[It was also at the moment I was born, so I don't know the specifics. However, I do know that someone had given me the record. It was an enormous portion of power.]
"And you don't know who that is?"
[No. However, I do know that 'he' resents you a lot. That is probably also why he interfered with my birth and gave me the power.]
"Fuu..."
[I'm the proof. Now that I've escaped my body, I do not resent you any more.]
"That makes me tearfully happy."
Would 'mountains over mountains' fit any better for this situation? He thought that he had finally defeated a higher existence, but it turned out she was just someone else's underling. This was a cliché plot that even novels didn't use nowadays.
But if there was something positive, it was that the situation was now clear.
"He's probably the dungeon's master, with the way he hates me, I'm sure."
An overwhelming pool of mana that could make such a wide dungeon, the concealing ability that allowed him to hide from even Yu IlHan, who was as good at finding others as he was in concealing himself, and most of all, the voice that told him to never return the moment he left the dungeon all pointed towards this 'strong being'.
"So he came out of the dungeon too....?"
[A dungeon's lord does not need to protect the dungeon forever, so it's not improbable. In any case, it is fortunate that we did not confront him before. If Mystic, born of his record, is already this strong, he must be an even stronger being. Perhaps, he's....]
"Perhaps?"
[....No, it's nothing.]
Yu IlHan did not dig any further. He could predict what she was about to say, and reality wouldn't change even if she said it or not.
'I need to become stronger, faster.' Yu IlHan muttered to himself and gripped his fists. The enemy was much stronger than he had thought, and was much more proactive in confronting him. He couldn't rest content just because he defeated Mystic.
"Mystic, don't you know anything else about Earth?"
[None. What I know is that there is a super strong being in this world, and that that being is disgusted with you.]
"Really, you aren't helpful at all."
[I answered, so give me a body already!]
Mystic urged Yu IlHan. She didn't seem to realize how big of a problem she had just given to Yu IlHan.
However, right now, that was better. Nothing would get better if they stayed dejected. Yu IlHan sighed and replied to her.
"Your body is already complete."
[Where!]
"Here." Yu IlHan spoke while pointing down at the ground he was stepping on. For a moment, she fell silent at his firm tone, then shouted as if about to cry.
[You want me to get buried, right? Like my dead body! In. The. Ground!]
"No, if I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have made you submit under my rule. What I pointed at was not the ground, but this flying fortress."
[Flying fortress...?]
"Yes, this giant castle that crushed your body into paste."
His voice regained vitality from some point onwards. No matter how strong the enemy in front of him was, it was also a clear fact that he was advancing step by step at every moment.
"I'll have you manage this flying fortress inside it. You definitely won't feel bored."
[Wha…..t!?]
It wasn't easy to persuade her to accept this 'body' that was billions of light-years from what she had expected, but Mystic, in the end, accepted that she would be enchanted into the flying fortress.
It was a giant building, far from capable of 'free movement'. Moreover, although it was a separate being, her original body was literally crushed by this 'new body'; if she said she didn't feel bad, it would be a lie, but the fortress's overwhelming energy and mobility did have a certain charm.
[Hmph, I guess it's better than being stuck inside a weapon.] (Mystic)
[You're funny for a newbie thought-soul. I'm much more free than the likes of you.] (Orochi)
[What good is being free? You're weak.] (Mystic)
[Eek, eeeeeek!] (Orochi)
Despite acquiring different bodies from each other, the two thought-souls continued to fight. Of course, they were both under Yu IlHan's Rule, so nothing much would happen even if they fought.
Yu IlHan wanted the two of them to be close, if possible, but right now, since Orochi was weaker than Mystic, he thought it might be impossible.
[Ooooh, so this castle is an artifact! There are a lot of things I can do!]
"But I'll scold you if you suddenly lower the altitude or accelerate."
[Hmmmmmm, so the beams from these mirrors pierced my body after all. Oh, ooooooh? How do I stop this!?]
"Dammit, I should have waited for a much calmer thought-soul!"
There was no way Mystic would have easily adapted to the controls of the flying fortress when she was unable to take a single step as a newborn.
She had to go through numerous days of trial and error to get used to managing the flying fortress, and Yu IlHan couldn't rest even for a moment, as one moment of carelessness would cause the fortress to suddenly descend and crash, or the destruction mirrors would spontaneously activate.
[Amazing, it's as if the monsters on the ground are trash!]
"I already said that."
[Wow, I can shoot a hundred beams at once!]
"I already said that too. And hey, if you don't change directions, you're gonna crash."
However, the fruits of the suffering were very satisfying. With a new manager of the fortress, Yu IlHan no longer had to split his consciousness to control it and, as such, impede his ability to fight; now Yu IlHan could fight to his full capabilities on his own and also order Mystic to control the fortress.
One problem was that not enough monsters were generated for them to try cooperating.
Even before Mystic had appeared, the number of monsters on Earth had decreased, which made him think Earth was perhaps in a recovery period, since it had used up a lot of mana in giving birth to a 5th class.
[Perhaps it's because it's making another 5th class.] (Liera)
"Then I'm only thankful. I was thinking that I was short on resources in any case."
[Resources...? IlHan, wait!] (Liera)
Yu IlHan vaguely replied to Liera's sharp words. However, Liera had spent ten centuries with him, so she could understand his words without misunderstanding… much. Yu IlHan didn't give her any time to retort and took out the 'resources'.
"I'll now make the strongest equipment in this world with this!"
[Hey!] (Liera)
[Wh, what are you taking out? Just bury it already!]
It was none other than Mystic's remains. Moreover, he was going to work in his workshop in the flying fortress. Really, he had no consideration for others at all.
"It's already irreversibly damaged anyway. You just get used to your current body. I'll cleanly erase all traces of your past."
[Great excuse, huh!] (Liera)
[*Sob sob*, now that brute is insulting the dead as well...]
While the flying fortress and the angel were shocked, Yu IlHan continued working boldly. In any case, no part of the remains was usable other than the bones, which had metallic properties, as they were too soft to use. What he did was to throw the remainder of the corpse into the furnace where Eternal Flame was burning to incinerate it to nothing.
Disposing of aesthetically unpleasant stuff and letting Eternal Flame absorb the body of a very high-level being to make it evolve again. Everything was perfect!
[You're inhuman!]
"You don't say."
The most distinctive characteristic of Mystic's bones was their hardness, remaining unharmed even after the maximum output of the destruction mirrors or the smashing of the flying fortress.
Of course, the relatively weak muscles and flesh had turned to paste, so the remains would remind others of horror movies, but Yu IlHan thought it was finally time to make new equipment.
"I could hold out with these armours until now, but now, I don't think they are enough."
[Ah, so you're making armour.] (Liera)
At first, he considered making a weapon if he acquired the body of a higher being. However, after hearing that Mystic was just a being born with the help of the hell dungeon's master, he felt a sense of crisis.
Until now, he has been confident in both his concealment and his defence, but that won't necessarily be the case in the future.
His abilities had developed to support all of his attacks, while his defence wasn't quite enough. In the worst-case scenario, he had to make an armour that could withstand at least one strike, regardless of who attacked him.
[I was worried that you were going to make something like a drill again.] (Liera)
[Drill? What's that? That sounds cool!]
"In fact, I did want to make a drill, but the situation is too urgent."
Yu IlHan melted down almost all the rare metals he had acquired up to that point, along with some dragon bones, and alloyed them with Mystic's bones.
Crafting a perfect metal without allowing the slightest mistake. Never was he so thankful to have the blessing of the god of smithing.
"The metal itself is perfect after all..."
[What are you saying when it hasn't even solidified yet?] (Liera)
"Idiot, I won't be able to shape it at all if it solidifies."
[You can't do anything with the Eternal Flame either!?] (Liera)
Eternal Flame flickered as if to deny that, but no matter how amazing it was, there was a limit. No, if Eternal Flame could melt it, he couldn't say that it could block any attack at least once.
[Then just how do you make it?]
"Like this."
He took off the armour he was wearing and filled it with a special mould composed of perverted demon's flesh, magic stone powder, and others. Ignoring Liera, who looked like she was about to vomit at any moment, he scattered 4th-class magic stone powder over the armour and poured the molten metal over it.
[What are you doing!]
"I'm making a cast out of my armour. The demon flesh inside will hold out long enough for the metal to solidify."
[I think that's already beyond the realm of metalworking...]
"Yes, it cannot be worked on with a normal method. If anyone calls this metalworking, you need to kick that guy's ass. And so."
Yu IlHan raised his hand. In his hand was a magic stone emitting brilliant violet light.
"What I'm doing is not metalworking."
[IlHan, you!?]
[Hiiiiik, what the hell is that! The quantity of mana is absurd!]
"I can't help it."
He gritted his teeth and muttered.
"I can only wish that 5th-class beings would appear a lot on Earth in the future!"
The magic stone he was holding emitted brilliant light and melted. At the same time, the molten metal on the armour also emitted light.
Metal that comprised a higher existence, and a magic stone that was the core of another – the two met in front of the blacksmith with the best ability across all worlds, and brought each other to higher realms.
This was a secret technique only allowed to the smiths who had received the blessing of the god of smithing, as well as being extremely proficient in mana crafting due to absorbing the essential knowledge of magic engineering – blacksmithing through mana crafting – was being carried out.