"Klaus, we're here — but how are we going to open the treasury gates?" Yuno asked, staring at the massive Stone doors before them.
The entrance towered overhead, layered with reinforced stone and mana inscriptions.
"We must locate the hidden mechanism somewhere on the door itself," Klaus replied, adjusting his glasses as he examined the surface carefully.
Before he could take another step—
BOOOMMMM!!!!
An intense explosion erupted from a concealed side entrance of the treasury wall.
The blast tore through walls and floor alike. The entire corner collapsed inward, rubble crashing down and burying the intruding figure beneath it.
Klaus stepped forward confidently.
"Did you think that just because we couldn't sense you, we would leave our backs exposed?" he declared loudly. "You are facing the number one squad of the Clover Kingdom — the Golden Dawn!"
Outwardly, he appeared composed, but inwardly, he knew the truth.
If not for El's warning… we would have been caught off guard.
Before anyone could relax, another explosion thundered from within the rubble, chunks of stone were blown aside.
From the debris rose a figure clad in hardened crystal armor, floating slightly above the ground, completely unscathed.
Without hesitation, a wave of crystal surged from the ground like a rising tide, sharp edges glinting as it rushed toward them.
Klaus moved instantly.
"Steel Creation Magic: Full Metal Fortress!"
A twelve-foot-high steel wall erupted in front of them, thick and layered, absorbing the incoming crystal barrage in a violent shower of sparks.
"Back me up, Yuno!" Klaus shouted. "We will show this Diamond bastard the power of the Golden Dawn!" Klaus said, adjusting his glasses sharply.
Five compressed wind arrows formed around him and shot forward in perfect formation, slicing through the air toward Mars.
The arrows struck but the crystal armor held firm.
Not even a crack.
Klaus clenched his teeth.
'The opponent is not even using his grimoire… How is he this strong?'
Suddenly, thick vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Mars's limbs and torso, restraining him in place.
At the same moment—
A concentrated beam of pure mana fired from Mimosa's staff, the green gem at its tip glowing brilliantly. The beam struck Mars head-on, the impact echoing through the chamber.
"Mimosa… you—" Klaus stared in disbelief.
Her attack carried far more force than he had expected — even his own spells had failed to breach that defense.
"Please allow me to assist, Mr. Klaus," Mimosa said gently, though her eyes were firm with resolve. The gem at her staff pulsed again as she prepared another spell.
Klaus straightened.
"…Of course. Everyone, you are permitted to go all out!"
He surged forward, steel drills forming over both arms as he charged directly toward Mars.
But before he could close the distance his foot locked in place, a crystal trap had formed around his ankle, rooting him to the ground.
The dust began to settle.
In that split second before Mimosa's beam had struck, Mars had summoned a Crystal clone to take the attack.
The shattered remains of the clone now lay smoking on the ground.
Around the real Mars, small crystal blades materialized, slicing cleanly through the vines that restrained him..
"No more messing around," Mars said.
At the exact same moment—
"No more holding back," Yuno declared quietly.
The air around him compressed violently.
"Wind Creation Magic: Wind Blade Shower."
Dozens of razor-sharp wind blades formed overhead, spinning with lethal precision before raining down toward Mars.
In response, Mars finally summoned his grimoire.
A crystal-bound book hovered beside him, pages flipping violently as mana surged outward.
"Crystal Creation Magic."
A barrage of crystal blades shot toward all three of them at once backed by 10 Crystal clones.
Yuno stepped forward, his eyes sharp.
The wind around him intensified, spiraling outward and diverting the incoming blades, knocking them off course before they could strike their target.
Mimosa thrust her staff forward.
At her command, vines erupted again, restraining several crystal clones that had formed around them, slowing their advance and buying precious seconds.
They were forced on the defensive.
"So you can divert those small blades with your wind… but what about this?"
"Mineral Creation Magic: Laevateinn."
A humongous sword forged from condensed minerals materialized above their heads in an instant and came crashing down.
They were caught completely off guard.
But Mimosa sensed the surge of mana a fraction faster than anyone else.
"Plant Creation Magic: Emerald Roots!"
Thick emerald vines burst from the ceiling and wrapped around the descending blade, restricting it mid-swing. The sword trembled violently, straining against the binding.
"Now!" she cried.
"Wind Creation Magic: Swift Hawk!"
Yuno summoned a great wind hawk beneath them, lifting Klaus and Mimosa into the air just as the restrained blade shattered free from the vines.
"Do you think flying will save you?" Mars said coldly.
The treasure hall was vast and open.
Six more massive mineral swords materialized in the air around them, each positioned at a different angle, sealing every escape route.
They came from all directions at once.
The blades struck the wind hawk, shattering it midair and sending all three crashing violently to the ground.
Before they could recover mineral spikes erupted upward from the floor.
They pierced through Klaus, Mimosa, and Yuno in multiple places, pinning them down.
Mars's crystal clones surrounded the trio, Above them swords floated like executioner blades waiting for the final command.
Klaus coughed, blood staining his uniform.
"I'm sorry, everyone… It was an honor fighting beside you."
But even now Mimosa's spell has not stopped.
A glowing cradle of plant mana surrounded them, steadily healing their wounds. Despite the situation, a faint, composed smile rested on her lips.
All six mineral swords rose higher than they descended at once.
A figure materialized midair, swinging the great sword with overwhelming force, deflecting multiple mineral blades in a single arc.
At the same time—
A powerful water barrier surged up around Mimosa, Klaus, and Yuno. The advancing crystal clones were caught in the flowing current and swept away violently, crashing into distant walls.
Mars's eyes narrowed.
Behind him—
Another presence.
A dark blade slashed down against his mineral armor.
Murasame collided with crystal, sparks flying as the impact forced Mars backward across the floor. Though the armor held, the sheer force pushed him several meters away.
He steadied himself, startled.
"So there were more rats hiding in their holes," Mars said coldly.
The comment did not sit well with anyone present.
"All I see is a loose dog," El replied calmly as he appeared beside Mimosa's group. "Soon to be put down."
Noelle and Asta rushed forward, helping Yuno and Klaus to their feet.
El's eyes flicked over them quickly.
"Are you all right Mimosa?" he asked, voice steady but sharp beneath the surface.
"He called us rats. That's worse than calling us peasants Yuno. I'm going to take this guy down." Asta declared, ready to charge at Mars—only to be stopped by Yuno.
"Who said you could interfere? We were about to take him down when you interrupted our fight," Yuno rebuked coldly. Klaus glanced at him, as if asking whether he had been holding back.
"You… are correct. We don't need the help of the Black Bulls. We could have—"
"You mean where you apologized and said it was an honor to fight alongside everyone?" El cut in, eyes locked on Mars.
Klaus stiffened. "How long have you been here?"
"Since that mage took out his Excalibur," El replied casually.
Another mana-infused sword materialized out of thin air, hurtling toward them.
Asta charged.
He cut through the blades like butter, anti-magic devouring their glow as if they were nothing. His physique and power declared dominance without a word.
"Now. It's the Black Bulls turn. Though if Mimosa wishes to participate, that's fine." El spoke.
"You see, every dungeon has a final boss. We didn't encounter one—so this Diamond Kingdom mage must have dealt with it already. Which means he's our final boss. And whoever cleans him up gets recognition for clearing the dungeon."
He said the last part a little louder.
"For Asta's ears."
"Is that true?!" Asta shouted, cutting through a wave of incoming clones again. Mars kept his distance from the anti-magic blade, wary now.
Seeing his attacks failing, Mars shifted tactics. Noelle launched water spheres from multiple angles, each exploding on impact. Meanwhile, Klaus, Mimosa, and Yuno regrouped, their wounds steadily healing.
El supported from the edges—teleporting allies out of lethal trajectories, redirecting crushing blows, keeping the battlefield fluid. He waited for a mission prompt to appear, some system acknowledgment.
Nothing.
Not his lucky day.
"Weakness shouldn't exist in this world… in my world," Mars repeated, focusing his assault entirely on Asta.
"What are you even saying?!" Asta skidded back from a heavy impact, boots carving into stone. "You're only strong today because someone took care of you once! You weren't born strong!"
The words struck something.
A flicker crossed Mars' eyes.
A memory.
But instead of faltering, he grew more furious. The gem embedded in his forehead began to glow. El had assumed it was decorative.
'Maybe that's his weakness,' El noted silently, observing Asta and Noelle's rhythm.
"I'm done playing with you rats!"
Mineral Creation Magic: Heavy Titan Armor ×4
The battlefield trembled.
Swords and clones merged, reforming into five colossal titans—each 20 feet tall. The largest encased Mars himself like a war god of crystal and stone.
"Oi… oi… oi…" El shouted.
"It's too late now! You've pissed me off!" Mars roared. The gem burned brighter. He looked in pain—but stronger.
"You're just dumb," El said flatly. "Why do you think bigger is always better?"
He vanished.
Instantly reappearing atop one of the titans, El taunted Mars just enough for the giant to swing wildly. The titan's fist collided with its own body, cracking and crumbling under its own force.
Another titan charged at El.
Clap.
Boogie Woogie.
El switched places with Mars.
The largest titan teleported with him—directly into the path of another. The collision shattered the weaker one completely.
"You can have some fun too, Golden Dawn," El called.
Klaus and Yuno stared. The so-called reckless peasant from the Black Bulls was outperforming them where the mighty Golden Dawn had struggled.
By now their wounds had healed somewhat. Working in coordination, Mimosa and Yuno disrupted the titans' balance with layered wind currents and Plant magic. Klaus followed through, steel constructs piercing weak points one by one taking down another titan.
El considered telling Asta to use his demon form—but they'd been forbidden by Captain Yami unless the situation became too dire. Using it in front of outsiders would cause chaos. A peasant wielding devil power?
There would be a witch hunt.
El prepared to intervene when suddenly Yuno began gathering an enormous arrow of compressed wind. Even Mars felt it, shifting uneasily.
Then—
Yuno fired.
Not on Mars.
At Asta.
"What the—?!" Asta barely had time to react.
But then he understood, recalling what happened at the magic knight exam when their spells collided but something was different this time.
Grinning, he angled his sword flat and struck the incoming wind spell, redirecting it like a bat meeting a fastball.
The amplified blast shot forward straight into the largest remaining titan.
The explosion shattered the construct entirely. Crystal fragments rained like shattered glass as Mars was forcibly ejected from the armor, crashing hard into the wall behind.
"You'll pay for what you did!" Mars roared.
And then something none of them expected happened.
His grimoire turned pages on its own.
A second attribute ignited.
Flame Recovery Magic: Phoenix Robe.
Fire erupted around him—healing his wounds and stamina.
"I would have congratulated you on this research breakthrough… if I hadn't known about Morris's experiments and sadistic games."
For the first time, anger was evident in El's voice.
Mars' gaze twitched toward him, but El was already looking at Asta.
"Now that our opponent is cheating, Asta… you can cheat too. If anything goes wrong, I'll stop you."
He raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"Everyone else—clear the way for him. Suppress your mana."
Klaus and Yuno didn't respond verbally but they complied.
Asta stepped forward. He raised his sword, and anti-magic flowed through it naturally. His grimoire glowed black. A shadow rose behind him, the outline of a demon.
"He's using demon magic," Klaus muttered, cold sweat forming along his temple.
"He is." El confirmed quietly.
A black wing tore from his back, two black horns curved from Asta's forehead.
An ominous energy leaked outward, heavy enough to make even Mars uncomfortable.
Across the battlefield, the remains of every shattered titan trembled.
Then they merged.
Crystal fragments fused violently, compressing into a single monstrous construct—nearly seventy feet tall. A towering titan encased Mars completely, flames of the Phoenix burning within its translucent armor and above the titans body.
Each step it took shook the dungeon.
Then—
They moved at the same time.
Asta became a streak of black beam.
Mars descended like a falling fortress.
Black anti-magic and red regenerative flames collided with a deafening shockwave. Crystal shattered. Fire screamed.
Bit by bit, the black began consuming the red.
Anti-magic didn't just cut, it erased it.
Crystal armor fractured faster than it could regenerate. The Phoenix flames flickered under the pressure. And Asta's blade sliced through everything.
Modification magic.
Artificial enhancements.
Mental conditioning.
Spade Kingdom experiments woven into Mars' body and mind.
With a final roar, Asta carved upward.
The massive titan split in two.
The red flames were swallowed entirely by black.
An armored, broken figure was hurled from the collapsing construct, crashing across the stone floor in a trail of shattered crystal.
Silence followed.
Asta hovered for a moment in the air, demon wing spread wide, horns casting jagged shadows across his face.
Then he slowly turned toward the others watching from a distance.
His eyes were hazy, dark and unfocused, a thin line of drool slipped from the corner of his mouth.
El thought that asta had lost control again but he let go of his sword, which clattered to the ground.
His body tilted forward as the demonic aura began fading.
Before he could fall, El appeared in a flicker—instant transmission—catching him by the shoulder and supporting his weight.
The demon form would have undone itself in less than thirty seconds anyway.
What mattered was control.
And this time—
He had held it.
"You didn't lose control," El said quietly. "You did good."
The black markings receded. The wing vanished. The horns dissolved into nothing.
Yuno remained a short distance away, staring in silence—shock etched into his expression.
The gap between rivals had shifted again.
"Thank you, Asta," Klaus said stiffly, bowing his head slightly. "And… I apologize for insulting you earlier."
Asta blinked up at him, exhausted but grinning.
"Don't sweat it, Four-Eyes sir. I'm used to it."
Klaus' eyebrow twitched.
"Whom are you calling Four-Eyes, you peasant—?!"
The swallowtail bird fluttered back into the chamber and landed right on top of Asta's head.
Peck.
"Oi—stop that…" Asta groaned weakly, too tired to even lift his hand.
It chirped innocently.
Peck.
Klaus moved efficiently. Using his Magic forming thick restraints around Mars and the remaining Diamond mages, binding their arms and legs to fractured stone pillars.
As instructed, Asta dragged himself toward the massive treasury door at the end of the corridor.
One clean swing.
The reinforced stone gate split down the middle like paper.
The doors crashed open.
And everyone froze.
Inside—
A mountain of gold treasure glittered beneath the dungeon's crystal light. Coins spilled like a frozen waterfall. Scattered among them were countless magical artifacts—jeweled staffs, enchanted rings humming faintly with mana.
The entire room shimmered.
Even the air felt expensive. Dense. Rich with mana.
"Oh my…" Mimosa whispered.
Yuno scanned silently, already calculating value and rarity.
Asta's jaw dropped so wide it might've dislocated.
El folded his arms, maintaining composure. "Alright. Everyone takes one item from the treasury. After that, we store the rest and get out of here."
Klaus stiffened. "That is highly irregular. All treasure from a dungeon belongs to the Clover Kingdom and should be processed under—"
"Klaus," El interrupted calmly, "think for a second. Do you believe this wealth will be used for the betterment of the Clover Kingdom… or quietly redirected into the vault of some influential noble?"
Klaus opened his mouth, then closed it.
His glasses caught the light as he adjusted them slowly.
"…Understood."
El had barely finished speaking.
Asta was already knee-deep in gold.
Noelle rushed toward a display of elegant magical wands.
Mimosa hurried toward rare robes and support artifacts, examining the stitching and embedded runes with fascination.
Yuno drifted toward a section lined with ancient scrolls, his expression growing distant as he unrolled one.
A strange fluctuation of mana stirred around him.
Even El felt it.
Meanwhile, Asta had found some kind of projection device and was pressing random parts of it.
"Oi! Don't break it!" Noelle snapped.
"Hey, El! Come here!"
El had been examining a magic key when Asta's voice echoed from behind a wall of chambers—a small cut in the stone marked where Asta had forced entry.
El stepped through the opening.
The room beyond was darker. Quieter.
In the center stood what looked like a fake tomb, decorative rather than funerary. Upon it lay a rusty sword—long, heavy, its surface engraved with intricate patterns unlike anything El had seen before.
Even his scouter flickered uselessly.
???.
He reached out and lifted it— and immediately felt a large chunk of his mana get drained.
'Only someone with an absurd mana reserve… or someone with no mana at all… could wield this properly,' El thought.
Asta stared at it like a child discovering treasure.
"It's a good sword," El said simply.
"Can I keep it, El?"
"You should ask the Wizard King. This treasure doesn't belong to me."
Asta nodded, though his eyes never left the blade.
When they exited the treasury, it seemed everyone had selected one item—except Klaus.
Mimosa had chosen a shimmering robe that glistened softly in the dungeon light.
Noelle held a refined magic wand, clearly suited for control and amplification.
Yuno stood quietly with an ancient scroll secured at his side, his expression unreadable.
El himself walked back into the treasure room and picked up a simple gold amulet.
Just a keepsake.
Activating the rune embedded in his ring, complex inscriptions lit up along its surface. One by one, the mountains of treasure dissolved into streams of light and were absorbed into the storage space.
The prisoners remained unconscious.
After teleporting everyone outside the dungeon, they bid farewell to the Golden Dawn members. The air between the squads felt less distance now.
El dropped Asta and Noelle off at the Black Bulls' base first.
Then he teleported directly to the capital, delivering the Diamond Kingdom mages—and the secured treasure—personally.
He didn't trust intermediaries.
Unfortunately, he didn't find the Wizard King.
Instead, he handed everything over to Marx.
Marx stood frozen for a moment, then broke into visible relief and excitement after hearing the entire report.
"You handled the situation with remarkable efficiency," Marx said, bowing slightly. "His Majesty will be extremely pleased." El gave a small nod.
"By the way, I had a request I wanted to discuss with the Wizard King. If you could inform him when he returns," El said to Marx.
"I will." Marx spoke attentively.
"We need a healer in the Black Bulls. Our training is extremely difficult, and we always end up injured on almost every mission. It would be very helpful…" El replied, trying to remain vague but direct enough for the Wizard King to understand his true intention when he heard it.
"We have enough medical staff and healers if you need one," Marx said.
But El shook his head and stopped him.
"You don't have to worry about that. Just make sure you relay my message to the Wizard King word to word. He will understand."
El had been thinking about this idea for a long time. Today, he finally voiced it out loud. After seeing how, if not for the Black Bulls, the Golden Dawn squad would have been wiped out, he realized he couldn't keep leaving Mimosa in their care.
***
Author Note: Another 3.4K words great chapter to the best of my abilities, please leave a power stone, review, paragraph comment or comment anything you like...