SFRW-Chapter 289

Ch. 289 Sword God From The Ruined World

“Guaaaaah!”  

With the last scream, no more mercenaries remained standing. Rahf quietly observed the devastation he and the Orc Warchief, the Death Knight Akada, had wrought.  

Over two thousand mercenaries lay fallen on the ground, their armor stained with blood.  

From the Blue Wolf Unit to the Crimson Fox Unit, the White Hawk Unit, and even the Gray Bear Unit—  

Rahf had single-handedly annihilated five of the continent’s top ten mercenary groups.  

He hadn’t even needed to go out of his way to hunt them down. The news of the Black Wolf Unit’s annihilation had spread, prompting the other top mercenary groups to come to him.  

All Rahf had to do was secure the path to the Khetalu Plains and deal with the approaching mercenary groups.  

The result? Thousands of human souls stolen and two Death Knight Essences created.  

And now, another one was complete.  

“Akada, absorb this.”  

As soon as Rahf handed over the third Death Knight Essence he had just created, Akada began absorbing it immediately.  

Watching the dark magic swirl violently around Akada’s body, Rahf clicked his tongue.  

“If we had more time, you could’ve absorbed a much purer Death Knight Essence properly.”  

Just like Grichuk had done, or like how Akada had absorbed his first essence—properly and completely.  

But with the possibility of Seo Do-jun appearing at any moment, Rahf had no choice but to have Akada absorb inferior-quality essences hastily.  

The efficiency was poor compared to the number of souls stolen, but Rahf was satisfied with the sheer speed at which Akada could gain power.  

In an instant, Akada’s aura grew even stronger after absorbing the essence.  

Anyone who saw Akada’s transformed state—Seo Do-jun, Choi Kang-soo, or others—would undoubtedly grow suspicious.  

“But what can they do? There’s no solid evidence. Keh-keh.”  

Rahf dismissed the concern and began disposing of the mercenaries’ corpses.  

Thud-thud-thud-thud!  

The ground shook as a massive pit formed, swallowing the corpses whole.  

The soulless bodies of the mercenaries were transformed into skeletal soldiers.  

Until now, Rahf had been forced to abandon corpses because Seo Do-jun and Choi Kang-soo wouldn’t allow it, but in their absence, things were different.  

Skeleton soldiers weren’t particularly powerful undead monsters, but their overwhelming numbers would someday prove useful to Rahf.  

“How long has it been since I’ve had this kind of freedom?”  

Rahf smiled as he surveyed the now-pristine battlefield, cleared of all traces of corpses and combat.  

But his relaxed smile, basking in the warm sunlight while waiting for the next mercenary group, suddenly froze.  

‘W-what the hell are these things?!’  

In a panic, he sent Akada back into subspace and concealed his own presence.  

Less than a minute later, a handsome man with black hair reaching his waist and a calm-looking woman in pristine white priestess robes appeared.  

The two briefly scanned their surroundings before disappearing toward the Khetalu Plains.  

Only after a long while did Rahf tear through space and emerge, turning his gaze in the direction the pair had gone.  

“…Have all Six Seats gathered?”  

Two of the six were dead, and now he had encountered four. Naturally, Rahf assumed all six had assembled.  

“Four of them…”  

Seo Do-jun, Choi Kang-soo, Shinjo, and Grichuk.  

Numerically, it didn’t seem like an insurmountable disadvantage, but—  

“The Six Seats have long since transcended mortal limits.”  

Shinjo and Grichuk had only recently become Transcendents, and Choi Kang-soo could barely mimic a Transcendent’s power using the Divine Sword’s abilities. In terms of sheer quality, Rahf was at a disadvantage.  

“No matter how strong that bastard is…”  

Rahf’s brow furrowed.  

Though Seo Do-jun’s limits were unfathomable, the Six Seats he had encountered earlier were clearly no pushovers.  

Perhaps…  

“…Hmm.”  

If Seo Do-jun’s group were defeated by the Six Seats, nothing could be worse for Rahf.  

Though they were traveling together out of necessity, Rahf’s ultimate goal was to have powerful allies to face his lifelong enemy, Barhaut.  

Train alone to take revenge on Barhaut?  

Rahf had learned firsthand how futile that delusion was when he faced Barhaut.  

Simply feeding Akada, Death Knight Essences wouldn’t make him a Transcendent.  

Only under specific conditions could a Transcendent-level Death Knight be born.  

Thus, the worst-case scenario for Rahf would be if his strongest allies—Seo Do-jun’s group—were killed by the Six Seats.  

When there were only two Seats, it hadn’t been a major concern, but with four, Rahf couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  

“If they really die…”  

His revenge against Barhaut would vanish like foam, and the Six Seats might even hunt him down.  

The thought of being chased by Transcendents—either dying miserably or living in hiding like a terrified rat—sharpened Rahf’s mind.  

“Damn it! I can’t let everything end like this!”  

Without further hesitation, Rahf immediately headed toward the Khetalu Plains.

***

Khetalu Plains  

Just ten demonic beasts.  

Even if they were stronger than the highest-tier monsters, with seven Transcendents present, the battle should’ve ended quickly.  

But that was a mistake.  

Antarian demonic beasts each possessed near-Transcendent power.  

On top of that, their monstrous regenerative abilities meant even the gravest wounds healed in moments.  

With such terrifying creatures swarming Antaria, it was no wonder the realm had never been conquered—a world abandoned even by the gods.  

Yet, it made no sense that seven Transcendents couldn’t defeat just ten demonic beasts.  

Of course, there was a reason.  

If they had only been fighting the beasts, at least half would’ve been dead by now.  

But they couldn’t, because—  

Shooo—!  

Just as Seo Do-jun spotted the perfect opening to deliver a fatal blow to Tulukas—  

An arrow pierced through space, forcing Seo Do-jun to twist mid-swing and deflect it.  

Kraa—aaang!  

The arrow, made of an unknown metal, carried more force than a blunt weapon.  

While Seo Do-jun blocked, Tulukas escaped danger, soaring high and spraying acidic venom everywhere in a frenzy.  

‘Persistent interference.’  

Frowning, Seo Do-jun raised a sword barrier to block the acid while scanning his surroundings.  

No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t sense the archer’s presence.  

They must’ve moved immediately after firing.  

‘Their stealth is the best I’ve ever seen.’  

Unrivaled concealment—paired with deadly attack power.  

Ratio had never once revealed herself since Seo Do-jun’s group and the Seven Apostles arrived at the Khetalu Plains.  

Because of Ratio’s interference, Seo Do-jun, Raten, Qua, and Seil hadn’t managed to kill a single demonic beast.  

Adding to the chaos, the undead monsters summoned by Luam actively aided the beasts, keeping the battle deadlocked.  

Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!  

Dozens of spikes shot forward, forcing Choi Kang-soo to stagger back with a grunt.  

The porcupine-like demonic beast Matun specialized in firing steel-hard spikes like missiles.  

Each volley contained dozens, and every time, three or four pierced through the divine barrier.  

“Guh—!”  

Gritting his teeth, Choi Kang-soo yanked out a spike embedded over 10 centimeters deep in his thigh and quickly healed the wound with holy power.  

The spike’s tip carried a paralyzing toxin—delayed treatment would’ve left him fully immobilized.  

“Damn it! Fucking bastard!”  

Even after healing, his thigh burned, drawing curses from Choi Kang-soo.  

Grrr… Krrr… Grk!  

Matun flicked its tongue in disappointment at seeing Choi Kang-soo still moving despite the spikes.  

“Disgusting freak!”  

Unlike Bultilas’ sonic attacks, Matun’s spikes didn’t bypass barriers entirely, but a few always got through.  

‘These beasts have unusually high resistance to magic—holy power included. I never imagined such creatures existed…’  

Even the Divine Sword was taken aback by the beasts’ ability to shrug off holy power.  

The most effective way to deal with them was brute physical force.  

But among those present, only two lacked the strength to overpower the beasts physically—one of them being Choi Kang-soo.  

And since his divine defenses weren’t strong enough to fully block the beasts’ attacks, his frustration was understandable.  

“Argh! So annoying!”  

The high-pitched complaint came from Qua, who was struggling as much as Choi Kang-soo.  

Though she bombarded the beasts with spells, Antarian demonic beasts’ magic resistance rendered her magic unusually ineffective.  

While frantically dodging a charging beast, Qua accidentally locked eyes with Choi Kang-soo.  

His look of sympathy—I understand your pain better than anyone—wounded her pride.  

How dare this holy power-dependent fool consider her his equal?  

“You think I’m like you? I’ll show you the difference!”  

Wind howled around Qua as her clothes and short hair flared upward.  

A massive vortex of magic swirled around her, so intense it felt like the surrounding energy was boiling.  

“I’ll turn you to dust!”  

With a cold declaration, Qua raised both hands above her head and slammed them down.  

Boooom—!  

The ground quaked violently.  

Choi Kang-soo looked around in confusion before his eyes shot upward, widening in shock.  

“T-that’s… the m-moon?!”  

The Witch of the Moon.  

Her most powerful spell involved summoning meteorites from space—so dramatic it earned her the nickname.  

“Y-you crazy bitch! Are you trying to kill us all?!”  

Choi Kang-soo imagined the planet shattering from the impact.  

He frantically gathered holy power to erect a barrier, but—  

“What are you babbling about, idiot?”  

The meteorite suddenly fragmented, transforming into a massive orange hammer before crashing down.  

“…No way…”  

Choi Kang-soo rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but the 50-meter-long hammer smashed into Patates, a centipede-like beast with 24 legs.  

Despite its incredibly tough exoskeleton, Patates’ defenses were torn apart like paper.  

True to her word, Qua had turned it to dust.  

The beast’s massive body shattered under the hammer before burning away in orange flames—beyond any regeneration.  

“Hmph!”  

Qua smirked triumphantly at Choi Kang-soo.  

His face twisted in frustration at her gloating.  

‘Damn her!’  

He wanted to retaliate in kind, but—  

‘Don’t you have some ultimate move? If you’re a Transcendent, shouldn’t you have something? Like dropping a giant cross from the sky?!’  

‘Now you’re just spouting nonsense. What does a cross have to do with me? Mute’s symbol isn’t related to that.’  

A Transcendent without a single ultimate move.  

Choi Kang-soo couldn’t help but think holy power was a trash ability, unsuited even for a secondary skill.  

The Divine Sword regretted its foolish choice, watching his ungrateful thoughts.  

‘I should’ve chosen Vandeyan instead… At least that wouldn’t have been this humiliating.’  

But what was done couldn’t be undone. The Divine Sword could only wallow in regret.  

Meanwhile, a second demonic beast let out a dying screech as hundreds of holes riddled its body.  

“Tch! Know your place, beast!”  

Raten.  

Drenched in the beast’s fluids, he had finally snapped—using dozens of orbs to kill it.  

A grazing arrow from Ratio left his expression colder than ever.  

“Damn hybrid bitch! Show yourself! I’ll tear you apart before Pio arrives!”  

Shoom! Shoom! Shoom!  

Three arrows answered him.  

“There!”  

Raten hurled orbs at the source while Qua rained orange flames around it.  

Boom—!  

The space where Ratio had hidden was reduced to ruins—revealing the gray-haired archer amidst the debris.  

Before Raten, Qua, or Seo Do-jun could attack—  

Craaash—!  

A sword fell like lightning from the sky, carving a massive cylindrical crater.