SFRW-Chapter 269

Ch. 269 Sword God From The Ruined World

“How much longer do we have to stay like this?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon looked up at the sky with frustration.  

Unlike her stifled feelings, the sky was cruelly clear and transparent.  

“One thing’s certain—we can’t escape this situation by our own will.”  

Veronica’s reply made Hyun Joo-yeon sigh, knowing she was right.  

Their captor was a Dragon.  

An ancient Dragon who had lived for thousands of years. If he wished for it, they couldn’t escape even if they died trying.  

“There you are! Look what I found!”  

Kusak came running through the rustling grass, proudly holding something out.  

It was a fruit resembling a peach, with a strange mix of blue and red hues, about the size of a small watermelon.  

“Is that… Bleh?”  

Even if Hyun Joo-yeon didn’t recognize it, Veronica clearly did, as Kusak nodded excitedly.  

“Yeah! Bleh!”  

“Where did you find it?!”  

Veronica’s excited reaction made Hyun Joo-yeon wonder what was so special about this fruit.  

Kusak explained:  

Bleh was the rarest fruit in their ruined homeworld—so rare that it barely grew ten fruits in a decade.  

“It only grows in the Partishua Forest. They say tasting it once is worth dying for.”  

Because of its rarity, only the Emperor or the highest-ranking nobles could eat it.  

Rumors said that presenting Bleh to the Emperor could earn you a noble title or even a bar of gold.  

“That valuable?”  

“Just rumors. No one actually got a title from it.”  

As their conversation dragged on, Veronica snatched the Bleh from Kusak’s hand.  

“Hehehe… I never thought I’d get to eat Bleh!”  

“You two never had it before?”  

“Of course not!”  

They had only tasted alcohol infused with Bleh’s aroma—barely a trace of the real thing, yet still highly sought after.  

“Can I eat this?”  

Veronica hesitated, feeling guilty about taking it.  

But Kusak just grinned and pulled out an entire bag full of Bleh from his subspace.  

“…Th-That’s impossible!”  

There were dozens of them.  

Bleh, which barely grew ten fruits in a decade—now they had dozens.  

Kusak handed one to Hyun Joo-yeon and took one for himself.  

After a quick wipe on his clothes, he took a big bite.  

Crunch!  

“…Aaaahhh…”  

Kusak made an incomprehensible noise, his face filled with bliss.  

Unable to resist, Veronica took a bite too, trembling with delight.  

Hyun Joo-yeon cautiously bit into hers.  

The texture was firm yet easy to chew—but the moment she bit down, juice exploded in her mouth.  

It was indescribable.  

Like the combined flavors of every delicious fruit she’d ever eaten, yet entirely unique.  

“How… What is this…?”  

She stared at the fruit in her hand, dumbfounded.  

How could a single fruit contain so many flavors?  

She took another bite, but the taste only intensified, as if ripening further in her mouth.  

She had never felt such luxury in her life.  

Just as she was lost in the fruit’s ecstasy—  

“Who said you could pick and eat divine fruit?”  

A cold voice cut through the air.  

The red-haired Dragon, Vipiens, appeared.  

“Divine fruit?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon asked, but Vipiens ignored her, snatching the bag of Bleh from Kusak.  

“Fruit blessed by the World Tree. Only found on planets where the World Tree exists.”  

Vipiens chewed loudly, his expression unusually satisfied.  

Even he, who seemed indifferent to everything, couldn’t resist divine fruit.  

“A warning—don’t even think about eating this carelessly.”  

Kusak and Veronica looked like they had much to say, but against Vipiens, they stayed silent.  

This was the first warning he had given since capturing them.  

“Do you really have no intention of letting us go?”  

Vipiens met Hyun Joo-yeon’s gaze with unreadable eyes.  

“If I planned to release you, I would’ve killed you all on the spot.”  

His tone was calm, but she knew he wasn’t joking.  

“When that human—Kassal, was it?—comes for me, I’ll let you go. Though I wouldn’t expect to return alive.”  

With that, he turned away.  

Watching his retreating figure, Hyun Joo-yeon bit her lip.  

Seeing Vipiens’ true nature for the first time, she wondered if Seo Do-jun could really defeat him.  

She almost wished Seo Do-jun wouldn’t come—but to reach Barhaut, he had to pass through Vipiens’ world.  

Pedroma Planet was the final gate. Without defeating Vipiens, Seo Do-jun could never reach Barhaut.  

“Can Seo Do-jun really win?”  

Could a human who had lived barely a century surpass a Dragon who had existed for over seven thousand years?  

“A Transcendent? That human is a Transcendent? Is that why he was so confident? Our kind are called ‘God’s Rivals’ from birth. A Transcendent? We naturally reach that level just by living for a few thousand years. Do you understand now? How hopeless your hope is?”  

Even Hyun Joo-yeon, who deeply trusted Seo Do-jun, couldn’t help but waver after seeing Vipiens’ true power.  

And then, another blow:  

“The Six Seats have gathered their strength to kill him. He might not even make it here. When that happens, I’ll send you all to join him.”  

Vipiens casually revealed that Barhaut’s Transcendent group, the Six Seats, had united to kill Seo Do-jun.  

To Hyun Joo-yeon and Kusak, it was like a bolt from the blue.  

Could Seo Do-jun defeat the Six Seats and come to them unharmed?  

Hyun Joo-yeon clasped her hands together, praying desperately for his safety.  

***

A child abandoned at birth in a priest’s home was destined to serve the gods.  

The problem? His foster father was far from respectable.  

The priesthood was just a facade for his selfish ambitions—using the Gods’ name for personal gain.  

“This backwater has nothing left for me! I need bigger waters! So… Gettis, if you join the Papal Knights and secure a position, I’ll enter the Papacy too!”  

Forced by his foster father, Gettis joined the Papal Knights at nine.  

His talent was exceptional—within ten years, he became a Holy Knight directly under the Pope.  

And true to his word, his foster father used Gettis’ influence to enter the Papacy.  

But once inside, his greed showed.  

“Kill that damned bishop! That old fool keeps interfering!”  

Gettis resisted at first—he couldn’t assassinate a respected bishop.  

But his foster father threatened:  

“Fine! But if you refuse, forget being a Holy Knight! I’ll expose everything—how we lived, why you became one! Do you think they’ll forgive you? I’ll make sure they don’t! We’ll both be exiled to some village, regretting it forever!”  

Worse than the threats was the punishment for expelled Holy Knights—having their tendons severed.  

Gettis had no choice.  

He killed the bishop.  

And once he started, there was no going back.  

The first sin was the hardest—but once his hands were dirty, they only got filthier.  

Climbing to Vice-Captain of the Papal Knights, his ambition grew.  

“Aim for the Papacy.”  

He began plotting to make his foster father Pope.  

“Hahaha! Now you’re my son! With your help, I’ll take that seat!”  

Using his position, Gettis framed rival candidates—or assassinated them in secret.  

Finally, his foster father became Pope, and Gettis rose to Captain of the Papal Knights.  

A false priest and a corrupted knight now ruled the Papacy, deceiving the world in the Gods’ name.  

But eventually—  

“You… you!”  

“A fraud from the countryside—you’ve lived well enough. But now, it’s time to repay me.”  

Gettis stabbed his foster father in the heart.  

Shaking off the past, he built his own Papacy.  

For 15 years, he wielded unmatched power—until Barhaut, an unstoppable force, invaded their world.  

***

“Sir Gettis!”  

Snapped out of his memories, Gettis turned.  

“They’re here!”  

His eyes sharpened.  

“Are you certain?”  

“Yes! Five unidentified humans—spotted in the southern Orl Mountains. Their first location was…”  

Gettis didn’t need further confirmation.  

It was them.  

The Transcendent and his group—the ones who dared oppose Barhaut.  

Luam’s warning echoed in his mind:  

“They killed Vampica. Don’t face them alone—we must unite to crush them.”  

But Gettis’ greed overpowered caution.  

‘What power does he hide? Could I take it for myself?’  

Like the Himaid siblings, like Vampica with the Fallen Angel’s relic—why couldn’t he do the same?  

If he seized their power, he could rise above the Six Seats—stand equal to Barhaut.  

‘If it’s too dangerous, I’ll just call the others.’  

He decided to investigate first.  

If he could claim the power alone, he would.  

If not, he’d alert Luam.  

“I’ll go to them immediately. Mobilize the entire knigh—”  

He stopped.  

No need to involve the whole order.  

“Blesra, Rectis, and Jermain—bring only them.”  

These were knights who’d follow him into hell.  

Gettis then headed to the Papacy’s most secret chamber—where the true holy relics were kept.  

With reverent motions, he donned the armor, helmet, spear, sword, and shield—all imbued with divine power.  

Ziiiiing—  

As the relics settled on him, sacred energy surged through his body, revitalizing him.