SFRW-Chapter 274

Ch. 274 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Hostages?”  

Luam focused more on the word ‘hostages’ than on the fact that Vipiens had destroyed his precious dagger made of rare metal or that he had been threatened. 

Vipiens slowly descended from the air and naturally positioned himself in front of Hyun Joo-yeon and Veronica. At the same time, he noticed the invisible spiderweb-like threads Luam had spread and snorted, stomping his foot.  

Thud!  

In an instant, the binding force restraining Hyun Joo-yeon and Veronica disappeared, causing them to stagger backward. 

Regardless, Luam stared intently at Vipiens and asked again, “What the hell are you talking about? Hostages? Those bastards freed Guardian Planet from Lord Barhaut’s control and killed Vampica and Gettis.”  

“Even Gettis is dead?” 

Vipiens’ lips curled into an unreadable smile, his expression showing genuine interest. 

“One of the Six Seats has fallen.”  

Luam didn’t like Vipiens’ attitude, treating such a matter as mere entertainment. “What does that have to do with me?”  

But Vipiens remained unfazed, replying with the same indifferent expression, no matter what Luam said. “Vipiens!”  

“Oh? A mere Lich dares to call my name so casually!” Vipiens swung his hand, and a fierce wind surged forth. 

This wasn’t just any wind—it carried a destructive force capable of crushing anything in its path. Luam couldn’t just stand still and take it.  

Kwaa-ang!  

A transparent barrier formed around Luam’s body, clashing violently with the wind Vipiens had conjured. When his attack was blocked, Vipiens’ smirk deepened. This time, lightning struck from the sky, but it, too, was stopped by the barrier.  

“I wonder just how tough this is?” With a mocking tone, Vipiens created a massive spear of fire in midair and slammed it down.  

Crack—!  

The transparent barrier fractured as if it could no longer hold, and Luam’s green eyes flashed like an explosion. “Vipiens—!”  

Even for an arrogant Dragon, this level of disrespect was too much. Luam could no longer tolerate being ignored by someone who was essentially the leader of the Six Seats.  

Riiip—!  

Space tore open as Luam’s undead legion poured forth. There were no lowly zombies or ghouls—only monsters who had been powerful in life, now even stronger in their bone forms. And that wasn’t all. 

Giant warriors with skulls tucked under their arms, hundreds of Death Knights, and even draconic soldiers wreathed in flames. Each undead was far too powerful to be considered a mere foot soldier.  

“Hah! This is why you can’t hide your origins! But do you really think these things can stand against me?” Vipiens sneered and opened a dimensional rift.  

Boom! Boom!  

From the rift emerged colossal Golems, each standing a staggering 30 meters tall—ten in total. Though vastly outnumbered by Luam’s undead legion, their sheer power was more than enough to crush the entire horde.  

“Hmph!” Luam ignored the odds and ordered his undead to attack. Vipiens, in turn, commanded his golems to trample them all. Soon, a brutal battle unfolded between the thousand-strong undead and the ten Golems. 

But as time passed, while Vipiens remained smug, Luam’s expression hardened. The Golems’ strength far exceeded expectations—even Luam’s prized Bone Monsters, Dullahans, Death Knights, and draconic soldiers were reduced to dust with a single punch or crushed underfoot.  

“…Incredible,” Ratio muttered in genuine awe, though Luam could hear him clearly. He didn’t care.  

“I’ve heard rumors that those Golems could destroy an entire planet. Seems the rumors weren’t exaggerated.” Even Allekuhi praised the Golems’ might, causing Luam to grip his staff so tightly it nearly shattered.  

Damn lizard! One day, I’ll turn you into a bone dragon and make you my slave!  

Luam cursed inwardly but knew continuing this fight would only bruise his pride further. He recalled his undead legion.  

“What, did your pride take a hit?” Vipiens taunted as Luam withdrew his forces. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the Golems back into the rift.  

Hyun Joo-yeon and Veronica’s faces darkened. Vipiens was already formidable on his own, but now they knew he also commanded ten monstrous Golems. If Seo Do-jun was to fight him, he’d have to defeat those Golems first.  

We need to get stronger. At the very least, they wanted to handle the Golems themselves so Seo Do-jun wouldn’t have to. Sharing the same thought, they exchanged a nod.  

“Vipiens, I didn’t come here to fight you.”  

“Oh? Backing off because you realized you can’t win?” Vipiens continued to provoke, but Luam, now composed, didn’t rise to the bait.  

“As I said, after Vampica, even Gettis has fallen. Lord Barhaut is furious.”  

“So?”  

“You haven’t forgotten the Oath of the Dragon, have you?” At those words, Vipiens’ expression turned icy. Luam pressed on, “Lord Barhaut wants us to hunt down and kill the Transcendent together.”  

“Do you think I’d blindly obey Barhaut just because of the Oath?”  

“The Oath could mean your very annihilation—”  

“Lich, I know what you’re trying to do, but you’re going about it all wrong. My Oath was never to betray Barhaut and to cooperate as much as possible—not to obey unconditionally.”  

“Th-that’s…” Luam stammered, caught off guard by how specific the Oath was.  

“If you’re too weak to handle this, just wait. If his target is Barhaut, he’ll have to pass through here eventually. I’ll deal with him then.”  

“The damage Lord Barhaut has suffered is too great to wait!”  

“What does that have to do with me?” Vipiens chuckled.  

Frankly, Vipiens didn’t care if Barhaut lost Guardian Planet or if the entire Six Seats were wiped out. In fact, part of him hoped for Barhaut’s downfall.  

“If you’re done talking, get lost.” At Vipiens’ dismissal, Luam glared fiercely before turning away, grinding his teeth loudly.  

“See you next time.” Allekuhi waved at Vipiens and stepped into the dimensional portal Luam created. Ratio lingered, glancing at Veronica regretfully before vanishing.  

Though a storm had just passed, Vipiens turned to Hyun Joo-yeon and Veronica as if nothing had happened.  

“You two.”  

Just his voice made them flinch. They assumed he’d confront them about hunting monsters.  

“…Never mind. Forget it.” With a dismissive wave, Vipiens vanished.  

Thud.  

Veronica’s legs finally gave out, and she collapsed. “Whew… I still can’t calm down.” Hyun Joo-yeon sat beside her, taking deep breaths to steady her pounding heart.  

“But if he knew what we were doing and didn’t say anything… does that mean he’s allowing it?”  

“Must be. Monsters will respawn anyway, and even if they can’t fulfill their Guardian roles, there’s no one in this world who can challenge him.” To Vipiens, the forest monsters were irrelevant.  

“But those Golems… they were terrifying.”  

“Three.”  

“Three?”  

“The number of golems I can handle. And even that’s pushing it.” When Veronica gave her a What about you? look, Hyun Joo-yeon admitted, “Two? Honestly, I’m not even sure about two…”  

The realization of how weak they still were weighed heavily on her.  

“Right now, two might be uncertain, but who knows about the future? We’ll train until we can handle three or four.” The forest was teeming with monsters. By sparring repeatedly with opponents of similar strength, they would grow stronger.  

Hyun Joo-yeon nodded. “We have to. If we want to be of any help to Seo Do-jun, we’ll have to push ourselves to the limit.”  

“Exactly. But what the hell has Kassal been up to, killing another member of the Six Seats? That guy… he’s something else.”  

***

A saying speaks the truth: Clear water above means clear water below. But if the water above rots, the water below is doomed. In fact, it rots so thoroughly that it must all be dredged out.  

Such was the state of the Papal See under Gettis’ rule. It had become a den of corrupted paladins and depraved clergy. Those who should have believed in, followed, and loved God instead worshipped money, pursued desire, and reveled in all manner of ugliness.  

“Sigh…” Choi Kang-soo had lost count of how many he’d killed on his way to the Papal See’s main hall. “…At this point, I’m a mass murderer, aren’t I?”  

A bitter smile twisted his lips, his eyes darker than ever.  

『I don’t know about other religions, but Mute’s doctrine is simple: punish sin severely.』  

“How brutal.”  

『Extreme? Tyrannical, even. But sparing the wicked is like harming the innocent twice over. Your world has a saying—‘punish one to warn a hundred’. It’s the same principle. The surest way to eradicate sin.』  

“‘Punish one to warn a hundred’? That’s just pretty words. In reality, excuses are made to lessen punishments. And sinners always whine about how they’re innocent—makes you want to beat them to death. Ever heard this one? ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner’.”  

『Pfft—hahaha! ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner’? Who commits the sin? People do all kinds of evil, then tell you to hate only the sin?』 

The Divine Sword laughed uproariously.  

“Yeah, now that I think about it, that is ridiculous. Keh keh keh!” 

Talking with the sword lightened Choi Kang-soo’s mood. No matter how accustomed he’d become to killing, it never sat right. He’d only killed those who truly deserved it—yet the number had already surpassed hundreds.  

“Just how rotten is this world…?” 

If he’d known, he would’ve just infiltrated the Papal See, absorbed the holy relics’ power, and left. But it was too late for regrets. His actions were already bearing fruit. 

Some within the Papal See now called him God’s Executioner, and a faction supporting him had begun to emerge—those who’d been oppressed by the corrupt, forced into silence.  

“At least it’s gaining momentum. Shouldn’t take much longer. More importantly… someone’s cleaning up the trash for us. Grichuk, right?”  

『You caught on fast.』  

“Had a hunch. Just wasn’t sure. Well, with Grichuk handling the rest, we’ll finish even sooner. I want out of this hellhole ASAP. How long will it take to absorb the relics?”  

『A week, at most.』  

“Okay. Then in ten days, we’ll wrap this up and return to Uncle. He must be waiting.”  

『Hmm… by now, Vandeyan must be keeping quite busy.』  

“Huh? Busy? Uncle? Why?” The Divine Sword refused to answer, saying it was better if he didn’t know. 

It was well aware of the state Shinjo had been in during Seo Do-jun’s fight with Gettis—how could it not be, when he’d radiated the Thunder God’s power and lost himself in battle.  

“Once I absorb the relics and become a Transcendent… Uncle will feel like he’s gained an army! Puhahaha!” 

Unaware that Seo Do-jun’s personal training had already pushed Shinjo to the brink of Transcendence, Choi Kang-soo remained steadfast in his belief that he alone was Seo Do-jun’s true partner.  

***

Ten Days Later  

When Choi Kang-soo proudly returned to Seo Do-jun, ready to declare himself a Transcendent—  

Crackle—!  

His jaw dropped at the sight of Shinjo, now wielding the true power of the Thunder God, standing equal to the legendary Rooker Himaid.