What the… hell!

"So don't be so terrified. I'll protect you."

"It's a promise. You will protect me no matter anything else, won't you, Stel?"

Stelcis nodded as the Mock Turtle said to her.

"Yes. I won't forget my promise."

"What should I do…? Should I simply stay hidden?"

When asked, Stelcis offered a dark smile in return.

"Yes, we should continue to lure them here. If they don't come in anyway, they won't be able to finish us off. The moment they show themselves, I'll 'finish' them off with my Bandersnatch."

Her hair rustled. From her long, beautiful hair emerged fluctuation of rainbow colors. While watching this from the side, the Mock Turtle detached her own hand from Stelcis' and gently drew her legs together.

"Why are they after me…? Those Nightmares."

Upon hearing the small murmur, Stelcis replied with no change in her expression.

"Who knows…? I don't know what the not-so-hard-working 'idiots' are thinking."

"…"

With a sigh, the Mock Turtle carried on.

"In any case, this world will eventually end with the demise of Apocrypha. What's wrong with creating a safe place to settle for a little while until then…?"

"I tried to make them understand, but…" Stelcis breathed, putting a hand to her cheek. "Anyway, they are enemies. An enemy must be eliminated."

She released a dark smile and regarded the door with somewhat diffused pupils.

"I don't suppose we can dwell in peace."

"… Yeah." The Mock Turtle nodded and gritted her teeth. There, the sound of something exploding overhead the fireproof shelter they were in resonated in a chain reaction.

The small Nightmare let out a shriek and clung to Stelcis. Steltcis hurriedly hugged the Mock Turtle while raising her voice.

"… What's going on!"

"It seems that one of the… water tanks exploded on the floor above this room!"

One of her followers shouted out after receiving something over the transmission. Above them, the chain reaction of explosions could still be registered. Stelcis, however, addressed her surroundings in a hushed voice.

"Don't panic, release the sewage valve. Instruct them to let the water in the storage tanks escape. An explosion of that magnitude won't affect anything in here."

"A-About that… Master Stelcis!"

A sound like the rumbling of the earth reverberated throughout the area. The Mock Turtle clutched at Stelcis' clothes in fright.

"The control system for the sewage valve has been crashed, they say it's inoperable! Water is flowing backwards into the ventilation ducts! You need to get out of there!"

"No way…" Stelcis gritted her teeth and squeezed her voice out. "They weren't planning on attacking us from the start at all?"

"Master Stelcis!"

The men screamed wildly. The water from the storage tank that burst overhead did not flow through the sewage system it was supposed to travel through, but instead rushed through the ventilation ducts of the underground passageway into the area where Stelcis and the others were, like a flood.

The rumbling of the ground became increasingly stronger, and a tremendous shock struck the door. Through the gap in the door that had not yet been completely blocked, the water that had poured in with terrific momentum began to invade the room.

–Submerged.

This was the most effective attack they could have launched against the siege. Casting a look around at her panicking followers, Stelcis stood up, holding the Mock Turtle in her arms. Her intention to lure them in had backfired.

"… As expected. You're used to battle." The Mock Turtle muttered to herself, with a somewhat discerning gaze. Stelcis heaved a small breath.

"… It can't be helped. I'm releasing the Bandersnatch. Mock, please keep your eyes closed."

"Okay."

Stelcis' hair began to float up against the gravity, and the whole thing glowed white. Then, from each strand of hair, rainbow-colored fluctuation shot out with a piercing screeching noise.

◇

"I see. If they're trapped underground, just bury them with water, so even you would consider that to be cruel."

The alarm sounded in the residential area… Iberis was sitting on the edge of the roof of the building, staring down at the people running for their lives.

Next to her, Raffi had a blank expression in his eyes. There was white smoke from the asphalt ground and water spouting out of the cracks. It was only a short time ago that they had tampered with the water tank in the underground facility and caused it to explode. The citizens had begun to evacuate in scattered numbers.

"… This will force Stercis and that Mock Turtle to get out. Unless, of course, they have the ability to breathe underwater…" Raffi said and pondered. "Are you ready? I think they'll likely come out of it, deploying their abilities. They'll be attacking us from beyond recognition."

"I know." Iberis then stood up, saying. Then the rainbow-colored legs in her skirt stomped and she looked down at the flooded ground.

It was the next moment; a tremendous sound and the ground exploded. A column of water sprayed up, scattering the surrounding tepid water like rain.

As if it had been shot through from the inside, the asphalt ground was shattered and a huge hole had formed. After a moment's delay, the water from the storage tank sprayed out from there like a fountain.

"What the… hell!" Raffi shouted involuntarily. Iberis did not have time to respond before she reflexively launched herself into the air, jumping off the roof of the building.

Something like a light pierced the place where the two of them had been until now. A dozen or so rays of light, arcing through the air, struck the building like a beam and exploded in a blaze of fire and a thunderous boom.

"Bandersnatch…!" Iberis uttered in a suppressed voice, extending the fluctuation of her legs and thrusting them into the street trees.