Chapter 715
Episode 180: Each Their Own Battle (5)

If Gilly hadn’t become Runkandel’s nanny and had continued training as a knight of McLoran, she would have been able to keep the promise she just made.

But Dox was the Black Knight.

Even though his potential was far below Gilly’s, and even now he was corrupted and past his prime, the weight of the black helmet he wore hadn’t grown any lighter.

Moreover, the Prophet had put great effort into Dox’s corruption. He had been twisted just enough to be consumed by hatred and madness, but without losing the dignity he had built as a warrior.

In other words, Dox was currently able to perform at his full strength.

“How dare a mere nanny… laughable, Gilly. You should have spat such arrogant words back then. Since you left the family, I’ve crossed countless near-death experiences and grown stronger. Even after donning the black helmet, nothing’s changed.”

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Dox’s claw struck Gilly. She managed to block it, but she didn’t dare try to overpower him.

Pain shot through her entire wrist as if it had been shattered, forcing her to grit her teeth. Every time she blocked Dox’s attack, her bones rattled violently.

Still, only her face twisted in pain; she held her stance and fixed her gaze on Dox. The claw that no longer trembled was surrounded by a fierce aura.

“Not bad for someone who’s been rotting away in comfort all this time.”

Dox’s relentless, one-sided assault continued without pause. Gilly had to summon every ounce of strength just to keep up, while Dox fought with the ease of dealing with a child.

Strength, speed, experience.

There wasn’t a single area where Gilly could hope to beat Dox. The confident words she spat were only meant to provoke him, and she knew better than anyone that they held no real chance.

“That’s as far as you go. What exactly are you trying to teach me?”

Crack!

Right after Dox finished speaking, Gilly heard the sickening sound of her left wrist twisting. Their claws had tangled, and suddenly Dox shattered her balance and slammed his elbow into her wrist.

“Argh…!”

Gritting out a groan, Gilly scrambled to the left, trying to evade. But Dox gave her no opening and struck the same spot again. The broken bone stabbed sharply beneath her skin.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard you scream.”

“Hah, so are you satisfied now?”

“No, I’m disappointed. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you—the monster Gilly—would still have something remarkable left inside you, even if you’d rusted a bit… I had that hope.”

“I’m not a monster. I’m just an ordinary person. The real monsters are my brother… or rather, those who turned him into what he is.”

“But you break so easily. It’s almost pathetic.”

Dox stopped his attack.

Taking advantage of the pause, Gilly quickly wrapped her shattered wrist with a bandage. She struggled to do it properly, constantly aware of Dox’s presence. Cold sweat dripped down her body, and her breathing grew shallow.

Haah…

Dox let out a long sigh. There was no trace of the Gilly he remembered in that fragile figure.

Then, Dox pulled something from his pocket and tossed it in front of her. Gilly flinched, ready to counterattack, but saw it was a single black pill lying on the ground.

“What’s this?”

“They call it ‘Hondan.’ A pill made by the Prophet.”

“If I take this, will I become like my brother?”

“It temporarily restores your body and unleashes a surge of energy. Of course, even if you swallow it, your chances of beating me are slim. But it’s better than dying like this. Besides, I want to see you again—how you used to be.”

Gilly crushed the pill underfoot without a second thought.

“I don’t need it.”

“That’s strange. When you were hailed as McLoran’s greatest prodigy, you acted like you had no pride. But now, with death staring you in the face, you’re stubborn.”

Gilly steadied her breath and aimed her claw at Dox again.

“The reason I stayed silent when I was hated and rejected by the family was because I carried the McLoran name. It wasn’t that I lacked pride.”

“You were never truly McLoran.”

“No matter how the family or my brother saw me, I never forgot that I was McLoran. Every sword I wielded was taught to me by McLoran, and every happiness I’ve had in life was because of what I gained from McLoran.”

That was why Gilly had never told Jin or her comrades about her past with McLoran.

—“I’m sorry, my lord.”

—“Why are you sorry?”

—“My family has been disrespectful to you. It’s probably because of me.”

—“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. I don’t hold any special grudge against McLoran because of this, so don’t worry.”

When Jin became a rider, Gilly had even apologized on behalf of McLoran for their rudeness in not sending an envoy. And when Dox was captured by Jin, she worried about what might happen if her lord harmed him.

Of course, Gilly had suffered countless wounds during her time at McLoran. But she believed none of that pain compared to what she had gained after escaping the slums.

Jin, Murakan, and the comrades she had adventured with since their trainee days—her family. Without McLoran, she would never have had them.

The aura gathering on Gilly’s claw deepened.

“So you want to settle this in one go. Fine, I’ll wait.”

“Do you remember? This is the family’s signature technique that my brother wanted to learn so badly.”

“McLoran Style 66… a rather familiar sword.”

“Brother probably still believes 66 was created by the family head.”

Dox’s eyes narrowed.

“…You don’t mean it was you, not Father?”

“Yes. It’s said the family head devised it, but I actually came up with it when I was seventeen. That’s why only I know its true secrets, and why the family head never mastered it.”

“Haha, your father must have felt inferior to you, just like I do. But it’s a shame you didn’t take the Hondan. With that broken arm, you won’t be able to handle 66. Anyway, show me. I’ll break you head-on.”

As Dox raised his claw to counterattack, Gilly lowered her stance—the very posture Dox had practiced millions of times in his youth.

‘Charge, acceleration, and a follow-up strike. Simple in structure but extremely difficult to balance. To think she created this at seventeen…’

With a shout, Gilly surged forward.

If she could end it before the technique began, maybe. But once 66 started, even Dox had to yield the initiative to her for a moment.

Still, Dox perfectly parried Gilly’s claws. Even if he didn’t know 66, he would have only suffered minor scratches. But since this was a familiar sword style, it was no contest.

‘Triple strike, followed by a low attack, then a spin and repositioning as soon as you block or dodge.’

Dox had fully mastered 66. That’s why, despite her relentless assault, Gilly was taking heavier damage. Using it recklessly with an injured arm was causing aura reflux.

‘66 is notorious for causing reflux, so it’s impressive she’s managed this much with a broken arm. Is this the end?’

If Gilly truly created 66, the ending would be different.

Dox knew the finishing move of 66 was to evade. After all the strikes, if the opponent was still alive, you had to retreat.

That made 66 a risky sword style. You push your aura to the limit, enduring reflux to overwhelm your opponent, but if you fail to finish them, you have to escape in that state.

This was the hardest part for Dox to grasp when learning 66. That’s why he usually only used about 70% of the technique. 66 was undoubtedly excellent, but it came with the unavoidable risk of reflux.

Dox believed the true mastery of 66 lay in completely controlling aura to avoid reflux. Reaching a state where you could unleash the full technique anytime without risk—that was the pinnacle of 66.

‘Lowering your stance again?’

Just as Dox anticipated the final strike, Gilly dropped her stance once more, returning to the initial posture of 66.

Then, planting both claws firmly into the ground, she raised her upper body like a roaring beast.

At that moment, Dox realized the true finish of 66.

‘It’s a self-destruct move. That’s why 66 is so extreme.’

All the aura refluxing inside Gilly’s body converged instantly into the blades of her claws pressed into the earth—like a volcano erupting beneath Runkandel.

McLoran Style 66.

‘Gilly McLoran.’

When she first conceived 66 at seventeen, she named the technique after herself.

She had planned to reveal it someday—when she was no longer rejected by the family, when she could get close to Dox.

66 was made to be Dox’s shadow. It was created for the moment she might have to die to save him.

Therefore, Dox had completely misunderstood the completion of 66. To truly finish ‘Gilly McLoran,’ one must not avoid aura reflux but learn to harness it. The true end of 66 was to push the reflux to its limit and detonate it all at once.

But now.

Gilly had no intention of dying for Dox.

Though she still held some affection for McLoran and Dox despite the hatred, the only people she was willing to give her life for were her lord, Murakan, and her comrades.

“Your energy is fierce, but there’s no need to dodge. When this explodes, the only one who dies will be you.”

“…This time, big brother has finally won. Or rather, I suppose even this time… he did.”

[If he swallowed the poison I gave him, its power would have been somewhat overwhelming…]

Screech—!

Suddenly, Dox’s side was sliced open, and a surge of poison flared like a vein bursting with venom. Someone who had just infiltrated the battlefield had slashed at Dox.

In this world, there are very few who could pull off such a flawless ambush against the Black Knight.

“Was this black blade trying to kill our Strawberry Pie?”

Yona Runcandel.

From the moment Gilly first unleashed the Type-66, she had been counting on support from the unknown. By now, even if the unknown had split off from Kinzello and infiltrated the surface separately, they should have arrived.

Yona swiftly brought Dox down, driving her sword deep into his chest. Alongside Yona, Owl had also ambushed Dox, leaving him no chance to react.

[Guh…!]

Through the eyes of the fallen Dox, he saw Gilly kneeling on the ground, claws dug into the earth. Yet in her eyes, there was no trace of hatred.

Nor was there any sense of triumph—only a vacant, somber gaze. A look all too familiar to Dox.

Only then did he finally understand why Gilly always wore that expression.

It meant she never wanted to see him hurt.