SFRW-Chapter 202

Ch. 202 Sword God From The Ruined World

Thud—  

Barhaut did not miss that fleeting moment, as if an invisible thread had snapped. It felt like a fragment of lost divinity—now incapable of blooming again—was fading into obscurity.  

His gaze shifted toward one of the walls.  

A wall covered in an intricate, chaotic mess of lines and symbols so bizarre that no human could ever decipher them. Among them, one character was gradually blurring, as though the moment it had been carved was being reversed.  

And then, it vanished completely.  

Having witnessed the entire process, Barhaut quietly spoke.  

“…Valitao…”  

The 39th planet guarding Tirotio.  

Though located at the farthest edge, Valitao had never once been invaded—until now. It had fallen, no longer fulfilling its role as a ‘Guardian Planet’.  

Eternal liberation.  

A planet that had been conquered with great effort had now returned to its original state.  

Was such a thing possible?  

It wasn’t impossible.  

There were only two plausible explanations for Valitao’s liberation.  

The first and most likely possibility was an internal change—more precisely, that someone within had overthrown the Administrator.  

In short: rebellion.  

The Administrators of Guardian Planets ruled as absolute beings—but only conditionally absolute.  

Though they stood at the pinnacle of power by Barhaut’s grace, they were not invincible.  

How exactly such a rebellion could succeed was something even Barhaut couldn’t fathom.  

But one thing was certain:  

If the rebellion succeeded and the Administrator was slain, the planet would be freed.  

The second possibility was planetary invasion.  

But this was far more difficult than the first—no, in fact, it was practically impossible.  

Across all dimensions, the only being who had ever earned the title of ‘Planet Conqueror’ was Barhaut himself.  

And above all—  

There could be no challengers.  

Barhaut’s very existence placed him at the highest echelon, an insurmountable peak.  

No one could defy, resist, or challenge him.  

So, considering the possibilities… internal rebellion was the most likely.  

“Hmm.”  

Barhaut’s expression twisted subtly.  

Of all times—  

Valitao’s liberation coincided with the lifting of the seals on Kusak, Veronica, and Rakun, whom he had sent to Earth.  

Now freed, Valitao would return to its original state.  

The problem was this: even for Barhaut, the Planet Conqueror, while he could still destroy Valitao, he could never conquer it again.  

Because of the lost divinity.  

“Why this ominous…?”  

Barhaut cut himself off and closed his mouth. Instead, his gaze returned to the wall.  

After the 39th planet came the 38th—Moteor.  

If, by some infinitesimal chance, this was not an internal rebellion but an unprecedented external invasion—  

And if the invaders were Kusak and the others—  

“Moteor.”  

Barhaut’s expression, stiffened by wounded pride, gradually relaxed.  

Because Moteor’s Administrator was someone he trusted deeply.  

One variable was understandable—but not two.  

And Barhaut was confident that no variable could threaten Moteor.  

***  

38th Planet, Moteor  

The first thing that assaulted Seo Do-jun’s party upon arrival was suffocating heat and a scorching blaze that seared their entire bodies.  

BOOM— CRACK! CRACK!  

WHOOSH— WHOOSH—  

Giant craters, ceaseless volcanic eruptions, and skies choked with ash so thick it was hard to breathe—  

Compared to Valitao, Moteor’s environment was so extreme that calling it hell would still fall short.  

The only saving grace was that Seo Do-jun’s party only found the heat and stifling air uncomfortable, thanks to their resilience.  

“This is insane! Absolutely insane! The entire world is a volcanic wasteland? This place really teaches you the true meaning of shock and horror! No human could survive here!”  

Hell might’ve been better.  

Choi Kang-soo couldn’t help but pity the people forced to live in such conditions. He even wondered what kind of twisted mind would conquer a place like this.  

It made him realize just how much of a paradise Earth was in comparison.  

“Maybe we should just go back to Valitao…”  

He tried to suggest returning, but no one paid him any attention.  

“So the 38th planet is Moteor, huh?”  

Kusak’s face was twisted into a bitter smirk.  

“Tell me more about Moteor.”  

Seo Do-jun frowned as he asked, but it was Rakun who answered.  

“The environment is what you see. Moteor isn’t a large world—about the size of the Kalen Empire, at best.”  

The Kalen Empire referred to their ruined homeworld.  

Roughly speaking, Seo Do-jun pictured something the size of the United States.  

Small for an entire planet.  

“But don’t let its size fool you. Moteor is not to be underestimated.”  

“Because of the environment?”  

Seo Do-jun pointed at the five volcanic craters visible in his immediate vicinity.  

Even for him, living near active volcanoes was impossible.  

No—that went for any human.  

How could anyone survive in such an uninhabitable place?  

That was why Seo Do-jun was certain Moteor’s inhabitants were anything but ordinary.  

“That’s part of it. No normal human could endure this. But the real issue is Moteor’s ruling class.”  

“Not human, then.”  

The odds of humans ruling here were less than 0.1%. Seo Do-jun tried to imagine what kind of species would thrive in such a place.  

But instead of a race, monstrous beings came to mind.  

“Don’t tell me the rulers are monsters?”  

He looked to Rakun for confirmation.  

“Moteor’s ruling class is—!”  

Before Rakun could finish, the ground beneath them trembled violently, as if struck by an earthquake.  

THUD— THUD— THUD—  

A massive presence entered their view.  

“…A giant?!”  

A towering humanoid figure, standing at least 15 meters tall.  

Dressed in primitive garb, bare-handed and barefoot, striding through the volcanic wasteland.  

[T-tiny ones?!]  

The giant’s terrifyingly large eyes locked onto Seo Do-jun’s group.  

[I-I’ve met tiny ones!]  

Its voice carried an excitement as if witnessing a legend. Everyone except Seo Do-jun winced, clutching their ears—the sheer volume felt like an attack on their brains.  

BOOM—!  

Then, a massive explosion. A fireball the size of a meteor hurtled toward the giant.  

“Damn, getting wiped out right after appearing? That’s just sad—!”  

Choi Kang-soo clicked his tongue—then bit it in shock.  

THWACK!  

The giant casually caught the fireball with its bare hand.  

No—impaled it with its hand was more accurate.  

The motion was as natural as a veteran outfielder catching a fly ball. Choi Kang-soo was so stunned he forgot the pain of biting his tongue.  

[Ow! Hot!]  

The giant flung the fireball aside, triggering a massive explosion that devastated the surrounding area.  

“That’s just… pure physical dominance. Swords, magic, divine power—none of that would work on that thing, right?”  

Choi Kang-soo was genuinely intimidated.  

A giant like that could tear apart most Boss Monsters with its bare hands.  

It was obvious.  

No—certain.  

The rulers of this damned world had to be these overwhelmingly powerful giants.  

‘If something like that also has an Administrator’s power…’  

He glanced nervously at Seo Do-jun.  

‘Even he’d struggle, wouldn’t he?’  

He shook his head violently, as if to dispel the thought.  

Then, another chain of volcanic eruptions.  

Fireballs far larger than before—five of them—streaked toward the giant.  

This time, it had to be over!  

Choi Kang-soo believed it.  

And as if answering his belief, the largest fireball struck the giant square in the back before it could react.  

BOOM—!  

[Guh—!]  

The giant staggered, groaning in pain. Choi Kang-soo’s eyes bulged.  

‘He’s just… staggering?! That should’ve crushed his entire torso!’  

The remaining four fireballs mercilessly pummeled the giant.  

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!  

[Agh! Agh! AGH—!]  

Shoulder, waist, collarbone, and finally—the temple.  

Yet the giant still didn’t fall.  

‘What kind of endurance…?’  

『…I can’t believe such a monster exists.』  

Even the Divine Sword was stunned.  

Those fireballs were equivalent to meteor-level magic.  

And yet the giant had tanked them all.  

Choi Kang-soo, Shinjo, and Hyun Joo-yeon were all left speechless.  

If they had to fight that thing, Choi Kang-soo would genuinely refuse.  

If that giant just swatted at him—  

‘This is madness!’  

What good were the combat skills he learned from the elves?  

What did spirit stones matter?  

He doubted he could even scratch that thing!  

“L-let’s run!”  

He saw this as their chance.  

They needed to escape, regroup, and reassess the situation.  

But Seo Do-jun didn’t move.  

‘D-don’t tell me even he’s scared?’  

Well, Seo Do-jun was human.  

Faced with such a monster, even he must’ve been feeling perfectly natural emotions.  

“Are the giants the rulers of this world?”  

Seo Do-jun’s voice was eerily calm for someone supposedly scared.  

“No. They’re the oppressed. The giants are the most pitiful beings here.”  

What?!  

Choi Kang-soo wondered if his ears were broken.  

Had Rakun’s words somehow triggered a psychic reversal in his brain?  

He tapped his head, about to ask for clarification—  

“KYAHAHAHAHAHA—!”  

A bone-chilling laugh sent shivers down his spine.  

[N-no!]  

The giant trembled, frantically looking around.  

Its terrified expression and stiff posture made its panic obvious.  

“W-what now?”  

Choi Kang-soo tensed up, scanning their surroundings.  

Then—  

A pitch-black shadow darted toward the giant from the right.  

About 2 meters tall.  

Eerie crimson eyes.  

A face almost human, yet unnaturally distorted, with stiff, leathery skin.  

And most of all—  

FWIP—!  

Wings—one-meter-long—snapped open as it leaped.  

“W-wings?!”  

Before Choi Kang-soo could process it, the unknown entity lunged at the giant—  

STAB—!  

[GAAAAAH—!]  

It pierced straight through the giant’s abdomen.  

As the giant screamed in agony, the creature cackled.  

“KYAHAHAHAHA—!”  

It zipped around the giant’s body, tearing, slashing, ripping it apart in seconds, drenching itself in blood.  

THUD.  

The giant, who had withstood volcanic fireballs, collapsed pathetically.  

Without even a chance to resist, it lay in a mangled heap, barely breathing.  

The creature, now drenched in the giant’s blood, landed before Seo Do-jun’s group.  

“…Humans?”  

Its lips curled into a grin, crimson eyes gleaming.  

A primal curiosity—tainted with pure malice—sent chills down their spines.  

“So it’s them.”  

Seo Do-jun spoke with certainty.  

And Kusak, his voice tense, confirmed it.  

“Yes. Moteor’s rulers—the Half-Dragons.”