I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 126: Demon King (6)
Eric was not a devout follower of Edel’s faith.
He believed in the existence of the goddess Edel and that she watched over the world of Sillia, but he didn’t prioritize religion above all else.
This attitude of his hadn’t changed from his childhood to adulthood—
Except for one time.
There was a period when Eric had fervently prayed to the gods.
So much so that he could barely stomach the bitterness that accompanied his prayers...
Or rather, even after spitting out that bitterness, he couldn’t stop himself from groveling on the ground, day after day.
“Oh, Edel, if you truly pity me, please, just let me strike her once... Just once.”
Back then, when Eric was under the vice-captain, Kana, he had endured her relentless training to the point of collapse. He prayed for the strength to face what he saw as a devil incarnate.
Of course, his prayers were never answered, and his rebellion never succeeded.
There’s only so much a man can grit his teeth and endure, especially when no amount of grueling effort seemed to yield progress. Over time, Eric’s defiant nature eroded, and he became as docile as a lamb.
In the end, even as Grasis fell and the Crimson Flame Knights were scattered, Eric never once managed to land a blow on Kana.
“A mere human cannot hope to overcome a natural disaster.”
A towering, unbreakable wall.
That’s what Kana was to Eric.
No matter who came at her, they couldn’t even hope to topple her.
Or so he thought—
“They say a woman’s transformation is excusable. I guess even someone like you, who seemed more like a wild boy, really is a woman, judging by how much your image changes every time I see you.”
‘He’s cracking jokes. That must mean he still has strength left.’
For a brief moment, Eric wondered if he’d be met with an icy response.
“....”
“....”
“...Is that so.”
But as he locked eyes with the pure, unrecognizing gaze of Kana, his expectations fell flat.
Even if one could hide their expression, it was far harder to mask the emotions within their eyes.
The look in her eyes told him everything: not only did she not understand his words, but she also didn’t even recognize who he was.
“Not that the captain was ever one to hide her emotions in the first place.”
Schlink.
Eric drew his sword from its sheath.
‘Now that I think about it, this sword has been with me for ages.’
The blade she had chosen for him.
The thought of raising it against her filled him with guilt...
“As if that matters now.”
Eric let out a dry laugh.
“When I first heard the news about demons suddenly appearing, I feared another war was upon us. And when I heard the description of the demon, I thought, ‘Surely not.’ After all, pink hair and pink eyes aren’t exactly common.”
Still, he had believed it couldn’t possibly be her.
The idea that the captain, who had supposedly gone to the Holy Nation, could appear as a demon?
It was too absurd to even laugh off over a drink.
So when Eric first laid eyes on Kana again, he couldn’t help but doubt his own vision.
“When I was younger and thought I could take on the world, you taught me the meaning of humility. Back then, I resented you. But looking back now, I think I owe my survival to you.”
So, as repayment for that debt...
He would give her his all.
“Stay back and attack from a distance,” Eric instructed his subordinates.
“Yes, sir!”
The miasma swirling around Kana was visibly dangerous.
A mere touch would sap the life from anything it contacted.
Eric, who had faced countless monsters, had never seen miasma as potent as this.
After sending his subordinates to safety, Eric summoned blue mana around himself, preparing to engage.
“This might sting a little.”
With that, Eric charged.
He advanced toward the captain he revered.
Splatter!
Dark, lifeless blood dripped onto the ground with a sickening noise.
“Captain!”
“...Calm down. Don’t make a fuss.”
Spitting blood was far from normal, but Eric raised a hand to stop his subordinates as they rushed toward him.
“Damn, you’re still ridiculously strong.”
Eric wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up.
Unlike Eric, who was battered and covered in dust, Kana stood before him, pristine and untouched.
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“...Hah.”
From the scene alone, it looked like a fierce battle had taken place.
But what Eric experienced wasn’t a fight—it was a one-sided mauling.
At first, he had tried to subdue her without causing harm, but the moment he swung his sword, he realized how naive he’d been.
The dense miasma eroded him even as he approached.
Every strike he delivered was blocked by the miasma before it could even reach Kana’s skin.
She didn’t dodge or parry his attacks.
She simply stood there, watching, her serene gaze eroding his pride more than anything else.
“Honestly, this is just cheating. As if you weren’t strong enough, you had to go and learn some new trick. How are simple folk like me supposed to deal with that?”
But Eric couldn’t retreat.
If he backed down, there would be no one left to stop Kana, and she would march unopposed into the city.
Into Ordo—his home, filled with countless lives.
He could withdraw now and begin evacuations, but...
‘Would everyone comply with the evacuation?’
Years as a knight had taught Eric to doubt it.
Even if, by some miracle, they did, how long would the city have to remain deserted?
A day? Two?
Maybe even a week or more.
The logistics alone—finding supplies and shelter for so many—were mind-boggling.
Not to mention the economic losses and administrative chaos that would follow.
The more Eric thought about it, the more his head throbbed, until he decided to stop thinking entirely.
After all, there might not even be a city left to return to, thanks to the miasma.
“So, Captain, won’t you turn back now?”
“?”
“Acting cute won’t change anything. You know I’m not the type to fall for your charms.”
Her tilted head was indeed endearing.
But Eric’s fear far outweighed any sense of fondness.
Just as no one would let their guard down around a monster feigning innocence, Eric wasn’t swayed by Kana’s demeanor.
Shhh.
Feeling his ragged breath steady, Eric rose to his feet.
His blue eyes locked onto the black miasma.
The miasma.
It was the problem.
It blocked his strikes and made every step a threat.
He smirked.
“A demon lord, huh.”
It was an absurd thought.
But Eric had no way of knowing that while Kana hadn’t conquered demons, she had done something eerily similar.
‘How to break through the miasma...’
Ironically, the solution that came to Eric’s mind was none other than Kana herself.
She was the strongest swordsman he knew.
Recalling the techniques she’d used against monsters, Eric quickly dismissed the idea.
Knowing the answer didn’t mean he could replicate it.
Unless he reached a higher level through relentless training, it was beyond him.
“But... maybe, just maybe...”
If he could even mimic a sliver of it...
Hahhh.
Eric exhaled deeply, his breath misting in the air.
Raising his sword to eye level, he saw Kana reflected in its blade.
Could he reach her?
No.
That was the wrong way to think.
“I will reach her.”
Clenching his teeth, Eric poured everything into a single strike.
Whoosh!
Blue mana surged around Eric’s body.
In that moment, he forgot every technique he had ever learned.
The world around him—his subordinates, the trees, the path, the rocks—was consumed by blue.
And in that sea of blue, only one figure retained her color.
As Eric locked onto her, the world seemed to collapse into a single point.
Everything, including Eric’s consciousness, was consumed by that point—
“...Hah.”
After what felt like an eternity, Eric came to his senses.
The world had returned to its original colors.
The green of the leaves, the dark gray of the rocks, and the scattered debris on the path—all were as they should be.
But Eric knew.
“...How does it feel?”
His strike had landed.
A thin red line appeared on Kana’s cheek.
Her small hand reached up to touch the wound, and a droplet of blood slid down her fingers.
“...Ah.”
Kana’s pink eyes, once shining, dimmed as shadows settled within them.
“I told you I’d reach you.”
Eric grinned.
