The shaft extended straight down for several dozen meters before curving slightly.

Without ropes or other descent equipment, the platoon had no choice but to press themselves against the rocky wall, jumping short distances and grabbing any protrusions they could find—or jamming daggers into the stone to stop their fall.At this height, even a Night Knight would be crushed to pieces if they slipped.

Climbing had never been Hielaina's strength, even with the physical enhancement provided by Type-3 potion. Fortunately, with Shatiel's help this time, she avoided the embarrassing situation that had happened back in Ripova.

Inaya, on the other hand, was practically gliding down the wall; once she returned to human form, she moved as if walking on flat ground, springing effortlessly from one foothold to another. In no time, she had pulled far ahead of the others.

"What's this?"

Inaya, first to reach the bend of the tunnel, landed lightly and came to a halt.

Even without potion enhancement like the Night Knights, her feline eyes saw clearly in the dark.

What caught her attention—and stopped her from moving closer—was a sticky, viscous fluid clinging to the tunnel wall. The stench filling the entire passage clearly originated from it.

"Something wrong?"

The rest of the platoon followed not far behind, soon landing beside her.

Edwin, at the front, stopped when he saw Inaya standing still.

"When you look at that, what comes to mind?"

"What is that?"

Following her gaze, Edwin spotted the viscous lump, bubbling faintly.

It hung from the tunnel's ceiling, half-dripping downward, the sticky texture keeping it suspended like a drop of liquid forever on the verge of falling.

"No idea. That's why I'm asking you."

"All right then…"

Edwin frowned, scratching at the stubble on his chin. After a moment of thought, he came up empty.

"If I had to say... it kinda looks like... phlegm."

"Ughh..."

Otto groaned, covering his eyes and lowering his head, unwilling to look again.

In the dim tunnel light it was hard to tell its color, but Edwin's description made it instantly more revolting.

"Well... you're not wrong. Which means this liquid probably came from some kind of living creature."

"Yeah... could be..."

Edwin nodded, thoughtful at Inaya's deduction.

"All right, let's keep moving. No point wasting time studying this thing."

Otto waved his hand dismissively, trying to banish the image from his mind. Then he reformed the marching order—partly to ensure quick response in case of danger, partly to keep his thoughts occupied.

Occasional explosions echoed faintly from ahead, urging the platoon to quicken their pace.

The tunnel gradually became smoother, the incline evening out.Compared with before, the walls now had a more defined shape, and when they looked closely, they could even see peculiar patterns etched across the surface. The viscous slime grew more abundant as they advanced, the stench thickening accordingly—but, on the bright side, this had to be the worst it could get. No matter how far they went, it couldn't possibly get smellier than this.

"Are we really sure this tunnel was made by a monster?"

"I don't want to admit it either, but it's looking more and more like it."

Their pace didn't slow at all as Edwin and Inaya resumed their conversation.

"Then where did all the displaced soil go?"

"Did you notice the markings on the tunnel wall?"

Inaya didn't answer directly, instead countering with her own question.

"I saw them, yeah. What about them?"

Edwin thought for a moment but didn't find a clear connection. Judging from Inaya's tone, though, she clearly already had an answer.

"The soil wasn't dug out—it was compressed against the edges of the tunnel, forming a solid barrier. Those markings come from the creature's body. That's also why we haven't seen any signs of collapse so far. In other words, this tunnel wasn't dug... it was squeezed into shape."

"I see..."

Edwin nodded in admiration at her precise reasoning. Even Hielaina, walking nearby, leaned closer with curiosity.

"Impressive. I didn't think you could infer that much from what you saw."

"Observation is key..."

Seeing Hielaina approach, Inaya crossed her arms and assumed a teacherly tone, as if instructing a junior—doing a far better imitation of Nordhausen's lecturing manner than she had any right to. Of course, Nordhausen's seriousness wasn't something she could fake.

"Stop!"

At the front, Otto raised his right fist, signaling everyone to halt—and soon they saw why.

A fork in the tunnel.

Two paths diverged ahead: one sloping upward, the other descending deeper. Apart from the difference in incline, they looked identical.

"Strange... I can hear sounds coming from both directions."

Nordhausen was referring to the odd, guttural roaring and the increasingly distinct noises of battle—mixed with strange clattering and scraping. The ground beneath their boots even trembled faintly.

"But the sounds from that side seem clearer."

Tilting her head, Hielaina pointed toward the lower tunnel.

From that direction came a jumble of noises—distinct yet impossible to identify—clattering and grinding, mixed with something heavy shifting around. The source couldn't have been far from their current position.

Boom—

Another explosion sounded, dull and distant, this time echoing from the upper tunnel.

"Which way do we go?"

Each passage seemed alive with its own disturbance, making it hard to decide which direction to take.

"Let's check the lower path first. It's closer—if something's wrong, we can always double back and try the other way."

"Understood."

Otto Farustein made a quick decision. The platoon immediately reformed their line and pushed onward.

As they advanced, the chaotic noises grew louder, and the vibrations beneath their boots stronger and more rhythmic.

Sure enough, after only a short walk, they emerged into a vast cavern—where, at its center, coiled an enormous body, twisting and contracting, its scales grinding and slapping against the earth with deafening force.

The tremors and that wet, slapping noise came from it.

"Holy hell… that really is a monster…"

Edwin's jaw hung slightly open, though he wasn't entirely shocked—everything they'd seen so far had led to this conclusion. If anything, he'd been through worse: like the time he'd crouched behind a makeshift barricade under a saturation bombing run. This was tame in comparison.

"This thing belongs in the Imperial Central Museum…"

Hielaina's remark came from a completely different perspective.

Otto and Nordhausen reacted too, but not with much surprise—their expressions were nowhere near as vivid as the day they'd first seen the Heidrig.

"Why are you all so calm about this…?"

Inaya looked around at the Night Knights, bewildered. Sure, it made sense that battle-hardened soldiers wouldn't flinch—but even Hielaina?

"Is there any chance we could capture this thing alive?"

"Absolutely not!"

As if to prove the point, the creature slammed its tail against the ground.

The resulting shockwave was stronger than any before—dust rained from the tunnel mouth, widening the entrance with a thunderous crack.

"What is wrong with you southerners…"

Brushing dirt from her shoulders, Inaya shot the others a look of disbelief—especially Hielaina—feeling like she was the only sane one here.

"So what now?"

If they lingered, there was a real chance the tunnel might collapse entirely. They had to decide—advance or retreat.

"The fighting up top must mean someone else's engaged it. We should check the other tunnel—but we don't know who they are."

Otto's reasoning was sound. The only ones capable of fighting such a creature were Night Knights, the Holy State of Davole's Sanctus Guard, or perhaps the Holy Church itself.

If it was friendly forces nearby, retreating wasn't an option.

According to Otto's intel, at least one company of Night Knights had been deployed behind enemy lines in this sector.

But if it was the enemy…

"We attack the monster here. Take it out first—then we'll deal with whatever's happening up above."

Otto finalized the plan quickly. That way, they could neutralize the threat without getting tangled up in someone else's battle or plunging the situation into chaos.

"Machine gunners, step forward!"

To be honest, Otto wasn't entirely sure their weapons could even harm such a thing. If it really was one of those Dark Age creatures Inaya had mentioned earlier, it might involve magic—and that was never a good sign.

Bang—bang—bang—bang—!

The familiar rhythm of 20mm autocannons thundered through the underground cavern. Flashes of muzzle fire lit the darkness in stuttering bursts, reflecting off the gunners' visored masks—cold eyes glinting behind them—and off Otto's tense face as he stood watching from behind.

"It's working!"

Edwin shouted, seeing the armor-piercing rounds punch through the monster's hide. He lifted his submachine gun and opened fire at the ruptured patch of flesh, spraying into the spurting mix of blood and shattered carapace. It seemed Otto wasn't the only one who'd been worried.

"Rrraaaahhhhhh—!"

A roar split the cavern, so loud it rattled the very air.

The creature had felt the sting in its tail. It reared back, pulling its head down from the upper tunnel to peer into the darkness below—searching for whatever had dared to wound it.

"Suppressing fire!"

All weapons roared as one. The platoon unleashed a storm of bullets at the serpent's exposed form.

Daylight spilled in from the upper tunnel, outlining the beast in stark contrast.

It was a serpent—but much larger than what Edrid had described.

Segmented armor plating covered its body like jagged steel. Its head split into five petal-like flanges, revealing rows of fangs and thin, tendril-like appendages writhing within, like some obscene parody of a flower.

"Watch out—dodge!"

The monster, battered by the storm of bullets, roared again. Then it shut its maw tight and lowered its head, using the hardest plate of armor on its skull to take the full brunt of the assault.

Steel clanged and sparks flew in all directions. The barrage struck its armored head, only to glance off harmlessly. Even the 20mm autocannons couldn't penetrate that shell. Yet the creature pressed forward with unstoppable force, charging straight ahead to crush the small pests that had dared wound it.

The best option was to scatter and avoid its path—and the Night Knights did exactly that. The monster was fast, but not so fast that they couldn't react.

Boom—

It rammed its massive head into the cave wall, shaking the ground. A rain of stones and mud crashed down, nearly burying the creature's entire front half. Before the Night Knights could capitalize on the opening, it began twisting its huge body again, preparing another strike.

"Fall back and keep your distance!"

A field commander needed a strong voice—some things never changed, not even after a thousand years of warfare on the mainland.

Otto Farustein bellowed at the top of his lungs, but even so, he couldn't be sure that Edwin—on the monster's far side—had heard him through the chaos.

He quickly glanced back to check behind him. Hielaina and Shatiel were both still there, safe and steady. With that confirmed, he waved his squad and began to pull back.

"Goddammit, this is a shitshow…"

Edwin had heard Otto's order. Leading his men, he began retreating around the creature's rear. But as they moved, both he and Otto caught sight of something—

At the base of the tunnel leading upward stood a man in a white robe, holding a long blade in one hand.

And right behind him, one by one, seven others dropped down through the opening above.

Their garb was unmistakable. Every Night Knight present recognized it instantly.

They were judgment cell—the Holy Church's execution squads.

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