Chapter 10: The Crimson Blacksmith's Forge Reignited

[3rd POV - Welf Crozzo]

'Do you think I should go to meet him?'

'It depends on you Welf. Will you go against the promise that you made when you joined me? If you won't, then I think that it's best if you don't go.'

'...'

Welf stood outside the Blue Pharmacy, a bound sword to his back, feeling somewhat nervous about what he's planning to do now, but he's already come all this way, and he won't turn back now.

He opened the door to the Pharmacy and walked in to be greeted by a Chienthrope who was about his age.

"Welcome to the Blue Pharmacy. How may I help you today?" She asked him with a polite smile to which Welf cleared his throat.

"Um...you see, I was wondering if I could talk to the Captain of your Fam-"

It seemed that the girl was used to this as she let out a sigh and then said to him this.

"Name."

Huh?

"Excuse me?"

"I need your name." The Chienthrope said to him. "Ever since Cyrus showed off his sword Sakanade when he beat the Loki Familia's Executives, something that was a surprise to us too, he order us to turn away all Adventurers asking for him if their name isn't on a list that was prepared for us, even if the list is sort of random. So take this." She slid a piece of paper in front of him with a pencil. "And write your name. If it's on the list for whatever reason, then you can go see him. And he was very adamant on making sure that there is a first and last name included."

Welf looked at the piece of paper, understanding why this came to be, but if he wrote his name, they'll know that a Crozzo was looking for him. But even still...if he doesn't write it then he may lose the chance to meet the Miach Familia's Captain and even if his name isn't on the list, maybe the fact he's a Crozzo might draw his attention?

And so with great reluctance, he wrote his first and last name on the paper and slid it to the Chienthrope, who took it, glanced at the name and then tore up the piece of paper and tossed it in the trash.

'Was my name not on the list then? Figures.' Welf thought in a resigned manner and it seemed that the girl didn't even react to his name as well. But before he said anything, the Chienthrope turned her head to look towards an open door.

"Aífe, we have a guest on the list for Cyrus!"

'What?! I was on the list? He knows who I am? Wait, no, of course he knows who I am.' Welf thought to himself, knowing that there had been previous 'clients' who had turned him away when he refused to make Magic Swords and he was labelled as a false 'Crozzo' as a result. But the Devil of the Miach Familia must have known that he was the real deal and wanted to meet him for some reason.

He was greeted by a beautiful blonde woman carrying a young child in her arms as she looked at him with a polite and motherly smile before she gestured for him to follow.

"Please come and follow me so that I can take you to see Cyrus." She instructed him and then turned to start walking away, to which Welf looked at the Chienthrope who jerked her head towards the woman. Taking that as a sign of confirmation, he followed after her, and after walking down the hallway with a few turns, the three, child included was outside a door that the mother, Aífe, knocked on.

"Cyrus, you have a visitor whose name was on your list."

And from the other side of the door, Welf heard the voice of a teenager from the other side. He honestly forgot how young the Captain of the Miach Familia actually is. To think that he is only 17 years old.

"Really? Alright then, let him in."

Aífe then turned to Welf and then have him a nod.

"I'll leave you boys to it then. Go ahead and walk in so you can talk to him."

"Oh, um, thank you miss."

She merely smiled at him and then began to walk away.

Gathering himself, Welf reached out and turned the door handle before opening the door and walking in, where he was greeted to the sight of the Devil of the Miach Familia. A young adult who was a few years older than him with black hair and green eyes, greeting the blacksmith with a smile. It seemed that he had been filling out a stack of paperwork when he was interrupted by Welf visiting.

"Hello there."

"Oh! Uh, hey there."

It seemed that his response disappointed the Captain as he muttered something along the lines of 'Where's my General Grevious' or something like that?

But it seemed that he seemed to snap back to reality as looked up at Welf and then gestured to the chair in front of him.

"Go ahead and take a seat Welf Crozzo. I'm sure we both know why you're here today." He instructed, to which Welf did as asked and walked over to the chair to sit down, his bound sword set up to lean against his chair as he was now across from the Level 6 Adventurer.

"Um thanks. It's nice to meet you...uh..."

"Just call me Cyrus, and I'll call you Welf in turn." Cyrus said and then leaned back in his chair with an easy-going smile as he stared at the blacksmith who didn't say anything for a brief moment before sighing and speaking.

"Look Welf, let's not beat around the bush alright? I can tell you seem like a swell guy, but despite what it seems at times, I'm still a busy guy with a lot of paperwork to do. You're here to look at my Sakanade right? Because it's a type of magic weapon that has a unique ability and even though it was used, it didn't break?" The Captain asked, his voice tinged with a bit of annoyance as his green eyes narrowed slightly, these signs prompting Welf to start responding, especially since the older young man knows what he's here for.

"Yeah I am. You obviously know that I'm a Crozzo, so you know that our family was known at one point for making our Magic Swords. But you see, I have always hated them because in the end they'd always fail their users since-"

"They'd always break after usage right?" Cyrus interrupted with his question, nodding with a hum. "And because you heard of my sword, you feel that if you saw it, you might be able to get a glimpse as to how it was forged so that you can replicate the process and create Crozzo Magic Swords that won't break after use and fail their wielders? Am I right?"

"Yeah, actually. You hit it right on the head." Welf admitted, surprised that Cyrus could tell that easily why he wanted to come here today.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. I hate magic swords because of what they represent. They all rot their users and leave them behind, when a weapon is something that should stick by your side through thick and thin. And when I heard about your unique weapon, I wanted to meet you with you because if I could learn about its creation, then maybe I can actually make magic swords that will never fail their user! So please, may I look at your magic weapon, Cyrus?"

Cyrus seemed to look at him for a few second with a small hum before he shrugged and gave a lazy smile.

"Thought so. Sure, why not? I'll let you look at Sakanade, but no touching. You seem like a nice guy, but there's very little people who I'll allow to actually touch him not to mention we just met." Cyrus said, something that Welf could understand, and then reached next to him for a katana that was leaning against the desk he was seated at before unsheathing the blade and placing it on the desk, making sure to avoid scratching the desk and cutting any of the paperwork.

"Yeah, no worries!" Welf exclaimed, happy as it is to be able to get an up close look at the weapon and once his eyes laid on it...

Perfect.

It had the appearance of a normal katana with an hourglass shaped guard, but somehow it looked flawless, as if it was applied with the Durandal trait, but even then, those weapons can still dull and in very rare cases, they are possible to break. But this sword looks like it had never even been used in battle, despite the fact that its owner had clearly used it time and time again, since the very start of his Adventuring career, if the rumors were right.

The Adventurer who did not have to pay any valis for weapons or armor.

"Your sword, Sakanade...it's absolutely beautiful now that I've gotten a closer look at it. It looks like it's never seen battle or use before despite the fact that you clearly used it for years." The red head commented. Cyrus in turn laughed when he had heard to compliment.

"But you have used it. I've heard people say that this is the sword that you've apparently had since you started being an Adventurer, so how is it that it's still here and in perfect condition?" Welf asked, completely at a loss as to how a sword this pristine is still able to be used even after 4 straight years in the Dungeon. After all, considering the sort of monsters that exist down there, his sword should have broken at some point.

"Hm...how would you like to learn a little secret about my Sakanade, Welf? I've give you two facts about my weapon for you but no one else: one that the Loki Familia's Top Executives know about, and the other that they don't know about. Consider this a show of faith since I have a feeling that if you stick to this new goal of forging Crozzo magic swords that won't break, you'll surely succeed. Maybe. However, you're not allowed to tell anyone, your Goddess included. If I hear that someone else outside who isn't your or the top dogs of the Loki Familia knows...well..."

Welf didn't need to know what Cyrus was going to say. He had heard of the beatdown that the Devil had given the Apollo Familia and he has no doubt that he's capable of and willing to rain that hell down onto his own Familia as well, especially considering how he had defeated four Level 5's in one fight.

"Understood, loud and clear." He said with a gulp and nodded.

"Great to know! So here is a fun fact about my weapon Welf. It's a living blade formed with the help of my soul. My weapon started off as a blank state that is known as an Asauchi that I carry with me to imprint my soul on it every waking moment. And Welf, are all souls the same?"

"Well, no. I don't know much about that, but all souls are different right?"

'A living blade? What the hell? So this magic sword is actually a living weapon because his soul was a catalyst in its formation?' Welf thought to himself as he tried to piece the question together with what the sword is capable of.

"Correct, so since my soul is a unique one compared to everyone else's my sword is also unique compared to others of its kind. And the Asauchi becomes what is known as a Zanpakutō." Cyrus continued as the Welf could feel the weight of such a title for the Devil's weapon.

"Zanpakutō..."

"That's right. And as such, if a blade is an extension of your soul , do you think it can actually break."

"Well...no, of course not. Wait, so your Zanpakutō is unbreakable?"

"Wrong!" Cyrus exclaimed and crossed his arms in an X. "Like all weapons, even a Zanpakutō can chip, be damaged and even dull. Heck, even in the right circumstances, they can break. But the thing is, all it takes is some time, some mind, and obviously an intact soul of its wielder, a.k.a. its wielder being alive, and a Zanpakutō can repair itself. So don't be fooled, my blade has been damaged many times, especially when I fought against strong opponents who were able to damage Sakanade one way or another in the Dungeon, but in the end, Sakanade is an extension of myself and my other half, so he can never be truly broken even if his physical state suggests otherwise."

'A magic sword that can repair itself? That's amazing! But wait...'

"Okay...I can understand that and how your magic weapon can be so unique, but how you said you got it as an Asauchi, which is a blank slate right? How were those forged then and what properties and traits did they have for you to be able to imprint your soul onto it to make a unique sword?" Welf asked, feeling like he was missing something.

"Ah, you're getting to the fun question Welf. This is the second unknown fact that I'm going to share with you because your family used to have a relationship with Spirits that allowed them to forge their Crozzo Magic Swords in the first place. So the first half of this is something that Loki and only her Top Executives know. The method that was used to forge the Asauchi is something that can never be replicated by mortal or divine hands like. In fact, all Asauchi that were forged before their destruction were made by one man, whose lifespan exceeded that of even the Elves before he passed on."

"What? Really? The method's unable to be replicated by even the Gods? No way, not even Lady Hephaestus can forge them?" Welf asked, shocked to hear this bold claim. But if Cyrus had said this to Loki and it was true...

"Honest truth. Well...maybe it might be possible for the gods to do it...maybe. But the process is a pretty self-damning one you know. Are you sure you want to know? You'll be the only remaining person alive to know about this secret you know." Cyrus asked with a small smile that sent a chill down Welf's spine, but the young man nodded. He had to know what this methods was and what it has to do with the fact that his family used to be involved with Spirits once upon a time.

"Well you see...the man who forged the Asauchi did something that may as well be considered a heinous act by the gods. He melded together a multiple of humanoid Spirits' souls in order to forge these blades."

"...what?" Welf whispered as the room fell into a silence.

A blacksmith used the souls of Spirits to forge the Asauchi? But that's just crazy! What madman would do such a thing?

"Oh yeah. Even my Sakanade was made through the sacrifice of Spirits. Whether or not it was a willing sacrifice, I'm not sure myself, but that's what my Zanpakutō's creator did. He melded together these beings' souls to form what would be known my clan's primary fighting weapons. It seems to go against everything that your family strove for right?

The Crozzo family who was blessed by Spirits to make their famed blades, yet they angers those Spirits and lost their blessing. But our blades were formed through the sacrifice of Spirits to make our Zanpakutō. Our Soul Cutters."

"Holy crap..." Welf leaned back into his chair, mentally going over what he was just told. All of this was just crazy! What kind of person was this man to be able to use Spirits to forge swords? And it didn't seem like he had been blessed by a Spirit, so it was all his natural skill to create these Asauchi, all of them able to turn into unique weapons. But if he did something like that for magic weapons that don't truly break, what will Welf need to do if he wants to make magic swords that will never fail their users? Did this new dream end before it properly even began?

"But if I were you, I don't need to worry though. Your situation is completely different. If you actually use the Skill that you were blessed with alongside your future Blacksmith ability when you level up, you'll probably be able to produce your own series of magic swords that won't break." Cyrus spoke up, breaking Welf from his thoughts.

So he doesn't have to do something crazy like sacrificing Spirits after all?

"You see, when you think of magic swords, the first thing that comes to mind is that it'll break, right? Well, you gotta cut that line of thinking immediately. You should focus solely on the future result in which a magic sword that is used by someone doesn't break. Understand why is it that it breaks and what can be done to prevent that from happening in the first place. I know absolutely nothing about blacksmithing and forging, but you should also keep that mental image in your mind of a weapon that doesn't break as you attempt to create it and one day, you might just succeed.

Let me tell you a story that I had once heard about a mortal from the Far East whose dreams were too big for the world. His ultimate goal was to forge the ideal sword, a sword that can cut anything. A sword that can purge resentment, cut through bonds, fate, causality, and destiny, and slice through the idea of karma itself. A katana that can cut absolutely anything.

Every other sword he created that didn't match that ideal sword was considered a failure, no matter how beautiful it was, no matter if it was ideal for even the King himself and other First Class Adventurers. They were all failures.

In short this man attempted to forge a Divine Weapon that only the Gods could create. And he succeeded. And for all intents and purposes, this man succeeded in his goal with nothing but his own hands. No shortcuts, no tricks, just him and his forge. Hell, he didn't even need a shortcut like the Falna. He was just a mortal man who created the ultimate sword, Tsumukari Muramasa.

He knew what he wanted to create, Welf, and as I had just told you to do, he kept that mental image of that ideal sword every single time a sword was created until he finally created his masterpiece. And this man was as real as any of us, and he gave his life away to create a Divine Sword that was lost with him, as it could only be used by the gods.

So if it takes you the next day, the next week, the next year, or even the next decade, as long as you hold onto that image of a Crozzo-made Magic Sword that won't break, then you'll surely succeed. And one day, I'm sure you'll meet someone who is worthy of wielding those swords."

'That's right! I'll succeed!' Welf cried out to himself as he listened to the story of what seemed to be the impossible. But for some reason, that story resonated within him, from a blacksmith with an impossible dream to another blacksmith who wants to achieve what was once unachievable for himself, and he couldn't help but to believe that such a man existed. And if this man could perform such a feat...what says that he can't do the same as well? And for some reason, he could only imagine the silhouette of a katana that was surrounded in flames.

'Yeah...I can do it...' He thought to himself as he smiled at Cyrus.

'I thought that I would never make another magic sword since they would always break, but after hearing about that sword...the Tsumukari Muramasa, which could cut anything. The sword that might just be the pinnacle of mortal blacksmithing...I have to believe that it's possible!'

His mental image brought forth of what he viewed as the unbreakable magic sword: a copy of Kazuki...no, a sword that surpasses even Kazuki itself as it will not shatter when it is ever used. The pinnacle of what the Crozzo Magic Sword should be like. A sword that can wield great power and will never leave its user behind.

"Cyrus. The man who forged this sword. Hell, even the man who forged the Asauchi, even if I never plan to do what that man did! Tell me their names!" He shouted as he leaned forward in his chair, eliciting a laugh from his senior Adventurer. He needs to know the blacksmith whose level he must reach with his own hands. One who forged the ultimate sword, and one who forged weapons that couldn't or shouldn't be replicated by the hands of mortals and gods alike.

"You really wanna know then? Alright. The creator of the Asauchi was named Ōetsu Nimaiya. But the blacksmith who you should strive to be like who could do the seemingly impossible, the man who forged the Tsumukari Muramasa?"

Cyrus let out grin as he gave him the name of this blacksmith.

"His name was Senji Muramasa."

"Senji...Muramasa..."

"Yep. Now...let's see that magic sword of yours, shall we? I've always wanted to look at a Crozzo Magic Sword ever since I heard of you."

[Omniscient 3rd POV]

{Hours later...}

After that enlightening talk from the Miach Familia's Captain that ended with an invitation to talk about Senji Muramasa's possible descendants, Welf made his way back his Familia's store, heading to one particular room and as expected, his Goddess was there going through some forms of her own.

Wow, it seems like gods and their captains seem to always be busy somehow.

"Oh? Welf you're back. Did you find the answer you were looking for?" His Lady Hephaestus asked him as she looked up to see that troublesome young man had returned from his meeting. And oh dear. There seems to be a fire within him that she had never seen from him since he came to her all those years ago.

"Yeah. I did. I'm going back against my goal after all, Lady Hephaestus. I have a new goal to reach now. A goal that you can never accomplish and that can surpass you."

"Oh?" Hephaestus leaned forward with a curious gleam in her left eye as she stared at him. "Tell me then, you troublesome boy. What's this new goal of yours that I can't even accomplish."

Welf then remembered something that Cyrus had told him in his meeting that resonated with something within him.

'You see Welf, the thing is, by their very nature, Gods are forever unchanging. And it even shows in how they remain constant and stagnant when they're here in the lower world. But we mortals, despite how weak we are at the start, are amazing to them because we have the potential to be anything we want. We can do anything we want, all because we simply can. So Welf, what do you want to be? What do you want to do?'

'What do I want to do? I want to...'

"I discovered a new goal after talking to Cyrus. For now, I need to eventually level up and figure out a way to make an unbreakable Magic Sword that I can give to worthy wielders. But that's only a stepping stone."

Even this caught Hephaestus by surprise. A wish of forging an unbreakable magic sword was already amazing enough, and a part of her is happy that Welf seemed to have a fire and desire in him to forge those weapons once more, especially since he plans to give them to people he may find worthy of one, but how is that a stepping stone?

'And for what?' She couldn't help but to think to herself but waiting for Welf since he seemed to still have more to say.

"No, my goal is to create a weapon that can only be made by mortal hands alone. I'm going to create the ultimate Crozzo Magic Sword that will definitely surpass you, but not just any Magic Sword. I'm going to create a Divine Construct with my own hands that will be meant for your hands alone! A Divine Crozzo Magic Sword that doesn't have to cut anything, but it can burn everything that its fire touches."

What?! He wants to forge a godly weapon?! Even if she acknowledges his talent, he's still only a mortal child!

"Welf, do you know what you're saying? Where did you even get this goal from?! To forge a weapon that I could only make up in the heavens is impossible-"

And for once in a long time, Hephaestus found herself being cut off by this troublesome child.

"No. It's only improbable. But I was told something by Cyrus. He told me that gods by their nature, even in Genkai, are unchanging and stagnant. But we mortals have the potential to do anything we want and be anything we want. And because of that, we can do what a ton people would believe is impossible, but I'm going to do it and surpass those men."

His mind thought thought to the names given to him. Senji Muramasa, the blacksmith who created that was deemed the ideal sword, and Ōetsu Nimaiya, the man, who did forged weapons that can't be made by man and god alike, even if the method was atrocious.

And now, with his old dreams back in Rakia when Phobos was still there about forging weapons greater than the Crozzo Magic Swords, and with his mortal hands that has what might be the last sliver of the Spirits' true blessings in his blood, he will create the ultimate magic sword that surpasses even the Devil Adventurer's Sakanade and can match the impossible sword, Tsumukari Muramasa.

Unknown to both of them, a skill had been created from this newfound desire, something that won't be discovered until he begins the forging of his next magic sword.

Vulcanus Crozzo.

And back in the office of a particular Captain who was lounging with the paperwork with a smile on his face.

'I can't believe I actually got him to want to make magic swords again. Maybe I just got too carried away in showing off that I wanted to see a miracle happen in this world too. I guess I should have expected that canon would be further changed somehow since I was here and was planning on helping Ryuu out. But I wonder if I should have motivated him by using Muramasa of all people? I mean, he's related to the freaking EX ranked Harem Protagonist Shirou Emiya. Hoo boy, maybe I shouldn't tell him about the possible descendant and his broken game mechanics Magecraft. Fuck you and your Tracing, you Faker. If you actually was able to Trace Sakanade, then game over for me.

Oh well, I'm sure nothing crazy happened for him. He just wants to make an unbreakable magic sword, and now he can make it even sooner.'

You poor child, if only you knew.

{AN: Read the Creator's Thoughts for post-chapter notes}