Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 217: Failed

The building opposite Vale’s own had one of its windows open, and a bald man sitting on a chair watched as an explosion shattered the window to his target’s room.

He watched as fire jetted out, curling in the air and snapping with a cracking sound. Then, in the next instant, he saw something heavy fly out and hit the ground with a thud.

"So he failed," the bald man said in a croaking voice. His right hand gripped a beaded necklace that he was counting with his fingers.

"I expected him to fail, but he did as I wanted. That artifact I gave him is very powerful, but its main power lies in letting it possess you. He did. He let it."

The bald man stopped counting. "The target is someone I can kill."

Captain Orin sat deeper in the room. "Are you sure? Even though that assassin is useless, the possessing artifact is strong. Don’t forget to bring me that artifact again once you’re done with him."

The bald man glanced at Orin like a bird of prey surveying from above. "Alright. We have also confirmed that the Master Knights did not involve themselves."

When the fighting began properly, they heard the guards running toward the sealed-off area, trying to get in, but after a few tries, they ran to the Master Knights’ building, and the only measure the Master Knights took was raising the shield on their respective building.

"I really don’t see the need to kill him secretly. You Coiled Fangs could just do it."

Captain Orin snorted. "Just do your job, okay? Do you want the Clan Leader to have rumors flying around that he killed his father and brother for position?"

The bald man raised his brows. "He didn’t?"

☆☆☆☆☆

Vale stared at the dagger he was holding. It was glowing faintly with a ghostly white light. After he killed the man, the technique he used to seal off the room fell away, and guards were able to rush in, including Tiber and Slya.

They demanded to know what happened, and he told them, all the while clutching his chest as if he had been hit by something hard. They brought him healing potions, which he took.

Holding his chest like that wasn’t a lie, not entirely. That tentacle that touched him had attracted his soul as if looking to devour it. He still didn’t know how, but he had been weak after the fight, with his essence depleting.

If the tentacle had held on longer, then he was sure he would have turned into a husk.

He kept the dagger in his ring. It was something he was interested in, and he planned to study it much later when he wasn’t fighting for his life.

He lay back on his bed. He had changed rooms since he burned down his old one. Behind the door, he could feel the presence of the guards, and he smiled. "I wonder who should be guarding who?"

☆☆☆

The next day came and went without the main assassin making a move. The news of the assassination attempt the previous day spread through the core fast. Tiber informed him of the different opinions that people had.

Some thought it must be people from those Flags whose Flagbearers Vale helped kill. They said they were finally taking their revenge.

And then there were those who whispered, Who knew what must have gone down in the Rift? See the way the Flagbearers distance themselves from the Commander?

It was exactly as they wanted, but the real deal was now when and how the assassin might strike. Vale did not want it to be when he was with others, especially his two subordinates.

So he spent the next day alone as much as he could without looking suspicious. One of the ways he did it was to let the two of them represent him in the sharing of Steelclaw’s resources.

They told of Steelclaw’s betrayal to his Knights and the core, but Vale doubted anyone believed them. Unlike the two Flagbearers who directly attacked them, this one happened in the Rift, and conveniently, only Vale, his subordinates, and the two remaining Flagbearers returned.

Vale wouldn’t have believed himself either if he was in the same situation. But no one said anything, only grumbled where they wouldn’t be seen. No one was stupid enough to do it to the face of two Master Knights.

But unfortunately, for all the pain that Steelclaw caused them, there were surprisingly few resources to be gained. Steelclaw ruled his Flag with an iron fist, and almost all his resources were always with him.

No artifacts, just some enchanted tools and some gold coins.

The only thing they stood to benefit from was the Knights themselves. But this time, Vale put out an order, both for Steelclaw and the CrimsonHood with the Scuffed Bones. They could choose to leave the Borderland if they wanted.

It was tempting, but Vale did not want to force anyone to fight now that things were getting serious. They would not be fighting monsters now, but humans. There was no way he was going to risk a rebellion with the odds already against him.

He would have demanded they swear a Knight’s Oath to him after they made up their minds, like Knights do for the Clans they serve. He wanted to convert them directly into his force, but his hands were tied for now.

He gave them three days to think about it.

The Flagbearers agreed to return to court, but they never said when. They were dragging their feet slower than a slug, and nobody could blame them. They had lived a long time in the Borderland without interference from the court. Should they just throw it away and run to the man that gave no thought to them?

For his part, Vale also said he would be returning as well to do the final rites for his near mother and to mourn personally with her daughter, Nadia, who he had been avoiding thinking about these days because he couldn’t imagine what she was going through.

Vale spent two, then three days in his room learning his technique formations. The assassin made no moves, and Vale pretended he had been given a good scare.

But on the fourth day, he wanted to raid a ruin to test his new technique and to draw the assassin.