*BOOOOOMMM!!!*

"!!!"

The explosion rattled the entire villa, strong enough to shake the foundations despite Luna's magical reinforcement.

Aurelia's combat instincts activated instantly, her embarrassment forgotten as she shot to her feet.

Her golden eyes immediately locked onto the direction of the disturbance.

Thick smoke rose from the distant clearing, far from the village proper.

And more concerning, an oppressive crimson power leaked from the epicenter.

A presence so strong it made even her divine senses warn of immense danger.

'That energy...'

Her mind immediately recalled Nero's words from earlier this morning, when he'd briefly checked on her before the meeting.

"I'll be summoning another card later today. You should rest."

She'd been too exhausted to say anything, barely managing a sleepy nod before he'd left.

Looking at the location of that explosion and feeling that overwhelming presence...

*Whoosh!*

Silver light enveloped Aurelia as she speedingly dashed forward, her figure blurring into motion so fast the room's contents scattered from the displaced air.

She burst through the window without bothering to open it, wings spreading to catch her momentum as she rocketed toward the source of that threatening power.

'If anything has happened to Nero...'

The thought carried cold fury that would have terrified anyone who'd witnessed the First Star Valkyrie's rare moments of genuine worry.

She would and will not let her Lord Nero come to harm once again.

Not this time, and not ever again.

***

Meanwhile, in the villa's garden...

Celis stood among the flowering plants she'd been tending, her gentle smile unchanged as she observed the crimson power radiating from the distant clearing.

Her expression remained serene, but something in her half-closed eyes suggested deeper awareness.

Recognition, perhaps.

Or understanding of something others couldn't perceive.

She made no move to rush toward the disturbance like Aurelia had.

"..."

After a long moment, she returned her attention to the garden, her gentle smile directed toward the distant explosion as if offering a silent welcome.

***

Back at the explosion site...

The dust hung thick in the air, swirling with residual magical energy that made visibility nearly impossible.

Nero, who stood his ground, peered into the dust and little debris using his senses as he noticed a faint silhouette of a person within, radiating a terrifying aura.

As that same oppressive power had only intensified, pressing down on everything like a physical weight.

And then...

The dust began to settle.

And the image began to be clear.

At the center of the crater, a figure knelt.

One knee pressed against the scorched earth, head slightly bowed, and a wild crimson hair cascading around her like a curtain of crimson flame.

Crackling energy radiated from her body in visible waves, distorting the air itself.

The ground beneath her continued to fracture, spiderwebs of cracks spreading outward from the sheer intensity of her presence.

Her eyes were closed.

But the power...

The raw, untamed, chaotic power rolling off her in waves made even the air taste like iron and ash.

Slowly, deliberately, she began to rise.

Each movement carried weight, as if reality itself had to adjust to accommodate her existence.

Her muscular frame unfolded with predatory grace, standing at an imposing 6.5 feet.

A total giant that Nero had to tilt his head up a bit just to get a good view of her frame.

Long crimson hair whipped around her like a living flame along with the strong wind generated by her radiating power.

A massive dragon tail, easily as thick as a tree trunk, lightly swayed behind her with obvious power.

A worn metallic armor that covered just the essential and vital areas while showcasing battle-scarred skin marked with countless fights survived.

And then...

Her eyes opened.

Vertical slit pupils within ember irises locked onto Nero's direction with laser focus.

The intensity of that gaze carried physical weight, like being observed by an apex predator deciding whether you were prey or entertainment.

And then her lips curled upward.

A maniacal grin spread across her face, revealing razor-sharp teeth that gleamed in the crimson light of her aura.

"What a fresh meat."

Her voice was femininely deep and mature, carrying a sense of barely-restrained madness and excitement.

The crimson aura surrounding her body pulsed with such intensity that the air itself seemed to waver and distort.

Small rocks near her feet began to tremble slightly from the sheer pressure.

The pressure was immense, suffocating in ways that even facing Vex'ahlia from the past felt like a joke in front of her.

"..."

Nero felt sweat trickle down the back of his forehead despite his best efforts to maintain composure.

But he held his ground nor did he flinch.

He kept his expression neutral despite every instinct screaming to back away from this apex predator who seems ready to eat him alive if he makes any dumb movements.

'Are you sure she's really a blacksmith...?'

The question emerged as a wry internal mutter from Nero.

[Yes… She's the "strongest" blacksmith indeed, Master.]

'Strongest, huh.'

She just had to emphasize that.

And as if to confirm that,

[I… I forgot to tell you, Master. Amongst the SSR-tier premium roster, she's actually one of the closest candidates to becoming a UR-tier waifu…]

Aria's nervous voice confirmed what his instincts already knew.

And to continue,

[Originally, Valraeth is a warrior who seeks to reach the peak of power… and the reason she became a blacksmith in the first place is the fact that she seeks to enhance her strength by making the "perfect weapon" herself that could kill the strongest of the strongest…]

'...'

So, basically she's a megalomaniac who kills strong people and turns to making weapons in order to kill MORE stronger people…

Got it.

Yep, totally his type.

But still he had to wonder,

'Just how broke is she? Are you sure she's not a UR-tier by now?'

He just had to ask as he looked at the status screen of the newly summoned "SSR-TIER BLACKSMITH"...

===

Summon: Velraeth – "Blacksmith of Chaos" (SSR)

Race: True Dragon (Elder)

Class: Blacksmith

Type: Melee/Destroyer/AoE

Affection Gauge: 10%

STR: ✦✦✦✦✦

DEX: ✦✦✦✦

INT: ✦

VIT: ✦✦✦✦

CHA: ✦✦✦

– Notable Skills –

[Metal Creation (Grandmaster)]

[Igniting Rupture (Master)]

[Dragonic Transformation (Grandmaster)]

===

"..."

Five stars in Strength and four in both Dexterity and Vitality…

Along with that are her grandmaster skills "Metal Creation" and "Dragonic Transformation", and the "Igniting Rupture" that sounds a bit terrifying…

'Again… are you really sure she's an SSR-TIER BLACKSMITH?'

[...Y-Yes.]

He had just to ask twice just to be sure.

But it seems even Aria sounds unsure by the looks of it.

Because those stats looked less like a craftsperson and more like a raid boss designed to wipe an entire continent.

'I'm not summoning an end-game boss, am I?'

***

A/N: I'M FINALLY BACK! I'LL START UPLOADING 2 CHAPTERS A DAY IN NOV 11! Just give me more time to finalize more chapters! As an apology, I'll upload this in the same day! >~<

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.