[Third POV]
Perugius strode forward with steadfast determination, accompanied by two companions, and opened his mouth to begin chanting.
"This dragon lives only to serve. His claws are so long and sharp that he can never clench his hand..."
As he chanted, the Red Queen felt something was wrong. The mana started to gather around the silver-haired man, catching her attention. Instinctively, she raised her magic staff and—
O̵̝͠F̴͚́͝F̴͇͑̏ ̷̙̿̽Ẁ̴͖͖̔I̷͕͐̃T̷̄ͅH̶̟̾́ ̸̻̽H̵͚͈̃Ỉ̷̩̹́S̶̡̈́̐ ̵̖͖͛̓H̴̨͓͝Ẽ̸̼͑Ạ̵̊D̸̠̓͠
—scream aggressively, prompting her army to attack him.
The knights, bishops, rooks, and pawns, although broken, advanced in their own way.
Seeing this, Trophimus and Gal placed themselves in front of Perugius and started chanting their spells before aiming at the charging enemies.
"—Icicle Break!"
"—Stone Cannon!"
Shards of ice and stone were launched forward, repelling and staggering the chess pieces.
"When rage consumes him, he cannot close his fist." Despite the chaos, Perugius persisted in his chant without interruption. "Although his claws may break, and his fangs fall out, you shall realize what emotion consumes this faithful dragon as he abandons his devotion!"
THUD!
The ground shook violently as the Black King stepped over squares with heavy authority and raised his massive sword above his head.
"Oh no, the king is about to attack again!" Alice exclaimed nervously.
Trophimus and Gal heard the warning and shifted their focus towards the Black King, hurling water and earth spells to slow him down. However, the barrage had no effect, and he swung his sword down.
"Perugius, look out!"
CLANG!
At the last moment, the king's strike was intercepted by a disheveled Mat Hatter, parrying his sword despite the injuries. He then delayed the king's attention by repeatedly hitting his legs, causing the monster to lose focus and target him instead.
With the opportunity at hand, Perugius recited the rest of the incantation. "O dragon general, thou who was the third to die, whose eyes were the sharpest, whose body was covered with scales—I, Armored Dragon King Perugius, summon thee."
As those words left his mouth, two gates emerged from the ground. Both were adorned with intricately sculpted dragons, their details making them quite decorated. One was silver, while the other was gold.
S̶͙̠͘C̴͔̈̿R̶͉͇̄́͝E̴̳͌E̵̦̭͑E̷̼͚̼͊͝Ê̴͚̟̐Ė̶̼Ẹ̸͂̇É̵̺͊Ę̸̔́Ë̷̱̈́!̴͉̩̦̉͝!̵̨̤̮͊͝
Just then, the Red Queen let out a piercing scream as she completed her spell and aimed her magic staff at Perugius.
M̸O̵N̷A̷R̶C̷H̷ F̷L̶A̸M̷E̶T̴H̷R̶O̶W̴E̴R̴!!
A tremendous beam of crimson flame rushed forward, the heat threatening to burn everyone alive. Seeing that, Perugius uttered the final line of his incantation.
"Open, [Rear Wyrmgate]. Beckon forth, [Front Wyrmgate]."
As he commanded, the gates burst open, intercepting the impending inferno. Yet, instead of merely deflecting the magic, they absorbed it, hungrily consuming the flames.
"Whoa," Alice reacted in disbelief. "What's happening?"
"Lord Perugius summoned those Wyrmgates to siphon mana from attacks," Sylvaril explained calmly. "These should drain the Red Queen's power soon."
Ġ̸̡̳̦̗̫̎̔̂̀Y̶̡̘͓̟̓́̆̈́͝A̴̗̪̾̀̊̀͘Ą̸̛̂̓Ä̴͉̝͕̭̗́̿̅A̷̢̩̤͖̟͆̅A̴̡̟͂̏̏͠͠A̴͓̓̊Ả̷͍͙͈͂́̚͝A̸͉͙̳̎͒́͋͝Ḫ̶̡̳̏̊̋͊̅H̵̤̳͈̒͑̀H̴̨͙̜̦͊!̴̠̏̋͐̀!̸̰͝
The queen screamed in agony as her strength slowly weakened. This caught the Black King's attention, giving the Hatter a chance to smack him with his cane.
"Eyes on me, rustbucket!" he remarked smugly, continuing his attack on the monster. "I'm not done playing with—Urgh?!"
However, the king blocked his attacks and struck him aside with a crushing blow of his sword before marching towards Perugius.
Noticing the advance, Trophimus and Gal intensified their magic to slow down the king.
"Ice Fortress!"
"Earth Wall!"
They erected walls of ice and stone, thinking they could stop the Black King.
THUD!!
But their efforts were futile as the king smashed through without struggle. As he approached Perugius, the Wyrm Gates started siphoning his mana, but he pressed onward and raised his sword, preparing to strike.
"Look out, Perugius!" Alice shouted. "It's not worth it!"
"My lord, please pull back!" Sylvaril chimed in, noticing something was wrong.
The silver-haired man didn't back away and kept draining the queen and king. Ultimately, the king swung his blade downward.
"Lord Perugius!!"
------------------------------------------------------
KABOOM!!
Suddenly, a massive explosion struck the king mid-swing, causing his strike to miss Perugius by an inch. Sylvaril was stunned and turned to Alice, who met her gaze with equal confusion.
"That wasn't me," she proclaimed, hiding the red-covered book.
Sylvaril returned her attention to the battlefield and noticed the king looking up. Following his gaze, she spotted several small spheres being hurled in his direction.
BOOM! BOOM! KABOOM!
Before the king could react, another chain of explosions struck him, staggering the enormous figure further.
"Where are those attacks coming from?" Alice pondered, searching for the source.
She soon caught sight of a shadowy figure standing on a pillar, readying to throw something.
"Cheshire, catch!"
A muffled voice called out as a glossy object flew towards her.
The Cheshire Cat flew forward and caught it with ease before delivering it to Alice.
"Special delivery," the cat remarked playfully.
Receiving the object, Alice discovered it was a small bottle filled with blue liquid and a tightly rolled piece of paper.
"What the heck is this?" she asked, opening the paper before reading its contents. "Drink this potion to restore mana, and read page twenty of the magic grimoire."
"Page twenty... wait, stop," the White Rabbit urged, stopping Alice from opening the book.
Alice raised an eyebrow, looking confused. "What's wrong?"
"Don't read its incantation," the rabbit pleaded. "It will take away your sanity."
Hearing the warning, Alice was conflicted. She wanted to know what the page contained, but she was also concerned about the consequences of chanting the incantation.
"For crying out loud," the Cheshire Cat groaned in irritation. "There's no time for hesitations."
"I know that," the White Rabbit retorted. "But we shouldn't compromise her safety."
"She'll be fine," the cat argued. "Have faith in our master's decisions for this woman."
Listening to their conversation, Alice gathered the courage to open the book and flip through the pages. Just then, a hand seized her wrist and stopped her from proceeding. She glanced to her side, seeing Elinalise with fear evident in her eyes.
"It's alright," she reassured gently. "He said I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Elinalise pressed nervously.
Alice nodded gently. "Yes, I'm sure."
Elinalise hesitated momentarily before she reluctantly released her grip.
With her hands free, Alice flipped to the designated page, opened the bottle, and sipped the liquid before starting to chant the incantation.
"Once upon a time, in a land far away, down the rabbit hole, where lost stories stay. A young girl wandered the depths of fantasy, only to stumble upon a world of misery."
As Alice chanted, the Cheshire Cat realized what was happening and turned to Perugius.
"Hey, Dragon King!" he shouted, prompting the silver-haired man to look in his direction. "Tell your lackies to take cover."
Perugius frowned, clearly skeptical of the critter's sudden command. However, when he saw Alice chanting, he turned toward his two familiars.
"Trophimus, Gal, grab Almanfi and Furiousful, then regroup."
"?!"
The two familiars were surprised by their leader's order.
"But my lord, what about you?"
"I'll catch up soon. Now go."
Trophimus and Gal nodded and hastened to the sides, rescuing the unconscious allies before retreating to the group.
Meanwhile, Alice continued the incantation, her voice steady and firm.
"From the hall of mirrors to the shifting spaces, pass the mushroom grove and winding hedge mazes. There stalked monsters of blight and imitated voices. A deck of cards was shuffled to challenge the strongest pieces."
As the chant persisted, the White Rabbit turned to the group and said, "We should stay away from her to avoid getting caught in the spell."
"I understand," Sylvaril complied, nodding before looking back. "Everyone, retreat."
At her command, all of the familiars immediately distanced themselves from Alice.
Everyone moved away except for Elinalise, who found herself unable to leave her side.
Sylvaril saw this and placed a hand on the elf's shoulder.
"We need to go now," she urged gently, meeting Elinalise's worried gaze. "She'll be fine."
For a moment, Elinalise hesitated. Then she reluctantly stepped away and joined the others as they withdrew towards the stairwell leading to the second floor.
"My lord, you can pull back now."
Hearing Sylvaril's call, Perugius dismissed his wyrmgates and turned to rejoin the group.
Meanwhile, somewhere within the battlefield, the Mad Hatter slowly regained consciousness and took in the situation around him.
"Off with her head cried the evil queen, commanding her people to cut her clean. But the girl didn't wish to die, running away until she cried. Fear and hatred tainted her heart, tearing her fragile mind apart. Until vengeance blooms sharp as thorn, and a ruler of chaos will be born."
The moment the Hatter noticed Alice chanting, he instantly bolted away from the battlefield, knowing exactly what was about to happen.
Shortly after, a dome-shaped barrier began to materialize, slowly enclosing the entire board.
"What's with the barrier?" Perugius asked curiously.
The Cheshire cat chuckled impishly. "To contain what's about to happen."
With the Wyrmgate gone, the Red Queen gradually regained her power. It didn't take her long to notice Alice nearing the end of the incantation.
"Destroy them all. Let every fragment disintegrate into nothingness."
The queen sensed something terribly wrong and pointed her magic staff toward the elf.
O̸͇̽F̸̧͝F̴͎͝ ̶̞̑Ẃ̶̳Į̷͑Ṫ̶̤Ḧ̸̗́ ̴̧̄Ḣ̵̙E̴̖͠Ṛ̴̈ ̵͖̌H̴̥̄Ë̶͈A̸͎̍D̸̅ͅ!̵͚̓!̷͉̌
At her command, all the fallen chess pieces rose once more and charged towards Alice.
Seeing their hostility, she uttered the final line of the incantation with unwavering resolve.
"And welcome their wretched souls... to the [Wonderland of Madness]."
-------------------------------------------
Upon uttering the name of the spell, a colorful current swirled around Alice. She and the red-colored book slowly rose into the air as the ground within the barrier swerved into a spiraling vortex leading into a dark, boundless void. The black-and-white tiles around the hole warped and blended into a hypnotic pattern that seemed to pulse with an unnatural rhythm.
Meanwhile, the group outside the barrier was surprised by the bizarre scene.
"What's happening with the ground?" Sylvaril questioned, her gaze fixated on the vortex.
The Cheshire Cat laughed ominously. "It seems the spell was affecting the environment."
"Oh no, they're coming!" Elinalise exclaimed as she noticed the monsters charging in.
But as the rushing chess pieces approached Alice, they were suddenly torn from the ground and dragged into the spiraling current. Their bodies spun helplessly through the whirlpool as the current pulled them higher.
"More like they're in danger," the Cheshire cat retorted.
Soon, the monsters began to fall apart.
Pawns crumbled like brittle powder, their hollow bodies breaking into fragments. Knights and bishops lost their weapons, portions of their armor, and stony limbs chipping away. Towering rooks toppled and tumbled like collapsing towers, the vortex tearing through their exteriors.
"I've seen better displays of power than this," Perugius remarked harshly.
The Cheshire Cat, annoyed by the comment, snickered impishly. "Really? Then look at that."
One by one, the chess pieces were drawn into the void and deteriorated into dust. What was left were the remnants of their mana, which were streamed back toward Alice and integrated into her body, feeding the spell and causing the colorful current to grow even stronger.
"Never mind," Perugius corrected himself. "This is actually impressive."
The White Rabbit, watching closely, twitched his ears. "Something's wrong with the Queen."
Watching all of the henchmen vaporize, the Red Queen trembled with a mixture of dread and fury. She raised her staff toward Alice and took a deep breath.
Ȏ̶̬F̶͙̀F̶͙͑ ̷̙̈́Ẃ̴̲I̸̦̍T̴͖̾H̴̟́ ̶͎̋H̶͙̄E̸͈͠R̴̺̀ ̴̘̈́H̸̘̑Ë̶͉́Á̷̞D̶̲̾!̶̖́!̸̟͠
The Black King, who was recovering from the previous explosions, responded to the queen's command and marched forward. As he approached Alice, the immense, colorful current tried to wrench him off the ground, but his colossal body held him firm against the pull.
With each step the king took, the warped chessboard beneath him shook.
The vortex mauled at him like a kaleidoscopic squall. Pieces of his armor started to crack and peel away, pulled into the spiraling current. Black fragments tore from his body and vanished into the void below.
Even so, he kept advancing.
"It isn't working on him," Sylvaril groaned in frustration.
The king raised his sword once more as he forced his way towards the center of the vortex.
"This is not good," the White Rabbit murmured. "If the spell cannot break the king in time, she is doomed."
Elinalise clenched her fists, anxiety tightening her face. "Alice! You need to dodge!"
Alice didn't respond to her voice. Instead, she continued to hover before the king, motionless and steadfast.
Her blonde hair drifted weightlessly around her face as the red-covered book floated in front of her, its pages fluttering wildly in the violent gush of mana. Her expression was unreadable, darkened by the fringe of her hair.
Ultimately, he swung his blade down with overwhelming force.
"Alice!!"
As Elinalise cried out, Alice raised her left arm, and the descending sword suddenly stopped mid-swing as though the colorful current had seized it.
"Heh..."
A soft chuckle escaped from Alice's mouth as she closed her hand tightly, causing the blade to shatter. Black ooze gushed out of the sword, revealing the force as a massive hand.
"Hehehe..."
Another laugh came out of Alice, growing louder.
"Did Alice just laugh?" Elinalise asked, confused.
The White Rabbit's ear drooped, trembling faintly. "Oh no... it has begun?"
Perplexed by the creature's reaction, Elinalise looked back toward the battlefield and noticed Alice winding her arm back, prompting the ooze-covered hand to mirror her action. And then, without hesitation, she thrust her fist forward, and the hand slammed into the Black King.
KABLAM!!
The impact hurled the king several feet backward, forcing him to stagger across the warping tiles. Though he easily regained his footing, he looked up at Alice, who was shaking violently.
"Pfft... Hahahahaha..."
Her chuckle erupted uncontrollably.
It began as a small tremor of delight, but quickly spiraled into something far more clamorous, far sharper, echoing across the warped battlefield.
"Purple beast, what's happening to her?" Perugius demanded, unease crawling into his voice.
The Cheshire Cat chuckled nervously. "She's succumbing to the madness."
Before Perugius could fully process his words, the vortex under Alice amplified. The spiraling current howled louder, devouring fragments of stone and mana alike.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
Alice's laughter rang through the barrier like a cracked bell, distorted by the tempest of mana swirling around her body. Her eyes dilated with manic ecstasy, and her mouth spread open in uncontrolled delight.
---------------------------------------------
THUD!
Just then, the Black King stepped forward once more. This time, he wound his arm back, and he launched what's left of his sword at Alice.
Fwoosh~
The jagged projectile tore through the raging current like a meteor.
But just before it could reach Alice, she flicked her wrist, and the massive ebony hand rushed in front of her.
CRASH!
The broken blade shattered against it, fragments scattering into the roaring vortex.
Alice tilted her head slightly.
Her laughter slowed down, though the madness still gleamed in her eyes.
"Hehehe... Is that all you got?"
She sounded more peaceful now, almost playful, yet her voice carried an unsettling distortion that rippled through the air like warped music.
In response to her taunt, the Black King clenched his fists and dashed toward her. Alice lifted her arm forward, and the massive hand rushed toward the king.
Seeing the incoming strike, the king raised both arms to shield his face.
But just as the enormous hand was about to crash into him, it abruptly halted in midair.
The King hesitated, confused by the sudden pause.
KABLAM!!
Without warning, the colorful current struck the king from the side.
The impact staggered the colossal figure, prompting him to kneel. Bits and pieces of cracked armor flew from his body and were instantly devoured by the swirling tempest.
Alice leaned forward slightly and grinned widely.
"Hahaha! You fell for it, idiot!"
While the king was being humbled by Alice, the Red Queen was completely livid. She gripped her magic staff tightly, ready to make the elf pay for her insolence.
But the moment she raised her magic staff, Alice glanced at her.
The next instant, the multicolored breeze sliced through the queen's arm, severing it entirely and dragging the limb and magic staff into the spiraling vortex.
Ġ̸̡̳̦̗̫̎̔̂̀Y̶̡̘͓̟̓́̆̈́͝A̴̗̪̾̀̊̀͘Ą̸̛̂̓Ä̴͉̝͕̭̗́̿̅A̷̢̩̤͖̟͆̅A̴̡̟͂̏̏͠͠A̴͓̓̊Ả̷͍͙͈͂́̚͝A̸͉͙̳̎͒́͋͝Ḫ̶̡̳̏̊̋͊̅H̵̤̳͈̒͑̀H̴̨͙̜̦͊!̴̠̏̋͐̀!̸̰͝
The queen screamed in agony, clutching the bloodied stump where her arm had been.
Alice snickered at her suffering and wagged a finger.
"You'd think I forget about you?"
The Red Queen wobbled backward, quivering violently as black blood leaked down her dress and spattered across the warped tiles. Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared at Alice.
"H̴̺̾O̸̮̎Ẁ̷̮ ̶̟̈́D̵̘͐A̴̠̍R̸͉̿E̵͋ͅ ̶͕̅Y̴͇͝Ö̵͙́U̶̮̽!"
Beneath her wrathful scream, the twisted battlefield trembled intensely.
Meanwhile, the Black King slowly pushed himself upright again, reacting to the queen's cry.
The vortex kept on ripping through his armor, exposing the dark core within. Even though the invisible storm clawed at him like a thousand blades, the colossal guardian refused to fall.
THUD!
With a grinding step, he rose.
THUD!
Another step followed.
The warped chessboard groaned under his weight as he began charging toward Alice again.
Outside the barrier, Sylvaril stared in disbelief. "He's still moving despite his injuries..."
"That thing truly lives up to the title of king," Perugius remarked, narrowing his eyes.
"This is bad... really bad," the White Rabbit murmured cynically. "The longer the spell remains active, the worse Alice's sanity will become."
Hearing those dreadful words, Elinalise clenched her fists tightly as she watched Alice slowly lose her mind within the barrier.
"Hahahaha!"
Alice's laughter echoed again, thin and sharp like shattered glass.
"Look at you... still walking like a hopeless loser."
Her head tilted as she watched the approaching king with gleeful fascination.
"Let me fix that."
She flicked her wrist again, and the colorful current sliced through the king's left leg, sending the severed limb into the spiraling vortex. The colossal figure collapsed to the ground.
But despite that, the Black King didn't yield.
He planted both hands against the ground and began dragging his enormous body onward.
Seeing him struggle only made Alice chuckle harder.
"That's right... crawl like a pathetic worm you are."
Ignoring her insult, the king continued trudging forward. His fingers punched into the warped tiles while the vortex devoured what remained of his armor. Every movement left deep tracks across the distorted battleground.
SCREEEK... SCREEEK...
His enormous frame lurched ahead inch by inch.
Even without a leg, even while the tempest shredded his body, the king advanced.
Alice watched with delighted eyes.
"Good... that's it… Come on, keep going."
Though the words sounded encouraging, her tone was filled with malice and sarcasm.
Eventually, the king arrived in front of Alice, glancing down at him.
Using the remaining ounce of strength from his right leg, he launched himself into the air.
Both of his arms stretched out, fingers grasping toward the floating elf.
For a brief moment, it seemed he might actually reach her.
But Alice only chuckled.
"So close..."
She slowly traced her finger downward.
BLAM!!
The colorful current struck the king from above, sending him crashing to the ground.
------------------------------------------
THUD!
The Black King lay broken and motionless within a shallow crater. Alice glanced down at him and slowly formed an unsettling smile.
"Keheh̴e̴h̸e̶h̵e̷..."
She began laughing again, but this time, it became more ominous and slightly distorted.
"Oh, look h̴o̶w̵ the mighty ki̸n̷g̴ has fallen..."
Hearing her taunt, the King tried to rise. His massive arms shook as they pressed against the smashed tiles of the warped battlefield. The fractured armor groaned as he forced his weight upward, yet the strength that once filled that colossal body had already begun to fade.
THUD!
His arms ultimately gave out, and the enormous figure slumped back with a heavy thud.
"How dissapointi̸̡̎n̵̯̐g̸̱͑."
Alice swiped her finger to the side, and the colorful current grabbed the broken king before it began to drag him toward the spiraling vortex.
However, the broken monarch tried to resist.
One of his arms hooked onto the edge of the crater, fingers digging into the warped stone as if clawing for one last foothold in a collapsing world.
But the vortex is merciless.
The strain tore through his already ruined body. His arm was ripped apart at his elbow as the rest of him was slowly pulled away, the chunks of his armor and shadowy flesh disintegrating piece by piece as the storm devoured him.
Within seconds, the Black King vanished into the churning abyss.
Seeing that, the Red Queen trembled in grief as she clenched her remaining fist. She couldn't accept that her partner had been defeated.
S̶͙̠͘C̴͔̈̿R̶͉͇̄́͝E̴̳͌E̵̦̭͑E̷̼͚̼͊͝Ê̴͚̟̐Ė̶̼Ẹ̸͂̇É̵̺͊Ę̸̔́Ë̷̱̈́!̴͉̩̦̉͝!̵̨̤̮͊͝
With a shriek of anger, she used the last ounce of her mana and conjured a small fireball. The unstable flame flickered violently in her palm before she hurled it toward the floating elf.
The projectile blazed through the air as Alice watched it approaching with an expectant grin.
"How cute."
She lazily raised her arm forward, causing the fireball to pause mid-air.
"But it's time for the queen to o̷̩̿͜ḟ̸̻̚f̵̠͂ ̵̧͒̎h̷̢̝̓̎e̸̛͚ȑ̵̪͔̑ ̵̥̠̿͒h̴̝́̽ȇ̴͍ą̵̼͂̈́d̵̫̦̅͐.̸͖̠̒."
With a flick of her wrist, Alice changed the projectile's direction, firing it back at the queen.
Upon seeing the incoming spell, she tried to move away, but the kaleidoscopic draft held her in place. This caused the fireball to collide with her head, and the flame erupted into a violent inferno, melting her face rapidly.
Ġ̸̡̳̦̗̫̎̔̂̀Y̶̡̘͓̟̓́̆̈́͝A̴̗̪̾̀̊̀͘Ą̸̛̂̓Ä̴͉̝͕̭̗́̿̅A̷̢̩̤͖̟͆̅A̴̡̟͂̏̏͠͠A̴͓̓̊Ả̷͍͙͈͂́̚͝A̸͉͙̳̎͒́͋͝Ḫ̶̡̳̏̊̋͊̅H̵̤̳͈̒͑̀H̴̨͙̜̦͊!̴̠̏̋͐̀!̸̰͝
The Red Queen shrieked one final time as the spell scorched her head, leaving the rest of her body to collapse lifelessly onto the warped chessboard. Eventually, her corpse was gradually dragged into the spiraling vortex and disintegrated into dust.
....
Afterward, silence fell.
The battlefield, once chaotic, now seemed eerily still.
Outside the barrier, the group stared, mouths agape, shaken by the sheer magnitude of what had just happened.
"They're gone," Syvaril muttered, her voice barely a whisper. "She killed them all."
"Indeed," Perugius conceded, his brows furrowing tightly. "A power like that is unbelievable."
Meanwhile, Elinalise remained silent, eyes locked on Alice with concern.
Clap... clap... clap...
The sound of hands clapping erupted as the Mad Hatter approached the group.
"You like what you're seeing?" he remarked gleefully. "That's the power of madness for you."
Elinalise frowned, dread etched on her face. "How can we stop it? I mean, everything should be over."
"Who says it's over?"
Alice's voice rang out from inside the barrier, eerily calm yet blended with mania, as she tilted her head and glanced toward the group, lips curving into a twisted smile.
"I'm not done playing yet."