The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. If we're too close, we'll be exposed," Murakami said helplessly.

The magical beasts that originated from the three layers of the earth dared not approach the place of suppression if they sensed even the slightest trace of the hero's aura.

But deeper inside, you might encounter stubborn monsters that are drawn to the hero's aura instead.

"When did Arios start keeping you here?"

"Three years ago, I even came back a few times along the way."

"When was the last time?" "Two months ago."

This point in time is close to the time when Vina left Lumiel Village.

"Do you know what he did after that?" Wiener asked.

“Arios told me that he already knew the whereabouts of the Holy Sword and that I would soon be free. I don’t know what happened after that,” Murakami Yoshitsugu replied.

The information provided by the remnant soul of the village hero sword and the intelligence provided by the academy head once again matched.

This suggests that Arios must have encountered an accident while searching for the Holy Sword.

"You should have finished asking your questions by now, right?" Murakami Yoshitsuki suddenly asked.

“That’s all.” Vina shook her head.

"Then it's my turn."

The remnant soul drifted closer to Venus, its form becoming even more blurred than before.

"I'm about to die."

Chapter 243 The Shattered Hero's Token

"Is it because of me?" Wiener guessed.

This wasn't his first time entering the spiritual space, so he could naturally see that the remnant soul of Murakami Yoshitsugu was in extremely poor condition, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

Otherwise, he wouldn't call himself a remnant soul.

"You deserve half the credit—just kidding, even if you hadn't come, I wouldn't have lasted much longer." Murakami got angry at this point. "Who the hell could have imagined that a demon would appear on the third layer of the earth?"

Although it had never fought a demon, it had seen quite a few demons after following Arios for so long.

This was the first time I had ever seen such a weak demon, yet I had fallen into his hands. Truly, life is unpredictable.

"I just teleported here last night, and it followed me here, lying down at my feet and starting to gnaw on me. It was disgusting," said Murakami Yoshitsugu, his tone full of disgust.

"So that's why you led us here?" Viner thought of the directions they had taken along the way.

“How come I didn’t know I could do something like that?” Mura Yoshitsugu denied Wiener’s guess.

"That--"

"Alright, stop rambling and listen to me first," Murakami Yoshitsugu interrupted Viner. "My body can't hold on much longer."

The power of the hero is imbued in the weapon, making it effective against demons and monsters.

This is why Rimuru couldn't directly absorb the Village Sword, but could only gradually erode it.

However, this enhancement does not strengthen the material of the weapon itself.

Rimuru and Rikka fought to a standstill because Rimuru was stronger.

On the contrary, Murakami Yoshitsuki almost couldn't withstand the heavy blow from the Peerless Blade.

"Once you leave the dungeon, you must immediately report to the academy, and it would be best to bring Arios here. Tell him that the hero's token has been destroyed and needs to be resealed."

"This matter must be handled quickly. Those magical beasts that have become accustomed to the presence of the hero's aura will immediately begin their assault on the upper levels once they sense its disappearance."

"Your current location is only an inch away from the fourth layer of the earth, making it the most unsafe place," Murakami warned.

"Then what are you going to do?" Wiener asked.

"I can't help Arios anymore. Being left here is just to make the most of my remaining strength. Let him die if he wants." Mura Yoshitsuki had long since come to terms with it. "Being able to trade one for one with the demon before I die isn't a disgrace to you or Arios."

“But it’s not necessarily dead; I didn’t see the Demon Blood Soul appear,” Vena cautioned.

He knew his own limitations; even if a single arrow could pierce through the demon's defenses while the opponent was weakened, it wouldn't be possible to eliminate the demon's blood soul along with it.

After a moment of silence, Murakami Yoshitsugu finally couldn't help but swear: "Damn it, I've gotten so used to hanging out with Arios that I've forgotten you're not a hero."

The implication is that Arios can destroy both his physical body and demonic blood soul with a single sword strike.

“Actually… I can try to help you get a different body,” Vena said.

"You want to recast me?" Murakami immediately understood what Vena meant.

“Hmm.” Viner nodded.

"Forget it. A sword can be moved to life, but a soul can be moved to death. Even if you reforge a weapon that is ten or a hundred times better than Murakami, it won't be me anymore." Murakami rejected Vener's suggestion without even thinking.

"I don't want Arios to not recognize me later."

“Okay.” Viner nodded solemnly.

Despite some regret, he chose to respect Mura Yoshitsugu's decision.

"Little blacksmith, thank you. If you hadn't forged me, I would probably still be just a piece of scrap metal somewhere, and wouldn't have lived such a wonderful life."

Murakami Yoshitsugu extended his hand to Vina, as if to say a final goodbye.

“I will never forget you,” Viner said solemnly, grasping the hand offered by Murakami Yoshiki.

"Ha, that's not enough. I want you to remember me for the rest of your life."

Murakami suddenly smiled, but there was a hint of cunning in his smile.

"Please accept this; it's my final gift in return."

Murakami's figure began to blur and become transparent, and finally, with a soft hum, it turned into a stream of light and clung tightly to Venus's arm.

-----------------

"do not want!"

Wiener suddenly awoke, only to find himself holding the Murakami sword in his hand.

Just as Vena was about to pick it up for inspection, the Murakami sword in his hand instantly shattered into pieces.

"Vina, are you alright?" Lisette, who was taking care of her, asked anxiously, her eyes full of worry.

"I'm fine," Viner replied after a moment of hesitation.

“Felix just grabbed your hand and pulled out the hero’s sword, but…” Lisette hesitated.

"Vina! We've broken the Hero's sword!" Felix's voice trembled with tears. "What are we going to do? We can't afford to pay for it even if we sell it!"

When the sword was drawn, it was already a broken sword. Felix had hoped that Venerable would have a way to repair it.

However, when Vena woke up, the Murakami sword was already shattered beyond repair.

"...This was its own choice." Vena slowly rose to her feet, the damage from the arrow that struck Shura seemingly being replenished by the final power infused into Mura Yoshitsuki.

Wiener looked at the huge crater he had created.

After the Murakami sword was pulled out, the bottom of the giant pit began to collapse continuously, and the roar of beasts could be faintly heard.

The boundary between the third stratum and the fourth stratum of the underground city has clearly been breached.

“Vina, now that you’re awake, let’s leave this place quickly. We can make plans when we get back,” Lisette advised.

“It’s too late,” Viner shook his head and pointed to the collapsed pit. “The fourth level of the dungeon is below. If we leave now, who knows how many monsters will emerge from below.”

"You need to contact Jessica right away and tell her we've made a huge mess of things, and ask her to come and bail us out."

“I’ll contact the senior right away,” Lisette said, clearly realizing the importance of the matter. She quickly pulled out her student card, only to find that she couldn’t send the message no matter what she tried.

"The message has failed!"

"Use the teleportation stone!"

"Same here, it can't be activated either," Lisette said, looking at the now dim and lifeless teleportation stone.

"Then I'll accept my fate. After this battle, I'll go back to my hometown and get married."

Wiener picked up the dark iron and took a step forward.

Those who are among the first to break through from the fourth level of the dungeon to the third level must be magical beasts with the ability to fly.

With the teleportation stone malfunctioning, they couldn't possibly outrun these flying magical beasts on foot, and they would soon be surrounded by the charging beasts.

Only by holding a strategic position can one have a chance to survive.

"What kind of time is this to be joking!" Lisette bit her lip, a resolute glint in her eyes, and threw her treasured mercury sword at Vina.

"Destroy it!"

"Can it take us out?"

"No, but the spatial magic recorded on the Mercury Sword has the help of my senior. As long as the Mercury Sword breaks, my senior will definitely be able to sense it."

Listy's abilities weren't yet sufficient to solidify the most complex spatial magic onto an object. It was thanks to Jessica who provided the framework that Listy could easily use the Mercury Sword as Rikka's dwelling.

"Okay, I'll get you a new one next time!"

Chapter 244 Cheese sandwiched between two buns

Weapons are consumables; they are bound to get damaged once they are used.

That being said, weapons that reach the B-rank level are almost never easily explosive or fragile.

Since Lisette obtained the Mercury Sword, she has basically only used it as a magical artifact. She would be heartbroken even if it was bumped or scratched, and she would take it out to wipe and maintain it all the time.

The frequency of its maintenance was so high that people would weep day and night upon seeing it, and even the Lion King's Heart left home overnight after witnessing it.

Lisette returned the Mercury Sword to Vina partly because she couldn't bring herself to destroy it.

On the other hand, she also lacks the ability to quickly destroy the Mercury Sword.

In this regard, we still need to look at Weapon Destruction Master Viner.

-----------------

"call!"

A massive blue pterosaur suddenly emerged from the deep pit. Its enormous body was confined by the narrow entrance, with only its head visible.

Unwilling to be confined, the pterosaur used its astonishing power to frantically ram the bottom of the cave, attempting to widen the gap. Each impact was accompanied by the ground constantly loosening, as if even the earth itself was about to collapse.

As the saying goes, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down," and the Blue Pterosaur's arrogant behavior naturally drew its first wave of sharp blows.

Rikka raised her Musou Blade with both hands, leaped into the air, and slashed straight at the blue pterosaur's raised head.

The blue pterosaur was not about to sit idly by and wait for its death. It opened its huge mouth, and a blinding bolt of lightning instantly condensed and rushed straight towards Liuhua.

This single strike alone is enough to demonstrate its extensive experience.

The same move, when used on other magical beasts that it preys upon, is merely a tickle.

But for a physically weak Emblem user, this bolt of lightning would be enough to severely injure them.

However, it didn't expect that although Rikka looked like a human, she was essentially a humanoid demon beast. Even with her entire body covered in electricity, it couldn't budge Rikka in the slightest.

The Peerless Blade, accompanied by a whooshing sound, carried devastating power and slammed into the blue pterosaur's forehead.

The blue pterosaur, which was arrogant just a second ago, had its head explode like a watermelon the next moment, and its huge body, losing its support, fell heavily to the ground below.

As soon as the blue pterosaur was dealt with, a rustling sound immediately surged up in the pit, the sound rapid like a thousand horses galloping.

Without needing any prompting, Risti used the Six Flowers technique in succession, gathering the long-accumulated ice cones to their peak.

Countless sharp, blade-like ice spikes poured down toward the only dark entrance, their cascading sounds never ceasing.

"Giggle-"

Amidst this fierce onslaught of ice, a chilling, sinister laugh echoed from the bottom of the cave.

A lone, giant skull was burning with a blazing green flame, illuminating the cave.

The ice spikes woven by Lisette would quickly melt into trickles of flame as soon as they came near the fire, no longer serving as a barrier.