SFRW-Chapter 268

Ch. 268 Sword God From The Ruined World

Seo Do-jun sat quietly, gazing at the Toyarman Plains.  

A mountain of corpses piled up as if trying to smother the crimson sunset staining the earth.  

The battle that had begun in the morning had been so fierce that its gruesome aftermath showed no signs of ending.  

A staggering 80,000 troops had clashed, and now less than half remained.  

Yet, the soldiers of the three kingdoms fought with desperate resolve, their determination twisted into madness.  

Screams of rage, battle cries as they swung their weapons with every ounce of strength, agonized shrieks and groans—the Toyarman Plains resembled a scene straight out of hell.  

“…Bittersweet, isn’t it?”  

Choi Kang-soo spoke up beside Seo Do-jun.  

The soldiers fighting on the Toyarman Plains had no idea.  

No idea that the Emperor—the war-crazed murderer who had manipulated them like puppets—was now gasping his last breaths.  

Choi Kang-soo glanced back at the Emperor, lying in a pool of his own blood, struggling to breathe.  

His arms and legs severed, a gaping hole in his abdomen—the Emperor was barely clinging to life, but it wouldn’t be long now.  

From the moment Seo Do-jun drew his sword, the Emperor’s fate had been sealed. He never stood a chance.  

“Even if the Emperor is gone, the war between the three kingdoms won’t end easily, will it?”  

“No, it won’t.”  

The Emperor had thoroughly deceived the Kings of the three kingdoms about his whereabouts, so his absence wouldn’t change anything.  

If anything, the aftermath of this great battle on the Toyarman Plains would only sharpen the conflict between them.  

“Should we let them know the Emperor is dead…?”  

Choi Kang-soo trailed off, frowning. He knew today’s battle was crucial for Grichuk’s recovery.  

Then he corrected himself:  

“Actually, why don’t we announce the Emperor’s death to the three Kings? If we display his body and the Grand Commander’s publicly, at least the meaningless wars might stop.”  

“You want their war to end?”  

“It wasn’t a war they wanted in the first place. If they know the Emperor is dead, shouldn’t it end naturally?”  

Moreover, with the Emperor’s death, the planet Tamad would be freed from Barhaut’s control.  

Choi Kang-soo believed there was no reason for Tamad to keep shedding blood in pointless battles.  

“Do you really think the three Kings will stop fighting just because the Emperor is dead?”  

“Of course! If the tyrant forcing them to fight is gone, wouldn’t anyone welcome peace?”  

Seo Do-jun chuckled at Choi Kang-soo’s answer.  

It might be true, but assuming the Emperor’s death would only bring positive change was naive.  

The three Kings had tasted power’s sweetness—and, like the Emperor, they had bowed to Barhaut.  

In other words, they were the kind who cowered before the strong but bullied the weak.  

At first, they might hesitate, but eventually, they would wage war to claim the Emperor’s throne.  

Tamad was no exception.  

Humans were greedy everywhere, and greed always led to bloodshed.  

“They’ll find out in time. There’s no point in us interfering.”  

Choi Kang-soo nodded at Seo Do-jun’s words.  

“…Ghk… Ghk… Ghk…”  

As if signaling his end, the Emperor let out one last pained breath before slumping into the pool of blood.  

Choi Kang-soo stared silently at the Emperor’s miserable demise.  

“What’s wrong?” Seo Do-jun asked.  

“It’s just… strange.”  

“Strange?”  

“Back when we first decided to liberate Barhaut’s Guardian Planets, fighting an Administrator seemed impossible. Now? They’re nothing.”  

He wasn’t referring to Seo Do-jun, of course.  

Now, even Choi Kang-soo alone could defeat most Administrators—except for Transcendents like Vampica.  

“If things keep going like this, even Barhaut will end up like that in front of you, right?”  

“That’s why we’re going through all this.”  

Choi Kang-soo nodded in agreement.  

“But are we really just going to wait until it’s all over?”  

Choi Kang-soo looked at the Toyarman Plains as he asked.  

“Bored? If you’re bored, jump in and finish it faster.”  

“Uncle, come on. How can a tiger interfere in a fight between mice?”  

“A tiger?”  

Seo Do-jun gave him a disbelieving look, but Choi Kang-soo answered shamelessly:  

“Of course! Compared to them, I’m obviously the tiger! Those cowards trembled before a mangy dog like the Emperor!”  

Choi Kang-soo called the Emperor a dog and himself a tiger.  

“Then what am I?”  

“Huh? You? Hmm… A Dragon? No, wait—a God! The strongest God in the universe!”  

Seo Do-jun burst out laughing at Choi Kang-soo’s nonsense.  

 ***

As darkness swallowed the land and the sun slowly rose again, the great battle on the Toyarman Plains finally reached its end.  

From 80,000, only a few thousand remained—yet the survivors still couldn’t shake off their bloodlust.  

Then—  

“It’s done!”  

Rahf’s voice boomed across the plains, filled with triumph.  

Choi Kang-soo, who had been dozing off, stretched and stood up.  

“Looks like it’s finally over.”  

“Let’s go.”  

Seo Do-jun, relieved he wouldn’t have to watch the meaningless slaughter any longer, headed to where Rahf was hiding.  

“Keh-keh-keh-keh…”  

When they arrived, Rahf was laughing—a dark, unsettling sound, as if half-mad.  

“What’s wrong with him?” Choi Kang-soo asked Shinjo, who just shook his head, equally confused.  

Grichuk stood there, his eyes sharper than before his encounter with Vampica.  

Just his presence confirmed he had fully recovered.  

“Is everything alright?”  

Grichuk answered immediately:  

“Perfect. And… sorry.”  

He honestly expressed his guilt, knowing his defeat by Vampica had caused all this trouble.  

Seo Do-jun patted Grichuk’s shoulder, as if to say recovery was all that mattered, then called Rahf.  

“If it’s over, let’s move on.”  

Rahf shook his head.  

“I need more time.”  

“More time?”  

Seo Do-jun frowned. If Grichuk was fully healed, what else was needed?  

Rahf pulled out a pitch-black, diamond-shaped gem from his robes.  

“What’s that?”  

Seo Do-jun recognized it immediately.  

How could he not?  

It was a Death Knight’s Essence.  

But this one radiated even darker, more potent magic than before—enough to make Seo Do-jun’s brow furrow involuntarily.  

“Did you have another Death Knight’s Essence?”  

He already knew the answer, but he asked anyway.  

Rahf shook his head.  

“I just finished making it.”  

Only then did Seo Do-jun understand everything.  

His expression turned icy as he strode toward Rahf.  

Rahf, intimidated by his aura, blurted out:  

“I had no choice! You know this! Grichuk nearly had his soul erased by one of the Six Seats! If we don’t make him stronger, he’ll be destroyed before he even reaches Barhaut!”  

Choi Kang-soo, finally grasping the situation, shot Seo Do-jun a glance before lashing out first.  

“You insane bastard! You’ve completely lost it!”  

WHAM!  

Choi Kang-soo’s fist smashed into Rahf’s face without mercy.  

“Guh—!”  

Even as he crashed to the ground, Rahf clutched the Death Knight’s Essence tightly.  

“You crazy bastard! You pulled that shit again?! And you hid it from Uncle?!”  

Choi Kang-soo stomped on Rahf, venting his fury.  

Too drained of magic and stamina to resist, Rahf could only endure the beating.  

“You deserve to die! Die, you evil, scheming dark mage bastard!”  

THUD! THUD! THUD!  

Choi Kang-soo cursed as he methodically crushed every part of Rahf’s body.  

When Rahf’s pained screams and groans didn’t stop, Seo Do-jun finally intervened.  

“Enough.”  

“But Uncle! What he did is unforgivable—!”  

“We—no, I allowed it. So we can’t blame him entirely.”  

“Still…”  

Seeing Choi Kang-soo still seething, Seo Do-jun shook his head.  

Rahf spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered.  

“You think acting all righteous now changes anything? The moment you took Grichuk as your ally and accepted my help, you became just like me!”  

“You bastard! Shut your mouth!”  

“What? Gonna kill me? Do it, then! Spend the rest of your life in regret instead of getting your revenge!”  

“You—!”  

Choi Kang-soo raised his foot again, but Rahf glared defiantly.  

“…Damn it!”  

Unable to refute Rahf’s words, Choi Kang-soo had no choice but to lower his foot.  

Rahf smirked, as if he’d expected this.  

“Start now.”  

At Seo Do-jun’s command, Rahf let out a dark chuckle.  

“Look at me. I need at least half a day to rest. Don’t bother me.”  

He sprawled out on the ground.  

Seo Do-jun glanced at Choi Kang-soo, who reluctantly channeled holy energy to heal Rahf—if only to save time.  

Of course, holy energy couldn’t restore depleted magic, so they had no choice but to wait another half-day.  

Meanwhile, Seo Do-jun sent Choi Kang-soo and Shinjo to drive the remaining survivors off the Toyarman Plains.  

Even those lost in bloodlust couldn’t oppose their overwhelming power and fled in panic.  

***

Exactly half a day later, Rahf rose without a word and began silently drawing a magic circle.  

Though he had snapped earlier, he wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the risks of his actions.  

Since Seo Do-jun didn’t bring up the incident, neither Choi Kang-soo nor Shinjo pressed further.  

Pretending to be righteous now would’ve been hypocritical—they all knew what was happening.  

Besides, if Grichuk grew stronger, it benefited them all.  

Sweat beading on his forehead, Rahf handed the Death Knight’s Essence to Grichuk.  

“Become a Transcendent. Never let someone like Vampica defeat you again. And make sure you get your revenge on Barhaut. That’s all I want.”  

Though Grichuk resented Rahf, he nodded—for Barhaut’s sake.  

He stepped into the magic circle.  

Huuuuuum…  

The circle emitted a deep, grating resonance.  

Even though he’d been through this before, tension was evident on Grichuk’s face.  

“How long will it take? Another ten days like last time?”  

Rahf shook his head.  

“I don’t know. This time is different.”  

“Different? You mean… he might actually become a Transcendent?”  

Choi Kang-soo stared at Grichuk, skeptical.  

“If my calculations are right… maybe. But I can’t be sure.”  

Even Rahf couldn’t guarantee whether Transcendence was achievable through sheer power alone.  

He watched the magic circle with unprecedented anxiety.  

***

Ten days passed, but the dark magic showed no signs of weakening.  

Another ten days—still no change.  

Only after a third week did the magic finally begin to fade.  

Then, after one more week—  

WHOOSH!  

The magic circle burned away in black flames and vanished.