SFRW-Chapter 304

Ch. 304 Sword God From The Ruined World

“…Does that even make sense?”  

Kusak stared at Ketera with a genuinely bewildered expression.  

The magic wielded by Vipiens was on a level Kusak couldn’t even dare to dream of.  

Even a simple Fireball was considered the most powerful flame sphere, equivalent to a Hellfire cast by an Archmage—yet Ketera was blocking such magic with nothing but his solid body.  

KWAANG!  

“This stings a little, you know?”  

Ketera, who had just crossed his arms to block the fireball head-on, smirked as he looked at Vipiens.  

Choi Kang-soo, witnessing Ketera withstand a force that would obliterate even a sturdy fortress with his bare body, could only shake his head in disbelief, muttering, “He’s insane.”  

“Just how tough are demon bodies to pull off such absurd tanking?”  

In response to Choi Kang-soo’s question, Seo Do-jun explained what he had noticed but the others missed.  

“A protective barrier formed over the demon’s skin the moment the magic collided. It was an instantaneous change, so you didn’t see it.”  

“A barrier?”  

When asked if it was magic-based, Seo Do-jun admitted he wasn’t sure.  

‘It’s definitely a different energy from magic.’  

The dark red, steam-like energy that had flowed from the spear embedded in Vipiens’ collarbone.  

Outwardly, it seemed like Ketera was tanking Vipiens’s magic with his bare body, but the reality was entirely different.  

He had been neutralizing the magic by shrouding his entire body in demonic energy, which was why he remained unharmed.  

‘The energy demons use is impressive, but their physical ability to endure magical impacts barehanded is just as monstrous. Demons… Who would’ve thought there was a race comparable to dragons?’  

Recognizing the sheer physical prowess of demons, Seo Do-jun resolved to pour everything into his sword strike when the opportunity came.  

However, contrary to appearances, Ketera wasn’t as unscathed as he seemed.  

Though he showed no outward signs, each of Vipiens’ spells was steadily accumulating damage.  

‘To think a runaway from Helkaoden…’  

Ketera found it hard to believe that Vipiens, who had fled Helkaoden, had grown this strong.  

He had assumed he could handle him alone, but now that they were fighting, it was clear things wouldn’t be so easy.  

Worse, Vipiens wasn’t even going all out.  

The true terror of Dragons lay in their original forms, yet Vipiens was fighting him without reverting—a blow to Ketera’s pride, but he had to admit he couldn’t win alone.  

[Yakya.]  

Ketera conveyed his thoughts to Yakya.  

Yakya, who had been observing the fight, knew better than anyone that despite the seemingly even clash, Ketera was the only one taking damage. He uncrossed his arms.  

If Ketera hadn’t asked for help, he might’ve stayed out of it—but now, there was no reason to hold back.  

SWOOSH—!  

A barrage of wind spears rained down like a storm. Ketera swung his fists wildly, shattering Vipiens’ spells before—  

PA—ANG!  

With a sound like space itself tearing, Ketera charged straight at Vipiens.  

He drove his massive knee forward, the sharp bone protruding like a weapon, aiming to pierce Vipiens’s chest.  

“Hmph.”  

Vipiens, as if mocking such a straightforward attack, instantly raised a shield to block it.  

And then came the counterattack.  

BANG BANG BANG—!  

Ten explosions erupted around Ketera’s body, trapping him with no escape.  

Even with his defense, Vipiens was certain he had dealt significant damage this time. As he prepared a follow-up strike—  

CRACK!  

The sound of Vipiens’s left shoulder blade shattering echoed as his body was sent flying sideways.  

Yakya had struck.  

He had been waiting for the perfect moment—his swift, stealthy ambush catching Vipiens off guard.  

“You dodged?”  

Yakya was stunned. Vipiens had twisted his body, minimizing the damage by taking the hit on his shoulder instead of his head.  

Just what had happened to make Vipiens, a deserter from Helkaoden, this strong?  

Helkaoden was the harshest battlefield outside the Demon and Celestial Realms.  

Even now, Demons and Celestials who had escaped their realms fought fiercely there, proving their worth against the Dragons that ruled it.  

It was a place where one grew strong or died—and Vipiens had fled it.  

To Ketera and Yakya, Vipiens was nothing but a ‘dropout’.  

A loser who had run away.  

Yet here he was, stronger than ever in a world filled with inferior beings. It was unbelievable.  

“Even if Dragons grow stronger just by breathing…”  

No matter how broken the Dragon race’s traits were, this level of growth defied reason.  

There had to be another reason Vipiens had grown so powerful.  

“Hmm.”  

Had they been too fixated on Helkaoden?  

Should they have explored the wider world, seeking enlightenment beyond what they knew?  

As Yakya pondered, Vipiens—who had been sent flying with a shattered shoulder—returned, completely unharmed as if never injured.  

His expression icy, like he had been trapped in ice and just broken free, he bestowed a fitting ‘gift’ upon the two demons who had insulted him twice.  

KWAKWAKWAKWA—!  

Not one, but over ten massive meteors came crashing down toward Ketera and Yakya.  

“M-Madness…!”  

Choi Kang-soo’s eyes nearly popped out as he frantically gathered holy power to erect a barrier.  

CRUNCH! CRACK!  

A horrifying sound of bones shifting came from Yakya’s body as he began transforming, just like Ketera had.  

His massive frame swelled, his head and neck thickening grotesquely.  

His entire body bloated unnaturally, until he resembled…  

“…A giant toad?”  

Though humanoid, his overall shape was eerily toad-like.  

Four horns sprouted from his head, and his skin hardened into armor-like calluses from head to toe.  

In his true form, Yakya opened his mouth wide—  

SWOOOOOSH—!  

A pitch-black laser-like beam shot out, obliterating every single meteor in an instant.  

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!  

The sky lit up like a fireworks display of shattered meteors, but no one had the luxury to admire it.  

They were too stunned by Yakya’s monstrous power—blocking Vipiens’s strongest magic with a breath-like attack.  

“…W-What…?”  

If that hits, it’s over.  

That thought burned into everyone’s minds. Yakya’s Cannon was that terrifying.  

Even Vipiens stiffened at the sight of it.  

A Demon’s Cannon was on par with a Dragon’s breath or a Celestial’s Tivolia—a weapon that could kill even a Dragon if it landed cleanly.  

In the past, Vipiens had lost his right wing to one while fleeing Helkaoden, the scar still a gruesome reminder.  

Had it veered slightly left, he wouldn’t be standing here today.  

“Ah! Right! Your left wing, was it? Got hit by a Cannon? Heard you can’t even fly properly now?”  

Ketera cackled at Vipiens’ frozen expression.  

(It was actually his right wing, but Vipiens didn’t bother correcting him.) Instead, he spread his arms wide.  

Simultaneously, five elements—ice, fire, wind, earth, and lightning—swirled together, forming a colossal vortex.  

From the moment he summoned those meteors, Vipiens had stopped caring if his lair—or even the entire guardian planet of Barhaut—was destroyed.  

As long as he killed these two demons, nothing else mattered.  

Now, he prepared a spell powerful enough to shatter the planet itself.  

“The lizard’s really pissed now!”  

Even facing the elemental vortex, Ketera kept talking.  

But he could feel the sheer power radiating from Vipiens’ magic.  

Forcing himself, he gathered power for his own Cannon—knowing full well his body wasn’t ready for another.  

But this was the perfect chance to finish Vipiens off.  

KWAKWAKWAKWA—!  

The five-element vortex clashed head-on with Ketera’s Cannon, unleashing a shockwave that rocked the planet.  

“Guh!”  

Veronica and Kusak hastily raised barriers, but their faces twisted under the strain.  

Only when Choi Kang-soo reinforced them with a divine dome did they relax slightly.  

As the shockwaves subsided, Yakya—who had been waiting for an opening—struck again.  

THUD—!  

Like a teleport, he plunged his razor-sharp hand through Vipiens’ abdomen.  

“I’ll enjoy eating your heart.”  

Even as his arm was drenched in blood from breaking through Vipiens’ shields, Yakya grinned like a victor.  

“Kgh—!”  

Vipiens coughed blood… and smiled.  

What had he lived for all this time?  

The shame of fleeing Helkaoden, submitting to Barhaut—it was unbearable.  

Even after swearing revenge, he hadn’t dared return. That cowardice ended now.  

“Right… I should’ve done this from the start. Like you… I should’ve died there.”  

A maelstrom of magic erupted from Vipiens, hurling Yakya back.  

“Ketera!”  

Yakya shouted as Vipiens began reverting to his true form.  

“I’ve been waiting!”  

Like Demons, Dragons grew exponentially stronger in their original forms—but the transformation left them vulnerable.  

Ketera snapped his own elbow bone, condensing power into it.  

A blinding crimson light erupted, so intense it felt like just looking at it would flay one’s flesh.  

FWOOOOSH—!  

The bone pierced through the magic storm—  

CRUNCH!  

A sickening sound of impact followed.  

Then Yakya fired a second Cannon straight at the transforming Vipiens.  

KWAGAGAGAGA—!  

A direct hit.  

Yakya knew it.  

‘Even if he completes the transformation, the damage is irreversible!’  

A severely wounded dragon was no threat—just a rat to be hunted down.  

But as Yakya smirked in satisfaction—  

FWOOOOM—!  

A golden pillar of magic—Dragon Breath—engulfed him.  

Vipiens had unleashed it despite his injuries, something no normal dragon would do.  

“Crazy lizard bastard!”  

Yakya hadn’t expected this.  

Dragons were cold, calculating—they prioritized survival over suicidal attacks.  

But Vipiens had fought like a demon, throwing his life away.  

Now, Yakya was gravely wounded.  

‘I have to finish this!’  

Ketera knew Vipiens was weakened, but a Dragon was still a Dragon.  

And Vipiens had already proven far stronger than before.  

This was the best chance.  

Gritting his teeth, Ketera forced out another Cannon.  

SHWAAAA—!  

The crimson beam struck true.  

Ketera’s eyes shone with triumph.  

‘This ends it!’  

He didn’t know how badly Yakya was hurt, but he was still standing.  

With Vipiens dead, the rest were just weaklings.  

But as Ketera smiled—  

“Did you overdo it?”  

A unfamiliar voice spoke.  

The human swordsman, Seo Do-jun, stood with his blade ready.  

“You don’t want to die…?”  

“You don’t want to die? Then try to survive this.”  

The heron had lost its wings, its beak and talons broken.  

The clam’s shell was shattered.  

Now, it was the fisherman’s turn.  

Seo Do-jun swung his sword with all his might.  

His first strike against a Demon—a creature with a body harder than steel and an energy unlike magic—was merciless.