BXBX NOVEL Chapter 301: Dwarf Cave Mantamia (3)
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Chapter 301: Dwarf Cave Mantamia (3)
The dwarves had blank expressions on their faces.
Something was happening.
Suddenly, the door opened.
It was a sign that the god themselves were welcoming that barbarian.
The dwarves were momentarily confused and stunned by the situation.
"Move aside."
A heavy voice sounded from behind the dwarves, who hurriedly stepped aside.
A dwarf appeared through the newly created path.
"Hoo."
Ketal let out a sound of admiration.
The dwarf that appeared was quite strong.
Strong enough to be called a hero.
The dwarf squinted at Ketal.
"…Are you the one the god spoke of? Let him in."
"Your Majesty? But…"
"He is a guest of the god. We must give him the hospitality he deserves."
The dwarves fell silent.
Ketal leisurely entered the base.
The dwarves stepped back, casting confused looks at him, but Ketal ignored them and followed the guide to the king\'s tent.
"Nice to meet you. I am Grombir Ironhand, king of the dwarves. The one who lost his holy land to the beings of hell, failing in my duty."
"I am Ketal, the one who abandoned his duty to come here."
They introduced themselves briefly.
Grombir continued in a low voice.
"I know about you, Ketal. The barbarian who helped the elves and now roams the world. You\'ve done many things."
"Oh, you know? I thought you\'d be out of touch with the world, living in such an isolated place."
"As a king, I must know how the world is turning. …Though I didn’t expect you to come here."
Nor did he expect the god to welcome him.
Grombir silently examined Ketal.
\'Perfect.\'
Ketal\'s physique was flawless, without an ounce of unnecessary fat.
Even a crafted statue would struggle to look this perfect.
From Grombir\'s perspective, the only thing missing was a beard—it was an ideal body.
\'…And strong. I thought the rumors were exaggerated.\'
Even though his power was restrained, his overwhelming presence couldn’t be hidden.
He didn’t have a great deal of mystery, but it didn’t matter.
Grombir nodded after sizing him up.
"The god welcomed you. I don\'t like your association with the elves, but you can stay comfortably."
"Thanks for that."
Ketal smiled.
With the introductions out of the way, Grombir got to the point.
"So, why have you come to our land? I can guess… It’s because of the Holy Sword, isn’t it?"
Grombir’s gaze shifted to the Holy Sword at Ketal’s waist.
He muttered incredulously.
"I heard the news but thought it was nonsense. The Holy Sword isn’t supposed to break… but it’s really broken."
"There’s more to it than just the Holy Sword."
There was the repair of the Holy Sword, reforging the dragon bone, dealing with the remains of the white beast and the rat’s paw, and confirming the black axe.
There was a lot to be done.
"But none of them seem possible at the moment."
"……."
Grombir gave a bitter smile.
The dwarves had been driven out of their holy land and were now camped at the entrance, living like refugees.
Grombir spoke with a sigh.
"Mantamia. It was our holy land. Within the long, deep cave was a glorious city. But now, the entire place has fallen into the hands of evil."
"What came? Was it multiple demons?"
When the demons targeted the elves\' holy land, they invested great power—three high-level demons, a floating fortress, and even the incarnation of hellfire.
Surely, they had invested similar forces here as well.
But Grombir shook his head.
"No. It was just one."
"…Hmm?"
Ketal’s eyes widened.
From what he could tell, Grombir was strong.
Though perhaps one level below Karin, he was still at the hero class.
Mantamia was a holy land for the dwarves.
As such, it would have received divine assistance, and its defenses would have been robust.
There would have been many superhuman dwarves defending it.
And yet, they had all been driven out by a single entity?
"What descended?"
"A demon with rank."
Grombir answered.
"A demon with the title of Count. Raphael, the jewel demon."
* * *
"A Count, huh."
Ketal murmured with interest.
The flower demon, Floris, also had rank but no clear title.
This meant Raphael was stronger than Floris.
"And his power is in jewels?"
"He controls jewels and wields the power within them. He has seized Mantamia’s mine and controls it now."
In this world, jewels were a powerful catalyst in themselves.
There was even a school of magic dedicated to the study of jewels.
And Raphael was the demon of jewels.
He could exert perfect control over all jewels.
"If it were anywhere else, we might have been able to respond. Jewels are rare and precious, hard to find. But he’s in Mantamia’s mine."
In that mine were mystical stones with deep, pure magic that could power a magic tower for a week from just one fist-sized piece of mithril.
There was adamantium, which was so tough it could only be forged in Mantamia’s furnaces.
Orichalcos, which amplified any power by twofold.
And many other ores existed there too.
These minerals were so powerful that even a hero like Grombir had to devote great effort to forging them.
Only beings capable of interfering with the world could handle them, and even they struggled.
Yet Raphael could use all of these without any preparation, at full power.
[The material that forms me is similar to those.]
Simply put, the Holy Sword was also made of something like mithril.
In Mantamia’s mine, the jewel demon now sat, sending the precious ores to hell.
"I don’t know how he’s using those minerals, but it’s not good. The demon has been in the mine for over a week now. Quite a bit of ore must have already been sent."
"I see."
Having heard the explanation, Ketal stroked his chin.
"Ignisia must have come to help you, right?"
"A great dragon came to aid us directly. Yet even so, we have not been able to reclaim it."
"So, Ignisia and the jewel demon are clashing inside, then. I can feel the power colliding."
"You can feel it?"
Grombir was startled.
Mantamia was vast and deep.
The mine was located in the deepest underground.
Moreover, it had been tainted with powerful demonic energy, making it nearly impossible to detect what was happening inside.
But Ketal replied as if it were obvious.
"The power clashing is intense. It would be strange not to feel it."
"…Yes, two weeks ago, Ignisia came to help us."
"But there’s been no progress, it seems."
"Unfortunately, no."
Grombir spoke with a heavy heart.
Ketal looked at him curiously.
"If Ignisia is fighting inside, why are you here?"
Logically, Grombir should have gone in to help Ignisia.
Grombir answered.
"I don’t know when evil might appear and attack our camp. I must protect it. But more importantly, I would only get in the way."
"You’d get in the way?"
"If I were to face Raphael, I would only hinder Ignisia."
"…Is he that strong?"
Even a hero-class warrior would be more of a hindrance than help.
A powerful opponent indeed was inside.
Ketal\'s face showed intense interest.
He made up his mind.
"Alright. I’ll go meet him myself."
Ketal decided to see the strength of the opponent firsthand.
Grombir did not stop him.
"With your power, it might be possible. But it will be dangerous."
"Dangerous? For me?"
Grombir flinched at the words.
Ketal smiled gleefully, a truly barbarian expression.
"Just what I wanted."
* * *
BANG!
Inside Mantamia, in the dwarven mine, a fierce battle was raging.
The earth-shaking powers clashed violently, though fortunately, the ores in the mine absorbed much of the impact.
If not for that, the mountains themselves would have quaked.
“Tsk!”
BOOOOM!
A beautiful woman with a mesmerizing face, the ancient dragon Ignisia, was forced backward.
Her cherished dress was torn in several places, dirty and worn.
She swiftly reached out her hand.
"ᛅᛞᚱᛖᚢ ᛅᛃᚦᛖᚴ ᛗᚢᚱ"
Space, become chains.
Clang!
It was the same draconic spell she had used to restrain Ketal earlier.
The concept of space itself transformed into chains to bind her enemy.
Even Ketal had struggled to break free of it without revealing his true power—it was a formidable spell.
She continued her incantation at a rapid pace.
"ᛏᛖᚨᚱ. ᚱᚢᛋᚺ. ᛒᚱᛖᚨᚲ. ᛏᚹᛁᛋᛏ"
Tear, crush, break, and twist.
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Four draconic words combined.
The world itself twisted, crushed, and shredded her enemy.
Even Bayern, who protected his body with mystery, would have been gravely injured by a direct hit from that power.
But...
BOOOM!
Her draconic spell shattered.
The world around her broke apart, sending shards flying.
Her body slid backward from the force.
"Ugh!"
CRACK!
Ignisia\'s body was covered in countless wounds, as if shards of glass had rained upon her.
She quickly invoked a healing spell.
Yet, it wasn\'t enough.
The power imbued in her opponent’s attack was too immense, beyond the capabilities of draconic magic to fully heal.
“Such a shame.”
A voice echoed, genuinely sorrowful.
“Such a beautiful body is being damaged. If you would surrender before more scars appear, I could preserve you in a far more pristine state.”
“Shut up.”
Ignisia scowled.
“You’re disgustingly strong.”
“And you, likewise, Great Dragon, Ignisia.”
The world calmed, revealing her opponent.
Eyes gleamed like rubies.
He had horns shining like obsidian and wore a luxurious purple suit.
And he was... beautiful.
His appearance was flawless, like a perfectly cut gemstone. Ignisia clicked her tongue.
‘The Jewel Demon... he certainly looks the part.’
The demon spoke with an elegant gesture.
“You possess power and dignity fitting of your reputation as a Great Dragon. Truly remarkable. If this were not my domain, even I might have been in danger. Moreover, your beauty approaches the pinnacle of perfection for a dragon. But!”
With a dramatic toss of his head, Raphael continued.
“You cannot compare to me! I wondered if there was anything on this earth more perfect than myself, but even the Great Dragons fall short. My perfection...”
“Could you just shut up for a moment?”
Ignisia spoke sincerely, but Raphael did not listen.
“You may not reach my level, but you are still quite impressive. Perhaps you would enjoy spending some time with me? I’ve pleased many demons in my time.”
Raphael spoke with absolute pride, as if there was no room for doubt in his words.
“I am a perfect being, the epitome of beauty. There will never be another like me in your lifetime.”
“I’m confident too, but your arrogance is off the charts.”
Ignisia groaned.
“If you leave quietly now, maybe I’ll think about it.”
“I cannot do that. The Great Ones would be very displeased.”
“Then it’s a shame, but your offer is rejected.”
Though Ignisia spoke playfully, her eyes were serious.
‘Damn it.’
The Jewel Demon, Count Raphael.
He was annoyingly strong, befitting his rank of Count.
Even Ignisia was being pushed back.
What made it worse was his constant, calm elegance that was starting to get on her nerves.
Ignisia ground her teeth.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t be struggling this much.
But the location was a problem.
They were in the Mantamia Mines.
The largest mine in the world, filled with valuable minerals.
And now, it had become Raphael’s domain.
This meant that all the precious minerals in the mine were under Raphael’s control.
Right now, Ignisia couldn’t defeat him.
‘Damn it.’
She couldn’t do it alone.
She needed support.
But there was no time.
Her presence here had already stretched the other battlefronts thin.
She had to win, even if it meant pushing beyond her limits.
Ignisia’s eyes grew determined.
“I’ll have to be prepared to die.”
She resolved to draw out her full strength.
"ᚹ"
The word she spoke was incredibly short.
But the power contained within was far from small.
In fact, despite being a single word, it held far more power than any other draconic spell.
“Hm.”
Raphael’s face grew serious.
This wasn’t just an ordinary draconic spell.
This was an extreme form of spell compression, where the dragon condensed their words to their utmost limit, a technique only a handful of dragons could use.
Even Raphael couldn’t easily defend against this.
“A beautiful technique. But the risk of failure is as great as its power.”
Though she had spoken a single word, Ignisia’s face twisted in pain.
This technique required her to expend all her energy, and she could barely manage to control it.
If he could block this, Raphael knew he would win.
With that decision made, he gave an order.
“Come.”
The countless jewels in the mine responded to their master’s call.
Adamantium, mithril, orichalcum—precious minerals, each of which could buy a city, compressed and coalesced into a single shield.
“A shield formed from the finest of jewels. Protect me.”
"ᛗ. ᛋ. ᚨ. ᚺ. ᚲ. ᛇ. ᛏ. ᚠ"
Ignisia’s extremely compressed spell fired.
The world itself became a bullet, slamming into the shield made of jewels.
RUMBLE!
The massive, dense mine shook for a moment.
“Kuh...!”
Ignisia gritted her teeth.
She strained to maintain her spell, pouring everything she had into it.
The shield began to crack and break.
However, the shield was falling apart slower than her spell was weakening.
Raphael smiled.
“My victory. I don’t wish to see such beauty shattered, so I will close my eyes.”
“You bastard.”
BOOOOOM!
Her power exploded outward, sending Ignisia flying backward.
Just as she braced for impact...
Someone caught her.
A figure threw themselves forward and wrapped her in their arms, planting their feet firmly into the ground.
Though they were pushed backward for some distance, they quickly came to a halt.
“…Huh?”
Ignisia’s eyes widened as she realized she had been caught in someone’s embrace.
Raphael was also momentarily taken aback.
He asked, with a confused expression.
“And who might you be?”
“I am your enemy.”
Ketal smiled brightly.
“Are you alright, Ignisia?”
“Uh, y-yes.”
Ignisia nodded blankly, rising to her feet.
* * *
“You don’t seem to be in good condition. Step back. I’ll handle things from here.”
“Y-yes. Alright.”
Ignisia stepped back, looking flustered and curious as to why Ketal was even here.
But there was no time to dwell on that now.
“Well then.”
Ketal turned his attention to the powerful demon who had brought Ignisia to her knees.
He smiled.
‘Impressive.’
Raphael’s appearance was beyond perfect, even compared to any being he had ever seen.
Even Ignisia and Karin paled in comparison.
He truly looked like a gemstone in human form.
“I am called Ketal. If I am not mistaken, you are the Jewel Demon, Raphael?”
“…That is correct. And I know you as well.”
Ketal.
One of the greatest enemies of demonkind, with orders from their four lords to be slain on sight.
But now, Raphael couldn’t care less about those orders.
“…Ah, ah…”
Raphael’s eyes trembled madly, as if he were gazing at an unattainable masterpiece.
His gaze was fixated on Ketal’s body.
“…Perfect.”
Raphael let out a groan of admiration.
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