The wooden floor cracked with a series of sharp pops, collapsing outward from the blade—
The Enma-Blade, which possessed the property of "separation," could effortlessly dismantle objects forcibly fused together through magecraft.
The "ground itself," modified to possess life, crumbled and fell apart, eventually forming a bottomless cavern—
It was practically a road leading straight to hell.
"So it really was hidden underground."
Natalia tried tossing her lit cigarette inside. The tiny red glow slowly vanished before their eyes.
"Okay~"
The Silver-haired Huntress wrapped an arm around Shirou's waist and leaped down.
The cavern was more than twenty meters deep.
When she sensed the ground approaching, Natalia raised one hand and slammed it against the wall, scraping at it with her nails until she slowed to a stop.
"...There's actually a place like this?"
It was an underground cavern formed naturally, not by human hands.
Feeling the cold air and the rich magical energy in the damp atmosphere, Shirou realized that this was a spiritual leyline similar to the Great Cavern.
"Hey, something's coming."
Natalia spoke in a low voice. She created a light with magecraft and began walking forward.
After they had taken only a few steps, a rotten stench reached their noses.
Even more horrifying than the smell of decaying flesh was the wet, squelching sound coming from the darkness, as if flesh were twisting together with flesh.
Then—they saw it.
If he had to compare it to something, it was a gigantic queen ant.
From its impossibly enormous ovipositor, humans were being produced continuously.
A human figure wrapped from head to toe in fluid, still wearing clothes—it was the man Shirou had killed the previous night.
"This guy is from the hotel..."
"Yeah, I've seen that face too."
The man brushed the fluid away with his hands,