Mr. Death in the Steam World

As soon as the Queen of Hearts finished speaking, Moen felt the floor tiles beneath his feet suddenly sink.

The black and white patterns gradually spread the color until they cover the entire ground.

Before long, the throne room had become a giant chessboard.

The Queen of Hearts stood in front of the throne in the very center of the chessboard, her expression more solemn than ever before.

"That damned chessboard again..."

The white rabbit muttered a curse.

"What effect does the chessboard have?"

Moen asked in a low voice, but was interrupted by the playing cards that flew silently in front of him.

The Queen of Hearts spoke calmly:

"My wonderland, my chessboard, I will 'rule' it."

In an instant, countless teacups, playing cards, and even the toys Lily had played with earlier seemed to come alive and rushed towards the crowd.

"No wonder this woman didn't chase after us earlier; she was waiting here!"

Even the usually mild-mannered Cheshire Cat couldn't help but utter a curse.

"This chessboard is the embodiment of her 'ruling' power; she can use all the powers of Wonderland within it."

"Slow down," "space teleportation," "hat trick"—we lost the Rose Garden game because of this very move—"

"You talk too much nonsense."

Before the Cheshire Cat could finish speaking, the Queen of Hearts appeared in a flash and punched him, sending him flying into the wall and leaving a huge hole.

Moen's pupils contracted, and he quickly distributed some of the "Vibrant Fragrance" to the Cheshire Cat.

Having eliminated one opponent first, the Queen of Hearts becomes even more formidable, standing in the center of the chessboard like an insurmountable wall.

"I'm giving you one last chance: leave this place and quietly await the expulsion of the fairy realm. I guarantee your survival."

"Bullshit!"

Seeing that the Cheshire Cat was seriously injured, the White Rabbit's eyes turned bloodshot, and in an instant, countless phantoms appeared and pounced on the Queen of Hearts, making it impossible to distinguish between the real and the fake.

The Queen of Hearts remained calm; as her "subject," the White Rabbit could not possibly harm her.

Suddenly, she frowned. These phantoms didn't attack her directly; instead, they formed a barrier around her.

She tried to escape using "spatial teleportation," but she couldn't get through.

"Kid! Now's your chance! Kill her!"

Moen naturally wouldn't waste the opportunity. He closed his eyes, and a deep purple light quietly flowed across the gun.

At this moment, he ignited all the buffs he had accumulated from slaughtering the guards.

With his wrist flashing like a phantom, Moen relied on instinct to fire six shots from different angles in succession, each shot a fatal blow.

The Queen of Hearts spat lightly, and the bullet passed through the spot where she had just stood, but only hit a magician's hat that appeared out of nowhere.

The hat shattered, turning into shreds that flew everywhere, and the Queen's figure reappeared in another corner inside the barrier.

"Hat trick..." Moen frowned.

Fils, who had been observing the situation on the battlefield, suddenly had a bright idea. She grabbed a handful of tea leaves from her pocket and swallowed them all.

In an instant, the temperature in the throne room soared, and orange flames roared.

"The Ignis Family's Secret Technique—'Flame Butterfly'!"

As Phils whispered the incantation, a butterfly made of flames slowly rose up.

With a beautiful flapping of its wings, it flew towards the Queen of Hearts within the barrier, creating bursts of fire.

Her hat tricks could only dodge attacks with a small impact area, like bullets. Now, with Phils's "Flame Butterfly" attack covering the entire barrier, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and take the hit.

"boom--"

The flames engulfed the barrier and the Queen. When the smoke cleared, the Queen of Hearts remained expressionless, but cracks appeared on her body.

Silver light shimmered within the crack; that was undoubtedly the spiritual liquid.

Taking advantage of her illness, he took a deep breath, bent his knees slightly, and launched himself out like a cannonball, raising his arms.

In his palm, the Death Note opened its pages, eager to reveal itself.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

The elixir overflowed from the Queen of Hearts' mouth and nose, her eyes filled with terror. In just a short contact, she felt that most of her power had been devoured.

This sense of powerlessness was something even her former owner had never given her.

She quickly used "spatial teleportation" to escape, but the chessboard beneath her feet began to drift erratically.

White Rabbit and Phils exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Just how many secrets is this guy hiding?!

"White Rabbit! Phils! Cover me!"

The white rabbit made a hand seal, and in an instant, more than a dozen Moen figures appeared on the chessboard, rushing towards the Queen of Hearts.

If you can't distinguish between truth and falsehood, you naturally have no way to avoid it.

At the same time, Fils unleashed six flaming arrows from different directions, blocking all of the Queen's escape routes.

"Oh no—"

The Queen hesitated only slightly before Moen's true form arrived, delivering a punch to the Queen's abdomen.

The empress let out a muffled groan, her body arching like a shrimp.

Moen didn't stop. The second punch, the third punch, the fourth punch... each punch was enhanced by purple light, smashing into the Queen like a pile driver.

The Queen of Hearts slid across the chessboard, knocking over the throne, shattering the armrests, and finally crashing heavily into the wall.

She slid to the ground, covered in blood, and could no longer stand up.

Moen walked over and pressed the muzzle of the gun against the Queen's forehead.

Phils extinguished the flames, while the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat, who had somehow awakened, stood silently by, watching everything unfold.

"Your Highness the Queen."

His voice clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Remembering your death anniversary—"

Before he could finish speaking, a child's voice, trembling with sobs, suddenly came from behind him.

"don't want!"

Moen's finger hovered over the trigger as he turned to look.

Lily rushed out of a small room through the side door of the throne room, her face streaked with tears, and spread her arms to shield the Queen of Hearts.

She was trembling all over, her voice was broken and intermittent, but her eyes were unusually firm.

"You bad people... get away! Don't hurt my sister, the Empress!"

The throne room was deathly silent.

The Queen of Hearts raised her blood-stained face, looked at the small figure blocking her way, and her eyes instantly reddened.

She reached out her trembling hand and gently hugged Lily from behind.

"Lily...you..."

"My sister, the Empress, is a good person!"

Lily cried out, tears streaming down her face.

"Get away from me, you bad people!!!"

Moen took a deep breath, moved the gun away, and crouched down to look at Lily.

"Lily, I was sent by your mother to see you."

He tried to keep his voice as soft as possible.

"Your mother's name is Martha Coleman, right? She's been waiting for you at home for a long time, but you haven't come back, so she asked me to come and take you home."

"But...but if I leave, my sister the Queen will be lonely..." Lily sobbed.

"She told me that she was all alone here, with no one to talk to, and no one willing to pay attention to her..."

"Once I leave, she'll be all alone again..."

The Queen of Hearts buried her face in her small shoulder, her body trembling violently, feeling that even death would be worthwhile.

Moen turned to look at Phils, who was biting her lip, her eyes filled with reluctance.

He then looked at the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. The White Rabbit's face was ashen, while the Cheshire Cat had its eyes lowered.

He let out a long breath and fell into deep thought.

"To cut the weeds, you must nip them in the bud"—that's his principle. If a former Level 3 containment object is allowed to live, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause in the future.

"that……"

Phils hesitated before speaking, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Mr. Marcus, Your Majesty, I have a proposal."