Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out? Chapter 1982: Sapphire’s Divine Evolution

After a few minutes of grappling with my own blade, which had grown possessively codependent—embracing and kissing me as if I were a helpless infant—I finally managed to pull away.

While Scarlet engaged my spirits in lighthearted banter, moving with the grace of high nobility and flanked by her spirit knights, I shifted my focus to the refinement of Sapphire.

Once all necessary reagents were prepped, the immense cauldron began to simmer. Just as before, I projected my inner Soul Cauldron, or at least, the fledgling version I had managed to awaken. Violet, being a creature of artifice rather than a genuine Soul Treasure, could not function as a true conduit, but that proved to be a negligible hurdle.

My Forging and Alchemical Domain, anchored by the Alchemical Forge Master Subclass, expanded over the Soul Cauldron to erect a formidable alchemical formation. With the synergy of my myriad Alchemy Runes and an extensive inventory of rare resources, the results were every bit as potent as my previous endeavors with Scarlet.

Enhancing Sapphire proved more straightforward. I didn’t concern myself with her edge; my sole priority was turning her into an indestructible bulwark.

Thus...

I submerged her repeatedly into the roiling alchemical solution. She drank in the essence, vibrating with a brilliant red hue. With every rhythmic, calculated strike of my hammer, I tempered and folded her metal.

I pulled her out, dipped her back into the solution, and repeated the cycle while constantly cycling in fresh, exotic materials.

Before long, she shimmered with a blinding golden luster. A web of complicated magical and spiritual circuits spanned her surface, weaving together into something far more significant...

I recognized the pattern from my past experiences. Was this the secret to breathing Divinity into an artifact? By synchronizing these circuits into an transcendent form!

It appeared there was a method—a complex, near-impossible science—to this process. Had I not possessed my unique combination of skills and abilities, this feat would be entirely out of reach for any other crafter...

Perhaps with the exception of Ruby. Should she continue her rapid growth, there might come a day when she eclipses Master Felicia in the realms of smithing, forging, and every related craft.

Perhaps she would one day be able to forge divine-grade weapons with little more than a thought.

But for the present...

Repeating the motion tirelessly, I aligned the circuits with a level of precision that surpassed my previous attempts. I fed her soul orbs, spirit orbs, minor spiritual hearts, divine materials, peerless metals, and remains of pseudo-divine beasts.

The carcasses of dungeon creatures were cast into the flames as well, alongside frigid, diamond-hard shards salvaged from the giant dryad.

Every ounce of my mana and spiritual energy poured into this second creation, mirroring the labor I had invested in Scarlet. Sweat drenched my brow, and exhaustion gnawed at me, yet I refused to cede control.

She yearned to ascend as a divine shield, didn't she? Scarlet’s transformation had been the result of sheer fortune. This time, the outcome rested solely upon my shoulders. One slight miscalculation would doom her to a mere A Rank...

I needed to shatter my own boundaries and transcend my previous limitations!

"Now—for the Spirit Armor, the shields, the armaments...!"

I cast them all into the cauldron. They melted down, fusing into a cohesive whole around her core. Finally, I tossed in my ring, a sample of my own blood, horn fragments, fangs, scales, and claws to forge a transcendental connection.

To conclude, I cast half of the boss monster’s massive heart into the mixture.

"I-It’s happening...!"

I gasped as the latent Alchemy Spirit manifested—a gargantuan azure hydra shielded by a colossal tortoise shell encrusted with vibrant crystals. It let out a menacing hiss in my direction.

"That thing is massive...! Very well, let’s get on with it! Scarlet! Transfer your new divine essence to me!"

"At once, master!"

She flickered to my side and shifted into her blade form, which I clutched with a firm grip.

I unleashed my Yggdragon Aura in a violent burst, a volcanic eruption of raw divine and spiritual force. Five colossal dragon heads materialized, each a conduit for a unique element. They roared in unison, saturated with my divinity. I compressed my Domain Skills and welded them into the strike.

Simultaneously, I funneled my divine power into Scarlet. She radiated her own divinity, creating a turbulent aura where our combined powers surged and shattered the barriers of conventional strength.

This was true, unchecked power!

Explosions echoed continuously within the dungeon, punctuated by the thunderous sound of our clashes against the divine-level Alchemy Spirit.

Bolstered by Scarlet’s might, the battle became almost trivial!

A final, devastating blow cleaved the creature in two. Its remains disintegrated into motes of energy that Sapphire hungrily consumed from within the cauldron.

As I watched, I utilized Synthesis and advanced Alchemy Spells to polish her into a state of perfection.

"Almost there! We are nearly— Wait."

Something remained unfinished.

It wasn't complete. She couldn’t attain Divinity with just this input...

But why? What was the missing ingredient?!

I had utilized the identical materials, the identical methods, the identical ratios as I had for Scarlet.

Where did they differ?

Was it truly just a roll of the dice? A mindless gamble of luck?

... No!

There had to be a missing element—a final catalyzing spark.

Anything at all...

"Master! I-Is it going to work?" Sapphire cried out, her voice quivering as she glowed with increasing intensity while I continued the alchemical refinement.

"It has to work!" I roared. "Sapphire...! I...! Damn it all...!"

Should I slice off a portion of my own soul? No, that could unravel my progress toward divinity...

What were my options? Could Armageddon assist? No, she was busy holding the flames steady alongside the others.

Then, Scarlet’s voice drifted from beside me as she materialized once more.

"Regardless of our rivalry, we have consistently stood by our master, haven't we?"

"S-Scarlet?"

"I may still harbor resentment toward you, but I cannot deny your persistence. We share the same objective... And in truth, it would be remarkably dull if you were to fall behind!"

"W-What are you saying— Eh?!"

"Wait, Scarlet?!"

To my absolute shock, Scarlet sliced into her own arm. A stream of metallic gold-and-red blood cascaded onto Sapphire.

At the same moment, she forcefully tore off one of her horns, shredded tresses of her own hair, shed scales, and extracted two of her fangs.

"Take these and cease your wailing! Just get the job done!"

I was rendered speechless, but I acted without hesitation. Utilizing my Synthesis and Forging Skills, I melded these extraordinary components into Sapphire.

"S-Scarlet, you really are...! Hah...! Damn it, now I owe you! This is infuriatingly kind, hahaha!"

Sapphire let out a sound like a joyous chime during her breakthrough. Blue, gold, and crimson flames engulfed her entirely, pillars of radiance erupting toward the ceiling in a torrent of fire.

From deep within the heart of the light, I finally witnessed it—the spark of potential igniting.

The spark blossomed like a miniature supernova, coalescing into a radiant azure divinity. It carried the chilling depths of the sea, the vastness of the abyss, the tang of miasma, and the weight of ancient curses, all woven into one.

She had become the absolute reflection of Scarlet’s divinity.