SFRW-Chapter 69

Ch. 69 Sword God From The Ruined World

The environment of the Seosan rift zone was very simple.  

A castle.  

Upon entering the rift zone, a massive medieval castle stood before one’s eyes.  

Death Knight Castle.  

That was its official designation in the World Hero Association.  

There were no Boss Monsters or sub-boss monsters here.  

The only problem? There were far too many Death Knights.  

Death Knights were typically created by binding the souls of knights who had died in life.  

As a result, they appeared as empty suits of armor that moved on their own. Even if their limbs were severed, they felt no pain. Even if their helmets were crushed, their arms and legs continued to fight. They were extremely troublesome opponents.  

Moreover, they wielded swords and shields, fighting in the same manner as humans—a combat style unfamiliar to most Heroes.  

Though there were no boss or sub-boss monsters, Death Knights were still divided into ranks:  

– Normal Death Knights guarded the outer walls.  

– Elite Death Knights guarded the inner castle.  

– Champion Death Knights guarded the core of the rift at the heart of the castle.  

For an A-rank Hero, a single Normal Death Knight wasn’t particularly difficult to handle—assuming they didn’t struggle against the knight’s inhuman endurance and human-like combat style.  

Elite Death Knights were roughly twice as strong as Normal ones, but an A-rank Hero with experience fighting the latter could manage.  

Champion Death Knights, however, were a different story.  

They weren’t quite boss-level, but they were too much for an A-rank Hero.  

At minimum, an S-rank Hero was needed to deal with them comfortably.  

But there was another problem.  

Death Knights were, by nature, monsters created from the bound souls of former knights.  

This meant they fought like humans—but when they fought as a group, their threat multiplied exponentially.  

Unlike other monsters, their combat patterns changed when they moved in formation.  

They were specialists in group warfare.  

If a single Normal Death Knight’s combat power was rated as 1, two together wouldn’t just be 2—they’d be 3 or 4.  

Three or four together? The difficulty skyrocketed.  

Even an A-rank Hero who could easily handle one would find their life in danger against a group.  

The Seosan rift zone housed roughly a thousand Death Knights:  

– 600 Normal Death Knights  

– 400 Elite Death Knights  

– 32 Champion Death Knights  

This was why the Seosan rift zone was classified as Danger Level 3.  

It was a place that demonstrated the terror of organized combat over individual strength.  

But to Seo Do-jun?  

None of that mattered.  

“Death Knights… How amusing.”  

Seo Do-jun had been wielding a sword since he could barely walk.  

To him, Death Knight Castle was nothing more than a playground—the first place since the ruined world where he could properly swing his sword again.  

Summoning his blade from subspace, he grinned like a child seeing a new toy and strode toward the castle.  

Ten minutes later.  

BOOM—CRASH!  

A section of the castle wall collapsed as if struck by an explosion.  

Dozens of Normal Death Knights had been reduced to scrap metal, scattered haphazardly. Many more were buried under the rubble.  

“How did you even wield a sword in life?”  

With every swing of Seo Do-jun’s blade, the Death Knights were swept aside like leaves in the wind.  

Fearless and painless, they kept charging even as their comrades fell—but not a single one of their strikes even grazed Seo Do-jun’s clothes. Their sturdy shields couldn’t withstand even one of his slashes.  

CLANG! CRASH! SHING—!  

With each strike, Seo Do-jun’s expression grew brighter.  

He didn’t even need to use his family’s swordsmanship—just the simple joy of swinging his blade was enough.  

It reminded him of his days at the Imperial Academy in the ruined world, back when he was just a teenager.  

Slash, stab, cleave, deflect, counter.  

Every possible motion of the sword flowed naturally from him.  

The Death Knights swung desperately, trying to survive—but the gap in skill was insurmountable.  

CLANG—SHATTER!  

A Death Knight raised its sword to block—only for the blade to shatter and its armor to crumple grotesquely.  

Sent flying by the impact, it twitched on the ground, trying to rise—only for another Death Knight to crash into it mid-air.  

CLANK!  

The tangled heap of knights was still struggling when yet another was sent tumbling into them.  

The scene around Seo Do-jun was the same everywhere—twisted, mangled armor strewn about like discarded toys.  

After fifteen minutes of relentless swordplay, Seo Do-jun finally paused.  

“Already done? Tch.”  

Clicking his tongue at the lack of remaining opponents, he headed toward the inner castle.  

SHHK—SHHK—SHHK!  

As if aware of the carnage outside, 400 Elite Death Knights stood in a semicircular formation, swords drawn.  

Having just finished a 600-to-1 fight, Seo Do-jun now faced a 400-to-1 battle.  

Fewer in number, but the pressure they exuded was incomparable.  

Yet Seo Do-jun’s gaze was already fixed beyond them.  

On the 32 Champion Death Knights guarding the rift’s core.  

His real targets.  

A smirk curled his lips.  

“I’ll make this quick.”  

He moved first.  

“Now that felt like a proper warm-up.”  

Leaving the ruined inner castle and the 400 defeated Elite Death Knights behind, Seo Do-jun approached the last remaining 32 Champion Death Knights.  

Not one had moved, despite their comrades’ destruction.  

Their duty was to guard the rift’s core—and nothing else.  

This was why Seo Do-jun liked Death Knights.  

Even in the ruined world, they had been the most trusted guardians of dark mages.  

Unwavering loyalty made them irreplaceable.  

“Just as you guard this rift’s core, protect Eun-young and Grandma—even if the world ends. That’s why I chose you.”  

Seo Do-jun’s figure vanished into the ground like a shadow.  

WHOOSH—CRASH!  

He reappeared, slamming the flat of his blade into a Champion’s chest and sending it flying.  

In that instant—  

SHING! SHING! SHING!  

Three razor-sharp sword strokes aimed for his head, waist, and legs.  

Seo Do-jun spun, his blade flashing.  

CLASH—CLANG!  

The weight behind these strikes was different.  

If Normal Death Knights fought like beginners, and Elites like squires, then Champions wielded their swords like true knights—precise, powerful, and relentless.  

Even as he parried three blades, two more Champions attacked from his flanks.  

BANG! CRACK!  

Then came four more strikes, aiming to shred him apart.  

This was why even an S-rank Hero would struggle against ten Champions.  

“Good—show me everything you’ve got!”  

Laughing, Seo Do-jun swung harder.  

The clashing of steel grew louder, heavier.  

SHIIING—CRUNCH!  

The Champions could manipulate magic, forcing Seo Do-jun to reinforce his blade to avoid damage.  

Each collision of his red-hot magic against their blackened darkness tore through the air, the shockwaves shaking the castle’s foundations.  

In a battle that would leave Earth’s Heroes stunned, Seo Do-jun moved with flawless precision.  

Dodging, parrying, countering—he sent Champions flying one after another with crushing blows to their chests.  

Ten minutes later, only six Champions remained.  

Weaving through a thrust, Seo Do-jun hammered his sword down onto another’s helmet.  

THUD—CRACK!  

The knight staggered—and in that split second, Seo Do-jun’s foot caved in its chest.  

BOOM!  

The Death Knight’s armor trembled violently.  

To defeat one, you had to either utterly destroy its armor or deliver a blow powerful enough to incapacitate it.  

(Of course, severing its magic-infused armor risked annihilating the bound soul—but only if the strike was strong enough.)  

CRUNCH! SMASH!  

Two more Champions were sent sprawling, their armor crumpled.  

Only three now stood against him.  

Expressionless, they charged like machines.  

Seo Do-jun swung his sword one last time.  

“That was fun.”  

Exhaling deeply, Seo Do-jun finally sheathed his blade.  

It had been too long since he’d enjoyed a fight this much.  

Retrieving a pendant from subspace, he prepared to bind the Champion Death Knights.  

The process was simple—just channel magic to activate the Soul Gem’s power.  

HUMmmmm…  

A gloomy, oppressive energy radiated from the gem as it reacted to his magic.  

Without hesitation, Seo Do-jun shoved it into a fallen Champion’s helmet.  

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!  

The armor convulsed violently before collapsing—now just an empty shell.  

The soul had been bound to the gem.  

Seo Do-jun repeated the process, binding ten Champions per Soul Gem.  

Unless the gem was shattered or the soul utterly destroyed, they would protect their owner eternally.  

“Should I store the rest too?”  

He had 12 Soul Gems from the Gold Market—enough for 120 Champions.  

But he decided to save the extras for later.  

Once finished, he collected all the magic stones and usable equipment from the fallen knights.  

The magic stones were valuable, and the gear could be sold to fund top-tier combat suits for his new guardians.  

With everything done, Seo Do-jun exited the rift zone.  

“Ghk!”  

“A-Already?!”  

“It’s only been four hours!”  

The Heroes guarding the entrance stared in disbelief as he emerged.  

“D-Did you… just turn back?” one asked cautiously.  

It was unthinkable to clear the rift that quickly.  

“It’s done. Good work.”  

With that, Seo Do-jun headed to the parking lot.  

The Heroes watched him go, murmuring:  

“He couldn’t have… cleared the entire rift, right?”  

“No way. He probably just hunted his target and left.”  

“Y-Yeah… That’s gotta be it.”  

But even that was no small feat—and they knew it.