Hephaestus, initially impressed by Arthas's sudden appearance and reflecting on her own harshness towards Hestia, was annoyed by his next words.
You're right to feel sorry for Hestia, but why insult me? You dare call a weapon crafted by the God of Craftsmanship trash?!
In both the heavens and the lower world, I'm second to none! You call my weapons trash?!
For Hephaestus, forging was her lifeblood. She wouldn't tolerate anyone disparaging her weapons.
If you have a problem with my weapons, state your reasons; otherwise, prepare to face a Goddess's wrath!
Arthas's words were said in anger, but Hestia, knowing Hephaestus's personality, was terrified. She knew this wouldn't be taken lightly.
"I… I'm sorry. Arthas doesn't understand; it was just a careless remark. Please don't take it to heart, Hephaestus."
"Humph, calling my weapons trash? You're the first, boy. What makes you so arrogant and confident?"
Though furious, Hephaestus didn't directly attack Arthas. She casually picked a sharp longsword from the display case behind her and held it to his throat.
"Do you know anything about forging? About weapons? What gives you the audacity to say such a thing?"
"I don't know about those things, but… a weapon that breaks under such pressure is trash, isn't it?"
Arthas said dismissively, then gently placed his hand on the longsword's blade. Hephaestus froze, her expression changing.
A wave of cold spread from the weapon; the piercing chill forced Hephaestus to release her grip.
The weapon fell to the ground, turning to dust.
Hephaestus was speechless, staring at the dust, seemingly unable to process the shock.
As the God of Craftsmanship, she understood material structure, the key to forging powerful weapons. But in that instant, the longsword's structure had been completely destroyed.
No… it wasn't destroyed; an incredibly low temperature had instantly altered the weapon's molecular structure.
Was this even possible? Hephaestus was confident that her weapons couldn't be destroyed by low temperatures, except perhaps absolute zero.
But absolute zero was theoretical; even Freya, the Goddess of Ice and Snow, couldn't create such a temperature.
Even the lowest temperatures were merely cold for a God; absolute zero meant everything within the environment lost the energy to function.
If such a state existed, it would be far more terrifying and unimaginable than death itself.
A mortal wielding a power beyond the Gods? Hephaestus refused to believe it.
She preferred to believe Arthas had used some trick to destroy her weapon.
"Wh… how much will that cost?"
In the stunned silence, Hestia innocently asked about the shattered fragments, making Arthas nearly faint.
Even Hephaestus was speechless.
"Don't worry, I'm not that petty."
Hephaestus said, slightly embarrassed. Arthas had provoked her, she'd retaliated, only to be proven wrong, utterly humiliated.
How could she maintain her reputation and crush this arrogant boy's spirit?
Looking at the longsword reduced to dust, Hephaestus felt frustrated. It seemed no weapon would matter, unless…
Even the strongest adventurers were merely mortals; their weapons were mortal tools.
Mortal weapons break; that's normal. But Gods' weapons don't.
Hephaestus hesitated to reveal what she was about to do.
It wasn't fear of Arthas destroying it; she wondered if it would be unfair.
Showing a mortal a God's weapon…
Hephaestus considered this, but seeing Arthas's challenging gaze, she gritted her teeth and brought it out.
The reason was simple: Arthas's defiant expression was too much for Hephaestus to bear.
"Since you want to see a true divine weapon, let me show you."
Hephaestus didn't produce a luxurious weapon; compared to the ones on display, this one looked almost humble.
It was a dull, unassuming hammer, but its origins were significant; it was the forging hammer that had accompanied Hephaestus throughout her career.
Hephaestus, wielding this hammer, was the true God of Craftsmanship!
Upon seeing this unassuming hammer, Arthas frowned, sensing an overwhelming and indescribable power emanating from it.
"Well… have you seen it? This is a true divine weapon. What else do you dare question?!"
Hephaestus pointed the hammer at Arthas, speaking with arrogant pride. He remained silent, then gently reached towards the hammer.
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