SFRW-Chapter 227

Ch. 227 Sword God From The Ruined World

Tracking the fleeing Pope Alfrey proved surprisingly easy.  

“This bastard’s half out of his mind, right?”  

Kusak remarked incredulously at the obvious trail left behind.  

“Could this be a trap?”  

Though the blatant signs seemed suspiciously like bait, Rakun dismissed the notion firmly.  

“It’s neither trap nor lure.”  

His absolute confidence reassured the group.  

“But what about the 600,000 troops gathered for war?”  

Hyun Joo-yeon worried about the massive army originally assembled for the Second Holy War.  

With Alfrey gone and the Holy See in ruins, the three remaining apostles commanding those forces might seek revenge.  

“No need for concern,” Seraph answered.  

“Once news spreads, the papal forces will lose all morale. The apostles will be too disorganized to act.”  

Bekha had been regularly updated during their journey – these events would reach him within two days.  

“That’s a relief. War benefits no one,” Hyun Joo-yeon smiled.  

Seraph responded with a bitter smile.  

She knew Emperor Drew IV would inevitably march north to claim territory once Alfrey’s flight became known.  

Hence her choice of ‘collapse’ rather than ‘disband’.  

Seo Do-jun’s group would leave this world forever once Alfrey opened the dimensional gate.  

The aftermath wasn’t their concern – a fact Seraph understood, and why Seo Do-jun’s team watched her with pity but offered no empty comforts.  

After half a day’s pursuit, Rakun caught Alfrey’s scent.  

“That place…?” Seraph frowned as Rakun confirmed all traces led to the forest ahead.  

『An extraordinary concentration of holy power』  

The Divine Sword sensed it first – the Forest of Desion.  

A sacred sanctuary where only popes could tread. That the apostate Alfrey fled there enraged Seraph beyond measure.  

“From here on, I’ll take the lead.”  

Gloria stepped forward – her elf-trained forest skills unmatched in the group.  

At Seo Do-jun’s nod, she advanced with a smile, swiftly identifying Alfrey’s path through the woods.  

“She’s remarkably talented at tracking,” Rakun quietly told Seo Do-jun.  

“Properly trained, she could surpass me.”  

Seo Do-jun’s surprised look made Rakun nod firmly.  

Knowing Rakun’s character, Seo Do-jun re-examined Gloria – this princess who’d become so adept at wilderness survival.  

“Get lost already!”  

A sudden shout froze the group.  

Following Gloria’s signals, they stealthily approached the source –  

“We’re past the point of no return. Only together can we overcome this crisis.”  

Seraph’s eyes turned icy at the second voice.  

“Pope Alfrey.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s gesture, the team fanned out to block escape routes.  

“Koroka, watch the skies.”  

“Understood.”  

The formerly arrogant half-dragon had grown remarkably comfortable with Seo Do-jun.  

“Work together? Overcome crisis? You still don’t understand!” Rahf raged.  

“If you’d done your job properly, we wouldn’t be here! I’m restraining myself from killing you now!”  

“I had plans too! Our timing simply didn’t align. I’ve lost everything as well!”  

“Plans? To let me exhaust myself fighting them so you could finish us all at once?”  

“Preposterous!”  

“Enough! Disappear now or I’ll blow your head off!”  

“That won’t be happening!”  

So engrossed in their argument, neither noticed being surrounded until Seo Do-jun dropped concealment.  

“Let’s see about th-!”  

Rahf finally sensed the presence and his eyes bulged.  

“You fucking bastard!”  

Realizing Alfrey had led them here, rage boiled over – yet he couldn’t explode with the pope staring rigidly at Seraph.  

‘Use him to escape.’  

Having fought once, Rahf abandoned any thought of victory.  

“Seraph! This is all your doing!” Alfrey blamed everything on her.  

“Wrong target,” Seo Do-jun interjected. “We came for you.”  

As Alfrey scoffed, Seo Do-jun continued:  

“Barhaut’s dog. We tracked you down – this world’s Administrator.”  

“…What?”  

Alfrey’s shocked gaze darted to Rahf – the only one who knew that truth.  

“Open the dimensional gate.”  

Alfrey snorted.  

“Or what?”  

Unlike other Administrators, he resisted.  

“Then we’ll make you.”  

As Seo Do-jun advanced, Alfrey summoned dark magic.  

“Fool! Die!”  

Black magic pillars lanced toward Seo Do-jun – a fusion of holy and dark energy from serving Barhaut.  

‘When he flinches, I’ll open the gate and escape!’  

Seo Do-jun bisected the attack with his blade.  

ZZZ-ZZZZT!  

The dark energy split and dissipated –  

“Huh?!”  

– just as Alfrey opened a portal and flung himself through.  

Before anyone could react, the gateway swallowed him and vanished.  

“…!”  

Absolute stunned silence.  

***

This unprecedented situation – an Administrator fleeing through his own dimensional gate – shook even unflappable Seo Do-jun.  

“Kusak!”  

But Kusak’s rigid expression showed equal bewilderment.  

“Damn… I’m going crazy,” Veronica muttered.  

Rakun looked equally grave.  

As solutions failed to materialize, Shinjo quietly mused:  

“Do we… live here now?”  

His hollow laugh at the absurdity drew gazes skyward.  

“Maybe the pope will return?” Hyun Joo-yeon suggested.  

But when? And would he come alone? Worst case, he might return with Barhaut himself – ruining Seo Do-jun’s plan to weaken the dimensional conqueror across multiple worlds.  

“Where did he go?” Seraph asked.  

Surprisingly, Rahf answered:  

“The next planet.”  

All eyes turned to him.  

“Ah, you’re still here,” Kusak noted hopefully.  

“Rahf.”  

“Really? Now’s the time for introductions?” Veronica threatened, hand on sword.  

Rahf remained impassive.  

“Negotiations require basic courtesy.”  

“Negotiations? I think we’ll skip the formalities.”  

As Veronica drew her blade, Rahf smirked.  

“Amusing. You’re in dire straits yet threaten me? Go ahead. But you’ll never get what you want.”  

He sat down calmly, unnerving even Veronica.  

“Think we’re fools? Let’s start with fingers!”  

Her blade flashed toward his hand – but Rahf didn’t flinch.  

She withdrew, shaking her head.  

“One question,” Seo Do-jun cut in. “Can you open a dimensional gate?”  

Rahf countered: “First – why kill Barhaut?”  

Seeing his sincerity, Seo Do-jun answered truthfully:  

“He destroyed my world.”  

“Same.”  

“What?”  

“Our goals align.”  

“Explain.”  

“I’ve been hiding here to kill that bastard Barhaut too.”  

Another twist. Seo Do-jun shook his head in disbelief.  

“Your answer?”  

Rahf chuckled.  

“A gate? Of course. Far greater than that fool pope’s.”  

“What difference does size make?”  

“He could only reach adjacent dimensions. Mine crosses dozens at once.”  

His grating laugh emphasized the monumental advantage.