SFRW-Chapter 128

Ch. 128 Sword God From The Ruined World

Using Mute’s armor and the Divine Sword’s power to display abilities rivaling Seo Do-jun’s, Choi Kang-soo suddenly stopped mid-sprint.  

“W-what the hell…?”  

The scene before him made his face stiffen.  

Seo Do-jun, who arrived shortly after, also wore a grim expression.  

Dozens of passages.  

And the sight of monsters lining up to enter them was shocking enough to be terrifying.  

“W-where are they all going?”  

With no knowledge about the passages, Choi Kang-soo had no idea.  

“To rift zones.”  

“Rift zones?”  

Choi Kang-soo looked at Seo Do-jun in shock.  

Seeing his expression asking if his assumption was correct, Seo Do-jun simply nodded without answering.  

“…Then what happens when that many monsters enter rift zones?”  

“The rift zones will reach saturation.”  

“And then…?”  

“A wave will trigger.”  

Though his answer was calm, Seo Do-jun’s expression was graver than ever.  

Had the ruined world gone through this same process?  

Seo Do-jun could only guess.  

Meanwhile, the stunned Choi Kang-soo gulped dryly when he noticed something strange.  

“Hey! That passage just closed!”  

As he said, one passage shut, causing waiting monsters to scramble to others.  

Watching this, Seo Do-jun thought:  

‘Are there limits?’  

Likely.  

Earth’s defenses hadn’t collapsed enough to accommodate that many monsters yet.  

‘These restrictions might lift if synchronization rates rise further.’  

He couldn’t be certain, but it was a plausible theory.  

“W-what do we do now?”  

Choi Kang-soo looked terrified at the horde.  

Even with Mute’s armor and Divine Sword granting him unimaginable power, it was natural to fear what wasn’t truly his own strength.  

“We kill as many as possible.”  

Without hesitation, Seo Do-jun drew his sword from subspace.  

“Are you fighting all those?!”  

As Choi Kang-soo panicked, Seo Do-jun stepped forward as if it were obvious.  

“W-wait!”  

Choi Kang-soo grabbed him urgently.  

“What?”  

“Since arriving… the sword’s been silent.”  

He pointed to the Divine Sword in his hand.  

“And my body feels different too.”  

“Different how?”  

“Earlier, I felt light enough to fly, but now it’s back to normal. And with it silent…”  

His worried expression suggested he couldn’t summon its holy power anymore.  

“Let me see.”  

When Seo Do-jun reached out, Choi Kang-soo handed it over immediately.  

“Mute’s Divine Sword.”  

Seo Do-jun examined it and called its name.  

Choi Kang-soo anxiously alternated his gaze between Seo Do-jun and the sword.  

After a moment:  

『Vandeyan… Yes, you’re definitely Karserian. That stubborn Palaresta always…』  

The sword trailed off as if reluctant to continue.  

Ignoring this, Seo Do-jun focused on its weakened voice.  

“You’ve lost power.”  

『This idiot has no holy power left. Still, he owes me for getting here. Where’s my thanks?』  

“An Ego Sword originally?”  

Seo Do-jun dismissed its demand, making the sword bristle.  

『Typical Vandeyan blood! I gained sentience after centuries of accumulating holy power and Mute’s power. But judging by this fool’s memories, Earth has no holy power? And you’re hiding your identity? What happened?』  

“No time to explain. Can you use holy power again?”  

『Impossible. I exhausted centuries’ worth. Don’t expect my help for a while. If you’re a Vandeyan, handle the rest yourself.』  

Seo Do-jun was surprised it had depleted centuries of stored energy.  

‘Well, it did damage Rebley…’  

Frankly, even current Seo Do-jun would struggle to harm Rebley.  

The sword’s holy power had been immense.  

With that power, they could’ve wiped out the horde instantly.  

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue regretfully.  

Still, without the sword, they wouldn’t have made it this far. Expecting more would be ungrateful.  

『Whatever your secret is, I’ll keep it. Not for the Vandeyans, but I’ll stay silent. Just make this fool pray to me occasionally.』  

With that, the sword fell silent, having expended considerable energy.  

Seo Do-jun returned it to Choi Kang-soo.  

“What’d it say?”  

“To pray more.”  

“Pray? I’m Buddhist!”  

“Then bow or something.”  

Seo Do-jun had no time for trivialities.  

The priority was killing monsters and escaping before all passages closed.  

Meanwhile, Choi Kang-soo stared at the sword, seriously considering doing 108 bows.  

Imagining himself bowing to a sword…  

‘People would think I’m insane.’  

His face burned at the thought.  

‘We must finish before Rebley recovers.’  

Seo Do-jun saw no time to waste.  

Facing over 100,000 monsters didn’t faze him.  

He was used to it.  

And currently—  

‘I’m in peak condition.’  

The holy power had fully healed him, and Rebley’s weakened state no longer restricted his magic.  

Even without the sword, he could fight.  

Then—  

Whoosh—  

Sixty Death Knights materialized around Seo Do-jun.  

Summoned from all six Soul Stones he possessed.  

“…Gasp!”  

Choi Kang-soo inhaled sharply at the terrifying knights, their eyes more menacing than most monsters.  

Knowing they were Seo Do-jun’s subordinates didn’t lessen their fear.  

“Huuu—”  

Seo Do-jun drew a deep breath, gathering all his magic.  

To dominate quickly, he held nothing back.  

Vandeyan Family Swordsmanship  

Eighth Form: Memoir Legenda Heroes Gladius!  

-The Strike of a Legendary Hero-

The Vandeyan’s ultimate secret technique!  

So magic-intensive that even in the ruined world, he’d rarely used it.  

Crackle—!  

His magic transformed into lightning.  

A catastrophic strike for the clustered monsters.  

“I-Impossible…!”  

Choi Kang-soo’s eyes bulged as Seo Do-jun’s body seemed to expand illusorily.  

He looked like a giant.  

To Choi Kang-soo, ignorant of magic-induced illusions, Seo Do-jun no longer seemed human.  

“Seo Do-jun isn’t human! He’s a god! A deity descended to save Earth! That’s who he is!”  

Someone had spammed this online.  

Most dismissed it as madness—Choi Kang-soo had too.  

But now…  

“…Is he really a god?”  

His whisper made the sword mutter ‘idiot’ weakly.  

Seo Do-jun’s sword swung slowly, like a giant’s strike.  

BOOM—!  

The sky split. The earth shattered.  

Monsters were crushed into bloody pulp, vanishing instantly.  

A lightning storm raged where his sword passed.  

Zap—!  

Survivors exploded like fireworks.  

One attack annihilated 80% of the horde.  

Choi Kang-soo’s jaw dropped at this divine spectacle.  

He thought:  

‘…Never provoke him.’  

He’d address him respectfully as Uncle.  

Swearing off any disrespect, Choi Kang-soo made this resolution repeatedly.  

“…Finish them.”  

Pale from exertion, Seo Do-jun ordered the Death Knights.  

Silent as ever, they charged fearlessly.  

Sixty knights advancing in unison was majestic.  

Their clash with the remaining tens of thousands of monsters followed.  

“Huu—”  

Seo Do-jun steadied his breath, preparing to move.  

“A-are you alright?”  

Choi Kang-soo approached with unprecedented deference.  

“…Why the tone?”  

“I’ve been disgraceful. Please forget my past insolence. From now on, I’ll serve you properly.”  

Despite his sincerity—  

Thwack!  

“Gah! Why hit me?!”  

“Act normal. This doesn’t suit you.”  

Seo Do-jun walked off after punching his head.  

“Tch…”  

Rubbing his throbbing skull, Choi Kang-soo glared at Seo Do-jun’s back before sighing.  

The image of Seo Do-jun’s godlike strike remained vivid.  

‘Don’t mess with him. Or I’m dead.’  

Just imagining it made his limbs shake.  

Forcing a smile, he hurried after.  

“Uncle! Wait for me!”  

***

Rift Zones: Entry Banned  

Consecutive monster waves plunged the world into chaos akin to the initial rift outbreaks.  

They’d assumed they were prepared.  

They were wrong.  

With rifts becoming inaccessible and waves erupting unexpectedly, governments and Hero Associations collapsed under the strain, their protocols proving useless.  

“We must defend the wave sites first!”  

“We can’t mobilize all Heroes there! What if other rifts trigger waves?”  

“So we abandon cities to the monsters?!”  

“Major cities near rifts take priority! The rest—”  

“We lack the manpower!”  

Debates raged over priorities as unpredictable waves struck.  

Italy, having deployed Heroes to the first wave, suffered catastrophic damage when major-city rifts erupted next.  

Belgium, Britain, Russia, Indonesia—all faced the same.  

Nations hesitated to send Heroes to waves unless major cities were threatened.  

They realized painfully:  

They’d fatally underestimated the shortage of Heroes versus rifts.  

Their greed had bred this calamity.  

Only one nation remained composed:  

South Korea.  

Thanks to a single guild—Casserian—it suffered less manpower strain than others.  

“Is the Gimcheon situation under control?”  

Association Chairman Na Tae-hwang asked.  

Deputy Director Min Hong-gi nodded.  

“Thanks to Hero Jung In-joo and Casserian Guild’s efforts, it’s stabilized with minimal damage.”  

Moreover, Casserian members stood ready for any wave.  

Other nations could only dream of this.  

Having dozens of S-rank Heroes on standby wasn’t feasible elsewhere, even with equal numbers.  

South Korea’s geographical advantage and fewer rifts helped.  

“No contact with Hero Seo Do-jun yet?”  

“We’re trying, but he hasn’t exited the rift zone.”  

“Hmm… I hope nothing’s wrong.”  

“If it’s Hero Seo Do-jun, he’ll overcome any challenge.”  

“True.”  

Their absolute faith in Seo Do-jun didn’t fully ease Chairman Na Tae-hwang’s worries given the crisis.  

Meanwhile, amid global chaos—  

A sinister figure approached Seo Do-jun’s home.  

“I’ll uncover your secrets!”  

An ordinary-looking man in his late 30s—the lowest-scoring applicant in Casserian Guild’s history—moved toward the house.