Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 105: Control?

Vale tried to interrogate Varyn, to get more from him, but the man remained mute as if he’d just realized that he had said too much. So they mostly stayed in silence as the shield finally fell.

He stood there and watched Varyn again. Vale opened his mouth and frowned. Then he spun and began to make his way outside, but suddenly, he paused, and he smiled.

He raised his leg to take another step, and then he paused again. His body shuddered, and then he forced himself to put his leg down. Vale realized then, something was trying to control him!

Oh! I know just how to deal with that!

He looked at his left hand and showed his Mark Order. The red moon appeared, immediately clearing his mind. Vale turned, and he saw what he was expecting.

"So it wasn’t just my imagination that you were taken down so easily."

In front of him stood two Varyns. One of them was still shackled by the chains, while another stood to the side, smiling mischievously.

"Oh... you resisted my whispering! How unbelievable. But that’s expected from the one Fell sent us to kill." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Vale narrowed his eyes. He tried to keep his voice calm, but his thoughts were spinning so fast that his voice raised a little.

"Who are you? You are not Varyn."

"What did you think? I can’t believe you were fooled so easily, but that’s expected. I’m strong in this aspect. My biggest fear was that man... what’s his name again? Tiber!"

Vale still held his formation tight. "You’ve not answered my question."

Instead of replying, the Varyn in front reached forward and slapped the other Varyn on the back, and he directly dissolved—countless translucent guides were inhaled by the only Varyn standing.

He spread his hands and smiled. "Just know that I’m not the dead Varyn."

Then he shook his head. "Oh, Vale. You are too naive to be doing all this. Why do you think the second layer is so balanced? The outlaws don’t really cause that much trouble. The teams don’t really misbehave.

"Do you think the Ten could really do this much? If they turned on them, they might kill a lot, but they’d also be wiped out. There’d be constant trouble."

Vale felt a touch of chill. "What are you saying?"

The Varyn continued as if he hadn’t spoken. "There have to be some people behind the scenes to keep the peace, right? That’s us. We keep the peace so that none of the teams would be seen making any moves. Although it’s more complicated than that."

Vale’s heart had started to beat fast. ’Us... we... there’s not just one assassin! Tiber and Slya... Xan!’

"Which Flag do you belong to?"

The man laughed. "We don’t belong to any Flagbearers. All the Flags agreed to pay our commission fee. We are from the Assassin Guild. To keep things fair, we are employed from the outside to keep the peace here when the Ten can’t make moves that would seem... too political.

"It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to earn our fee, and then you just come out of nowhere and start burning everything up." He smirked.

That smirk annoyed Vale, and he wanted to burn it off, but he held himself back. He wanted to know it all.

"Who sent you?"

"Fell? I mean, he was the one to propose our use to the Rank 1, that we’d be needed to take you down. And then your subordinate, that big guy, came crawling by the other time to see Lysa, and I just happened to be here. We just know you’re up to no good."

"And yet all the outlaws are dead."

The Varyn smiled even wider. "Well, that’s part of Fell’s plan. Now he has direct access to all their amassed wealth, and he’ll be able to build all the next outlaws under his wings."

Vale shook his head. ’More games. Every time. But then again, didn’t I play this round as well? It’s not looking good, though, because now I realize I didn’t know the rules of the game!’

"You are affiliated with someone after all," Vale pointed out.

The Varyn smirked. "Yes. It just happens that a faction back in Athrimir is supporting both my Assassin Guild and Scuffed Bones."

"I see. So Fell is behind this after all. He got you to make moves. No matter, I’ll just burn the lot of you into ashes."

The Varyn laughed. He pretended to have shivers as he shook. "I’m afraid! But you’ve missed an important point. My team and I are A-ranked assassins of the Knight rank. Have you heard of the B to S rank? Yes, we are ranked A. We are strong."

The hair on Vale’s neck stood. He wasn’t afraid for himself but for his team! As far as he knew, Tiber and Slya were just a rank above average, even though he was the one who gave them Construct powers.

The Varyn shrugged. "So why don’t you wait here until the bodies of your tea...."

Vale made the space in front of him explode in an intense wave of blistering fire that surged forward like a tide. The air shimmered as the red fire slammed into the wall, melting the ground and the glass set in the wall.

He turned, his mind racing on how he could get to his teammates as fast as possible.

"You talk too much."

Vale took three steps before a blood-red scythe gleamed in front of him, the curved blade inches from his neck.

He heard a voice behind him.

"Ah! What type of fire is that? It’s no normal elemental, for sure. Are you a Construct user too?"

’He’s not dead? Impressive. Then I should quickly finish him before...!!’

The scythe jerked backward, but Vale dodged downward in time, sending himself forward with a blast of fire just as the blade whirled a second time, cleaving through the space where he had been.

Vale turned to face him, a fire spear forming in his right hand. "Let’s be mindful of the time. I have somewhere to be."

The Varyn spun his weapon effortlessly, making it blur around him in streaks of red. "Then let’s get to it!"

He jumped forward, the scythe spinning in his hands in a downward arc that met Vale’s fire spear. There was a tiny resistance, but the scythe cut through the spear.

That was exactly what Vale had been aiming for. Using the fire as a smokescreen, he caught the scythe by the head before it could pierce through his chest.

Then Vale jerked the weapon toward him, throwing the Varyn forward. His left hand, which had been gathering fire, lashed out toward the man’s stomach in a blasting punch.