Inside Naraku (Hell) is infinity.
It is an endless pit.
Objects swallowed here will fall forever, never reaching an end, continuously falling until they lose consciousness and even life.
Naoki, who was swallowed by the Cursed Worm, was in such a condition.
However, he did not remain unable to stand.
*THUD!*
Drawing Mana from himself, he formed ground beneath his feet and stomped on it.
After experiencing a fall for several tens of seconds, Naoki stood firmly once again in the empty darkness.
And the person who was swallowed into Naraku along with him also stood before him.
"I can't take it anymore..."
Vortigern, dragged by the swarm of insects, stared at the man she had wanted to kill for six thousand years.
"Defeating me in ten minutes? Is your head full of Aurora or what? You should know very well the difference in strength between us. There might indeed be someone in this world who can defeat me, but that person is clearly not you, Holy Sword Bearer."
"Your Holy Sword, your Magecraft, none of it works against me. And the Imaginary Manifestation you wield as a fairy is now completely sealed, because this is inside the Cursed Worm, not a World you can alter and create as you please."
"And of course, you also cannot receive any support from the planet. This place cannot connect to the outside world. All you can use is your own Mana, without any means to recharge. Once your Mana is depleted, you're truly done."
Vortigern sneered.
"Oh, slip of the tongue. It should be said you're done the moment you were swallowed by the Cursed Worm. You can't possibly escape from here. This place is infinite. You lost the exit and entrance when you fell. You will never be able to leave this place."
"What a pity, truly a pity. At the last moment, you sent all your lovers out to delay their deaths, and you yourself wanted to stay and be the hero. But in reality, you're just a loser who can't do anything. And even so, they will soon come to keep you company. Keep you company as you fall forever in this infinite Naraku—"
*BAM!*
Naoki stomped the Mana-formed ground beneath his feet, forcibly interrupting Vortigern's speech and mockery filled with strong personal emotions.
"So noisy."
A low voice sounded in Vortigern's ear.
Standing tall facing her, Naoki waved his hand: "You talk so much, are you lonely from not speaking to anyone for six thousand years? Little girl."
"Hah?"
"Besides, everything you said is nonsense. I don't understand if you're rambling or if there's something wrong with your head. You've pushed me this far, why does everything you say sound like words that would only be spoken by someone who knows nothing about me at all? It shouldn't be my ears that misheard."
Naoki said while digging in his ear.
(This person... crazy?)
Vortigern looked at Naoki, who showed no trace of nervousness, with slight confusion. She had explained the situation so clearly, she had helped him piece together so clearly the difficulties he faced. By common sense, shouldn't he feel despair?
Despair from not being able to escape from here, despair from not being able to defeat him, despair from all hopes of two thousand four hundred years being shattered...
Naoki should be in despair.
But why did he look like this now? Far from despair, he instead appeared extremely confident of victory.
Where did he get that confidence from? Or was he actually just bluffing? When in reality he was very panicked?
"First, I will correct your mistake, or rather, reveal the truth. In everything you said earlier, no matter what it was, it was all very wrong."
(Am I wrong?)
"You said my Holy Sword doesn't work against you, and Mana doesn't work against you—this is actually not true. It's not that it doesn't work against you, this isn't a ability granted to you by the Holy Grail, but rather an enhancement done to you by the Holy Grail."
"An enhancement to your swallowing ability."
Swallowing.
Because Vortigern is the Cursed Worm, she must possess this ability. And Vortigern's swallowing ability, which was originally strong enough to swallow all the light of the Holy Sword, after being enhanced by the Holy Grail, could even swallow the combined attack from the Holy Swords of Naoki, Arthur, and Artoria.
This was something known since the Sixth Singularity.
The essence of the Holy Sword immunization ability is this. Vortigern only swallows all attacks originating from the Holy Sword. The same applies to resistance to Mana. The Holy Grail performed secondary enhancement on her swallowing ability, specializing in swallowing Mana.
Of course, the erosion power was the same.
"As long as it's not true inability, then it's no problem. For Vortigern, the light of the Holy Sword is both food and poison. As long as I successfully slash your core, you will still receive a fatal wound."
Vortigern frowned, then laughed uncontrollably: "Hahahaha... What did I think you would say? With the weak Mana and light you have now, you want to feed me until I'm full? That's not even enough to get stuck in my teeth."
"Maybe. But everything must be tried. If that doesn't work—then I will kill you with these two fists and two feet. I hope you haven't forgotten, like Arcueid, I am an Elemental Spirit. In terms of physical fitness, she and I are always equal."
Naoki said while manifesting the Holy Sword in his hand.
"Then... regarding your statement that I cannot leave this place, that is also a mistaken view. Perhaps right now I indeed cannot leave, even if I kill you, it's the same, but that doesn't mean no one will pull me out. Do you think I sent them away just to protect them?"
Vortigern: "You believe they will come to save you? With their strength, they want to fight the Cursed Worm? Or... you truly still place hope on Albion?"
The roar of the Albion Dragon could tear the body of the Cursed Worm, opening an exit at a definite distance in infinite space.
But to do that, Melusine must regain her original form as the Albion Dragon, changing from that child form back to the Boundary Dragon floating in the sky—and after that, she might not be able to return to her original form.
"Who knows? At least in my opinion, there are several others besides Melusine who can tear that insect body."
Naoki smiled.
"I believe they will break through the shell of the Cursed Worm, so I won't worry about what's happening outside. Right now, there's only one thought in my mind, which is to defeat and annihilate you."
The Holy Sword pointed at the Demonic Dragon's body.
"Let's end it, Vortigern!"
"The six thousand years you waited, the two thousand four hundred years I waited, today is the time to end it—once and for all."