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She could not tell where metal ended and magic began. Loki had managed to layer attribute after attribute, and had bestowed the sword countless enchantments, when the finest smiths in her Familia could only give two.
Indestructibility.
Unparalleled sharpness.
Reduced weight.
Even one that repelled blood to make sure the unblemished blade stayed that way after slaughtering an army.
Some were so complex even Hephaestus could not recognize them.
And beyond those attributes, Loki still had the room to give the sword an affiliation to water, the second most difficult element after air. Water was a liquid, free-flowing and shapeless. It skirted away from its obstacles, the complete opposite to metal, which met them head-on. But Loki had somehow managed to circumvent that. With enough time, water could carve canyons into the earth. And at high enough speeds and pressure, cut through rock. And with iron dust mixed into it, cut through anything Nature could throw at it. It was unthinkable. Loki had managed to convince the metal to take water, its natural antithesis, as its vessel.
Hephaestus wasn't done. Layer after layer, secret after secret, impossibility after impossibility. For a swordsmith, it was a goldmine of breakthroughs and techniques. Too many, in fact, and there came a point where her mind simply couldn't continue. In her hands, she held the single, greatest sword she had seen.
Lancelot.
Her shaking hands laid the masterpiece back onto the table.
"Neat, isn't it?" Loki asked, grinning.
She gulped. How could Loki stand there and smile so easily? Did the other goddess not understand what she'd done?
She cast a glance at the sword again. Wars could be fought over it. It wasn't a far fetch to say that anybody who mastered it could become a threat to the Gods themselves. And that was the problem.
Loki had made that sword for Aiz Wallenstein.
Which meant that Aiz Wallenstein was about to about to become the most powerful mortal on the planet.
"Hephaestus, you look pale, is something wrong?"
"Loki, I'm going to ask you a very serious question, and I want you to tell me the truth."
"Okay."
"Did you use your Arcana to make this sword?"
"Um, no? I wouldn't be standing here talking to you if I did, would I? I'd be sent back."
"Then how did you make this sword?"
Loki tilted her head and looked fairly confused. "I just did what you told me. All that stuff with the hammers and fires and anvils. And then, when I was done, I added some trademark-secret Loki Magic!"
Hephaestus did not believe her. There was no way Loki could have managed to forge Lancelot just like that. But that begged a bigger question.
Who did?
Her Familia was already one of the best Blacksmith ones out there, and there wasn't such a large gap with any of her rivals that they could make something like this. Lancelot was a weapon that was simply beyond mortal comprehension. A God had to be involved in its creation.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Loki accused.
Hephaestus shook her head.
"Hmph." Loki looked away. "Tell her, Lancelot. Tell her I built you and that I'm the best God ever."
Hephaestus blinked. Then she looked down at the sword.
"Loki built me and she-" the female voice sighed "-is the best God ever."
Hephaestus blinked again. "Did your sword just talk?"
"Mhmm!" Loki nodded her head excitedly. "Cool, ain't it?"
This time she blinked several times in rapid succession. "You built a talking sword," Hephaestus said.
"Forged a talking sword," Loki said. "Tsk tsk, Hephaestus. Rookie mistake."
"I-"
"Oh yeah!" Loki said. "I almost forgot! I have a second sword here. What's its name again? Ame...Tsururugi...something something? Man, that's a long name. Wanna see?" Loki unslung the second sword from her back and held it out to her.
"I...I..." Hephaestus looked at the wrapped sword, then back at Lancelot again. "I've had enough for today, Loki."
XxXxXxXxX
The moment Loki left her Forge, muttering something about showing her a hammer the next time, Hephaestus leaned against the nearest wall and sunk her body all the way to the floor.
Her gaze landed on her own creation, one strike away from completion,
still lying where she'd left it.
She sighed.
She could complete it tomorrow.
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)