He didn't have any supplies and didn't have a forge. He had nothing but the Thoughtforged Hammer, the trash that was all around them, and a strong belief that he could make this work.

The Mental Forging skill let him use his mind to pull metal pieces toward him with telekinesis. He shaped the flying metal pieces and combined them with pure willpower.

The first thing took shape in twelve seconds. Greg didn't consciously design a shield the size of a tower, but his subconscious knew it would work.

And of course the quality is SSS rank. He threw it at Tunner, who caught it with a surprised shout and started using it to protect the injured right away.

Eighteen seconds. A bow that shot arrows made of compressed light. SSS level. It flew to Elwen, who shot an arrow without asking how or why.

Twenty-three seconds. Gauntlets that made physical attacks ten times stronger. Rank: SSS. Marina caught them and put them on right away. Her eyes grew wide as she felt the power.

Twenty-eight seconds. She saw a set of throwing knives that grew larger upon impact. SSS level. Felix yelled with joy as he grabbed them.

Thirty seconds. A—

The wall blew up from the inside. A smaller Calamity had found them.

Its giant shape blocked the entrance to the warehouse, and weapons stuck out from every surface. Greg threw himself back as a number of missiles flew through the space he had just been in.

"RUN!" Rosalina ordered, and the Brotherhood obeyed right away, diving in different directions as the Calamity attacked.

Greg sprinted away, gripping the Thoughtforged Hammer tightly in one hand. Behind him, the sounds of his friends battling the Calamity echoed in the air, punctuated by the distinct noises of SSS-rank items being deployed in their desperate struggle. But he couldn't turn back to help them.

Not yet. He needed something more—something that could truly inflict damage on these monstrous creatures.

He ducked into an alley, leaned against a wall, and began to work on his craft again. He envisioned a spear that could penetrate any defense.

A hammer capable of shattering magical walls. Gloves that would allow him to manipulate the direction of gravity. Each of these items was classified as SSS rank. None of them were achievable.

Yet he made each one feel real through sheer belief. But that alone wasn't enough.

The second Calamity found him at the end of the alley, resembling a nightmare brought to life. Greg hurled his creations at it, observing as they struck and shattered objects around them, yet the construct managed to stagger under the assault.

But it didn't collapse. Not broken. Just absorbed the hits and kept advancing.

"Not good," Greg said quietly as he backed away. "Not good, not good, not—"

The third Calamity fell from the sky and landed between him and the door. Greg was stuck, with two apocalyptic structures closing in from both sides. He had no time and no ideas left.

Then Agatha's form, the main Calamity, came down from the sky and hovered over the alley. All three constructs stopped moving forward, making a triangle around Greg that he couldn't get out of.

"Impressive," Agatha's voice came from all three forms at once. "You changed quickly."

"I learned how to use the Thoughtforged technique in less than a minute and made six SSS-rank items on the spot. In other situations, I'd be proud to call you a peer."

"I'm nothing like you," Greg said, trying to buy time for his frazzled mind to come up with a plan.

"You're just like me," Agatha said in response. "We're both craftsmen who can see what's wrong with the world."

"We both want to make them better. The only thing that sets me apart is that I'm honest about what needs to be done to fix it."

One of the smaller Calamities lunged forward with a blade-like appendage, moving faster than Greg could react. He instinctively raised the Thoughtforged Hammer, but the strike shattered it.

The famous tool, one of only two remaining in the world, shattered into fragments that transformed into tiny lights. Greg was taken aback to find his hand empty. Without the hammer, he couldn't utilize the Mental Forging skill, nor could he create anything else or defend himself.

"Now you get it," Agatha said in a soft voice. "You see how weak you really are."

The three Calamities advanced in unison, weapons poised, ready to deliver the final blow. Greg squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to witness the impending doom.

He thought of Marina, Lylia, and all the other people he had let down. He had worked so hard to improve things and show that peace was possible, but he had failed.

He braced himself for the blow, wishing for the impact to dull the anguish he felt. He awaited the end.

It didn't come. Greg opened his eyes and saw a flash of silver.

Hilda stood between him and the Calamities, her arms outstretched and her body glowing with the silver markings that had taken over. The knife intended for Greg instead stabbed Hilda, piercing through her chest and emerging from her back in a spray of blood that was not entirely red. Silver and red light mixed to make something that looked like liquid starlight.

"No," Greg cried, his voice trembling with despair. "No, no, no, Hilda, NO!"

The Calamities stepped back, sheathing their weapons. Hilda collapsed forward, and Greg caught her before she could hit the ground.

She felt almost weightless, as if the transformation had made her something less than human yet more than a person—a blend of both.

Hilda said, "Told you... I could still... fight," and blood bubbled from her lips when she tried to smile.

The hole in her chest was enormous and fatal, with silver markings radiating from it like fractures in glass. "Being part Calamity... gives you... good reflexes," it turns out.

"No...! Please...! Don't talk...!" Greg begged as he gently lowered her to the ground.

He pressed his hands against the wound, but it didn't do any good. Blood mixed with silver light seeped through his fingers.

"Please don't say anything! We'll help you!"

"We'll look for a healer! I promise... you're going to be fine."

"Liar," Hilda said, and this time she really meant it. "What a... bad... liar..."

"That's what I've always liked about you. You lie to make people feel better."

Greg's eyes were watery as tears streamed down his face. "I'm sorry..."

"I'm truly sorry. I caused this. I should have kept you safe. I should have—"

"Stop," Hilda said, her voice growing weaker. "It's not your fault."

"It's my choice... I chose to help and to be part of something bigger than myself..."

Her hand, which was covered in silver markings and blood, reached up to touch Greg's face. The gesture was soft, like a mother's. "Thanks for believing that I could be more than what happened to me."

"Thank you for letting me be a part of your family."

Greg cried, "You'll always be family...! I promise!"

"Good," Hilda said.

The light in her eyes was fading, and they were losing focus. "That's all I wanted to hear."

The silver markings lit up one last time, so bright that Greg had to squint to see them. Hilda was still when it went away.

Her chest no longer rose and fell with labored breaths. Her hand slipped from Greg's face. Her eyes were vacant. She was gone.

Greg was on his knees in the blood and silver light, holding Hilda's body and screaming. It was a sound of pure pain, a mix of anger, sadness, and hopelessness. The scream of someone who had worked so hard to keep everyone safe and had failed in the worst way possible.

The three Calamities above him watched in silence, and Agatha's voice was almost soft when she spoke. "Now you know how much your philosophy will cost."

"You can see what happens when you try to make peace in a world that wants blood."

"Blacksmith, she died for your ideals. How many more will come?"

Greg remained silent, unable to respond. He held Hilda's cold body, wishing with all his heart that he could switch places with her.

He wished that his life could end instead of hers. The city continued to burn around them, and the end of the world waited patiently for him to make his next move.

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