SFRW-Chapter 252

Ch. 252 Sword God From The Ruined World

It didn’t take long for Seo Do-jun to realize what Twek meant by ‘You’ll know when you get there’.  

“What kind of wind…?”  

As they got closer to the Sky Forest, the wind grew increasingly unusual.  

At first, it seemed like just a strong gust, but the closer they got, the fiercer the wind became.  

“Hmm! At this rate, even a sturdy bird would be torn to shreds!”  

As Rahf said, the wind howled like blades.  

This wasn’t just a problem for birds—even humans wouldn’t be able to withstand it unscathed.  

Yet, even in such ferocious winds, Romak flapped its wings effortlessly. Astonishingly, each beat created massive whirlwinds that canceled out the blade-like gales.  

But it wasn’t just the wind.  

“A barrier?”  

A sky-blue membrane enveloping the entire Sky Forest, invisible from the ground, came into Seo Do-jun’s view.  

“The wind is one thing, but the Sky Forest is also protected by an incredibly powerful barrier. It wasn’t called Iostem’s Forbidden Zone for nothing.”  

“This measly barrier? If it’s you, Uncle…”  

Choi Kang-soo trailed off, his mouth snapping shut.  

His wide eyes and unconcealed shock suggested that even Shinjo recognized this barrier was anything but ordinary.  

Curious, Seo Do-jun tested the barrier’s strength and realized Twek wasn’t exaggerating.  

‘Breaking a barrier of this level won’t be easy.’  

Moreover, the area around the barrier was engulfed in a whirlwind so fierce that one could barely keep their eyes open.  

Considering the wind’s brutality, even a Transcendent would need considerable time to break through.  

“Why go through unnecessary hardship? With Romak, we can enter this easily.”  

Romak was an ancient bird unique to the Sky Forest, said to be tamable only by Fallen Angels.  

Its massive size meant it had no natural predators, and its tendency to become so engrossed in eating giant mole guts that its other senses shut down made it the perfect means of safely entering the Sky Forest.  

Unaware of the group clinging to its tail feathers, Romak flew toward a high nest in the trees. Twek quickly shouted for everyone to jump onto the leaves below.  

Following Twek’s lead, Seo Do-jun and the others dropped from the tail feathers one by one.  

Thud—thud—thud—thud—  

The enormous leaves, wide enough to comfortably hold several grown men, cushioned their landing softly.  

“…Why is everything here so huge?”  

Choi Kang-soo stared in awe at the gargantuan trees, feeling as if he’d shrunk and entered a land of giants.  

“Everything in the Sky Forest is oversized. Even the smallest insects here are larger than most humans.”  

Twek’s explanation only deepened their curiosity about what kind of being the Fallen Angel was to create such an absurd ecosystem.  

“So, how do we find Bolikos now?”  

“We’ll track his traces.”  

“Traces?”  

“Signs of where he ate or slept.”  

Seo Do-jun and the others gave him a skeptical look, as if to say, ‘Like that’ll be easy.’  

“It’s the only way.”  

Unpleasant as it was, they had no choice but to accept it.  

***

“The Sky Forest?”  

Vampica frowned, and his lover and most loyal servant, Zillia, nodded.  

“The Sky Forest…”  

It had been the most suspicious location from the start. But since it was hard to access, he didn’t want to waste resources on mere speculation.  

“Bolikos’s final destination might not even be the Sky Forest.”  

“That’s possible. But if there’s even the slightest chance he’s searching for relics there, it could become a problem, no?”  

“A problem indeed. A huge problem.”  

Relics left behind by the Fallen Angel.  

No one understood their value better than Vampica himself.  

The Power of Divine Slaughter.  

Thanks to this relic, Vampica had not only become a Transcendent but had also gained the power to kill anyone, regardless of who they were.  

Naturally, he was intensely interested in the other relics left by the Fallen Angel—no, he believed no one but himself should possess them.  

Especially if the one seeking them was an enemy like Bolikos.  

“Had I known this would happen, I would’ve turned the Sky Forest upside down from the start.”  

Clicking his tongue, Vampica issued orders to Zillia.  

“Head to the Sky Forest immediately. Breaking the barrier will require significant sacrifices, so bring all remaining Hounds and the Legion.”  

“I’ll prepare them at once.”  

***

Tracking Bolikos proved harder than expected. No—given how difficult it was from the start, it was only natural.  

“How are we supposed to find traces in this vast place…?”  

Choi Kang-soo grumbled incessantly.  

Though the others stayed silent, they too were skeptical about their haphazard search method.  

Three days had passed.  

Their patience had reached its limit.  

“Ah, damn it! Uncle, why don’t we just set a fire or something?”  

Choi Kang-soo suggested outright.  

If they started a fire, Bolikos—wherever he was—might come out of curiosity.  

Seo Do-jun thought it wasn’t a bad idea, but—  

“What about all the other creatures that’ll be drawn to the flames?”  

Twek’s retort made Choi Kang-soo shrug dismissively.  

“What’s there to fear? We’ll just deal with them as they come.”  

The Sky Forest teemed with insects and beasts, many of them venomous or predatory.  

Two-meter-long scorpions that leaped between trees, firing poison darts at prey. Snakes with maws split into three, stretching dozens of meters. Leopard-like creatures with four eyes, each as large as two trucks combined.  

These creatures, beyond anything they’d imagined, were larger and deadlier than most monsters.  

Of course, to Seo Do-jun’s group, they were little more than post-meal exercise.  

“…Isn’t it just a hassle?”  

Twek, having witnessed their strength repeatedly, didn’t doubt their ability.  

But the thought of Iostem’s prized Sky Forest being destroyed unsettled him.  

“Hassle, my ass.”  

Choi Kang-soo immediately began gathering dry branches, ready to start a blaze.  

Seo Do-jun, seeing no point in dragging things out further, didn’t stop him.  

When they’d first arrived, Seo Do-jun had tried sensing the strange energy he’d felt at the Fallen Angel’s altar.  

But pinpointing its source was hopeless.  

Like a drop of dye spreading through water until the entire pool is colored, the energy had already permeated the entire Sky Forest.  

Twek, hoping the rational Seo Do-jun would intervene, grew frantic when even he stayed silent.  

“W-Wait! Let’s think calmly! What if the whole forest burns down? How reckless can you be?!”  

Twek fidgeted, worried about the forest’s destruction.  

“This huge forest? You think a little fire’s gonna burn it all down? Relax. It’s just a signal. If it looks like it’s getting out of control, I’ll put it out myself.”  

Choi Kang-soo piled up dry wood and lit the kindling.  

Whoosh—!  

“Burns well!”  

The flames roared to life, and Choi Kang-soo fed them by tossing in thicker logs.  

Crackle—crackle—!  

As the fire danced, the group watched silently.  

“Nothing beats fire-gazing.”  

They say watching flames clears the mind.  

For Choi Kang-soo, this moment brought an odd calm, as if all his worries had vanished.  

“Shall we take this fireplay up a notch?”  

Choi Kang-soo grabbed flaming logs and hurled them outward.  

Though the Sky Forest was gloomy and dark, its low humidity made it highly flammable.  

Whoosh—whoosh—!  

“Heh! Spreads fast!”  

Choi Kang-soo cackled as the flames rapidly expanded.  

Never in his life had he imagined playing with fire on such a grand scale.  

Watching the trees and grass burn filled him with a strange exhilaration.  

“They say arson’s addictive… I get it now.”  

Twek stomped in frustration as Choi Kang-soo gleefully set the forest ablaze, while the others simply watched.  

As the fire spread uncontrollably, Twek finally snapped.  

“It’s spreading on its own! We have to put it out now!”  

He looked ready to jump in himself.  

“Relax. I’ve got this.”  

Choi Kang-soo drew Shinjo, as if annoyed by the worry.  

Leaping into the air, he swung the sword downward.  

A sacred sword-light erupted, forming a white trajectory that sealed the fire within a barrier.  

The flames, which had been spreading wildly, now surged against the light but could advance no further, confined to their space.  

“Done?”  

“…Done.”  

Twek’s sharp snout twitched at Choi Kang-soo’s near-miraculous ability to contain the fire with a few sword strokes.  

‘Should’ve done that from the start!’  

Though grumbling, he sighed in relief that the Sky Forest wouldn’t suffer major damage.  

Black smoke billowed from the burning trees and grass.  

“This much smoke should be visible to Bolikos no matter where he is.”  

The Sky Forest’s trees were massive, but the area wasn’t so dense that the smoke would go unnoticed.  

“Now we just have to deal with whatever comes at us.”  

Choi Kang-soo smirked as venomous insects and beasts, unlike normal forest creatures, charged toward the flames in frenzy.  

Even Shinjo and Grichuk drew their swords, ready to face the Sky Forest’s protectors.  

At that very moment…  

On the ground, someone noticed the black smoke rising from the Sky Forest.  

“…A fire?”  

Vampica’s ruby eyes gleamed with irritation.  

A fire in the Sky Forest?  

Impossible.  

Yet the smoke was undeniable.  

“Bolikos… You dare.”  

Either he’d found something or was forced to start the fire.  

Most importantly, it might be related to the Fallen Angel’s relics. Vampica could wait no longer.  

“Zillia!”  

At his shout, Zillia bowed and barked orders to the thousands of vampires and hastily gathered Hounds (humans).  

“All units, begin flight!”  

Entering the Sky Forest meant enduring its raging winds first.  

The frontlines were manned by heavily armored humans, held tightly by half-vampires and regular vampires as they took off.  

As this massive shield of flesh and armor ascended, Vampica and Zillia followed.  

Countless humans and vampires would die breaking the barrier, but the billowing black smoke only heightened Vampica’s urgency.  

“Hurry!”  

The human shields could only stare in despair as the Sky Forest loomed closer.  

Crash—!  

The skull of one of the forest’s apex predators—a massive serpent—was crushed like mortar-pounded grain, its body convulsing.  

The one who’d done it was a small werewolf, tiny enough to fit in the serpent’s tripartite maw.  

Hiss—!  

Even with its skull smashed, the snake twitched stubbornly. Annoyed, the werewolf delivered a final blow to its head.  

Splat—!  

Only after ensuring its death did the werewolf exhale, tension leaving his body.  

“Am I even in the right place… Huh?”  

Perched on the serpent’s head, the werewolf squinted at the towering pillar of black smoke in the distance.  

A smoke plume that size could only mean a massive fire.  

“Who the hell…?”  

Was there someone else in the Sky Forest besides him?  

Judging by the fire’s scale, their intentions couldn’t be good.  

He stood quickly.  

“I’d better see who they are.”  

Friend or foe, identifying them came first.  

The werewolf sprang onto the trees, moving swiftly through the branches toward the smoke.