SFRW-Chapter 292

Ch. 292 Sword God From The Ruined World

-Why did you do that?  

“Everything was a decision made for you, Lord Barhaut.”  

-It was my will to ask Ophel for a favor.  

“With all due respect, asking Ophel for a favor may have been a momentary mistake born from your unease and impatience, Lord Barhaut. Guardian planets can be recreated as many times as needed. But! The price you must pay Ophel will bring regret that can never be undone.”  

Barhaut fell silent for a long time at Luam’s words.  

Because it was true.  

Barhaut had indeed regretted asking Ophel for a favor.  

-But my intentions have already been conveyed to Ophel. Ophel will…  

After pausing briefly, Barhaut let out a small sigh and continued.  

-…never give up.  

It was a question from Barhaut, asking if Luam understood what that meant and how terrifying its implications were.  

“If it’s Vipiens, he can stop it.”  

-Hmm.  

As Barhaut exhaled uncomfortably, Luam reassured him.  

“I will assist him. If I and Ratio help Vipiens, neither the Seven Apostles nor those bastards will ever achieve what they desire.”  

That might indeed be the case.  

No, it will be.  

Vipiens will surely stop them, and the Seven Apostles will also fail.  

Moreover—  

-Which of the Seven Apostles was injured again?  

“Felts and Seil.”  

Felts and Seil were injured so severely that they would be unable to act externally for at least several years.  

On the other hand, Barhaut had lost Allekuhi.  

In terms of losses, it was incomparable, but what mattered was the present.  

If Vipiens was aided by Luam and Ratio, the Seven Apostles—missing Felts and Seil—would pose no threat.  

Of course, Vipiens could not afford to hold back as he had before, merely maintaining balance.  

He had to go all out.  

-Can you do it?  

At Barhaut’s words that this was the last chance, Luam’s green eyes flashed as he replied:  

“I will stake my life on it.”  

Luam, too, had nowhere left to retreat.  

Since this was the final opportunity, he was prepared to give everything.  

-Good. I trust you.  

Barhaut handed Luam a pitch-black, cube-shaped object that emitted a dark glow.  

“T-this is…!”  

The Chaos Cube.  

Luam’s jaw dropped at the realization that Barhaut was giving him one of his most powerful artifacts.  

-You know how to use it, right?  

“O-of course! B-but why give it to me…?”  

-Luam, your life is more precious to me.  

At Barhaut’s words, Luam trembled violently, overwhelmed by surging emotions.  

“I… I will definitely kill him!”  

Barhaut nodded, as if that was enough.  

***

‘We will never give up. And next time, we will definitely defeat you.’  

Seo Do-jun couldn’t forget the sight of Kael, his face covered in blood, vowing revenge.  

Seo Do-jun had only wanted to gauge Kael’s strength.  

But Kael, as if unwilling to hold back, fought with everything he had, forcing Seo Do-jun to respond in kind.  

Kael had two strengths:  

Swordsmanship and magic.  

His swordsmanship surpassed anyone Seo Do-jun had ever faced.  

Seo Do-jun was so exhilarated that he wanted to spar with him all night.  

It had been so long since he found pure Joi in wielding a sword.  

Despite his exceptional swordsmanship, Kael was also a master of magic.  

A true sword-mage.  

If there were those who dreamed of becoming sword-mages, they would have to acknowledge that Kael stood at the pinnacle of that path.  

But Kael had a fatal flaw.  

Ironically, it was his swordsmanship and magic.  

In other words, his greatest strengths were also his greatest weaknesses.  

If viewed as a unified whole, Kael’s skill as a sword-mage was unmatched.  

But if swordsmanship and magic were judged separately, neither reached the absolute peak of their respective fields.  

‘Kael, why don’t you seriously learn magic? With your talent, you could become an archmage in no time. If you combined that with your swordsmanship, you could defeat any enemy.’  

That was a suggestion Ryuntna had once made to Seo Do-jun.  

Ryuntna, a great mage herself, had recognized Seo Do-jun’s potential.  

‘Magic? Why should I learn that now? I can just cut everything down with my sword. If I can’t cut it, why solve it with magic? Honestly, it just seems like flailing around after learning a bit of everything.’  

It wasn’t disdain for magic.  

Seo Do-jun simply believed that true mastery came from dedicating oneself entirely to one path.  

He thought it far more efficient to spend time honing his sword than splitting his focus.  

And that choice had been correct.  

No matter how great Kael was as a sword-mage, he could never surpass Seo Do-jun, who had devoted his entire life to the sword.  

“…I can feel it too.”  

As Seo Do-jun muttered, recalling Kael, Choi Kang-soo, walking beside him, tilted his head in confusion.  

Seo Do-jun patted his shoulder dismissively and glanced at Joi, trudging at the back of the group.  

Joi had ultimately chosen to open a dimensional portal and abandon her home planet.  

Persuaded by Choi Kang-soo and Shinjo, she had decided that living to fight another day was better than dying meaninglessly.  

But now, realizing she had no role left, she had lost all will to live.  

Having witnessed Barhaut’s power and the overwhelming might of their enemies in the Khetalu Plains, it was a natural reaction.  

“I…”  

Joi, who had been walking silently like a mute, finally spoke.  

The group stopped and turned to her.  

“I want to part ways here.”  

Joi was saying goodbye.  

“Part ways? What will you do here? You’re not planning to kill yourself in the middle of nowhere, are you?”  

Choi Kang-soo rushed to her side, his voice frantic.  

“What’s the point of dying now? If I were going to die…”  

Joi couldn’t bring herself to say she should have died on her home planet.  

“Come with us instead. Wouldn’t it be better to see us kill Barhaut and succeed in our revenge?”  

“I’d like that, but I’d just be a burden.”  

“What are you talking about? Who said you’re a burden? And how can a former administrator talk like this?”  

As the former administrator of a Guardian Planet, Joi was far from weak. But the enemies they now faced were so powerful that she felt outmatched.  

“See that guy? He’s weaker than you but still shamelessly sticks with us!”  

Choi Kang-soo pointed at Rahf, who scoffed.  

“I’m weaker?”  

Rahf, who had once been stronger than Pope Alfrey of Bastlo, smirked.  

Though Joi was stronger than Alfrey, Rahf still had the Orc Warchief Black Knight Akada and his secret weapons.  

If he went all out, he was confident he could overpower Joi.  

But he wasn’t foolish enough to say that aloud.  

Despite Choi Kang-soo’s efforts, Joi remained firm.  

“Uncle!”  

Choi Kang-soo turned to Seo Do-jun for help.  

“Staying here won’t change anything.”  

Logically, Joi was a stranger on this planet. The atmosphere was entirely different from her home.  

The ruined planets they had seen before—sold out by corrupt administrators—would take ages to recover even if freed.  

“At least I won’t be a burden.”  

“Dammit! Who called you a burden? Was it Shinjo? Grichuk? Oh, I knew it was you!”  

Rahf, the usual scapegoat, didn’t even bother responding.  

“Do you not plan to return?”  

“Return?”  

Joi looked at Seo Do-jun, puzzled.  

“To your home.”  

Her pupils shook as if struck by an earthquake.  

“…Can I go back?”  

“I can’t promise. But it’s better than staying here, drowning in regret.”  

As Joi hesitated, Choi Kang-soo cut in:  

“He’s right! If we kill Barhaut, maybe you can return! That’s our only hope too—to go back home. So don’t throw your life away here!”  

If she could return…  

What more could she ask for?  

She had been ready to die for her planet’s freedom.  

If it was already free, she could live the rest of her life in atonement.  

“Can I really go back?”  

Seo Do-jun didn’t give her the answer she wanted.  

“Like I said, I don’t know. But trying is better than regretting.”  

Choi Kang-soo pouted, insisting on a more hopeful tone.  

Whether it was his optimism or Seo Do-jun’s words that inspired her, Joi finally spoke:  

“My power is nothing compared to yours, but I’ll do my best. Just tell me what to do.”  

Another comrade had joined their quest for revenge against Barhaut.  

“Don’t stress! This guy’s only job is opening portals anyway.”  

“You’re the only one who doesn’t realize how important that is.”  

Ignoring Rahf, Choi Kang-soo stuck to Joi’s side, chattering away to cheer her up.  

“From now on, we’ll need to tread carefully.”  

As Choi Kang-soo and Joi talked noisily, Shinjo approached Seo Do-jun, who nodded.  

At least one piece of good news: Allekuhi, one of the Six Seats, had died in the Khetalu Plains.  

And in doing so, he had incapacitated two of the Seven Apostles—a huge advantage.  

But they couldn’t let their guard down.  

Five Apostles remained, and unlike in the Khetalu Plains, the Six Seats would now be hunting them.  

One question lingered: Who was the last of the Six Seats?  

So far, the Six Seats had been highly individualistic.  

If the last one hadn’t appeared even after the Apostles moved…  

‘They must not be close to Barhaut.’  

But that didn’t mean they would ignore Barhaut’s orders forever.  

Eventually, they would clash—and Seo Do-jun had a feeling the last Seat would be the strongest.  

‘Still, we’re almost there.’  

Though more challenges awaited, Seo Do-jun could feel Barhaut drawing near.