Valerian showed off his power, and the people were shocked. Makina’s legs were shivering from the pressure on her shoulders. She did not expect this man to be such a terror. Valerian returned the battle aura and said, "Take a few minutes. We will fight when you have calmed down. I will not use my gifts."

Makina did not like this guy acting cocky with her, but he had the capital to look down on them. The lady took a few minutes and then said, "Come."

Valerian had taken out a spear from his magic pouch. He was not going to use the dagger to fight with her. The smaller weapon will look like a deliberate attempt to humiliate the chief of the tribe. Azotians were warriors and would duel out on the smallest cause of disagreement.

Vertex said, "Val, be mindful."

Valerian shot him a side glance, and the Second Prince calmed down. The silver-haired boy rushed forward, and so did the lady. The two people swung their weapons. However, Valerian was so quick that his spear curved at the swing, and when it collided with the big sword, the impact gave birth to a dust cloud.

Makina was pushed back in one exchange. She was shocked internally but did not give up and charged forward. Valerian did not hold back either. Since he took the lead in one attack, he dodged the second and took a side step. He swung his spear to hit Makina in the back.

Even if Makina was on the back foot, she was not weak. The lady turned around, and the big sword appeared before her to block the attack. The impact was not as strong this time as the first attack, yet she sensed her arm almost falling numb.

The attack Valerian made was not done with enough time. Thinking about it, she still rushed forward and took the initiative to attack the young man. Valerian also did not hurry to counter her, and it had been long since he fought against an enemy that was not a beast. The two people moved around in the field, and their weapons collided nonstop.

Vertex could swear that Makina had been fighting at her best the whole time, yet Valerian had not even broken a sweat. This was too much. He could not help but look around at the people. While he was proud that his younger brother had become so powerful, he was worried about what would happen to the woman he loved.

He was worried that if Valerian defeated Makina a bit too hard, she might lose her position as the clan leader. Being the clan leader among gifted people could not be achieved that easily.

Vertex crossed his fingers, but the gods did not seem to listen to him. Valerian began fighting back, and his counters instantly shifted the momentum of the battle. None of the people could have thought that Valerian would go after Makina so ferociously. The spearhead was dancing in and out, and even the warriors had to induce the battle aura in their eyes to keep up with him.

They gulped when they saw such a display. Valerian was a god in their vision, and his skills were also godly. He handled the spear as if it was a whip. The young man seemed to be the incarnation of the war god. Makina could not even fight back. She held on to the sword and blocked the attacks for her dear life.

Suddenly, she sensed a burning sensation on her arm. There was a cut on her forearm. She opened her eyes wide. Valerian managed to hurt her even when she held the sword as wide as a shield. She could not believe it was possible and said, "You cheated."

Valerian stopped attacking and asked, "What makes you think I cheated?"

The lady said, "You cannot bend your spear to inflict a wound on my forearm."

Valerian sighed and said, "Look at the edge of your blade properly."

Makina snorted and said, "Deliberately putting up airs? What can happen to my blade?"

The lady turned the blade and found that the surface that faced Valerian’s attacks was chipped all over the place. She gulped and shivered. Thinking about this, she took a few steps back and knelt on the ground. Her face was painted with horror just as she fell to her knees.

The people from her tribe rushed forward and knelt around them. They all were hollering, and Valerian did not know what to do. Vertex rushed to his side and said, "Their ancestor left behind this blade. It is said that if the blade is damaged by something. Their clan will be disassembled."

Valerian scratched the back of his head and walked over. He said, "Can I reforge this sword for you?"

Makina glared at him and said, "You think this sword can be reforged? This is our ancestral relic; look what you have done to the blade. How can it be repaired?"

Valerian looked at the blade, covered in cracks and chipped in many places. The young man said, "I will reforge this sword. The core of the new sword will be made from the same ancestral sword."

Makina was stunned, and she looked at the people around her. She found an elder and asked, "Grams, what do you think?"

The elder looked at Valerian and asked, "I will let you do it, but you must forge it before us."

Valerian thought about it and nodded. He did not mind forging the artifacts before other people. It was not like they could steal his skills.

Vertex said, "We have a forge in the city center, Val. You can do it there."

Valerian nodded and said, "Fine, let’s go over right now."

...

Fifteen minutes later, the people appeared at the forge in the city center. The forge was placed in a semi-open shed. The people would be able to see everything that a smith would do. Valerian glanced at Vertex and asked, "What the fuck is this?"

Vertex sighed and said, "Well, the forges here were not high-quality. So, we had to dismantle them and refit."

Valerian shook his head and said, "You dimwit, it is not the forge but the artisan that cannot use it to the maximum."

He did not care if the people surrounded Vertex. The second prince sighed and said, "I said the same, but these people did not heed."

Valerian clenched his fist and said, "Next time, if anyone does something like this, you must punish them."

The Second Prince nodded and scratched the back of his head. He did not have any interest in administration anymore. The struggle for the throne in Lumen almost hurt his family. Now, he was focused on Makina.

The young prince did not waste any time and picked up the material from the racks on the side. Then he held the big sword. He said, "Everyone step back, please."

The people gave him space, and Valerian challenged fire mana through the blade. The blade gradually turned red hot, and the temperature of the surroundings also increased with this. Makina took a deep breath. Valerian’s arms were turning red, and his shirt sleeves caught fire.

The young man snorted, and the wind blew around him. The flames were put out, and Valerian raised the sword over an anvil. He induced pressure, and the sword turned into a blob of hot metal. Valerian took out a hammer from his magic bag. He blew on the metal, and the temperature slowly cooled down.

Then he began to hit the metal with his hammer gradually turning it into sword shape. Then he placed this sword plate on the side and picked up the metal he placed inside the furnace and hammered it down too.

The people were surprised to see how he was layering different metals. After two hours, a sword roughly took shape before them. Valerian changed the design of the handle for better handling and provided an extra groove on the blade too. He consulted the elder before moving to ensure they did not condemn him later.

Valerian used his mana to carve a few runes on the blade’s surface and said, "These runes will make this blade stronger and sharper. Even a commoner can use this blade if they hold onto a magic stone."

The elder nodded again and again. The blade was ten times stronger than before. Makina held the quenched blade and swung it a few times. She asked, "Why does this blade feel so light?"

Valerian replied, "I engraved it with the rune for that. It will be a better weapon."

He cleaned up the place and said, "Vertex, what about your marriage? If you cannot find someone here, I will help you get someone in the Western continent. Even I will be held back if you do not get married."

Vertex was surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"

The young man smirked and said, "I have promised Morgana. We will be getting married sooner. Okay?"

Vertex gasped and pointed a finger at him saying, "You are flexing your strength capital to me?"

The young man nodded and said, "Yes."