SFRW-Chapter 295

Ch. 295 Sword God From The Ruined World

“How long are we supposed to just watch them like this?”  

Qua muttered with a bored expression as she observed Seo Do-jun’s party effortlessly defeating thousands of warriors.  

“We have no choice until Kael returns.”  

“Do you think Kael will be alright?”  

“…He should be.”  

Ver answered hesitantly, though even she wasn’t entirely confident.  

“Kael’s got guts. No, maybe ‘recklessness’ is the right word? How could he even think of going back to Helkaoden…”  

Qua shuddered at the mere thought.  

Helkaoden.  

One of the earliest planets, Helkaoden was once a utopia where Dragons, Demons, Celestials, and countless other races coexisted. But as the balance of peace gradually collapsed, it transformed into a planet of endless war and death—a world where only the strongest survived.  

Most races barely clung to existence under the rule of the Three Races: Dragons, Demons, and Celestials. After hundreds of thousands of years of war, the once-beautiful planet became nothing more than a memory, and the number of surviving races dwindled to single digits.  

Eventually, the Demons and Celestials created their own dimensions—the Demon Realm and Celestial Realm—leaving Helkaoden as the sole domain of Dragons.  

Frankly, the Dragons had no choice but to stay—unlike the Demons and Celestials, they lacked the ability to create their own dimensions.  

“I heard Demons and Celestials still visit Helkaoden.”  

“It’s the only border between the Celestial and Demon Realms.”  

“Wouldn’t it have been better if we all went together for Kael’s safety?”  

Ver shook her head at Qua’s concern.  

“Even if we all rushed in, we wouldn’t last in Helkaoden.”  

“True. Even Transcendents are treated like children there.”  

“But is Vipiens really from Helkaoden?”  

“I don’t know. Kael said he saw—!”  

Ver suddenly cut herself off, hastily crossing her arms in front of her chest to form a barrier.  

Though it was a shield forged with immense divine power—  

Crack!  

A single sword shattered it effortlessly and plunged deep into Ver’s left shoulder.  

“…Ghk!”  

“Ver—! You bastard…!”  

Qua’s eyes flared with murderous intent as she gathered magic, but—  

BOOM!  

A thunderous lightning bolt struck her from above.  

Whoosh—  

A blade emerged from a dark portal behind her.  

Swoosh!  

A slash imbued with pure divine energy aimed straight for her.  

The perfectly coordinated attacks from Shinjo, Grichuk, and Choi Kang-soo were impossible for even Qua to block.  

Refusing to go down easily, orange flames erupted from her body as she desperately tried to defend.  

But against three Transcendents launching a full assault, perfect defense was impossible.  

Clang!  

Shinjo’s sword smashed through Qua’s flames, drawing a short scream and a spray of blood from her mouth.  

Thud!  

Grichuk’s blade pierced her back.  

Slash—  

Choi Kang-soo’s sword tore through her abdomen, leaving a deep gash.  

“Qua…!”  

Ver frantically pulled out a goddess statue to heal her, but Seo Do-jun wasn’t about to let that happen.  

Wham!  

Seo Do-jun spun and struck Ver’s face with the hilt of his sword.  

Though her face wasn’t crushed thanks to her barrier, she staggered back uncontrollably.  

In that split second, Shinjo swung his sword seven times—each strike like a bolt of lightning tearing into Qua.  

Grichuk exploited dark portals to land critical blows, while Choi Kang-soo watched warily, ready in case she tried to self-destruct.  

Qua’s eyes flickered wildly as her body was riddled with wounds in the blink of an eye.  

“Y-you… damn rats! I’ll kill every last one of you!”  

Just as an explosive surge of magic erupted from her body, Choi Kang-soo trapped her inside a divine barrier.  

『Once isn’t enough! Layer at least four more!』  

Following the Divine Sword’s urgent warning, Choi Kang-soo rapidly stacked barriers without hesitation.  

As the fifth barrier formed—  

BOOOOM!  

The orange flames exploding from Qua’s body shattered the first three barriers instantly.  

The fourth cracked violently before breaking.  

Only the fifth held, forcing the flames to gradually fade.  

Behind the dissipating flames stood Qua—her clothes in tatters, her hair singed as if she’d been hit by a bomb.  

“Haah… Haah… Haah…”  

Her breath ragged, her eyes filled with venom, she scanned her surroundings with a gaze so vicious it could haunt nightmares.  

But the damage from the ambush was severe, and after exhausting herself with the magic explosion, she had no strength left to fight Shinjo, Grichuk, and Choi Kang-soo.  

Ver was no better.  

Seo Do-jun had relentlessly pressured her to prevent any healing, leaving her once-pristine priestess robes drenched in blood.  

‘This man… is too strong!’  

Seeing him fight was one thing—facing him was another.  

Ver realized that none of the Seven Apostles could defeat him alone.  

‘Even two… no, maybe not even three would be enough…’  

Though she stared at him fearfully, Seo Do-jun mercilessly cut her down.  

“Kyaaah!”  

Her forearm split open, she dropped the goddess statue.  

Toss—  

Seo Do-jun flicked it with his sword toward Choi Kang-soo.  

“Nice catch! Uncle! Thank you!”  

Choi Kang-soo bowed deeply, cradling the statue like a treasure.  

『…Lucky bastard.』  

The statue contained holy power rivaling Gettis’ relics—a fact revealed by the Divine Sword.  

“Even without a mouth, you should speak properly! You’re the lucky one! Let’s be honest—I’m not the one absorbing this holy power, am I?”  

『If I absorb it, you’re the one using it.』  

“Word games! It’s temporary! Once I die, it’s all yours! So who’s really celebrating here? Not me—you!”  

The Divine Sword fell silent, unable to refute.  

Qua stared in disbelief at the idiot bickering with his sword.  

“We lost… to this moron?”  

It was absurd.  

In a fair fight, she could’ve crushed him without breaking a sweat.  

“Damn it!”  

Qua gave up and collapsed.  

Ver glared furiously at Seo Do-jun and Choi Kang-soo, who had stolen the goddess statue.  

Unfazed, Seo Do-jun rested his sword on Ver’s shoulder.  

“We have a lot to talk about. Let’s take it one at a time.”  

“Since when did you know we were watching?”  

She had to ask.  

How had he noticed?  

Ver and Qua had never been caught tailing anyone before.  

Seo Do-jun smirked.  

“From the start. I have a special way of sensing stray cats following me.”  

In truth, it was the Divine Sword that had detected them—Ver’s statue acted like a beacon.  

At Seo Do-jun’s flippant answer, Ver scowled at her bloodstained robes.  

“Fck… I’m filthy.”  

Her clothes, her mood—everything.  

Hearing such crude words from her delicate face, Seo Do-jun chuckled.  

***

“What should we do with them?”  

Choi Kang-soo gestured at the unconscious Qua and Ver.  

They’d learned everything they needed—though it wasn’t much different from what Luam had told them.  

The key takeaway: two of the Seven Apostles were already out of commission, and now Qua and Ver could no longer pursue them.  

‘That leaves three Apostles and three of the Six Seats.’  

At least on the surface.  

More Transcendents could appear anytime, but for now, six were the immediate concern.  

The only silver lining was that the first Guardian Planet’s administrator was one of the Six Seats.  

‘It’s good that no more Transcendents have joined, but…’  

The real problem was Vipiens’ strength.  

‘Vipiens is the strongest of the Six Seats. Even if ten Luams ganged up on him, they wouldn’t stand a chance.’  

Of course, that was an exaggeration—but it emphasized how monstrous he was.  

‘A Dragon…’  

Not just any Dragon—an ancient one, thousands of years old.  

A true Dragon.  

Unlike Moteor’s half-breeds, Dragons were beings capable of threatening Gods.  

The only true Dragon in Seo Do-jun’s memory was Ketriana, the Elder Dragon of his ruined world.  

And even in her weakened state, she had instilled overwhelming fear in him.  

Vipiens, in his prime, was beyond imagination.  

Both Qua and Ver acknowledged his power without reservation.  

‘For us Seven Apostles, stopping Vipiens was our only role. And we don’t even know if he was using his full strength. It’s an insult for someone like him to be grouped with the likes of Luam.’  

‘If Vipiens had appeared last time… you’d all be dead.’  

Just how strong was he?  

Even after being ambushed and overpowered, they spoke of Vipiens with absolute certainty.  

“Uncle… you’re not going to kill them, are you?”  

“Why? Shouldn’t I?”  

“Well, no, but…”  

They were enemies.  

The Seven Apostles had tried to kill them—eliminating them now would be easy.  

But.  

“No need to kill them.”  

Their hostility stemmed from Barhaut’s request.  

Once Barhaut was dead, the Apostles would have no reason to fight.  

More importantly—  

‘No point in breeding unnecessary grudges.’  

After Barhaut, making more enemies would only invite trouble.  

Ophel.  

The planetary ruler whom the Seven Apostles served.  

Killing them now would provoke Ophel beyond Barhaut’s request—possibly even endangering Earth.  

Seo Do-jun had no interest in creating more foes.  

“Then should we take them as hostages?”  

“Hostages?”  

“If the other Apostles interfere, we can threaten to kill these two. Or negotiate by returning them peacefully.”  

Seo Do-jun smirked at Choi Kang-soo’s naive idea but nodded.  

“Dragging two Transcendents around will be a hassle.”  

“Leave it to me! I’ll handle them!”  

With a sigh, Seo Do-jun granted permission.