Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 163: Here it is

At first, Vale thought the tower had been stolen somehow, but he could feel it was still in the room. But where? He couldn’t make immediate sense of where!

’...Is this how it got in? Teleports and then...?’

He used his sword to hack the remaining door out of the way and stepped into the room. It was a normal room, nothing fancy. A shelf stood to one side with dusty books, and the table that held the tower had even more books.

Vale walked over the dust-covered floor to the table and studied the Chained Artifact without touching it. "So this is the original tower that inspired the others."

It was shaped like an actual tower, a single, gleaming black structure that stood straight up. Vale walked around it without touching it. Chained Artifacts were nasty things, and most of them developed a personality.

They usually had different ways of binding someone to them, but this one had already been bound by blood to Vale’s family. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He walked around the table, and still without touching it, he leaned closer to one side, where he saw scratches of bloody words. "What’s this? The only part of the tower that’s not smooth."

Suddenly, his heartbeat quickened. ’...Did the commander write something there...?’

He narrowed his eyes at the words and read them out loud. "Don’t. It is...?? That’s it? But it seems to have been written in a hurry. Why would he write something like this? It is what? Is this a message or...?"

Vale hesitated as he reached out his hand toward the artifact. He stopped and pulled it back. ’...What if it reacts crazily to me? I should let it know I’m a Athrimir first. Maybe a form of greeting...?’

Vale cleared his throat loudly. "Hello, Tower. I am Vale Athrimir... a Athrimir..."

His voice trailed off. Yet, nothing. Only silence met him. Vale cleared his throat again and looked around, relieved that he was the only one there to witness what was happening.

He stood in silence, thinking of what to do next. Then his eyes lit up as he remembered something. "It’s bound to my clan with blood. Blood!"

Without waiting, he reached for his sword and sliced his hand along the edge, drawing a thin line of blood. Then, he bent forward and dripped it atop the head of the tower.

Drip!

The blood gleamed red atop the tower before being absorbed as if it had never been there. He held his breath, watching the tower for what might happen next.

The tower shuddered. Its black surface rippled like desert sands, then shook. Then, it stopped moving, but Vale felt something watching him, an awareness that he was being observed, examined.

He straightened. "Hello, Vale Tower."

Without hesitation, he reached out his hand and touched it, feeling its warmth seep into him. He knew then that the tower was his. In the next instant, information flooded his mind.

When he removed his hand, the tower floated from its place and gently bobbed around him.

"Its power is more impressive than I thought," Vale said as he watched the tower floating alongside him while he climbed the stairs of the building.

Suddenly, he stopped and reached out his hand. The tower turned into translucent black light and entered his palm.

"Not bad at all," Vale muttered. "The artifact can do short-distance teleportation, amplify my powers, and enforce some kind of law or rules within fifty meters while in its original state.

"I can even use some of its powers in this form, but it’s limited."

When he stepped out of the Commander’s building, Vale paused, taking in the sight of the burned-down village. The area had returned to darkness, except for the embers glowing on the ground. He shook his head and jumped, using his controlled explosion technique to propel himself toward the platforms.

When he reached them, he landed on a stone platform and looked back at the dark silence, muttering, "I’m not sure if I’m going to let my forces... when I have them. Maybe I can figure out how the sun works here?"

With his feet planted on the platform, he crouched and placed his hand on one of the symbols. It was the same as what he had seen in the information passed by the throne. A portal hummed to life beside him, and he stepped through.

He appeared in the gleaming white stone hall. Approaching the door, he opened and closed it again, waiting for the sound of the tower. But only silence met him.

Vale knew then that something was wrong. His eyes narrowed as he considered his next move.

’...What could be the matter? Are they too far away? But they said they’d be there... or have I somehow passed through space and time, and now time is slipping by me? This is not the time to joke, Vale...!’

He chided himself, then tried opening and closing the door again.

This time, he heard a sound, a crashing noise, as if something was being smashed in. Then, a scream. A scream that was suddenly cut short.

Vale’s heartbeat quickened. He steadied himself and transferred his sword to his left hand.

In his right hand, a small fireball flickered, black lines covering its surface. As he walked away from the door, he bound it with a space-changing pact, leaving it hanging in midair before making his way back.

He opened and closed the door again but was met with silence once more. It unnerved him, and with the scream he had heard earlier, he was beginning to paint a picture in his head.

He placed his hand on the handle, ready to throw the door open, when he heard a shout.

A familiar voice, twisted with pain.

Leojan!

"Blessed Vale! Don’t come out! Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! There is a....!!!"

The voice suddenly cut off.

Vale’s eyes constricted, then widened.

He was sure of it now.

Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.