Wonderland. The other dimension Alice fell into.

This bizarre world, which she had only seen in her dreams, had one day become her reality.

In a place where people and animals had lost their minds, Alice managed to keep her sanity and survive.

She beheaded the Queen of Hearts, who killed anyone who crossed her and seized her power.

She acquired the legendary sword, the Vorpal Sword, and defeated the Nightmare Dragon - Jabberwock.

Thus, Alice became the new Queen of Hearts and the hero of Wonderland.

Her adventure didn’t always sail smoothly. If someone were to write about her journey, many pages would be devoted to her longing to see her parents and her frustration at having to endure so many frightening and terrifying events.

But looking back, her journey had brought about many connections.

All of which had become exceedingly precious to Alice.

Then, one day.

A demon, holding the lives of the foot soldiers, came to her. This demon commanded a formidable army as his minions.

He approached Alice and whispered.

Let’s make a deal.

Boooooom!!

The explosion pulled Alice out of her painful memories.

Isaac, the silver-blue-haired man, came into her view. He was running towards her.

She unleashed the spell of death in the shape of a rabbit and her all-consuming [Voracious Deity] and aimed it all at him.

He quickly dodged or skillfully countered with his ice magic.

But his attacks were inevitably delayed because of Alice’s fierce onslaught, preventing him from approaching rashly.

“It seems you’re not planning to use your real power.”

The slightly desperate Alice could not guess Isaac’s true intentions. Why wasn’t he using his true power when he could easily defeat someone like her?

Was he determined to defeat her as Isaac, the one she had spent time with, and not as the Nameless Hero?

Or did he think that his current level of power was enough to defeat her?

Either way, it was such a ridiculous thought, that Alice couldn’t help but smirk at it.

Hwaaaak!

Alice wrapped her sword with mana and swung. A fierce, yet noble, crimson sword energy quickly sliced through the air.

Isaac frowned. He felt an enormous amount of mana pressing down on him.

The power of the Vorpal Sword was to banish nightmares. However, if the sword’s bearer harbored murderous intent, it could slice through an enemy’s body, trapping them in an eternal dream and blurring the lines between dreams and reality. The end for anyone struck by it was certain death.

Knowing that even a touch of the sword’s energy meant death, Isaac explosively launched [Frostfire], using the recoil to push himself away from the blade.

Then, Isaac immediately cast the 6-star ice spell, [Frost Glitter].

A pale blue magic circle unfolded in the air and a heavy mass of cold air shot out. However, The Vorpal Sword’s energy split the [Frost Glitter] in half, neutralizing it.

Poooong!!

[Frost Glitter] exploded. The countless icicles aimed at Alice scattered with fierce force. Alice deployed a telekinetic shield to deflect the icicles.

After using body buffing magic to increase her agility, Alice used telekinesis to create an invisible object in the air and launched herself off it. The spot she stepped on rippled and emitted a beautiful light.

Boooong!

Something intangible catapulted Alice forward, and she flew toward Isaac with terrifying momentum.

Landing on the rooftop, Alice elegantly swung her sword at Isaac, the blade adorned with a crimson aura.

Suddenly, Isaac clutched at the air. His hand pulsed with rock mana, forming a greatsword.

The rock greatsword, once wielded by the primordial rock sovereign, the Obsidian Blade.

Alice narrowed her eyes. It was clear the greatsword was no ordinary magic weapon, imbued with immense rock mana.

Handling such a weapon proved that Isaac was indeed the Nameless Hero.

But Alice had no thoughts of retreating.

Pooooong!!

The Vorpal Sword clashed with the Obsidian Blade. Although Alice was physically weaker than Isaac, the enormous amount of mana she possessed made up for it and then some.

The sword energy exploded up close, hurling Isaac’s body like a ball.

Kuung!

Isaac crashed through the entrance and into the wall.

Kugh.

Isaac got up and shook off the debris from his body without a moment to spare. Thanks to the defensive skill of the Obsidian Blade, [Eclipse], he wasn’t seriously injured.

Again, Alice slammed something intangible mid-air made from telekinesis. It flew like a rocket, scattering crimson mana.

A moment ago, during their clash, Isaac had realized that the power of the Vorpal Sword could be countered by the unique skill of the Obsidian Blade.

Recalling the basic swordsmanship techniques he had learned from Merlin Astrea, Isaac kicked off the ground and put his entire weight into a diagonal slash.

The dense rock mana-infused blade collided with Alice’s blade.

Kuuuung!!

Kagagak!!

A torrent of rock mana erupted. Broad waves of stone surged in all directions.

The heavy strike of the greatsword sliced through Alice’s sword energy, cutting down towards her. Alice hadn’t been able to summon enough mana in time to block the blow. She was exhausted.

A sharp yellow sword energy surged along the sword’s path. Sensing the danger beforehand, Alice used telekinesis to push her body away to dodge the sword strike.

However, rock fragments exploded and dug deep into Alice’s body, and the powerful shockwave generated by the greatsword engulfed her.

[Stone Breathing - First Form]. Golden Wave Slash.

Alice was thrown back, spitting blood, but she was able to land safely thanks to her telekinesis.

Isaac exhaled deeply and glared at Alice, following the sword energy beyond the sharp rock formations.

Part of his fingers had turned to stone, losing all sensation. He was now unable to use the Obsidian Blade with the same finesse as before and even performing Stone Breathing would be difficult.

Isaac clicked his tongue and leaped towards Alice again.

Alice launched dozens of crimson sword energies at the approaching figure. Isaac cut through or deflected them with the Obsidian Blade, not stopping his charge.

Alice was impressed. He was now starting to grasp how to handle the power of the Vorpal Sword.

Higher-tier neutral magic was also linked, but Isaac skillfully dodged or blocked it.

Momentum was building.

He adapted frighteningly as if he had fought Alice several times before.

Isaac’s mind furiously processed the calculations for elemental magic. Behind him, several magic circles built and dissolved at a terrifying pace.

Ice and rock magic incessantly rained down on Alice and the Phantasmal Clock.

Isaac targeted the corners. His ultimate goal had always been the Phantasmal Clock. Since the clock was actively building the [Obelisk of Eternity], Alice couldn’t shield it without interrupting the magical flow.

Instead, she focused on defending against Isaac’s diverse strategies.

Gradually, Isaac was losing sensation in his hands due to petrification. It was a side effect of wielding the Obsidian Blade.

He partially summoned the rock golem familiar, Eden, whose power merged with Isaac.

A rock armor encased Isaac’s arms, and the topaz ring of the Obsidian Blade on his back was coated with the same bronze armor. While this didn’t alleviate the numbness in his hands, it did allow him to forcefully grip the Obsidian Blade.

Isaac moved even more swiftly.

The tide of the battle was rapidly turning.

If Alice could summon even one of her familiars, her victory would be nearly certain.

However, all her familiars were already engaged in a battle elsewhere, unable to join her.

Should she call up more of her foot soldiers? No. If Isaac unleashed a rock-infused sword energy even once, they would be obliterated in an instant. Besides, in the confined space of the rooftop, they would likely be in the way of her Vorpal Sword’s energy.

Isaac gripped the Obsidian Blade and charged in. Alice gave up on evasion and pooled every ounce of her strength to draw out the power of the Vorpal Sword. Mana infused the blade, igniting it like flames.

She swung.

Hwaaaaak!!

A scorching sword energy was unleashed with nowhere to dodge.

Isaac swung his rock mana-infused Obsidian Blade in response, but it was insufficient to cut through Alice’s attack.

Kwaaaang!!

A beautiful explosion of crimson mana and yellow rock mana erupted.

The aftermath caused Alice’s hair and clothes to flutter rapidly.

Whiiiing.

Isaac’s silhouette, still wielding the greatsword, could be seen through the swirling dust. He drew rock mana, forming magic circles behind him.

Alice swung the Vorpal Sword once more, unleashing sword energy towards him.

Suddenly, someone rose through the cloud of dust.

It was Isaac.

Within the dust, there was another figure resembling him.

It was the rock golem familiar, Eden, who had grown into a form that resembled Isaac, holding the Obsidian Blade.

Floating mid-air, Isaac pointed his numb right index finger at the Phantasmal Clock. He gripped it with his other hand, ready to act.

Pointing with his index finger was meant to improve his accuracy.

Behind him, seven pale blue magic circles unfolded. He had been calculating this magic while climbing the stairs, and now it was ready to use.

A sharp chill swept through.

Alice hastily slashed at Isaac with her sword, but he dodged by twisting his body.

As she fired off a series of blows, Eden, cloaked in rock skin, lunged at her, swinging the Obsidian Blade.

Unable to wield it properly, Eden was helplessly repelled by Alice’s magic.

Alice’s gaze turned back to Isaac.

At that moment, Isaac fired the 7-star ice spell, [Icebolt], in the direction his finger pointed.

Kwakwagang!!

Kwaaaang!!

Several bolts of cold mana shot out like lightning, piercing through the Phantasmal Clock.

Golden mana scattered like a shattered hourglass.

A series of pale blue explosions sent Alice’s body flying, shattering the nearly formed [Obelisk of Eternity]. The Phantasmal Clock was utterly destroyed in an instant.

Isaac collapsed helplessly onto the rooftop. Overuse of the Obsidian Blade beyond his capacity, along with various injuries sustained from fighting Alice, made it difficult for him to hold himself up. Gritting his teeth in pain, he barely managed to stand up.

He immediately took out a potion he had gotten from Zenon.

Unable to move his fingers, he shattered the cap and used [Rock Generation] to secure the vial in his hand, then drank the potion. The effect was immediate.

Next, he reverse-summoned Eden, who had been slammed into the wall. The Obsidian Blade, now reduced to rock mana on the ground, flowed back into Isaac.

Alice struggled to her feet.

A faint gasp escaped her blood-soaked lips. It was the only sound her ears could discern.

Alice lifted her head.

The barrier that had covered the rooftop crumbled into dust.

The magic circle of the [Obelisk of Eternity] slowly faded away.

And so, the golden mana gently caressed Alice’s wounded skin as it naturally dissipated.

The clouds cleared, revealing a beautiful starry sky.

It was a sight she had seen so often that it no longer moved her, but tonight, the scene especially pleased Alice.

A terrible feeling of emptiness washed over her.

Isaac exhaled sharply and spoke in a calm voice.

“...It’s over.”

“Yeah, I’ve lost.”

All that remained on the ruined rooftop were two people, each with something significant to protect.

There was an unbridgeable gap between them.

One had won and successfully protected those he cared about.

The other had lost and had to face losing everything.

“Good boy.”

As if expecting it, she felt a pulsing sensation in her throat. Her expression hardened.

Alice did not want to pay the price of failure.

Even with the Nameless Hero present, many could die.

She lowered her eyes, releasing the protective magic cloaking her skin.

She raised her hand on her neck, drawing up mana.

It doesn’t take a lot of mana to sever a human neck.

How ridiculous, she thought, that she could end a life with just this much power.

It was time to let everything go.

Her life included.

Just then, Isaac, who had rushed over, caught Alice’s hand as she was releasing mana.

Thanks to the potion, some sensation and strength had returned to his hands.

Alice couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, Isaac had moved as if he had been anticipating this… As if he instinctively sensed her impending death and intervened.

Without hesitation.

Why?

Alice looked at Isaac questioningly as he caught his breath.

“...What are you doing?”

Isaac’s voice was icy.