Haim Horn looked at the shattered Sky Domain, his expression grave.
He led the mages onto the cracked floating rocks, manipulating phantoms that flashed across the entire sky. Countless phantoms landed upon the floating stones.
The moment he touched the rock, Haim Horn overlapped with the phantom, completely switching places with it.
Many mages followed closely behind Haim, all kinds of magic driving beneath their feet, sand flying, flames flickering, currents surging...
With equally swift steps, they set foot upon the floating rock island.
Looking around, the once chaotic scene had been washed clean by endless purifying power. Its original appearance was not left even in the slightest.
Everyone stepped on the suspended rocks and continued shuttling toward the floating stones below the Sky Domain.
The closer they got to the lower level, the more violent the heat they felt.
The floating rocks beneath their feet gradually changed from warm to scorching. Cracks split open across the massive stones from the extreme temperature.
The air itself began to boil, making Haim Horn feel a burning heat, as if the blood inside his body was about to be completely evaporated.
It was like a living volcano, surging here with furious magma.
Many mages still followed behind Haim Horn, even though the environment here was terrifyingly harsh.
But the deeper they went, the fewer mages could keep up with him.
The surrounding wind became extremely violent. The powerful impact even dragged Haim's legs backward as he stood on the floating rock.
Even with magic protecting his body, it was hard to withstand this terrifying heat and storm.
He continued to mobilize his magic, leading the mages further downward.
Soon, a massive floating rock appeared before Haim.
That enormous rock was faintly red. The high temperature made him feel slightly dizzy.
He steadied himself and cast his gaze forward.
This was an open plain of floating stone. Haim had an intuition... Viktor was here.
He stirred his magic and flew onto the floating rock.
The moment he stepped onto the plain, he looked around.
The figure in the black trench coat was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, what came into view was a burly dwarf.
And a massive furnace assembled beside him.
That was Ryan Kent.
He stood bare chested, holding tongs in one hand, gripping a piece of glowing red steel rock.
In the other hand, he clenched a heavy hammer, striking again and again upon the anvil.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal colliding echoed continuously, shaking and breaking apart the surrounding air.
Blue flames overflowed from the formation beneath him, climbing along his white beard.
At the tip of Ryan's white beard burned blue fire, like an enraged beast roaring without end.
His powerful, muscular body sweated profusely as the heavy hammer struck the blazing iron plate.
The furnace before him seemed to come from hell, burning with crimson flames, thick smoke billowing from within.
The glow of the fire dyed Ryan's skin red. Even the tiniest beads of sweat were instantly evaporated.
All the mages present fell silent in shock the moment they saw him.
Among them, no one did not know the great name of Ryan Kent.
He was the most famous forging master of the dwarven race.
At the same time, he was a world renowned magic craftsman.
Very few had personally witnessed Ryan Kent while forging.
It was said he carried a furnace and a hammer with him at all times.
Legend said his furnace used flames naturally born within snowy mountains, a fire that would never extinguish.
As for that hammer, a certain god had broken off the horn from its own head and buried it in the land of frost.
In the end, Ryan Kent took it and forged it into a mighty hammer capable of shattering any material.
With these two items, along with the forging skill Ryan Kent took pride in.
As long as he wished, he could use whatever materials were at hand anytime, anywhere.
Even a small fragment of steel rock could be forged in his hands into a blade tougher than those used by the kingdom's warriors.
And this time, the mages truly witnessed it.
In such an extremely harsh environment.
All around were surging, scorching magma and furious storms.
Yet surrounded by these two forces.
He stood like one who would not yield between heaven and earth, the roaring hammer pouring out all the unwillingness in his heart.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
His combat strength might not compare to most council members.
But he was absolutely the most respected forging master.
[The Unyielding Blue Flame Furnace]
Ryan Kent.
Haim Horn watched Ryan Kent.
He did not speak, only observed quietly.
Ryan swung the hammer in his hand, striking the fiery red iron rock, rolling up terrifying heat and sparks.
That scorching red substance.
Was clearly the hottest magma that could only be obtained from within a volcano.
He struck the magma again and again, shaping it continuously.
The already burning magma, under repeated hammer blows.
Seemed to burn even the surrounding air to nothing.
With one hammer strike, he grabbed a lump of pitch black chaos placed beside him.
The energy of chaotic dragon scales seemed to cling to his hand. He scraped off a fragment and layered it into the forged iron.
Each massive strike caused sonic booms that shattered space.
Under countless collisions, the enormous metal gradually took shape.
Haim Horn remained silent, watching Ryan focus on forging.
Then Ryan Kent once again took out from the furnace a piece of steel swirling with storm.
He clamped it with tongs and fixed it upon the anvil.
At the sight of this storm swirling steel, the mages were even more shocked.
They had never even seen such a material before, nor knew where it came from.
Ryan Kent did not bother to answer their questions. He simply continued to swing his forging hammer, utterly focused.
Haim Horn knew that once Ryan Kent began forging, he would become extremely serious.
He would no longer pay attention to any surrounding sounds.
Although he did not know what Ryan was forging.
'Viktor's staff?'
'No, no, something like a staff could not possibly be made so violently like hammering iron.'
'So what exactly is Ryan forging?'
At that moment, a cold voice sounded calmly from the side.
"You came to ask about the Goddess of Justice, didn't you?"
Haim Horn suddenly turned his head.
At some unknown time, Viktor was already standing beside him.
His hands were in his pockets, that iconic crow perched on his shoulder.
Behind him, the trench coat flickered with differently colored glowing patterns.
At times red like flame, at times cloud white like wind.
Clang! Clang!
Ryan's forging continued to echo.
Viktor's voice rose between the hammer strikes.
"The goddess was summoned by me."
For a moment Haim felt stunned, finally focusing his thoughts before asking in disbelief, "Viktor, do you even understand…"
"What kind of impact this action will have on our Council?"
The Goddess of Justice appearing in the Council would naturally tie her to it.
Even the Council's mages had begun to believe that the Mage Council was already the church of the Goddess of Justice.
So what would the world think?
This directly destroyed the original intention of the Archmage in opposing the Goddess of Justice.
It was precisely because of the goddess's obsessive and extreme justice that countless people could not accept it.
Thus, the Archmage had stolen the goddess's divine power to weaken her influence on human society.
And through the Mage Council, opened up a path of justice.
Justice, yet justice that ran contrary to the Goddess of Justice.
However…
What Viktor had done invisibly magnified the goddess's influence.
Then the mages who joined the Council later... were they pursuing the Council's justice, or the Goddess of Justice's justice?
The two were not the same after all.
Viktor spoke calmly, "I know."
Hearing this answer, Haim Horn was completely speechless. It felt as though dense blue snow filled his mind, plunging him into tangled confusion.
'Why?'
'If Viktor understood, then why would he do such a thing?'
At that moment, Viktor suddenly said something baffling.
"Haim, you should know..."
"I have a fiancee."
Haim froze, his eyes turning to Viktor, trying to find an answer.
But it was already too late.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, the ground began to crack, fissures widening.
Terrifying currents of air carried scorching heat straight into the sky.
Boiling magma surged from beneath the cracks, flames dancing wildly like a frenzy of golden serpents.
A crimson giant claw slowly rose from the fissure, carrying burning rock.
Rolling magma fell continuously. The surrounding temperature became even more terrifying with the claw's appearance.
[Scorching Earth]
At this moment, all the mages' gazes focused on Viktor.
No one was thinking anymore.
Perhaps the searing heat had burned their brains numb.
Or perhaps the sudden appearance of the colossal beast filled them with despair.
Even though the beast showed no hostility toward them.
Yet even in this extreme environment, Ryan Kent remained unaffected, focused entirely on forging.
The heavy hammer kept slamming against the anvil, the dull metal clangs shaking the air.
With the beast's appearance, the temperature became even more intense, as if the flames within Ryan's great furnace burned fiercer.
Sweat poured from his body. His bronze skin looked even more imposing in the crimson glow.
Reflected flames shone in his deep eyes.
Under the extreme heat, stones on the floating plain began to shatter rapidly, flames whipping into frenzied whirlwinds.
Magma even burst from the rubble, floating in the air and striking against the colossal ancient creature's body.
Endless pillars of fire shot into the sky, piercing the blue heavens.
Almost at the same time, a massive black body began to roll in the sky.
At some point, white clouds had already gathered above.
They converged, forming an eye of the storm in the blue sky as light poured in.
A flying dragon rolled against the wind within the clouds, violent winds making the air tremble.
[Storm Judgment]
Inside the furnace, flames seemed to become a raging dragon trapped in a cage, churning madly.
Gales swept up. Under the dual effects of extreme heat and storm, the steel grew even redder.
Ryan Kent seemed to treat the scorching earth and storming sky as his own furnace.
Hammer after hammer fell, shaping those two legendary materials.
At this time, Viktor took out the scale covered in black from his chest.
The scale rested steadily in his hand, dark luster flowing continuously.
Haim Horn's eyes widened as he looked at the scale in Viktor's hand.
It was the scale Viktor had taken from the library.
Viktor looked at it and said lightly, "Why can't the orthodoxy of the Goddess of Justice belong to our Council?"
Haim hurried to argue, "The justice of the Goddess of Justice is not the same as the justice of our Council. You should know…"
"Then why can't the justice of the Mage Council change the doctrine of the Goddess of Justice?"
As his words fell, Viktor placed the scale beside Ryan Kent's furnace.
Perhaps because he saw this happen.
Perhaps because he heard those words.
Haim Horn's eyes widened.
His voice stopped abruptly.
Ryan looked at the scale and slowly closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath, as if mentally prepared.
Then from his waist pouch, he took out a bottle of dark red dragon blood.
Pulling out the cork, white steam rose. Ryan glanced at it and poured it directly over the scale.
Whoosh!
Terrifying heat fused the scale with the burning steel.
Under Ryan's hammer strikes, it began taking on a new form.
Gales howled suddenly. Flames grew exceptionally fierce.
The entire floating island seemed to fall into chaos.
The earth cracked. Space burned.
Yet Ryan's hammer swung even faster.
Haim watched the scale being forged as material, his face filled with grief and shock.
At this moment, he thought of Viktor's question.
The justice of the Goddess of Justice and the justice of the Mage Council were not in conflict. Both were justice.
But at the same time, they were contradictory.
Because the goddess's doctrine was extremely obsessive, intolerant of any evil, even twisting her followers into madness.
But what Viktor meant was.
Only one could remain.
Just like the scale being fused into the staff.
Once the doctrine of the Goddess of Justice was devoured by the influence of the Mage Council…
Then the Goddess of Justice.
Would exist in name only.
Hiss!
Blood poured over crimson molten iron, releasing foul smelling steam.
Amid a surge of pitch black light, the massive form of the staff suddenly lit up.
Viktor smiled faintly and extended a hand.
"If we must choose which one is the truth."
Ryan Kent watched as the newly forged staff rose and swiftly flew into Viktor's hand.
The surrounding space trembled continuously, whether from the staff's birth or the chaos of flame and storm.
Pitch black light exploded outward, and the staff's true form appeared before everyone.
The moment it formed, the two towering beasts simultaneously let out earth shaking roars.
As if shaking away all filth.
Viktor held the staff. One end curved into a twisted bird head hook. Several rings floated at the center of the shaft.
The phantom of the scale wound around the staff, gradually merging into it.
He planted the staff upon the ground. The phantom scale began to sway.
At that instant, Viktor connected with Vega, blue magic merging together.
A vast ocean of magic burst forth from within him, enveloping all the mages present.
Holding the brand new staff, Viktor felt the terrifying power fill his body, as if his veins now carried even more majestic magic.
[Please name this staff]
With boundless magic, Viktor's arrogant and confident voice slowly rose, "Then..."
"I am the only truth."
[The Truth of Great Prosperity]
[Name Successful]
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