Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 128: Weapons II
After admiring his handiwork for a moment, he set it aside and turned his attention to the second weapon, a spear.
Like it or not, his black-rank rod was no longer as powerful as it once was.
As much as he loved the idea of switching weapons for versatility, the time had come to discard it. The battle against the second-realm ape had drained one of its explosive charges, halving its durability and attack power. Worse still, the weapon had already been wearing down long before that encounter.
One more explosion and it would be gone for good. He needed a replacement.
And for this spear, he had a plan.
First, he retrieved the hinges of the grasshoppers. The green hue would add a distinct aesthetic to the weapon, making it blend seamlessly with his armor. For the spear’s tip, he chose the tooth of a claw-toothed tiger.
At first, he hadn’t considered the fangs particularly dangerous. Jon and the others had fought the tigers while carefully avoiding their teeth, so he hadn’t thought much of them. That changed when the monster descriptions were recorded:
-The fangs of the claw-toothed tiger are sharp and strong enough to uproot a post-apocalyptic tree. These fangs are currently used in camp to carve carcasses, significantly reducing the workload. They are in high demand.
Not only were they tough, but they were also razor-sharp, making them the perfect choice for his spear. However, his vision for the weapon extended beyond mere sharpness.
With a thought, he brought out a specific monster core: the Shadow Cat’s.
Similar to the creatures they originated from, these cores possessed the ability to distort movement, making it difficult for the human eye to follow. Whether slow or fast, the motion appeared blurred and elusive. That was exactly what he wanted, an unpredictable, disorienting weapon.
Hummm...
As if sensing his intent, the spear vibrated, radiating an intense light. When it dimmed, a sleek two-meter-long spear was revealed, its shaft a deep green and its blade an ethereal mix of black and white. The fusion of the shadow core and tiger fang had achieved perfect balance. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Satisfied with his creation, he set it aside. One more weapon remained.
He stripped off his old trousers and shoes. Though their stats were no longer of use to him, they were still valuable treasures easily replaceable through the orbs. But now, he needed a weapon that would complement his Principle of Inscription.
And there was only one thought that came to mind.
Staff...
From the moment he had obtained it, he had always envisioned the staff as his ultimate weapon. No matter how many times he wielded it in combat, he always reverted it to its staff form. It had become an attachment he could not shake.
With a simple thought, he summoned a plain black staff before him. But he wanted something more, something capable of sheer destruction.
He began forming and reforging the staff over and over again. Again and again. Until the number of duplicates surpassed a thousand. He was hitting his limit.
Unexpectedly, he discovered something new about the Mind World.
’Hmm... so what should I do?’ He contemplated as he gazed at the thousands of staff before him. ’Destruction... so bigger means more damage, right?’
Without hesitation, he started stacking the staff together.
The staff grew larger. Then, he compressed them together, forcing them into a more compact form. Again and again, he repeated the process, layering and condensing them further each time.
’Hmm... something’s happening.’
He could feel his ideas taking shape.
At last, he reached the final layer. The result was a massive, four-meter-long, one-meter-wide staff. It was pure black, dense, ominous, and almost unwieldy as a weapon.
Yet, Jon’s eyes burned with fierce determination.
With a thought, he summoned three first-realm cores.
One wouldn’t be enough. Two wouldn’t either. Three, however...
Everything was clear to him in this place. But he knew this would not be as simple as the weapons before.
Placing a core at both ends and another at the center, he closed his eyes.
Twenty seconds passed. Then forty. Then a hundred and eighty.
Still, the cores refused to harmonize.
Two hundred seconds... Three hundred...
Jon’s grunts filled the air as he focused. Within his mind, he saw only blackness. Somewhere in that void was the light he needed to bring the staff’s true potential to life.
The deeper he ventured, the heavier the darkness became.
’Move... move...’ He willed himself forward, refusing to stop.
Then, something shifted.
A familiar energy flowed through his consciousness, the same force that had once transformed the ethereal into the physical. Dream energy. It surged through him, soothing his mind, and refreshing his spirit.
Suddenly, he saw it. The elusive light, growing clearer with every step.
Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled.
HUUUMMMMMM!
A deafening resonance filled the air. The harmonizing sound snapped him back to reality, forcing him to shield his eyes.
Even though the staff remained pitch black, the sheer radiance it emitted drowned out its dark hue. Slowly, the light faded, revealing a black staff wreathed in faint purple fumes.
His eyes gleamed with childlike wonder as he gazed upon his creation. Yet, a whisper escaped his lips—
"A pity..."
He didn’t need anyone to tell him the truth. This weapon was a one-time masterpiece, impossible to recreate in the real world.
To replicate it, he would need the thousands of black rods he had merged, a simply unrealistic feat.
But all was not lost.
Through this staff, he would refine his blacksmithing skills. More importantly, he now had a clear vision of how to craft his ultimate weapon.
With a final glance at his creation, he exited the Mind World.
-You’ve been gone for four days.
Amelia’s voice greeted him as he returned to reality. He had expected as much time to flow differently in that place. Offering her a small nod of gratitude for watching over him, he wasted no time.
It was time to forge his weapons.
And the first one he would craft was the staff.
