Bigsby's Domain

"Keep them off me, kid. I need some time to gather my mana."

By now, the goblins had started to rally. They formed small groups consisting of goblins who wielded wooden bats, those who used bows, and finally, the more intelligent ones who could cast spells.

Normal goblins had a certain hierarchy to their society based on strength. The type of weapons they used varied depending on that, but goblin mages were one of the more stronger ones.

Now that they were enhanced by Devil Ashra, their normal spells were much stronger. And it definitely showed in the destruction caused to the environment.

"Alright, then. I kinda want to see your Mana Domain, too."

Nodding to the veteran, Dignitas slashed to reality multiple thick walls to block a wide portion of the corridor. He intentionally left a narrow passage in the middle, where he was waiting.

Even if their power was drastically increased thanks to the Devil Ashra, the same couldn't be said for their intellect. Goblins were only known for their insane reproductivity, but not their brains.

So when they saw a gap in the walls, they instinctively thought Dignitas wasn't strong enough to seal off the entire hallway. That little grain of delusion had implanted itself in every single one of the goblins' heads, and they rushed to the middle.

How sorry they were the next few seconds. Pushing and kicking each other in the hopes of taking the first swing on Dignitas, they failed to realize they had been caught in a trap.

On the other side of the walls, a grinning Dignitas was waiting, sword in hand. One by one the goblins poured in, having no choice but to squirm and wriggle their way through the tight gap, only for them to meet the sharp end of Dainsleif.

It was a beautiful strategy, and one that wouldn't have worked if goblins were born with a bit more intelligence. Sadly, that was how Fate had ordained it, and now they found themselves on the receiving end of a bloody red blade.

"Good job, kid. Keep it up for a few more seconds." Bigsby praised the author.

"Roger–whoa!"

Dignitas had severely underestimated the goblins. While it was true that they lacked in the brain department, they had other ways to compensate. Like a certain Hassan household, they made sure to overwhelm their opponents using their superior numbers.

The goblins that could not squeeze themselves into the tight passageway found themselves slamming against the walls Dignitas had created. When more of them, for better or worse, were forcibly pushed to the side, they noticed how the walls were creaking the more they gathered.

And so, putting their one advantage to the test, they screamed for more of their friends to join them in destroying the wall. They eventually garnered enough manpower to move the construct, and sent it hurling downwards.

With a slam, the walls gave way, and Dignitas was left to face goblins encroaching on him from all sides.

"I've got your back!"

Curie's voice resounded in Dignitas' head. He knew it was her using Mind Link to connect their thoughts.

About half of the goblins surrounding him suddenly stopped, clutching their heads in pain. Taking the opportunity, Dignitas retreated backwards while sending a few bullets to their heads.

"Thanks, Curie. I wish your uncle was as proactive as you were." He said.

"Shut it, kid! I'm already done. See for yourself the Domain of Byrie Mortem!"

Thankfully, Bigsby was finally finished. Although a mere shadow of his former glory, Dignitas still praised him for his strength and experience.

Pyuum! The entire area was suddenly taken over in a flash. The castle's corrupted, grim walls were replaced by a rustic stony chamber. The intoxicating scent disappeared, instead being replaced by the smell of rust and metal.

The scenery around him shifted to that of a metal haven. All around him, large, gigantic war axes similar to the one Bigsby carried were repeatedly slashing against each other. It reminded him of those swinging blades often portrayed in hidden temples as traps.

If the axes constantly slashing back and forth weren't enough of a deterrent for the goblins, then the ones spinning around on the floor were. Instead of repeatedly being flung in one direction and sent back, this axe was rotating thrice as fast as the others, forcing the goblins to jump again and again to prevent their legs from being cut off.

The goblins who weren't as athletic got their bottom half chopped to pieces the first few seconds, before tripping over and having the same happen to their upper body.

Screams of pain and incomprehensible curses in the goblin language echoed throughout the Domain, firmly signifying Bigsby's control over this area.

In a matter of minutes, every single goblin had disappeared, the only thing left as a sign of them once living were the mushed up insides that littered the Domain floor.

"Whoa… you're broken." Dignitas' mouth widened in shock as he stared at the smug Bigsby.

"What, you thought I was a weak old man, kid? I can do much more than this."

"Good job, Uncle Bigsby!" Curie clapped her hands in praise.

"Heh! You can rely on your old uncle even more. No demon can stop me."

"But still… doesn't it look kinda small? No offense to you, but it does seem rather tiny for a Mana Domain." Dignitas said as he stared at the bloodied room.

It was merely the size of their classroom, and that wasn't saying much. Half of the Domain was covered in axes, leaving a rather small platform as the only safe spot. Even then, the range of the Domain didn't seem to span much.

"It's because of the stupid Lockheart pushing against the barrier! If I try to expand it more, it'll find a way to break through and seize control of my Domain. Normally, it'd be five times this size."

"Come to think of it, I've never asked you. What rank were you again?"

"A-, why? Got a problem, kid?"

"No, none. This is pretty impressive. Though I do wonder why you didn't just hand it to them barehanded."

The gap between a C- rank and an A- rank was large, one could liken it to a ant being pitted against an elephant in a fight.

"Did you want me to knock you out, kid? You move so slow and so wastefully that you wouldn't even notice it if my fist ran across your face. It was definitely better to use my Domain."

Mana Domains didn't necessarily have a rank requirement to be able to use them. As long as your dominance over the energy you used was refined and controlled, you could sustain a Domain for as long as you wanted to. Of course, the size of said Domain depended on how big the person's mana pool was, but that could be bypassed as long as one's mana was thick enough to replicate a Mana Home.

There were some stories of even C ranks managing to create Domains the size of a football field. Those were the magic-obsessed hermits who only focused on increasing their Mana stat, and chose to ignore Attack, Defense, and Agility. Even if their Mana was in the A ranks, the other three were abysmally low, dragging their average rank downwards.

"But to think a Mental Magic user's Mana Domain would appear like this. I guess much of the world's rules really don't apply to you guys."

Unlike other affinities that often followed the same laws in magic, Mental was the only one that didn't. The affinity was an enigma and an out-of-the-box type.

"...we ain't getting attacked anymore." Bigsby said to the two after a few minutes.

The castle seemed to have realized that mindlessly sending out goblins wasn't going to work. For now, it decided to relent, choosing to let the trio walk its halls unattended.

Once Bigsby realized that the castle had stopped sending out an army of grunts at them, he waited for a bit to make sure, before eventually removing his Domain.

From there, the three of them continued on their way to look for John, who they still found no trace of. It had been far too long since he released his mana that there wasn't even a single bit of his signature lingering in the vicinity.

"Knock, knock."

Dignitas banged his fist against the door rhythmically. They had somehow left the barren area they were once in and entered what seemed to be the floor where the rooms were located.

The entire hallway stretched the length of the castle with doors every ten or so meters. Each of the doors were designed elegantly, adorned with gold or some kind of carvings.

"I'll be damned if someone answers "come in." Say, should we split up? There's a whole lot of rooms, and three of us." He proposed to the two.

"Not a bad idea, kid. But I think you should take my niece with you. She won't be able to protect herself if she gets attacked." Bigsby agreed.

"I'll be fine, Uncle! I can handle myself. I want to help."

"Alright, alright!" Bigsby relented. "But the second I hear something odd, I'll be rushing. And I expect you to do the same, kid." He turned to Dignitas.

"Copy that, sir!" He joked, gesturing like a soldier.