SFRW-Chapter 130

Ch. 130 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Italy?”

Hyun Joo-yeon looked at Jung In-joo with a baffled expression.

Jung In-joo wore the same look.

Seo Do-jun had entered the Namwon Rift Zone but emerged after closing a rift zone in Italy.

“Could it be… those passageways you mentioned before? The ones that might connect rift zones?”

At Hyun Joo-yeon’s question, Jung In-joo could only suspect that might be the case now.

“The Guild Master said it himself. Not just gates, but rift zones could potentially be connected through passageways.”

It was always just a possibility.

No one truly believed it would become reality, let alone happen so quickly.

“Then… could the reason rift zones are currently inaccessible be because they’re connecting to each other? No, that can’t be…”

Hyun Joo-yeon quickly shook her head at her own terrifying thoughts.

“We can’t rule out the possibility,” Gloria chimed in, having listened quietly.

“You really think such a terrible thing is happening?”

The connection of all the world’s rift zones.

Just imagining it made their skin crawl.

If people could move through them, so could monsters.

What if a threat level 3 monster entered a level 1 rift zone?

Heroes entering unaware would be slaughtered.

And that wasn’t all.

If monsters gathered in specific rift zones?

They would reach saturation and trigger waves immediately.

With so many variables, rift zones themselves would become terrifying places.

“Aside from the Guild Master, has any Hero emerged from a rift zone yet?”

“At least none have reported to the Association,” Jung In-joo answered.

The situation was so severe that the Hero Association was sharing all information with Jung In-joo, who was acting in Seo Do-jun’s stead for Casserian Guild.

“We’ll need to hear from the Guild Master… Is he coming back now?”

At Hyun Joo-yeon’s question, Jung In-joo shook her head.

“He said he’s heading to another rift zone in Italy where a monster wave occurred.”

“Ah…”

Right. With monster waves breaking out, cities being destroyed and people dying, Seo Do-jun couldn’t turn away.

Moreover, Italy was suffering some of the worst damage in this crisis.

“What about Mr. Choi Kang-soo?”

Hyun Joo-yeon belatedly remembered Choi Kang-soo, who had entered the Namwon Rift Zone with Seo Do-jun.

As the son of Casserian Guild Vice President Choi Cheol-gwan, his safety was also a priority.

“Well… he went to the Vatican.”

“The Vatican?”

This came completely out of nowhere.

Hyun Joo-yeon, who knew the Choi family well, was aware they were Buddhist.

Why would he suddenly go to the Vatican?

“…He’s not sightseeing, is he?”

Hyun Joo-yeon frowned thinking of Choi Kang-soo.

It might be rude to say, but the saying ‘no fool under a rich man’ was outdated.

The Choi Kang-soo she knew…

“He didn’t seem like someone who’d misread a situation that badly.”

Jung In-joo defended him, saying there must be circumstances.

“Right?”

Surely he wouldn’t disgrace his father that badly?

Then why this unease?

‘If it’s Choi Kang-soo…’

Though she felt sorry for Choi Cheol-gwan, Choi Kang-soo seemed very much like someone who could become an irredeemable disappointment.

* * *

Fortunately, Choi Kang-soo had changed considerably after experiencing things few others had.

When he learned the passageway had brought them to a rift zone in Italy, his jaw dropped in shock.

But what surprised him more was:

『I sense pure holy energy nearby. Take me there immediately.』

Mute’s Divine Sword, silent until now, urged him excitedly.

“W-what? holy energy? Where? And this is…”

The terrifying land of the mafia!

With so many Italians around, Choi Kang-soo whispered this very quietly.

The Italian mafia, one of the world’s top three crime organizations!

Even in the rift era, they’d adapted quickly.

Original members becoming Heroes or rogue Heroes joining kept them formidable worldwide.

Their close ties to Italian politics made them even more fearsome.

Having heard all sorts of rumors about Italy, Choi Kang-soo desperately wanted to return to South Korea.

Of course, with Seo Do-jun here, what was there to fear from mere mafia?

‘Damn it, bullets don’t have eyes! What if I get hit by a stray shot?’

Despite knowing the mafia wouldn’t shoot at them, Choi Kang-soo was still scared.

『You idiot! Do you think I’d let you die to mere metal? Stop your pathetic thoughts and go where the holy energy is!』

The sword’s contemptuous voice in his head made Choi Kang-soo yell:

“So where is it?!”

His shout drew looks from everyone, including Seo Do-jun and the serious people he was talking to.

Faced with tall, tattooed, heavily pierced intimidating Italians, Choi Kang-soo smiled awkwardly.

“What’s wrong?”

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Choi Kang-soo clung to him like a lifeline and whispered:

“Holy energy?”

“Yes! It keeps saying we have to go…”

Choi Kang-soo looked to Seo Do-jun for help with the sword.

But Seo Do-jun knew the sword wouldn’t lie.

Especially now, depleted of power, it needed this more than anyone.

Dong──

Just then, bells rang.

Realizing they were in Rome, the only place with such strong holy energy would be:

“The Vatican.”

“Huh?”

“You need to go to the Vatican.”

“…You’re coming with me, right?”

His pleading look was met with an icy response:

“Go alone. Ask for a guide.”

Before he could protest, Seo Do-jun spoke to an Italian Hero who obediently agreed.

Then Seo Do-jun coldly turned and left.

Stuck among terrifying Italian Heroes, Choi Kang-soo waited until a South Korean-looking man appeared.

“I’ll be your guide.”

They say meeting fellow South Koreans abroad is joyful.

“Yes. Please guide me.”

All the way back to South Korea preferably!

With the South Korean guide and Italian Hero escorts, Choi Kang-soo headed to the Vatican.

“So why are you visiting the Vatican?”

Under the man’s skeptical gaze—surely not for tourism in this chaos—Choi Kang-soo broke out in sweat.

“Uh… business.”

Swearing internally, he forced a smile, fearing they might abandon him in this unfamiliar place.

“W-what do I do now?”

Clutching the sword, Choi Kang-soo whispered.

『Take off the armor and sword, place them neatly, and pray.』

“I’m Buddhist!”

『Then do 108 bows! Stop bothering me when I’m weak! Figure it out! We need at least 3 days here to recover minimal power. Don’t even think about leaving. Minimum 3 days. More would be better.』

The sword fell silent, leaving Choi Kang-soo wanting to cry.

3 days! Not 3 hours!

And more?

Absolutely not!

He considered giving up, but Seo Do-jun’s words stopped him:

“You must restore the sword’s power. Do whatever it asks. Remember—recovering its holy energy is top priority. That’s your mission now.”

Reluctantly, Choi Kang-soo hesitantly headed to the chapel.

In a corner, he carefully removed Mute’s armor and placed it with the sword.

The guide and Italian Heroes stared oddly.

“Damn it, really…”

Unable to do 108 bows, Choi Kang-soo sat quietly like others, hands clasped in prayer.

‘Buddha, forgive me. Namu Amita Bul!’

Here he was, seeking Buddha in the Vatican.

Watching this:

『Truly hopeless.』

The sword thought contemptuously.

* * *

While Choi Kang-soo sought Buddha in the Vatican chapel, Seo Do-jun headed to Sicily in southern Italy.

Four rift zones had spawned monster waves here alone.

Italy suffered the most waves and damage worldwide.

The only relief was Seo Do-jun quickly ending the wave near Rome.

‘If I hadn’t slaughtered those monsters in Rebley’s space, or been slightly later…’

The devastation to Rome, Italy’s historic capital, was unimaginable.

Unbeknownst to Italians, Seo Do-jun’s preemptive strike averted catastrophe.

‘The rift zones with remaining passageways aren’t concerning, but those where monsters moved through before they closed are problematic.’

Seo Do-jun’s destination was a rift zone 23km south of Palermo.

As Italy’s first wave site, the damage was severe.

The area was devastated, with monsters running rampant, destroying buildings and killing indiscriminately.

“It happened so suddenly we couldn’t mount a proper defense. Though some guilds rushed in later…”

It wasn’t enough.

Casualties piled up as frenzied monsters ran unchecked.

Then when waves hit near Naples, all high-rank Heroes had to be diverted there, leaving this area neglected.

Rooooar!

A Twin-Headed Ogre’s roar penetrated the helicopter.

Monsters had reached within 10km north of the rift zone—Palermo’s outskirts now in view.

“They’ve reached Palermo!”

The Italian Hero guiding Seo Do-jun clenched his fists in despair.

The number of monsters that escaped the rift zone was still unconfirmed.

At least tens of thousands.

That was the Italian Hero Association’s estimate.

The numbers were bad enough, but the monsters’ higher-than-expected threat levels were worse.

At this rate, they might have to abandon eastern Sicily entirely.

“I’ll get off here.”

With that, Seo Do-jun jumped from the helicopter.

“Wait! Going alone is—!”

The Hero’s shout was cut off as Seo Do-jun vanished mid-fall.

“He’s gone! Where—?”

The remaining Hero frantically searched but saw no sign of him.

Where was Seo Do-jun?

Crash!

The Twin-Headed Ogre, acting king of this no-longer-human land, had both heads smashed simultaneously.

It was Seo Do-jun.

When jumping, he’d taken a teleportation stone made from magic stones from subspace.

These stones, crafted in spare time from various grade magic stones, allowed free movement without magic ability.

Hundreds filled his subspace.

Though not at full strength after Rebleyi’s space, Seo Do-jun couldn’t ignore the monsters’ rampage.

The tragedies reported worldwide were worse than he’d imagined.

With rift zones inaccessible and Heroes trapped inside, imagining how many might be lost was horrifying.

‘If I hadn’t slaughtered so many there…’

Earth’s damage might have reached irreversible levels.

‘How much has synchronization reached? About half?’

Seo Do-jun estimated around 50%.

“We must capture Vaitel quickly.”

Catching Vaitel, who was likely orchestrating this, was urgent.

But first:

“Time to clean up these monsters.”

A terrifyingly cold killing intent erupted from Seo Do-jun’s eyes.