I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 120: The Ascension Ritual (11)

In front of Justina's house was a plaza of a reasonable size.

In the distant past, the clan would often gather in this plaza to discuss important matters or inquire after one another's well-being.

Well, saying "the entire clan" might be a bit misleading.

Back then, the Purifier Clan's population was far greater than it is now, making it impossible for everyone to fit into the plaza.

“To think I’d witness this scene again...”

The plaza was filled with people.

Though not arranged in an orderly fashion, the sight of so many gathered together was enough to make Justina feel a wave of nostalgia.

“Chieftain?”

“...Hm? What is it?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah.”

Had she been lost in her thoughts for too long?

Hearing the voice calling her back, Justina regained her composure, noticing the concerned faces looking up at her.

“It’s nothing. Go back.”

“Yes.”

Her sharp dismissal sent the man retreating from the podium without hesitation. Justina watched his obedient departure with satisfaction.

‘Atisha always disliked things like this.’

She once said it felt too authoritative.

But Justina believed that proper authority was an essential part of leadership. While casual familiarity with the clan was important, there were moments when a leader needed to project gravity.

After all, trust in leadership often stemmed from the impression that the leader was dependable and capable.

When Justina had voiced this to Atisha, her response had been:

‘I don’t want to be treated with respect for something I haven’t achieved....’

“A cute sentiment...”

Atisha believed the respect she received was due to her parents. But in Justina’s view, Atisha fully deserved such respect—and not because she was her daughter.

Having grown up observing her parents' actions, Atisha had always considered the welfare of the clan.

When dimensional beasts appeared, she had been the first to fight them, a testament to her resolve.

Ending her brief recollection, Justina’s gaze swept over the gathered crowd. As her eyes passed over them, the murmurs of the crowd quieted, eventually fading into complete silence.

“I trust you all understand the situation.”

She got straight to the point.

Despite the abruptness of her statement, no one shook their head.

“Does anyone object to this plan? Not that I’d withdraw it even if someone did.”

Her jest drew scattered chuckles from the crowd. But Justina’s smile hardened as she continued.

“Furthermore, I won’t repeat myself. We’ve already discussed this once. Saying the same thing twice is tiresome.”

After being persuaded by an impudent child, Justina had gathered the clan to explain the plan. She hadn’t asked for their agreement then either. It was a decision made for them to follow.

No one had opposed her.

“Once this is over, much will change.”

Whether those changes would be welcomed or not, they could never return to their current way of life.

Still...

Justina thought of the young girl who had spoken to her so confidently. The girl’s face had shown no doubt.

Was it because of Edel’s words?

No, the girl didn’t seem particularly devout.

Perhaps the girl’s belief lay in her own strength. That was Justina’s cautious assumption, born from her long years of experience.

On the other hand, Justina and her clan placed their faith in Edel, their creator.

Justina’s ultimate decision to agree had also stemmed from Edel’s words. There was no need to question their faith.

Though their beliefs were different, their goals aligned. There was no reason not to join forces.

“It seems no one has changed their mind.”

Even after a considerable pause, none of the gathered crowd spoke up. In fact, their expressions seemed more resolute than before.

Seeing this, Justina nodded.

“Then, let us begin.”

Raising her hand, she began to dismantle the massive barrier surrounding the village.

Living life, haven’t you ever had that happen?

You pull on a loose thread sticking out of your clothes, only for the whole thing to unravel, leaving you in a panic.

That’s exactly what the scene before me looked like.

The barrier was the garment, and the miasma was the thread.

Strands of miasma unraveled from the barrier, fluttering aimlessly in the air. Left alone, they’d dissipate into nothingness. But the demons, led by Justina, skillfully gathered them into a single point.

“It’s getting a little hard to breathe...”

By the time half the barrier had been dismantled, Selene, who had been watching, finally spoke.

If even Selene, who rarely voiced discomfort, was saying this, the pressure must have been immense.

“Yeah, same here.”

And I wasn’t much different.

Even from this distance, I could feel the crushing weight. It was like the miasma in the air was trying to overwhelm me.

...As much as I hate to admit it, this felt similar to the first time I faced that damned snake.

A few days ago, the miasma had been at least twice as thick before the Ascension Rite began. How anyone could endure such an environment for days was beyond me.

‘Who knows.’

Even I wasn’t confident I could.

Honestly, I’d underestimated things until now. But seeing the miasma converge like this, I finally understood why Raxia was called the “Demon Continent.”

“Cough...!”

“...Are you okay? You can head inside if it’s too much.”

“N-no, I’m fine... I can still manage...”

Among us, I was the strongest.

Selene, while not on my level, was far above average. Yet, both of us felt the pressure.

Daeun, the weakest among us, was clearly suffering. Even with Selene’s divine power shielding her, Daeun’s face was deathly pale, like she might vomit blood at any moment.

Gulp—

Daeun pulled out a vial from her pouch and drank the crimson potion inside in one go. After a brief moment, she seemed to regain her breath.

But if she’s already this strained, I wouldn’t be surprised if she passed out later.

‘Gracid.’

...What do you want?

‘...Are you sulking?’

For some reason, Gracid’s voice sounded unusually curt.

Ah, right. Not a voice—his thoughts.

I’m not sulking. I’m just annoyed you ignore me unless you need something.

‘Fair enough.’

Honestly, I couldn’t deny it. Most of what Gracid said was nonsense, so I often tuned him out. Still, hearing it put that way, I felt... a little guilty.

‘Then go bother someone else.’

...Or not.

He freeloads off me and dares to complain? If anything, he should be grateful.

Ahem. I wasn’t that offended.

‘That’s a relief.’

...So, what do you want?

‘I was wondering if you could ease the burden on Daeun.’

Are you joking? That’s quite the amusing joke.

‘So, that’s a no.’

If you want her dead, I could flood her with mana instead.

Yeah, I figured as much. Gracid’s mana would crush Daeun in an instant.

Giving her the ring might help, but...

No.

‘Of course not.’

His refusal wasn’t surprising. Nothing to be done, then.

“...Kana?”

Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

“This should help, right?”

I took Daeun’s hand in mine, the dragon ring on my finger glowing faintly. While not as effective as wearing it herself, it should ease her burden somewhat.

At first startled, Daeun soon broke into a shy smile.

“Yeah. Definitely better.”

“See?”

“You’re the best, Kana. So soft...”

“...You sure you’re okay?”

I offered to help, not to let her admire the texture of my hand. While I trusted the ring’s effect, her reaction made me doubt its efficacy for a moment.

If things got worse, I’d force her to retreat.

The barrier continued to unravel, the pressure growing heavier by the second. Finally, the barrier collapsed entirely.

“...Phew.”

Despite Selene’s divine power burning brightly, it was difficult to stand straight. Selene swayed but held on, while Daeun had already collapsed, empty potion bottles scattered around her.

“All is ready.”

Amidst the pale faces of the demons, Justina approached me, looking unnervingly composed. Her lips curled into a smile as she regarded me.

“You don’t look very comfortable. Ready to give up?”

“Could I even leave if I wanted to?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why ask?”

“...Ah!”

Releasing Daeun’s hand, I stood. She let out a regretful whine, clutching at the empty air.

“I’ll be back.”

“Wait, maybe I can—”

“You know you can’t.”

I gestured toward the swirling black vortex. If Daeun so much as stepped inside, the miasma would kill her before anything else could.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick.”

Ignoring the sighs behind me, I strode toward the vortex.

“You’re bold for someone so small.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“That depends on your success.”

“Then I’ll take it as one.”

Bantering lightly with Justina, I took another step closer to the miasma.

“Let me remind you, just in case.”

“No need. Go in, drain my mana completely, and absorb the miasma, right?”

“That’s right.”

Having heard the procedure multiple times, I had no reason to delay.

“Here I go.”

“May you succeed...”

With Selene’s brief farewell, I stepped into the vortex.

“...Hnng!”

The pressure hit me like a tidal wave, far beyond anything I’d felt before.

Letting my guard down, even for a moment, would mean being crushed completely.

Grinding my teeth, I summoned my mana.

Crack!

The pink glow of my mana intertwined with Selene’s golden divine power, shielding me from the miasma’s sharp edge.

Step by step, I moved forward, enduring the oppressive weight until the eerie noise around me vanished. But the suffocating miasma remained.

‘This isn’t the eye of a storm...’

Grumbling inwardly, I refocused. Releasing my mana, I let it dissipate into the miasma. The oppressive weight lessened slightly—or maybe it just felt that way.

“Haah.”

No turning back now.

With all my mana drained, escape was impossible. Instead, I spread my arms wide.

“...!”

The moment I opened myself, the miasma surged into me, its rancid, sticky essence overwhelming.

It wasn’t like Gracid’s wild mana or the refined mana I used—it was corrupted, filthy.

“Ugh!”

Before I could process the pain, my body reacted, expelling black blood onto the ground. The sight of the pitch-black liquid paralyzed me momentarily.

Thud!

I sank to my knees, unable to stand no matter how much I tried. My body refused to obey.

‘...Do I really need to get up?’

The thought flickered, and a strange calmness settled over me.

Yes, there was no need to struggle.

I could just close my eyes and surrender to the inviting darkness.

“...Yeah. That’s fine...”

Quietly, I sank into the comforting abyss.