I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game-Chapter 122: Lewis Carol – Bellman’s Assault

“It’s not exactly a pleasant moment for introductions, is it?

What do you think it feels like to get ambushed out of nowhere by someone who just drops in uninvited?”

I had a feeling that if I punched the bell-headed freak in front of me, it’d ring with a crisp, clear sound.

I clenched my fist and glared at him.

But instead of reacting, the creature addressed me gently—like he was reading me a bedtime story.

“Oh dear. How unfortunate.

Still, introductions are important, so allow me to finish mine.

Ding-ding. A pleasure to meet you.

The host of this Snark Hunt, come to see you—

I am Bellman, Alice.

But just this once, I’d like you to call me Carol.”

“So you’re one of those claiming to be Lewis Carol too, huh?”

“Not just me. All of us are.”

While I exchanged a few words with him, another monster behind him—this one with a head made of soap bubbles—interrupted.

Bubble, huh... These guys really are consistent.

“What kind of Alice are you? Alice Liddell? Maybe Lorina Liddell? Edith Liddell?

Surely you’re not Lorina Reeve?”

Lorina Liddell and Edith Liddell...

I don’t remember the details since they weren’t mentioned much in the fairy tale, but they were Alice Pleasance Liddell’s sisters—the girl the original Alice in Wonderland was based on.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

As for Lorina Reeve... no idea who that is, but probably another name tied into all this.

Bubbleman’s ramblings were cut off as Bellman gently raised a hand.

“Calm yourself.

She is Alice.

And you—greetings. Apologies for the delay.

The Lewis Carol of this world, I presume.”

“A female Lewis Carol... How rare!”

Carol frowned, clearly disgusted by the way Bubbleman’s eyes trailed over her body.

Then, sharp as ever, she cut in—demanding clarification from these self-proclaimed Snark Hunters.

“You... don’t tell me you came from a parallel world?”

“That’s right.”

“...!”

Bellman answered without hesitation.

Carol’s face twisted into something between frustration and disgust.

“Figures.

I imagined something like this could happen if you apply parallel world theory...

But seeing it with my own eyes?

This is insane.”

It looked like this encounter was astronomically unlikely.

The “world next door” must’ve been what they called a parallel world.

Carol pressed further.

“...Alright. I’ll ask.

What did you come here for?”

“But of course.

To take Alice with us.

We are Lewis Carol.

Alice is inseparable from us.”

“...”

Carol stared at Bellman with a strange look—somewhere between thoughtfulness and disbelief.

Like she’d run out of things to say.

“You want to take her... for what?

This Alice isn’t the one you’re looking for!”

“We intend to continue her story.

Forever.

An endless adventure.

Like a fairy tale.

And yes—she is the Alice we seek.”

“What...?

That can’t be. You people—!”

Carol clearly wasn’t expecting this.

Even if she had imagined this possibility, their responses didn’t match her expectations.

She went quiet.

For a moment, everything stilled.

Then, the bubble-headed man burst out again, breaking the silence and shouting at me.

“Only Lewis Carol can be with Alice!

Come to me, Alice!

Let us listen to the river’s song and hear the fairy tale once more!

Come to me!!”

“They’re nuts...”

There was something so deeply pitiful and repulsive in the way he behaved—

like a lunatic overcome by love.

If they truly came from another world, then whatever they experienced or believed... no longer mattered.

Because when you start dealing with parallel worlds, the sheer number of possibilities dilutes any meaning.

“We’ve traveled across many worlds, collecting Alices.

And your Alice...

She’s adorable.

And strong.

I’m so jealous, I could lose my mind.”

Even Bellman—who had seemed somewhat sane—began scraping at his face with his fingernails, trembling.

I decided to try talking, at least once.

I didn’t want to forgive them.

But if talking could prevent more chaos inside the Organization, it might save lives.

“I get it. You’re looking for Alice.

But I’m not the same as the one who was born as Alice.

If anything, I’m her demon.

I’m not the Alice you’re looking for.”

These freaks claimed to be Lewis Carol—

the author of Alice in Wonderland—

and they were clearly fixated on the fairy tale.

I might be connected to that story...

But I’m not its protagonist.

Same as Carol.

She only shares the name.

But Bellman tilted his head and kept speaking.

“And what of it?

We prefer an Alice like you.

In the end, we’re all fakes.

Whether it’s Wonderland Alice, Underground Alice, Looking Glass Alice...

Whether she’s black-haired or blonde—

They’re all ours.

All mine!”

“Just fakes...”

Carol faltered at those words.

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to snap her out of it—

but she was lost in thought.

“And that’s why we Hunt the Snark!

Let sorrow and obsession be our ocean!

Set sail!

And prove we are not human—by finding Alice (Boojum)!!!”

Nothing he was saying made sense.

What a joke.

I was an idiot for thinking I could reason with something that kills people like it’s nothing.

Whether they’re parallel-world Lewis Carols or not—

I’ll turn every last one of them into nothing.

“Let’s journey forever, Alice!

Come with us!

Let’s wander the worlds together—forever!”

It was chaos—

a full clash of their army and ours.

I summoned as many low-effort yokai as I could.

Starting, of course, with «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Brocken’s yokai.

But this time, I wouldn’t use Lizard Bill.

No need for mass destruction—just containment.

The Snark Hunt’s crew poured endlessly from their ship.

They clashed with my Hundred Demon Parade from the mirror.

Urban legends weren’t exactly effective in war—

they weren’t built for numbers.

Still, the level difference was real.

My mirror yokai were pushing Bellman’s forces back.

“Lewis Carol, join us!

Writhe with us in this hell!

You’ll never become Dodgson!

Let us continue Alice’s story together!”

“You think... I’m the same as them?

Don’t make me laugh!”

Furious, Carol raised her pen and slashed through the air.

Dozens of sailor throats split open all at once.

So that’s the kind of weapon she’s been hiding.

James was holding his own, too.

We just might be able to end this.

“Hmph... That pen of yours...

Quite the fascinating thing.”

Ding—! Ding—!

Bellman struck his head again—

and more crew members began pouring from the ship at an even faster pace.

Tch.

They’re really infinite.

In that case, if we can just take out Bellman, the ringleader—

maybe this whole invasion ends.

I charged toward him, sealing away any crew that got in my way using mirrors instead of killing them.

But those trapped in the mirrors...

broke free again on their own.

So they really can cross worlds.

They treat my mirror realm as just another dimension.

Looks like I’ll need to go even harder.

“I’m summoning something special now.

Something perfect for this situation.”

Fear is basically evil to humans.

It disturbs peace.

But I deal in that evil—

and I use it to fight greater evils.

Among the yokai I’d summoned, I picked four types to use as materials:

—An insect-type creature

—A drug-based anomaly

—A coercion-themed yokai

—One tied to discrimination

I combined all four like kneading mochi—

Not elegant, not efficient—

but desperate times.

Around me, James, and Carol, rainbow-colored mushrooms began to sprout.

I was summoning a yokai that smoked, released poison, and killed through clouds of toxic ideology—

A horror born from the deaths caused by beliefs.

Fear of history itself.

“I call this yokai...”

“Wasp-Wedge.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As soon as Wasp-Wedge emerged, it unleashed a wave of indiscriminate poison across the front lines—targeting all those who forced their ideologies and desires onto others.

It was a mass-casualty weapon, but one of a different nature than Lizard Bill.

A horror born of reversed history—punishing those who once poisoned others with their own beliefs.

The Snark Hunt crew, overwhelmed by the poison, began to collapse in droves.

Good. A path was opening.

That’s when Carol, standing beside me, spoke up.

“Alice. That hole in the wall—do you think we could use it to launch that ship outside?”

“Huh? Feels like things are wrapping up already without that, but... if you say so.”

I summoned a separate set of yokai—ones specialized in launching things.

If I focused purely on that trait, they should be powerful enough to send the entire ship flying.

Still... just Wasp-Wedge alone was doing more than enough.

The poisoned crew couldn’t even put up a proper fight.

If we could just take out Bellman, all of this might end.

“Are you familiar with Turtle Soup?”

“...What?”

Out of nowhere, and in that same calm, storybook tone.

Was he talking about that Turtle Soup? The twisted kind from the Neapolitan-style urban legends?

Or...

“Terrapin Soup.

They say it tastes like a cross between lobster and beef.

When they couldn’t get turtle meat, they’d use cow heads to recreate the flavor.

But no matter how much they cried...

the cow head could never become a turtle.

Yes... all the Snark crew are just fake turtles.”

Behind Bellman, a monstrous creature revealed itself—

a grotesque blend of cow and turtle.

The moment it opened its mouth and bit into the air, Wasp-Wedge was ripped apart.

Massive damage.

Bellman might not be a yokai, but he wielded power on the same level.

This couldn’t drag on too long.

Anyone who summons like me could bring forth horrors with unknown special abilities.

Maybe Carol had already anticipated this—

that the enemy had strategies of their own.

If that’s the case, then I’d better follow through with what Carol asked.

Launch that damn ship out of here.

“Hey, Bellman.

Not bad.

Like you said... I’ll go with you.”

“Oh? Truly?”

“Lied.”

I unleashed the stored launch-type attack directly at his ship.

Bellman and his vessel were blasted outside without much resistance.

That’s when Carol wrote something into the air with her pen—and a bright light flared.

It felt similar to Pinocchio’s power.

Reality manipulation?

“Activate defense systems!”

Carol’s action re-enabled the Organization’s defenses—the ones Bellman had sealed.

The heavy artillery along the outer wall all turned and opened fire on the ship.

The Snark’s vessel was shot down in a barrage of firepower, bursting into flames.

And then... Bellman, along with the Snark Hunters, vanished in the inferno.

...Was it over?

Ding—ding—

“...Tch.”

BOOM!

With a thunderous roar, the ship reappeared.

“It didn’t work?”

“No... They did die.

But that’s a different Bellman.”

Another Bellman?

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Bellman.

But please—call me Lewis Carol.”

Another Bellman.

The hunt wasn’t over.

As long as there’s a Bellman...

The Snark Hunt continues.

Take one down, and another from a different world appears.

“We shall appear endlessly.

As many times as there are worlds.”

So this was the truth behind the Snark Hunt.

A swarm of Lewis Carols crossing over from parallel worlds, all to hunt Alice.

Chills ran down my spine.

This kind of madness, even if they weren’t as strong as other Dominators, was so much more exhausting to deal with.

“Just as society forces children to choose—

you too must make a choice.

Come with us.

Then the hunt will end.

Otherwise, we will keep coming,

keep tearing through your world.

You don’t want people to keep dying, do you?”

“...”

“Alice always shares one trait:

A fragile heart.”

“Endless...

So once you’ve seen me, you’ll chase me forever?”

Tch. I don’t like this.

But if things keep going like this, we’ll just wear each other down endlessly.

It’s not like getting caught will strip me of strength or opportunity.

In fact, it might even be worth breaking them down from the inside.

The more time I buy, the more advantage I’ll have.

Bellman reached toward me.

At that moment, Carol stepped between us.

He grabbed her by the collar, lifting her off the ground.

“Don’t! Carol—

Even if I get taken, I’ll figure out a way to come back!”

“Wonderful!

Alice getting angry for Lewis Carol’s sake—

I’m so jealous!

You...

You might be the closest one to Dodgson of us all.”

“I’m not like any of you.”

Hearing Carol’s defiant words, Bellman twisted his head at an unnatural angle and snapped in a furious voice:

“Hmph? What’s so different about you?

You’ve got the same wish buried deep inside—

To be with Alice forever, don’t you?

You’re probably going mad from missing that girl’s face.

But we... we weren’t Dodgson.

We could never be.

All we could ever become...

were these damned Lewis Carols!”

“I’m not like you!”

“!”

Carol drew the pen she’d hidden in her coat and slashed it through the air.

The Bellmen—apparently unable to retain shared memory—had underestimated her pen once again, and in an instant, another Bellman’s head was severed.

But even that wasn’t enough.

A new Bellman would just appear again.

Ding.

The soft chime of the fallen bell rang out—signaling the arrival of the next.

Should we try sealing them?

But even when the last one was obliterated, Bellman still came back.

That meant sealing alone wouldn’t solve it.

As I hesitated, trying to figure out what to do next, Carol murmured beside me, almost to herself.

“Alice...

I thought I was something special among the fakes.

But realizing I’m just like them...

hurts more than I expected.”

Then, Carol did something completely unexpected.

She lifted Bellman’s severed head—

and placed the empty bell upon her own.

No...

No way.

“Carol, no!”

The bell stopped trembling and settled in place.

All the Snark crew fell still.

That meant only one thing:

Carol had become the new Bellman.

If I had been captured by them, I might’ve found a way to escape.

Carol knew that my tier—having already defeated Dominators—was higher than Bellman’s.

And yet... she chose to become Bellman herself.

Why?

Ding-ding.

“Of course... this is how it had to be, right?

To stop the Snark Hunt—

Only one Bellman can exist in a world, after all.”

Then Carol gave the order to set sail.

Wait—what?

Where the hell was she going?!

“Carol?! What are you doing?! Come back!!”

“Alice...

I’m sorry.

This must seem sudden. And drastic.

But it’s something I need to do.

To prove that I’m not the same as them.

This is the only way.

Ahaha... hahahahaha!

Wow!

This feels amazing!

So many voices...

I can hear them all!

All the Lewis Carols think the same!”

Carol began laughing like she’d gone completely mad—

consumed by the bell.

I lunged forward, determined to rip that idiotic thing off her head—

but she sped away, steering the ship faster and faster.

Fine—then I’d grab her with the mirror—!

“No.”

Carol slashed her pen through the air again—

shattering the mirror I’d summoned.

Reality manipulation.

Again.

“I’m not like them! I’m not not nooot—!

I want Alice! No, I don’t want her! I do!

Fake, fake, fake—

Everything’s fake!”

It was Carol’s voice, but so twisted by grief and contradiction that she sounded like someone else entirely.

Her body began turning translucent—

fading.

Even the mirror couldn’t stop that.

She was leaving this world.

Dammit.

Was Carol... really going to wander other worlds now, hunting Alices?

Why—

Why so suddenly?!

Just before she fully disappeared, she spoke again.

This time, calm. Quiet.

“When the book nears its end,

and the gates of Hell open...

meet me there, Alice.

I’ll finish my story then.

Until that moment...

wait for me.”

With those final words, Carol vanished.

After the Snark Hunt was over,

all that remained—

was the question Carol left behind about the end.

And the battered, broken Organization left in its wake.