Chapter 714: Each Person's Battle (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 714: Each Person's Battle (4)
Though a mask concealed his face, Alisa recognized him the moment she laid eyes on that curved sword. It was Latz.
"Code name Latz, 3rd Section Leader of the Viment Special Task Force. I heard you were crippled in the Gaifa Archipelago. There’s no way the Imperial family would have wasted Numerus’s sacred object on a mere task force leader... It seems you’ve become a Demon."
Just as Alisa deduced, after his tendons were severed in the Gaifa Archipelago, Latz had undergone the Demon transformation procedure under Amir Viment.
Following Amir Viment’s downfall, all the technology and personnel he once controlled were handed over to the current Imperial family, led by Ailan Viment.
In other words, Latz wasn't the only one standing in Alisa's way.
Chris, the 4th Section Leader of the Special Task Force, and V, the 3rd Section Leader of Magic Division 1. They, along with an entire unit of Demons from the task force, had surrounded Alisa.
"Alisa of the Martial Arts, was it? I heard you were treated as something of a legend until you turned your back on the Empire alongside Casimir."
"You should be grateful to the Imperial family. Out of respect for your past achievements, we were ordered to finish you off as painlessly as possible."
Alisa possessed the strength of an 8-star knight or higher, but she was far from capable of handling all of them at once. Nevertheless, she took her stance, her gaze calm.
"If they truly ordered you to kill me without pain... it’s not out of respect for my past achievements. It’s because they fear Young Master Jin’s retaliation. And look at how many Imperial citizens have been captured here. Your goal isn't to save them, but to eliminate me? You should be ashamed of yourselves."
"How can commoners who lack loyalty to the Imperial family be called citizens of the Empire, Alisa Badger? Regardless, I’ve heard your last words. I’ll be sure to remember them."
Alisa lunged forward first, throwing a devastating punch.
Her aura-wrapped gauntlet clashed with the curved sword, kicking up a violent gust of wind, but her exchange with Latz didn't last long.
Chris, V, and the Demon unit immediately pressed their advantage. The moment they joined the fray, Alisa was forced onto the defensive.
It didn't look like she could hold out for even five minutes. For the first time in a very long while, she felt the shadow of death looming over her.
I suppose I really am a Viment Special Task Force member to the bone.
In the face of imminent death, for some reason, the first thing that came to mind wasn't her family or her comrades. It was the Imperial commoners waiting to be rescued here in Ricalton. The thought that her death would mean fewer citizens returning home alive weighed heavily on Alisa’s heart.
Though she had left the Empire with Casimir long ago and even helped establish a kingdom in Tikan, her devotion to the land and the people of the 'Empire' remained as steadfast as shining steel. Ever since her days in the Special Task Force, her loyalty had always been to the Empire itself—never the Imperial family.
"Captain!"
The moment Alisa tumbled across the ground once more, someone stepped through the Demon unit and stood before her.
It was Kuzan.
Fortunately, he had been nearby and came to her aid immediately. The Demons faltered as Kuzan unleashed a thick mist of poison.
"Kuzan!"
"I’ve spread the poison mist. Lady Quicantel or Sir Hedo will see it and come support us."
Crunch!
Kuzan pulled a pill of extreme poison from his robe and bit down hard. He had judged that he couldn't face the Demons without strengthening himself through poison, even if it meant wagering his own life.
"Kuzan! That’s too reckless...!"
"Quiet. You would have done the exact same if our positions were reversed, wouldn't you? The same goes for our other comrades. So pull yourself together and fight."
The Demons began to push through the poison mist one by one.
However, unlike moments ago, they couldn't easily threaten the pair. Kuzan’s entire body was now a vessel of extreme poison. Even for a Demon, being struck by Kuzan’s toxins meant their regeneration would be significantly delayed.
"And if an opportunity arises, leave me and get out of here. In this state, it’s much more effective and comfortable for me to fight alone. Besides, I can escape whenever I want using my poison. Those bastards won't be able to chase me past a certain range."
Alisa nodded heavily.
Thus, everyone was engaged in a desperate struggle for life and death.
It had been so simple for the Evil God to kidnap tens of thousands of innocent people, but returning them to their homes required a profound sense of mission and grim determination.
*
The major battle began right after Lady Mary headed for the Outer Castle. Judging by the way the aura is spreading, it’s highly likely the remaining Flagbearers of the Evil God have appeared. Furthermore, there are signs of combat where Sir Luton and the Youngest’s Division are, as well as in the area Sir Alisa is responsible for...
Gilly.
She had been rescuing prisoners after crossing past the advancing Colossal Divine Trees, and she was now deducing the general state of the battlefield.
Since this area was close to where the Tona brothers were, there were no more living prisoners left in Gilly’s sector.
She needed to pull back to the rear and continue the rescue efforts. On her way back, she also needed to check the combat zones and provide support.
Sir Luton’s side is too far. Besides, Kuzan’s poison mist has spread near Sir Alisa, so her situation must be more urgent. I must hurry there and provide support—
Just as she was about to move after finishing that thought, a man suddenly appeared before her.
He wore the black armor symbolic of a Black Knight, but he was not wearing a helmet.
And he was someone Gilly knew very well.
"Dox... Brother...?"
Dox McLoran.
The eldest son of the McLoran family and a Black Knight of the Runcandel family. He had left Tikan after being ordered by Jin to investigate Ricalton and had been out of contact ever since.
He was staring at Gilly with dark, hollow eyes tainted by Chaos.
Both Jin and Gilly had expected this to some extent. They assumed Dox had likely met his end upon arriving in Ricalton. Or, even if he hadn't gone to Ricalton and simply returned to the Garden of Swords, they believed it was highly probable that Rosa had executed him.
Gilly, in particular, had desperately wanted to believe that.
The last thing she ever wanted to see was Dox, consumed by Chaos like the other traitors, pointing his claws at her or Jin.
But in the end, it had come to this.
[Do not call me that, you lowly monster.]
Thump, thump.
Gilly’s heart pounded with agonizing intensity. Dox had already unsheathed his black claws and was leveling them at her.
She had to focus.
Even if he was corrupted by Chaos, her opponent was a Black Knight. Unlike Gilly, who had lived as Jin’s nanny for years, he was a warrior who had spent his entire life training on the front lines of death.
While Dox’s claws were held perfectly steady, Gilly’s hands trembled.
"Please stop, Brother."
[You keep calling me that. Do I have to tear that mouth of yours open before you'll listen?]
Sshhh—!
With the sound of tearing wind, three gashes appeared on Gilly’s left cheek. If her reaction had been even a fraction slower, the entire left side of her face would have been ripped away.
[Oh, you're still Gilly, I see. You must have stopped training long ago, yet you managed to dodge that.]
"Why did you surrender to Chaos? No, I know it wasn't of your own will. The Evil God or the Prophet must have forced this upon you... It’s not too late, Brother."
[Ha, not too late?]
"As long as there is no physical mutation, you can return to normal using a purifier. That means there is still a chance for you. So please, stop this and come to your senses."
[Heh... You’re exactly the same as when you were a child. You’re still under the delusion that you’re in a position to show me mercy, just like back then.]
"I have never been in a position to show you mercy, Brother. Not as a child, and not now."
[Is that so? Then what were all those looks of pity you gave me after looking down at me when you defeated me back then? Sometimes you even lost on purpose, as if you were mocking me.]
The Chaos-tainted Dox was intoxicated by the inferiority and hatred he had harbored toward Gilly in the past.
The commoner his father had brought home one day had surpassed him in less than a year of training. From then until Gilly left the family to become a Runcandel nanny, Dox had never once defeated her.
Even the Patriarch of McLoran, who had brought Gilly in, hadn't expected it. He had judged the young girl he happened upon to be merely a talented warrior and brought her in to be Dox’s sparring partner and shadow.
From that point on, the McLoran family spent many uncomfortable days. Dox was the one who was supposed to bloom, but instead, it was Gilly who was in full flower.
Because Gilly’s growth had become known to the outside world so quickly, the McLoran family couldn't even get rid of her. Naturally, Gilly became isolated within the family. Dox grew increasingly unstable and treated Gilly cruelly, yet she never resisted.
She felt that the only reason she had escaped the slums and survived was thanks to being adopted by the McLorans. She felt immense gratitude toward the family members who had treated her so well during that first year. She held onto the hope that one day, she would become a true member of the family and get along with everyone.
Above all, Gilly didn't truly hate Dox for being cruel to her. She was someone who could never be cold toward someone she had once opened her heart to.
The Runcandels had recognized that very nature in Gilly and brought her in as Jin’s nanny.
"Pity? I simply wanted to be close to you, Brother. I was young and slow-witted, so I didn't know what to do. It was only much later that I realized my actions back then might have hurt you. I intended to apologize one day, if I ever got the chance..."
[An apology? There’s no need for that. You were simply stronger than me. But unlike you, I am a despicable human being, and I have no intention of showing you mercy now. You will die here today. Along with the people you love.]
As Dox resumed his attack, Gilly’s trembling eyes gradually turned cold and sharp.
Despair.
If she died here, Jin would surely fall into uncontrollable despair. Therefore, she had to cut Dox down, no matter what. Even if it meant plunging herself into despair, she had to prevent Jin from suffering.
Because she was Jin’s nanny.
"...I suppose it can't be helped. I will show you once again why you could never defeat me back then."