The Grand Duelist

Chapter 64: Grandeur and Beauty

The lips of the two repeatedly twitched. They couldn't say anything apart from staring at each other with awkward smiles on their faces. Nevertheless, the two knew not to waste such precious opportunity of witnessing a Legendary Blacksmith's skills.

So, they stared intently at Krid.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Everything turned silent. Only the sound of the hammer repeatedly striking the anvil could be heard. But a frown could be seen on Joseph's face, while in contrast...

Ezreal was focused.

"Why is he hammering on nothing?" This was the reason why Joseph had a frown on his face. He could see that Krid was working on something. But he couldn't see what it was.

He could still see flying sparks whenever Krid's hammer struck the anvil. But he couldn't see any metal on top of the anvil. 

But his suspicions didn't last long for his answer finally arrived.

A pure white light burst forth from Krid's body and it flew towards the anvil, coating it evenly.

A small smile lifted on Krid's lips as his hammering intensified and hastened.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A fierce heatwave surged from Krid's body towards the surroundings.

[You are currently in an area of high-temperature.]

[Under the effects of your title, "The Sun That Overlooks Everything".]

[You have resisted.]

"What? What is this heat? Where is it coming from?" Joseph couldn't help but mumble in shock when he saw the system notifications.

The moment that the white light coated the anvil and the hammer that Krid held in his hands, an invisible heatwave suddenly swept over Joseph and Ezreal.

While the former looked disturbed about the appearance of this sudden, and invisible heatwave. 

Ezreal remained calm and focused.

But amidst his serious expression. One could see excitement within his eyes.

"What's going on, Ezreal?" Joseph asked since Ezreal looked like he had an idea about what was going on.

"To tell you the truth, Master. I also don't know what's going on. This is the first time that I am witnessing a Legend's work and I really am looking forward to the result. Let's just wait, Master. I think we'll get the answer that we're looking for, soon." Ezreal said.

Joseph didn't ask any further. He continued on staring at Krid.

Witnessing Ezreal's excitement, Joseph had his own suspicions about what was going on. But since the answer to the question that he wanted to ask was just around the corner.

It was better to just wait for its arrival than look for it.

The white light that enveloped the anvil soon coalesced into something tangible. 

Ezreal's eyes widened in shock.

Joseph also couldn't suppress his astonishment.

Why?

Well...

It was because Krid was creating an item out of nothing.

Joseph's shock wasn't too great for he had witnessed Krid's Item Creation skills earlier, but for Ezreal. This was his first time seeing Krid make an item out of nothing.

"Creation out of nothing, creating from the void!" Ezreal cried out loud, and Krid's ears twitched when he heard what the former said.

"It seems like you have an idea about what I am doing." Krid turned to look at Ezreal and smiled.

Yet, his hands never stopped moving. His hammer accurately hammered down on certain parts of the object in front of him that came from nothingness.

Soon, that object transformed into something that was more recognizable.

"Wait, that weapon..." Joseph stared at Krid in astonishment. The weapon that Krid was creating out of nothingness was an incredibly familiar weapon for Joseph, and most certainly.

Also for Krid.

But why?

Well...

It was because that weapon was the slender, thin as a cicada's wing weapon that Krid was using when he fought against Joseph earlier.

Joseph was sure that Krid was in the process of creating that very same weapon.

But he could see that something was different about this weapon than that weapon earlier.

Krid looked at the weapon forming out of nothingness in front of him, and his eyes warmed up.

A light smile spread on his lips as he kept on hammering. Constantly changing how the white beam of light looked like. Starting from the hilt, the white beam of light condensed, and it transformed into something that looked like cold metal.

Then, what came after the hilt was the handguard. Delicately crafted like the hilt so that it could sufficiently protect the user's hand.

"He's awesome..." Ezreal marveled in a trembling voice.

He now looked at Krid at the same light as he would look at his master, Joseph.

From the silvery-white glow coming from handle, and the delicately forming handguard with all sorts of parts such as the Knuckle Guards, Sweepings and the Crossbar.

Joseph deduced that the weapon forming right now in the hands of Krid was a weapon that vastly exceeded what he made earlier before that recent fight.

"He's replicating it... He's perfectly replicating it!" Ezreal held back his screams.

His body visibly trembled and the light of excitement within his eyes intensified.

Joseph looked stern as he stared at Krid who continued on hammering until the white beam of light, finally extending upwards, leaving behind a silvery-white cold metal that seemed to be the blade of the weapon itself.

"But that blade..." Joseph stared as the white beam extended, and extended. It looked like it would stretch out to infinity, but when it reached about forty-inches long.

It finally stopped...

But, Krid's hammering further intensified.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

His hammering formed a stormy symphony that filled the hearts of Ezreal and Joseph. The air itself trembled.

Krid's hand that held the hammer turned into a blur and the smile that he had on his face further deepened.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Soon, his hammering arrived at a crescendo and the stormy symphony became filled with rage and excitement as the air violently trembled and then everything...

Abruptly stopped.

Yes, that's right.

Everything came to a halt.

The two stared agape at Krid who slowly raised his hand once again and...

Ding!

... Hammered down on the anvil for one last time as a surge of brilliant light appeared, temporarily blinding everyone before it disappeared as abruptly as it appeared.

[ You witnessed a Legendary Blacksmith's technique!. Such a scene thoroughly shocked you, but you also gained enlightenment from what you saw. ]

[ +10 Intelligence ]

System notifications appeared right in front of Joseph.

But his eyes pierced through them all. His eyes only laid upon the weapon sitting peacefully on the heated anvil. Right in front of Krid.

On the anvil was a weapon that could only be described as magnificent.

The weapon had a slender blade comparable to that of a cicada's wing, and the silvery-white sheen that it emanated made it look gorgeous and beautiful.

Although unique to the eyes due to its length, the real beauty wasn't the blade, but below it.

The handguard of the weapon consisting of a Knuckle Bar and Crossbar supported by a delicately made, yet definitely strong Sweepings made the weapon look incredibly delightful to the eyes.

However, in contrast to the fierce and raging tempo that Krid used when he made such a weapon...

The weapon looked somewhat feminine and humble. Although it was certain that once a weapon of such degree was utilized to perfection. It could turn into a deadly weapon that could cause a saddening, yet marvelous slaughter.

"Behold, the Rapier of Grandeur and Beauty!" Krid grabbed the Rapier on the handle and he proudly held it in his hands, displaying it right in front of the two...

But his gaze was glued particularly at Ezreal who now looked like he was having a seizure.

"That...  that weapon... it's from the previous Grand Duelist!" Ezreal pointed at the Rapier of Grandeur and Beauty, astonishing Joseph who immediately cried out...

"What did you say? That weapon is from the previous Grand Duelist?" 

Krid lightly chuckled when he heard the two, he patted his chest and proudly said: "Indeed! This is technically the weapon of the previous Grand Duelist." A smile spread on his lips.

The astonished Joseph asked.

"Technically?"

"Yes, technically. This weapon really looks similar to the weapon of the previous Grand Duelist. But this weapon ultimately isn't the same weapon that the previous Grand Duelist had." Krid shrugged, and he looked somewhat bitter.

However, Joseph didn't notice such subtleties for he was currently looking at the weapon with eyes shining in excitement.

"So that is the weapon of the previous Grand Duelist... It certainly is beautiful..." Joseph honestly praised in a mumble, and Krid strongly patted his shoulder with a smile. 

"Thanks for that... So, okay. You can now take that weapon and familiarize yourself with it, for now. I will be making my own weapon shortly so do what you need to do quietly." Krid then handed over the Rapier towards the dumbfounded Joseph who received it absentmindedly.

"Eh?"

By the time that he recovered from his trance.

Krid was already back in front of his anvil and was already in the process of creating another item from the void.

"Ma-ma-master... Can I... Can I touch that weapon...?" Ezreal approached Joseph. His cheeks flushed, and his eyes were glazed as his chest violently heaved, barely squeezing these words out.

"Uh... Feel free..." Joseph answered. He was still astonished about what happened so, he subconsciously agreed to what Ezreal was requesting.

Why did Krid suddenly hand over such a precious and valuable weapon to him?

Was he trying to prank him?

Could it be that he's going to reveal the locations of the cameras soon, and tell him that everything was just a prank?

"Ah... yes... this is definitely the weapon of the previous Grand Duelist."

"Ah... What a beauty, and also... Ah!"

Ezreal lovingly caressed the weapon in his arms, but when his hand wandered over towards the blade of the Rapier.

He cried out loud as blood dripped down from his fingers towards the ground.

"That's incredibly sharp!"

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you okay?!"

Ezreal cried out and Joseph exclaimed when he saw Ezreal's bleeding hand.

"Yes. I'm fine, master... No- I'm not fine... I'm magnificent!" Ezreal's cheeks flushed deeper in red.

Joseph subconsciously took a step backward before he hardened his resolve and pounced at Ezreal in an effort to separate the weapon from his hand.

"Ah, master! What are you doing? Let me borrow it first... Let me borrow it firsssst!" Ezreal cried out and he tightened his grip around the weapon, refusing to let go no matter how hard Joseph pulled it away from him.

"Let go... Let the weapon go! You're drooling all over it! Ezreal! Let go of it!" Joseph repeatedly screamed, and his irritation reached the peak when Ezreal drooled over the Rapier of Grandeur and Beauty.

A few minutes later...

Joseph managed on getting the weapon back from Ezreal's hands. But as soon as he tightly gripped the weapon around his hand...

Several system notifications suddenly popped up in front of him.