SFRW-Chapter 134

Ch. 134 Sword God From The Ruined World

“…Damn it.”  

Vaitel’s voice was low, his face filled with rage as he cursed. The humiliation and shame he’d suffered at Seo Do-jun’s house still burned in his chest—he couldn’t shake the anger.  

He had no idea who had set up that top-tier barrier magic circle in Seo Do-jun’s home, and now Kang Young-pyo had been exposed to the world.  

I don’t know who my enemy is, but they clearly know me.  

For the first time since arriving on Earth, Vaitel felt uneasy.  

And then there was the current global crisis with the rift zones.  

The scale of destruction was far weaker than he had anticipated.  

“If Rebley’s power was truly unleashed, the devastation should have been much worse…”  

The sudden lockdown of rift zones and the chaotic monster waves had been satisfying, but they had stopped too soon.  

At the very least, ten—if not dozens—of rift zones should have continued spawning waves. So why had they stopped?  

And then there was…  

“Seo Do-jun.”  

How had he escaped the rift zone when he was supposed to be trapped inside?  

Vaitel was certain that all of this was connected to the mysterious presence that had placed that barrier in Seo Do-jun’s house.  

The real question was—how much did they know about him?  

To counter them, he needed to know who they were.  

And if they could deploy a barrier of that level, they were no ordinary foe.  

“I have to find out who it is.”  

Kang Young-pyo must have seen them.  

Vaitel was sure that Kang Young-pyo held the answers he needed.  

He would take him first.  

Even if he was useless now, Vaitel would extract every last detail from him—what he had seen, what he had heard, everything.  

***

### Meanwhile  

“…So that’s why you went after Kang Young-pyo?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon shook her head in disbelief at Seo Do-jun’s explanation.  

She knew Seo Do-jun wasn’t careless, but she hadn’t expected him to set up such an elaborate trap.  

“If what you say is true, and this ‘Vaitel’ really took Kang Young-pyo, what happens now?”  

“First, the Pentagos will react.”  

“React how?”  

Seo Do-jun silently mouthed the word—  

Boom.  

***  

### At That Very Moment  

Just as Seo Do-jun predicted, Vaitel had broken into the detention center and taken Kang Young-pyo.  

The facility was half-destroyed in the process, and many innocent people were caught in the crossfire.  

Using long-distance teleportation, Vaitel dragged the terrified Kang Young-pyo like a dog.  

“P-please… spare me—”  

THUD!  

Vaitel kicked him in the face before he could finish begging.  

Looking down at the pathetic figure, Vaitel sneered.  

“Your magic circuits are completely ruined. It never suited you to live like a human anyway. Now you’re finally back where you belong.”  

Kang Young-pyo had always been a disposable pawn.  

Vaitel felt no pity.  

“Now, I’ll extract every memory from that worthless head of yours.”  

He placed his hand on Kang Young-pyo’s skull.  

Forced Memory Extraction.  

A forbidden magic that even in the ruined world was rarely used—because it was cruel.  

Eight out of ten victims died within a day, their brains destroyed. Even those who survived were left as mindless husks.  

As Vaitel gathered magic to activate the spell—  

BOOM!  

The ten Pentagos hidden in Kang Young-pyo’s clothes and underwear detonated simultaneously.  

The explosion erased Kang Young-pyo without a trace.  

Vaitel, caught in the blast, was sent flying, his body battered.  

“What the—?!”  

“What the hell? It was a trap set just for you.”  

A voice spoke from behind him.  

Vaitel whirled around—  

And there stood Seo Do-jun, staring at him like an old friend who had finally caught up.  

Vaitel couldn’t process what was happening.  

“Don’t look so shocked. This is just the beginning.”  

Seo Do-jun crushed the Mythic-grade magic stone in his left hand.  

A stone worth over 10 billion won—shattered without hesitation.  

Vaitel’s brow furrowed.  

“…Magic saturation?”  

The colossal amount of magic released from the stone flooded the area around them.  

The problem?  

When magic exceeded the environment’s tolerance, magic became unstable—rendering spells unreliable.  

In other words—  

“This is the worst possible situation for a mage like you.”  

Seo Do-jun had left nothing to chance.  

“Do you really think I need magic to deal with trash like you?”  

Vaitel’s words made Seo Do-jun chuckle.  

“Right. The House of Leteisha was originally a martial arts family, wasn’t it?”  

“…!”  

Vaitel’s eyes widened.  

How does an Earth-born human know that?  

Even in the ruined world, the Leteisha family was known only as a house of mages.  

Only a handful knew they had once been masters of combat.  

“H-How do you—?!”  

His fists trembled slightly from shock.  

“How? You told me yourself.”  

“…What?”  

“Does this help jog your memory?” Seo Do-jun tilted his head. “Or do you need more hints? Like when we beat the crap out of the Dean of Copello Academy for tarnishing the Empire’s honor and then drank beer after?”  

At the mention of Copello Academy, Vaitel’s pupils shook violently.  

His entire body trembled.  

“…Kaasal?”  

***

### Flashback – The Ruined World  

When Vaitel was a teenager, he met someone who changed his life.  

A young man who carried the bloodline of the Vandeyan Marquisate—the greatest sword family on the continent.  

A man destined to become one of the Empire’s pillars—its strongest sword.  

“Karserian Le Vandeyan. Second son of the Leteisha Count, right? I heard we’re the same age. Until you inherit your title, let’s treat each other as equals.”  

Kassall had extended his hand without hesitation.  

His confidence and straightforwardness were refreshing.  

Most nobles flaunted their status, especially those with talent.  

But Kassal was different.  

He treated everyone equally—yet always carried himself with grace.  

Vaitel saw it as the natural dignity of a ruler.  

The Vandeyan family had produced many who surpassed even the incompetent Emperor.  

They were revered by all nobles, respected by the people, and followed without question.  

Even when the Emperor tried to suppress them, the Vandeyans never wavered.  

They remained as the Empire’s sword.  

Kassal was no exception.  

A friend Vaitel had admired—someone he would have gladly died for.  

“I didn’t know you were still alive.”  

***

### The Betrayal  

“…Vaitel. Did you betray us?”  

“I just faced reality. Kassal, be honest—there was no hope left for us, was there?”  

There wasn’t.  

The world was crumbling, and no matter how hard they fought, there was no future.  

Then, the opportunity came.  

“If you abandon this doomed world, you can live forever. Serve him, and you’ll gain immortality—rule over countless dimensions at his side. The choice is yours.”  

So Vaitel chose.  

He didn’t want to die meaninglessly.  

He was tired of fighting a hopeless battle.  

And so, he stabbed his best friend in the heart.  

He expected guilt—but instead, he felt relief.  

***

### Present  

“Was it here?”  

Seo Do-jun pressed a finger against Vaitel’s chest, right beside his heart.  

“You should have stabbed deeper. Then… we wouldn’t have had to meet like this again.”  

Vaitel no longer found Seo Do-jun’s expression unfamiliar.  

Even in a different body, his essence hadn’t changed.  

“Now it all makes sense.”  

Vaitel laughed, running a hand through his hair.  

His mind had never been clearer.  

Avarr’s killer.  

How he tamed Casserian.  

Why he insisted on closing Gates and rift zones.  

“You were the one who weakened Rebley, weren’t you?”  

“It was harder than I expected. Without help… it would’ve been much tougher.”  

“Help?”  

Did Kassal have another ally?  

Vaitel was curious—but it didn’t matter.  

This was Kassal.  

He wouldn’t go down easily.  

Vaitel already knew how this would end.  

With magic saturation blocking his magic, escape was impossible.  

“Even in this harsh world… you still…”  

Grew stronger.  

Though his body was different, Vaitel could guess how he had survived.  

But what truly stood out was how much more composed he was compared to before.  

Typical of a Vandeyan.  

A bitter smile flickered across Vaitel’s lips before vanishing.  

“Avarr told me. As synchronization rises, enemies like you will come. So how much is it now? Since Rebley’s power is affecting rift zones… 40%?”  

Vaitel didn’t hesitate to answer.  

“You guessed right. It’s past 40%.”  

Seo Do-jun nodded.  

But then Vaitel continued—and Seo Do-jun’s expression hardened.  

“You think you’ve done well stopping Avarr and Rebley? But you can’t stop synchronization. It’s rising even now. And once it passes 50%… that’s when the real fight begins. You’ve seen it before. No need to explain, right?”  

Seo Do-jun’s fist shot out.  

CRACK!  

“Ghk—!”  

Magic saturation wasn’t ideal for Seo Do-jun either—but it was far less crippling than for a mage.  

“Stop smiling. It’s disgusting.”  

Blood dripped from Vaitel’s nose, but his grin only widened.  

“Ah, you’ll love what’s coming. So many familiar faces will appear before you. Hahaha— COUGH!”  

Seo Do-jun’s fist smashed into his face again.  

His nose shattered, his cheekbone cracked—but Vaitel kept laughing.  

“Kukuku… You’ll lose again. Just like last time. Even if you flee to another world… you’ll always be a failure.”  

Vaitel knew exactly how to provoke him.  

He kept calling him a loser.  

“That won’t happen. This time, I’ll kill him for good.”  

“You? Kukukuku!”  

Vaitel laughed openly.  

As if you could.  

Seo Do-jun stepped forward.  

Laugh all you want.  

This time—  

I won’t lose.  

His fists rained down on Vaitel’s body.  

No resistance. No counterattack.  

Though Vaitel had trained in combat, he didn’t even try to fight back.  

Because he knew—nothing would anger Kassal more than surrender.  

And just as he expected, the more he took the beating without protest, the darker Seo Do-jun’s expression became.  

That’s right. This is exactly how you’d react.  

If you wanted to live so badly—if betraying everyone was worth it—then at least FIGHT BACK!  

Seo Do-jun’s eyes burned red as he struck harder.  

And Vaitel—  

Never stopped smiling.  

And so, their long history came to an end.