DanMachi: The Final Showdown

Chapter 3: Banken

[Three Days Later]

Welf POV

It's been days since I started forging a new knife for Bell. I had already finished the new armor and repaired the weapons, but I wanted to make sure that this was perfect. A powerful blade, one that could cut through anything and that would never break. I hammered over, and over, and over. I sacrificed meals to get this done. I didn't want to even leave the forge. 

"But still, Orichalcum-Adamantite Alloy and Udaeus Sword... no wonder it's so tough to handle!"

I could feel it. It was my instinct as a blacksmith. It was almost done. I submerged the blade in a clear, yellowish oil, cooled it, then put it back into the forge, heating it to a lower temperature, before taking it out and submerging it in the oil once more. The Knife was complete. I wiped the oil off with a cloth and set the blade down on the anvil. I added some black strips of cloth around the grip to make it easier to hold onto and stood proud.

"It's done. My greatest creation. Durandal. A knife that cannot break."

It wasn't a particularly magnificent blade. It was a black blade, much like the Hestia Knife. About 40 celch in length, slightly longer than the Hakugen. There were dark silver etchings of Mythril on the side, which granted it the same mana conductivity that Bell's current knife had. I sheathed it and waited in anticipation to give it to Bell. 

"A knife forged from the finest materials. Still, it's a bit of a shame. If I were a better blacksmith... No, I shouldn't think like that. I should think of a name for this thing... how about Banken, since it's a dark blade? Yup, I like it!"

I walked outside and saw Mikoto.

"Oh! Have you finished the knife?"

"Yeah. Do you know where Bell is?"

"He's training with Aisha and Lyu, I think it's somewhere on the wall near the South Gate. He said that it reminded him of something, and he wanted to get adjusted to his Level 6 Status before entering the dungeon. Though, from the brief bit I saw, Aisha and Lyu have their work cut out for them if they want to even land a hit on him."

"Thanks a lot!"

I took off from our mansion, heading toward the south gate as fast as I could. As I approached, I heard the sound of metal clashing with metal and the dull impacts that followed, probably from a kick or a punch.

"Bell!"

He turned to face me, still blocking Lyu's agile strike with the pommel of his knife.

"Welf! This new armor is great!"

He had the newest version of my light armor on, as well as a fitted set of clothing made from the Goliath Cloaks since there was some left over. He also had the Goliath Scarf around his neck, refusing to part with it after all it's done for him.

"Here! It's your new knife. I call it the Banken!"

I threw it at him with all my might, and he caught it. Placing it where he used to have the Hakugen, he unsheathed the blade.

"It's perfect, Welf!"

"Damn straight! Anything made by me is nothing less than perfect!"

Bell sheathed the Hestia Knife and proceeded with the match between him and the two level fours using the new blade. Blocking the sharp strike from Antianeira with the blade, then swiveling to kick away Lyu. The two of them looked battered, while Bell seemed to only have a small cut on his face.

"I think we should call it at that, Lion. We're not getting anywhere close anymore."

"Indeed. I'm ashamed to admit that even with two people, we can't do much more than a single cut, and that's without your magic."