SFRW-Chapter 209

Ch. 209 Sword God From The Ruined World

“…Kuh!”

Metaneca forced down the bitter, coppery blood rising in his throat and glared at the opponent before him.

He was undeniably strong—stronger than any human he had ever faced.

Once every few hundred years…

Back in the distant past, when Moteor was a land of plenty and countless races fought over territory…

There had been tales of humans who transcended the limits of their kind—humans who could hunt dragons.

Of course, those feats had been achieved against dragons weakened by deep slumber, but the fact that mere humans had slain the apex of all species was still extraordinary.

‘Was he one of those humans?’

Ignoring the lingering pain in his chest, which was slowly subsiding, Metaneca advanced toward Seo Do-jun once more.

His calm expression as he waited for his approach twisted his eyes with fury.

‘Stop looking at me like that!’

SWISH—!

He aimed for his brow, certain he wouldn’t be able to dodge—

Whoosh.

Yet Seo Do-jun avoided it with nothing more than a slight tilt of his head, countering in the same fluid motion with a downward slash.

SLASH—!

The blade came down as if to split his shoulder in two. Metaneca barely managed to retreat by spreading his wings, exhaling a short, concentrated breath attack in desperation.

“Huuup—PHAH!”

Though brief, his breath carried enough force to obliterate most foes—but to Seo Do-jun, it was no threat at all.

SWISH-SWISH-SWISH-SWISH!

Dozens of sword auras erupted from his blade, weaving together into a seamless barrier.

BOOM!

The explosion kicked up a thick cloud of dust, obscuring vision for a split second—and in that moment, Seo Do-jun vanished.

“…!”

Before he could even process the fact that his breath had been blocked, Seo Do-jun was already circling to his left, his sword flashing faster than even a Half-Dragon could react.

CRACK!

“Gh—!”

Even as he raised his wings to block, the pain of his bones nearly shattering forced a choked groan from his throat. Still, he retaliated with a sweeping kick.

THUD!

His foot stopped just short of Seo Do-jun’s face—his forearm had intercepted it effortlessly.

Undeterred, Metaneca unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks.

As a Half-Dragon, his entire body was a weapon—his strikes were ruthlessly efficient and unpredictable.

The way his bones jutted out mid-swing, aiming for lethal blows, was a testament to why his kind was considered superior to humans.

Yet against Seo Do-jun, not a single attack landed cleanly.

His movements were ghostly.

His combat instincts seemed to predict everything.

And above all else—

CRACK!

“Kuh—Ghk!”

His shoulder was nearly cleaved in half. Metaneca couldn’t hide his shock—he hadn’t even seen his sword move.

His swordsmanship bordered on the divine.

‘How… how can someone wield a blade like that?’

Has he ever seen anyone—human or otherwise—who could match Seo Do-jun’s mastery?

Not in all his years.

If swordsmanship alone determined divinity, Seo Do-jun would be worthy of being called a god.

His blade pressed forward.

It wasn’t flashy.

Nor was it overly simple.

It wasn’t blindingly fast or impossibly heavy.

Yet it ensnared him like a fly in a spider’s web, leaving him flailing helplessly.

THUD!

Sometimes soft.

CRACK!

Sometimes devastating.

His control was flawless.

He knew when to hold back and when to strike, when to be fast and when to slow down, pressuring him from all sides until he couldn’t escape.

His swordplay was dizzying—an onslaught that left Metaneca reeling.

THUD!

“Guh!”

Too focused on his blade, he took a kick to the ribs and tumbled backward.

He glanced around.

He had released five Gardi Skillis to interfere—but four lay in tattered shreds, and the last was cornered, moments from death.

Against such overwhelming odds, Metaneca couldn’t help but laugh.

“Keh-keh-keh-keh!”

“Laughing because nothing’s going your way?”

Seo Do-jun’s question drew a frank admission.

“I didn’t expect you and your companions to be this strong. I’ll admit it—you’re… stronger than any humans I’ve ever seen. No, stronger than even those dimwitted Half-Dragons.”

“Then there’s no point in continuing, is there?”

“You seemed to know quite a bit about the Administrator. Was I wrong?”

Even at a disadvantage, Metaneca’s will remained unbroken. Seo Do-jun quickly realized what his last card was.

“You think summoning the Administrator’s Direct forces will turn the tide?”

In response, Metaneca viciously tore off the mangled, barely clinging scales from his body.

RIP—RIP—RIP!

Unlike his rapidly regenerating flesh, his scales would take much longer to regrow—but he didn’t care.

Aside from the man before him, nothing else could stand in his way now.

“Of course it will.”

His voice brimmed with confidence.

What kind of forces could he possibly summon to warrant such certainty?

Seo Do-jun’s expression shifted—not to worry, but curiosity.

“I’ve been thinking since earlier… that look in your eyes, that expression! I’ll tear it to shreds.”

With those words, Metaneca began unleashing the true power Barhaut had bestowed upon him.

GOOOOOOOOOH—!

Magic surged violently.

A whirlpool of energy spiraled around him, a raging torrent of power.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The sound of bones breaking.

RIIIP—RIIIIP!

The sound of flesh splitting.

RIP! RIP! RIP!

The sound of scales being torn away.

Metaneca’s body began to grow.

His form changed.

From head to toe—

“…Th-That’s impossible.”

Even Koroka stared in disbelief at Metaneca’s sudden transformation.

His size swelled rapidly until he loomed dozens of meters tall.

And his appearance now resembled…

“…A dragon.”

A pitch-black Black Dragon.

To Seo Do-jun, Metaneca looked identical to the dragons he had once known.

[KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH—!]

As if flaunting his newfound presence, Metaneca unleashed an overwhelming draconic aura—one so potent that every living being in the vicinity instinctively froze.

[Keh-keh-keh! How’s this for a turnaround?]

Even his voice now boomed with the same resonance as a true dragon’s.

“Y-You’re really a dragon?! How?! How can Metaneca, a Half-Dragon, be—?!”

Koroka was the most shocked of all.

Metaneca scoffed.

[Why wouldn’t I be? Dragon blood flows through our veins. We just didn’t know how to awaken it. But we’ve always had the right to stand as equals to dragons.]

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue as he observed Metaneca’s towering form.

“What an idiot.”

[What did you say?]

“You think becoming a dragon with the power Barhaut gave you is sustainable? It’s a pipe dream. Your body can’t handle it. This is just self-destruction.”

Seo Do-jun saw it clearly.

His body was barely containing the excessive magic flooding it.

He might wield power rivaling a dragon’s now, but the cost would be catastrophic.

Metaneca’s own words held the answer.

Dragon blood flowed in his veins—but only half. The other half was undeniably human.

For a half-breed body to aspire to become a full dragon was sheer arrogance.

Yet even with the truth laid bare, Metaneca remained smug.

[For now, maybe. But eventually, I will become a perfect dragon. And…]

BOOOOM—!

A massive tail—one that hadn’t existed in his Half-Dragon form—slammed down where Seo Do-jun had been standing.

[Killing you and your companions won’t be a problem at all.]

A single swing of his tail caused the earth to collapse under its force, leaving everyone gaping.

“Th-That’s a dragon?!”

Choi Kang-soo, seeing one for the first time, trembled uncontrollably, swallowing dryly.

“They say they stand at the pinnacle of all species…”

“This is… unbelievable.”

“Seo Do-jun…”

Even Shinjo, Gloria, and Hyun Joo-yeon couldn’t hide their tension as they stared at Metaneca’s draconic form.

“A Half-Dragon turning into a dragon? This is insane.”

Kusak wore an expression of sheer disbelief at this defiance of nature’s laws.

Veronica and Rakun stayed silent, but their faces showed they were equally stunned.

“So, where’s this ‘Direct force’ you mentioned?”

Seo Do-jun, standing a short distance away, remained unfazed as he asked.

Metaneca smirked.

[Why would I need that? The Administrator’s Direct forces are just tools to protect him.]

“So the power meant for them was concentrated in you instead?”

[Think whatever you want.]

Metaneca flapped his wings violently, as if to say no more words were needed.

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—!

A gale-force whirlwind erupted, sweeping across the battlefield—strong enough to shred everything in its path.

“Everyone, fall back!”

Seo Do-jun kicked Koroka toward the others, putting himself between them and the storm.

His sword moved in a blur, creating barriers of sword aura—but the whirlwind shattered them effortlessly.

Yet Seo Do-jun didn’t retreat. He kept swinging, holding the line.

[Foolish resistance!]

Dragons were the only beings capable of threatening gods.

Metaneca was certain—no matter how hard Seo Do-jun struggled, he could never defeat him.

History proved it.

No legendary dragonslayer had ever slain a dragon alone.

It took dozens, sometimes hundreds, of sacrifices for a single dragonslayer to emerge.

No matter how exceptional Seo Do-jun was, he could never face the ultimate lifeform alone—

THUD!

[Guh—!]

A sharp pain tore through Metaneca’s torso, forcing an involuntary gasp.

The magic-fueled whirlwind had vanished without a trace.

Seo Do-jun stood unharmed, his blade flashing relentlessly.

Each swing sent a sword aura crashing into his body—but these were different from before.

[N-No way… Were you holding back this whole time?!]

Metaneca shook his massive head violently, refusing to believe it.

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—!

His colossal form rose higher, generating enough wind pressure to crush everything below.

Seo Do-jun looked no larger than his toe now.

He inhaled deeply.

[HOOOOOOOOOOOH—!]

A true dragon’s breath—not a Half-Dragon’s imitation!

The sensation of all surrounding magic being drawn into his filled Metaneca with euphoria.

‘This… this is the real thing!’

Once his belly swelled to bursting, he opened his maw wide.

[KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH—!]

An overwhelming storm of magic—one capable of annihilating an entire city in an instant.

A true dragon’s breath.