SFRW-Chapter 111

Ch. 111 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Faster!”

At Seo Do-jun’s commanding voice, Casserian flapped its wings with all its might.

The surrounding scenery blurred past as it changed rapidly. Less than 20 minutes after departing Seoul, the landscape of Busan came into view.

Though only 30 minutes had passed since the Gate explosion, even that short time was too long.

A group of Heroes blocked the northern passageway while dozens of Twin-Headed Black Orcs charged at them to break through.

The battle was fierce.

The fewer than twenty Heroes all bore injuries large and small.

Some were severely wounded to the point of needing immediate treatment, yet they stubbornly held their ground to stop the Orcs.

Thanks to their life-or-death struggle, the Orcs were blocked from advancing further north, but it was only a matter of time.

‘Am I not too late?’

The Heroes holding the line were barely hanging on. If one side collapsed, it would all come crashing down irreversibly.

If the Heroes fell, none would survive, and the apartment complexes behind them would undoubtedly be reduced to ruins.

Seo Do-jun leaped down from Casserian’s back.

Just then, an Orc spotted an opening in a Hero with a badly injured shoulder and swung its iron club at his head.

“Kang-ho!”

It was a desperate cry – seeing a comrade in danger but being powerless to help.

At the critical moment when the iron club was about to crush the Hero’s skull—

Crunch! Thud!

Both heads of the Orc simultaneously exploded like watermelons.

“…!”

Amid everyone’s shock at the sudden turn of events, the Hero named Kang-ho – who had been halfway through death’s door – blankly stared at the figure that had landed before him.

A strangely familiar face despite never having met before.

An inexplicable sense of closeness as if they’d spent time together.

“S-Seo… Seo Do-jun?”

As if confirming the stammered words, a massive shadow fell over everyone.

-KWAOOOOOOOOO!

Casserian’s follow-up roar!

“Casserian!”

The Heroes all looked up at the sky simultaneously.

Just like with Seo Do-jun, seeing Casserian in the flesh – so familiar yet awe-inspiring – made their jaws drop involuntarily.

Though as Heroes they regularly encountered monsters almost as often as human companions, seeing Casserian firsthand left them speechless.

At Casserian’s roar, every single Twin-Headed Black Orc froze in place.

With the apex predator hovering directly above them, the lower-ranked Orcs instinctively shut down all thought and movement.

Seo Do-jun showed no mercy to the paralyzed Orcs.

Thud! Smack! Crunch! Crack! Bang!

Using fists, feet, and even iron clubs lying on the ground,

Seo Do-jun expressionlessly slaughtered the Orcs.

The Heroes wore expressions of shock for the third time as they watched Seo Do-jun casually tear apart the Orcs’ bodies – creatures whose dark magic-enhanced forms could barely be scratched by A-rank Heroes wielding swords at full strength.

“They’re on a completely different level…”

“They can’t possibly be the same species as us humans.”

This was the moment when the ‘Seo Do-jun is not human’ theory gained serious credibility among Heroes.

Only after the last Orc fell did the Heroes finally collapse where they stood.

This was all the reinfOrcements available – Heroes who’d responded to the emergency call from nearby areas.

Among them were six members of the Busan Tough Guys Guild who’d been preparing to hunt at the Toam Gate.

Though more Heroes were undoubtedly racing to Busan from all over, what difference would it make now?

Seo Do-jun himself had arrived.

“Ah!”

One of the injured Heroes, Hyung-tae, suddenly sprang up and approached Seo Do-jun.

“Our guild members are in danger!”

Before Seo Do-jun could even ask, Hyung-tae rapidly explained the situation. The moment he finished, Seo Do-jun responded:

“I’ll go immediately.”

With those words, Seo Do-jun vanished without a trace.

“…What?”

How fast must he be to disappear like that?

Both Hyung-tae and the other Heroes watching were left dumbfounded.

“They went to save the children. There were elementary school students in class… They said they had to save the kids at least, so they went alone.”

Recalling Hyung-tae’s words, Seo Do-jun moved explosively.

Two Heroes who’d knowingly risked their lives to save children despite being outmatched.

Most Twin-Headed Black Orcs from the Toam Gate were moving south.

Because of Casserian.

With the embodiment of absolute terror hovering in the northern sky, the Orcs had no choice but to flee south.

Seeing the panicked Orcs retreating, Seo Do-jun immediately drew his sword from subspace.

No need for Vandeyan Swordsmanship.

Just a simple swing.

Whoosh— Slash!

Red magic blades shot horizontally from his sword, cleanly bisecting every Orc standing in their path.

Dozens of Orcs were cut in half before they even realized they were under attack.

Seo Do-jun systematically sliced every Orc he saw in half.

Unlike the northern entrance that had been desperately defended, the villages south of Toam Gate were completely devastated.

“The southern villages… We had no choice but to abandon them. We couldn’t defend them with our numbers.”

As Hyung-tae had said, the abandoned villages presented a horrific sight that darkened Seo Do-jun’s expression.

Houses and buildings were completely destroyed, with corpses littering the streets.

Apartments and villas of all sizes had likewise crumbled under the Orcs’ relentless assault.

An elementary school came into view, with several Orcs prowling the playground.

After decapitating them, Seo Do-jun emerged onto the main road beside the school.

A dense crowd of Orcs packed the avenue.

‘There!’

The blocked road meant someone was holding them back.

Seo Do-jun’s sword cleaved through space again.

As red sword waves swept across the ground like calm ripples, Orc torsos split apart cleanly.

Only after dozens fell did Seo Do-jun see:

Two men covered in blood, leaning against each other for support.

“…Hero Seo Do-jun.”

The shorter man recognized Seo Do-jun and finally collapsed as his legs gave out.

“Uncle!”

The taller man tried to catch him but could barely stand himself.

His arms were shredded to the bone, with no part of his body – shoulders, waist, chest, thighs – left unscathed.

One minute later and they would have fallen.

Seo Do-jun exhaled deeply, realizing that single minute had saved their lives.

Soon Hyung-tae and the Busan Tough Guy Guild members arrived.

“Kang Cheon-wuk! Shin Min-gi!”

Though they should have been resting given their own injuries, confirming the two men’s survival took priority. They even shed tears seeing Kang Cheon-wuk and Shin Min-gi alive.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Hyung-tae bowed deeply on their behalf, followed by the other guild members.

“No thanks needed. Like all of you, I simply did what had to be done.”

Seo Do-jun responded more respectfully than ever to these people who’d risked their lives fighting for others.

They deserved that respect.

In the distance, another group approached – Busan Heroes rushing over after receiving the association’s alert.

Seeing them, Seo Do-jun headed toward the Toam Gate.

Twin-Headed Black Orcs were still emerging from the Gate.

With the Gate’s collapse removing all restraints, the monsters inside would keep pouring out until none remained.

“Eat every single one that comes out here.”

After instructing Casserian stationed at the entrance, Seo Do-jun stepped inside the Gate.

***

“As you can see on screen, the human and property damage from the Toam Gate explosion is substantial… The reason the damage was minimized despite the sudden Gate explosion is largely thanks to Casserian Guild Leader Seo Do-jun immediately rushing to Busan upon hearing the news… The Toam Gate incident makes this a crucial time for in-depth discussions across all sectors about Gate safety measures.”

“So Kassal went inside the Gate to close it?”

At Gloria’s question, Hyun Joo-yeon nodded.

“Closing the Gate is the most certain and safest solution.”

“Do you really think Gates are ticking time bombs threatening humanity like Kassal says?”

Hyun Joo-yeon frowned as if the question was ridiculous.

“After seeing this situation, you still ask that?”

“Honestly, I only followed along because Kassal said so. Before these explosions, think how much Gates benefited humanity and Earth. That’s undeniable, right?”

“Well…”

Hyun Joo-yeon couldn’t refute Gloria.

It was true that Gate industries had been considered a blessing for humanity and the planet.

“But now I know for sure.”

“Know what?”

“That Kassal hasn’t been wrong about anything. I don’t understand how he knew this would happen, but one thing’s clear now.”

Hyun Joo-yeon didn’t need to ask what she meant.

They should trust and follow Seo Do-jun unconditionally.

No doubts, no questions.

Even if Seo Do-jun said beans grew from red bean plants, they should believe it.

Absolute trust.

“Still, it’s lucky it ended like this. If Kassal hadn’t acted immediately…”

Gloria shook her head at the horrific thought.

Just then, the TV broadcast showed Casserian swallowing a Twin-Headed Black Orc whole as it emerged from the Gate.

“Our Seri’s feasting.”

Hyun Joo-yeon worriedly watched the close-up of Casserian.

‘Isn’t this going to traumatize children?’

Casserian was beloved worldwide as the people’s pet monster.

But now its image of devouring live monsters was being broadcast vividly – hardly child-friendly.

Meanwhile, inside the Gate:

“A passageway?”

After clearing out the monsters, Seo Do-jun stood before the Gate core.

As expected, the Iron Guard that should control the core was completely destroyed, and the normally opaque core had turned black.

But there was something else.

A rift in space – now large enough for a person to pass through – resembling what he’d seen before closing previous Gates.

The photos from Japan’s Inoshishi Gate hadn’t shown anything like this.

“Did it expand from increased energy output?”

If it was just size fluctuation, it wouldn’t matter much.

The rift might shrink or disappear entirely.

As Seo Do-jun observed it contemplatively—

-SCREEEEEECH!

A horrifying shriek echoed as something began emerging from the passage.

Thin, elongated legs.

First one probing leg appeared, then another, until eight total extended out.

Following them came a grotesque head with 32 crimson eyes that popped into view.

The eyes focused on Seo Do-jun, pupils wildly dilating and contracting.

Then its ant-like mandibles emitted an ear-piercing screech.

-SCREEEEEECH!

Seo Do-jun immediately cleaved the creature’s head before it fully emerged.

Crunch! Thud!

The plump body collapsed halfway through the passage.

An Arachnes.

The monster trying to come through was an Arachnes.

After examining the corpse, Seo Do-jun turned toward the passage.

If monsters could come out, that meant there was space inside to enter.

‘Perhaps…a true passageway.’

Only one way to find out.

Without hesitation, Seo Do-jun stepped into the passage the Arachnes had tried to exit from.