How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game-Chapter 384: Alice Holloway~6

Hoooh…

My breath came out heavy, my chest rising and falling as I exhaled.

I had put everything into that strike.

No holding back.

I had fused the strongest attack I knew with an influx of high-tier skills—every possible enhancement, every deadly optimization—ensuring that [Heavenly Sword] would cut through anything.

The recoil should've been unbearable, but—

[Pain Immunity: Active]

I felt nothing.

The world in front of me had been split in half.

The sky—once shrouded in her domain—was now clear, carved away by the force of my attack.

A deep gash had been torn through reality itself by my blade.

For a moment—just a brief moment—there was silence.

Then—

Tsk…

My fingers clenched around Valeria's hilt.

"Of course you're not dead…"

And then—

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!]

A screeching, manic laughter tore through the air.

The kind of laughter that seeped into your bones, distorting reality with its sheer madness.

Like a witch, unhinged and unstoppable.

I watched as her charred body began to reform.

Her limbs—blackened and burned—slowly knit themselves back together.

Her melted face stretched into a grin, eyes gleaming with a primordial, cruel joy.

Of course she wasn't dead.

She was the Epilogue Boss.

This much was expected.

In the original Solo Route, the one where Lucas wasn't there to save Alice—

It had taken Alice, Cheshire's sacrifice, and the direct interference of the Goddess of Light to finally bring her down.

And now—

It was just me.

Not letting her gain any traction, I moved.

Faster.

Faster than ever before.

—[Skill: Light Wave Steps] Activated!]

—[Skill: Instant Movement] Activated!]

—[Skill: Time Accel] Activated!]

—[Skill: Time Stop] Activated!]

—[Skill: Spatial Shift] Activated!]

—[Skill: Force] Activated!]

The world froze around me, locked in a moment of absolute stillness.

I was the only one moving.

Reality itself struggled to keep up as I pushed past the limits of existence, closing the distance before even time could resume.

The White Queen's expression had yet to change, still frozen in that twisted grin.

I ignited my mana.

Valeria responded, its golden blade humming as it adjusted to my intent.

—[Maximum Output Reached.]

—[Divine Cut: Ready.]

A strike meant to carve through her very core.

A strike meant to erase her.

The edge of my blade glistened, mere millimeters from her neck—

CLANNNGGGGG!!!!!

A shockwave erupted.

A detonation of force so powerful that the entire white realm shook.

Blinding light consumed everything.

The impact shattered the land beneath us, turning anything near into nothing but dust.

And yet—

[KUKUKUHAHAHAHAHIHIHI!]

Her laughter pierced through it all.

A laughter that was neither human nor divine—just pure, eldritch amusement.

As the light faded, I saw it—

A white barrier.

Not around her, but woven into her very skin.

She hadn't moved an inch.

My blade—one meant to cut through all things—had been stopped.

Then, her presence surged.

Unfathomable. Overwhelming.

Mana rose like a tidal wave, pressing down on me as though the entire weight of existence had shifted onto my body.

And then—

I felt it.

A grip.

An invisible, telekinetic force wrapped around me, crushing into my limbs like an unbreakable vice.

She tilted her head, her void-like eyes gleaming with curiosity.

[You are interesting, child…]

Then, with a simple movement, she pointed downward.

SWOOOOOSHHHH!!!

The next moment—

I was falling.

No—

I was being hurled.

At light speed.

The sheer force of acceleration ignited the air around me, turning the atmosphere into a burning inferno as I plummeted toward the white earth below.

And in mere moments—

Impact was inevitable.

Even in my ascended state, I couldn't break free.

The White Queen's telekinetic grip was absolute, binding me with an unseen force that locked me in place, restricting my movements no matter how much I struggled.

I needed to act—immediately.

—[Skill: Celes] Activated.]

The moment Celes surged through me, my mind transcended its mortal limits.

Time no longer flowed as normal.

My thoughts accelerated, surpassing the very concept of infinity.

It felt as though I had achieved omniscience, seeing everything at once—and yet, paradoxically, I understood nothing at all.

—[Warning: Excessive use of this skill may cause permanent brain damage!]

—[System has automatically activated: Mind Clearance!]

The system's warnings echoed in my ears, but I ignored them.

Right now, I had bigger concerns.

I was falling.

At this velocity, impacting the ground wouldn't just kill me.

It wouldn't just destroy the terrain.

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It would annihilate the entire realm itself.

My thoughts processed countless possibilities in an instant.

—Alice.

Even with a barrier protecting her, I couldn't guarantee her safety.

I could try to cast a protective barrier below, but at this speed, there simply wasn't enough time to deploy anything beyond a mid-class defensive spell.

Forcing my way out of the White Queen's telekinetic grasp was also an option.

But…

If I broke free through sheer force, the resulting shockwave would be just as catastrophic—the very same outcome I was trying to prevent.

That's why Cheshire was so crucial in the original timeline.

His power was the only thing capable of isolating this battle into an alternate layer of reality—one where our clash wouldn't affect the outside world.

But Cheshire wasn't here.

And I was running out of time.

Right now, I had access to every skill and ability.

Activating [Wonderland] wasn't impossible.

But…

That would mean taking an exclusive skill—a skill that belonged to Cheshire alone.

Exclusive skills weren't like ordinary ones.

They were etched into the very essence of their wielder. Bound to their soul.

Only one being could possess them at any given time.

Even if I could forcibly take [Wonderland], doing so would strip it from Cheshire, leaving him defenseless in his own battle.

—My eyes darted toward him.

Cheshire was still locked in combat with the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbits, their clash raging on even in this frozen world.

Other than me and the White Queen, those three were the only ones capable of moving within this suspended reality.

The red aura that pulsed around Cheshire was unmistakable—

He was already using [Wonderland], albeit in a weakened state.

Gazing upward, I saw her—

The White Queen.

Floating above, watching me.

Smirking.

Her expression practically taunted me—"Well? What will you do now, brat?"

—My fingers curled into a fist.

Tsk.

My eyes trembled with anger.

If breaking through wasn't an option…

If stopping this fall wasn't possible…

Then I had only one choice left.

—Redirect it.

A way to shift our clash, a way to make our powers collide somewhere else—

A way to force her focus onto something else entirely.

—[Skill: God Hand] Activated!]

A pulse of energy surged from my hand as I reached out—not to stop myself… but to pull her toward me.

The White Queen's eyes widened.

For the first time, she looked surprised.

Her body lurched forward, dragged toward me against her will.

I had used her own telekinetic method against her.

But—

TCH.

As expected, that damned white barrier around her weakened the effects of my skill.

It didn't fully nullify it, but it definitely dampened its force.

No matter.

That was more than enough.

Pulling even harder, I activated—

[Ultimate Celestial Magic: Black Hole]

—And at the center of our struggle, where our powers clashed in a violent push and pull, a tiny black sphere the size of a mere pebble materialized.

A sphere so small—and yet, so incomprehensibly dense.

In the span of a mere nanosecond—

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Its effects ERUPTED.

The void came alive, a force so absolute that space itself seemed to scream.

—Sucking in everything.

Matter, energy, even the light around us began to spiral inward, warping and collapsing toward that singular, unstoppable point.

I immediately cast [Spatial Weave], twisting the very fabric of space to ensure I wouldn't be dragged in myself.

—But the White Queen—

For the first time, her expression shifted.

Not fear.

But genuine surprise.

Her charred body trembled as she forced herself free from the pull of the singularity—her sheer mana output distorting the space around her, repelling the effect just enough to keep her from being swallowed.

—But she wasn't fast enough.

The distance between her and the orb had already shrunk to zero.

The black hole grazed her skin.

And in that instant—

The magical singularity collapsed.

—Then it exploded.

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

A deafening detonation shook the entire battlefield, its shockwave ripping through dimensions, sending cracks through the very fabric of reality itself.

—And then—

A scream.

"GRAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Her voice pierced through the destruction—raw, guttural, and filled with fury.

But—

I could tell.

She wasn't screaming in pain.

No.

She was furious.

I saw it in her eyes—burning with rage and irritation.

—Good.

I teleported behind her—

In that split second, I raised my blade.

—[Null Space]

—[Heavenly Sword]

Both primed to strike.

But—

Just as I was about to release my attacks—

She turned.

—And our eyes met.

In that instant—

A sickening sensation tore through me.

My vision twisted.

My body contorted in a way that defied reason—

White lights exploded inside me, bursting like miniature stars, warping my senses, reality itself bending against my will.

—And then.

[Warning: The White Queen's Will is forcing the user to obey her.]

Fuck—!!

A wave of overwhelming power crashed through my very existence, an order far beyond just magic—

A command.

An absolute will.

A force trying to bend me, to rewrite me into nothing but a puppet.

No—

NO.

—I won't let that happen.

I forced every ounce of resistance I had left—

And with all my might, I threw Valeria straight at her.

[Skill: Calad]—The ultimate spear-throwing technique.

The blade vanished—

A streak of silver and pure destruction tore through space itself, moving so fast it shattered the sound barrier in an instant.

The White Queen barely had time to react.

A white barrier flickered to life around her just before the blade pierced her skull.

It stopped the attack.

But—

—Her influence over me shattered.

Tsk.

I exhaled sharply, regaining control of my body.

She glared at me.

I glared back.

But before I could react—

BOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!

A white explosion erupted directly in my face—

—A blast eerily similar to the Black Hole I had just unleashed.

My vision blurred. My body was hurled through the sky—

No—

Beyond the sky.

I could feel it.

Gravity vanished. Atmosphere disappeared. My body was sent past the realm's atmosphere—straight into deep space.

The world below me became a distant speck.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, the sheer force of the impact tearing at my very existence.

And then—

I saw it.

Thousands.

No—

Millions.

White lights.

No—

Magic circles.

A vast constellation of deadly arrays surrounded me, stretching endlessly in every direction, threatening to erase my presence from existence.

And to make matters worse—

Gigantic beings began to form behind me.

Colossal figures—each one wielding weapons.

Weapons that radiated the same divine authority as the White Queen herself.

—The Primaris's weapons.

Weapons designed to ignore everything except their Majesty's will.

Weapons that did not acknowledge the existence of anything outside of her dominion.

The magic circles hummed, their energy surging—

—And then—

They fired.

A rain of blinding white beams shot towards me, each one a devastating lance of destruction.

A single hit from one of those would be detrimental—even with all of my defensive skills active.

I could feel it.

—I wouldn't survive if I didn't move.

"Tch—!!"

My hand snapped forward.

—Calling out Valeria.

Her form manifested instantly in my grasp, a blinding silver light surging from the blade as my body went into overdrive.

No hesitation.

No second thoughts.

MOVE.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

—[Hidden Blade: First Form]

—[Blue Moon]

My blade sliced through the first spell, severing not just its form—

—But its very existence.

Divinity clashed against the White Queen's will.

And for a moment—

Her authority wavered.

But that was only one attack.

The sky lit up once more

Tens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

—Millions.

—Billions of beams.

All rushing toward me in an endless, absolute storm of destruction.

There was no room for hesitation.

—I had to erase them all.

—[Hidden Blade: Third Form]

—[Full Moon]

My body moved.

—Faster than thought.

—Faster than light.

A storm of golden and white streaks erupted from my blade, each strike painting space itself with their afterimages—

Each slash cutting through the fabric of reality, erasing every spell, every attack, every existence that stood against me.

I wasn't just dodging.

—I was annihilating them.

Space itself quivered under the sheer force of my movements.

But it wasn't enough.

More attacks.

More Primaris.

More divine constructs forming in the distance, their weapons gleaming as they prepared to strike once more.

The battlefield was shifting.

I had to change the flow.

Now—

[ABSOLUTE ZERO!!!!]

[INFERNAL WORLD!!!!]

Two ultimate-tier spells erupted—one from my right, the other from my left—colliding with the battlefield in an apocalyptic clash.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

On my right—everything froze.

A silence unlike any other.

A cold so absolute that it froze existence itself.

The very souls of those caught within the icy domain were locked in time, their forms shattering like fragile glass.

And on my left—an infernal blaze consumed all.

Blue flames.

Not ordinary fire—but an all-devouring, insatiable inferno.

A fire that didn't just burn matter—it erased it.

Cinders. Ashes. Void.

The battlefield itself was being devoured—the very concept of existence reduced to nothing.

This was destruction beyond measure.

A clash of absolute extremes.

Two forces—one of unrivaled cold, the other of unending fire—

Both spells, ultimate in nature, manifested purely from instinct.

—I had forced them into existence.

And the cost—

I felt it immediately.

Blood.

A sharp, bitter iron taste filled my mouth as thick crimson liquid poured past my lips.

My vision blurred.

I felt warmth trailing down my face—

I knew what it was.

Blood.

Not just from my mouth.

From my eyes.

From my ears.

My entire body was screaming—no, breaking.

The recoil of forcefully invoking Ultimate Skills in their fullest form—

Even while in my ascended state, the backlash was immediate.

—Because no matter how strong I had become, my soul was still mortal.

I wasn't a true god like the Goddess.

I wasn't a half-divine entity like Lucas.

What I was doing—abusing authority that was never meant for me—

It was already taking a toll.

One that would leave permanent consequences.

And then—

A sudden jolt of realization struck me.

Five minutes.

My limit.

My time was almost up.

Even with [Pain Immunity] still active, I knew—

—I was reaching the point where pain was meaningless.

Not because I couldn't feel it.

But because my body was on the verge of shutting down completely.

And she knew it.

—She was coming.

I felt it—her presence.

Rushing toward me.

The White Queen.

—And this time, she wasn't just watching.

Turning around—

SHUCCCKKKK.

A sickening sound.

Like flesh meeting an unstoppable force.

—She was already there.

The White Queen.

Her porcelain-white hands wrapped around my throat—

Unyielding. Absolute. Divine.

I barely had time to react before the pressure crushed down on me.

A sensation I had never felt before—

A grip that ignored strength, ignored resistance—ignored reality itself.

—My defenses.

One by one, I felt them failing.

The barriers, the reinforcements, the authority I wielded—

None of it mattered.

A foreign energy seeped into me, white as the Queen herself, invading every inch of my being.

I struggled.

My body screamed, my mind fought, but—

—It was useless.

Her power was too much.

Even in my ascended state, even with everything I had—

She was beyond me.

Like an actual, all-powerful Goddess.

And I—

I was nothing more than a mortal.

There was nothing I could do.

"You are intriguing, child…."

Her voice dripped with amusement, her head tilting slightly as she gazed at me.

"You possess too many lifetimes for such a small and young life…"

And then, she laughed.

A soft, almost mocking laugh.

"Truly an anomaly."

Then—

Her grip tightened.

CRACK.

I felt it.

The slow, horrifying sensation of my neck giving way.

Breaking.

My breath hitched.

My thoughts jumbled—

—My consciousness flickered.

My strength drained away.

The painful recoil of my ascension surged through my body—

It was happening.

My death was near.

And this time—

—It would be real.

Everything.

The trial I endured.

The sacrifices my other self made.

The promise I swore.

The goals I fought for.

The trust I placed in the girls.

The alternate realities I wished to change.

All of it—

About to be snuffed out.

Just like that.

Yet—

Something within me refused.

My rationality—my will—

Even as everything crumbled, even as the end loomed—

I fought.

Because this—

—This wasn't how it would end.

I remembered.

The faces of those I loved.

—My mother.

—My father.

—My sister.

And beyond them—

Snow.

"I love you, Riley."

I remembered.

Our first kiss—soft, uncertain, yet filled with unspoken emotions.

The moment we confessed to each other, shedding the burdens we carried, the hesitations we once clung to.

That day—

The first genuine memory of the girl I swore to love and protect.

The girl who unlocked something inside me, breaking the chains I had placed on my own heart.

Rose.

"Riley, is this good?"

Her usual whimsical nature—carefree, unpredictable—yet I had seen her change.

No longer just someone who acted on her own desires, but a girl who began doing things for others—for me, for the people around her.

The once self-serving noble had grown into something more—someone who could give rather than simply take.

Alice.

"Hehe, Junior... teasing your senior like this isn't fair, you know? I'm supposed to be older... But anyways, I-I love you, okay?"

That bright smile—

Even though her entire life, she had been surrounded by an all-consuming white light—a light that threatened to swallow her into darkness.

And yet, she smiled.

She hoped.

Hoped for a future that was warmer.

Even as she stood at the edge of a cold, cruel destiny.

Everything started with the game.

A simple, meaningless escape.

Yet, somehow, it had rekindled something inside me—

A lost passion for life.

But more than that—

It was you.

You, who were always by my side.

You, who turned those boring, empty days into something fun.

As my consciousness started to fell even deeper, I saw their faces and expectations and the future that would come upon my failure.

Seo.

Yui.

Kagami.

Clara.

Lucas

Janica

Every single person I had met along this journey.

Their expressions, their voices, their laughter—

Every moment.

The good and the bad.

The fun and the dull.

The lovable and the hateful.

All of it mixed together in the depths of my mind—

Even the gut-wrenching memories of her—

My mother.

From my past life.

Her disappointed voice echoed in my head.

"So, this is all my son can amount to…?"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Burnt out. Hollow.

"How funny…"

—I don't want to lose.

—I don't want to die.

—I can't die.

I'm here—

To save Alice.

I made a promise—To make everyone happy.

That's why—

I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

A thought sparked in my mind—

A plan I had formed.

A contingency.

For when things went completely south.

Like this.

[Warning: User is advised not to—]

I ignored it.

The system's warning meant nothing to me now.

I called out—

To her.

[My child, no!!]

A voice.

A direct plea from the Goddess of Light.

Yet—

She could do nothing.

The laws of causality bound her, restricting her influence.

Unless an equivalent exchange was offered—

She could not intervene.

"I'm sorry, my Goddess…"

I'll be switching sides for a bit.

FOOOOOSHHHH!!!!

The space around me shuddered.

A deep, primordial presence ignited—

A force so overwhelming—

It rivaled the White Queen herself.

The battlefield of empty space trembled under the weight of this power—

A darkness coalescing into form—

Something forbidden.

Something no mortal should ever touch.

Walked out of the deep black darkness….