I Became a Raid Boss

Indeed, a Master Mage… I suppose that’s the term for it.

The spells pouring down were all far from ordinary.

‘If I were going to fall to something like this, I wouldn’t have survived this long.’

They know as well as I do that I won’t fall to these attacks.

So instead of focusing all my energy on countering the spells raining down on me, I directed my attention elsewhere.

‘…So this is what it was.’

With my heightened sense of Aura Perception, I detected a thread-thin strand of mana.

In the past, I wouldn’t have even noticed it, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have known what to do with it.

At most, I might have severed the connection with a projection.

And if severing the connection was all it took, there’d be no need to detect it in the first place; I could have just destroyed the projection.

But now, things are different.

I could clearly feel the presence of a snake coiling at the end of the mana thread connected to the projection.

‘Can I do this?’

The answer came immediately.

‘Yes. Of course.’

Even though I had never tried it before, my instincts told me I could pull it off.

I reached out, following my intuition.

Across a distance so vast that it should have been unreachable, I grasped the body of the snake coiled in its nest.

“Aha! Finally caught you.”

Damn snake.

How much trouble have I gone through just to catch this snake?

Just counting the times that come to mind easily, it’s been over ten times.

Each time I thought I had it, it would escape, and when I thought I finally had it, it turned out to be a projection.

“Ahaha, ahahahaha!”

That’s why this victory feels so sweet.

Since coming into this world, have I ever laughed this much?

Am I laughing because I feel good, or do I feel good because I’m laughing?

It doesn’t really matter.

—…You’re mad.

‘Mad? How rude.’

Who wouldn’t be happy after finally achieving what they’ve longed for?

I was laughing so hard I forgot about the dull pain in my chest, only stopping when I finally coughed up a mouthful of blood.

I could have crushed it the moment I caught it, but I deliberately didn’t.

Partly because I wanted to see that smug face it had refused to show until now…

But more importantly, because doing so wouldn’t ease the grudge I’ve accumulated.

Consider it a bonus for saving my old subordinate.

I wonder how long it’ll keep squirming.

Even after a small exertion of force to throw it down, a so-called Master Mage is writhing pathetically on the ground.

You have to give it to wizards—they sure know how to exaggerate.

“How does it feel? Too shocked to even speak?”

Then again, I can understand.

Being yanked out of the safest place they thought existed and suddenly dropped into an unfamiliar land—who wouldn’t be bewildered?

“It’s okay. I’ve been through it myself. If you struggle to survive, you’ll adapt in no time.”

“…What on earth are you saying, cough!”

The Sage tried to speak but coughed up dark, clotted blood instead.

It seems my advice, offered as a senior who has crossed dimensions, didn’t quite resonate.

After retching for a while, he finally managed to calm down, wiping his mouth as he stood up.

“You’ve become a complete monster.”

“Since you could do it, why wouldn’t I be able to?”

“Think about your age. Who would have imagined that a girl not even twenty could pull this off?”

“Well…”

That’s true.

“So what?”

Whether it’s something unimaginable or something that doesn’t make sense, there’s no denying the reality that he’s standing in front of me right now.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t just stand there.”

Before I even finished speaking, the staff in his hand gleamed. His signature technique—Spatial Leap.

My eyes darted quickly, reading the flow of mana.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Did you think I’d let go of the catch I worked so hard to reel in so easily? After putting in all that effort to block that troublesome Spatial Leap, my conclusion was that unless I could interfere with space itself, I couldn’t stop him. ṞаＮỐВÊŜ

‘Canaria Style – Wind Slash’ was a technique created for that reason, but even after developing Wind Slash, I couldn’t catch the Sage.

The gap in our understanding of space was too vast to capture him with such a crude technique.

“But if I can see it so clearly like this, I don’t need any deeper understanding.”

If a swordsman can’t cut what they can see, are they really a swordsman?

My sword, gleaming with a mysterious light, sliced through space. The blade moved through the tangled, intertwined spaces, cutting a small knot.

It was the very flow I had been tracking all along.

“Goodbye.”

“…”

In the blink of an eye, the Sage, who had been in front of me, reappeared several meters away. There was no sound.

With a stiff expression, he attempted to flee, but each time, my sword severed the space he aimed for.

He ran, I blocked.

After about five repetitions, the Sage stopped his leaps.

“It’s no fluke, then.”

“It’s not the kind of thing you can manage by luck. Shouldn’t you have realized that when you were dragged here?”

“You’re right.”

The Sage lowered the arm holding his staff.

Did he give up, realizing escape was impossible?

“Even now, is there no chance you’d change your mind?”

No, he hadn’t given up.

Even with no wind blowing, the hem of the Sage’s robe billowed wildly.

“You already know how I’ll answer, don’t you?”

“I figured.”

The mana enveloping the Sage began to flow away.

The youthful appearance vanished, revealing the figure of an elderly man with a dignified presence.

This was the true appearance of the man known as the Sage of the Arka Empire.

“It would have been nice if you had been born in the Empire. Fate can be so cruel.”

“I don’t want to agree with you, but I can’t help but agree with that statement.”

“Could this too be the will of Lady Edel…?”

“No.”

I firmly shook my head.

“This is my will. And it’s yours too.”

Don’t you dare try to escape under the name of a god.

“Heh. Is that so?”

And that was the end of our conversation.

A stream of silvery mana drew a line.

Between the parted boundary, the dim night sky emerged.

Flash—!

Goooong—

A massive meteor that had been drifting through the night sky tore through the boundary and descended upon the ground.

Its colossal mass, capable of easily crushing a castle, pressed down on the air.

Yet, even with this enormous mass looming closer by the second, my mind remained at peace.

“I’ll return the favor.”

Just as the Sage had done, I too swung my sword downward. Like paint spreading through water, the three-colored mana spread softly, tearing through space.

Beyond the rift in space, a large, sturdy-looking castle, various buildings, and well-maintained streets came into view. These were unfamiliar sights to me. But I wondered, would it be the same for those on the other side?

Before I had a chance to resolve my curiosity, the yawning rift devoured the blazing meteor.

‘Hmm.’

Despite the meteor falling into the Imperial capital, the old man’s expression remained unchanged. Did he think others would be able to handle it?

Yet, he couldn’t completely ignore it, as the spells he cast at me afterward were generally smaller in scale—though their lethality wasn’t any less than that of a giant meteor.

Sssak—

The red sword sliced through the shimmering mana. The silver mana, which failed to form a spell, scattered thickly in all directions.

Pssss.

Red flashes etched themselves through the thick mist. The spells that had been subtly surrounding me all reverted to a state of pure mana.

Not stopping there, I reached out with my left hand—the one not holding my sword—into the air.

Crunch!

With a sound like crumpling paper, the scenery warped. Amid the distorted landscape, the figure of the old man seemed to flicker in and out.

Snap!

The ground beneath my feet opened into an abyss, and at the same time, a barrage of freezing spears rushed in. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the frozen air shattering and falling along the trajectory of the spears.

There were easily more than dozens of such spears, creating the illusion of a sudden ice age.

Haa—

My breath fogged up, turning to frost in the air.

Below me lay the abyss, while all around, freezing spears threatened to chill even my soul.

“…Heh.”

Suddenly, a laugh escaped my lips.

I can say with certainty: in a battle involving weapons, there is no one who can defeat me. Even if those weapons were created by magic, as long as they took the form of spears, they couldn’t harm me.

I drew in a short breath.

Shing—

A single flash cleaved through the spears. One spear fell to the ground, but dozens more were still hurtling towards me.

But I didn’t swing my sword again.

Because there was no need to.

Swish, swish, swish!

Dozens of flashes weaved between the spears. Like a spider spinning its web, the flashes crisscrossed the air, snaring their prey.

The number of flashes was precisely forty-five—exactly matching the number of spears split and vanished.

Finally, I lifted my heel and stomped the ground firmly.

Boom!

“It reeks, so shut your mouth.”

The dense Magi, which had been hungrily attempting to swallow me, was instead consumed by the abyss.

Screeching—!

The grating noise that scratched at my ears quickly ceased.

The soft earth beneath me welcomed my return.

A wizard demonstrates great power in a prepared environment.

Even though my body had wreaked havoc while I was unconscious, the arrangements he had put in place still lingered, leaving me at a disadvantage until now.

“It’s my turn.”

Now, that ends. I thrust my sword into the magic circle that subtly revealed its markings and kicked my legs forward in succession.

Flash!

The old man’s face, which had been far away, was now right in front of me. The sight of his long beard, stained with dried blood, was utterly unappealing.

“Haha! What a sight…!”

It would be even more delightful if I dyed that beard completely red.

Just as the red sword seemed to waver, the next moment, it was touching the old man’s chest.

“…[Get away]!”

My body was lifted into the air. Without resisting the force pushing me away, I rotated my body a few times mid-air.

Tap.

A perfect landing worthy of a ten out of ten. As such, I didn’t need time to regain my balance.

A follow-up charge.

My long hair brushed against my back as I moved.

Slash.

As I rushed towards the old man, I tilted the vertically held sword handle at an angle and swung it. The ground scratched by the tip of the sword split open, revealing the earth beneath.

Unfortunately, the old man’s skin didn’t split open. Instead, I shattered the sturdy barrier surrounding him, leaving a red line on his body.

If he had tried to escape using spatial teleportation, he would have been sliced in half.

I clicked my tongue in frustration and tightened my grip on the space I held with one hand.

“You’re pretty nimble for your age. Aren’t your knees aching?”

“….”

The old man replied with only his ragged breaths. After being holed up in his lair, only controlling his duplicate, he must find this a grueling experience.

Having his spatial teleportation blocked and needing to run himself must make it even more so.

‘…It’s not enough yet.’

The face of my father, enduring pain, flashed through my mind.

This level of pain could never be enough to repay the suffering my father felt.

But.

“Let’s end this.”

I swallowed the hot, metallic-tasting blood rising in my throat.

‘Dad, I’m sorry.’

Still, I did my best, so please forgive me.

Swallowing the unreachable forgiveness along with the blood, I raised my sword.

The old man’s face stiffened, sensing the end was near.

‘The sword that will mark the end.’

I already knew the answer.

A sword technique created with the will to soar into the sky.

It was a technique I forged when, thanks to my father, I finally broke free from the cage that had bound me to the name given by my parents.

The red sword that had been trailing on the ground swayed, and the little bird, born in the lowest place, flapped its wings.

It wavered, plummeted, and faltered. At times, it collided with the silver wind and shattered.

But the little bird never gave up.

And finally, when the little bird fully spread its wings—

Canaria Style – Ascension

Saaa…

The brilliantly colored wings cut through the old man’s body.

—

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