SFRW-Chapter 218

Ch. 218 Sword God From The Ruined World

“An undead?”  

At first glance, Seo Do-jun recognized that Grichuk was no ordinary human.  

No—it was impossible not to notice.  

His entire body oozed not vitality, but death energy, a miasma of decay flowing relentlessly.  

“He doesn’t seem like a typical Death Knight…”  

Has there ever been something like this before?  

Seo Do-jun’s curiosity burned as he observed Grichuk, an entity even he was seeing for the first time.  

No matter how powerful a Death Knight was, certain gaps in strength were insurmountable. Among them, the Half-Dragon race stood as one of the few beings a Death Knight could never surpass.  

Yet, this Grichuk had pushed Koroka to the brink of death—a feat unimaginable even with the Holy Empire paladins’ assistance.  

Above all, Grichuk’s sheer presence alone made Seo Do-jun think he could easily take on Koroka single-handedly.  

“Curiosity can wait. Let’s just beat it out of him.”  

With those words, Seo Do-jun closed the distance.  

One moment he was there—the next, he was right in front of Grichuk, a sword already drawn from subspace.  

Swish—Clang!  

Seo Do-jun’s blade aimed for Grichuk’s right shoulder—but the undead knight blocked it effortlessly, as if proving his strength was no fluke.  

Even as his strike was parried, Seo Do-jun had expected as much. Pivoting smoothly, he slashed at Grichuk’s left flank.  

Kang!  

Again, Grichuk blocked—and this time, counterattacked. A charging strike aimed at Seo Do-jun’s chest.  

Seo Do-jun responded by smashing the hilt of his sword into Grichuk’s shoulder.  

Crunch!  

The pauldron crumpled grotesquely, throwing Grichuk off-balance. Seizing the moment, Seo Do-jun swept his legs with a brutal low kick.  

Crack!  

Grichuk’s body flipped midair before crashing into the ground—his neck twisting at an unnatural angle from the impact.  

Thud!  

“Whoa! He’s getting up even with his neck snapped?!”  

The party, having already wiped out the Holy Empire paladins, gathered to watch the fight.  

“Most monsters would’ve died instantly from that. What is this thing? His shoulder and shin armor are completely crushed, yet he’s fine… Is he really a Death Knight?”  

Kusak’s question made Veronica frown, while Seraph, after silently observing, finally spoke.  

“That’s Grichuk. Once the strongest knight of the northern empire, Griton…”  

As Seraph’s brow furrowed, Veronica shot her a questioning look.  

“I heard the ‘Empire’s Blade’, Grichuk, died in the war against the Holy Empire.”  

“Hmm… If a ‘dead man’ is swinging his sword around like this, then it’s obvious.”  

A Death Knight, without a doubt.  

But—  

“Can a Death Knight really be strong enough to fight a Half-Dragon?”  

At Kusak’s skeptical murmur, Veronica echoed, “Then why the hell is he like this?”  

Kusak shrugged. “How should I know? Unless Barhaut pulled some strings…”  

The mention of Barhaut made Veronica nod grimly, falling silent.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun was pummeling Grichuk like a ragdoll.  

“Damn… How is he still standing after that?!”  

Choi Kang-soo gaped as Grichuk—his armor now fused grotesquely with his crushed body—staggered back up.  

Crunch!  

Seo Do-jun’s foot came down like lightning on Grichuk’s skull.  

Splat!  

A normal being would’ve died instantly, their head exploding.  

Though Grichuk’s skull didn’t burst, the impact finally sent him collapsing.  

Only then did Seo Do-jun sheathe his sword and turn away.  

“That guy must’ve been the leader here, huh?”  

His gaze shifted to Soto—bound and unconscious—unlike the ‘dead’ paladins scattered around.  

“Kassal! Watch out—!”  

“Uncle!”  

Rakun and Choi Kang-soo’s warnings came a split second too late.  

Swoosh!  

A blade materialized from the shadows, grazing Seo Do-jun’s throat by a hair’s breadth.  

No warning. No prelude. Just an ambush out of nowhere.  

Yet Seo Do-jun reacted—twisting his body to evade—and turned to face the attacker.  

“…That thing’s a full-on monster.”  

“If we’re just comparing regeneration, it’s above even a Half-Dragon.”  

Grichuk—who should’ve been ‘dead’ by all logic—was rising again, black smoke billowing from his body as his wounds repaired themselves.  

The sword he’d just swung, the shadows writhing around him, and the eerie smoke regenerating his body—Seo Do-jun’s eyes gleamed with fascination.  

“You’re a first for me.”  

He wanted to dissect Grichuk, piece by piece.  

“Guess I’ll have to study you a bit more.”  

As Seo Do-jun drew his sword again, Grichuk summoned multiple shadows around himself.  

***

“Why do I feel so uneasy…?”  

Pope Alfrey Devante had been suffering from such severe insomnia lately that sleep was nearly impossible.  

There were many reasons, but it had started after hearing rumors of the ‘Blade of Deision’—an enigmatic figure rising in the south—and Seraph’s arrival in the north.  

The Holy Empire’s eyes and ears stretched far into the southern lands.  

This so-called ‘Blade of Deision’ had appeared out of nowhere, with no known origin or background.  

All that was known was that he slaughtered monsters relentlessly and aided the people.  

His appearance had been documented, yet no information about him could be found anywhere.  

And the most absurd part?  

“He healed the dying and incurably ill with a single prayer?”  

If true, this wasn’t just ordinary divine power—it was a miracle beyond what even the Seven Apostles of Deision’s era could achieve.  

Pope Alfrey himself would need days, if not months, of concentrated divine energy to accomplish such feats.  

And this man did it with one prayer?  

Alfrey dismissed it as exaggerated nonsense—but he couldn’t ignore it entirely.  

The Blade’s growing fame in the south was directly boosting the former Holy Empire’s influence.  

Which, in turn, undermined the current Holy Empire’s legitimacy.  

“Could it really be Deision’s…? No! That god abandoned us!”  

Alfrey—the only one who knew the truth behind the War—had been betrayed by the god he’d devoted his life to.  

That was why he’d turned away without hesitation.  

And Barhaut’s secret proposal had been an irresistible temptation.  

The proof of his ‘right’ choice? The northern lands had been transformed into a Holy Empire.  

“That cunning wizard!”  

The ‘Blade of Deision’ was undoubtedly Bekha’s handiwork. There was no way Deision—who’d forsaken them—would suddenly send a ‘true apostle’ now.  

“Yes, it’s obvious! That wizard is scheming to steal my throne!”  

Seraph—who hadn’t left Bekha’s side in ten years—had come north.  

Meanwhile, Bekha was actively touring southern kingdoms and empires.  

This was clearly a counterattack.  

“Wait—could it be?!”  

A chilling suspicion crossed Alfrey’s mind: What if the monstrous abominations in the north were also Bekha’s doing?  

“That’s it! That’s exactly it!”  

Everything finally made sense.  

“Why haven’t we heard anything?”  

Soto, the 5th Order of Paladins, and the reborn ‘Black Knight’ Grichuk had left to hunt the abominations—yet days had passed with no news.  

“…Could they have failed?”  

Alfrey shook his head.  

Even if Soto and the paladins had failed, it was impossible for Grichuk—the immortal Black Knight—to lose.  

And if he had failed… Alfrey knew better than anyone that Grichuk wouldn’t stay quiet.  

Dismissing the abomination issue, Alfrey stood.  

Though his face was haggard from sleepless nights, realizing the source of his unease had steadied him.  

Now, he knew exactly what to do.  

“You dare oppose me? The rightful ruler of this world?”  

A venomous, deranged fury settled over Alfrey’s face.  

First, he would crush the ‘Blade of Deision’ and Seraph—who’d brazenly invaded the north, slaughtering bishops and paladins.  

Then, he would conquer Bekha and the southern kingdoms aiding her.  

That evening, under the Pope’s command, the Holy Empire began preparations for a Second Holy War.  

***  

“This thing… is beyond a Death Knight.”  

Twelve times.  

Seo Do-jun had obliterated Grichuk twelve times before the undead knight finally stopped regenerating.  

No—it wasn’t that he couldn’t heal. It was more like he’d exhausted whatever energy fueled his restoration.  

“Think he’ll recover if we wait?”  

Kusak, as intrigued as Seo Do-jun, examined Grichuk’s body meticulously.  

“Maybe.”  

Even the strongest Death Knight would perish if their soul took direct damage—whether from an overwhelming strike or holy/light magic.  

Yet Grichuk’s soul persisted despite Seo Do-jun’s attacks and even Choi Kang-soo’s divine strikes.  

His tenacity was so absurd that Seo Do-jun could only shake his head in disbelief.  

“Barhaut’s insane. To create a cockroach like this…”  

Kusak couldn’t help but grudgingly admire Barhaut’s craftsmanship.  

“Ugh, I miss Ryuntna right now. She’d have figured this out way faster than someone who only knows one thing.”  

Kusak’s face twisted at Veronica’s jab.  

“‘Someone who only knows one thing’?”  

“What? Struck a nerve?”  

“You don’t even know one thing.”  

“At least I don’t pretend to know like some people.”  

“Y-You—!”  

As Kusak and Veronica bickered, Seo Do-jun stared down at Grichuk’s mangled form.  

“Why are you staring so hard?” Gloria asked.  

Seo Do-jun answered honestly.  

“I want him. It feels like a waste.”  

“What do you mean?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon looked baffled. Why would anyone want this monstrosity?  

Ignoring her, Seo Do-jun pulled a glowing blue gem from subspace.  

“What’s that?”  

Everyone—Gloria, Shinjo, even the squabbling Kusak and Veronica—turned their attention to the gem.  

“Isn’t that… a Soul Gem?”  

Kusak, ever the mage, recognized it instantly.  

“Don’t tell me… You’re trying to bind him with that?”  

“Going to try.”  

Kusak frowned and shook his head.  

“A normal Death Knight wouldn’t submit to a Soul Gem, let alone this abomination. You’ll just waste it.”  

His assessment wasn’t wrong. Even Seo Do-jun had hesitated for that reason.  

“Kusak’s right. That thing might have some unique binding force we don’t know about. The Soul Gem could shatter trying to contain it.”  

Veronica also urged caution. Soul Gems were far too valuable to gamble on a low-chance experiment.  

“Tch! Why’s everyone so cowardly? If Uncle’s doing it, I believe in him! Go for it!”  

Kusak and Veronica simultaneously yelled at Choi Kang-soo to shut up if he had nothing intelligent to say.  

“If it breaks, it breaks.”  

Seo Do-jun had already made up his mind the moment he took out the Soul Gem.  

No one could stop him.  

Ignoring their worries—and the faintest flicker of hope—he began channeling magic into the gem.