A pitch-black void materialized around Lewis. It was an "empty" space that did not even emit light, reminiscent of the universe. They spun around as if they had a will, and began to stir like Alice's Bandersnatch.
Then, from above Lewis' head, the erosion of the void spread, just as Hatta and Haigha had carried out. Fragments of collapsed data began to pour down like flakes of snow.
"Reset…? What are you talking about…?"
"It means literally what it says. From the beginning, it was only a simulation of the Alice series or whatever the bug was called, and having the Nightmare battle against one another. I've been… observing that all along."
"…"
When Jack was speechless, Lewis smiled wickedly and kept going.
"It's not for me to interfere with. Can data really transcend human emotions and souls? Can the system create them? That's what I wish to witness."
Lewis walked slowly towards Jack, with a sense of emptiness.
"As a result, the Alice series is now complete. It is a virtual life form that has the ability to interfere beyond humans, exceeding them by leaps and bounds. Originally, it is something that cannot be created by the system."
What was happening now was nothing in comparison to what Hatta and Haigha had done. The sky and ground were disappearing one after another.
"Now that I know that it can be 'created', the purpose of my observation is served. I would like to advance to the next stage. Therefore, I have to optimize this simulation again and start over. That is what a 'reset' is all about. From the beginning, the Apocrypha virus was designed to achieve that. The demise will definitely, positively, inevitably be upon all of you."
"I'm absolutely not going to let that happen…"
Jack raised his suppressed voice.
"I'll surely capture you… You think you're a god? You're only a human!"
"God… God!"
Lewis shouted as he strode forward again. Then he extended his hands towards the sky and laughed broadly.
"Yes, I am! I am God. I am the God who created this world! I am the God who built it all! I have prepared this stage for my simulation. What I do with it is my choice!"
"You…!"
With his hands trembling with indignation, Jack readjusted his Dáinsleif to the middle position.
"Oops…" Lewis muttered to himself, then said to Jack as if he didn't care. "I'm not in the mood to deal with dust like you. Are you planning to combat me with your broken sword? Just so you know, once the data is gone, it can never be recovered. I'm only going to warn you once. Don't do it."
Jack was holding his Dáinsleif, his body shivering with rage as he clenched his teeth. Lewis passed leisurely by his side, clad in a black void.
"Gaaaahhhh!"
However, when Jack bellowed and… tried to swing his Dáinsleif at Lewis' neck, he spotted the Jabberwock pouncing on Lewis from behind, and he stopped his sword just in time.
He, too, was roaring. The Jabberwock's move was unexpected, and Lewis looked up at the lion-headed nightmare with a momentary flinch.
The Jabberwock lifted his arm and swept it down with all his might. His arm sliced through the void and cleaved Lewis' right arm at the shoulder.
The old man's scream resounded. At the next second, the vortex of the void that Lewis was clad in swung wide to the side and reaped the Jabberwock's torso. The Jabberwock, with his lower body blown off, flew in a parabolic line towards Jack, who was slammed to the ground.
"Magical Beast!"
Jack shouted, stabbing the Dáinsleif into the ground and grabbing up the Jabberwock as he slowly dissipated.
"You…"
"…"
The Jabberwock gazed up into the void, consumed by the emptiness. His mouth moved sluggishly.
"… Master Alice was… kind…"
"…"
"I was fond of… Master Alice…"
His face contorted in anguish. A single tear flowed from the lion's eye and landed in the desert.
"I wanted to heal… her…"
For a while, Jack stared in disbelief at the spot where the Jabberwock had disappeared, completely reduced to a piece of data, in his holding posture.
Lewis was clutching his shredded right arm with his left arm, gritting his teeth and yelling.
"Damn you…! You exercised the administrative authority I gave you… My arm… My arm is going to disappear…!"
His right arm faded into dust and was gone. When Jack watched Lewis, bright red blood pouring from his right shoulder, he rose to his feet. He then drew his Dáinsleif out of the ground…
Behind him, the space distorted, and he opened his mouth to the girl who had shown up.
"Let's go… Alice. Let's end this."
"Yes, Jack. I know."
Alice glared at Lewis with her blazing right eye, rainbow-colored Bandersnatch clinging to her body.
"We're leaving this nightmare you've created. All people will be freed from your control… and you will be…"
Alice raised her voice in a dignified manner.
"You will be judged in the real world for your disastrous actions!"