SFRW-Chapter 91

Ch. 91 Sword God From The Ruined World  

“Breaking news! A massive skeleton horde that emerged from the 8th Monster Wave in Namibia, Southwestern Africa, is now advancing toward Angola, Botswana, and South Africa. We will now show you the prepared footage.”  

Breaking news reports were being broadcast worldwide one after another.  

The footage was nothing short of shocking.  

The sight of an enormous skeleton horde—easily numbering in the hundreds of thousands—divided into three groups advancing north, east, and south respectively was terrifying in itself.  

Above all else.  

Is this for real? Not some movie promo? Not a game trailer?  

└There are still people who can’t grasp reality, huh?  

└Doesn’t that just show how shocking it is?  

Even if they’re just skeletons, that sheer number is legit horrifying!  

└Isn’t it a huge deal that monsters are moving systematically like an army?  

└Anyone who knows anything already knows monsters in Canada move organized too!  

└They’re still just skeletons! Modern weapons work fine on them, so numbers don’t mean squat!  

└Still, you’d need bombers to take down that many, right?  

└Keep it simple! Just drop bombs and turn them all into dust!  

└Are we about to see three mushroom clouds?  

Since when do skeletons carry weapons? Some have bone armor, and in some clips they’re even riding skeletal horses?  

└Must be high-rank skeletons.  

└What difference does that make? They’re still slow, creaky bastards—anyone with proper gear can take them down without being a Hero! That’s the academic consensus!  

└What academic consensus? Skeleton studies? Talking nonsense! Even F-rank Heroes would get wrecked by those! Know your facts!  

└You’re the clueless one. Regular military can handle skeletons easily. Remember Germany’s monster wave three years ago? There’s footage of Italian mafia taking one out with pistols after it broke through Hero defenses! In countries allowing civilian firearms, skeletons are joke enemies!  

While startled by the skeleton numbers, online tension remained low since modern weapons worked against them.  

Of course, many still worried due to the sheer terror of their numbers, but compared to other monsters, skeletons clearly lacked weight.  

Perhaps because of this, Botswana decided to broadcast the skeleton battle live.  

“Live broadcast?”  

Having arrived in South Africa, Seo Do-jun was temporarily stuck as the skeleton horde advanced toward the border.  

“Their intent is obvious. They’re copying the U.S.”  

A visibly uncomfortable South African Hero Association official answered.  

The U.S., being first to livestream a monster wave, reaped far greater benefits than expected—especially in solidifying its image as the world’s safest nation, bringing astronomical economic gains.  

“Against just skeletons, they can’t lose.”  

Gloria viewed Botswana’s livestream decision favorably.  

Following Botswana’s announcement, Angola also declared it would broadcast live.  

However.  

“South Africa can’t do the same, right?”  

When Hyun Joo-yeon cautiously asked while reading the official’s expression, Gloria nodded.  

With Heroes who entered the skeleton fog zone and additional personnel sent to locate them all losing contact, South Africa lacked both the capacity and situation for livestreaming.  

Regardless, Seo Do-jun—with South Africa’s cooperation—was reviewing real-time satellite footage in the video analysis room.  

“As you can see, no changes.”  

“Can we compare footage hour by hour?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s request, an employee manipulated the computer after asking him to wait briefly.  

“This is when the black fog first appeared. And…”  

They compared footage hourly.  

Initially, the black fog’s range expanded gradually for several hours.  

But.  

“From this point onward, it’s virtually identical.”  

For the past 10 hours, the black fog had stopped expanding.  

‘Why did it stop?’  

The skeleton fog Seo Do-jun knew should keep spreading continuously.  

This 10-hour halt was abnormal.  

‘When Avarr first created skeleton fog in Yedel Kingdom, it kept expanding too. The rate varied, but it never paused this long…’  

Though direct comparison wasn’t possible like on Earth, the skeleton fog had undoubtedly kept expanding even after destroying Yedel Kingdom.  

“Huh?”  

While checking border CCTV and drone footage to ensure nothing was missed, Seo Do-jun saw something inexplicable.  

“…Is that a person?”  

The employee asked Seo Do-jun, who was watching alongside.  

Astonishingly, a man was walking out of the black fog zone completely unfazed.  

With disheveled blond hair and tattered, dirtied clothes, the drone only captured his profile briefly from a distance—too far for clear facial identification, but unmistakably human and male.  

“When did he enter? And who is he to walk out of there?”  

Recognizing the gravity, the employee urgently scoured nearby camera records, reviewing timestamps one by one.  

Beside them, Seo Do-jun instantly recognized the man from just that frozen profile image.  

‘Vaitel!’  

The very man he’d been searching for had appeared.  

‘You showing up here means… It’s happening, isn’t it?’  

In the ruined world, Avarr was the first to side with monsters.  

Others may have defected earlier, but none matched Avarr’s frontline betrayal and human slaughter.  

Later, Vaitel also betrayed when all hope seemed lost—making the same choice as Avarr.  

Thus, they were allies.  

So Vaitel appearing here meant:  

‘They’ve met!’  

Even if not directly, their connection was undeniable.  

Seo Do-jun’s worst fear—the scenario he’d hoped against—was unfolding.  

‘I have to verify this myself.’  

This required Seo Do-jun’s personal confirmation above all else.  

No longer able to delay, Seo Do-jun left the analysis room.  

At that very moment, the skeleton horde was crossing into Botswana.  

* * *  

Clatter, clatter, clank.  

As skeletons breached the border, Botswana Hero Association Hero Maresh exchanged looks with the army commander.  

While Botswana’s President was technically army chief, General Kamati held actual command.  

After a nod from Kamati, his aide immediately radioed orders. Within a minute—  

KABOOOM—BOOM!  

Artillery shells struck the skeleton horde’s center.  

Pre-positioned 120mm self-propelled mortars 10km away had predicted their path—the devastating effect spoke for itself.  

KABOOOM—BOOM!  

A second shell hammered the horde.  

“Hahaha! Even ten million of those bastards wouldn’t scare us!”  

Monsters vulnerable to modern weapons warranted no fear.  

Skeletons at the impact sites were literally pulverized.  

Global viewers watching live felt cathartic relief.  

If only all monsters were this manageable—how much safer life would be.  

Army versus monster warfare offered a different thrill from Hero battles, and the one-sided bombardment exhilarated everyone.  

Next came tanks.  

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!  

Hundreds of skeletons shattered per shell.  

The pitiful sight of skeletons clanking forward only to be obliterated almost evoked sympathy.  

“Those idiots! Then again—empty skulls mean empty heads! Hahaha!”  

General Kamati laughed heartily watching Botswana’s forces crush the defenseless horde.  

Skeletons surviving the tanks kept advancing until infantry opened fire.  

RATATATATAT—!  

Bullets rained down, bone limbs shattered, yet numbers prevailed as some reached the soldiers.  

“Eek!”  

A soldier mid-reload desperately bashed a skeleton’s skull with his rifle butt—  

CRACK!  

—then emptied his magazine into its twitching body.  

“Dieeee!”  

RATATATAT!  

As he caught his breath, a bone arrow suddenly—  

THWACK!  

“—Ghk!”  

—pierced his throat.  

The skeletons had begun counterattacking.  

Crude bone arrows proved deadly against unarmored body parts, dropping soldiers one by one.  

“Those things—!”  

Bone arrows against modern troops?  

Kamati’s face twisted at the absurdity of casualties against mere skeletons.  

But arrows were just the start.  

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—THUNK—THUNK!  

Bone axes and spears joined the assault.  

“Focus fire on the ranged ones! Mortar support!”  

Commanders’ orders redirected fire toward projectile-wielding skeletons, shattering them—until shield-bearing skeletons blocked further shots.  

Though bone shields fell to sustained fire, the delay caused more casualties.  

With skeletons advancing relentlessly even during artillery reloads, Kamati roared:  

“Crush those bone bastards!”  

Tanks rolled forward, crushing skeletons under treads—  

CRUNCH—CRACK—SNAP—POP!  

—restoring Kamati’s smug grin.  

No bone projectile could stop armored vehicles.  

“We should’ve pushed like this from the start!”  

A single tank line could’ve prevented all casualties. Kamati clicked his tongue at his tactical error.  

Viewers initially worried by soldier deaths sighed in relief at the tank counteroffensive.  

Meanwhile, Avarr—watching from within the skeleton fog—was aghast.  

“H-How… This can’t be…”  

This battle was unprecedented in his ruined world.  

Having only fought knights and mages, Avarr lacked even basic knowledge of modern weapons. Seeing his ‘invincible’ army routed made his jaw tremble uncontrollably.  

Now he understood why Vaitel dismissed the undead legion—this world’s humans were their natural worst counter.  

And Avarr’s shock had only begun.  

The Botswana-bound skeletons were arguably lucky—the northern horde faced Angola’s air force, whose superior aerial firepower (among Africa’s best) began reducing skeletons to dust with ease.