Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 133: Who are you

Vale, who had connected with his Mark Order, was now able to resist the fear aura. He scrambled to his feet, then stumbled as his legs went weak, but he supported himself with his sword.

His will to live, combined with the boost from the Mark Order, gave him the courage to open his mouth, even though his heart was beating so fast it filled his ears. "Who are you?"

Vale flinched at the sound of his own voice. ’I can’t believe that’s what I managed to say!’

The monster smiled. "Why do you have to bother about that? It’s not like you will live to...!"

The portal behind him suddenly shook violently, and the edge he held began to crack. The monster looked from Vale to the portal, then narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand.

Suddenly, green light gathered in his hand, throbbing softly. Then the light spread around the room. Time slowed, as if something heavy had suddenly imposed on it. Then, just as it began, everything returned to normal.

But not everything remained normal, because all the workbenches, the ingredients, and everything else in the room had vanished. The Yeti’s body had equally disappeared.

The strange monster glanced at him one more time, and without saying anything, he stepped into the cracking portal.

Vale stared at where the portal had stood moments ago. His heart felt as if it would burst out of his chest, and his breathing was harsh in his ears. He barked a laugh. "I’m still alive."

It was as if a blade had been lifted from his neck.

"I’m still alive!" He grinned stupidly, then stopped. "Why am I still alive?"

He frowned. "The monster definitely had the chance to kill me, even with the portal crumbling...then why?"

He felt a chill then. ’What’s worse than an enemy killing you is keeping you alive. The reason would definitely cause my death at a later date. This simply means I’m useful to it somehow...is this related to the Old Man and the Forbidden Mark?’

"What in the actual Infernal Hell is going on?" Vale muttered. "Nothing makes sense...no...there must be sense in all this somehow...only I don’t know what and where it’s all connecting."

"At the end, everything leads to the Rift. To the forefront of the Soryu Borderland."

He smiled grimly. "And I want to close the Rift? How will I do that when I piss myself at the sight of the monsters? I can’t even lift my sword."

"Stronger...I must get stronger."

He glanced around, his essence senses swiping over the others, and he confirmed they were still out cold. He shuddered. ’What a terrifying aura.’

Then he began to think about the implications of what just happened. Somehow, the monsters got their hands on human ingredients and are making large numbers of warriors. That usually leads to one thing—war.

An invasion on a large scale.

"But I still don’t understand. They can’t get out of their ruin; only the Rift can pour out monsters, and even then, it’s usually in smaller numbers. Ruin breaks happen, but not at the scale of hundreds of thousands of monsters at once."

"And somehow, that monster was able to take everything away, wiping it clean. What they are planning is still ongoing."

Vale sighed. ’It’s not as if there’s anything I can do about it though. I can’t even look that monster in the eye for five seconds.’

He sat back down and leaned against one of the workbenches, his head pounding as he waited for the others to wake up.

As expected, it was Tiber who woke up first.

The man stood up as if nothing had happened, he surveyed the room and asked Vale what happened. Vale explained to him after making sure the others were still unconscious.

The only thing he kept back was what the monster said and his suspicions about the link between his Mark Order and the Rift.

Tiber remained silent as he digested this, then he asked, "Do you think they’ve found a way to move such numbers of monsters outside in one go?"

Vale could only shrug. "Who knows?"

Tiber then looked towards the still-sleeping Knights and frowned, his expression deepening as he narrowed his eyes on Dlodus.

"Are you trying to read his dream?" Vale asked.

Tiber nodded with a sigh. "Yes, but his dream is strangely blank, like a clean paper. Considering what you said about the human ingredient you saw, I think I have an idea. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"When I entered the dreams of the slumbering monsters and that Yeti earlier, I saw Dlodus in it."

"What?" Vale asked in surprise. Had Dlodus previously been inside this ruin? "Did you find out what he was looking for, why he was here?"

Tiber shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can only read dreams, and Dlodus only appeared because it was something familiar. If only I had more time to put a suggestion into his mind so as to interrogate the monster..."

Vale waved it off. "It’s not like the monster would keep still. Besides, what you learned is valuable intel already. This place is reeking of too much conspiracy; I wonder what the forefront will be like."

They didn’t say anything after that. It wasn’t the best place to discuss something like that.

They patiently waited for the others to wake up, and they did, one after the other. Vale made them wait for Serdan to wake before he explained what happened after they passed out. But he didn’t tell them about the monster, only that the portal sucked everything in.

He’d be giving Slya the version he gave Tiber later.

When Dlodus asked why Vale didn’t pass out as well, the only answer he received was a smirk and: "I’m stronger than everyone."

And that was the end of it. Of course, Dlodus and Serdan shot him suspicious looks until he handed over the spatial rings on him and his teammates for them to check.

Their expressions soured after that because they had gained no resources. No loot. They even searched the whole workshop, looked for hidden doors and such. But they found nothing.

After that, Serdan took them back up to the original floor with her tree. And unsurprisingly, there was not a single ice statue warrior remaining, not even the broken ones.

The ruin clearing was a failure!