Danmachi: Unalloyed Blade Works

Ideal Blade

"...It's just one thing after another..." Finn tiredly groaned from behind his desk.

The Loki Familia had just returned from their most recent expedition, yet there was still much work to be done. Doing battle with that deformed spirit on the 59th Floor was bad enough, and it was nothing short of a miracle that no one had lost their lives. What really set them back was the sudden Monster Party of Poison Vermis, which had heavily crippled the entire Familia as they tried to make their way back up to the Dungeon. In fact, in every floor, monsters seemed to be spawning at an alarming rate and were much more aggressive. If Bete hadn't returned with the antidotes from the surface, they would've incurred much more losses.

"To think that the Dungeon was closed off during our expedition. Still, it's a miracle that no one died on our way back up." Gareth noted with a content sigh.

"But let us go back to the original question," Riveria pointed out.

"Yes. Just who or what exactly is Muramasa?" Finn finished.

All three of them still couldn't wrap their heads around what they had witnessed the unknown blacksmith perform. It was strange enough that he had created a shield that had withstood the Demi-Spirit's fire spell. But, a spell that instantly created a landscape filled with an endless amount of swords? None of them had ever heard of such a spell. It sounded like something straight out of an old myth or a fairy tale.

And then, there was that sword. A sword that gathered all of the seemingly endless supply of swords in that flaming world and condensed it into a singular blade. A weapon infused with divine power that was forged by human hands. The instant it had formed in Muramasa's hands, Finn felt an emotion that he had not felt since the Great Feud: Fear. In front of his eyes, a mortal had created a weapon that contained so much power that he thought he was in the presence of a god unleashing their full might. It reminded Finn of the times that when Loki used a bit of her divinity to seriously decided to lay down the law within the Familia, but even that would cause even him to freeze in place. The burn scars on his body were only proof that what he had witnessed was not an illusion.

Tsumukari Muramasa. A name that will surely be etched into his memory until the day he dies. The image of that raging katana had plagued Finn's dreams ever since they returned from the surface, and whenever it did appear, he could still feel the heat and enormous power radiate from the steel.

Could it be possible...that the Tsumukari had the capability to take down the One-Eyed Black Dragon?

"Any ideas, Riveria?" Gareth asked.

The High Elf could only shrug her shoulders. "My best guess is that his existence is similar to Ais's. Maybe he made a contract with a spirit before coming to Orario, or maybe his bloodline made one a long time ago."

"Just like the Crozzo bloodline. It could explain the quality of his swords along with his magic," Finn pondered. "But, that doesn't explain how no one knew who Muramasa is. If his family line is indeed similar to the Crozzo's, then why hasn't there been stories of a swordsmith from the Far East capable of forging swords imbued with divine power?"

"The world is truly still a mysterious place. Still, it's a good thing that he's not a Creature or anything," Gareth mumbled.

"As long as he doesn't do anything that goes against the interests of this Familia or Orario's, then I don't care if he's a human or not." Finn answered.

"Then, you trust him? Even though he holds that much power?" Riveria questioned.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say 'trust'. But I don't believe he's a bad person," Finn clarified. His eyes then shifted towards Riveria, ready to ask the elf the question that had also been in his mind ever since they ran into the swordsmith on the 18th Floor. "Riveria, are you sure you don't know him?"