SFRW-Chapter 265

Ch. 265 Sword God From The Ruined World

The Toyarman Plains, where the borders of all three kingdoms met, was the most suitable place for a large-scale battle.  

“King Sliver has gone mad! Absolutely mad!”  

Until now, the wars between the three kingdoms had followed an unspoken rule.  

Due to the Emperor’s insane demand that blood must be shed every single day, the three kingdoms had fought in a strangely coordinated manner—almost like a scripted play.  

For example:  

– If Gauman and Bamut fought today, Barbar would wait a day before battling the victor.  

– The next day, Barbar would fight the kingdom that had rested the previous day.  

Though the battles themselves were fierce, with each side tearing into the other, they avoided outright dirty tactics like ganging up on one kingdom or backstabbing.  

Of course, it was essentially the Emperor’s puppet show, but since it was still a war where blood was shed, emotions sometimes ran high, leading to reckless clashes.  

Even the Emperor, aware of this unspoken rule, tolerated it, knowing that war never went entirely as planned.  

But this time, King Sliver of Barbar had shattered that rule.  

“Even if Barbar has the upper hand, this is too much! Trying to fight both us and Gauman at once… Is it because he’s a savage warrior like the Emperor? The man’s absolutely insane!”  

“I heard that at Barbar’s border, the savage warriors were killing each other in complete chaos.”  

“I heard the rumors too, but… no way. Even if they’re uncivilized Barbarians, would they really kill their own allies?”  

“Who knows? It’s just a rumor, so I can’t say for sure.”  

“It’s probably just a baseless story. Look at this—they’re using that rumor to play the victim, creating this absurd situation!”  

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. I heard Barbar’s been using their heads more lately… Those simple-minded savages are getting crafty.”  

Barbar had poured over 30,000 troops into the Toyarman Plains.  

Just during the initial preparations for the great battle, they had mustered around 20,000—but now, that number had swelled by another 10,000.  

As a result, both Bamut and Gauman had to scramble to reinforce their own forces.  

– Bamut Kingdom: 25,000 troops.  

– Gauman Kingdom: 25,000 troops.  

Combined, the three kingdoms had gathered a staggering 80,000 soldiers on the Toyarman Plains.  

The problem?  

Even though Barbar had prepared for a great battle, neither Bamut nor Gauman fully trusted each other.  

“We’ll cooperate in attacking them, but… honestly, can we really trust Gauman? Who’s to say those bastards won’t stab us in the back?”  

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. At this point, I’m starting to think Barbar planned this from the beginning, knowing we’d be like this.”  

“Planned it?”  

“Barbar already has a numerical advantage over us and Gauman. If they lose 30,000 here while we and Gauman each lose 20,000… in the end, Barbar doesn’t really lose much, does it?”  

“Hmm… That does make sense.”  

“Exactly! This is all King Sliver’s dirty scheme!”  

“Well, Sliver has always acted like the epitome of a savage warrior on the outside, but he’s got a cunning mind.”  

“Of course! If he were just a simple brute, he never could’ve united the barbarians. Damn it! If only Gauman would just cooperate properly this once and crush Barbar with us!”  

“Even lowly soldiers like us can see it. Surely the higher-ups have a plan, right?”  

“I sure hope so.”  

These were the grumblings of two soldiers who had no idea when they’d be thrown onto the battlefield as cannon fodder.  

Meanwhile, at the War Council  

At that very moment, the leadership of Gauman and Bamut were holding a joint meeting.  

At first, they tried to align their strategies like the rank-and-file soldiers hoped, but as the discussions continued, their differences only became more apparent.  

“We can’t accept such an unreasonable demand!”  

The Gauman leadership shouted with red faces.  

“Then what do you suggest? You reject everything! What exactly do you want?”  

The Bamut leadership frowned openly, their irritation showing.  

“Let’s be fair! We’ll take the vanguard as you want, but you must commit your main forces to the center! And in the rear—”  

“I already told you, that’s impossible! How can we trust you at our backs?”  

“Hah! And yet you expect us to lead the charge? How can we trust you?”  

The strengths of the two kingdoms were clear:  

– Gauman Kingdom: Overwhelming in close combat.  

– Bamut Kingdom: Unmatched in long-range magic.  

The problem?  

Neither could trust the other.  

Gauman couldn’t afford to leave their rear exposed to Bamut’s mages.  

Likewise, Bamut couldn’t risk Gauman’s knights at their back—it was like entrusting fish to a cat.  

“Enough! We’ll never reach an agreement like this. Let’s just stick to the original plan and attack separately from both flanks!”  

“Hah! That’s what I wanted to say!”  

In the end, they failed to reconcile their differences and decided to attack Barbar independently from left and right.  

‘Damn it! Barbar will obviously focus all their forces on one side!’

‘This is insane! Those devils should be charging straight at Gauman…’  

Given Barbar’s nature—equally deadly in both close and ranged combat—it was obvious they would target one side exclusively.  

If Gauman and Bamut worked together, the battle would be straightforward.  

But since they didn’t trust each other, all they could do was pray Barbar wouldn’t focus entirely on them.  

And as they hesitated, the time for the great battle drew ever closer.  

***  

“Whew—what a mess.”  

Choi Kang-soo whistled as he watched the 80,000 troops divided into three factions.  

Then, suddenly, he frowned and cautiously spoke to Seo Do-jun.  

“Uncle.”  

“What?”  

“Is it really right to steal the souls of all those people to heal Grichuk?”  

No one knew where human souls went after death—not even the Divine Swords could answer that.  

In the past, before becoming a Holy Knight, Choi Kang-soo wouldn’t have cared. “Who cares if souls die?” he might’ve said.  

But now, as a Holy Knight who wielded divine power and served God, he couldn’t help but question whether forcibly stealing and absorbing human souls to heal Grichuk was truly the right thing.  

To be precise, he felt guilt.  

As someone who served God, the thought of standing by while souls were taken weighed on him.  

Seo Do-jun wasn’t entirely comfortable either.  

But—  

“Choi Kang-soo, if it were you, which would you choose?”  

“Which?”  

“Killing 99 innocent people to stop one evil person… or sparing that evil person to save the 99. Which would you pick?”  

“Well, obviously—”  

Choi Kang-soo tried to answer immediately but then shut his mouth.  

Neither choice led to a happy outcome. In fact, both would leave regrets.  

“I’ve never considered myself righteous. I just want to protect my family and get revenge. And for that revenge, Grichuk is a necessary ally.”  

If someone condemned him for it, he’d accept it.  

But he refused to live bound by ‘justice’, only to lose his family and fail in his revenge.  

One failure was enough.  

“Well… at least all those people down there have already bowed to Barhaut. They’re not exactly innocent.”  

Choi Kang-soo could only console himself with that thought.  

For now, there was no other way to accept the situation.  

“But how does Rahf plan to make all those people kill each other?”  

On the way to the Toyarman Plains, Rahf had boasted that he could handle this himself.  

“He’s done it before in Bastlo. He’ll manage.”  

“Right… This isn’t his first time.”  

The more he thought about it, the more Choi Kang-soo realized just how evil Rahf truly was—and why dark magic was so universally reviled.  

“Uncle… What will you do with Rahf?”  

Seo Do-jun understood the meaning behind the question.  

What will you do with Rahf after we succeed in our revenge against Barhaut?  

“What do you think I should do? He’s a cruel dark mage—should I just kill him?”  

“Huh? Well…”  

Part of him did want that, but without Rahf, they might never have gotten this far in their revenge. Choi Kang-soo was torn.  

Rahf was undeniably a villain who had done terrible things, but killing him after using him felt wrong too.  

“Maybe we’ll take him to Earth. At least if he’s with us, he won’t be able to do evil.”  

Seo Do-jun’s unexpected suggestion made Choi Kang-soo nod.  

“I’ll follow your decision, Uncle.”  

Yeah, sometimes it was easier to just go along with Seo Do-jun’s way.  

As Choi Kang-soo settled his thoughts, Seo Do-jun smirked.  

“By the way, all those people are about to die because of that mad Emperor. Do you think he even realizes what’s happening?”  

“Who knows? Maybe he’s watching from somewhere.”  

If the Emperor—a warmonger and loyal dog of Barhaut—was anywhere nearby, he’d surely be watching the largest battle in the Three Kingdoms’ history unfold.  

***  

“What a magnificent sight, don’t you think?”  

On a high cliff overlooking the Toyarman Plains, a muscular man stood with a satisfied smile, watching the 80,000 troops burning with bloodlust, ready for battle.  

His jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, and whenever he grinned, the large and small scars on his face twisted grotesquely.  

“Sliver has done something quite entertaining. Thanks to him, I’ll have a fun show to watch.”  

Beside him, a giant figure standing at attention immediately spoke.  

“The 3rd Army of Osus at the border reportedly killed each other due to an unknown magic. Most likely—”  

“Since neither Dwar nor Bamut have mages capable of such magic, Sliver must suspect me.”  

The Emperor—the man who had cut him off—laughed.  

“Kick! Most of Barbar’s forces are trash. Look at those so-called ‘savage warriors’ trembling like that. Sliver probably wants to make it look like a crushing defeat to avoid further unnecessary sacrifices.”  

The Emperor saw right through Sliver’s intentions.  

“What do you think? Why would the savage warriors kill each other?”  

“Dark magic is the most likely cause. But who could wield such power… I can’t even guess.”  

“Dark magic, huh? Just how skilled would someone have to be to pull that off?”  

The giant figure shook his head—he didn’t know either.  

Dark mages were never welcomed anywhere, and on the planet Tamad, that rejection was even more extreme.  

As a result, dark mages were few in number, forced to hide their existence, unable to practice true dark magic openly.  

“The world’s gone mad. Now even dark mages with guts bigger than their brains are showing up. How amusing. Don’t you think?”  

The giant figure nodded silently. The Emperor, used to this, didn’t mind.  

“I don’t know who it is, but if you find them, bring them to me. Someone with that kind of power could be very useful.”  

To the Emperor, the dark mage’s ‘playful’ act on Barbar’s warriors was like a new toy falling into his lap.  

“Oh! They’re finally starting for real!”  

Giggling, the Emperor clenched his fists in excitement.  

Part of him wanted to leap into the midst of the 80,000 soldiers and bathe in blood.  

But if he gave in to that impulse, the Three Kingdoms’ war would lose its meaning. So he held back—barely.  

“RAAAAAH!”  

With a deafening roar, the three kingdoms clashed head-on.  

Barbar’s savage warriors raised their weapons and charged.  

In response, Bamut’s mages on the right flank unleashed fireballs, wind arrows, and water jets in a barrage of long-range attacks.  

Though many warriors fell without even screaming, the rest sprinted forward, undeterred.  

“They’ve already accepted defeat, but they won’t go down easily. Keh-keh-keh!”  

The Emperor instantly understood Barbar’s strategy.  

Mages were weak in close combat.  

To reach them, Barbar’s warriors were willing to suffer heavy losses.  

Once they closed the distance, the tide would turn.  

And most importantly—  

“That’s it! Gauman can’t just stand back and watch!”  

The Emperor applauded as Gauman’s knights finally joined the charge.  

Now, it was chaos.  

The forces of all three kingdoms tangled into a single, frenzied mass of slaughter.  

In the Three Kingdoms’ war, alliances were forbidden.  

No matter how much they pretended to follow rules, once blood was spilled and emotions overtook reason, they would kill indiscriminately.  

The Emperor loved such blood-soaked chaos.  

His whole body trembled with excitement at the battle unfolding before him.  

And there was one other person just as excited.  

“Keh-keh-keh! Yes, let them all die here today.”  

It was Rahf.