Master Doran

"You know of this power?" Ato asked, confused, but then he thought it made sense.

Ornn was the oldest Demigod, existing since ten thousand years ago. When the Aspect of Creation, Aurelion Sol, descended and ancient Shurima established the Sun Disc, it wasn't strange for him to sense the commotion from the south.

"That's right, it's a power I still can't forget," Ornn said, bringing the Starfall Iron ingot he was holding to Ato.

"Though humans call me a Demigod, compared to that existence, I'm like a firefly next to the blazing sun. I wonder if my brother still has the courage to fight when he faces that being."

"...Only you would dare to tease Volibear," Ato twitched the corner of his mouth.

"As you can see, this demonic sword seals a soul that inherited that being's power."

"But due to an accident, this sword took on this terrifying appearance, and it occasionally leaks its aura, causing unnecessary misunderstandings from the surrounding living beings towards me and this sword."

"So I implore you, Demigod Ornn, to forge a scabbard for this sword. Use this Starfall Iron from the heavens. When not in use, the sword can be sheathed, slightly concealed. I can complete a task within my capabilities for you, how about it?"

Ornn raised his thick eyebrows and looked down at the iron ingot he had just finished forging. He felt a bit hesitant.

If he could forge a scabbard that could contain the power of that being, wouldn't that mean his forging skill had improved even further?

But he habitually refused, "I haven't forged anything for anyone in thousands of years. Besides, I have nothing I want to do right now; I just want to stay here and be accompanied by forging."

Ato heard a waver in Ornn's tone and quickly said, "Don't you really want a challenge? You usually forge as you please; how long has it been since you encountered a challenge?"

"The only blacksmith capable of forging a scabbard for this sword, besides Demigod Ornn, I believe even Master Doran, who you once guided, couldn't do it."

"Doran?" Ornn seemed touched.

"Not too long ago, perhaps less than a hundred years. He stumbled into my Forge Hearth and endured the high temperatures to watch me forge for an entire day, eventually passing out from dehydration."

"Seeing him was like seeing my earliest followers, the people of the Forge Hearth. I did impart some forging techniques to him. What, he dares to call himself a master now?"

"You only taught him some forging techniques, and that was enough for him to become a sought-after master in the outside world," Ato explained. "After leaving the Forge Hearth, he went to the Land of Genesis in the east and settled there."

"Some people wait for decades just to get a weapon forged by Master Doran, but ultimately, only a few can obtain one."

"Also, don't forget, you are an immortal Demigod, while he is just a human. If he's still alive now, he'd be an old man in his twilight years."

"He didn't disgrace me after all," Ornn let out a long breath, releasing a gust of strong, hot wind that almost sent Ato flying.

"I will forge a scabbard for you with this Starfall Iron. You don't need to do anything else for me. Consider it thanks for telling me Doran's current situation, letting me know that the legacy of the Forge Hearth people has not been broken."

"Huh?" Ato tidied his windblown hair. "It's done just like that?"

"What, you don't want it?" Ornn lowered his head, his bearded face close to Ato's, blowing gusts of hot wind.

"Doran could make others wait for decades; it shouldn't be too much for me to make someone wait for a thousand years, right? I won't make you wait. This kind of opportunity isn't something everyone can have."

What a tsundere old man... Ato only dared to think it in his heart, not daring to say it out loud.

"Willing, willing..."

Ornn turned around, first placing the forged Starfall Iron ingot on the forging platform, and then came back to Ato's side.

"Before I forge it, I need to study this Demonic Sword a bit." Ornn extended his huge palm towards Ato.

"Hey, calm down, don't provoke him." Ato whispered a reminder to Aatrox, and then the Demonic Sword of the Dark floated to Ornn's hand on its own.

"Hmm..." Ornn raised his hand, bringing the Demonic Sword closer to his eyes to examine it.

"Old Goat, you burned me!" Aatrox's furious roar came from the Demonic Sword.

"This idiot..." Ato covered his face with both hands. "Can you stop giving people weird nicknames?"

"Oh? An interesting ancient warrior soul..." Ornn wasn't angry, he just moved the Demonic Sword further away and continued to observe it in his own way.

Ato peeked at Ornn through the gaps in his fingers. Seeing that he was still observing, he breathed a sigh of relief. "What a special Demigod. Besides being a bit reclusive, his temper is incredibly good..."

Ornn's observation lasted for nearly ten minutes. During this time, Aatrox didn't make any more sarcastic remarks, and Ato didn't disturb Ornn.

After the observation ended, Ornn returned the Demonic Sword to Ato. "It's true that just forging a scabbard won't produce the desired effect. I need to use most of my energy, grasp the changes in the materials, and imbue the finished product with some special abilities."

"You're right. Only I in this world can forge this scabbard. If Dolan wants this ability, he'd have to follow me for another thousand years to even qualify to try."

"You, move away. Don't get caught in the crossfire."

Ato leaped far away, using a stone pillar as cover, but still maintaining a distance where he could visually observe the forging process.

Ornn walked to the forging platform, closed his eyes, and adjusted himself to his optimal state. Then, he took a deep breath, and terrifyingly hot Flame spewed from his mouth, re-igniting the already cooled Starfall Iron ingot.

He took out the forging hammer hanging on his back with his right hand and held the ingot steady with iron tongs in his left. After a period of heating, Ornn felt that the temperature and timing were just right. He decisively stopped breathing and brought his right hand down with the hammer.

Clang!

Amidst the rhythmic hammering, the Starfall Iron ingot transformed again. Without any extraneous movements from Ornn, the red-hot ingot reshaped itself into the form of a scabbard.

The front of the scabbard was sharp, but the main body was straight and rigid, completely unlike the shape of the Demonic Sword of the Dark.

"The shape is so regular?" Ato frowned subconsciously. "And it's so big? It must be over ten meters long... How is he supposed to wear it on his back? It could fit five Demonic Swords with room to spare..."

Ornn, of course, couldn't answer Ato's questions. His attention was entirely on the Starfall Iron before him.

With the final hammer blow, the Starfall Iron, now shaped like a scabbard, erupted with unprecedented brilliance. Ornn, with quick reflexes, placed the finished scabbard into the cooling pool that had been prepared nearby.

Splash!

As the hot metal block touched the cold water, a large amount of white smoke billowed out.

When the white smoke dissipated, Ato saw Ornn holding the custom-made scabbard directly with his hand. It was indeed ten meters long!