"It's so annoying to hear all the noise. Don't you know that quenching is the most critical step?"
Amidst the impatient complaints, a man - uh, let's just say an old man - walked out.
The man's beard and hair were already gray, and his voice was old, but other than that, there was nothing about him that made him look old.
His face is ruddy and rosy, and although he looks old, there are no wrinkles on his face that an old man should have. His facial features are about 50% similar to Shirou's, but more mature.
The body shape is similar, with well-defined muscles, strong lines, and looks full of strength. But this time no one would find it strange, because forging knives is a physical job, and without sufficient strength, you can't make a good knife.
In terms of clothing, the old man's left hand is wearing an extra red arm guard than Shirou's. Combined with what the old man said before, it seems that he just came down from the furnace and didn't have time to take it off. This also explains why the two of them are sweating even though they are wearing so little - the temperature near the forge is too high, and wearing too much will heat them to death.
"There are so many wild animals. It's perfect for testing the knives."
The white-haired old man who walked into the yard glanced at the dark crowd outside the yard and his apprentice who was surrounded. His expression was cold, as if the people around him were just a bunch of chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning.
He turned his wrist and turned the knife that was held behind his back to the front. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be his latest work that he was willing to complete even at the cost of letting his apprentice guard the door.
"Shirou, get down!"
At the old man's low shout, the surrounded red-haired boy lay down without hesitation, completely ignoring how many wild beasts were around him or how dangerous the situation was. It was obvious that he had absolute confidence in his master.
The master did not disappoint his disciple's expectations. The moment Shirou fell down, the old man took a step forward and gently swung the knife.
Shi's expression changed immediately.
She was also considered a top expert in the Japanese mystical world, and her swordsmanship had reached the level of "Ichi no Tachi" that countless people dreamed of. But even so, she still couldn't see clearly what the sword was.
Those iridescent eyes reflected only one movement: taking a step and swinging a sword.
Then the throats of all the monsters inside and outside the fence were cut, and they all fell to the ground without even having time to scream.
The old man also came to his apprentice's side at the moment he put away his knife, and the way and trajectory of his movement were also impossible to capture.
Shirou, who was lying on the ground, supported himself with his hands and jumped up. He looked at the sword in his master's hand with joy and said excitedly: "This is your latest work, Master. It's so amazing. The legendary divine sword is no more than this."
The old man scolded mercilessly: "You ignorant brat, don't use the name of Senko Muramasa when you are so immature. I can't afford to lose that name. This is not a divine sword, it is a failure, just like the pile of broken iron on the ground."
"A failure? When I came out you said everything went well, how come it's a failure now? And I couldn't see any failure in your trial cut just now." Shirou pinched his chin and leaned forward, almost putting his face on the knife.
"You can't tell by looking at it this way. You'll understand if you try to hold it." The old man turned the handle of the knife and handed it to Shirou.
The moment his fingers touched the hilt of the knife, Shirou's expression suddenly changed, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying. His cheeks twitched and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"This, this, this, this, this, this is—a magic knife?"
"Yes, this is a great item that has reached the realm of the devil, which is what people usually call the devil's sword."
Hearing his master's words, Shirou hurriedly shook his hand, trying to throw the knife away. But no matter how hard he shook his hand, he couldn't get rid of it. He used his other hand to pry it away, but his other hand also got stuck to it, and he was so anxious that he kept jumping up and down.
"Master, Master, what is going on?"
"Didn't I tell you, this is a demonic sword? The karma wrapped around it will corrode the body and mind of the person holding the sword. You can't throw it away even if you want to." The old man still had a calm expression.
"What should we do then?" Shirou became even more anxious.
"That's it."
As the old man spoke, he stretched out two fingers to clamp the blade. Without any effort, the knife that was stuck to Shirou's hand flew out of his hand and fell accurately into the knife bucket behind the fence.
"Master is amazing." Shirou exclaimed in admiration.
"There is no such thing as great or not. Whether it is a divine sword or a demonic sword, a swordsmith who cannot control his own sword is not a qualified swordsmith. Kid, if you want to inherit the name of Sengo Muramasa, you still have a lot to learn. It is fate that you and I can meet in this world. Work hard."
"Yes, Master. By the way, Master, why did this sword become a magic sword?"
"It's probably because of these black-skinned beasts." The old man kicked the corpse on the ground casually, "Hmm... The stench of corruption and death, this is not a normal life, but a monster that has been distorted by something. It is they who affected the final quenching and led the knife to the devil's realm - remember what I told you before?"
"I remember." Shirou nodded. "Quenching is the life of a swordsmith. It is the most critical step in making a sword. Heaven, earth, and man are all indispensable."
"That's where the ground goes wrong."
"I see." Shirou's mood dropped.
"I'm very sorry, because we..." Wei Na quickly apologized to the master and disciple.
"It's nothing. Forging a sword depends on the person, and finishing it depends on fate. It was supposed to be a 'magic sword'; even without you, there would be other factors interfering." The old man was still neither sad nor happy, and there was a kind of open-mindedness in his calm eyes that looked down on the world.
"Hey, is this knife really a failure? The spirit on it is totally different from other knives."
Shi suddenly spoke. She had been standing by the knife barrel, staring at the newly fallen "magic knife". Even when her daughter went to apologize, she remained motionless.
"The little girl is pretty, why don't you listen to me?" The old man mocked sarcastically, "Indeed, this knife is very special. It can cut through anything, whether visible or invisible. But I've already said that it's a magic knife. It's not something that a normal life should touch. If it's not a failure, what else can it be? If you touch it carelessly, you may be attacked at any time. You don't want to be close to death, do you?"
"That's just what I want. I've lived next door to death for many years and I'm used to it. If you don't want it, just give me the knife. I can feel it calling me."
As Shi said this, he stretched out his hand towards the magic sword that was located in the center of the sword barrel, which was like the king of all swords.
The targeted demon knife made an unusual sound and as soon as the finger touched the handle, it was bounced away, leaving a trail of bright red drops rolling down.