SFRW-Chapter 303

Ch. 303 Sword God From The Ruined World

“You, you….”  

Rarely flustered, Vipiens stammered, his voice tinged with shock. It wasn’t fear or terror toward his opponent but rather confusion and surprise at why he had appeared here.  

“I’ve heard stories about you. They say you fled Helkaoden and crawled under the wing of a Planetary Lord?”  

Ketera sneered, deliberately trampling on Vipiens’ pride. The mockery was clear—what kind of disgrace was it for a Dragon, a being who stood at the pinnacle of life and defied Gods, to lower itself like that?  

“Come to think of it, our ancestors were real fools. What was so urgent that they had to open the Demon Realm? Seeing these so-called ‘Planetary Lords’ strutting around like they’re something special makes me sick.”  

Instead of responding to Ketera’s taunts, Vipiens forcibly yanked out the spear embedded in his collarbone and shattered it. The weapon turned to dust, scattering in the wind, but Ketera didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.  

“You know pulling that out won’t change anything, right? I’m just saying this in case your ancient brain’s too rotten to remember.”  

True to Ketera’s words, even after removing the spear, a dark crimson vapor continued to seep from Vipiens’ wound.  

Among the three races that once ruled Helkaoden, if Dragons were the race of magic, the Celestials governed celestial energy, and the Demons wielded demonic energy.  

The Celestials and Demons each opened new realms—the Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm—establishing their dominions there. While celestial and demonic energy became their exclusive domains, and magic, thanks to the Dragons’ benevolence, became accessible to all races.  

The energy imbued in Ketera’s spear was demonic energy—a force that relentlessly suppressed regeneration and corroded the flesh. For Celestials and Dragons, it was an infuriatingly troublesome power.  

“…Hmph.”  

Vipiens scoffed, pretending to ignore Ketera’s demonic energy, but he couldn’t help but be wary. No one understood better than him just how irritating demonic energy could be.  

“From the very beginning, it was the Demons and Celestials who tucked their tails and ran. And you—some nobody who wouldn’t even be standing here if not for your own abilities—what gives you the right to flap your mouth like that?”  

Vipiens threw the mockery right back.  

The Celestials and Demons had left because they possessed the power to create new dimensions, but the Dragons refused to see it that way.  

In truth, when the Celestials and Demons departed Helkaoden, they had been struggling against the united front of the Dragons and other races.  

The Dragons, unable to create new dimensions, and the selfish, arrogant Celestials and Demons, who sought only to dominate and rule over the other races—both sides weakened each other.  

Yet, the three races each spun these events to their own advantage, using them to belittle the others.  

“Ran away? You’re bragging about staying here because you lacked the ability to leave?”  

“Lacked ability? Even if that were true, at least we didn’t cower from war out of fear for our race’s extinction. And if you’re so capable, why can’t you leave Helkaoden without his help?”  

Vipiens pointed at Kael, who had appeared behind Ketera.  

Due to the dimensional curse brought on by creating new realms, the Celestials and Demons were severely restricted in traveling to planets other than Helkaoden.  

Kael’s identity? A Half-Demon.  

Born in Helkaoden, Kael carried Demon blood but, as a half-breed, was exempt from the dimensional curse.  

The problem was that Kael himself had fled Helkaoden, unable to endure its harsh environment—a shameful act in the eyes of the Demons.  

Yet, this same Kael had joined the Planetary Lord whom Ketera despised, and as a result, enabled them to move beyond Helkaoden. That much was undeniable.  

“Tch.”  

Unable to refute the truth, Ketera clicked his tongue, at a loss for words. Instead, he glared fiercely at Kael.  

Even if Kael was just a Half-Demon, the fact that he, a being with Demon blood, had fled Helkaoden and submitted to a Planetary Lord was unforgivable.  

If it were up to Ketera, he’d kill Kael on the spot—but the Demon God forbade the killing of kin, even half-breeds.  

Under normal circumstances, Ketera and Yakya would have dragged Kael to the Demon Realm, imprisoning him for life or enslaving him until death.  

But because Kael had given them a way to leave Helkaoden, even temporarily, they had turned a blind eye.  

“And you—you fled Helkaoden to lord over inferior races. Are you satisfied with that?”  

Cornered, Ketera deflected, mocking Vipiens’ actions instead.  

Regardless, Vipiens, having sealed his demonic wound with magic, regained his usual arrogant expression.  

“How boring. But good—now I get to chew on the corpses of you Demon scum.”  

“Puhahaha! A runaway lizard like you, what can you even do?”  

KWAANG—!  

Black energy erupted from Ketera’s body, his form swelling grotesquely. His handsome visage vanished, replaced by four horns, gleaming red eyes, elongated fangs, and jagged bone spikes tearing through his skin at the shoulders, elbows, and knees.  

This was the true form of a Demon.  

Vipiens frowned at the four horns on Ketera’s head.  

Demons had a hierarchy, and the easiest way to distinguish their rank was by the number of horns.  

From one-horned to six-horned.  

Excluding the six-horned Demon God and his 72 Demon Kings (five-horned), the strongest Demons were the four-horned—high-tier beings capable of rivaling ancient Dragons.  

Demons within the top 1% of their race.  

With such power, Ketera sneered confidently.  

“Shall we go lizard hunting?”  

His serpent-like tongue flicking out, Ketera lunged at Vipiens—only for the Golems to block his path.  

“Kehahaha! You think these toys can stop me?”  

KWANG! KWAANG! KWANG! KWAANG!  

With every swing of his fist, the Golems shattered like glass.  

“…W-what kind of madness…?”  

Kusak watched in horror as Ketera demolished the Golems like they were nothing, cold sweat dripping down his back.  

“What’s going on? Who is this guy, suddenly showing up and…?”  

Veronica struggled to comprehend the situation. How could anyone, let alone someone other than Vipiens, pose such a threat?  

Choi Kang-soo, Shinjo, and the others were equally baffled by this sudden turn of events.  

“…So they’ve dragged the Demons into this after all.”  

“Demons?”  

Choi Kang-soo turned to Ver at her muttering, but she didn’t elaborate.  

“We expected this the moment Kael went to Helkaoden. What can we do? But…”  

Qua looked worriedly at Kael.  

For Ophel’s sake, Kael had brought the Demons here—but would they really let him, a disgrace to their race, walk free?  

The only silver lining was that, since they weren’t in Helkaoden, Ophel could intervene at any time.  

“What the hell are you talking about?! What’s this about Demons?!”  

Frustrated, Choi Kang-soo raised his voice, but Ver and Qua remained silent.  

Amid the chaos, Seo Do-jun approached the group.  

With Vipiens now forced to fight Ketera (who had already destroyed most of the Golems), Seo Do-jun finally had a moment to catch his breath.  

“Seo Do-jun!”  

Hyun Joo-yeon checked him for injuries first. Thankfully, despite the brutal fight with Vipiens, Seo Do-jun was unharmed.  

“I’m glad everyone’s safe.”  

Seo Do-jun sighed in relief seeing that none of his companions were seriously hurt.  

“It’s the future I’m worried about.”  

Kusak’s gaze flickered between Ketera—who was trading blows with Vipiens despite the Dragon’s magical onslaught—and Yakya, who watched the battle indifferently.  

“Is that one a Demon too?”  

At Seo Do-jun’s question, Ver nodded instead of answering. (Had it been Choi Kang-soo asking, she’d have scoffed and ignored him.)  

‘Two Demons with power on par with Vipiens…’  

Seo Do-jun’s expression darkened.  

Vipiens alone was already a nightmare to deal with—now there were two more beings of similar strength.  

The only consolation was that they were fighting to kill each other.  

As Seo Do-jun pondered their next move, Kael approached with Raten and Pio.  

“What did you do to Ver and Qua?”  

Seo Do-jun answered simply.  

“As you can see.”  

He hadn’t killed them.  

Kael studied him with conflicted eyes.  

Had it been him, he would’ve slaughtered them without hesitation—they were enemies who’d tried to kill him, after all.  

But Seo Do-jun’s motives eluded him.  

“Don’t overthink it. I just don’t want to fight you.”  

“…That’s impossible.”  

Kael had abandoned everything for Ophel.  

If he fulfilled Barhaut’s request, Ophel would gain power beyond that of a mere Planetary Lord—perhaps even enough to rival the Demons and Celestials.  

For Ophel’s sake, Kael would complete Barhaut’s task and claim his reward.  

“I don’t know what grand prize you’re after from Barhaut, but—”  

“I will claim it.”  

Negotiations broke down.  

Seeing Kael’s unwavering resolve, Seo Do-jun’s expression turned icy as he pressed his sword against Ver’s neck.  

“If you want to end things here, so be it.”  

Facing another enemy besides Barhaut was a burden, but Seo Do-jun had no intention of rolling over.  

“Damn it! We’re gonna kill Barhaut anyway, so who cares about Ophel or whatever?! Uncle, let’s just slaughter them all! I’ll take the front line!”  

Choi Kang-soo, seeing the hostage negotiation fail, pressed his Divine Sword against Qua’s throat.  

If things went south, he’d decapitate her without hesitation and go all out.  

As Seo Do-jun and Choi Kang-soo took aggressive stances, Shinjo and Grichuk braced to attack Kael and the others.  

“You bastards really wanna die?! Put those swords down now!”  

Raten spat threats, swirling dark orbs around him.  

“Dumbass, this is how you threaten someone!”  

Squelch!  

Choi Kang-soo applied slight pressure, and Qua’s skin split, blood trickling down.  

“Y-you…! You fucking—!”  

Raten flailed, pointing furiously, while Choi Kang-soo smirked viciously.  

“Kael.”  

Pio called to him quietly.  

Kael, torn over sacrificing Ver and Qua, turned to her with a hardened expression.  

“Why don’t we wait and see a little longer?”  

Pio gestured toward Ketera and Yakya.  

If they could just take down Vipiens here, Seo Do-jun’s group would be insignificant.  

Understanding her meaning, Kael nodded.  

It was better to observe than to act rashly and lose Ver and Qua.  

He was certain Vipiens couldn’t handle Ketera and Yakya alone.  

After shooting Seo Do-jun a final icy glare, Kael turned away. Pio pulled the fuming Raten back with her.  

“What’s wrong? Scared?! Let’s finish this!”  

Choi Kang-soo taunted, but Kael and the others didn’t even glance back.  

“Yeah, they’re the ones scared.”  

Despite his bravado, Choi Kang-soo sighed in relief and withdrew his sword from Qua’s neck.  

“…I will kill you.”  

Qua glared at him with venomous eyes, but Choi Kang-soo just snarled back.  

“Dumbass, how many times do I have to say it? I’ll kill you before you kill me!”  

Qua couldn’t hide her frustration.  

“Guild Master.”  

Shinjo approached Seo Do-jun quietly, seeking his decision.  

“They’re banking on the Demons…”  

Seo Do-jun understood why Kael had retreated.  

The Demons they relied on were a serious threat—Ketera’s equal footing with Vipiens proved that.  

“We can’t just stand by and let things play out.”  

Sometimes, there was no choice.  

Seo Do-jun knew that helping Vipiens—despite their earlier life-or-death battle—was the only way to ensure his group’s safety.  

‘I don’t need to kill the Demons myself. I just need to help Vipiens deal a critical blow.’  

Ideally, Vipiens would take heavy damage in the process.  

‘Once is enough.’  

Once Yakya joined the fight, Seo Do-jun believed a single decisive move would ensure Vipiens eliminated both Demons.  

From now on, he’d be like the wise fisherman watching the crane and clam fight—waiting for the perfect moment to strike.