SFRW-Chapter 276

Ch. 276 Sword God From The Ruined World

‘How did he know?’  

Rahf felt his breath catch in his throat at Seo Do-jun’s words.  

It was true—the dimensional pathways between the Guardian Planets had reactivated.  

Though it hadn’t been long since he’d learned of it, Rahf had told no one.  

Since he hadn’t given even the slightest hint, he never imagined Seo Do-jun or Choi Kang-soo could have found out.  

There was no benefit in revealing it.  

To Seo Do-jun and his group, Rahf was a necessary evil.  

They were partners who, by nature, should never have worked together, but they had no choice—they needed each other.  

But what if Seo Do-jun could handle everything Rahf could do on his own?  

Then Rahf would be nothing more than a useless burden.  

For Rahf, however, the opposite was true.  

No matter how much Seo Do-jun insulted or acted against him, he was an indispensable sword to defeat his ultimate target: Barhaut.  

‘I don’t know how he found out about the dimensional pathways reopening… But does this bastard really have the power to open and traverse them himself?’  

Rahf was skeptical.  

Yet as he stared into Seo Do-jun’s eyes, he saw unwavering confidence—something unshakable, as if Seo Do-jun truly believed he no longer needed Rahf.  

That self-assured gaze and calm expression slowly eroded Rahf’s doubts.  

“I said, speak. Should I blow that scheming head of yours off?”  

The sword in Seo Do-jun’s hand slowly inched toward Rahf’s face.  

“N-no! I-I was wrong! I’ll never—I’ll never steal souls without permission again!”  

Without a second thought, Rahf screamed his submission, too terrified to resist.  

Seo Do-jun silently observed Rahf, trembling as he admitted his wrongdoing, then lowered his sword.  

“I’ll give you one last chance.”  

He released his grip on Rahf’s neck.  

Thud!  

Legs giving out, Rahf collapsed ungracefully to the ground, clutching his throat and coughing violently.  

“Hack! Cough! Cough!”  

As the suffocating pressure faded, Rahf shuddered violently, overwhelmed by the sensation of narrowly escaping death.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun turned away, watching Rahf—now thoroughly broken.  

It had all been a bluff.  

Every word and action directed at Rahf had been nothing but empty intimidation.  

The reactivation of the Guardian Planets’ dimensional pathways was something Seo Do-jun had sensed as his Transcendent abilities grew stronger.  

To be precise, the change had begun after obtaining the Fallen Angel’s relic.  

But that was all.  

Though he’d noticed the pathways reopening, Seo Do-jun still lacked the power to open them himself.  

Moreover, reactivating a dimensional pathway to a Guardian Planet whose Administrator was already dead was practically impossible.  

Yet Seo Do-jun had gone as far as bluffing to suppress Rahf’s actions—because Rahf had crossed a line.  

While Seo Do-jun had reluctantly allowed Rahf to steal souls to restore Grichuk, anything beyond that was unacceptable.  

No matter how much revenge against Barhaut was the priority, that didn’t mean stooping to Barhaut’s level.  

Furthermore, if Rahf’s actions weren’t reined in now, there was no telling what he might do next.  

Seo Do-jun deemed it necessary to restrain him at this point.  

It was fortunate his bluff had worked.  

Had Rahf seen through it and dared him to kill, Seo Do-jun would have been in a difficult position.  

After all, Rahf was still indispensable to him.  

As Seo Do-jun coldly turned away, Rahf finally regained his composure enough to think.  

‘If he really intended to kill me… Right! The relic of Iostem! That must be what gave him the power to open dimensional pathways!’  

If it was a power meant to oppose Gods, then opening a mere dimensional pathway should be easy, no?  

Once that thought took hold, Rahf became convinced it was the truth.  

‘Damn it! I can’t let this end like this…’  

Regretfully, Rahf licked his lips as he glanced at the newly acquired Orc Warlord Death Knight, Akada.  

If only Seo Do-jun hadn’t gained the ability to open dimensional pathways, he could have stolen more souls and created even stronger Death Knights.  

***

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.  

Barhaut silently stared at the wall, now overwhelmingly blank.  

He couldn’t believe that out of the 39 Guardian Planets he had painstakingly built over centuries of long, grueling wars, only nine remained.  

How had it come to this?  

His first mistake had been not actively confronting the invaders when Valitao was liberated.  

He had dismissed it as trivial, never imagining it would snowball into such a catastrophe—one that would destroy his foundation.  

First Vampica, now Gettis…  

The deaths of the Himaid siblings had been shocking, but the loss of two of the Six Seats—Vampica and Gettis—was incomparable.  

Unease.  

Amusingly, Barhaut now felt an emotion entirely foreign to him: unease.  

The Conqueror of Dimensions, the Planet Crusher—feared by all, with no equal who could oppose him—had never known such a feeling.  

The unease that the remaining nine Guardian Planets might all be liberated.  

The unease that the Six Seats, even if only symbolic, might all vanish.  

And ultimately, the unease that even his own existence might be erased.  

Bang—  

Barhaut slammed the armrest of his chair, cutting off his thoughts.  

Such a thing was impossible.  

Even if Vampica and Gettis were dead, the true power of the Six Seats lay with Vipiens and Luam.  

And among them, Vipiens was a force even the current Barhaut would struggle to handle.  

He could never surpass Vipiens.  

Yet despite his confidence, the unease lodged in Barhaut’s heart refused to fade.  

Grr…  

No matter how he steeled himself or denied his paranoia, the unease lingered.  

Finally, after a long silence, Barhaut made a decision.  

[…Barhaut?]  

At the voice from the crystal orb, Barhaut slowly spoke.  

-Ophel. There’s something I need from you.  

[A request… You know the cost, I assume?]  

Barhaut didn’t respond.  

His silence was neither ignorance nor refusal—and the other party understood, replying with a faintly amused tone.  

[What is it you wish to ask of me?]  

-It’s…  

This was the moment Barhaut would resort to his final measure—staking everything he had.  

***

“You can open an interdimensional pathway?”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s question, Seo Do-jun nodded.  

Though he had bluffed Rahf, Seo Do-jun genuinely needed to find a way to open the pathways.  

But in their current situation, the only hope lay with Choi Kang-soo—or more precisely, the Divine Sword.  

『Opening a dimensional pathway is incredibly difficult. You must account for countless variables with precision, and an enormous amount of magic is required to bridge dimensions.』

If just anyone could open dimensional pathways, all planets would already be in chaos.  

Even legendary archmages considered it nearly impossible.  

From that perspective, Rahf—despite being a cunning dark mage—was a genius for achieving it.  

“So there’s no way at all?”  

『It’s not purely a matter of magic.』 

“What do you mean?”  

Seo Do-jun stared at the Divine Sword in his hand as he asked.  

『As Vandeyan once hoped from me, holy power can also open dimensional pathways.』  

“There’s a way?”  

Hearing the answer he wanted, Seo Do-jun’s face lit up with hope—only to darken again at the Divine Sword’s next words.  

『But it requires a sacred relic. A medium, like Rahf’s ring. And the relic’s power must inherently be designed for opening dimensional pathways.』  

In short, they needed a relic specifically created for that purpose.  

“Does something like that exist?”  

『Well…』  

At the Divine Sword’s vague reply, Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue in disappointment and returned it to Choi Kang-soo.  

Though the Divine Sword’s power had greatly increased after absorbing Gettis’s relics, this had been a futile hope.  

‘If only Ryuntna were here…’  

Ryuntna—the greatest scholar and archmage from the ruined world.  

Had she been alive, she would have found a way.  

Or perhaps even replicated Rahf’s ring.  

But what use was longing for the dead?  

‘Maybe I should’ve kept Kusak, at least…’  

Though not on Ryuntna’s level, Kusak had been a master in his own field.  

Seo Do-jun regretted not keeping him instead of sending him to Earth.  

“Turn the ring into a relic?”  

Choi Kang-soo’s bewildered voice snapped Seo Do-jun out of his thoughts.  

“What are you talking about?”  

“The Divine Sword says… converting Rahf’s ring into a relic is one option.”  

“What? Is that possible?”  

As Seo Do-jun asked, Choi Kang-soo began conversing with the Divine Sword.  

After a while, he turned back.  

“Since Rahf’s ring was originally created to open dimensional pathways, it’s possible. But the cost would be depleting an immense amount of holy power. Perhaps even…”  

Hesitation flickered across Choi Kang-soo’s face, as if questioning whether it was worth it.  

“…losing the state of Transcendence.”  

As someone who had barely reached Transcendence, Choi Kang-soo was reluctant to expend so much holy power.  

Even Seo Do-jun was at a loss—he hadn’t expected such severe consequences.  

“Let’s think on this a bit more.”  

For now, that was all Seo Do-jun could say.  

Still, discovering a potential method—seizing Rahf’s ring and converting it into a relic—was a significant achievement.  

“Understood!”  

Choi Kang-soo was relieved. He had been dreading the possibility of having to sacrifice his power immediately.  

Returning to the group, Seo Do-jun ordered Rahf to open a dimensional pathway.  

Though Rahf scowled at the starkly different treatment, he obediently complied.  

Seo Do-jun entered first, followed by Choi Kang-soo, Rahf, the Orc Warlord Death Knight Akada, Grichuk, and finally Shinjo before the pathway closed.  

***

For the first time in centuries, true freedom came to a planet that had served as a shield under Barhaut’s rule—forced to repel invaders as a Guardian Planet.  

Or so it seemed.  

Crack—zzzzzt!  

Suddenly, space itself tore open, a rift forming violently.  

From within, seven figures emerged—three women and four men.  

“They left not long ago.”  

A black-haired man with hair reaching his waist traced the remnants of the dimensional pathway Rahf had created just hours earlier.  

“If only Raten hadn’t dragged his feet, we’d have caught them here.”  

A short-haired woman with emerald-green hair glared at a freckled, lanky boy, who shot back:  

“Who’s dragging their feet?! The order came out of nowhere! I wasn’t lazing around like someone!”  

“Oh? So I was lazing around?”  

“If that’s how you took it.”  

The woman’s fists trembled with rage.  

“Kael, what’s the plan? Pursue them now?”  

Kael—the black-haired man—raised a hand, signaling for silence.  

After a moment, he spoke.  

“We all know they’re not to be underestimated. They killed two of Barhaut’s Six Seats—Vampica and Gettis.”  

“Who here can’t handle a bat brat and a scheming paladin who’s nothing without his relics?”  

A muscular man in a blue martial arts uniform scoffed, earning nods from the others.  

But Kael shook his head.  

“That’s not the point. This isn’t just about their deaths. We cannot afford even the slightest mistake—our mission is to eliminate them, no matter what. And we know nothing of their full strength. Rushing blindly is unwise. We must gather information methodically.”  

Everyone understood the mission’s gravity.  

Success was mandatory—but haste was unnecessary.  

“Ver, secure the dimensional pathway first.”  

A calm-faced woman in white priestly robes produced a small statue of a goddess.  

As the man beside her clasped it and recited a prayer, Rahf’s fading dimensional pathway slowly stabilized.  

“It’s secured, Kael.”  

With the pathway fully active, Kael addressed the group.  

“Remember this: Only by succeeding can we fulfill Ophel’s long-cherished wish.”