I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 135: Final Farewell (2)

Gray mana swirled violently in the air.

"Whistle~"

Ledin let out a low whistle as he watched the storm of gray energy rage from behind his bowstring.

Among the Empire's swords, Robert ranked as the Fourth.

While it was true that Robert was stronger than Ledin, the Fifth Bow, the sheer power Robert was now unleashing far exceeded what one would expect from someone of his rank.

Ledin knew that everyone, including himself, had hidden trump cards.

But this wasn’t a simple hidden technique.

"This might actually make me the Fourth Bow," he murmured.

The force Robert was wielding wasn’t a mere tactical maneuver; it was an all-out, desperate strike.

A display of willpower so fierce it silenced the primal fear of death.

Ledin, watching this, couldn’t help but applaud, at least internally.

"Bravo, senior. Such loyalty," he quipped.

Though he couldn’t release his grip on the bowstring to clap, his admiration was genuine.

That said, Ledin had no desire to stake his own life in the same way.

"Loyalty? Sure, let’s call it that."

Ledin lived a life of luxury thanks to the Empire’s favor.

If someone were to ask, "Does loyalty feed you?" he could confidently answer, "It does for me."

But if his work ever put his life at significant risk, he wouldn’t hesitate to toss that loyalty aside.

"Still, I should show some respect, right?"

At least enough to avoid any troublesome interrogation from the esteemed sage.

Inhale... exhale...

Ledin’s breathing slowed until it eventually stopped altogether.

For a moment, he seemed to become something other than human—a motionless doll, or perhaps a painting, devoid of any sign of life.

Even as the gusts of gray mana whipped his hair, Ledin didn’t flinch.

He simply waited, his keen gaze fixed on the girl.

Finally, the opportunity presented itself.

Robert’s blade gleamed.

A flash of steel targeted the girl’s shoulder.

Even with Ledin’s sharp eyes, honed by years of archery, the sequence of movements leading to the strike was imperceptible.

And yet, even that lightning-fast attack failed to reach the girl.

"...It’s open."

Ledin didn’t miss it—the brief moment when the miasma shielding the girl dissipated.

Before his mind could process it, his fingers, trained by endless practice, moved on their own.

Some say there’s no real artistry in drawing a bow and loosing an arrow.

But even skeptics would be silenced if they saw the shot Ledin just fired.

Fwoosh!

The glowing arrow streaked through the air.

Carrying the collective power of two Masters—Robert’s life-sacrificing effort and Ledin’s precision—it pierced through the barrier and struck the target.

"...!"

Thunk!

The sound of impact was deceptively light.

But the result was anything but.

The girl’s body was hurled into the air, flung far across the battlefield.

"...Kana!"

A desperate cry echoed from somewhere.

It was the signal Ledin had been waiting for. He finally exhaled, lowering his bow.

The cost of that single, lethal shot was steep.

He wouldn’t be able to fire another arrow today—but it didn’t matter.

The oppressive miasma that had enveloped the battlefield was dissipating, and the prey struck by his arrow lay unmoving.

"When I heard we were bringing not just three of the Empire’s swords but also the sage, I thought it was overkill."

To amass enough power to topple a small nation for the sake of subduing a single individual—it was absurd.

"So, what do you think now that you’ve seen her?"

"If anything, we didn’t bring enough. We should’ve brought more while we were at it."

"Haha. We must adhere to strict regulations, after all. Losing two of our finest is truly a shame."

"Haha..."

Strict regulations, my ass.

Ledin hid his thoughts behind a polite smile, following the sage’s lead.

"To think the ghost of a fallen nation could wield such power. Still, a ghost must return to where it belongs—that’s the natural order."

"I won’t argue with that," the sage replied.

He tapped the end of his staff against the ground.

"But don’t you think it’s a little too early to be at ease?"

"...Pardon? What do you mean—"

Swish.

"...Huh?"

Ledin, prompted by the sage’s words, instinctively turned to look at the fallen girl.

He had seen it clearly—the arrow had pierced her heart.

Even a transcendent being couldn’t survive such a wound.

It was impossible.

And yet—

"...How?"

The girl, whose heart had been pierced, was slowly rising to her feet.

Her chest still bore the undeniable mark of the arrow’s impact.

As Ledin watched in shock, the girl stood fully upright, coughing up blood.

"...That hurt, you know."

"...She spoke?"

"Have you never seen a talking person before?"

Kana muttered flatly, glancing down at the sword in her hand.

"Tsk."

She flicked her wrist, and the black sword crumbled into dust, scattering into the air.

Her hand, now empty, suddenly held a pale crimson blade.

"That was so frustrating, I thought I might die of boredom."

The miasma was a formidable weapon, but relying on brute force alone was inefficient.

Such a powerful tool, yet wielded so poorly.

"Seriously, punching holes through people’s chests? ...Well, I guess I should thank you. Thanks to that, I finally regained control."

A sharp blade pointed directly at Ledin.

Mana in three distinct colors flowed along the length of the blade:

Ominous black mana, radiating an unsettling aura.Violent red mana, seemingly ready to rip through anything in its path.Soft pink mana, less visually striking but no less commanding in presence.

“Damn,” Ledin muttered, letting out a dry laugh.

Three colors of mana blending together seamlessly—neither clashing nor opposing one another—it was an impossible sight.

“Alright, we’re moving into phase two now,” Kana said casually.

“Phase two?”

“Oh, right, I guess that doesn’t mean much to you.”

Muttering something incomprehensible, Kana pulled her arm back—the very arm holding the sword.

“...!”

Danger.

Before Ledin could even think, his body rolled across the ground.

“Guh!”

A dull, throbbing pain enveloped his body, his muscles protesting the sudden movement. But the pain didn’t matter.

If he hadn’t moved, there would’ve been no pain at all—because he wouldn’t even be alive to feel it.

“Hah, haha...”

Behind him, the landscape had changed drastically.

A massive hole had appeared in the middle of the green mountains—a perfect cylindrical void carved as if by an impossibly precise tool.

“I was aiming to make you match,” Kana remarked, her tone almost playful.

“You mean... match?” Ledin echoed instinctively, though his voice betrayed his disbelief.

There was no way to "match" that kind of attack.

If it had hit, there wouldn’t just be a hole in his body—it would erase him entirely, as if Ledin had never existed.

Kana shrugged at his reaction, reading the emotion behind his words.

“You might’ve survived,” she said nonchalantly.

“No way. Even a dragon would die from that,” Ledin retorted.

“You’re exaggerating. Look at me—I’ve got a hole in my chest, and I’m still here.”

Hack.

Kana coughed violently, a mouthful of dark red blood spilling from her lips and staining her already-soaked clothes.

Ledin, watching her, let out a blunt assessment.

“You’re a damn monster.”

“That’s what Imperial dogs always say.”

“When someone sees a monster, it’s only natural to call them one.”

“Hmm...”

Kana didn’t argue.

There was no point.

They weren’t here to exchange pleasantries, after all.

She wasn’t the type to sit down for a heart-to-heart with someone who had put a hole in her chest.

“Oh, looks like you’ve come to your senses,” she said suddenly.

“....”

“Don’t frown like that. Even I might feel hurt.”

“Sorry. I have a fear of snakes,” Ledin shot back sarcastically.

“Ahaha. Fair enough. Girls your age can be so picky. If anything, you’re on the easier side.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“....”

Her unexpected calm response unsettled the sage, who had expected her to bare her teeth and attack.

“That pickiness? I’m about to show it to you,” she said coldly.

“Oh dear...”

Before the sage could finish his thought, a blade of energy shot toward him.

No, it wasn’t just energy—it was a phenomenon in itself.

The sage swung his staff desperately.

The barrier he once used to trap others was now hastily summoned to protect his own life.

Though hastily constructed, it was still the work of a mage at the pinnacle of his craft—a shield that no ordinary attack could hope to scratch.

But this attack was far from ordinary.

The blade of energy, infused with the combined traits of three types of mana, collided with the barrier.

Crrrk!

Crack!

Tear!

The barrier, proud and indomitable, was torn, shredded, and obliterated like flimsy paper.

The sage’s hands glowed as his staff brightened, summoning a magic circle etched with threads of silver light.

Leap.

The magic activated, and the sage found himself behind Kana, staring at her exposed back.

An unprotected, empty target.

Shatter.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

A spell, designed to destroy space itself, struck her frail back.

Boom!

A deafening roar resounded, and a brilliant flash of light lit up the battlefield.

The attack felt almost divine, like the wrath of a god descending upon her.

The aftermath of the spell left a deep crater in the ground, the sheer power enough to evoke awe and fear alike.

But the sage’s face remained grim.

Sizzle...

As the electricity running through the earth faded and the shattered space mended itself, pink eyes emerged from the center of the crater.

“Why don’t we call it a draw?” Kana suggested, brushing off the dust.

“If that’s what you wanted, you shouldn’t have attacked in the first place. Then I might have considered it,” the sage replied curtly.

“You started it. This was self-defense,” she countered.

“Self-defense? That was excessive retaliation. I attacked once—you struck twice.”

“Doesn’t matter. Your first attack was strong enough to justify it.”

“I don’t care about your justifications.”

Kana folded her arms, her tone growing more serious.

“And besides, you’re the one who attacked me first. If anything, this is my self-defense.”

“Let’s get one thing straight. By that logic, I saved the life of one of your former subordinates. That makes me your savior, doesn’t it?”

“...For that, I’m grateful,” Kana admitted.

She sighed.

The subordinate he mentioned was one of her lingering regrets.

“For that, you have my thanks. But that’s separate from the unresolved grudge between us.”

The deep-seated bitterness between them couldn’t be erased. Peaceful resolutions were out of the question.

“I see,” the sage said quietly, nodding.

He had expected as much.

There was no convincing Kana. She was here to kill him, and he was prepared for it.

And yet, his demeanor remained calm.

“Unfortunate. I’d love to help you find peace, but I have too much riding on my life to let you take it.”

After all, though he was present in body, this wasn’t truly him.

Even if his heart was pierced here, he wouldn’t actually die.

“You know that, don’t you?”

“If that’s true, then why did you run away like a coward?” Kana shot back.

“This body still has tasks to complete. I can’t let it perish just yet.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Kana raised her sword once again.

The sage sighed internally.

‘Futile.’

Even knowing this wasn’t his true body, she still intended to strike.

Her actions only reinforced the fact that she had completely lost herself.

The sage’s keen senses read her dwindling vitality.

If she continued like this, death would claim her soon enough.

Still, he prepared a new magic circle for the attack he knew was coming.

Stab!

But Kana didn’t aim for him.

Her crimson sword pierced empty space.

“What are you—”

Before he could finish, a delicate white hand emerged from beyond the void her sword had pierced.

“...?!”

The sage’s body was suddenly dragged through the air as though by an invisible force.

“No!”

His ever-calm demeanor shattered as his eyes widened in shock.

Kana greeted him with a bright smile.

“Gotcha!” she exclaimed cheerfully.

“What in the—”

Before he could respond, Kana swung her arm.

The sage felt another rough, weightless sensation before the hard ground greeted him harshly.

Thud!

“How does it feel to be pulled from your nest?” Kana asked, peering down at him with a radiant smile.