SFRW-Chapter 293

Ch. 293 Sword God From The Ruined World

“What about Felts and Seil?”  

As Ver stepped out, her face drenched in sweat, Raten immediately asked, as if he had been waiting.  

“Both will be out of commission for at least five years.”  

“Five years?!”  

“That’s already fortunate. If treatment had been even slightly delayed…”  

Felts would have spent the rest of his life disabled, and Seil would have had to dedicate decades to recovery.  

Knowing how severe their injuries were, Raten clenched his fists and spat out his words like he was chewing them.  

“Luam… that bastard! I’ll crush him into dust with my own hands!”  

“What’s the point of turning a lich into dust? He’ll just come back good as new anyway.”  

At Qua’s retort, Raten scowled, asking if this was really the time for such talk.  

“That’s why I’m telling you to join me in searching for that skull-faced bastard’s Life Force Vessel.”  

“Where would we even find it? He’s probably hidden it somewhere beyond our imagination. And even if we somehow do find and destroy Luam’s Life Force Vessel, do you think Barhaut would just sit back and watch?”  

Felts and Seil’s injuries were a special case, which was why Barhaut had only observed. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have ended with just the Six Seats and the Seven Apostles.  

Raten shot Qua a glare, telling her to stop with the nonsense, then turned to Kael.  

“What’s your plan now?”  

Even though Felts and Seil were out, five of the Seven Apostles remained, and for Ophel’s sake, they had to fulfill Barhaut’s request.  

No—more than that, Raten believed they had to be the ones to resolve this, no matter what it took, especially since the Seven Apostles’ pride had been wounded.  

And Kael felt the same.  

“We kill him.”  

Kael’s expression was as stoic as ever, but the twitching of the fresh wound on his forehead betrayed his simmering fury.  

‘This is the first time I’ve faced someone who wields both sword and magic so masterfully. Incredible talent. He must’ve trained relentlessly… but why didn’t he just focus on one? If he had, it might’ve been a more entertaining fight.’  

‘Entertaining fight?’  

Seo Do-jun’s words echoed in Kael’s mind dozens of times a day.  

Kael, who had always been hailed as the most gifted of his generation.  

‘Kael! You must master the sword! With your physical prowess, reflexes, memory, and talent for replicating any movement, you could become the greatest swordsman in history!’  

‘Magic! Your magic affinity is unparalleled! Your relentless curiosity and problem-solving intellect make you perfect for magic! You’d master tenfold what others learn once!’  

Everyone had tried to steer him.  

Born with talent enough to be called the greatest and strongest in history, Kael couldn’t bring himself to abandon either sword or magic.  

No—the world wouldn’t let him.  

So he trained in both, and as everyone wished, he earned the titles of the greatest and strongest.  

The most legendary sword-mage in history.  

That was Kael. He had surpassed limits, ascended to the ranks of the transcendent, earned Ophel’s trust, and became the First of the Seven Apostles.  

‘You think you can surpass me? How amusing. Do you believe transcending means breaking the limits of your species? No matter how hard you struggle, some walls can’t be overcome. Countless races, just like you, boasted of their meager talents and challenged us—only to kneel in the end. The only way to surpass me is to be born as I am.’  

‘Vipiens!’  

Barhaut’s strongest card.  

Though not one he could command freely, Vipiens—the most powerful shield guarding Barhaut—was undeniably one of the mightiest beings in existence.  

Kael had tasted bitter defeat at Vipiens’s hands through magic. He had been forced to swallow his pride and endure words that bordered on humiliation.  

Yet Kael refused to give up.  

Even if Dragons were called the embodiment of magic itself, Kael was certain he would surpass Vipiens one day.  

And now, there was someone else he had to trample under his blade.  

‘Both of you—one with magic, the other with the sword—will kneel beneath me!’  

Having steeled his resolve, Kael turned to Ver and Qua.  

“Track them down. And don’t engage until I return.”  

“Where are you going?”  

At Qua’s question, Kael answered simply:  

“Helkaoden.”  

***

“Damn it! This thing’s ridiculously tough!”  

KWA—ANG! BOOM! BOOM!  

The massive fireball, easily 30 meters in size, slammed squarely into the chest of the towering Golem—yet all it left was a faint scorch mark.  

Still, the fireballs kept coming, relentlessly pounding the Golem’s head, shoulders, chest, and abdomen.  

Each explosion made the Golem stagger slightly, but it refused to fall. Watching this, Kusak began gathering dozens of fireballs into one spot.  

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—WHOOSH—WHOOSH—  

The fireballs spun faster and faster until they became a blur.  

“Just fall already!”  

With Kusak’s desperate cry, the spiraling fireballs shot toward the Golem’s chest.  

KWA-KAKAKAKA—!  

The rotating flames drilled into the Golem’s chest like a whirlwind of fire, scattering sparks in all directions and revealing the Dragon bones that formed its frame.  

“Yes! Now it’s—!”  

Just as the absurdly tough outer shell melted and the bones themselves began to crack—  

“That’s enough.”  

The fiery vortex vanished as if it had never existed.  

With nothing more than a wave of a hand.  

“…Insane.”  

No matter how many times he saw it, Kusak couldn’t get used to this level of magical prowess.  

Having his magic effortlessly dispelled with a single gesture was beyond awe-inspiring—it was terrifying.  

A true God of magic.  

No—perhaps calling Vipiens magic itself wouldn’t be an exaggeration.  

With another wave, the Golem’s melted shell restored itself, and it stomped away as if nothing had happened.  

All Kusak could do was let out a hollow laugh before slumping to the ground.  

“Your magic consumption is needlessly high. Such a crude method of casting weakens your magic’s potency.”  

At Vipiens’s words, Kusak let out a dry chuckle.  

“This is the best I can do. Not all of us have hearts made of pure magic to optimize casting efficiency.”  

Though his tone was sarcastic, Vipiens didn’t refute him.  

Still, there was a way to elevate Kusak’s magic beyond its current level.  

“With a magic core, even your pitiful skills might improve somewhat.”  

“Magic core?”  

Tilting his head in confusion, Kusak suddenly recalled something his first magic teacher had mentioned long ago.  

“Wait—you mean that ancient hand-sealing technique?”  

Kusak’s face twisted in disbelief.  

It was an outdated method of magic manifestation, long since abandoned.  

Without a word, Vipiens brought his hands together and began forming seals at an inhuman speed—so fast that his fingers and wrists blurred.  

ZZZIIING—  

A walnut-sized sphere of condensed magic formed in his palm.  

With the magic core complete, Vipiens unleashed his spell.  

A fireball.  

Though only the size of a man’s head, the power contained within dwarfed anything Kusak could muster at full strength.  

Vipiens launched it skyward, where a transparent barrier formed just in time to contain the explosion.  

KZZZ—RRRUMBLE!  

The blast was terrifyingly powerful, yet the barrier held.  

“A magic core exists to facilitate proper magic. For lesser species like humans, it’s the most stable and reliable method.”  

Still dazed, Kusak shook his head and asked:  

“But we developed magic circles in our hearts to replace the slow, complicated magic cores, didn’t we?”  

“That’s your kind’s selfishness. You ignored the greater loss for minor convenience.”  

Kusak looked stunned, as if he’d never considered this.  

He’d always assumed hand-sealing was simply an outdated precursor to magic circles.  

“So… using a magic core really lets me cast stronger magic?”  

Vipiens frowned, as if annoyed by the need to repeat himself.  

“Who first taught humans magic?”  

“Well, that depends on the planet—”  

“Every human planet that uses magic shares one trait.”  

“Which is?”  

When Kusak looked puzzled, Vipiens answered bluntly, as if talking to humans was beneath him.  

“The presence of Dragons. In the beginning, Dragons taught humans the most efficient way to wield magic. It was you fools who abandoned it.”  

The irony was that those same fools prided themselves on their ‘innovation’.  

They’d convinced themselves that discarding the old ways for faster, easier casting was progress.  

“So… will you teach me?”  

Kusak’s eyes sparkled.  

Vipiens had intended to teach him from the start, so he agreed without hesitation.  

But forming seals wasn’t about intelligence—it was sheer repetition.  

“AAAH! My fingers are going numb! They keep tangling! This is insane! I have to cycle through five seals in under a second?!”  

“The speed of your seals determines the magic core’s density.”  

“Damn it!”  

Despite his cursing, Kusak kept moving his fingers without pause.  

Thankfully, his magical aptitude meant he picked up the forms quickly.  

Now, all that remained was practicing until his fingers went numb.  

Leaving Kusak to his swearing and struggles, Vipiens turned away.  

After a few steps, he noticed Veronica staring at him.  

“Did you need something?”  

“Just curious. Technically, we’re your enemies. So why are you helping us so much?”  

It didn’t make sense.  

No—it shouldn’t have been possible.  

At some point, Vipiens had begun actively aiding the very hostages he’d taken, improving their skills.  

With monsters near Rare dwindling, he’d even had Golems assist in combat training.  

And it wasn’t just Kusak.  

Vipiens had offered advice—sometimes direct solutions—to others as well.  

Why?  

Veronica wanted to know.  

“Helping you?”  

A smirk played on Vipiens’s lips.  

“What, are you starting to hope? Do you actually believe you and that human you trust can defeat me?”  

“…Maybe.”  

Vipiens laughed aloud for the first time.  

“Pfft—HAHAHA! Hope? How amusing. You humans never change. Know the difference between us?”  

When Veronica stayed silent, he continued:  

“I’ve never once clung to something as futile as hope. We act only when the outcome is certain. But you? You chase impossible dreams and crumble when they fail. You think my actions come from goodwill? How delusional. When you find a toy that amuses you, don’t you keep it around until it’s no longer fun? We call that play.”  

In short, everything Vipiens did was mere entertainment.  

Veronica clenched her fists at his mockery.  

“You’ll regret this.”  

“Regret? If I could feel such a thing, this would be the second time.”  

Vipiens studied her venomous glare with amusement before leisurely walking away.  

Veronica stared after him, biting her lip hard.  

“Kassal could do it. He’d smash that smug face of yours.”  

***

“Uncle, who do you think the last of the Six Seats is?”  

At Choi Kang-soo’s sudden question, Seo Do-jun didn’t hide his own curiosity.  

If he had to guess, only one name came to mind.  

Vipiens.  

The overseer of the first guardian planet, Pedroma, as Rixis had mentioned.  

But it was just a guess. Given that Vipiens rivaled Barhaut in power, he might not even be one of the Six Seats.  

One thing was certain, though: to reach Barhaut, they had to surpass Vipiens first.  

‘I almost hope he is the last Seat.’  

If Vipiens was the remaining member, they could simply defeat him and move on.  

Unlike Seo Do-jun’s thoughts, Choi Kang-soo remained carefree.  

“Well, whoever it is, they’re probably no different from the others. No need to overthink it.”  

Unlike before, Choi Kang-soo no longer saw the Six Seats as insurmountable. He’d grown strong enough to face transcendent-tier foes head-on.  

“By the way, you think the others are doing alright? They’re probably relaxing in warm beds with good food by now, right?”  

Thinking of those who’d returned to Earth, Choi Kang-soo felt a twinge of envy.  

“We’ll join them soon, won’t we?”  

Seo Do-jun nodded in response.  

But first, they had to kill the ruler of the colossal castle before them—the tyrant who governed this planet.  

Only eight of Barhaut’s guardian planets remained.  

By tomorrow, that number would drop to seven.