Lifting the Anvil with Vulkan
Nimrod and Vulkan started running at the same time.
The moment they started, they quickly left the Nocturne contestants behind them.
Nimrod did not spread his golden wings once again; he simply ran as fast as he could.
One after another, the pavilions were left behind him.
In the blink of an eye, Nimrod had run a kilometer, leaving Vulkan a body length behind.
The distance between the two grew larger and larger, soon exceeding ten meters.
Vulkan's eyes, like those of a volcanic eruption, were fixed on the golden wings behind Nimrod.
He was certain that Nimrod hadn't flapped his golden wings; he had overtaken him with sheer physical strength.
Vulkan felt his body burning; even the Dusk Nether, who were much faster than the Nocturne People, couldn't outrun him.
This was the first time he had encountered someone faster than himself. His body crackled, his skin burned, and he sprinted as fast as he could.
However, he soon discovered that no matter how hard he tried, the distance between him and Nimrod was growing ever wider.
With each breath, Vulkan's body churned with heat, and his eyes shone like a volcanic eruption.
This was the first time he had encountered such a formidable opponent; the opponent's strength was only slightly weaker than his own, but his speed was clearly superior.
As soon as Vulkan saw the enormous Lava Gem, Nimrod had already lifted it up.
Vulkan did not stop; as a participant in the race, he was determined to complete the entire process, even though he was destined to fail.
As Vulkan ran toward the finish line, he collided head-on with Nimrod, who was on his way back.
Nimrod smiled at Vulkan and then ran towards the village.
The race participants, upon seeing the Lava Gem radiating a dazzling light, erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Their cheers abruptly ceased as they realized the figure running towards them was the black-armored giant, not their Fire Dragon King.
They stopped in their tracks, stunned, and stood frozen in place.
Nimrod, holding the Lava Gem, ran into the village.
The Emperor and Alpharius smiled when they saw Nimrod.
The cheers erupting from the Nocturne aliens abruptly ceased as they realized that the outsider, Nimrod, had won this time.
His advantages are obvious.
The Council of Nobles elder, who had been acting as Shock, composed himself and announced loudly, "The winner of the race Nimrod."
Nimrod put down the Lava Gem and thought to himself.
[Although not a potion ingredient, it is a valuable forging material.]
Having experienced his first failure in life, Vulkan returned to the village empty-handed.
"Lord of the Fire Drakes, victory is assured!"
"Vulkan remains undefeated!"
Vulkan strode up to Nimrod, a wave of heat emanating from him as he spoke, "Do you need a rest?"
"No need." Although Nimrod removed the Crimson Chain, he still didn't feel tired at all.
The golden wings on his back are like a never-ending furnace, supplying energy to his body.
He never gets tired.
Over the next six days, Nimrod and Vulkan competed in one event after another.
The Nocturne were astonished to find that their Fire Dragon King had not achieved an overwhelming victory. The two were often evenly matched, with Vulkan occasionally emerging victorious, only to be defeated in the next challenge.
On the eighth day of the competition, the elders of the Council of Nobles made an announcement.
"Today's competition is an anvil lifting; it's a test of strength, but even more so, a test of endurance."
The contestants from Nocturne strained their arms to lift the heavy anvils made of refined ore.
The elders of the Council of Nobles prepared anvils specifically for the two giants.
Their special anvil has two huge iron discs on each side.
The discus was much larger than the discus of the other Nocturne; no other Nocturne could lift any of them.
Nimrod and Vulkan simultaneously used both arms to lift the anvil.
Bare-chested, Vulkan, his eyes blazing with volcanic heat, raised the anvil.
The Nocturne erupted in enthusiastic cheers, shouting wildly.
"King of Fire Dragons!"
"Vulkan remains undefeated!"
As the cheers subsided, Nocturne noticed that Nimrod, an outsider contestant, had also easily lifted the anvil.
They were not surprised by this; the past few days of competition had shown them that Nimrod possessed strength comparable to Vulkan.
What truly determines the outcome is the endurance of the two giants.
From Sun to its highest point, Nimrod and Vulkan's arms remained perfectly still, steadily lifting the anvils—anvils that could crush an ordinary person—with remarkable ease.
From the Sun's highest point to its setting, the two men remained steadily holding their anvils, unchanged from the morning, like two sculptures.
The Nocturne, who had always firmly believed that the Fire Dragon King would win, now began to doubt that Vulkan could win.
After a tense discussion, the elders of the Council of Nobles announced the results of the competition.
"The Fire Dragon King Vulkan, and the outsider Nimrod, were unable to determine a winner in the anvil-lifting competition, and their contest ended in a draw."
Nimrod put down the anvil. Controlling the power of the Shard of the Burning One, he was like a perpetual motion machine, with endurance surpassing any Primarch.
But he knew that Vulkan had superhuman physical abilities, and even if he had the advantage in endurance, he wouldn't be able to show it within a few days.
The outsider Nimrod actually fought to a draw with the Lord of the Fire Drakes Vulkan in many competitions, which Shock many Nocturne people.
The Nocturne quickly accepted reality, which was consistent with the actual situation of the competition over the past eight days. If it had been ten days ago, they would never have believed that anyone could contend with Vulkan.
Having witnessed the entire eight-day competition, even the Nocturne aliens considered a draw a fair result.
Just as the Nocturne aliens remained silent, a dark-skinned Council of Nobles elder, adorned with jewels, stepped forward.
"The final competition belongs solely to the Lord of the Fire Drakes, Vulkan, and the venerable outsider Nimrod."
The competition involves a one-day challenge: forging weapons by hand and using them to hunt down fire Salamanders from the Mount Deathfire.
"Whoever hunts the biggest Salamanders is the ultimate winner."
"Vulkan will prevail!" the Nocturne shouted in unison.
They believed that Vulkan, who taught them the Mystery of pattern welding, metal folding, alloying, and bonding, and led them to leaps in forging techniques, would surely win.
Vulkan and Nimrod walked up to the furnace.
Vulkan made the first move; he skillfully picked up the ore and hammer and began to hammer with practiced ease.
Although Nimrod had never forged anything himself, his Superhuman Brain raced back to the days when workers forged Miguel Steel when he was managing the Magneto Steelworks.
He picked up the ore and, following the forging method for Miguel Steel, swung the hammer and began to hammer it.
The Emperor gazed at the two Primarch and asked Alpharius beside him, "Who do you think will win?"
Alpharius looked at Nimrod; his movements were swift and precise, demonstrating his exceptional craftsmanship.
But then he looked at Vulkan, a dark-skinned giant whose every movement possessed a certain rhythm, each strike a work of art.
The difference between the two is obvious. Alpharius said, "Vulkan will win. Although Nimrod was born in the Industrial World of Vostonia, he has never personally crafted a weapon."
"By the standards of an initial forging, he is an excellent craftsman."
"But Vulkan is a master blacksmith, and only Ferrus Manus and Fulgrim can rival him."
Alpharius recalled his two previous Error, paused for a moment, and then added.
"The Mount Deathfire is his territory; he knows it well, and with his superior weaponry, I believe he will surely win."
The Emperor shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "After Nimrod obtained the golden wings from Medusa, he mastered the power of fire. Compared to Vulkan, who was known as the Flame Bloomer, he was the true master of fire."
"Fire is the furnace of iron; he uses this power skillfully to bridge the gap in forging techniques."
"More importantly, for them, killing the Salamanders isn't the key; finding the largest Salamanders is the key to victory. Nimrod has an advantage in this regard over Vulkan's familiarity with the environment."
As the two spoke, golden Flaming Jump from the furnace in front of Nimrod.