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Inside the Dakea Stronghold…

Xonnomor wiped the sweat off his forehead as he looked at the collection of useless weapons that failed the forging process. Although he succeeded in making Gram on his first try using the mold, that didn\'t mean his success rate was a hundred percent.

Even with Saehtyn\'s extremely powerful Hellfire assisting in the melting process, when it came time to etching the engravings and hammering out the impurities even further, there was a high chance of failure.

Fortunately, not only was there a lot of material to work with, each of Xonnomor\'s failed attempts at making a new weapon deepened his knowledge of the craft. Continually, Xonnomor worked towards grasping the timing to finish the engravings and saturate them with Ira.

However, the arduous forging process caused Xonnomor to experience severe fatigue. 

Thankfully, Xonnomor\'s actions were not without benefits of their own. Besides deepening his understanding of the forging craft, Xonnomor also refined his Ira in the process since the material\'s engraving required a certain threshold.

"You should take another break because the amount of successive failures has increased. It\'s an indication of your exhaustion," Saehtyn remarked as he noticed Xonnomor\'s listless expression.

Evidently, the allure of his craft drove him to pursue it passionately. But, it was no use if most of his recent creations were all deemed failures.

"True," Xonnomor nodded as he slowly placed the large forge hammer on the giant anvil before him. Afterward, he turned towards Xorgrah, who currently wore a peculiar expression. It was unknown if the forging was on his mind or something else entirely.

But, it wasn\'t long after Xonnomor had put down when Xorgrah looked towards him, then the neat row of successful weapons. Most of them were on par with Saehtyn\'s axe but just shy of reaching Gram\'s quality.

Regardless, they were all genuine incomplete armaments. These three demons just didn\'t know about this weapon ranking. After all, it was a weapon beyond the typical artifacts found in circulation in this current era.

Even the weapons found inside the ruins were without background information. So, they were only aware that these weapons were astonishingly powerful and could bolster a demon\'s power to new heights.

In ancient times, incomplete armaments were the weapons of noble demons. Those who were strong but far from being strong enough to give a weapon a genuine soul. Thus, incomplete armaments were also known as Noble Artifacts.

Likewise, the complete armaments were something restricted to Daemos. In other words, they were Daemos items. Only under certain rare circumstances could weaker demons wield an object of that caliber. However, that situation was almost unheard of.

In fact, the number didn\'t surpass three.

Meanwhile, Saehtyn continued to gaze silently between Xonnomor and Xorgrah. From Xorgrah\'s expression, Saehtyn couldn\'t tell if he was pleased or displeased. After all, Xorgrah\'s general disposition was stoic. Revealing any emotion outside of his usual serious expression was almost impossible.

Of course, Xonnomor was unable to bear the tension building up in the room. Therefore, he asked the question on his mind. "Are these numbers to your liking?"

Surprisingly, the answer wholly contrasted with Xorgrah\'s current deadpan expression. 

"Thoroughly satisfied," Xorgrah nodded before glancing at the organized rows of settling weapons. "Your success rate is above forty percent. So, there\'s a chance that every four out of ten attempts yield a successful product."

"Good," Xonnomor answered with a faint smile.

However, it seemed Xorgrah wasn\'t done as he continued with a pensive look, "However, we can improve beyond this. As Saehtyn stated earlier, you\'re exhausting yourself and thus making unwarranted mistakes. You should take even more frequent breaks and even work on your Ira Reserves during that time."

Xonnomor took this advice seriously. After all, besides him, his father also spectated the forging of his grandfather. So, he was familiar with the steps but unfamiliar with the application of the technique.

It was similar to a scientist concocting a theory but requiring another party to carry out the process because of their incapabilities.

"I understand. I\'ve noticed my mistakes as well and will work towards improving them," Xonnomor replied with a respectful expression. 

He didn\'t forget to absorb some of the Fragment of Sin delivered by Apollo in his free time. Not only were they compatible with his current actions, but every time he emptied his reserves and used the fragments to refill them, it experienced marginal yet impressive growth.

Because, the current rate of growth was roughly one-tenth of how fast Xonnomor was recovering his Sin Purity and volume. Therefore, it was only a matter of time until he recovered to his peak state.

At that time, he would once again be helpful to Apollo for more than just forging.

Everyone in the household should be capable of defending themselves, or else they didn\'t deserve the right to be a member of that household. Only the strongest deserved to fall under the direct banner of the Dominus Household.

In addition to taking this time to heal up as much as possible, Xonnomor also used this opportunity to address his father\'s previous statement.

"Father," Xonnomor said, causing his father to turn towards him with a slightly intrigued expression.

"Hm?" 

"Well, you see. About that comment from before, you want me to prepare a team to enter the ruins, correct?" 

Xorgrah nodded in return. "That\'s correct. I\'d like you to form a team and send them into the ruins as soon as possible."

"It… might not be possible at all," Xonnomor admitted with a bitter smile. Part of the reason behind his smile was the state of the Dakea Stronghold. Not only was it damaged from the fight with Apollo, but the leaders were in a very peculiar situation.

"Why is that so?" Xorgrah questioned with a deepening frown. 

Initially, Xonnomor thought of revealing part of the truth, but instead, he opted for another route. After all, the Council possessed a rather extensive collection of knowledge surrounding the ruins.

"Well, didn\'t you say that this particular ruin should be more valuable than the rest? And, it would require a team outfitted with Archdemons at the very least?"

"Correct," Xorgrah nodded. But, he continued. "However, I fail to see the issue in your statement. We\'ve personally seen to it that this stronghold has at least you and another Archdemon to hold down the fort. Assign them."

Xonnomor\'s expression changed as soon as he heard this statement. With this comment, he was forced to reveal more about the current situation, albeit not entirely.

"We… can\'t muster those forces at the very moment. Arleo suffered a grave injury in the last excavation. Even more severe than we thought. So… he\'s devolved back into a Greater Demon," Xonnomor stated with an awkward expression.

Just as he expected, Xorgrah\'s eyes narrowed, and a dreadful pressure seeped from his body. 

"And you think this is the type of news you withhold from the superiors?! If you\'d told us sooner, I could have made preparations before the disconnection from the Rings started!" Xorgrah barked.

While Xonnomor expected this type of reprimanding, the situation was out of his hands. He would much rather receive this severe scalding than sell out the presence of Apollo. If he did, Xorgrah would undoubtedly summon forces from the other hidden assets.

Eventually, Xorgrah clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Then just add Gallmath to the team and assemble the strongest underlings you possess."

Again, Xonnomor revealed a conflicted expression.

"Gallmath… isn\'t as strong as you think anymore. He, too, suffered a serious wound in that ruin. He\'s been nursing his state ever since. At best, he\'s mostly on par with me."

Xorgrah trembled imperceptibly as a thick, throbbing vein appeared on his forehead in response to this answer. Though he seemed like he wanted to explode, Xorgrah did his best to keep it in.

Soon enough, he exhaled. 

"Son… Son, why do you disappoint me so? Do you truly have shit for brains? We are in a bind, yet you pull the rope even tighter?!" Xorgrah said with a slight groan. 

"My apologies. I have truly made a bad move," Xonnomor answered while lowering his head. However, there was a look of relief on his face as he placed his hand on his chest. "Shall we push back the ruins excavation date until this batch of weapons is complete? I\'ll be happy to go afterward."

Instead of replying, Xorgrah just sighed while turning towards Saehtyn.. Apparently, he had another plan in mind.