"Lady Iberis!"
The priestesses raised their voices in unison. Fragments of the wall scattered in pieces, and a cloud of smoke blanketed the surroundings. The White Knight swept the dust from his armor with his hand and turned around to face the direction in which Iberis had been thrust.
The following moment, Iberis' Bandersnatch, which had transformed into myriad fragments from the smoke, shot forth, cutting through the air with a screeching metallic sound. Those pierced the White Knight's head, arms, and torso… his entire body, and after a beat, he roared and erupted in flames.
Iberis, with a thin, rainbow-colored mist clinging to her body, pulled herself off the shattered wall and alighted on the ground. A corner of the auditorium was ablaze.
The dismembered body of the White Knight was dispersed. She remained stationary though, glancing around at the White Knight's armor lying in a puddle of black liquid.
"… I don't think he'll die from this much, but…"
When Iberis muttered quietly, the White Knight's armor began to boil with a sizzling sound, and he began to submerge into a pool of black liquid.
"That's right. I will not die from this."
When a silent voice was spoken from behind, Iberis hurriedly turned her head and was struck in the cheek by the massive White Knight's fist that sliced across the wind. The Bandersnatch that was thinly clad was shattered, and Iberis was sent flying with a screech.
Iberis was hurled to the ground and struggled to rise, coughing up blood, presumably from a cut in her mouth, but the White Knight lifted his sword in an inorganic motion and then swung it down. The Bandersnatch on both of her legs was severed at the thighs and poof! It was like glass shattering.
The White Knight approached Iberis, whose… head was wavering as if the shock of the beating was still lingering, and raised his fist again, striking her again on the cheek. The petite girl was knocked down by the overwhelming violence and collapsed as if flung to the ground. Grasping Iberis by her hair and causing her nose to bleed incessantly, the White Knight brought his double-edged sword to her arm.
"It's troublesome to resist… I'm going to remove both of your arms, too."
Iberis, however, smiled through her bloodied face when she listened to the heartless words…
"Night… mare, you are… truly… stupid…"
"…"
"Finish it!"
At the sound of Iberis's voice, the severed legs of the fluctuation expanded like an amoeba. Then Iberis enveloped the White Knight's body in a spherical shape. The sphere began to compress into a small ball as it strained internally.
"Shall I crush you as well…?"
Iberis laughed, her mouth hanging open like it was ready to burst apart. The White Knight let out a stifled voice as he clutched at her hair, unable to move.
"You're the first one to be crushed."
"So be it," Iberis remarked with a slight chuckle.
But the White Knight snorted lightly before looking at the Bandersnatch that surrounded him flawlessly and said. "That's troubling…"
His fingertips twitched and the double-edged sword swung to the side. A weird sound traveled through the surroundings. It was a strange sound as if he had "slashed" the void rather than the air.
"Dáinsleif cuts through everything."
The Bandersnatch encircling the White Knight and Iberis slipped out of place. The fluctuation, slashed from the center with a sharp cutting surface like an orange being sliced in a circle, emitted a screech-like cry and broke into pieces.
"… Ugh..!"
Iberis's groaned as her hospital gown… and her chest slit open and red blood poured out.
"Oops…" The White Knight mumbled and seized both of Iberis' arms, dangling her skinny body in the air as if he were gripping a dried fish. He then pierced the ground with his Dáinsleif, drew a bottle of liquor from his pocket, and began to collect the drops of blood that flowed down with it. The wound on her chest seemed to be quite deep, and Iberis was gasping roughly, spitting out blood in agony.
"Your blood is too precious to let you die yet. I will offer it to my queen."
"…"
"My order is to bring Alice before the Queen. If you do not put up any more resistance, I have no intention of inflicting any more damage to this 'den'."
When the bottle was full, the White Knight tightened the lid with one hand and tucked it into his pocket.
"Gu… u…" Moaning, Iberis slid her gaze to the side. The shattered pieces of Bandersnatch begin to vibrate with a rattling sound…
Without pausing, the White Knight mercilessly unleashed a fist that was sucked into her stomach. With a gulp of blood, the small girl weakened as she was left hanging. There, all of her shattered Bandersnatch dissipated into light, into the air.
"You're giving me a hard time…"
He said vexingly, and the White Knight glanced around in silence. Then he ceased his movements suspiciously.
"… This smell is…"
The back of his eyes glowed red.
"… Is there still another one here, another Alice?"
◇
"No way… Lady Iberis is…" Philrain, who said this over the communication terminal, continued in a shaky voice. "I understand… We're escaping through the back."
"What! That girl's down!" Jack, on crutches and carrying Alice's small body, spoke up.
Philrain gritted her teeth and turned around to address him. "… Now, we have to protect Master Alice…"
"Run. The White Knight has discovered us." Raffi raised his voice at her feet.
Philrain clicked her tongue and withdrew her hand from Jack's. "There's no time to speak. The enemy has discovered Master Alice!"
"What did you say…?" Jack, who had turned pale, began to run, his crutches clacking. "Where are we supposed to flee to?"
"The room of the bishop is where we can exit. Once we reach the train, we can…"