In the end, the other traps were no match for them. After all, those golems may have physical strength and speed matching a Duke. But without an actual Zone, they were nothing more than slightly stronger units.
Reinforcement/Cladding/Intent/Zone.
The golem lacked absolutely all the essential steps that could make one grow stronger even while fighting. Only by relying on their sturdy material could they match a Duke.
'This is absolutely fucking nut.'
Acht marveled every time he saw one of those Golem. Those could only be considered as masterpieces.
How did they find such material and work with it? What about the artificial intelligence that was implemented?
"Hahaha. I have been underestimating the old dwarves too much. It seems like they followed a branch of machinery that focused more on those golems."
The only race he had seen focus on artificial intelligence until now were angels. How could he ever think that his ancestors were so ingenious even one thousand years ago?
Finally, they reached the last room. Both Neun and Acht were unscathed but they were still a little tired.
After all, they have been fighting non-stop for a while. It was worth noting that while a few golems had stats comparable to Duke, the majority were far inferior.
Even then, by making use of the sturdiness of their bodies they could tank many hits.
"What is this material?"
"Orichalcum."
This was a metal that was extremely conductive of magic. It was extremely rare even in the Astral realm and it could be used to exponentially increase a strike from the one holding it. It could also passively absorb mana from the surrounding and convert it into energy.
"Hahahah. Holy Shit. We struck rich!"
Acht looked at the metal that served as the 'heart' of those golems and compared it to the one from his memory. This metal was extremely rare even in the Astral realm. It wasn't something anyone could acquire.
'So this is the secret of this facility. If all the golem have a heart made from this then magic reserve would never be a problem.'
This 'heart' was in function no different from the core of a divine beast. Albeit at an incredibly lower level.
The one who created this clearly took inspiration from them and created something similar. If this concept was applied to the whole fortress, this would mean that they had essentially created an eternal and perpetual functioning dungeon.
As long as Mana existed, the golem would self-repair and take care of the dungeon and the dungeon would extract the energy necessary.
He also understood now why there were so many colonies of ore and other magical beasts. As they all released mana unconsciously this mana would also be absorbed and used to sustain the dungeon.
This would pause no arm to the inhabitant and would assure a perfect continuity.
'This is revolutionary. With something like this as the base, it wouldn't be impossible to even reach the angels in technology if it had been continued.'
As a scientist and researcher, he felt pain in his gut just thinking about how this lost technology had been gathering dust here for thousands of years.
It was his duty to restore this legacy.
Of course, if he got something on the way then it was a bonus.
"Well, let's face the last room and see what it has to offer."
All of this was good. But it could only benefit a civilization. What he needed was something that could increase his own power.
Placing his hand on the door handle, he slowly pushed the door open.
But it was then....
"Ugh!"
Both Neun and Acht groaned when they felt something akin to a scythe coiling right around their neck.
Even though they could not
see the source of this power, they could feel it perfectly well.
Someone was warning them to not move. Someone was telling them that they would die if they took one more step forward.
'What is this pressure!?'
Acht could not believe this. He was a powerful Duke and while he might be quite cowardly at him, he had faced the full brunt of the aura of many other Dukes and even King.
But this had never caused him such dread. It was as if there was absolutely no way for him to win or even escape.
Neun was not feeling any better. But she was truly a warrior. Her hand slowly reached for her blade. But she stopped when she felt the pressure on her suddenly double.
"Show yourself!"
*Step*
The sound of footsteps reached them. Slow, measured, and steady. Those were the steps of someone confident in his or her own strength. Who did not even try to hide?
"My, oh my. I have been wondering who we would find in this place. But I would have never thought that this would be you two."
Acht turned around and looked at the source of the pressure that had been pushing them down.
Golden hair, blue eyes, and a still somewhat young appearance. On his clothes was the crest of a snake eating its own tail and a phoenix.
There was no doubt about this. There was only one person who matched all this. In fact, they remembered his face clearly even if they didn't want to.
The Prince and future king of Luxuria.
The Sole ruler of Humanity.
Sol Dragona Luxuria.
'We are fucked.'
Acht could only feel despair and feel his heart sink at this situation. There was no solution.
He knew very well that the reason their boss was down from the count was because of the boy in front of them.
Even if he had 'cheated' and used some external source of power, this did not diminish his accomplishment.
"Fancy meeting you here. Why don't we have a friendly chat?"
Acht gulped. He had the deep impression that this chat would in no way be very friendly.
But what else could he say?
"We are more than happy to listen."
Not like they had a choice.
