SFRW-Chapter 158

Ch. 158 Sword God From The Ruined World

Pyongyang is close to Seoul.  

At roughly the same distance as Seoul to Andong, it took just over 10 minutes to arrive at Casserian’s speed.  

“…They held out until the last moment before asking for help.”  

The view of Pyongyang from above was devastating.  

The Taedong River split the city in half, and the area north of the river was utterly annihilated.  

Landmarks like the Arch of Triumph, Kim Il-sung Square, the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and Pyongyang Station lay in ruins, ravaged by battles against thousands of primitive tribesmen.  

The southern area, centered around Taedonggang Station, was desperately holding the tribesmen at bay.  

“Shall we go down?”  

—Kwawooooooo!  

Casserian’s cry heavily pressed down upon Pyongyang.  

The sudden roar startled not only the thousands of tribesmen but also the North Korean Heroes and soldiers, all of whom looked up at the sky.  

“Feast to your heart’s content.”  

Seo Do-jun gave Casserian permission to hunt the tribesmen and then descended among the North Korean Heroes.  

“…Wh-Who are you?!”  

“N-No way?!”  

The North Korean Heroes all stared at Seo Do-jun with wary expressions.  

A few seemed to guess his identity, but given the situation, they couldn’t be sure.  

“Who’s in charge here?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, the North Korean Heroes exchanged glances before a stern-faced man with an authoritative demeanor stepped forward.  

“My name is Ri Kang-chol. Are you… the person I’m thinking of from the South?”  

“I’m Seo Do-jun.”  

The North Korean Heroes gaped at him in shock.  

Though the situation was dire, they never imagined the South’s Hero—the world-renowned Seo Do-jun—would come to their aid.  

“H-How did this…?”  

Ri Kang-chol, too, looked bewildered, as he hadn’t been informed.  

If Seo Do-jun was here without any authorization, this was an outright invasion.  

‘An invasion in this situation…’  

Ri Kang-chol’s face hardened.  

Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital and heart, was already on the brink of annihilation from the primitive tribes. If a war broke out now?  

The thought alone was horrifying.  

“Hmm…”  

Ri Kang-chol swallowed dryly as he studied Seo Do-jun.  

His tall, refined appearance, as seen on TV, gave off none of the rugged masculinity expected of a warrior.  

—Kwawooo!  

Crunch! Crunch! Crack!  

Casserian descended rapidly, crushing two tribesmen’s skulls with its talons before pecking a third to death. Then it soared back into the sky, effortlessly dodging attacks.  

‘That… that’s the Boss Monster Casserian! A man who rides such a terrifying creature…’  

He couldn’t judge by appearances alone.  

Many North Koreans dismissed Seo Do-jun as TV propaganda, an exaggerated fabrication by the South.  

Even Ri Kang-chol had assumed Seo Do-jun was an overhyped Hero—until now.  

Facing him in person, those doubts vanished.  

“You didn’t know I was coming?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s confident question, Ri Kang-chol nodded.  

‘He doesn’t seem like a fraud…’  

No liar could carry himself like this.  

Still, Ri Kang-chol needed confirmation—why was Seo Do-jun here? For what purpose? Had higher approval been granted?  

“If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll verify—”  

“No need for verification!”  

A sharp-faced man in his late fifties cut Ri Kang-chol off.  

“Comrade General Kim Chŏng-un!”  

Ri Kang-chol stiffened and saluted.  

General Kim Chŏng-un.  

As the Minister of State Security, his presence absolved Ri Kang-chol of further responsibility.  

“You must be Kim Chŏng-un.”  

“I’m Seo Do-jun.”  

They shook hands briefly while Casserian continued hunting tribesmen.  

“So that monstrous bird is Casserian. Taming such a creature… impressive.”  

Kim Chŏng-un’s demeanor reeked of arrogance.  

“We received word, but… did you really come alone?”  

As a top-ranking official, he wasn’t one to bow easily.  

The problem was, his arrogance only soured Seo Do-jun’s mood further.  

“If you’re disappointed I came alone, I can leave.”  

Kim Chŏng-un’s brow twitched at the retort, his lips pressing tightly—clearly offended.  

“I don’t know if you grasp the situation here, but it’s far from simple. Ri Kang-chol!”  

“Yes!”  

“Report the casualties!”  

“S-rank People’s Heroes Jang Sŏng-mun and Ko Chung-han are dead! 342 A-rank and 892 B-rank People’s Heroes have also fallen!”  

“Just the Heroes?”  

“No! The People’s Army has also suffered—”  

Seo Do-jun cut him off.  

“Why should I care about that?”  

Asking for help only to recite casualty numbers? Seo Do-jun’s patience was wearing thin.  

Polite words were now beyond him.  

“Your behavior is undiplomatic—”  

Seo Do-jun flicked his wrist, unleashing a mana storm that exploded a dozen tribesmen like fireworks.  

Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-BOOM!  

“……!”  

“……!”  

The North Korean Heroes’ eyes bulged at the display—no weapon, just a gesture annihilating a dozen foes.  

Even Ri Kang-chol, an S-rank himself, was stunned. Kim Chŏng-un’s haughty expression had crumpled.  

“You seem fine, so I’ll leave. And don’t ask us for help again.”  

As Seo Do-jun turned to go, Kim Chŏng-un finally snapped to his senses and rushed forward.  

If Seo Do-jun left now, the blame would fall entirely on him.  

As a top official, he could lose everything with a single word from above.  

And if it got out that he’d been arrogant to Seo Do-jun while Pyongyang burned?  

Purge.  

Not just him, but his entire faction.  

“A misunderstanding! The situation here is dire—we were worried for your safety!”  

Kim Chŏng-un clung to Seo Do-jun desperately, even in front of Ri Kang-chol and the others.  

His shameless groveling turned the onlookers’ faces red with secondhand embarrassment.  

“…Let go.”  

Seo Do-jun could’ve easily shaken him off, but leaving now would doom Pyongyang—and possibly all of North Korea.  

Kim Chŏng-un’s arrogance was grating, but he’d sacrificed all pride and dignity.  

‘I can’t just leave them like this.’  

Most of all, abandoning them to the tribes didn’t sit right with Seo Do-jun.  

“O-Of course! My apologies!”  

Kim Chŏng-un released Seo Do-jun’s pant leg and scrambled back.  

He coughed awkwardly, trying to salvage his dignity, but the image of his begging was already seared into everyone’s minds.  

Eager to move past the discomfort, Seo Do-jun swiftly began clearing the tribesmen.  

Picking up a fallen sword, he bisected tribesmen with each swing.  

“Ooooh!”  

“The South’s strongest Hero lives up to his name!”  

With Casserian hunting from above, the thousands-strong horde dwindled rapidly.  

“Shall we attack too?”  

At Ri Kang-chol’s question, Kim Chŏng-un glared disdainfully.  

“Hey, Ri Kang-chol.”  

“Yes!”  

“You’re S-rank, right?”  

“Correct!”  

“Really S-rank?”  

“Definitely S-rank!”  

“Then why the hell are you so different from that bastard?”  

“……”  

Ri Kang-chol wanted to ask the same thing.  

Why, as fellow S-ranks, was the gap so vast?  

“Can you become like him?”  

“…I don’t know.”  

“Jang Sŏng-mun and Ko Chung-han are dead. You’re leading the People’s Hero Unit now.”  

“I know! I’ll do my best!”  

“Your best? Just be half as good as that bastard, and I’ll make you North Korea’s number one! Can you do it?”  

“I can!”  

Ri Kang-chol knew it was impossible, but Kim Chŏng-un’s icy stare left no room for refusal.  

Still, he watched Seo Do-jun’s movements intently, eyes bloodshot with determination—  

‘…I can’t do that! That Southern Hero is on another level!’  

His mind reeled, and Kim Chŏng-un’s presence only added pressure.  

Officially, North Korea had three S-rank Heroes.  

Given the regime’s secrecy, the true number was unclear, but losing two of the known three was a massive blow.  

‘How long can they last?’  

To Seo Do-jun, North Korea seemed on the verge of collapse.  

If another threat like the tribes emerged?  

‘They’d fall instantly.’  

Of course, they might resort to nukes.  

But if nukes failed?  

Game over.  

Their Heroes and vaunted military wouldn’t stand a chance.  

‘I need to prepare for North Korea’s collapse.’  

The tribes’ invasion revealed North Korea’s fragility—without countermeasures, South Korea could suffer unintended consequences.  

As Seo Do-jun thinned the tribesmen’s numbers—  

“Comrade General Kim Chŏng-un!”  

A soldier rushed over.  

The message was simple:  

‘The chieftain has appeared.’  

Seo Do-jun overheard—the tribe’s chieftain and leaders had emerged from the rift Zone.  

Cutting down the last tribesman, Seo Do-jun approached Kim Chŏng-un.  

“You can handle the rest, right?”  

Only about a hundred scouts and a few dozen reinforcements remained.  

More importantly, Seo Do-jun had taken their golden banner, depriving them of their wide-area shield.  

“Of course!”  

Kim Chŏng-un brimmed with confidence now that bullets could pierce the tribesmen’s skulls.  

“But… we’ve received reports of new enemies from the rift Zone. Since you’re here, perhaps you could deal with them too?”  

Unaware of the chieftain’s strength, Kim Chŏng-un wanted Seo Do-jun to handle it.  

“Fine.”  

Having come this far, Seo Do-jun had no intention of leaving things half-done. He summoned Casserian.  

—Kwawooooo!  

Without needing directions, Seo Do-jun mounted Casserian and vanished beyond the Taedong River.  

“Damn Southern bastard! I’ll put a bullet in your mouth one day!”  

The moment Seo Do-jun left, Kim Chŏng-un’s subservience vanished, replaced by rage.  

“Hey! Ri Kang-chol!”  

As Ri Kang-chol approached:  

“Become stronger than that Southern bastard! You’re all we have left! Fail me, and your family gets the firing squad! Understood?”  

“…Understood.”  

Ri Kang-chol’s face hardened at the threat to his family.  

Despite over a decade since the rift Era began, North Korea’s power still lay with non-awakened elites.  

Their method was simple:  

Loyalists from pre-rift times kept the Heroes in check, while their families were held hostage under the guise of ‘protection’.  

That said, S-rank Heroes were treated well—until now.  

Kim Chŏng-un, in his fury, had crossed a line.  

‘Execute my family?’  

Ri Kang-chol’s eyes blazed as he watched Kim Chŏng-un vent.  

Beyond the Taedong River, near the northern rift zone, Seo Do-jun spotted five tribesmen.  

The chieftain radiated twice the power of a regular warrior, with four slightly weaker leaders beside him.  

With the golden banner gone, modern weapons could handle them.  

But Seo Do-jun had another reason for hunting them down:  

The chieftain’s weapon.  

Slain tribesmen didn’t drop magic stones, but their weapons could be claimed as spoils.  

And the chieftain’s weapon surpassed most Earth-made arms.  

While he wouldn’t chase chieftains abroad, one right in front of him? No reason to let North Korea have it.  

“An axe… I’ll give it to Kang Chŏn-uk.”  

Eyeing the chieftain’s axe, Seo Do-jun drew five One-Headed Kowibiru horn spears from his subspace.  

From Casserian’s back, he hurled them.  

Thud-thud-thud-thud-THUNK!  

Each spear struck true, piercing the chieftain and leaders’ skulls.  

Retrieving the spears and axe, Seo Do-jun returned to Seoul.