SFRW-Chapter 257

Ch. 257 Sword God From The Ruined World

– “You possess the ‘Eyes of Falsehood.’”  

The forest spirit, who had turned into something resembling a mummy, now stood before him.  

Radiating a light so dazzling it was blinding, she appeared exactly as one would imagine a ‘spirit’—ethereal and untouched by time.  

‘Who are you?’  

Though no words left his lips, Seo Do-jun realized his thoughts were being conveyed to her.  

– “I am the guardian of an ancient power.”  

‘Ancient power? Are you referring to the relics of the Fallen Angel?’  

– “Yes. The relics of an angel who was born with more blessings than any other being, yet was doomed to live a life more despairing than any other… That is the ancient power—the power capable of harming a God.”  

‘What power were you guarding?’  

– “The power I guarded was the ‘Trap of Immortality.’ And this is the power I must now pass on to you.”  

‘Trap of Immortality? If you’re giving it to me, does that mean I qualify?’  

– “Yes. The ancient power can only be passed on to those who are worthy of wielding it in its entirety. You already possess the ‘Eyes of Falsehood,’ and even if you didn’t, you have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the ‘Trap of Immortality.’”  

‘If I obtain this ancient power, must I fulfill the Fallen Angel’s wish and kill a god? What happens if I refuse?’  

– “The ancient power carries the Fallen Angel’s deep-seated grudge. Normally, one would be consumed by this resentment, filled with endless distrust and hatred toward the gods… But you are different. That is all. If you can control or reject the grudge, there will be no further restrictions or penalties.”  

With all his questions answered, Seo Do-jun finally felt at ease.  

Though he had forcibly suppressed the vengeful voice of the Fallen Angel’s bones, which demanded the death of a God, he had been secretly worried that obtaining another relic might amplify the power, making it harder to resist.  

– “I shall now bestow upon you the ‘Trap of Immortality’ that I have guarded.”  

‘What… will happen to you?’  

– “For a guardian who has fulfilled their duty, only eternal rest remains.”  

From the relief in her voice as she spoke of ‘eternal rest’, Seo Do-jun could tell that the forest spirit had been forced to endure a long, weary existence as a guardian.  

Soon, a strange power surged into Seo Do-jun’s body.  

At the same time, he gained a clear understanding of what the ‘Trap of Immortality’ was.  

Suddenly, another question flashed through his mind like lightning.  

‘One last thing. I heard the Fallen Angel left behind three relics. The Eyes of Falsehood, the Trap of Immortality… What is the last one?’  

– “The… la… st… one… is… the… Power… of…Godslaying……”  

Perhaps the question came too late, for the forest spirit’s body grew increasingly faint, and her voice stuttered and broke as she struggled to answer.  

‘The Power of Godslaying?’  

Judging by the meaning of the words alone, it was clearly a far more threatening ability than the ‘Eyes of Falsehood’ or the ‘Trap of Immortality.’  

Before he knew it, nothing remained before Seo Do-jun, and the light that had enveloped him slowly faded away.  

“Wake up! Boss!”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s desperate shout, Seo Do-jun’s eyes snapped open, and he looked ahead.  

Though it had felt like only a brief moment had passed, the scene before him made it clear that was not the case.  

Grichuk lay sprawled in a pathetic heap to one side, while Rahf sat beside him, bleeding.  

At the nest’s entrance, Shinjo was fighting dozens of vampires, looking thoroughly exhausted.  

Choi Kang-soo, his hair disheveled, stood blocking Twek and Bolikos with his divine sword, swaying precariously as if he might collapse at any moment.  

Lastly, Twek and Bolikos, drenched in blood, barely clung to life, gasping for breath.  

Seo Do-jun’s gaze shifted to the one who had orchestrated this entire situation.  

“Awake now? Did you obtain the relic? Or rather, to be precise, did you obtain the Fallen Angel’s power hidden within the relic?”  

From Vampica’s unnervingly accurate question, Seo Do-jun realized:  

‘He knows about the Power of Godslaying.’  

Otherwise, there was no way he would have known the relic contained its true power.  

“Before I kill you, I have one question.”  

Noticing that Vampica was focused on him, Seo Do-jun subtly gestured to Choi Kang-soo with a tilt of his head.  

It was a signal for him to step aside—this was his fight now.  

Choi Kang-soo nodded and, along with Twek and Bolikos, slowly moved out of the way.  

Vampica let out a mocking laugh as he watched.  

But now that he had to face the Transcendent who had killed the Himaid siblings, he couldn’t care less about what the small fry did.  

“Why are you causing all this trouble for Barhaut? As you can see, your so-called comrades are useless. What exactly are you relying on to oppose Barhaut?”  

The liberation of Barhaut’s guardian planets was undoubtedly a major incident, significant enough to warrant the gathering of the Six Seats.  

Because of this, Vampica had secretly expected those behind it to be incredibly powerful.  

But now that he had met them, he was honestly disappointed.  

While the human who had absorbed the Thunder God’s power and the one who wielded divine energy were rare, they were still far from enough.  

Barhaut was in a league of his own, and even Luam and the other Six Seats, who were grinding their teeth in anticipation of killing them, would be more than they could handle.  

Still, since Seo Do-jun had killed the Himaid siblings, Vampica held some expectations for him as a Transcendent.  

But facing Barhaut alone?  

That was impossible.  

Even now, Vampica was confident that he alone, as one of the Six Seats, could handle Seo Do-jun.  

“The reason? Simple. Because the world I lived in was destroyed, so I’m returning the favor. What am I relying on? Killing you right now will be answer enough.”  

Seo Do-jun drew his sword from subspace.  

Vampica was a hurdle—no, a mere bump—he had to overcome. There was no need for further small talk.  

“Kehahaha! A fine answer! But… do you really think that’s possible?”  

Vampica vanished in an instant.  

“Boss, be careful!”  

Choi Kang-soo shouted in worry, fearing Seo Do-jun might be caught off guard by Vampica’s near-teleportation speed, which he had used against him and Grichuk.  

But his concern proved unnecessary as Seo Do-jun swung his sword without hesitation.  

KAAANG!  

The blade traced a short arc to the left, and Vampica appeared, his claw-like nails poised like blades.  

“Seems manageable.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s calm retort, Vampica’s ruby eyes gleamed with amusement.  

“Well, I suppose someone who’s reached Transcendence wouldn’t fall for something so simple!”  

His opponent had killed the Himaid siblings, who had stood among the Transcendents. Vampica couldn’t afford to underestimate him.  

“Not all Transcendents are the same. Let me show you.”  

Vampica disappeared again.  

No—a storm of crimson blood instantly swirled around Seo Do-jun, and from within it, razor-sharp nails rained down like countless weapons.  

“That bastard… Was he toying with us?”  

Choi Kang-soo felt as if he had been force-fed bitter medicine as he watched Vampica fight at a level beyond what he had shown against him.  

KAA-GANG! KANGKANG! KAKANG!  

Seo Do-jun stood his ground, not retreating a single step as he swung his sword.  

From head to toe.  

Vampica, now a whirlwind himself, attacked dozens of times per second—swift, sharp, and overwhelmingly powerful.  

This display alone proved he was a cut above the Himaid siblings.  

“Not bad… But can you keep up if I go faster?”  

Vampica’s attacks accelerated further.  

Against an ordinary opponent, his strikes—exceeding all common sense—would have shredded them to pieces in seconds.  

But Seo Do-jun, too, defied common sense. In fact, the way he effortlessly parried every attack was even more astonishing.  

“Impressive!”  

Seeing his attacks fail, Vampica changed tactics.  

A thick crimson mist spread, instantly obscuring Seo Do-jun’s vision.  

Unable to see even an inch ahead, Seo Do-jun relied on instinct to deflect Vampica’s claws as they targeted his head, heart, and abdomen.  

KANGKANGKANGKANG!  

Just because he couldn’t see didn’t mean he would allow the attacks to land, but the loss of sight was undeniably frustrating.  

As Seo Do-jun prepared to dispel the annoying crimson mist and strike, he suddenly paused.  

“Giving up already?”  

When Seo Do-jun remained silent, only defending without retorting, Vampica’s expression twisted.  

‘I don’t know what you’re scheming, but it won’t go your way!’  

He knew better than to think a Transcendent would fall to something so simple.  

Having already used the Power of Godslaying twice and exhausted much of his strength breaking the Sky Forest’s barrier, Vampica decided to strike at Seo Do-jun’s weak point.  

‘This attack will end you!’  

Though he didn’t know what Seo Do-jun was planning, he intended to finish him off with the Power of Godslaying before he could act.  

Mixing the Power of Godslaying into a normal strike, his eyes gleamed like a predator seizing its chance.  

A single elongated nail, sharp as a greatsword, thrust straight for Seo Do-jun’s heart.  

Seo Do-jun swung his sword to deflect it as before, but—  

“…!”  

To his shock, his blade rebounded violently against an inexplicable force.  

His upper body swayed off-balance, and for the first time, he was forced back several steps.  

Worst of all, Vampica’s claw was now mere inches from his heart.  

It was a life-or-death moment.  

“It’s over!”  

At Vampica’s triumphant cry, Seo Do-jun quickly deduced the situation.  

‘Is this the Power of Godslaying?’  

Though uncertain, he couldn’t ignore this mysterious force that had effortlessly pushed back his magic.  

The Power of Godslaying—literally, the power to kill a god.  

A power the Fallen Angel had poured everything into creating for that very purpose.  

Seo Do-jun resolved to counter it with the same power.  

But was it too late?  

THUD!  

Vampica’s sharp claw pierced straight through Seo Do-jun’s heart.  

“…Kuhk!”  

Kneeling, Seo Do-jun coughed up blood as Vampica’s nail remained embedded in his heart, his laughter cruel and mocking.  

As the crimson mist dissipated, the onlookers finally saw what had happened—and their eyes widened in disbelief.  

Seo Do-jun, on his knees, vomiting blood.  

Vampica, grinning as he drove her claw deeper into his heart.  

The stark contrast between the two left Seo Do-jun’s companions in shock.  

“B-Boss?!”  

“Guild Master!”  

“…We’re done for. It’s all over. Keuk…!”  

Choi Kang-soo trembled violently.  

Shinjo, gripping his sword so tightly the hilt nearly shattered, rushed toward Seo Do-jun.  

Rahf let out a hollow laugh, his expression one of utter despair.  

“Even a Transcendent couldn’t surpass Vampica…”  

“Did he fail to obtain the relic’s power?”  

Twek and Bolikos could only shake their heads as Seo Do-jun, their last hope, fell so easily to Vampica.  

“Guild Master—!”  

Shinjo unleashed all his remaining power at Vampica, as if to drive her away from Seo Do-jun.  

Transformed into what seemed like a lightning-human, Shinjo’s desperate assault forced Vampica to retreat momentarily.  

SPLURT!  

As Vampica pulled her claw free, blood gushed like a fountain, and Seo Do-jun’s body collapsed.  

“Boss! Boss! You can’t die like this! You can’t!”  

Choi Kang-soo desperately poured his remaining divine energy into Seo Do-jun, but for some reason, Seo Do-jun’s body violently rejected it.  

『…Stop. It’s no use.』  

Ignoring the divine sword’s sorrowful voice, Choi Kang-soo stubbornly continued, screaming at it to shut up.  

Vampica watched the scene with amusement.  

With Seo Do-jun, the Transcendent, defeated, the rest were no threat to him.  

“Isn’t it entertaining? Watching humans drown in despair. I love that look on their faces. Kehahaha!”  

Zillia, her own appearance ragged from fighting Shinjo, smirked in agreement.  

“Boss… Get up. Get up… I said get up, damn it! You bastard! How can you die like this and leave us behind?!”  

Realizing divine energy was futile, Choi Kang-soo shook Seo Do-jun’s cooling body.  

CRACKLE—  

Seo Do-jun’s body, his skin, began to dry out like brittle tree bark.  

Just like the forest spirit who had turned into a mummy.  

“T-This is……”  

Choi Kang-soo could no longer speak or move, staring in horror at Seo Do-jun’s transformed state.