Change of plans 10

"What! Is it true?" Jonathan asked in surprise

"Yes, your highness!" then he added

"Father the bullet is oversized, this the amount of time needed to gather metal element is the disadvantage of this weapon, that is the reason why I designed it to be two barreled." John honestly replied

Jonathan is thinking hard, and didn't speak

As Jonathan is deciding Mario took out a knife that is silver in color exactly 2 feet long like a tanto. He gave it to Diane and let her bind it.

Alfred then hid his excitement as he asked his grandson, "boy! How about grampa any suggestions on my weapon?"

"Gramps, I think you can have the same gun as father, and the other one like mine or mothers."

When Diane heard johns suggestion her eyebrows twitched, Alfred noticed it thus he asked

"Can I have both guns like this?" he asked pointing at the double barreled shotgun

"You could use it as well, but it's not practical in battle" he honestly replied

"Are you looking down on your grandfather?" Alfred harrumph

"Old friend, is not that our grandson is looking down on you, but with that gun design, the charging time is a lot longer in a life and death match it's not a practical disadvantage." Mario defended

Diane who has finished contracting her knife, he just silently listened to the men talk as she placed John on her lap and hugged him.

"Is there a way to fix this problem?"

"There is but the power will be greatly reduced" Mario replied

"I can redesign it" John said

He drew two new shotguns, one is with a pistol-handled single-barreled shotgun. There is a reloading port, with a forearm for cocking.

While the other is a double-barreled pistol-handled shotgun. The barrel hole of this is 2.5 inch in diameter, with almost the same feature, but smaller.

They all looked amazed at the designs, they were in awe of johns weapon design. "What is the estimated amount of time of power build up, with this new gun design?" Jonathan asked

"The first one is around 2 seconds for an average immortal, for mother around 0.5 seconds. The second one, around 5 seconds if we add enhancement runes; if all is focused on power, bullet speed, acceleration and spin, around 10 seconds. However if you could improve it to mothers level of metal element control, you could do it in a 2 seconds or even a second!" he honestly replied

Diane giggled as she heard john's analysis.

"Son can't you not be too honest at times, it kinda hurt our pride." Jonathan jokingly said, he knew that his sons analysis is spot on

"What is the most appropriate for the two of us?" asked Alfred

John thought for a while "I would suggest for Gramps to have the second one with focus on power, bullet speed, acceleration and spin. The reason? One it's more practical in battle, two the power of your weapon is stronger than father, since your natal weapon has been enhanced for a very long time."

"As for father, I would suggest the first design the double-barreled cannon shotguns, first it is still a newly contracted weapon, and he needs more time to enhance its power to the gloves level, thus the weakness can be compensated by the power of the attack. Creating 100 bullets a day and storing it on a storage ring is the best solution for now." he added

"Uhm, grandson, can I have a double-barreled cannon shotgun and a regular double-barreled shotgun for me?" Alfred wanted the big guns as well

"It's possible too, but the down side is the bullets, you may start training on reloading and start creating bullets in advance." John replied

If it were him, it won't be difficult for him, as he is very proficient with multi tasking, but for Alfred it would be somewhat difficult.

'Should i teach them the soul splitting method?' He thought

The discussion went on till the night and they left Mario and John, as he needed to complete his ore refining.

Mario meditated and readied himself for Diane's gun remodeling the following day. John focused on hammering, two hands each holding a hammer, repeatedly beating the metal.

Bang bang bang bang!

The sound of metal hitting metal, the heat of the furnace, John found it hard to hammer now that he has added 3 more sets of shackles, but he is not disappointed but happy, it only means he still has more room for improvement.

He lost track of time as he happily hammers the metal, Mario noticed John's state and just shook his head as he gave John the ore to refine, he is in a state of reverie. The speed of his hammering got faster and faster and he instinctively adjusted the flames and hammer weight depending of the amount of impurities on the metal. He was like communicating with the metal, it's guiding him as he hammers off it's impurities.

"Just how easy is it for this grandson of mine to have enlightenment?" he softly sighed

When John's parents arrived with Alfred, they only heard the sound of a hammer. As they entered the workshop, they saw John hammering with a crazy look on his face as the dragon-like lightning image appears on every stroke of his hammer, Alfred is shocked. Mario is also shocked when he first saw it but doesn't know whom to ask about this abnormality.

Just in time Jonathan and Diane came, he asked about the lightning, the couple can't hide it anymore as John's secret has already been exposed. Mario is John's master so they knew he is trustworthy, the other is his blood-related grandfather, so there is no doubt in Alfred's loyalty.

They explained the whole story to them, and told them everything they knew about John's secret. The two old men's mind went numb, 'just how many more secrets does this grandson of mine have?' they both thought

Mario then said "John has already surpassed my hammering technique. What he lacks is the experience in smithing, refining materials and rune making."

But there was no jealousy in his words, only pure praise and recognition. At midnight, they noticed that the dragon-like image has become corporeal, with each strike, the refinement has been faster and purer than before. Mario has no more raw iron ore, he is now recycling the old ores that john has refined, and was shocked to learn that the iron still has room for further refinement.

The next day john stopped hammering as he fainted from overexhaustion of strength, mana and soul force. When he woke up, everyone is smiling gently at him, he didnt know what actually happened but he knew that he had gained a new understanding of the ten thousand hammering technique.

Mario then said, "i was planning to gift this to you after you mastered your hammering technique and grow stronger enough to let it accept you as its master. But who would have guessed that you would surpass me in just a few months being my disciple? With your current strength i know you could tame it"

He took out a black flame from his soul sea, and held it in his hands. Then he said "when i was younger few decades ago i chance upon this heavenly flame, its called hell flame, its one of the best heavenly flames even at the god realm."

"I wanted it to be my present for my disciple, but it took me years before i found you. Good thing i waited or else this would have been wasted if i have been in a rush to accept a disciple before." He added with a proud look on his face

He let the flame enter John's soul sea. The hell flame initially wanted to wreak havoc but when it noticed the six soul clones, the flame shivered in fright and obediently stayed put on John's soul sea.

John stretched out his hand and a black flame emerged. Then the flame spread throughout his body, it burnt all of his clothes but his skin is not scalded at all. He focused on his cells, he constantly refined his cells with the flame and slowly incorporated it, the endoplasmic reticulum of his cells absorbed the flames and refined itself again and again, destroying and rebuilding the organelle. He applied the same method as that of the tribulation lightning on his mitochondria, and finally reach the same level of power and evolution as his mitochondria. Inside the cells nucleus three elements are equally blending, constantly attracting the three elements from the surrounding.

The hell flame got smaller but his body is like that of an inborn flame constitution. But he has three elements in perfect fusion on his body.

When he ended his meditation, the four, have unbelievable expressions on their face. 'Too much abnormality!'

John bowed deeply "grandfather, I can never repay this generosity In my lifetime. His hic hic... But I will be the very best blacksmith there is! Everyone under heavens would know my name! His hic hic... I will make you proud by letting them know who's disciple I am!"

Just as he ended his oath, the heavens is brewing a lightning tribulation, all of them knew about John's secret during tribulations, thus, they were excited and willingly joined in. The more powerful the ones interfering with the tribulation the stronger is it's attack, now John is accompanied by 4 immortals.

'God how strong will the lightning be' he wondered

Nine multicolored tribulation lightning fell from the sky, John absorbed 60% of the lightning power, while each are absorbing ten percent of it. Diane and Jonathan guided Mario and Alfred as the had many experience with this king of tampering with John.

John focused on absorbing more lightning but his mitochondria has now reached the very limits of its evolution, and he still has more lightning on his body, this he thought of a crazy idea, he fused the lightning to his hell flame, the flame excitedly swallowed the tribulation lightning. After consuming everything the flame burst out with lightning sparks, the hell flame evolved into a lightning flame. It's the same hell flame, but with lightning sparks twirling around it.

When they woke up, Mario and Alfred went straight to the bathroom and showered. They were like mud men as filth covered their whole body.

The couple left as well as they washed away the filth from their bodies. When they got back, the old men looks like they are on their early thirties but with white hair. Both are smiling wildly, their injuries got cured and their BGBTA shot up to high gold level. How can they not feel happy?

Just as John opened his eyes he jumped up to his parents and hugged them.

"Father, mother I'm now an orange-gold level too." he excitedly said

His parent hugged him tightly as they laughed hard. This boy has given them many surprises they are now numb to them.

Then John looked at the two old men and said to them, "two grandpas you look more dashing than before!"

Then he jumped from his parent's embrace and hugged the two old men.

"Now even if the wind empire strikes us, they will be in for a good fight, hahaha..." Mario said

"Hmf... If they ever come, I will let them taste my wrath!" said Alfred

"Ok now father, enough with your bragging," Diane said, but deep down she felt very happy for her old man, she just felt sad that her mother is not there.

"Grampa Mario, can I have 2 more set of shackles?" John said, Mario and the rest are used to this thus they are not surprised, he tossed two sets of shackles and John wear it.

Jonathan, called all the immortals and saints, "everyone, today is a day of celebration, " he called Alfred and Mario, "two of our strongest warriors broke through their BGBTA and has regained their lost vitality!"

Mario and Alfred walked upfront with heads held high and chest out, all went wild as they crazily cheered. The old immortals who have been doing their best with their BGBTA felt even motivated. They noticed Mario and Alfred's injuries are all healed, and their body's strength is now way above them. They could feel the invisible repression from their bodies.

Then Jonathan raised his hand, signaling them to be silent. "Everyone i need you all to make an oath of secrecy!"

No one complained as they followed their kings order. "Our very own godly blacksmith grampa Mario, has found a new way to make this guns a natal weapon."

There was now clamor, what did this mean, it only means that if they ever have these guns as a natal weapon it would grow stronger in time.

Mario the spoke "i ask all my fellow blacksmiths to spend a little bit of your time to learn the method. this is a new era for us blacksmiths, a brand-new beginning for another golden age for us and the whole race."

The blacksmiths were all happy, they are jumping in joy as some of them are crying as they felt glad to be part of this new age.