Strongest Demigod System

Azrael and Cleopatra headed out after saying their goodbyes, and Azrael asked Cleopatra why she didn't wait.

"What do you want to do?"

Cleopatra smiled at him again without responding.

Azrael just raised a brow at her in curiosity as she started to lead him through the crowds of demigods and toward another part of the large alley.

This time, they headed toward a two-story building that had been crafted using stone. The building itself had the same Victorian-era style as the other buildings around it, but it had a much sturdier and robust build compared to all the other buildings.

Almost like it had been specifically created so that it could withstand serious damage.

And once Azrael stepped into the building, he understood why it had been created that way.

Rumble~!

Clang!

Rumble~!

Clang!

Rumble~!

Clang!

The ground was shaking under his feet.

Azrael was stunned when he felt this sensation. He took a single step back outside, and he was surprised when he didn't feel any of the tremors from the house.

Stepping back inside, the tremors resumed once more, and Azrael just guessed that they were using some sort of technique to keep all the tremors within the building from getting out.

The area they wandered into was a long hallway with larger rooms on either side of it. Inside those rooms, there were various men and women wearing light clothing and hammering away at metal with huge hammers.

Cleopatra spoke up when she noticed Azrael staring at the working men and women.

"This is the House of Hephaestus. All the demigods here have God Aspects and blessings that help them create and repair precious metals. And since it isn't very useful in combat, the Auric Traders decided to create this workspace and put them to work here."

Cleopatra waved to some of the workers who recognized her, and Azrael watched as one of the workers lifted a piece of metal. The metal suddenly turned red hot in his hand, like it had just been passed through the hottest of flames, and the man wasn't even bothered by the sudden heat.

He took the metal in both hands and bent it into a new shape easily, and then he put it down on an anvil and began to hammer away at it anew.

Azrael couldn't help but wonder what sort of God Aspect would allow a man to do such a thing.

Even with how much stronger his body was compared to regular humans, Azrael knew that if he tried to touch that metal, he would lose his arms without question.

Cleopatra went up a flight of stairs that led to the upper floors, and as Azrael followed her, he could feel the tremors from the workshop below becoming less intense until it was completely gone once he stepped onto the upper floor.

"What the hell are they using to do this?"

Cleopatra heard what Azrael muttered, and she answered him with a small shrug.

"I asked the same thing when I came here for the first time. Apparently, it's because of the material they used in crafting the door. It's Silent Vine wood that can absorb all forms of vibration, so it stops it from getting into the other rooms and outside."

Azrael looked down at the wood at the entrance and he could see that it was crafted from some black, strange-looking wood that he had never seen before.

Azrael decided that he shouldn't be bothered by this since there were far weirder things happening around him, and he just followed Cleopatra once more as she headed to a counter.

At the counter stood a sturdy man with a rough beard on his face. He wore a dress shirt and a tie, but the shirt had its sleeves rolled up to reveal many tattoos along his hands.

There were scars marring the skin, and on his face, there was a single scar running from the back of his head down to his chin.

It was obvious that he had lived a very rough life.

"Old man Jay. Is it ready yet?"

Cleopatra spoke to the man behind the counter with an ease born from familiarity, and the man looked up at her from above his rectangular glasses before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Miss Cleo, I didn't think I would see you till next week Monday."

Cleopatra shrugged.

"You know how I am about my weapon. And besides, I'm trying to keep your senses sharp by changing up the schedule without you knowing. You're probably losing your wit in your old age."

Jay laughed at her words before his sharp eyes trailed toward Azrael and pinned him in place.

…Killer.

Azrael didn't know what it was that made him have this thought.

But once Azrael saw those eyes, he recognized them immediately.

These were the eyes of a man who had taken life before.

A man who has watched the Immortal Soul bleed out of another human.

It was a gaze that Azrael had seen many times.

The same eyes stared back at him through the mirror every morning.

There was a tense moment between the two men during which they both simply stared at each other, and Azrael wondered what could possibly be passing through Jay's mind.

Did Jay recognize the look in his eyes as well?

Did Azrael's entire cover just get blown by one errant glance?

But then, before Azrael could feel any more tense, Jay smiled at him.

"Didn't know you had any friends, Miss Cleo."

Cleopatra frowned at his jab while folding her hands.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Jay just laughed and stood while taking off his glasses.

"Nothing, miss. I was just making an observation."

Cleopatra was obviously not seeing the humor in what Jay said, and Jay left for the back room without bothering to make another dry joke.

Cleo turned to Azrael.

"He's a legend among the demigods. They call him the right hand of Vulcan. Most of the weapons used by S Ranks and higher were crafted by him."

"What sort of God Aspect does he have?"

Azrael asked this while staring at the exit Jay just passed through, and Cleopatra thought about it for a second before answering.

"It's called [Metallurgy], I think. It's supposed to allow him to merge metals and shape them in any way he wants to create stronger materials. His knowledge of metals and how to forge them is unparalleled."

Azrael hummed. It was an impressive God Aspect, and if not for the fact that Azrael knew that he would die if he tried, he would have thought of taking it away from the man.

Azrael was too weak to fight against someone like this for now.

A few moments later, Jay lumbered out from the inner room with a long bag in his hand. The bag was the same one that Azrael always saw Cleopatra carrying around the gym, and as Jay dropped it on the floor, a hairline fracture traveled across the ground, showing just how heavy the material was.

"Here you go, miss. Your new and improved weapon. Give it a try."

Jay took a step away and Cleopatra headed for the bag. She slowly opened the zipper and revealed the weapon inside.