Arc Of Embodiment (Hiatus) - Chapter 71

The following day, Bell and Hestia arrived in Jaune’s base. Jaune, regarding a weapon for Bell, called them over. They didn’t know why Jaune wanted their help making a weapon for Bell as they do not know of smithing.

Jaune explained to them that the weapon he planned to make for Bell is special. He then told them that the knife could be a symbol of their blooming relationship. That’s right, Bell and Hestia started dating. It all started after Bell came back from the month-long stay in the dungeon. When he got back, Hestia told him of her feelings, and Bell reciprocated it. They even went on their first date a few days later.

Bell and Hestia accepted Jaune’s explanation, and he then brought them inside his forge, where they saw various metal ingots and equipment. But what caught Hestia’s eyes was the hammer. It was greyish-silver. It was emitting power imbued with lightning. Jaune then called Hestia, who then explained why they needed to be here.

The process of making the Hestia Knife was not simple at all. Melting Vibranium’s was troublesome due to its ability to absorb kinetic energy, but it was easier with the help of the Neutron Forge.

Vibranium and Uru are very compatible with one another. Vibranium can enhance mystical ability meaning magic. While Uru gets stronger by supplying more magic to it, combining the two is just fantastic.

While the Vibranium and Uru alloy was still glowing hot, Jaune asked Hestia for her hair, and he used it as its core. He then told Bell to use Touki to control his life force and pour it into the knife while Hestia adds her blood, and lastly, Jaune poured his nature energy into it.

Once completed, the blade looks like the Hestia Knife from the show, except it was longer and greyish-silver due to the Vibranium and Uru alloy. When Jaune handed the knife to Bell, he instructed him to drip a drop of blood into the blade to complete it.

When Bell did as Jaune said, the blade came to life. Hieroglyphs appeared on the knife. Jaune couldn’t read the writing at all. It was being obscured. The only thing he can read was the words’ Bell x Hestia’, nothing more. He was surprised at his creation. By using Vibranium and pouring his nature energy along with Bell’s life force and Hestia’s blood, the knife was not only alive, but it had a soul core, making the Hestia Knife a living soul weapon due to Vibranium’s biological properties.

“This knife…it feels like I have connected with it,” Bell said.

“Not just you. Hestia is as well,” Jaune said.

Jaune then explained to Bell what a soul weapon was, and he told him that, unlike standard weapons, soul weapons would grow alongside him, plus he can store the knife in his soul, meaning he no longer needed to carry it physically.

Jaune told Bell that the knife’s name was Hestia Knife. Then he said it was not just a magically conductive weapon, but a magically enhancing weapon, which means that it would amplify his magical abilities. Plus, because the knife was forged using Mjolnir, it could emit lightning without using the wielder’s mana, just like the new sword Jaune made for Ais.

Jaune then told them that no one else could wield it besides Bell; otherwise, harm will befall those that dare to wield the knife. Jaune then teased them that, since the Hestia Knife was born from both their blood and Bell’s life force, it is technically their child. Bell and Hestia blushed.

After that, Jaune went towards the room that Ais is staying in. He wanted to give her Tempest as an apology for what he did yesterday. When Jaune arrived in her room, he knocked on the door, and Ais opened it. She looked fine for the most part, but Jaune can see that she had something on her mind.

“Hello, Ais. I just wanted to apologise about what happened yesterday with your sword and the dragon,” Jaune said.

“Hmm…? I understand the apology about my sword, but what does the dragon have to do with you?” Ais said.

“Well, Ddraig’s my familiar. The reason he flew by was that I told him to. I was planning to teach you a lesson since I told you not to attack, but you ignored it and tried to attack an unarmed Xenos. I didn’t know that you would have such a bad reaction to seeing Ddraig, for that I’m sorry,” Jaune said sincerely.

“I understand, and I accept your apology. It was my fault to begin with, and I was the one that attacked. You just protected the…Xenos? As for the dragon incident, you didn’t know that I would react that badly, so I accept your apology for that as well,” Ais said.

“Thank you. Here I forged this just for you,” Jaune said while handing Tempest over to Ais.

Ais accepted the sword, and Jaune went on with what he intended to do for the day. Today Ais wanted to visit her Familia as she hasn’t seen them for a month. She wanted to meet with Riveria and talk to her about the multiple feelings she had trouble understanding.

When she got to the Twilight Manor, Loki was already behind her and tried to feel her up but failed. Loki then saw that Ais no longer had Desperate with her. Instead, she had a new sword. After meeting with Loki at the front gate of the Twilight Manor, Ais looked for Riveria. Ais did not return to Jaune’s base at the end of the day. She stayed over in the Twilight Manor.

The following day, Loki and Hestia met in front of Hephaestus’ Manor. Loki was here to get Tempest appraised by Hephaestus as she didn’t know if the sword could withstand Ais’ Avenger skill, as the only weapons strong enough are those with Durandal properties.

Hestia, on the other hand, wanted Hephaestus to appraise Hestia Knife. She wanted to know the value of such a weapon so that she can repay Jaune for forging it for Bell. When she got to Hephaestus’ Manor, she didn’t think she would meet Loki, her Rival.

Hestia and Loki were about to have their usual arguments when they meet, but this was stopped by Hephaestus, who was warned that two Goddesses were outside of her Manor. When she looked out her window, she saw Hestia and Loki as well as Ais and Riveria. She hurried outside as she knew a verbal argument was about to take place.

“You two! It’s early in the morning. Can you not have your arguments here, in front of my Manor,” Hephaestus said.

“Sorry,” Hestia and Loki apologised.

“Now, what are you both here for?” Hephaestus asked.

“Appraisal!!” Loki and Hestia said at the same time, and they looked at each other.

“What would someone like you need an appraisal? You don’t even have anything of value,” Loki mocked. Hestia was about to retort but got stopped by Hephaestus, who then told them to head inside her office.

“Alright, Loki. What do you need appraising for?” Hephaestus asked.

Loki then looked at Ais, who then gave Hephaestus Tempest. Loki explained that due to Ais ability Avenger, she couldn’t use her full ability with just any sword as it is a very destructive ability. Hephaestus understood this, Avenger, known as the strongest ability. But at the same time, it needs a strong weapon to withstand it, which only weapons with Durandal properties are capable of.

“Alright. Do you mind if I disassemble the weapon?” Hephaestus asked, and Ais just nodded.

Looking at Tempest, Hephaestus, from a single glance, already knew that it wasn’t a regular weapon. The materials used on it was unique. She hasn’t seen anything like it, and it seemed to be an alloy of two metals. One was immensely durable that not even a Durandal weapon could compare. And the other is magically conductive similar to Mithril, but it outclasses Mithril in every way.

When Hephaestus looked at the Tang of Tempest, she saw five magic circles. It was the magic formula Jaune recreated using Arc of Embodiment. Looking at the magic circle allowed Hephaestus to understand what it does, and she was shocked. There was Four ordinary magic, powerful nonetheless, but when she looked at the last remaining one, she was going ballistic, it was something called Extreme Magic, and extreme it was. The four ordinary magics were Asfal/Air Wall, Foraz Zora/Cleaving Wind, Bararaq/Lightning and Bararaq Saiqa/Lightning Sword. And the Extreme Magic was Pa’ir Al-Hazard.

“Where the hell did you get this sword!” Hephaestus shouted. If she just looked at the other side of the Tang, she would have seen Jaune’s signature.

“Whoa! Why are you shouting?” Loki asked.

“You don’t know? This sword is powerful enough to withstand the Avenger skill, but that’s a mockery of comparing this sword with other swords that can withstand the Avenger skill. Whoever created this sword had Ais in mind during its creation, as it has an innate ability to strengthen wind and lightning magic. Even I won’t be able to create something like it here on the lower world,” Hephaestus said.

“Seriously! Damn!” Loki said. Then she saw Hephaestus look at the other side of the Tang and started making weird faces.

“Hephaestus? Are you alright?” Hestia asked as she was worried at the face Hephaestus was making.

“Yeah, I’m fine…Anyway, this sword is signed. The one that created this sword is Jaune Arc. No wonder the sword is so powerful. Divine Smithing: A weapon beyond Mortal understanding,” Hephaestus said. She then explained the sword’s abilities, and she even demonstrated the sword’s ability to cut through Durandal weapons easily.

After that, Hephaestus appraised the Hestia Knife. Now, this was weird for Hephaestus, she was capable of creating a living weapon, but none of them is even close to the Hestia Knife. The knife felt like it had a soul. She wasn’t wrong. It had a small fraction of Hestia and Bell’s soul, which created a soul core. Inspecting the knife further, she felt that the connection to Hestia and someone else.

“So, what do you think the value of this knife is?” Hestia asked. She wanted to repay Jaune for the knife plus the training of Bell. He helped them quite a lot. The least she could do was pay for the weapon he made. But while asking for the knife’s value, it suddenly disappeared.

“Shoot! I guess Bell’s awake now,” Hestia said.

“What does that have to do with the weapon disappearing?” Hephaestus asked.

“That’s because Bell can summon the knife at any moment, no matter where he is,” Hestia said.

“Don’t tell me, did Jaune also forged that knife?” Hephaestus asked as she knew no one else is capable of it.

“Yup! He used my hair for the knife’s core, and then he used Bell’s life force and my blood. When it was complete, he asked Bell to drip a drop of blood on it. From there, it seemed to have made a sort of connection to him and me,” Hestia said. Her explanation just caused Hephaestus to rub her eyes and sigh.

“I can’t put a value on that knife. It’s like putting a value on a child, this knife is not only a living weapon, but it also has a soul core, meaning it is a living thing, of sorts,” Hephaestus said.

Hestia, Loki, Ais and Riveria then left Hephaestus office. Loki was satisfied with the weapon that Jaune gave Ais as a replacement for destroying Desperate. Meanwhile, Hestia was saddened as she could not put a value on the Hestia Knife.. Therefore, she didn’t know what to do to repay Jaune.