I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 122: Demon King (2)

“...?”

The girl opened her eyes.

But what did "opening her eyes" even mean?

She neither understood the meaning of the action nor knew she had performed it. Yet, the girl raised her body.

Ssshh—

At that moment, a dense black mist poured out from her.

It carried the essence of corruption, a lethal miasma akin to death itself for any living creature.

Even the flower field where the girl stood could not escape the mist.

The vibrant flowers withered instantly, losing their life force.

As the girl looked around, her eyes fell upon the drooping flowers.

"..."

She didn’t like it.

Instinctively, she felt discontent and swung her arm.

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Whoosh.

Her arm sliced through the mist.

For a brief moment, the mist parted along the path of her swing but quickly coiled back together.

Though the girl succeeded in scattering the mist momentarily, she could not dispel it entirely.

Naturally, this was expected.

It wasn’t ordinary mist, and since the mist emanated from her own body, such a trivial gesture could not solve the problem.

However, the mist, for its part, could not harm its master either.

The mist that drained the vitality of all living things—flowers, grass, trees, insects—showed no effect on the girl. Her arm remained untouched.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Frustrated by her inability to control it, the girl flailed her arms.

Though her motions resembled a playful child digging in the sand, the aftermath of her actions was far from innocent.

The more the girl moved and swirled the mist with her arms, the further the mist spread, engulfing more of the flower field.

Eventually, the girl noticed something amiss and stopped trying to scatter the mist.

Puff—

She puffed up her cheeks, glaring at the mist.

Tap.

"!"

When she stepped forward, the mist followed her movement. Her pink eyes widened in surprise.

Tap, tap, tap!

The girl scurried out of the flower field on her short legs.

The mist, which had hovered over the flowers, hurriedly chased after her, spilling into an open clearing.

Although her escape caused more damage to the field, thankfully, there were still more untouched flowers than withered ones.

As the girl surveyed the field, seemingly satisfied, her gaze suddenly fixed on something.

Beyond the flower field, near a sheer cliff, a tall, strikingly red object stood out.

"..."

She felt stifled.

Clutching at her chest as if to tear away the discomfort, the girl found no relief.

She wanted to go there.

She couldn’t go there.

Two conflicting instincts waged a fierce battle within her.

In the end, the instinct to stay away won.

Hesitant.

The girl reluctantly obeyed, her gaze lingering on the red object with visible longing.

She passed through the blackened clearing and past a modest hut, gradually moving farther from the flower field.

Thunk!

"...?!"

Driven solely by the instinct to distance herself from the flower field, the girl suddenly collided with something invisible.

A soft sound accompanied the impact as she stopped in her tracks, rubbing her slightly reddened forehead.

Curiosity filled her pink eyes.

What had blocked her?

Tilting her head, she discovered the translucent wall standing in her way.

"..."

She didn’t like it.

It wasn’t just the obstruction itself.

Her instincts whispered again, as they had at the flower field.

But unlike before, where they told her not to destroy, this time, they urged her to obliterate.

She didn’t like it.

The girl moved as her instincts directed.

Voom—

She reached out and grasped the empty air.

Though nothing seemed to be there, a sword materialized in her hand.

The sword was pitch-black, surrounded by an ominous, flickering mist.

Even the greatest swordsman, obsessed with legendary weapons, would hesitate to wield this blade.

The sword exuded a malevolence that transcended reason, striking fear deep into the primal instincts.

Furthermore, touching it would be a death sentence for most.

The sword, formed from the mist enveloping the girl, would drain the life of any unworthy being the moment they made contact.

Yet, the girl held it effortlessly, unaffected.

She assumed a stance, preparing to swing.

From her lower left to her upper right, the black blade cut through the air, slicing at the wall.

Crash!

The gleaming fangs of the black serpent-shaped mist bit deeply into the wall.

The serpent twisted and writhed, attempting to tear the wall apart, but soon lost its form and dissipated.

All that remained was the deep scar left on the wall—a testament to the sword’s power.

"..."

Her eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

Without hesitation, she charged forward, plunging her sword straight into the wall.

Flash!

The wall pulsed with light, only to dim as the black mist seeping from the sword began consuming it.

When the wall’s light finally vanished, it was no longer translucent but pitch-black, like the mist.

Expressionless but somehow pleased, the girl stepped forward again.

Though the blackened wall appeared even more formidable, it parted smoothly before her.

She emerged into a lush forest, where vibrant trees stretched their branches skyward.

But the trees, full of life, wilted at the touch of the mist.

The girl paid no mind to the withering surroundings, moving forward without purpose, guided only by an unspoken instinct to descend the mountain.

Far to the east, the original owner of the wall, sensing the disturbance, clutched their head in despair, unaware of what had transpired.

"What do you mean she disappeared right after the Ascension Rite?"

"That’s exactly what I said. This is the third time you’ve asked, so perhaps it’s time to stop?"

"I just can’t believe it!"

Daeun bit her lip.

Justina, who had overseen the Ascension Rite, had witnessed everything.

Not only had the miasma gathered in that place, but all of Raxia’s miasma had been absorbed into Kana.

It was an outcome that Justina had not anticipated.

By the time she realized something was wrong, the situation had already spiraled beyond her control.

All she could do was ensure that the miasma did not scatter elsewhere.

Minutes dragged like centuries, and hours like eons, until the flow of miasma around Kana visibly weakened.

Watching Kana absorb even the last traces of miasma, Justina could only gape in disbelief.

No matter how powerful someone might be, how could a small girl, not even a demon, withstand such immense miasma?

Even a demon would have been torn apart attempting such a feat.

Not even Justina, despite her advanced state, could have handled a fraction of the miasma Kana had absorbed.

It was beyond extraordinary—beyond what words like “achievement” could describe.

Just as Justina, suppressing her shock, moved to check on Kana, a light engulfed the girl’s body and flared brilliantly.

By the time the blinding light faded and Justina reopened her eyes, Kana was gone.

"Thinking back, it must have been magic."

"Magic...?"

Who had cast it, where, and why?

While it was a relief Kana was alive, new worries emerged.

"What if someone with a grudge against Kana kidnapped her...?"

Or worse, what if some twisted person intended to harm her?

Daeun gnawed at her lip, her thoughts spiraling.

After losing that much blood, Kana’s condition had to be dire.

"Let me make this clear before you misunderstand again. We were not the ones who kidnapped her."

"I didn’t think it was you."

To be precise, Daeun hadn’t even considered the possibility.

Her mind was too consumed by worry to entertain such ideas.

"I don’t know much about magic, but—"

A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.

"The culprit must be a highly skilled magician."

"What makes you say that?"

"Spatial magic isn’t easy to cast. And targeting Kana specifically among all these people would be even harder."

"Ah..."

Hearing this, Daeun felt embarrassed for not realizing it sooner.

"A skilled magician..."

"They’re likely one of the most exceptional magicians on the Ardina continent."

"Why would someone like that kidnap Kana?"

The timing was too perfect, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.

Questions piled upon questions, and Daeun sighed deeply.

"I just hope she’s okay..."

While it seemed increasingly certain Kana had been abducted, Daeun clung to a faint hope.

"I’ll send people to search for her."

"You’ll help?"

"Do you think me an ungrateful wretch?"

"N-no, that’s not what I meant. Thank you... for helping."

"I’m not helping. I’m doing what must be done."

Justina scoffed, gesturing for her clan members to disperse. The demons quickly scattered in all directions.

Turning to Daeun and Selene, she asked,

"What will you do?"

Their answer was already decided.

"We’ll search too."

"Yes. We can’t leave Kana behind."

"I’ll assign escorts. The miasma may be gone, but monsters still linger."

Justina nodded as if she had expected their response.

Thus began a thorough search of Raxia, with dozens of search parties scouring the land.

But—

"What did you say?"

Contrary to Daeun’s hopes, news of Kana came from an entirely unexpected place.