SFRW-Chapter 194

Ch. 194 Sword God From The Ruined World

Amid furious shouts, arrows rained down from all directions like a storm.  

“Fire Wall!”  

At Kusak’s command, the swirling flames around him rapidly expanded, forming a massive barrier.  

The hemispherical wall of fire, reminiscent of an igloo, boasted such intense heat that every arrow touching it instantly turned to ash.  

“It’s not even hot?”  

Choi Kang-soo, despite being enclosed within the blazing inferno, felt no heat at all and stared at Kusak in surprise.  

“What, you want me to roast you alive instead?”  

Kusak tapped his own head as if to say, Use your brain.  

“Pfft. Acting all high and mighty just for blocking some arrows.”  

“Then you block them next time.”  

“Deal.”  

Choi Kang-soo immediately drove his Divine Sword into the ground and recited a short prayer.  

“━━. ━━━. ━━━!”  

As he chanted in an unknown language, a radiant white light emanated from his body, soon enveloping the entire fire wall.  

Thud thud thud—!  

The arrows bounced harmlessly off the luminous shield.  

“Mind putting away this not-even-hot fire wall now?”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s remark, Kusak’s eyebrow twitched.  

Mages and Holy Knights were like oil and water.  

Both wielded supernatural powers, but while mages acted as if they were gods themselves, Holy Knights served as divine proxies. Naturally, mutual disdain was inevitable.  

In worlds where magic and divine power coexisted, the two factions were constantly at odds.  

Hyun Joo-yeon, Gloria, and Shinjo, unaware of this dynamic, couldn’t understand why Choi Kang-soo seemed to have a personal grudge against Kusak.  

“Choi Kang-soo, enough.”  

Though Seo Do-jun understood Choi Kang-soo’s feelings, his tone made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate infighting when enemies were present.  

“Yes sir.”  

Choi Kang-soo immediately bowed his head.  

“Kusak, you too.”  

“Me? What did I— Ugh. Fine.”  

When Seo Do-jun’s emotionless gaze locked onto him, Kusak knew better than to test Kassal’s patience further.  

By then, the arrow barrage had ceased. Seo Do-jun turned to Rakun.  

“Rakun, did you pinpoint their location?”  

“Of course.”  

Rakun crouched, then exploded forward like a bullet—  

Whoosh—!  

The giant vanished into the forest. Moments later, the sounds of impacts and screams erupted from all directions.  

“Veronica.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s call, Veronica winked playfully before darting off in the opposite direction.  

“Should we just stay here?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon asked, and Seo Do-jun nodded—Save your strength.  

Soon, Rakun and Veronica returned from the same direction, their faces flushed and breathing ragged, evidence of their brutal efficiency.  

“Elves… but they’re a bit…”  

Rakun trailed off, as if urging them to see for themselves.  

Veronica, never one for suspense, cut straight to the point.  

“I suspected it when they fired arrows, but they’re Corrupted Elves.”  

“Corrupted Elves?”  

“Elves turned ashen-gray after Barhaut conquered Valitao and tainted their World Tree.”  

Choi Kang-soo, Hyun Joo-yeon, Gloria, and Shinjo perked up at the mention of elves—creatures they’d only seen in fiction.  

“You’ll understand when you see them.”  

Even Seo Do-jun looked intrigued; this was his first time hearing the term.  

Guided by Veronica, the group soon reached a clearing where dozens of elves lay defeated, their expressions vacant.  

“Whoa…”  

Choi Kang-soo gaped, utterly entranced. The Divine Sword scoffed in disgust.  

『This pervert’s mind is completely rotten!』  

Not that Choi Kang-soo cared. He was too busy marveling at the elves’ ethereal beauty—their lush hair, sculpted features, flawless figures, and provocative attire. The only flaw was their grayed skin and hair, just as Veronica had described.  

“Y-you hunters…!”  

One elf trembled with hatred as she glared at Seo Do-jun’s group.  

Already broken by Barhaut’s conquest, the elves had hidden in the forest as their last refuge—only for humans to find them.  

“Hunters? You mean us?” Choi Kang-soo blinked.  

“Filthy opportunists! Don’t humiliate us further—just kill us cleanly!”  

The elf’s venomous spit landed near Choi Kang-soo’s feet, shattering his illusion of their grace.  

“I get it now,” Kusak muttered.  

“I told you—Valitao was ruled by the Lords of the forest before Barhaut came.”  

“And those lords were elves,” Veronica realized. Rakun nodded in agreement.  

For the others’ benefit, Kusak elaborated:  

“Who do you think stood in Barhaut’s way during the invasion? The elves. Judging by their state, their World Tree must be crippled, unable to sustain them. Right?”  

The elf only glared, refusing to engage.  

“That hatred says it all. Valitao’s humans likely sided with Barhaut. And ‘hunters’ implies they’ve been hunting elves.”  

The elf spat again. Choi Kang-soo looked heartbroken.  

“Barhaut always recruits locals when invading planets. You know this, Kassal.”  

Seo Do-jun nodded grimly.  

“So the elves weren’t tyrants… It was human greed that ruined this world,” Seo Do-jun concluded.  

“Most likely,” Kusak agreed.  

“But why ‘Corrupted’?”  

“Ah, that. Elves fade without the World Tree’s energy.” Kusak pointed at their ashen skin.  

“Worse, when the tree fails, spirits weaken and return to the Spirit Realm. Elves see it as abandonment. Without spirit magic, they’re practically powerless. So in the end…”  

He paused, eyeing the elves with distaste.  

“They become little more than beautiful slaves. Once broken, they adapt—hence ‘Corrupted’.”  

“Corrupted Elves are popular slaves in interplanetary markets,” Rakun added dryly.  

“And elves aren’t the only ones. You’ll see more ‘Corrupted’ races,” Veronica said.  

Seo Do-jun clicked his tongue. Barhaut’s cruelty—stealing worlds, then reducing their people to slaves—was despicable, yet undeniably effective.  

“Is there no way to reverse it?”  

“Simple. Revive the World Tree. Restore its power, and the spirits will return, healing the elves.”  

Seo Do-jun studied the elf.  

“You heard us. No need for further explanation, right?”  

“You think we’d fall for another human trick? Just kill us already!”  

The elf’s trembling fury made Seo Do-jun sigh.  

Hyun Joo-yeon stepped forward.  

“Let me try talking to her.”  

Gloria rolled up her sleeves. “We’ll handle this gently.”  

But as they approached with smiles:  

“Filthy human bitches! Stay back with your stench!”  

“……!”  

The two women froze, mortified.  

“Naïve fools. This is how you deal with trash like her.”  

Veronica strode forward, unfazed by the elf’s insults.  

“Such a pretty forest, yet your mouth’s dirtier than a gutter. Let me clean it for you.”  

Before the elf could retort, Veronica’s scabbard cracked across her body.  

Smack!  

“KYAAAAH!”  

Humming cheerfully, Veronica proceeded to thrash the elf with her scabbard like a nightmarish disciplinarian.  

“…This can’t be real.”  

Choi Kang-soo, more traumatized than anyone, watched in horror.  

***

Eliana.  

That was the elf’s name—after being beaten unconscious five times, her defiance finally broke.  

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Veronica’s violence that swayed her.  

“Hehehe…”  

Choi Kang-soo grinned dopily as Eliana clung to his arm.  

『A Holy Knight reduced to this…』 The Divine Sword lamented.  

Indeed, what changed Eliana’s mind was Choi Kang-soo’s divine energy.  

After Barhaut’s conquest, Valitao’s gods vanished. Priests were exterminated. So when Choi Kang-soo healed her with holy power, she realized: These weren’t Valitao’s humans.  

“Human greed never changes,” Eliana whispered.  

Valitao’s humans and elves had warred long before Barhaut came. While elves guarded the forests, humans coveted their beauty. But with the World Tree’s protection, elves were untouchable—until Barhaut arrived.  

“At first, we all fought together against the common enemy. But that… was our mistake.”  

She trembled as Choi Kang-soo comforted her.  

“The humans betrayed us.”  

Some had pretended to ally with the elves, only to sabotage the World Tree from within.  

“It was fatal. Without the tree, we lost our strength. The traitors tore our society apart. Now, only a few clans hide in the forests.”  

Choi Kang-soo shook with rage. “Those… fucking…!” He bit back his curses for Eliana’s sake.  

“Can’t the World Tree be restored?” Hyun Joo-yeon asked.  

Eliana sighed.  

“The Emperor holds the Orb of Withering. It must be shattered. But even then… Barhaut cursed the tree directly. Without breaking that, it won’t recover.”  

Tears welled in her eyes. Choi Kang-soo gently patted her head.  

“Don’t cry. Our Master will fix this. Right, boss?”  

Seo Do-jun gave him a deadpan look before nodding.  

“We’ll try. That’s why we’re here.”  

(Truthfully, they had to solve this to move to the next planet.)  

“Let’s summarize,” Kusak said.  

“The Emperor likely governs Valitao. We kill him, shatter the orb, and lift the curse. Easy, right?”  

No one objected.  

Encouraged, Kusak raised his hand.  

“Who’s storming the Empire to snap the Emperor’s neck? First three, raise your hands!”  

He and Choi Kang-soo shot their hands up.  

The others stared, a collective What idiots… written on their faces.  

“Shut your trap, moron! No one’s patting your ass for this!”  

Veronica finally snapped—kicking Kusak square in the rear.