The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

4/5

---

At first, Hephaestus had felt a bit of admiration for Yoru after his sudden appearance—thinking Hestia had managed to find herself a good follower. She had even started to reflect on her own harsh attitude a little.

But what Yoru said next completely ruined her mood.

Sure, it was fine to care about Hestia… but who did he think he was, insulting her like that? Did he just call the weapons forged by the Goddess of the Forge garbage?

Whether in the divine realm or the lower world, she was undisputedly the best blacksmith, and this boy dared to call her creations trash?

To Hephaestus, whose very soul was tied to forging, this was blasphemy. She could never tolerate anyone insulting her weapons to her face.

If he thought something was wrong with her craftsmanship, he'd better be ready to explain himself—or be prepared to face the full wrath of a goddess.

Yoru's words had, of course, been spoken in anger. But Hestia, knowing Hephaestus's prideful nature, was utterly horrified. She knew that Hephaestus would absolutely take it seriously.

"P-Please, don't mind what he said, Hephaestus! Yoru doesn't really understand these things—he was just upset! Please don't take it to heart!"

"Hmph. You're the first person in all of history to call my weapons garbage. Tell me, boy—what gives you that kind of arrogance and confidence?"

Though she was furious, Hephaestus didn't lash out. Instead, she casually picked up a sharp longsword from the nearby display and held it up to Yoru's neck.

"Do you even understand forging? Do you know what a weapon truly is? What gives you the right to say such things?"

"I don't know the technical details. But… if a weapon can't even withstand this level of force and breaks so easily—then what else would you call it but garbage?"

Yoru spoke calmly, then gently pressed his hand against the blade.

Hephaestus blinked in surprise, and then her expression changed completely.

A chilling cold surged through the sword and into her hand—so intense and sudden that she couldn't help but let go.

The weapon, now released, fell to the ground—and instantly crumbled into powder.

Hephaestus was speechless.

She stared at the pile of dust on the floor in a daze, as though unable to process what had just happened.

As the Goddess of the Forge, no one understood material structure better than she did. That understanding was the foundation of her craftsmanship. But in that single instant, the internal structure of the weapon had been completely destroyed.

No—that wasn't the right word. It hadn't been destroyed—it had been transformed, altered on a fundamental level by some terrifyingly low temperature.

But… was that even possible?

Hephaestus was confident that nothing short of absolute zero could break down her weapons like that. And yet…

Absolute zero was just a theoretical value. Not even Dione, the Goddess of Ice and Snow, could generate such a temperature.

For gods, even the coldest environments were just that—cold. But absolute zero meant a complete halt of all energy and motion.

If such a condition could actually exist, it would be a state more terrifying and incomprehensible than death itself.

And yet… a mortal had just wielded that kind of power?

Impossible. She refused to believe it. She would rather assume Yoru had used some kind of trick to destroy the weapon.

"U-Um… so… how much do we have to pay for that…?"

As the room was swallowed by silence, Hestia's dumbfounded question broke through—her eyes fixed on the weapon shards.

Yoru nearly stumbled to the floor, caught completely off guard.

Even Hephaestus, who had opened her mouth to speak, fell into stunned silence.

"…Don't worry about it. I'm not petty to that extent."

Hephaestus said that, but her expression was slightly bitter.

This whole situation had spiraled. Yoru had provoked her first. She responded. Then he slapped her rebuttal down with facts—in the most humiliating way possible.

What was she supposed to do now to restore her dignity and put this arrogant kid in his place, without tarnishing her own reputation?

Staring at the shattered remains of the sword, Hephaestus felt her mood darken.

What was the point of pulling out a stronger weapon? Unless…

No matter how powerful an adventurer was, they were still just mortals. Their weapons were mortal weapons.

And mortal weapons broke. That was natural.

But divine weapons—those didn't break.

Still, she hesitated. Should she really bring it out?

Not because she was afraid Yoru might destroy it—but because she wondered if doing so would be unfair.

Showing off a weapon meant for gods, in front of a mere mortal adventurer…

Hephaestus thought it over. But the look in Yoru's eyes pushed her over the edge.

That gaze was so intensely provocative, so arrogant, that she couldn't bear it anymore.

"…Fine. If you really want to see what a true divine weapon looks like, then I'll show you."

What she pulled out wasn't anything luxurious. In fact, compared to the weapons on display behind her, it looked plain and underwhelming.

It was a dull, unimpressive hammer—with no shine or ornamentation at all.

But its origins were anything but simple.

This was the very hammer that had accompanied Hephaestus on her journey as a blacksmith from the very beginning.

**This was the tool that defined her—**the symbol of her craft.

The moment she gripped it, she truly became the Goddess of the Forge.

Yoru narrowed his eyes the moment she brought it out. He could feel it—the overwhelming power radiating from the unremarkable hammer. Something impossible to describe.

"Well? Can you see it now? This is what a true divine weapon looks like. Now, do you still have the nerve to question it?!"

Hephaestus pointed the hammer directly at Yoru, her voice filled with pride.

But Yoru said nothing.

He simply raised his hand—and reached toward the hammer.

---

10% Discount Voucher

FF92E

Active until the 17th.

Please subscribe at patreon.com/dzeref887 and get access to over 500 chapters.