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Although his face was covered by a mask, Alisa recognized Wratch upon seeing his curved sword.
"Codename Wratch, leader of the Vermont Special Forces 3rd Division. I heard you were crippled in the Gaifa islands. There's no way the imperial family would have used the blood of Numerus for the sake of the Special Forces... You seem to have become a majin."
Alisa's words were correct. After Wratch's tendons were cut off in Gaifa Archipelago, he underwent majin surgery under the orders of Amir Vermont.
And after Amir Vermont fell, all the technology and resources he possessed at the time were handed over to the current imperial family, led by Airan Vermont.
In other words, it wasn't just Wratch who blocked Alisa at the moment.
Chris, leader of the Special Forces 4th Division, and Beui, leader of the Special Forces Magic 1st Division, were also surrounding Alisa with the majin unit composed of the Special Forces.
"You're the undefeated Alisa, right? I heard you were treated like a legend until you abandoned the Empire with Kashmir."
"Be grateful to the imperial family. I was given orders to dispose of you as painlessly as possible, considering your past contributions."
Although Alisa possessed power of at least an 8-star level, she was greatly outnumbered to face them all.
However, Alisa remained composed and assumed her stance with a calm gaze.
"If they really wanted to kill me without causing any suffering... it's not because of my merits but because they fear retaliation from young master Jin in future. And is their goal here to eliminate me instead of rescuing the Imperial citizens who were brought here? They should be ashamed of themselves."
"How can you call commoners who do not show loyalty to the imperial family Imperial citizens, Alisa Badger? In any case, I have heard your last words; I will remember them well."
Alisa rushed forward and threw a punch.
The clash between her gauntlet and Wratch's curved sword created a shockwave, but the exchange with Wratch did not last long.
Chris, Beui, and the pressure from the majin unit continued to mount. As soon as they joined the battle, Alisa found herself overwhelmed.
She probably couldn't hold on for even five minutes. Truly, for the first time in a while, she felt the threat of death.
'I was once an Imperial Special Forces member to the bone, after all.'
In the midst of the possibility of being killed, the first thing that came to her mind was not her family or her comrades.
It was the Imperial citizens awaiting rescue in Rikalton. The fact that her death would reduce the number of surviving citizens troubled Alisa's heart.
Although she had left the Empire long ago with Kashmir and had even established the Kingdom of Tikan, her feelings for the land and its people called the "Empire" still shone like gleaming steel. Her loyalty had always been directed not solely to the imperial family but to the Empire itself.
"Commander of the Defense Corps!"
Just as Alisa fell to the ground once again, someone broke through the majin unit and stood before her.
It was Kuzan.
Fortunately, he immediately came to support her. Seeing the majins falter in the face of Kuzan's poison mist, she knew that Kuzan's poison was crucial in combating the majins.
"Kuzan!"
"I spread the poison mist so that Ms. Cuicantelle or Sir Hedo will recognize it and come to support us."
Thud!
Kuzan took out a highly toxic pellet from his pocket and bit into it. He believed that without enhancing himself through poison, he couldn't stand against the majins.
"Kuzan! That's too reckless..."
"Quiet down. If the roles were reversed, wouldn't you have done the same? The other comrades would have done it too. So, pull yourself together and fight."
The majins removed the poison mist and started entering one by one.
However, unlike before, they couldn't easily threaten the two of them.
Kuzan was now completely covered in highly toxic poison.
Even though they were majins, if they were affected by Kuzan's poison, it would take a considerable amount of time for them to regenerate.
"And if an opportunity arises, abandon me and escape without hesitation. Fighting alone in this state is much easier and more effective. Besides, I can easily escape using the poison. Those bastards won't be able to chase after us beyond a certain range."
Alisa nodded heavily.
That's how they all engaged in a life-or-death struggle.
It was so easy for them to kidnap tens of thousands of innocent people, but sending them back home required a sense of duty and determination.
'Since Lady Mary left for the inner castle, a great battle has started. Given how aura is spreading, it's highly likely that the remaining flagbearer of evil god have appeared. Moreover, there seems to be a battle taking place near the Sir Luton and youngest division, as well as in the area Lady Alisa is responsible for...;'
Gilly.
While crossing the advancing troops, she was observing the battlefield, trying to deduce the overall situation.
Since it was an area close to the Tona brothers, there were no more surviving prisoners in the area Gilly was responsible for.
Now she had to retreat to the rear and continue the rescue operation.
On the way back, she needed to assess the areas where the battles were taking place and provide support if necessary.
'Sir Luton is too far. Moreover, Kuzan's poison mist has spread in Lady Alisa's area, so it must be a more urgent situation. I should quickly go there and provide support…'
Just as she was thinking that and about to move, a man suddenly appeared in front of Gilly.
He was wearing black armor, symbolizing a Black Knight, but he wasn't wearing a helmet.
And he was someone Gilly knew very well.
"Dox...Oraboni?"
Dox McRolan.
The eldest son of the McRolan clan, he was the Black Knight of the Runcandel clan and had not been in contact since he left Tikan on a mission to investigate Rikalton. Gilly had expected that Dox had gone to Rikalton and probably met his death there.
Alternatively, if he didn't go to Rikalton and simply returned to the Garden of Swords, Gilly believed that Dox would have been executed by Rosa.
Especially Gilly wanted to believe in that.
Dox's appearance, consumed by chaos like other traitors, aiming his black claw at herself and Jin, was something Gilly never wanted to witness.
But in the end, it had come to this.
[Don't call me that, you wretched monster.]
Thump, thump.
Gilly's heart was pounding painfully.
Dox had already drawn his black claw and was aiming it at Gilly.
She needed to regain her composure.
Though he was tainted by chaos, her opponent was a Black Knight.
Unlike Gilly, who had lived her life as Jin's nanny, Dox had trained in combat for his entire life, surpassing ranks and boundaries.
While Dox's claw remained firmly in place, Gilly's claw was trembling.
"Stop it, Oraboni."
[You keep calling me that. Do you think I need to tear your mouth apart to make you listen?]
Sssht!
With a sound like tearing the wind, three slashes appeared on Gilly's left cheek.
If she had reacted even slightly slower, her left cheek would have been completely torn off.
[Oh, so Gilly is still Gilly. It's been a long time since you stopped training, yet you managed to avoid this.]
"Why did you succumb to chaos? No, it couldn't have been your will. You were undoubtedly forced into this by the prophet or the evil god... It's not too late, Oraboni."
[Oh, really? Not too late?]
"As long as there is no physical transformation, you can return with the Purification device. It means there is still a chance for you, Oraboni. Please, stop and regain your senses."
[Haha… you are the same as when you were young. You are still under the illusion that you are in a position to show mercy to me, just like back then.]
"I have never been in a position to show mercy to you, Oraboni. Not when I was young, not now."
[Is that so? Then what were all those pitying gazes that looked down on me back then? Sometimes it felt like you were intentionally losing to me, almost as if mocking me.]
Dox, consumed by chaos, was poisoned by the inferiority complex and hatred he harbored towards the young Gilly.
The commoner his father had brought home had surpassed him in less than a year of training. After that, Dox couldn't defeat Gilly until she left the clan to become Jin's nanny.
It was an unexpected turn of events, even for the McRolan's matriarch, who had brought Gilly in, believing her to be a talented but expendable shadow.
From then on, the McRolans had an uncomfortable time. While Dox was supposed to be the one to bloom, it was Gilly who blossomed instead.
Gilly's rapid growth became widely known, making it impossible for McRolan to deal with her.
Naturally, Gilly became isolated within the clan. Dox grew increasingly mad and lashed out at Gilly, and she did not resist.
Yet Gilly was grateful to have escaped poverty and survived thanks to being adopted by the McRolans.
She was grateful for the clan who had treated her well in the first year. She still hoped that one day she could become a member of the clan and live in harmony with everyone.
Above all, Gilly didn't hate Dox who was treating her harshly.
Gilly is a person who could never be cruel to someone she had once shown kindness to.
Runcandel recognized this aspect of Gilly's character and made her Jin's nanny.
"Compassion, you say? I just wanted to become close to you, Oraboni. Because I was young and naive, I didn't know what I should do. It wasn't until later that I realized my actions must have hurt you. If given the chance, I wanted to apologize someday..."
[Apology? No need for that. You were simply stronger than me. But I, unlike you, am a wretched human, so I have no intention of showing you mercy now. You will die here today, along with the people you love.]
As Dox's attack resumed, Gilly's trembling pupils gradually hardened.
Despair.
If she were to die here, Jin would undoubtedly be consumed by despair.
So she had to somehow defeat Dox. Even if it meant plunging herself into despair, she had to prevent Jin from suffering.
After all, she was Jin's nanny.
"...There's no other choice. I will show you why Oraboni could never defeat me in those days."
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