"Orochi, could you migrate to the Eight-tailed Dragon Spear for the time being?"
[I shall.]
Orochi's thought-soul completely moved over to the Eight-tailed Dragon Spear. Yu IlHan separated the spear from the armour and set it aside before summoning the Eternal Flame into his palm.
"We're now going to melt and combine the most expensive materials across the multiverses, you ready?"
Eternal Flame had experienced countless materials, absorbed even more records and evolved past its limit several times under Yu IlHan's guidance. It showed a confident movement, effectively burning away whatever doubts Yu IlHan had left.
"Good...."
Yu IlHan raised his head. In his two eyes were the ginormous bones that seemed like they would fill the entire barrier. As the two had different properties, he wasn't going to try alloying them to make an armour that brought out both of their advantages.
"First will be the inner armour. I'm going to make a thin layer of armour using Kelatuke's bones and the Heart of Fire."
[So this will be the fire.]
"Yes. And the second will be the outer armour. I'm going to melt Chaos Will's gauntlets again and add Echjar's bones and heart to make a sharp and sturdy armour."
[So that will be the dragon portion. Well, master is definitely closer to fire than to dragons. However, master, did you not say that you will reach the realm of higher existences through dragons? If so, then why did you not make the inner armour dragon-related?]
"Thanks for saying that, but a dragon's power is one that needs to be emitted outwards. Moreover, I cannot abandon either kind of potential when I become a higher existence... and above all, fire and dragon are fundamentally not that different either."
[... I am inexperienced and cannot comprehend anymore, so do as you wish.]
Orochi gave up on understanding Yu IlHan's dialogue. The most destructive and direct form of power representation was indeed fire… but Orochi could not understand any more than that. Yu IlHan realized that Orochi had given up and spoke with a bitter smile.
"You cannot stay as a thought-soul lower existence forever. To control and operate this armour, you also need some growth."
[That's it!]
At that time, Mystic suddenly shouted.
[I get it now! The league of the Flying fortress was raised, but I stayed the same. That's what's making me so stifled!]
"Then you can grow too, duh."
[How?]
"Well, wouldn't it be fine if you absorb any kind of records you encounter?"
[No, that's not enough. There needs to be a more fundamental solution.]
Mystic raised her voice. Her voice was passionate, as if she would dance a samba with the Flying Fortress.
[Master needs to grow! Only then could we follow!]
"Don't shift the blame to me."
[But it's the truth! So become a higher existence or whatever it is already!]
"Fine, I get it, so be quiet for a moment. I'm doing something important."
Upgrading his gear was a necessity, even if only to become a higher existence. Yu IlHan made Mystic quieten down and started melting the Infernal dragon body and Kelatuke's bones. The Infernal dragon body was a material used in both the inner and outer armour, and right now he had to extract its fire component.
Of course, this wasn't so easy. Even Yu IlHan's best flames could not bring out a change in the two metals.
[Is it really possible?]
"It will still be impossible later if it's impossible now. I might as well do it now."
Until now, Yu IlHan had never spent so much time on one item while crafting and smithing, but this time was an exception. Since the materials were so good, he couldn't be half-hearted about it, and he had to transfer all the Infernal Dragon's fire powers into the new armour without allowing a drop in quality.
"Fuu...."
Eternal Flame became stronger and brighter. The flame that once reached an extreme in size began to shrink, growing increasingly translucent before becoming invisible to the naked eye.
[It's a curious fire, no matter how many times I see it... ]
"Succubus, you're sparring with me. Where do you think you're going!"
[Fu, I only wanted to watch the piece of art... You damned violent ex-angel.]
Yu IlHan could no longer hear the others. He only focused on the flames; the flames and the material that the flames needed to melt – he could not take his eyes off the two.
"Eternal Flame, this is the armour you'll reside in."
Yu IlHan whispered to it. It was a very soft voice.
"So focus, while thinking that you're making your own house."
Eternal Flame burned up as if to reply to him. It flickered its tongue, burning more as it became more attached to the material. At that moment, Eternal Flame grew once again, and the Heart of Fire he had already taken out to use later began to resonate with it!
The moment no one other than Yu IlHan could recognize the Eternal Flame anymore, the Infernal dragon body and Kelatuke's bones finally started melting.
'Good, there's resonance. Let's do the mana crafting here as well.'
Melting wasn't everything. He had to keep the cast of the Infernal dragon's body, compress the power contained in Kelatuke's bones, and fill the Infernal dragon body with it.
Now that the Heart of Fire had activated, this process was no longer just blacksmithing, and it was mana crafting, and with Eternal Flame, it was simultaneously soul enchant as well. Yu IlHan thought that perhaps creation was like this before technology developed and began to branch out.
[Fufu. Ex-angel lady, aren't you gonna spar?]
"Shut up for a sec, succubus...."
It was not easy to ignore Yu IlHan, who was working so vibrantly and at the same time, nobly. It wasn't just Helièna and Liera either. The others that were sparring, training skills, eating dragon meat, or fighting against monsters, they all stopped what they were doing and gathered around him.
"Amazing."
"It's amazing even though I don't know what's amazing about it!"
An aura of translucent flames enveloped Yu IlHan; they could not see his figure clearly, but they could see how amazing his work was.
The ginormous bones of Kelatuke shrank over time, and the sturdy Infernal dragon's body glowed brightly, shifting from material to immaterial before being dismantled. Eternal Flame burned with all its power, mixing the two that were never meant to be combined.
[My house.] A bright, clear girl's voice could be heard. Yu IlHan instinctively realized that it was Eternal Flame's will. After repeating several evolutions, she had finally become able to communicate. (T/N: Eternal Flame is 'she' from now on)
[I'm going to make the hottest house!]
"Yes, that should do."
Replied Yu IlHan in satisfaction. Eternal Flame realized that her master had understood her words and burned even brighter in joy. Of course, the speed at which Kelatuke's bones melted accelerated accordingly.
The Heart of Fire was also being melted, albeit rather slowly. Every time it melted a little, the entire region of space was bathed in a tinge of red.
Eventually, the terrifying heat had formed a barrier, and no one except the Eternal Flame and Yu IlHan, who had received the blessing of the goddess of fire, could keep their consciousness within it. Orochi was no exception and had to leave the barrier hurriedly.
[I will leave for a bit. ... Damn, you can't even hear me, can you?]
"Fuu, haah...."
The barrier around the Heart of Fire shrank. As the barrier decreased in size, so did Kelatuke's bones. The bones were not being destroyed, but were being compressed while retaining their original properties. It had found a cast that could contain its high league.
Yu IlHan finally picked up his hammer. Then he gathered the separated halves of the Infernal Dragon's body and Kelatuke's bones into one place before hammering them down. He imbued all his mana and flames into his strikes to temper those items.
[Can you feel it? Mana crafting and Soul enchant are being mixed with Blacksmithing. Aah, it's a mere piece of armour, but it's being treated better than me. I'm so envious. If I could receive darling's sweet hands like that, it would be fine if I melted into a puddle of blood....]
"I said shut up, succubus. You're disturbing me."
Yu IlHan eventually closed his eyes. Eyes being open had nothing to do with the work right now.
He could feel fire; the breathing fire; the will of the Eternal Flame; the space that became one with the fire to burn; the bones that colored and transformed; and the half of the Infernal Dragon body that sucked every one of them from the center.
[You have discovered a realm of crafting that cannot be defined with technology. The majority of advanced fusion skills, resulting from the fusion of technology, are recorded in the Akashic Record, but the techniques that possess a league that cannot be recorded cannot be given a level, and may just exist by themselves.]
[What you have discovered is the realm of Genesis. You have fused the powers of Blacksmithing, Mana crafting, and Soul enchant into one to transform 'The Chaos that cannot be mixed nor separated' into 'Birth'. You have realized the realm of 'Creation '.]
[You have earned the title, 'Creator'. All of your creations will be given special and unique options.]
Yu IlHan opened his eyes. Kelatuke's bones had all but disappeared. The figure of the Heart of Fire was nowhere to be seen. The Eternal Flame was still burning on Yu IlHan's palm, but this was not its whole, but a mere fragment, and the main body had already moved over to her new house.
A single set of armour floated in front of him. It was an armour that was entirely red in colour. It looked very similar to the Infernal dragon body, but was completely different.
It was alive. Yu IlHan could instinctively realize what this realm of 'Creation' was after seeing it.
[I like it very much!] Eternal Flame shouted inside the armour with a voice that contained not the slightest bit of negativity. It was very clear, yet passionate – a voice that was close to contradiction. It was very charming.
[I'm going to protect master!]
"Yes, I'll leave it to you."
A tired voice escaped Yu IlHan as he had poured his everything into the creation just now. However, he was very satisfied; his heart felt full. He had the thought that he had finally properly made what he really wanted to.
He now walked a path no one had ever tread.
[Soul of Fire was completed.]
[Soul of Fire.]
[Rank – God]
[Defence – 17,900]
[Durability – indestructible as long as the energy of fire remains]
[User restrictions – Yu IlHan]
[Options –
1. 200% increase in fire attribute resistance and attack power.
2. Imbues the power of fire to all skills and amplifies them by 100%.
3. Raises the league of all fire-related skills.]
[The purest, hottest, and sturdiest flames created by a human that had transcended humanity. A miracle that was given birth after matter, soul, and mana came together with one will.]
He turned his head after checking the information on the armour and saw that the dragon part of the Infernal Dragon's body had formed a lump. Now, that would form the new outer armour with Echjar's bones, Chaos Will's gauntlet, and DRAGON HEART.
In other words, he had only done half of the work. The armour was incomplete.
"To think I'd have to do such a tiring job once again...."
[I'm happy, I'm happy!]
Eternal Flame only rejoiced as he controlled the armour, jumping around in midair, unaware of what was going through his mind.
He could wear that immediately but... Yu IlHan let her be for a while. When he looked at the others, they looked back at him with absent-minded looks.
"IlHan, you..."
"What is it?"
"Even your hair is red now."
After hearing Liera's words, he immediately ran his hand through his hair to check.
"Whot!?"
It was true. After he had received the blessing of the goddess of fire, Yu IlHan's eyes had turned red, and now that he had created the Soul of Fire, even his hair was dyed red.
"What the hell? When did it grow so long?"
What's more, it even grew down to his waist! Yu IlHan was shocked and immediately tried to cut it, but Na YuNa immediately threw her body and clung to his waist.
"Long hair is cool as well, so leave it! Leave iiiiit!"
"But it will be annoying in battle, so I'll cut it short... hm?"
The moment he thought he wanted his hair short, his long hair shrank back down again. Na YuNa's two eyes had question marks in them. Yu IlHan thought.
... Just what the hell am I turning into?