[You have entered the 40th floor]
The notification rang out as Shirou stepped out of the portal.
The chamber on the 40th floor wasn't like any of the floors he'd seen before. Twisted trees stretched upward along jagged stone walls, their bark glowing faintly with a sickly green hue. Roots pulsed underfoot, and the air felt thick—suffocating, almost like a swamp. The forest canopy above blocked out even the faintest artificial light. Instead, it was the mana in the air that kept the area dimly illuminated.
Huge trees of irregular shapes surrounded him from all sides, like silent sentinels watching a trial about to begin.
[Defeat the boss: Verdamortis]
In the centre stood a massive humanoid creature, nearly twice Shirou's height. Its body was made entirely of writhing roots, layered bark, and pulsing green veins that shone like something alive beneath its skin. Its face wasn't a face at all—just a bark mask with two glowing, hollow eyes.
Above its head, a line floated:
[Verdamortis – Level 80]
Shirou stepped forward as the portal behind him sealed shut. His clothes were torn, parts of his shirt soaked in dried blood. His body was covered in bruises, though his wounds had mostly closed after reaching Level 75. Still, pain lingered. His muscles ached. But his expression was hollow. No rage, no fear. Just silence.
The creature tilted its head in response.
Without warning, thick roots burst from the ground, shooting straight toward him like jagged spears.
Shirou reacted instantly. His hand reached behind, gripping the hilt of Ashbringer. In a single motion, the blade came alive with crimson flames as he slashed forward.
"So you're the boss," he muttered, voice low.
He jumped back as the roots crashed into the spot where he'd been standing, sending dirt and bark flying. The heat from his sword singed the tip of one root.
"Level 80… That's three above me," Shirou muttered under his breath, his tone almost mocking, though his body stayed on alert.
He surged forward, lightning crackling at his feet.
"Ashbringer—Inferno Surge!"
Flames erupted from his sword and rushed forward in a vortex, catching the roots mid-swing. The attack seared through the front line of roots, forcing Verdamortis to raise an arm to shield itself.
But just as Shirou closed the distance between them, the creature released a strange hiss, and from its bark-covered chest, spores burst out into the air.
A thick cloud of green dust flooded the area around Shirou. His vision blurred. His body staggered.
His mind dulled.
"Wha—? My senses… Damn it—"
He tried to react, but it was already too late. A large arm, thick with gnarled roots, swung and slammed into his side, sending him flying. His body crashed against the trunk of a thick tree. Bark cracked beneath the impact.
Blood trickled from his mouth as he slid down to his knees.
"Spore cloud," Shirou muttered, wiping the blood off his lip. "It messes with perception…"
Verdamortis wasn't giving him time to think. More spores spread across the field, a thick fog that made it hard to breathe or see.
Shirou raised his sword again, his grip steady despite the haze in his head.
"Ashbringer—Phoenix Burst!"
A wave of searing flames exploded from his blade, roaring outward. The spores ignited on contact, burning into nothingness and clearing the mist in front of him.
As the smoke cleared, Verdamortis's body remained largely intact—but Shirou could see it. The section where his flames had landed was slightly blackened.
"Weak against fire," he said. "That's enough for me."
Shirou rushed forward again. The monster raised its thick arms. More roots shot from its hands whipping toward him. He sidestepped, ducked under one, and rolled to avoid another.
"Ashbringer—Flame Edge!"
The blade erupted in dark crimson flames as it tore through a massive root, carving a deep gash into the creature's left abdomen. But almost immediately, the wound began to mend—new roots writhing out from within, twisting and knitting together until not even a scar remained.
"What the hell—Regeneration?"
The creature's torso bulged and shifted. Roots coiled into a second massive fist and came crashing down toward him.
Shirou rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the blow. The ground shook under the impact.
"Well then, I'll just have to make a bigger cut," Shirou muttered, dashing forward.
He slipped past the massive fist swinging toward him and delivered a sharp slash to the creature's wrist. The severed hand hadn't even hit the ground before a flurry of vines lashed out in retaliation. Shirou leapt back, eyes narrowing as he watched a new hand begin to form from the tangled mass.
"It's slower than before," he muttered, "but not slow enough."
"Inferno Surge!" he roared, unleashing another wave of flame.
But this time, Verdamortis summoned a wall of roots from its hand. The flames struck the barrier and burned through the outer layer—but didn't reach the main body.
Shirou clenched his jaw. "Not enough."
Even Inferno Surge couldn't penetrate deep enough.
"I need Flame Edge. But unless I find a weak spot, this will go nowhere."
Roots continued chasing him. He ducked, flipped, and swung his blade as he ran in wide circles around the battlefield.
Then something caught his eye.
The severed hand.
Still on the ground. Still not absorbed or pulled back.
And beneath it… no glowing veins.
Shirou's eyes narrowed.
"Maybe" he whispered.
"Mana Detection."
His vision blurred for a second before realigning. The forest around him lit up faintly in his perception—traces of mana in everything. But in Verdamortis… something was off.
Normally, when using mana detection, Shirou could only make out the mana core as a vague, shifting presence—an indistinct concentration of energy, usually near the heart where most mana gathered. It lacked any definite shape, which was why no one could truly destroy it; it was simply a dense accumulation of energy within the body.
But Verdamortis was different.
Its mana core burned brighter than anything Shirou had ever seen—and more importantly, it had form. A solid, spherical shape nestled deep within its chest, almost like an actual organ rather than raw energy.
"Phoenix Burst!" A wave of crimson flowed towards Verdamortis. As the fire faded, Shirou was already mid-dash, blade igniting once more.
"Flame Edge!"
Shirou aimed straight for the glowing point in the monster's chest. His blade tore through bark and muscle, driving deep—
—but just as it neared the core, it shifted sharply to the left.
The strike missed.
"What? The core moved?!"
Gritting his teeth, Shirou adjusted mid-swing, twisting his blade into a horizontal slash. But the core slid downward, retreating toward the abdomen.
Before he could follow through, thick roots burst forth, coiling tightly around his sword. Flames surged from the blade, burning through the first layer—
—but more vines followed, wrapping even tighter.
"Damn it," Shirou growled. "It's protecting the core…"
Then more roots burst from the monster's chest, aiming straight for Shirou's heart.
He abandoned the blade, letting it vanish in red sparks as he leapt back.
As he landed, he summoned Ashbringer once again, the hilt forming in his hand.
"He can move his core at will… and I can't keep using Mana Detection too long—it drains mana fast."
He glanced at his stats.
"Already under half…"
Verdamortis stood tall again. Calm. Waiting.
Its roots rippled with quiet fury, pulsing in and out of its skin like the steady beat of a heart.
Shirou wiped blood from his cheek and lowered into a stance again.
"This won't be easy."