The wielded Dáinsleif slashed the air in half and rushed for Lewis' neck. Without even looking in that direction, Lewis lightly raised his arm and extended his finger. With a piercing metallic sound, the Dáinsleif ceased.
With his index finger lightly extended, the slash that would sever everything had been stopped.
The wall behind Lewis, which didn't seem to be exerting any force, was ripped open a few hundred meters away with a bursting noise. While destroying the water pipes and electrical pipes, Alice's full force slash blasted away and vanished.
The air rumbled with a hissing sound.
With a twisted smile plastered across his face like a creepy doll, Lewis flicked his fingertip at the Dáinsleif. The large sword, which had halted right before his neck, swayed as if it had been blown away by some mighty power. And then, from the middle to the tip, it went bang! The fragments of data… burst into a spray like sand.
Even the Bandersnatch, which was grasping the Dáinsleif, was partially flung away as a fragment of data. Lewis joyfully eyed the Dáinsleif as it spun through the air and tumbled to the ground, then returned his attention to Alice.
"What's up? Are you done? Let's play some more, Alice…"
"…"
Alice's face remained expressionless even as the Dáinsleif was destroyed. Her mouth was dripping with red blood. And that wasn't "her" stuff. With a fleshy sound, Alice swallowed "that" in her mouth. Then, amidst the distorted Bandersnatch, she opened her mouth to Lewis.
"… I can't 'kill' you because you have the administrative authority. I understand that."
"Oh, so rationality remains in you huh…" Lewis said with astonishment, and came to a halt, seemingly a little distracted. "Then Alice. You know what you ought to do, don't you?"
"…"
"Come with me. Let me examine you. I don't want to damage the beautiful crystal.. the 'mass of hatred' that you are."
"…"
"You understand that you're no match for me, right? Then be a good girl and do as I say."
With a sickening grin, Lewis extended his hand to Alice.
"Come on."
"…"
Alice looked at him with a blood-soaked impassive expression but then gave a small laugh. Seeing this, Lewis asked curiously.
"Did I say something… funny?"
"It's so ludicrous… and pathetic and miserable…"
"…"
"I thought you were joking."
Lewis paused briefly, then drew a small breath and shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat. Then he said to Alice. "Why would I joke about that?"
"Why? I'd like to know that myself."
With that, Alice took a step towards Lewis. The distorted Bandersnatch swelled up and proceeded to carve away at the "space" around it.
"Why did you think it would be so easy for me to go and 'kill' you? How can you be so blinded by your own 'greed'? I just laughed because it was amusing."
Lewis was watching Alice with a scowl on his face when she said that as if she was making fun of him, but the moment he looked deep into her eyes, he suddenly paled in disbelief.
"… What are you doing!"
Before he realized it, Jack was standing in front of the access point door. In his hands was Raffi, who had been bisected from the torso.
"Stop! I asked you what the hell are you doing!"
Alice let out an exclamatory laugh as if she was sincerely amused when she watched Lewis shouting at them, his expression shifting. It was such a laugh that Lewis involuntarily swallowed his words and stiffened. It was wicked and dark. It was an acrimonious laugh, clogged with resentment.
Without looking back, Jack thrust Raffi's corpse against the access point. The carcass of the severed cat glowed white and disappeared as if it were being sucked into the access point.
"Stoppppp!"
Lewis was about to run out and… Alice, who had been laughing maniacally, all at once reverted to a blank expression and waved her arm. The swollen Bandersnatch caught Lewis, who was delayed in responding, and sent him blasting backwards. He was slammed against the wall and quickly rose up from the crumbling rubble.
Instantly, Raffi's body was absorbed into the access point and disappeared.
His face went pale, and Lewis was left standing there. Then he looked at the twisted Bandersnatch and Alice, who were swaying to defend the access point. Alice saw his stunned face and burst out laughing, her mouth gaping open.
"Oh dear…?"
"…"
"Are you sure you don't want to flee? Charlot Marvel. You are a virus, 'something that shouldn't exist in this world'. It's coming. From 'outside'. A vaccine to kill you."
"… You dust…!" Gritting his teeth harshly, Lewis called out in a constricted voice. "… Despite being just a piece of data…! You're not even a human being…! You're a failure, a foreign object…! And you threaten me, the creator of this world! You dare to mock me! Alice!"
"…"
Alice snorted at the bellowing old man, regarding him blankly as if she were observing dust.
"Suffer and die at your worst."
Lewis clenched his right hand as he was slammed with the straightforward words. His hand was trembling with blubbering, bursting wrath.
"… The price for this is high…" Lewis said in a stifled voice and backed away into the darkness behind him. His body began to distort like a mirage. "I will definitely obtain you, Alice. Sweet Alice… you're mine… absolutely… absolutely!"
With a scream, Lewis' figure disappeared.