SFRW-Chapter 173

Ch. 173 Sword God From The Ruined World

Amidst the scent of blood lingering in the air, thousands of monsters emitting all sorts of foul odors marched across the land.  

The hordes emerging from not one but two rift zones converged as if by agreement, growing in number as time passed.  

Had this been ordinary terrain, these monsters—each defending their own territories—would have turned on one another, predators hunting prey and prey fighting for survival. But these were different.  

It would be no exaggeration to call them an army.  

Beast-type monsters led the vanguard, snorting as they advanced, followed by kobolds and bogles occupying a wide space.  

Behind them came various gnoll packs, werewolf packs, and then orcs, trolls, and ogres.  

Their orderly, hierarchical march was enough to sicken any onlooker.  

They were mere monsters.  

Yet here they were, moving like a trained elite army, each group assigned its own sector—astonishing, to say the least.  

“Even the trash mobs are marching like this now…”  

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue as he observed the monster horde from high above.  

His gaze swept left and right.  

In the distance, a silver wave stained the earth as it raced toward them—visible now, about five minutes away from reaching the monsters.  

“Let’s get started first.”  

Seo Do-jun lightly tapped Casserian’s neck, and the beast unleashed a roar it had been suppressing.  

—KWAOOOOOOOOH!  

Casserian’s patience had reached its limit at the prospect of fresh monster meat after so long.  

Though monster meat had been sourced from all over the world, the past three months—since all Gates closed—had left it without fresh prey.  

For Casserian, forced to subsist on frozen monster meat, the thought of gorging on living prey again was enough to send its eyes into a frenzy.  

As Casserian unleashed its pent-up aura, spewing feathers, the once-peaceful marching monsters fell into chaos.  

The appearance of Casserian—a supreme species none of these monsters could hope to challenge—was more than enough to cause panic.  

—KEEEEEEEEK!  

—UUUUUUUUH!  

—CHWIK! CHWIK-CHWIK! CHWEEEEK!  

—KRURURURUK!  

Low-rank or high-rank, all monsters screamed as they looked up at the sky.  

The moment a dark shadow loomed over them—  

KWAJIK!  

WOODDEUK! KWADDEUK! KWADEUK!  

A Twin-Headed Ogre, one of the highest-ranking monsters in the horde, was instantly crushed under Casserian’s feet.  

One head was smashed beyond recognition under its vicious claws, while the other was torn clean off by its beak.  

Pinning the twitching body with its other foot, Casserian leisurely chewed the fresh meat it had missed for so long.  

KWADEUK, KWADEUK, JJUP-JJUP—  

The sight of Casserian devouring the Twin-Headed Ogre’s heads amidst thousands of monsters was a true display of what an apex predator looked like.  

—KWOOOOOOOOH!  

The Twin-Headed Ogre—with its blue and red heads—roared, raising both arms high.  

Though no match for Casserian, even S-rank Heroes struggled against this creature alone. Its savage cry spurred the surrounding monsters to flinch—then charge.  

“They’re underestimating you, huh?”  

Seo Do-jun, standing atop Casserian’s back, muttered.  

Monsters lived purely by instinct.  

Normally, they would never dare bare fangs or claws against a superior species.  

The clearest example was when Casserian annihilated the monsters that spilled out during the Canada-Gate explosion.  

No matter their numbers, none dared move in Casserian’s presence.  

But this horde’s reaction was starkly different.  

Fear existed, but not enough to freeze them before a superior.  

As Casserian savored the Twin-Headed Ogre, its eyes grew fiercer at the sight of monsters charging recklessly toward it.  

Casserian spread its wings wide.  

A violent wind swirled beneath them, and soon, feathers spun like blades in every direction.  

CHWA-CHWA-CHWA-CHWA-CHWA—!  

Like meat tossed into a blender, the charging monsters were shredded mercilessly, scattering blood and flesh in all directions.  

Hundreds were torn apart in an instant, yet the horde didn’t retreat.  

Especially not the Twin-Headed Ogre, shrieking loud enough to tear its own throat.  

Don’t fear it! Overwhelm it with numbers!  

It might as well have been shouting those words.  

Casserian realized this too, glaring at the ogre with eyes burning red as if about to ignite.  

KWAD… BRRUK!  

The delicious prey beneath its foot was crushed as Casserian charged toward the Twin-Headed Ogre.  

WADDLE— WADDLE— WADDLE—  

A typical avian run.  

But its impact was no joke.  

KWAJAK! KWAGAK! BRRDEUK! KWADDEUK!  

Every monster obstructing Casserian’s path to the roaring ogre was trampled, torn, or shattered.  

The horde suffered untimely deaths under Casserian’s brutal assault.  

The Twin-Headed Ogre’s eyes widened in panic at Casserian’s charge—but only for a moment.  

It roared even louder, bending its knees deeply before springing forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.  

—GRRRR.  

Casserian swallowed a derisive cry, timing its move perfectly as it waddled.  

FWOOSH— RUK!  

Wings spread wide, it lifted both feet forward.  

KWA— DEUK! KWAHK!  

Casserian’s claws sank into the ogre’s head and chest.  

The force of the collision sent Casserian sliding back, but it flapped its wings hard to stabilize.  

KWOONG—!  

—KWOOOOOOH!  

Regaining control, Casserian stood triumphantly atop the ogre’s body.  

Then—  

KWAHK! KWAHK! KWAHK! KWAHK!  

Its beak mercilessly hammered the blue and red heads.  

How dare you resist?!  

Are you asking to die?!  

With each strike, eyeballs burst, brains splattered.  

The ogre thrashed madly, but Casserian’s claws held firm.  

Once its limbs went limp, Casserian gulped down one of the mangled heads.  

—KWAOOOOOOOOH!  

Its victorious cry made the horde hesitate, no longer daring to advance.  

And then—  

—KWAAAAAAAAH!  

Another deafening roar shook the monsters.  

“They’re here.”  

Seo Do-jun’s gaze fixed on the silver wave rushing toward them.  

At its forefront was a massive black tiger—twice the size of the others—clad in gleaming silver armor.  

Already large, the armor made it appear half again as big.  

The armor, crafted from Giant Ground Worm hide, Belcera thread, and other monster byproducts, was flexible yet incredibly durable—worth billions per set.  

Steel blades extended from the gloves on its paws, while a spiked iron ball at its tail resembled a morning star.  

The alpha tiger charged into the horde, swiping an orc’s head clean off.  

PUR— EUK!  

The upper body exploded grotesquely.  

Its tail sent monsters flying with each swing.  

Like a true tiger amidst sheep, Seo Do-jun smirked.  

“Don’t let any escape.”  

Seo Do-jun leapt off Casserian—still engrossed in devouring the ogre—and landed smoothly on the alpha tiger’s saddle as it carved a path forward.  

Simultaneously, an arrow streaked into the panicking horde.  

KWAJAJAJAJAK!  

A single shot, yet its power was terrifying—like a laser piercing straight through.  

Seo Do-jun’s eyes shifted to Gloria, riding another tiger, bow in hand.  

Noticing his gaze, she waved enthusiastically.  

Next was Cain, on a tiger to the left.  

Despite being a rookie rider, he balanced flawlessly while casting magic.  

Countless ice blades materialized midair before shredding the horde.  

PA-PA-PA-PA-PAT—!  

The blades slashed, tore, and impaled hundreds before vanishing.  

Cain grinned, satisfied.  

“Now you’re a proper mage.”  

Seo Do-jun nodded approvingly.  

With Gloria and Cain’s attacks creating gaps in the horde, the silver tide poured in from both sides.  

The tigers’ assaults, combined with the Casserian Guild members’ strikes, shattered the monsters’ resistance instantly.  

Drawing a One-Horned Kowabiru horn spear from subspace, Seo Do-jun patted the alpha tiger’s neck.  

“Let’s join in.”  

The tiger plunged into the horde.  

Amidst the battle, only one creature remained solely focused on one task:  

KWADEUK! KWAJIK! KWADEUK! KWADEUK!  

Casserian, head buried in the ogre’s torso, feasted ravenously.  

***  

David Momassa watched the Casserian Guild hunt the horde with a stiff expression.  

He’d heard so much about them his ears bled, and watched countless videos.  

“…They’ve grown stronger again?”  

Already the world’s strongest guild, unrivaled by any organization.  

Yet now, slaughtering monsters before his eyes, they were even more formidable than rumors or footage suggested.  

Even renowned guilds couldn’t match half their strength, yet Casserian had grown stronger in mere months.  

David shook his head, exhausted.  

They weren’t here for politics.  

The guild claimed 90% of magic stones and monster byproducts.  

And if conflicts arose, they wouldn’t hold back.  

“Huuu…”  

David groaned, face darkening.  

This wasn’t the plan.  

The Africa-only monster waves were dangerous but profitable.  

With magic stones and byproducts now scarce, this was a chance to stockpile.  

That’s why war-torn nations were left to rot—their governments collapsed, their resources better left unclaimed than shared with rebels.  

The plan was to let Casserian handle stable countries first, then mop up the rest.  

But now, they couldn’t even fasten the first button.  

“Too strong.”  

Even if all of Africa’s Heroes united, could they oppose Casserian?  

David dismissed the thought as fantasy.  

Resisting meant sharing the monsters’ fate.  

“Ten percent…”  

Sifting through corpses for magic stones and usable parts was paltry compensation.  

Yet David didn’t dare renegotiate.  

Before witnessing this battle, he’d considered probing for leverage.  

“Who could speak up after seeing this?”  

He laughed weakly, shaking his head.  

As the fight ended, David—no longer seeing a reason or courage to stay—delegated authority and fled back to the capital.