Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 173: Are you joining him?

Vale heard the first attack. He heard stone shatter with the sound of an explosion, and his green eyes lit up as he sat up on his bed. "So it finally began."

Without hesitation, he brought out his tower and connected with it but didn’t expand it yet, only allowing it to fly to the top of his ceiling.

It was expected, but it was faster than they had predicted. What he did earlier in the day was set a bait for Scuffed Bones and CrimsonHood. Not much of a bait, but it was a gamble where Vale decided he wanted to come out on top.

If CrimsonHood remained loyal, he planned to use him to attack Scuffed Bones. But if not, then he knew the two of them would attack—and better too, because they wouldn’t want to bring all their forces.

After all, they believed Pomora was still dragging her feet.

Since he told Dienro that the plan would commence in four days, he was actually expecting them to come the following day.

’...But they chose to come now. Sevrix must be anxious... not wanting Pomora to join in... The only thing missing now is that Tiber and Slya aren’t back with the message. But we should be enough anyway...’

Just then, a flash of red light flooded the room, and Frexon stepped out of a portal. He stood there and stared at Vale, his right hand extended to show a sword made of spatial energy, like thin portals joined together.

The two of them stared at each other without saying anything.

Vale smiled. "Portals are forbidden here!"

Frexon frowned, not understanding, but a pulse came from above—a beat of gentle breeze that made the air ripple. The portal behind him vanished, and the sword he was holding shrank into nothing.

The Commander’s Law!

Frexon’s eyes widened. He grabbed at the air with futility as he tried to bring a new portal to life, but nothing happened.

"Shit," he said.

He brought his sword out of the ring on his hand and took a stance in the small room. Even without his power, an Errant Knight was still an Errant Knight!

But he seemed to have forgotten something—he could not use his power, and then there was Vale, whose power was being amplified by the tower.

Vale’s sword blazed with the redness of intense fire. He stood up and looked at Frexon sadly. "You chose the wrong master."

Frexon threw himself at him, and Vale responded. A thick band of sword arc cut through the air and slammed into Frexon’s chest, crushing his ribs as he was sent flying back, the flames melting through his torso up to his head.

The smell of burning flesh quickly filled the room. Vale shook his head, looked at Frexon’s body one more time, and left the room without saying anything else.

☆☆☆☆☆

Immediately after Dienro shouted about those he wanted to kill, the rock around the fortress erupted outward. Huge chunks of stone tore free and blasted out, blurring with incredible speed.

One of the three heads of the Hydra opened and spewed out a fume of purple gas that dripped and condensed into acid, eating through the storm of rocks.

For Sevrix, darkness overlapped in front of him to create a shield that deflected the attack.

Takoda’s voice rumbled as he floated on a chunk of stone, his face hard like the rock he was standing on, his arms crossed in front of him. Above his head was the stone crown, flickering with red light.

"What do you think you are doing, Sevrix? And you joined him too, Dienro?"

Sevrix shrugged. The curtain of darkness around him parted slightly, revealing a smug face.

"I’m just doing something I expected you to do in a few days."

"And I’m just tagging along," Dienro said, waving at him.

Takoda looked at the darkness that now shielded his fortress and sighed in relief. Vale had warned him earlier in the day to send those who couldn’t fight to the shelter in case of a serious monster attack.

Those who remained were those who could fight or escape when needed.

Behind Takoda rose two enchanted towers, a red projection of a giant Blightfur flickering into place around them. They moved to the side and began advancing on the three enchanted towers their opponents had brought.

Dienro watched them and snorted. "You’re clearly overpowered already, Takoda. Just give up."

"Why don’t you surrender? Come under me. We just want the boy we have nothing to do with you," Sevrix said.

For the first time, they saw a smile cross Takoda’s face.

"Come under you? Overpowered? Are you sure?"

Sevrix was about to reply when he instinctively looked up past his curtain of darkness. Dienro followed his example with a frown as they saw the clouds darken.

"Steelclaw?"

No. It was rain. Rain began to fall, but instead of hitting the ground, the water gathered together and then surged downward, forming another shield above Sevrix’s barrier.

"Pomora!" Sevrix shouted in shock.

He wasn’t the only one—Dienro was also staring at the smiling woman floating toward them on a platform of water. This was something he hadn’t expected, and he realized that they weren’t the ones setting the trap.

They were the ones who had walked into it.

"So he isn’t that naive. Fuck you, Vale. Now I don’t know which way the sword will fall," Dienro muttered.

Sevrix realized the same thing, and his eyes darkened. "So you joined them, Pomora."

"I only did what I had to do." She sighed elegantly, as if she were merely in her garden handing out tea.

The four of them paused and regarded each other.

Before they could make any moves, the first explosion erupted behind them. The Forsaken Tribe’s projections grew fur that blasted outward in a shower of piercing needle-like light an explosive shockwave that carried sharp energy, like countless small blades.

At the same time, the Scuffed Bones’ enchanted tower blasted out a beam of destructive light, causing one of the projections to flicker but it still maintained its form.

The Master Knights watched this before Pomora raised her hand and controlled the water wave.