Chapter 64: Wrath of the Steel Demon

When Kreyn created a piece of gear, the only information he had about the future gear was its name.

Sure, he could figure out a few things from the name, as was the case with the Eye of the Hungry Scar, but that wasn’t always possible. For example, Groza’s armored jacket was called the Spider Bone Wall, and... it more resembled a shield or something similar rather than a jacket.

So, when Kreyn saw "Wrath of the Steel Demon" in the options, he could only speculate as to what it might mean.

Still...

The Gene Forge surprised him once again. Well, not just him, in that case.

"What the hell is that...?!" Norma’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as she stared at the hovering sword. "Do you see that, too?"

Varyn glanced at Diaro.

"That... I’m sure even you didn’t expect that."

Diaro, in turn, didn’t rush to any conclusions and bent down, first carefully examining the sword from the outside.

The blade was wide and sharp on one side, the muzzle was made of dark steel, while the hilt was wrapped in leather and studded with nails to provide a firm grip for this heavy weapon.

"Not bad. It looks impressive, this sword, or rather this hybrid, has its own style. But let’s see what it can actually offer."

He turned to Kreyn. "Can you do me a favor? For all of us."

"Sure." Kreyn nodded and waved his hand. He understood what Diaro was hinting at.

At that very moment, system windows appeared on all four sides of the sword, allowing everyone to see detailed information about it.

[Wrath of the Steel Demon

[Type: Equipment

[Tier: I

[Cells: None

[Socket: 1) Mode Switch 2) Energy Slash 3) Plasma Blast.]

[Description: The sword was forged from the Goliath X-01, a guard that had long protected the Observatory SC-17. This sword has retained the main features of its predecessor, allowing its future owner to employ multiple combat styles at once.]

[Mode Switch

[The sword has two modes: range and melee. In melee mode, the blade becomes active, and the speed and power of direct strikes are increased. In range mode, the muzzle becomes active, and both energy capacity and accuracy are increased. The mode can be switched no more than three times per second at a small cost of energy.]

[Energy Slash (Melee Mode)

[Charge up energy to unleash a series of energy blades, ranging from one to three depending on the charge time.]

[Plasma Blast (Range Mode)

[A powerful, destructive blast from the muzzle. Available power ranges from 30% to 100%. The higher the accumulated power, the greater the blast’s force, but the lower the accuracy.]

For a while, Kreyn and the others studied the stats of the Wrath of the Steel Demon.

After all, even for Kreyn, this was something new. He hadn’t seen a piece of gear with three sockets at once before.

Moreover, the second and third sockets depended on the first and were linked to it.

Norma’s jaw was hanging wide open, ready to drop to the ground, Varyn was speechless, and Groza was once again convinced of the extent of Kreyn’s abilities.

"Brilliant." Diaro nodded deeply. "This isn’t just an unusual sword - it’s a real gem, no doubt about it! Norma, go ahead, try it."

"Agh...?" Norma blinked, unable to believe what she’d heard. "What? What are you talking about?"

Diaro smirked.

"Well, according to the terms of my deal with Kreyn, this sword is ours. So, one of the three of us has to use it. Obviously, it’s not me. Hah, I doubt I could even swing it! I’m sure this sword weighs a ton!"

Then, he pointed at Varyn.

"This sword would suit Varyn, sure, but... what would she do with her mutation then? Using two swords at the same time, especially when one of them is so unique, would cause more problems than it’s worth.

"Sure, there’s a third option - to sell this sword, but then we’d be total fools, and I’d be ashamed in front of Kreyn. That’s why you should use it. This sword’s abilities are a good fit - you have plenty of energy."

On the one hand, Norma was glad that she was the one getting this sword, since she wanted the reward, but on the other hand, she was hesitant.

"But... I don’t know how to handle a sword, I’m not a fencer!"

Thump.

Varyn poked her in the shoulder.

"Ouch!" She flinched.

"Stop whining. Diaro’s right, this isn’t some light, long-bladed sword where you need to be a master fencer to make any impact in battle. It’s a weapon of mass destruction. Out of all of us, you have the most energy. So, just take it and give it a try."

As always, as soon as Varyn spoke, Norma cast aside her doubts and got down to business.

Clutch.

She grabbed the Wrath of the Steel Demon by the hilt and made a few test swings.

"A-Alright... Looks like it’s in melee mode right now. If I want to switch it, do I have to do something like this?"

As soon as she channeled energy into the sword, a click sounded. Energy lines ran along the black muzzle as the trigger mechanism was unlocked.

Diaro nodded, his hands tucked into his sleeves. "Go on. Fire a shot."

Every time Norma created the stone columns, she expended more energy than both Groza and Kreyn did with their abilities.

Her energy reserves were impressive for her level. Diaro recognized something special not only in goods, but also in people.

"Sure. Now I’ll show you what I’m capable of!"

With little experience using this sword, she channeled even more energy into it as the muzzle began to heat up and an amber light emanated from it.

Kreyn, who was watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow as the light grew brighter and brighter.

"Hey, I wouldn’t advise you to go up to 100%. Even from the description, it’s clear that’s not the best idea."

"Ah...? How am I supposed to figure that out?" Norma turned around.

Varyn pointed at the muzzle.

"Look at the lines - you’re already at 40%. I suggest you fire no later than 50%. Who knows where that blast will hit."

As if agreeing with her, the others took a few steps back.

Diaro waved at her, maintaining a calm smile.

"You’re doing everything right, Norma. Good job!"

Norma’s eye twitched. "You... One of these days, I’m going to kick your ass!"

Heat began to radiate from the muzzle, forcing Norma to focus her attention on it as it started to turn red.

"Damn it!"

In a hurry, she thrust her sword forward as the trigger pulled at her will.

The trembling, amber orb shot out of the muzzle, traveling along the broad blade at tremendous speed.

The orb hurtled forward in erratic movements due to its poor accuracy until it struck the nearest rock.

BLAST!

A deafening explosion shattered the rock into fragments, sending up a pillar of dust. Gusts of wind swept in all directions along with the shockwave and chunks of stone.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Diaro slowly clapped his hands.

"Good job. I told you you’d pull it off!"

Varyn nodded approvingly as Groza gave her a thumbs-up.

"Oh... Thanks..." Norma smiled shyly, which was rare for her.

"Ahem."

Kreyn coughed.

"I don’t want to ruin our festive mood, but we still have business to attend to."

He pointed at the antenna, staring intently at Diaro.

"I hope you didn’t forget your part of the deal?"

Diaro folded his arms behind his back, wearing a kind smile.

"Of course not. You’ll be home very soon. I promise you that."