Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 108: I expected better

But Ryker was covered by hard red light. He scowled, more disgusted than angry. "Is that all you can do? Pathetic!"

Tiber shook himself off and then, with his many hands, he ran a few feet away. His flesh began to squirm, and he formed a new lower body quickly. "That was painful."

Ryker looked at him in amusement. "So that’s your power? You can regenerate? I wonder what will happen if I cut you into pieces."

And he tried just that. His sword slashed through the air in an X, and red energy blasted out toward Tiber, who grunted and used one of his hands to move his cloak around. He dusted it off, and the attack slammed into the cloak, turning into black energy that was quickly absorbed.

Ryker’s eyes widened. "What’s...!!"

Instinctively, he looked at his own body where the black blood had sprayed, and he recoiled. The hard red light surrounding him was rapidly turning black.

He dusted it off frantically with his hand, but it only got transferred over. Quickly, he dropped the shield, letting the red and black fall away.

That was exactly what Tiber was waiting for as he vaulted over.

But something slammed into him from midair, so hard his bones cracked, and the air was driven from his lungs in a bloody gasp. He was sent flying sideways and rammed into a pillar, breaking away a chunk.

"Have you forgotten that I am here?" Aria said, but her voice now had a rough growl. The right part of her hand had changed her right hand was now a massive cluster of jagged fangs and flesh, all fused into one like the wing of some kind of monstrosity.

Tiber answered as his body strengthened, bones cracking as they reconstructed. "So I have to fight the two of you now?"

He grimaced. By holding his nightmare form, he didn’t have access to his other powers. But he even doubted he could pull the two of them into a dream.

The hands on his back and sides reached out, gripping the black cloak and then pulling, each hand tearing out a chunk that rapidly grew into swords.

Tiber grinned. "Nothing’s ever easy."

Meanwhile, Slya was faring no better. Her opponent had been using just two abilities, yet she found it difficult to counter.

His could attract and repel.

’What can I do? Any attack I send just gets blown away, and even I can’t get close to him unless he intentionally draws me in only to beat me with that hammer!’

Slya was shying away from him. She had detected that his ability had a range, and she was doing her best to stay out of it. Her face was swollen, and a smear of blood covered her cheek. She was slightly hunched forward as bolts of pain danced in her stomach.

Again, she conjured black spears that shot forward, but as soon as they got close to him, the air ripped, and they were blasted back.

’Just what type of ability is this? How do I kill someone I can’t even get close to?!’

Kae’s rigid face hardened even more, and he shook his head. "Such foolishness. Why are you running now? Shouldn’t you be ready for death when you decided to face me? Why are you afraid of death?"

Slya was stunned. The words she initially wanted to say died on her lips. "What? I... should accept death?"

His face settled. "Yes. Once you become a Knight, you should be prepared to die for whatever cause you take up."

"You’re prepared to die as an assassin?"

"Why else would I be here? If I’m not ready to die for what I’m living for, then what’s the value of living? Once you take a stand or support something, it should be something you’re ready to die for," Kae said with calm conviction.

Slya opened her mouth, then silently closed it, frowning. ’I... I’m not ready to die for Vale... but I was ready to die to become a Knight. Does that mean I will die to remain a Knight? And by standing by Vale...’

She shook her head and smiled. "You’re Kae, right? I think you’re a better person than I ever was. It saddens me that you stand by something I stand against. I almost didn’t want to kill you."

She spun halfway, and the chain she conjured spun like a whip, curving directly through half the room. It coiled around a pillar and....

Whatever she was trying to do was all for nothing because Kae lifted his hammer, pointed forward, and then jerked. The air distorted, and with a yelp, Slya flew toward him like a plucked fruit.

"You think you know how far I can reach?" Kae asked.

She straightened her body as best she could, then conjured forged spikes to surround her. But just as she got close, she was blasted right back and slammed into a pillar.

Her head cracked painfully against the stone, and tears stung her eyes. She opened her mouth to curse, but the air was stolen from her as she was plucked again only to be slammed into another pillar.

Her vision blurred as pain flashed through her. Again and again, Kae did the same, and then he brought her close once more. This time, her thoughts had turned hazy, and the pain clouded her concentration.

As she got close, he didn’t immediately repel her. Kae angled his hammer, then slammed it into her back as if breaking a stone.

Slya opened her mouth in a silent scream and went limp immediately. As bones crunched and shattered, she fell to the ground like a wet rag.

Kae frowned and shook his head. "I expected better."

He took a step toward her and lifted his hammer over her head, but suddenly, he tried to jump away, only to realize too late that the shadows on the ground had grown fangs and closed around him.

A repelling shockwave blasted everything around him, but it was already too late, the trap of fangs, like those used for hunting, had already closed around his left leg.

He hissed in pain and brought his hammer down, surrounded by a ripple of force, tearing the shadows away but not before some of his flesh was ripped out as well.

Just then, a shadow loomed over him.