SFRW-Chapter 187

Ch. 187 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Who do you think you’re fooling?!”  

Kerzaman chuckled, his face brimming with satisfaction as he watched the underground bunker, now engulfed in a massive inferno, through his phone screen.  

When Kusak called him, Kerzaman sensed something was off within 0.1 seconds.  

Of course he had.  

He already knew Kusak had lost to Seo Do-jun.  

The only surprise was that Kusak had cooperated with Seo Do-jun—but what did that matter now?  

Kerzaman saw it as an opportunity.  

Not only could he deal with Kusak, who had treated him like a dog, but he also saw it as the perfect chance to capture Seo Do-jun, a massive prize.  

The trap he had set to seize that opportunity was now blazing fiercely on his phone screen—the underground bunker.  

“The world’s strongest? Keh keh keh keh!”  

No human could survive an explosion of that magnitude.  

As an S-rank Hero, Kerzaman was certain of it.  

No matter how high a Hero’s rank, humans could still lose their lives to modern weapons if caught off guard.  

Even Seo Do-jun, hailed as the world’s strongest, would never survive such a catastrophic blast.  

“They’ve entered the city.”  

At his subordinate’s report, Kerzaman lowered his phone for a moment.  

Coincidentally, at that very second, a shadow darted out of the raging flames—unnoticed by him.  

“What’s the situation?”  

“It’s getting hard to hold out. We should relocate.”  

Kerzaman nodded obediently at his subordinate’s words.  

The subordinate, who had braced himself for at least a string of curses, looked at Kerzaman in surprise.  

“We’ve caught Seo Do-jun—that bastard who deserved to be torn apart. Isn’t it time to relax a little?”  

That was why Kerzaman was in such a good mood.  

Years of effort spent raising Heroes, his loyal subordinates who would wield guns at his command—they were all dying left and right, but it didn’t matter.  

Now that he had toppled the biggest obstacle, Seo Do-jun, all he had to do was keep fighting, chasing and being chased, until his enemies were exhausted.  

Besides, this was Mexico.  

As someone who believed no one could touch him on Mexican soil, Kerzaman had no fear, even if enemies were at his doorstep.  

“Only pack the essentials.”  

“Understood.”  

After giving the order, Kerzaman glanced once more at the blazing bunker on his phone and grinned ear to ear.  

Unaware of the massive shadow that had flickered briefly above the flames, he leisurely got up after watching the footage for a while.  

Just then, eight subordinates appeared, each carrying a large backpack.  

“Let’s go.”  

At Kerzaman’s command, his men took the lead.  

They lifted the living room carpet and pried open a seemingly ordinary wooden floorboard, revealing a dark underground passage—an emergency escape tunnel.  

Kerzaman and his men descended, while others replaced the floorboard and carpet, leaving no trace of the hidden exit.  

Unless someone spent considerable time searching, it would remain undetected.  

***

“Hahaha! You idiots! Look all you want—you’ll never catch me!”  

From atop a hill, Kerzaman watched through binoculars as the American S-rank Heroes, drenched in blood and seething with rage after failing to find him at the mansion, erupted in frustration. Tears welled in his eyes from laughter.  

Had he ever imagined a day like this?  

Ten S-rank Heroes and nearly 200 A-rank Heroes, desperately trying to capture him—it was more exhilarating and amusing than he’d ever thought possible.  

Still laughing to the point of tears, Kerzaman gestured to a subordinate, who made a call.  

About two minutes later, eleven drones flew toward the mansion from different directions.  

Kerzaman watched with eager anticipation.  

“Showtime!”  

The moment he spoke, the drones fired missiles.  

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!  

Through the binoculars, he saw the searchers panic, shouting in alarm as the missiles streaked toward them.  

Magician Guild Heroes hastily erected barriers, while S-rank Heroes slashed at the missiles, frantically trying to prevent them from hitting the mansion.  

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!  

Explosions rang out in succession.  

All eleven missiles detonated midair near the mansion, but Kerzaman didn’t look the least bit disappointed.  

“The real show starts now!”  

The eleven drones fired again.  

And then, as if appearing out of nowhere, fifty more drones unleashed their payloads.  

It was a missile barrage massive enough to not only obliterate the mansion but also reduce the surrounding area to ruins.  

Horrified, the Heroes desperately slashed at the missiles or even threw their weapons to intercept them.  

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!  

Many missiles were destroyed mid-flight, exploding harmlessly in the air—but not all.  

Kwa-boom! Kwa-boom! Kwa-boom!  

A few missiles struck the mansion, detonating on impact.  

Only a handful were caught in the direct blast, but those who were were sent flying like broken kites, slamming into the ground.  

Kerzaman burst into laughter at the sight of the once-defiant Heroes collapsing helplessly.  

“Hahaha! You bastards! If you come to Mexico to catch me, you’d better be ready to die!”  

The drones launched two more bombing runs, reducing the mansion to ruins in moments.  

Seven or eight Heroes were killed or wounded in the assault.  

After gleefully watching the carnage, Kerzaman tossed aside his binoculars and turned away.  

All he had to do now was disappear into another hideout.  

Meanwhile, his enemies would scour all of Mexico, suffering casualties with nothing to show for it.  

With media control now impossible, the world would soon take notice.  

As he walked down the mountain path, Kerzaman didn’t look the least bit tired—instead, he practically danced with excitement.  

“Kerzaman, the King of Mexico, who killed Seo Do-jun and crushed America, Brazil, the Magician Guild, and the Sunrise Guild!”  

He even imagined the headlines, basking in self-praise.  

But then—  

“Who died?”  

An unfamiliar voice made Kerzaman flinch.  

His subordinates froze as well.  

At the sudden voice, they all looked up.  

A man floated in the air, his back to the sun.  

“Wh-who…?” one subordinate stammered.  

The man tilted his head curiously, as if asking if they really didn’t know. When his face came into view, the subordinate’s eyes bulged.  

“……!”  

The others were equally shocked, but the most stunned was Kerzaman himself.  

“Y-you… you’re supposed to be dead!”  

He couldn’t believe the man floating above him was Seo Do-jun.  

The underground bunker had been obliterated by an explosion powerful enough to kill anyone.  

Kerzaman had even seen footage of Seo Do-jun reaching the deepest part of the bunker—there was no way he could have survived.  

“You thought that would kill me?”  

Tsk. Seo Do-jun shook his head in disappointment.  

If he were foolish enough to die in such a pathetic trap, he’d have died long ago.  

“No time to play hide-and-seek with trash like you.”  

Seo Do-jun dropped down in front of Kerzaman and reached out.  

“Don’t mock me!”  

Kerzaman drew his gun in a flash and fired.  

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!  

He emptied the magazine in seconds, then drew the sword at his waist and swung.  

Swiish! Swaash!  

An X-shaped slash of sword energy struck Seo Do-jun’s chest, deflecting the bullets.  

After all, Kerzaman was an S-rank Hero too.  

And a high-tier one at that—even most S-rankers would’ve been wounded by that attack.  

It was that fast, that powerful.  

‘I don’t know how he survived the explosion, but I’ll kill him myself!’  

In his arrogance, Kerzaman had already forgotten that Seo Do-jun had defeated Kusak.  

His ambush was flawless—or so he thought.  

“Done showing off?”  

“…H-how?!”  

“Like I said, I’m busy.”  

Seo Do-jun’s figure blurred as he appeared right in front of Kerzaman, his fist smashing into the man’s face.  

Crunch!  

“…Guhk!”  

Kerzaman crumpled with a short scream, but before he could hit the ground—  

Yank! Crack! Crunch!  

Seo Do-jun grabbed his hair, shattering both cheekbones, then relentlessly pummeled his shoulders and chest.  

‘How dare you kidnap Grandma and Eun-young?!’  

Rage burned in Seo Do-jun’s eyes as his fists rained down on Kerzaman’s body, turning it into a bloody pulp.  

Only after reducing Kerzaman to a broken mess did Seo Do-jun turn to the frozen subordinates.  

“Want some too?”  

Holding the bloodied, barely recognizable Kerzaman by the hair, Seo Do-jun’s terrifying gaze made them drop their weapons and raise their hands in surrender.  

Bullets had bounced off him. An S-rank Hero had been turned to mincemeat with bare fists.  

Against such overwhelming power, resistance was unthinkable.  

They could only submit.  

“I’d love to just kill you now…”  

But Kerzaman still had uses. Once Seo Do-jun was done with him, he’d die in agony.  

***

With Kerzaman captured, the dark clouds over Mexico began to lift.  

It was no exaggeration to say the entire country had been plunged into darkness because of one man.  

Already riddled with corruption, Mexico had fallen into further chaos when Kerzaman, an unparalleled drug lord, emerged, wielding influence in both the underworld and mainstream society.  

From top officials to low-level bureaucrats, the system was rotten to the core. Returning to normalcy would take years.  

But not all was lost.  

After Kerzaman’s capture and the dismantling of his cartel were announced, people began stepping forward to rebuild Mexico.  

But enough about Mexico.  

Seo Do-jun was deep in thought as he stared at Kusak, Veronica, and Rakun, who sat helplessly before him.  

“So, to summarize—because you were resurrected, your souls are bound, making it impossible for you to oppose him?”  

Kusak nodded in confirmation.  

“It’s like your mind and body are being controlled, I guess?”  

Unable to explain further, Kusak shook his head.  

Soul Binding.  

That was all Kusak called it, but to Seo Do-jun, it seemed like something far more complex.  

“You said you were resurrected using something called the Gem of Authority?”  

“A blue gem Barhaut always carried. I heard someone shattered it.”  

At Veronica’s words, Seo Do-jun’s eyes widened.  

“A blue gem?”  

“Yeah, a blue one. No idea who could’ve gotten close enough to break it, but it weakened Barhaut significantly.”  

[No matter how hard you struggle, you’re just an insect to me.]  

[Y-you bastard!]  

[Nooo—!]  

He remembered now.  

He himself had bitten down with all his strength, shattering the blue gem around Barhaut’s neck.  

‘Now that I think about it, he screamed like crazy back then.’  

At the time, he’d just been glad to destroy something precious to his enemy. He never imagined the gem was that important.  

‘Wait!’  

Kusak and the others were resurrected because of the Gem of Authority’s power.  

Come to think of it, Seo Do-jun himself should’ve died back then—yet his soul had somehow transferred to Earth, reviving him in Seo Do-jun’s body.  

‘Does that mean I survived because of the Gem of Authority? Or was I also revived by it?’  

No, it was certain.  

The shattered gem had triggered something, allowing him to live again.  

As Seo Do-jun pondered deeply, Kusak scoffed.  

“No amount of thinking will change anything. Just kill us like you promised, then wait for your own death. Spend your time doing whatever you couldn’t before.”  

Kusak cackled as he spoke.  

Seo Do-jun was strong enough to overpower them, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could never stop Barhaut’s invasion.  

Earth’s synchronization rate was rising steadily. Once it reached a certain level, Barhaut’s powerful subordinates would cross over again.  

No one was more pitiful than those without a future.  

That’s why Kusak saw no difference between himself, subdued now, and Seo Do-jun.  

If anything, Seo Do-jun’s position—with so much to protect—was far more despairing.  

“Poor guy. Hey, you know what? Maybe I’ll put in a good word for you.”  

“A good word?”  

“A chance to become Barhaut’s dog.”  

Veronica giggled, and Kusak laughed as well. Only Rakun shook his head disapprovingly.  

“A warrior should never lose their pride…”  

Watching the three, Seo Do-jun said flatly, “That’ll never happen.”  

He’d already refused once. And since he was the one who’d shattered the precious Gem of Authority, Barhaut would never let him live.  

‘Wonder how pissed he’ll be when he finds out?’  

Seo Do-jun smirked at the thought of Barhaut.  

He’d thought he was the one who’d lost everything—but listening to Kusak and the others, it seemed his enemy had suffered far greater losses.  

“Guess I’ll have to take something even bigger this time.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s muttering, the three frowned, not understanding his meaning.