Chapter 402

Chapter 402

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 402: The Starting Point (2)

A week had passed.

Was it because he unintentionally overheard Faye’s story? Or perhaps it was the passion for what could be the masterpiece of his life, the sense of duty as a lord, or the regret of a failed father.

However, one thing was certain: Rohan, having regained the vitality of his prime, was magnificent enough to understand why dwarves were so obsessed with the title of Meister.

His eyes blazed hotter than the furnace that had supposedly never gone out since this castle was built.

His hair was still streaked with white, but his gaunt limbs were now filled with muscle, giving him a robust impression. When he swung the hammer himself, one could even feel a sense of reverence.

And Faye was not much different.

At first, she kicked me around instead of her blanket because I had heard her innermost thoughts, which she hadn’t intended to share with Rohan, but once she got into the serious work, she showed an incredibly focused demeanor.

Her black eyes were sunk deep like a bottomless abyss. The light of intelligence that shone within them, though different in temperature, was no less bright than Rohan’s.

This was probably one of the reasons why the artisans under her command followed Faye’s instructions without complaint.

For a week, everyone did their best in their respective positions.

They tirelessly extracted special alchemical steel, forged it, and connected muscles and complex input/output devices onto it.

Ironically, the scene resembled the Reckless Roar and the God of Tainted Unity creating their twin-headed giant.

I and the others in the group took every opportunity to unleash all possible attacks on the giant.

It was still enveloped in immense divine power, so we couldn’t inflict proper damage, but it would at least serve as a hindrance.

The power we poured in would have offset that much divine power, so the speed of its awakening as an avatar would slow down, or its completion would be flawed.

At this rate, we should be able to capture both Evil Gods smoothly.

“…Well, it probably won’t end this easily.”

Neither the Reckless Roar nor the God of Tainted Unity are particularly cunning Evil Gods. But in combat, it’s certain that they are worthy of the name “god.”

They must have realized that we have our own strategy, even if they don’t know exactly what it is. Isn’t a battle of wits always fundamental to combat?

It was the eighth day, one day after the week had passed.

Crack.

A booming sound, like amplifying the sound of bones cracking when stiff joints move after a long time by about 100 times.

It was the sound of the twin-headed giant, which had been kneeling obediently to receive divine power, finally rising.

Since I had always been focusing on the giant’s movements, I could quickly sense the change.

I asked Helena, who was narrowing her eyes on the city wall.

“Helena. How long do you think it will take for that thing to fully rise?”

“In my opinion, it will start moving within a few hours. The Righteous Radiance…”

“Looks similar to me. It will become an avatar before the sun sets today at the latest.”

“Since it woke up earlier than expected, there will be side effects, right?”

“Of course. It probably can only move, but won’t be able to exert its full power. Of course, the story will be different after a few days when the synchronization is complete…”

“I heard from Faye that the golem will be completed tomorrow. A day should be manageable.”

If we just focus on holding out along the city wall, we should be able to manage somehow.

Helena and Solaris seemed to think so too, nodding and drawing upon their divine power.

“If that’s the case, it would be good to prepare in advance. Oh Lord. Sadly, it seems I won’t be able to lead the fight this time.”

“It’s okay! If we pour all our blessings on our husband, isn’t that us fighting too? They say a married couple is of one body!”

“You probably mean ‘one heart, one mind.’ And if it’s one heart, one mind, I think there’s someone more suitable than me?”

Solaris shrugged at my words. Of course. There couldn’t be anyone more fitting for the phrase “one heart, one mind” than those two who practically live as one.

“Isn’t it true since you become one every night?”

“…I suppose so.”

Nodding with an awkward feeling, I looked around. As if we weren’t the only ones who sensed the change, the dwarves were moving busily.

Shells enhanced by Faye were being loaded into the gunports already aimed at the giant.

I also took out my staff and dagger in both hands and initiated dragonification.

The senses expanded in an instant. I exhaled the omnipotence rising from the depths of my chest in my breath.

“Hoo…”

In the meantime, Helena’s divine power had become even denser, emitting a dazzling white light like the sun.

As Helena’s faintly visible silhouette spread her arms wide, the divine power gathered around her became another city wall.

Whoosh.

A white shield covering the already sturdy dwarven city wall. Unlike the hastily deployed one before, this was a barrier created with considerable effort. This should hold out for quite a while.

Especially against an incomplete avatar whose synchronization isn’t finished.

Looking at the other women who had gathered beside me, I said,

“I’ll go alone this time. Don’t worry, I’ll focus only on evasion and defense, not attack.”

It couldn’t be helped since no one could keep up with my movements, which I could perform instinctively, thanks to my wings, without even thinking.

Everyone here seemed to understand, nodding with slightly dissatisfied expressions.

Since the preparations were roughly finished, I stood at the edge of the city wall and turned my gaze.

The giant, still kneeling on one knee, was already as tall as the city wall. The four eyes on its two heads were slowly opening.

I grinned at the black and red eyes that seemed somehow amused.

“If it’s an avatar, it’s not an apostle, so would it be classified as an Evil God.”

Finally, I’ll get to properly test out the Godslayer title.

Kwaaang!

A savage collision sound echoed from afar.

Each time the ground shook and our ears went numb, the faces of the dwarven artisans turned deathly pale.

Has the Evil God’s avatar already awakened? How? If so, can we really hold out? If only we had a little more time… and so on.

People feel greater fear towards the unknown.

In that sense, the current situation, where we couldn’t know what was happening outside and ominous imaginations continued to be stimulated, was enough to exhaust even the most steadfast dwarves.

But there were two exceptions: Faye and Rohan.

The two of them were engrossed in what they had to do, as if they couldn’t hear the commotion outside at all. It was as if completing this golem was their sole mission.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Rohan swung his hammer, shaping the alchemical steel and organically connecting the intricate parts.

His figure resembled a master swordsmith forging a peerless blade, or a sculptor breathing life into inanimate matter.

Faye’s job was to attach the parts Rohan made to the golem and fine-tune them appropriately.

With her monocle that allowed her to see the flow of power, she checked every tiny flaw and used magic crystals to improve the flow of mana, making it smoother and more uniform.

Then, she connected the artificial muscles, which were trying to move erratically, between the skeleton and other parts, recreating a form as close to a human as possible.

She built a system similar to blood vessels, flowing special lubricants throughout so that all these parts could move naturally.

What was being completed by Faye’s small fingertips was not simply a doll made of steel. It was something closer to a living being, half-composed of blood and flesh.

A seemingly reckless and impious sight.

But that was why the dwarven artisans, even as they trembled with fear, did not leave their posts.

They were all worshippers of clashing steel, so they couldn’t take their eyes off the artisans who dared to challenge the divine realm.

So, while the others outside desperately bought time against the awakened giant, the artisans inside the workshop were burning their souls.

The alchemist, overcoming past pain, to protect what was precious to her this time.

The blacksmith, regretting past mistakes, to fulfill his atonement and responsibility before his life ended.

The magic of alchemy and the sound of hammering filled the workshop.

And as the next morning dawned, Faye finished tuning the last part of the giant golem.

“It’s done…!”

Faye’s usually cool voice held elation. It was the unique reaction of someone who had done their best and achieved the best possible result.

On the other hand, Rohan let out a long-held breath and quietly looked up at his final creation.

A height even taller than the city walls he and his ancestors had built. A lithe body that felt agile due to the built-in muscles. And black outer armor resembling dragon scales.

It was a perfect masterpiece by anyone’s standards. Perhaps even better than any weapon he had ever made.

‘Good enough as my final work.’

Was it because the string of intense focus that had been taut until now had loosened? Or was it simply because the medicine’s effect had worn off?

Strength drained from Rohan’s body after completing the great task, and his eyes slowly began to close.

His vision blurred in an instant. Rohan desperately raised his head to see Faye one last time, only to be surprised.

“Heu?”

Red lines were being etched onto the black body of the golem.

Familiar divine power was felt from the red light spreading across the golem’s entire body, drawing complex patterns.

“…Ah.”

Faye stood with her mouth agape in a daze. Rohan could understand his daughter’s reaction better than anyone.

It was the same phenomenon as when he had created the work that had earned him the title of Meister decades ago.

The blessing of Clashing Steel.

The God of Fire and Steel acknowledged Faye, and her golem.