"Mr. IlHan~. Make it longer again! Longer! You were so sexy just now!"
"I don't like being sexy, so I'll keep it short."
"Noooo! Idiot! Idiot~!"
Yu IlHan realized that his hair now had the properties of fire. Well, fire was immaterial and could be manipulated to alter its size at will, so it wouldn't be strange even if his hair had such properties. In other words, a part of Yu IlHan's body had transcended the realm of matter.
He had reached the midpoint between lower existences and higher existences. He instinctively realized that.
"Hm, it seems like I can aim for higher existences in this field."
"Congratz on getting many ways to become a higher existence."
"But... hm."
Fire and dragon, rather than pursuing just one of them, it would be better in the long term to fuse the two together to pave his way to the realm of higher existences.
Although he was surprised by the unexpected gain, he quickly reorganized his thoughts and returned his hair to the way it was before. Now it was time to make the other part of the armour – the outer armour – which contained the power of dragons.
"Come here."
[Yes.]
Yu IlHan took off all his clothes and put the Soul of Fire on his body. It was custom-made for him and had the pure properties of fire, so even when he wore it, it gave him a comfortable sensation as if he wasn't wearing anything at all.
"I don't think the outer armour is a problem with this."
[I'm happy!]
Eternal Flame repeated the same words like a child just learning a language. Yu IlHan laughed and lightly tapped on the armour before picking up his hammer again. A flame blossomed at its tip very naturally. Yu IlHan and the Eternal Flame had already become deeply synchronized, and it was foolish to attempt to distinguish between the two.
"Orochi, it's your turn now."
[I thought I was being melted along with the spear last time....]
"I'm going to melt the spear as well. It's time to throw away the name of the Eight-tailed Dragon Spear."
[...Is that for real?]
"Didn't you see what Eternal Flame was capable of just now? You just need to do that yourself."
[I thought you'd use Echjar.]
"I'm going to switch you with him once I become able to control him at will. You just need to take care of it until then."
Yu IlHan still didn't have the power to manipulate the violent 7th-class dragon to his will. Orochi made a bitter laugh when he heard Yu IlHan's honest words.
[Then I can only do my best. Although I'm fine with that and will not complain.]
"Then should we start?"
[Understood.]
Eight-tailed dragon spear, half of the Infernal dragon's body that became an armoury of numerous weapons, Chaos Will's gauntlet, Echjar's bones, and his DRAGON HEART as well – treasures that would shock worlds on their own, gathered in one spot.
"Fuu."
Yu IlHan slowly closed his eyes and simultaneously activated Mana crafting, Soul enchant, and Blacksmithing to enter the realm of creation. Since he had already done it once, he was more proficient with it now.
[Kraaaaaah! You dare to do that to my body, and my heart!]
"You just shut up, Echjar."
Although it was impossible to control him, it was no problem to shut him up. Yu IlHan utilized all his powers as a Deathgod to bury Echjar deep inside his consciousness and continued working.
Echjar's ginormous bones glowed red and began to shrink. Orochi's thought-soul left the Eight-tailed dragon spear and moved to the remaining half of the Infernal dragon's body, while Yu IlHan melted the other materials with fire and simultaneously activated Dragonic blood.
'I'm going to forge a body that can bring out the power of dragons to the best. It's an easy thing, and it should be one.'
[Master, focus!]
Everything melted down, and Echjar's DRAGON HEART reacted. The mana crafting process commenced successfully.
"Orochi."
[I shall try.]
Yu IlHan raised his hammer before striking down. The armour's outer appearance appeared for a brief moment before being buried in chaos again. However, Yu IlHan did not get disappointed. This meant that Chaos Will's gauntlet had been efficiently melted in.
"I do not plan to entrap or suppress the power of dragons. Transform and roar as you wish."
[That's what I wished for.]
Orochi and Yu IlHan's senses melted and mixed into one. Although he was one with the Soul of Fire right now, his training in manipulating thought-souls was not for nothing, and he could adapt to it without much problem. The soul enchanting process was smooth as well.
"Good... Very good."
There was resonance. The power of the dragons, which had always reacted when Yu IlHan entered the Cradle of Miracles, had awakened again under the stimulation of the materials here. A violent wave rippled through Yu IlHan's body. If he couldn't endure even this, he may as well give up the dream of becoming a higher existence.
"Let's start working then!"
He struck down with the hammer. The Eight-tailed dragon spear snapped perfectly, then was melted by translucent flames and absorbed by the remaining half of the Infernal Dragon's body. Now it was time to use the power of Blacksmithing to shape it.
[Fuu.... Haaah.]
"Fuu.... Haaah."
Yu IlHan and Orochi's breathing synchronized. The more he hammered on, the louder Echjar's bones screamed in pain before being compressed. The size of DRAGON HEART also decreased over time, and it enhanced the materials with its magical power.
With such complex processes unfolding simultaneously, even Erta and Helièna, who were very well-versed in magic, could only watch the breathtaking scene without fully comprehending it.
"I'll give up. I can't understand a thing...!"
[Watch even if you cannot comprehend anything, lady. The figure of darling stepping onto a new realm, the records that are not recorded.]
The only non-draconic material here, Chaos Will, was the last one to cry out within it. That had to be used to enhance the characteristics of dragons and to unchain the restrictions on strength. Yu IlHan transformed that power and led it. He used the mana from DRAGON HEART to shape the power into a dragon's, making it one with the armour.
[It is starting, master.]
"Yes. ...It's starting."
He struck down with the hammer.
He struck down with the hammer.
He struck down with the hammer.
The DRAGON HEART completely melted down. The momentary surge of a horrifying concentration of mana focused on Yu IlHan, and he synchronized with it using the power of Dragonic blood, pouring it into his hammer.
Despite the mana of dragons rippling so hard it hurt his heart, his movements did not change at all. The armour tried to take form but then dissipated again, tried to agglomerate before dispersing again. Echjar's bones completely enveloped the armour and were melted together with the rest of it.
"I think I saw that before. It looks like ink being diffused in water~."
"Shh."
He struck down with the hammer. Just once, a sonorous sound of hitting metal could be heard. The dispersing energy and mana that seemed like they would fill the entire barrier were instantly compressed and formed into an item in the shape of armour.
An armour that embodied the reddish-black, sturdy scales of a dragon. It was an armour that looked like a scaled-up version of an Infernal Dragon's body.
"Fuu."
Yu IlHan heaved a short sigh and dropped his hammer. Even though the hammer was made from top-grade materials, it could not withstand two consecutive creation processes and ended up as a half-molten mess. He was only glad that it held out until the end of the process.
"It's finished."
[It is indeed.]
Green text appeared in his eyes.
[Body of the Human Dragon was complete.]
[Body of the Human Dragon]
[Rank – God]
[Defence – 25,500]
[Durability – 50,000,000/50,000,000 (regenerates as long as there is a single fragment left.)]
[User restrictions – Yu IlHan]
[Options –
1. Amplifies the power of dragons and increases recovery rate by 300%.
2. Raises the league of all skills related to dragons.
3. Freely transforms the figure of the user by consuming mana, and may transcend the realm of matter.
4. Can freely summon all weapons etched onto the records of the user. Half of the defence is added to the weapon's attack power.]
[An armour that allows for the coexistence of one's human and dragon nature, created by a human that had a deep understanding of dragons.]
[I can finally understand what Mystic meant.]
Orochi, trapped in the Body of the Human Dragon, complained.
[I feel very stifled, master. Please do something about it.]
"You're saying the same thing."
[Uhihi! Good for you! You ignored me, and now you are in the same situation since you were so arrogant!]
[It frustrates me so much that I'm in the same state as that woman....]
"But it's not over yet."
A dual core only had meaning when they worked together. The Heart of Fire, controlled by Eternal Flame, and the DRAGON HEART, operated by Orochi, had to gather around the hardware known as Yu IlHan to be truly considered complete.
"Orochi, you know what to do, right?"
[Ugh, I do.]
When Yu IlHan flicked his finger, the Body of the Human Dragon floating in the air transformed itself into a black fog. Chaos Will's properties had been implemented on a new level after borrowing the powers of dragons!
The fog swirled across the air and enveloped Yu IlHan, who was wearing the Soul of Fire. It materialized again and naturally settled atop the Soul of Fire when Orochi, Eternal Flame, and Yu IlHan became one.
As if having waited for that moment, a few lines of text quietly appeared in Yu IlHan's eyes.
[The Eternal-ranked artifact, Flamesoul Dragon body, was complete.]
[There are artifacts that are perfect by themselves, but may transcend perfection by merging with other items. 'Soul of Fire' and 'Body of the Human Dragon' are such cases. Artifacts that cannot be complete with the two artifacts and the user had formed a perfect harmony to be reborn into an Eternal-ranked artifact.]
[An additional effect is added to the Flamesoul Dragon body.]
[The equipper of the armour becomes the master of all flames and dragons. It can amplify the power of fire and dragons, bestow power, and may take it away as well. However, the league of the user is still low, and thus, the ability cannot be activated to its full extent.]
"Fuuuuuu."
Yu IlHan, who had undergone a simple awakening through the imperfect fusion with the artifact, heaved a deep breath. Inside it was all the power of fire and dragons. Some call it 'Breath'.
There was someone who was looking at him with a dumbfounded gaze, and it was none other than Yumir.
"Dad ended up becoming a dragon!?"
"Not yet."
"Then when are you becoming one?"
"I don't know either."
"Anyway, amazing! Dad is amazing!"
Yu IlHan softly embraced Yumir as he rejoiced, his eyes glittering, then shook his head at the others, who had their eyes fixed on him.
"Alright. Show's over. Go do your things now."
"When I look at how you work, I feel so useless."
"If you don't want to die uselessly later, then please continue doing those useless things."
There was still plenty of time before the barrier was dispelled. He had the urge to dive into the Cradle of Miracles and never come out again, but he couldn't, since he wasn't the only one who needed it right now.
"There are also other things that I need to do before I leap into the realm of higher existences."
Yu IlHan called out his spear and poised himself. He summoned a reddish-black spear made from the energy of fire and dragons. It was made with the Eight-tailed dragon spear as the base, but it was also the strongest and sharpest spear he could remember making, and as such, was a completely different spear.
"Anyone wants to spar with me?"
"Anyone will get instantly crushed if they fight IlHan right now."
"But I need to train in the Great Cosmos-severing Spear...."
"Hiiiik."
Everyone shrank back in fear when they heard the words 'Great Cosmos-severing Spear'. Wasn't that the skill that raised his martial might to a whole new level? Only Helièna reacted, but unfortunately she was a magic combatant and not proficient in close combat, and therefore was unsuited to be a sparring partner.
"I can't help it, I guess." Yu IlHan muttered nonchalantly, then let go of the spear before taking out Echjar's remaining body. Although the fundamental parts had all been stripped away, the grandeur of the remains was still very great.
He uttered amazing nonsense in front of the remains.
"I can only revive Echjar and fight him."
[You dare to make me into this!]
"Although the league would be significantly lower, the abilities of the physical body won't be that different, so rest assured."
[YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!]
"I'll free you if you win against me. So just listen to me now."
[T-this rude and poor lower existence dared to look down upon this Echjarrrrrrrrrrrr!]
Echjar, who was provoked to no end by Yu IlHan, let out a roar. Yu IlHan nodded in satisfaction after feeling that.
Now that his equipment was complete, there was no way he could lose against that simpleton Echjar. Moreover, he could also snap his morale by physically winning against him and putting him under his rule, so what was two birds with one stone if this wasn't! The reason Orochi had to go inside the Body of the Human Dragon was all to fight Echjar and bring him to his knees!
"Well, then. I'll revive you into a cute lil' thing, so wait a moment."
[C-cute!? L, 'lil'!? YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!]
Yu IlHan picked up some random dragon bones to make a new hammer and approached Echjar's body. The training session that only Yu IlHan took joy in had begun.