catch even for several High-Rankers.
'Is it thanks to this?'
The item he created.
Although it was still incomplete, it had an effect. Even without him wanting it, the item protected him.
But that too was just a one-time favor.
It couldn't happen a second time.
Slide~
Although he hoped it wasn't true, it was the truth.
The snake approached Hephaestus more and enlarged its body gradually.
'A greedy snake, just as its name suggests.'
"Ugh-."
He rose from the ground while stomping the ground with the fist that held the sword.
Instead of thinking about fleeing, the first concern that arose was how to traverse that path and deliver the sword.
However, it seemed impossible no matter how much he looked at it.
Chik-.
Thud-.
Aaaaaah!
Giant waves of purple color and tentacles jumped up from the ground. Under the purple sky, other Outers kept coming, and the sea of fire on the ground expanded more and more.
It was like standing in the middle of the end of the world.
Could he really reach YuWon through that?
It wasn't something that could be accomplished through effort.
'Will I die here?'
Although he said that, there was no fear.
He had lived long enough not to fear death.
There was no regret either.
He had achieved the masterpiece of his life.
There was only one regret.
'An instrument is complete only when it finds its owner.'
The regret of not being able to see his creation find its owner and the regret of not having completed it entirely.
Kuuuu-.
The snake's head covered the sky.
Ssshh-.
The long tongue made a cunning sound as it writhed.
Hephaestus's own image was reflected like a mirror in the purple eyes that shone softly like jewels.
No...
'It seems it's not looking at me.'
Only now did he understand.
What the purpose of these beings was.
Gguk-.
Hephaestus firmly held his incomplete child in one hand. And in the other hand, he held his weapon, his other heart.
'I don't want to destroy the child I created, but...'
A hammer left for the end.
It seemed he would have to use it to break it instead.
'Sorry.'
He dropped the masterpiece he had created with so much effort on the ground. Although he didn't have an anvil, it didn't matter.
["...(Incomplete)"]
[Do you want to destroy '?(Incomplete)'?]
He had the ability to destroy any incomplete weapon at any time.
Swish-.
Hephaestus's hammer rose.
Shiiiing-.
The snake's tail covered Hephaestus's sky. It moved to snatch Hephaestus's sword.
And just as Hephaestus was about to strike down to not surrender it, a Golden Lightning Bolt fell from the snake's sky.
Ssshh-!
Bang, bum-!
The snake, making cunning sounds, screamed in pain. It writhed and suffered in agony as if its entire body was engulfed in flames.
Hephaestus, who had barely stopped the hammer, looked up.
A wave of Golden Arcane Power devoured the purple sky.
He knew that only one person in this Tower possessed such devastating power.
"Father...?"
"Did you call me?"
He turned his head towards where the voice was heard.
Zeus, with golden armor that closely resembled his hair, stood there. Hephaestus's body stiffened at the thought of how long it had been since they saw each other.
'You have changed a lot.'
On his face, which had never had a beard before, dark hair was growing. Additionally, his majesty had become even greater, and his eyes still saw him as a blacksmith, not as a son.
He remembered something that happened a long time ago.
When he refused to forge more weapons, Zeus kicked him and left him lame in one leg.
Tremble, tremble!
It was a body that didn't tremble even in the face of death.
However, for some reason, his body began to tremble from the moment he faced Zeus.
Zeus scared him more than death.
Even at this moment, Lightning Bolts were falling from the sky.
Still formidable.
No, he was an even more monstrous figure than before.
"Are you going to keep trembling like that?"
"Ah, no, it's not that."
"The idea of fighting still hasn't left you, and you want to move forward, right?"
Zeus, who had been looking at Hephaestus for a while, walked past him.
"I saved you, so go and deliver that. It seems important."
His tone remained indifferent.
Perhaps because of that.
Although nothing had changed in his tone, the tremor stopped at his words. When they met again, Hephaestus thought that at least one leg or arm of his would break.
Step...
Zeus walked. The answer seemed to be, "I will fight, so you deliver the sword or whatever."
Hephaestus looked at him like that.
Perhaps because of the beard on his face. Or maybe there was another reason.
Despite having become much stronger than in his memories, his back seemed smaller for some reason.
---------------------------
In the midst of the burning flames.
The fiery column trembled and showed a confused reaction.
As if it couldn't understand.
Tulzscha's flame reacted.
-"What do you mean by that?"
Fwoosh!
A rough resistance.
-"I am no one's dancer. How dare you?"
"Did you forget that you danced for me?"
-"Nonsense..."
And at that moment...
The name and face of someone came to Tulzscha's mind.
Shub-Niggurath.
The ruler of the Black Woods, noble and grand.
-"It can't be."
Many beings cried and raged at the death of Shub-Niggurath.
Tulzscha wasn't much different. But if Shub-Niggurath's death was caused by the one he considered, the story would be completely different.
"Do you remember?"
It was a wrong question.
Tulzscha had never forgotten.
It wasn't such a bright flame from the beginning.
"You were my toy. You danced for me and gave me pleasure. You were my dancer."
YuWon reached out towards the fiery column.
Clack...
Something was grabbed by his hand. Something small and hot without aesthetic limits.
"It was the name I gave you to soothe my boredom. Your fire was definitely fun to watch."
Tulzscha was convinced.
What was in front of him was not a simple human.
This was a story known only to two people, inside and outside the Tower.
"You were my dancer and my toy."
Whaaaa!
The purple flames covering the world gathered in YuWon's hand.
"However, you boldly sought my name."
["You have obtained the name 'The Dancer Who Dances With Fire'"]
The power of the name changed hands.
YuWon looked at Tulzscha, pulled out of the fiery column like this, and smiled.
"Your true name is Tulzscha. One day, you appeared before me as a mere small flame."
Frr...
A small flame burned in the palm of his hand like a firefly.
This was the appearance of Tulzscha, whose name was taken away.
With that, when YuWon squeezed his hand tightly.
Crunch...
The small flame disappeared without being able to resist.
"It annoys me that the name I come across is the name of something as vulgar as you..."
Flash...
Pfff...
The flames covering the sky and earth disappeared, revealing the outer landscape.
A world whipped by Lightning Bolts. Thousands of Outers stretched beneath the purple sky.
Tulzscha was just the beginning.
And looking at that battlefield, YuWon smiled happily.
"Fortunately, Names are everywhere."
-KO-FI
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