SFRW-Chapter 213

Ch. 213 Sword God From The Ruined World

“W-what?!”  

Alfrey Devante’s pupils glinted coldly, chillingly.  

“An unprecedented monster has appeared in the Kebeta region, and Morea, the bishop there, has been killed.”  

BAM!  

“How could this happen?!”  

Alfrey Devante’s fist shattered the solid marble table.  

Despite being over 70 years old, his physical prowess surpassed that of any man in his twenties.  

‘The Pope… he truly doesn’t age at all?’  

Soto, one of the Four Apostles of the Papacy Court, couldn’t help but marvel at Pope Alfrey Devante, who seemed to grow younger with each passing day.  

“Bishop Morea had his children with him, didn’t he?”  

“Of course. Every bishop is accompanied by five paladins to assist them.”  

“And yet, Morea died?”  

“The paladins… met the same fate. All of them fell to that unidentified monster…”  

Soto trailed off, clasping his hands in prayer. Alfrey Devante mirrored the gesture, closing his eyes.  

Outwardly, it was a show of mourning for the dead—but inwardly, his thoughts were entirely different.  

‘An unidentified monster? Impossible! Every monster in this world is under my control! What in the world is happening… Could it be Beca’s doing?’  

Beca, one of the three exiled Apostles of the Papacy Court and now the leader of the Lily War.  

“Please, come to your senses! This is blasphemy of the highest order! How… how could you dare to forsake our god and serve another?! Repent before Desion at once!”  

‘I should have killed him that day!’  

Not executing Beca when he had declared his allegiance to a new god, spitting blood in defiance, remained Alfrey’s greatest regret.  

After that day, Beca kept returning with more followers.  

As their numbers grew, even Alfrey Devante couldn’t recklessly move against him—banishment was the only option.  

His plan had been to eliminate Beca and his remnants outside the Papacy Court, but—  

‘Seraph! If it weren’t for that damned woman!’  

Seraph, the paladin hailed as the strongest in Papacy history, stood by Beca’s side, rendering all assassination attempts futile.  

‘No… Neither Beca nor Seraph would resort to using monsters.’  

Dismissing Beca’s involvement only deepened Alfrey’s confusion.  

“…Your Holiness.”  

Lost in thought, Alfrey only snapped back to reality after Soto called his name multiple times.  

“With your permission, I shall personally lead the 5th Paladin Order to the Kebeta region.”  

Recognizing Soto’s unwavering resolve, Alfrey reached out and gripped his shoulder.  

“May Bahat’s grace be with you.”  

Once Soto departed, Alfrey rose from his seat.  

He entered a secret passage behind the statue of Bahat—a path only the Pope was permitted to tread.  

Walking effortlessly through the pitch-black corridor, Alfrey pressed his thumb against a door at the end.  

Stab!  

‘Tch.’  

A sharp, needle-like thorn pierced deep into his thumb, making him grimace.  

Creak—  

The massive door slowly swung open, revealing a dim crimson glow that enveloped Alfrey’s body.  

Thud.  

As the door fully opened, Alfrey stepped cautiously inside.  

“You’ve come?”  

Inside, a man sat with an enormous book resting on his lap. He had been reading but closed it upon Alfrey’s arrival.  

“I have a request.”  

Unlike the man, who spoke casually, Alfrey addressed him with caution.  

The man frowned instantly.  

“A request? Don’t tell me you want me to deal with that paladin, Seraph? I’ve told you before—there are still many within the Papacy Court who doubt you. If my existence, an outsider, becomes known, you will be the one facing the consequences.”  

The man had repeatedly emphasized that unless Alfrey wanted a second Lily War, he shouldn’t expect his help.  

“I’m aware. What I ask is…”  

Alfrey explained the events in Kebeta.  

“Hmm… A new monster? That shouldn’t be possible.”  

“Which is why I seek your aid.”  

“You don’t trust Apostle Soto and the 5th Order?”  

“I simply want this matter resolved conclusively.”  

“Their sacrifice may be necessary, depending on the situation.”  

“A holy sacrifice, then.”  

“Heh heh heh! Fine. I’ll handle it. Now, let’s see… Who should I send?”  

As the man muttered, the darkness writhed—and a knight with a sharp, menacing aura materialized.  

Alfrey’s eyes widened in shock.  

How could he forget?  

This knight had slaughtered countless Papacy forces in the war waged in the name of the Holy Crusade.  

Grichuk, the Terror Knight, the pride of the Gritton Empire and the vanguard of its might.  

“You turned Grichuk into a Black Knight?”  

Alfrey’s voice trembled with disbelief. The man simply stared back as if asking, Why not?  

“Go to Kebeta. Identify and hunt this new monster. And… ensure not a single member of Apostle Soto’s 5th Order survives.”  

The man issued the command while locking eyes with Alfrey.  

“I. OBEY.”  

Grichuk’s voice was anything but human. Just as he had appeared, he vanished into the shadows.  

“Well? Satisfied?”  

The man smirked. Alfrey nodded slowly.  

“…Thank you.”  

***

Meanwhile…  

“I hope Koroka’s doing alright.”  

Choi Kang-soo leaned back, interlacing his fingers behind his head. Seo Do-jun reassured him.  

“At the very least, he won’t die easily.”  

Being a half-dragon, Koroka was a force to be reckoned with—even in this ruined world.  

“But making him play the role of a monster… Isn’t that too harsh?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon’s concern made Choi Kang-soo shake his head.  

“In a world without dragons, a half-dragon will be seen as a monster.”  

His words silenced the others. If they had encountered a half-dragon on Earth, they too would’ve mistaken it for a monster.  

“Enough worrying about Koroka. Focus on yourself. Whether we gain the Desion Order’s trust depends entirely on you.”  

Veronica’s words drew a scoff from Choi Kang-soo.  

“I’m the real holy knight. If the Desion Order isn’t a cult, they’ll recognize my divine power.”  

Veronica had no rebuttal—Choi Kang-soo’s holy energy, manifested through Mute’s Divine Sword, was undeniably genuine.  

While Koroka headed north, the rest of the group stayed in the southern region, hunting monsters and awaiting the Desion Order’s approach.  

They could’ve simply stormed the Papacy Court and killed the Pope, but Mute’s Divine Sword refused.  

It wanted the heretics who worshipped Bahat utterly crushed.  

Even as a god from another world, it yearned for the Papacy Court’s redemption—a proxy for the ruined world’s lost faith.  

Moreover, the sword sought to amplify its holy power through this world’s belief.  

『Divine power is all the same—the power of faith. Even if the gods differ, true belief benefits me.』  

Choi Kang-soo, having experienced this on Earth, didn’t argue.  

But—  

“What about those who still believe in Bahat?”  

『He’s a living being. No matter how much faith they give him, it won’t generate divine power.』  

“Then how do new priests from the Papacy Court still wield holy power?”  

『That’s not holy power. It’s something else—a corrupted imitation.』  

The sword’s certainty left no room for doubt.  

As Choi Kang-soo fought monsters and healed the wounded, his legend spread.  

“A paladin like no other!”  

“He slays monsters with unmatched strength and heals with warm divine light!”  

“He asks for nothing in return—only prays we believe in the true god!”  

“By his side are brave and beautiful comrades, all like Heroes!”  

“Desion hasn’t abandoned us! He sent his true knights to save us!”  

With each monster felled and each life saved, faith in Desion grew.  

Meanwhile, in the north, rumors of an unknown monster terrorizing the Papacy Court spread like wildfire.  

“The monster that killed Bishop Morea struck again in Novite!”  

“Now even Chernma’s bishop is dead!”  

“This is Desion’s wrath! Punishment for abandoning him!”  

People believed the north was being judged while the south was blessed.  

But not everyone was fooled.  

“Are you the one they call the ‘Holy Knight’?”  

A woman blocked Choi Kang-soo’s path.  

No—a goddess.  

Her golden hair cascaded to her waist, her skin like white jade. Her beauty eclipsed even that of an elf.  

“Wh-who…?”  

Choi Kang-soo’s voice trembled involuntarily. He frowned, annoyed at himself for sounding like a fool.  

The woman ignored his reaction.  

“I am Seraph. I ask again: Are you the rumored paladin—the ‘Knight of Desion’?”  

Seraph, the strongest paladin in Papacy history, had come to verify the rumors herself.