There was "something". In the midst of the shock brought on by Durandal, Jack shuddered at the presence of "that" from the bottom of his heart.
That fear was not based on emotion or rationality. It was as a living thing; it was the survival instinct of a biological being that instantly screamed out.
It was close to the fear of impending death. The fear was such that he momentarily forgot about the shock he had experienced from Durandal.
What is it?
There's something there…
From behind, there's a presence.
Jack's eyes widened behind his helmet and he went stiff on the spot. The Unicorn's head was blasted off and his body melted. Then it moved like clay and was sucked into the shadows at the feet of the Unicorn, which stood at a distance from the "something" that had abruptly surfaced from behind as if to shield Jack.
The Unicorn was also stiffening, clutching the Durandal in his hand which he had withdrawn from Jack upon his movement. His eyes were wide open and he was trembling.
Both Jack and the Unicorn.
An overwhelming terror that forced them to forget that they were even in combat.
Yes.
"Fear"
The very thing that stood there.
Alice…? Is that Alice…?
Even after being released from Durandal's spell, Jack was unable to move. That was to the point of how messed up and distorted "that" was. It had distorted everything to the degree that the existence was unrecognizable.
The air; the walls; the floor; even the space. Everything creaked and twisted, distorted and melted. All of it turned into black, dirty mud and fell.
But there was something in that distortion. Yet, Jack could not immediately register that it was Alice.
The thing there was so evil, so dark, and so "horrifying".
"What… is that…? What's… that thing…?
The Unicorn was astonished to realize, after being stunned for a while, that his hand holding the Durandal was shaking. He couldn't understand what state he was in right now.
He was "terrified". With a step or two, the unicorn retreated.
"I am… I am feeling afraid…?"
The Unicorn muttered in a trembling voice, and with a face covered in greasy sweat, he called out.
"What the hell are you! What the bloody hell! Don't come here! Don't you dare come over here!"
With Durandal at the ready, the Unicorn struck it with all his might. The blade, a mass of deadly energy, extended and passed through Jack's side, striking the "distortion".
It was at the moment when he thought that thing… had been impaled, the distortion reached out and unceremoniously seized Durandal.
"Na…"
The Unicorn raised his voice in a tight tone. Within a beat later, the outstretched long sword exploded into pieces, like shattering glasswork. The glittering fragments of its "data" burst into the air, disappearing before they even landed on the ground.
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
The Unicorn screamed out, suppressing his right hand with his left arm. His right hand, which had been grasping Durandal, was shattered along with his wrist. Black blood started to flow from the wound.
The "distortion" advanced forward. The space around it warped with a sickening noise. Then gradually, it was reduced to fragments of data, and the walls and floor were scraped away and disappeared.
That was when Jack finally realized it.
It was Alice.
A mass of loathing so bloated that it covered the entire space. She was clad in the Bandersnatch that had swollen to the level of terrorizing the Nightmare.
Is she conscious or not?
Alice reached for the Unicorn, her left eye glowing pale and bright in her distorted Bandersnatch.
The "distortion" moved at an uncanny speed and clutched the Unicorn's body, which failed to react.
"Gi… noooooooooo!"
The Nightmare's figure was bent as if crushed by a heavy machine. Then he was compressed into a revolving black "ball" while gushing fresh black blood in the air.
Soon, the screams became less and less audible, and the Unicorn "disappeared". He became dust and dispersed into the air as data trash.
"…"
Alice stepped in front of the dumbfounded Jack, along with another distorted Bandersnatch.
"D-Don't come closer…!"
A little farther down the aisle stood the unicorn that was supposed to have been killed earlier. His right leg was missing, and black blood was dripping from it as well as from his right wrist.
The Nightmare was evidently terrified. Leaning against the wall, he plunged his hand into the shadowy sludge at his feet. Then he snatched a figure from inside.
It was Iberis, who was dragged out of the sludge. She was completely weak, possibly unconscious.
Has she been kidnapped as a hostage?
Jack grew pale at the sight of it.
Perhaps the Nightmare called Unicorn, his Seventh could "split" himself. There would be no end to killing him. It would be a horrific ability.
However, the distorted Alice's attack had apparently penetrated it. Looking at Iberis, the distorted Alice halted in her tracks.
"If you take one more step from there, I will snap this woman's neck! This is a warning!"
The Unicorn grabbed Iberis by the neck and held it up in front of her. Alice slowly opened her mouth as the space continued to crumple, producing strange sounds.
"That is under the case you can do it…"
It was an unexpectedly quiet voice that rose from the distortion. But it was an inexplicably empty, despairing, pitch-black, low voice.
"I'll kill you at that moment."
Alice told him straightforwardly.