Lady Rosalina's face got a little pale. "You know that's classified information..."

"Hah! Classified, you say?" Agatha laughed, but it sounded bitter. "A useful word for lying to the people you're supposed to keep safe."

"You lie about the peace you celebrate and the security you promise. The worst part is keeping the truth about how dangerous this world really is a secret."

"That's enough!" King Anthony got up from his throne. "Your contract with the crown is now over!"

"Guards, take this woman out of the palace."

"There it is... panic. I see it in your eyes..." Agatha said with a simple "But... no... I don't think so."

Greg saw right away that her hand was moving in a pattern. The gesture, the flow of energy, and the way space seemed to bend around her fingers. It was impossible to accept the truth, but there was no doubt about it.

Greg whispered, "What the fuck...? That's an Instant Forge," in horror.

"I knew you would know this skill, Greg Greyson," Agatha said, and her hands moved faster. "You're not the only one who can use it because I have mastered all the skills in blacksmithing!"

"I have to say, though, that I've had a lot longer to learn mine... so that I can PERFECT it like this!"

Energy burst out of her hands, and all of a sudden, the sound of metal and magic crashing together filled the air. Three things came out of her coat and floated in the air between her outstretched hands.

The Voidsilver ore glows with purple silver light. A piece of Chaosweave Alloy, which makes things look different. And Greg discovered a third ore, which he was previously unaware of, that emitted a frightening red flame.

Hilda said, "There's... no way... Calaminite..."

"She has Calaminite...! That's one of the three ores that are not allowed to be forged together because it feeds on bad intentions!"

"Three of the most dangerous ores in the world," Agatha said, her voice getting louder. "Along with a skill you've never seen before! I call it..."

"...Forging Incarnation!"

The three ores started to spin faster and faster, coming together and breaking apart in ways that seemed impossible to happen at once. There were magic circles around them, with runes of binding, summoning, and creation all overlapping. The temperature in the room changed a lot, going from freezing cold to scorching in a matter of seconds.

"Your Majesty, run!" Lady Rosalina took a ceremonial sword from a display nearby and stood between the king and Agatha.

But it was too late.

There was a loud noise like thunder when the three ores hit each other. After the explosion of light and energy, something started to take shape.

At first, it looked like a humanoid kind of monster and was about eight feet tall, but its body was made entirely of flowing metal. Weapons stuck out of it at odd angles with swords, spears, axes, and other weapons that were absorbed into its mass and became part of its structure.

Agatha stepped back to admire her work and said, "I call it the Calamity of Weapons."

"It hunts for weapons, eats them, and gets stronger with each one it eats. Every sword in this palace will be a part of it."

"And of course... every weapon of war will help it grow to become even stronger!"

The creature's head turned, and instead of eyes, there were purple, silver, and red whirlpools. It opened what could have been a mouth and screamed. The sound was a mix of metal scraping, human pain, and something from another world.

Weapons in the throne room started to shake right away. The ceremonial swords on the walls broke free from their mounts and flew toward the creature.

Even though the guards tried to hold on, their weapons were ripped from their hands. The decorative armor stands fell over too, and all the metal was drawn toward the Calamity.

Greg felt his belt getting lighter and looked down in horror to see that his hammer was slipping out of its loop. He tried to grab it, but the pull was too strong. The hammer flew out of his hand and into the creature's body, where it disappeared in the mass.

"Fuck...!" Greg yelled, but there was nothing he could do.

The Calamity got bigger with each weapon it ate, growing from ten to twelve feet tall. It became more defined, more solid, and more dangerous. Weapons came together and changed shape on its surface, making armor plating, weapons it could use, and a body made just for destruction.

Agatha pointed at the gathered nobles and said, "Kill them all."

"Show them what happens when you hide the truth."

"Show them the violence they say doesn't happen."

The Calamity moved rapidly for something that big. It ran straight at the group of nobles, who screamed and ran away in all directions.

Lady Rosalina stopped it with her ceremonial sword, but the blade was absorbed when it hit its chest. She had to throw herself back to get away from being grabbed.

"Get out of the throne room!" she yelled. "Everyone out, now!"

There was a lot of chaos. In their panic, the nobles ran toward every exit, pushing and shoving each other.

The Royal Knights attempted to form defensive lines, only to have their weapons ripped from their grasp before they could even swing them. The Calamity broke through a marble column, which caused part of the ceiling to fall.

"Master Greg, we have to go!" Lylia took hold of his arm and pulled him toward the main doors.

"But the people..." Greg was horrified to see the Calamity grab a noble who was trying to get away and lift them up without any trouble, even though they were screaming.

"We can't help them if we're dead!" Hilda pushed him from behind. "Let's move now!"

Elwen was already running, and Hammy was holding on to her head and chirping in fear. They joined the crowd of people rushing through the doors, with the sound of destruction behind them.

Another crash, this time louder, and part of the palace wall blew out. The Calamity was getting bigger and stronger by the second, eating more weapons.

Greg turned around as they reached the hallway and saw the throne room falling apart. Flames started to spread where the chandeliers had fallen, and stone and wood were falling.

Lady Rosalina and a few Royal Knights were guarding King Anthony, but even they were troubled by the Calamity's power. In the middle of all the destruction, Agatha stood still and watched her creation cause chaos.

She smiled when she saw Greg. "Are you satisfied seeing all of this, Greg Greyson? Weapons are all useless now..."

They ran out into the night air, joining the nobles and palace staff who were also running away into the festival streets. The east wing of the palace was falling down behind them, and the Calamity was visible through the cracks in the walls. It was now at least twenty feet tall and still growing.

"What should we do?" Elwen asked, her voice shaking. "It has Master Greg's hammer."

"It's taking in every weapon in the city. How can we stop that from happening?!"

Greg looked at the damage, and his mind raced. That thing had taken his hammer away.

Any weapon that got close to it would only strengthen it. And Agatha had the same Instant Forging skill as he did, which meant she could make more monsters if she wanted to.

"I don't know," he said, and the words tasted like ash in his mouth. "We need to figure it out quickly, though, because if that thing gets to the festival grounds where thousands of people are sleeping, the death toll will be terrible."

The Calamity roared again, and more of the palace fell down. Bells started ringing in alarm somewhere in the city. Greg had no idea how to stop the festival of peace and creation from turning into a war zone.

"What the fuck just happened...? Everything went by so fast that I can't even think properly this time...!"

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