Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 38: Assassins!

My thoughts raced as I threw myself forward with a blast of essence, rolling away from the second attacker while simultaneously creating a full-body shield around myself, but the shield shattered as a green arrow slammed into it, breaking it as easily like an eggshell, but the arrow fizzled out as well.

’I need somewhere to hide from those arrows! I’m in the open.’

My eyes swept the surroundings, and what I saw was flat terrain, except for the rocky boulders at the back of the pool. They would provide cover for a while.

I yanked essence from my core, flooding my body with strength. I tensed and then uncoiled, springing toward the hill at full strength and propelling myself forward with a blast.

I heard a soft feminine chuckle but didn’t look back as I hid behind two boulders. Unless the archer came around, I was safe for now.

And if they did come around, they would also be in my own line of sight!

"When I heard that two of us should come for your head, I had to ask again for confirmation if we were indeed killing a Squire. But I must admit, I’m surprised. You lasted more than two minutes, even with us intending to kill you. That’s a new one."

A female figure came into view. Dark clothes, a mask, and a hood hugging a curved body. She held a small green blade of condensed essence. I couldn’t see her eyes, but I felt the weight of her stare on my neck, as if her mere presence was a forceful pressure.

"I wonder why two Knights would come for your head." There was a hint of a smile in her voice.

Now that I wasn’t worried about being shot out of the blue, I was thinking more clearly. I summoned a longsword of essence, and the solid weight in my hand calmed me a little.

My voice came out composed with just a hint of sharpness. "Who are you?"

The woman stopped a few feet beyond the reach of my sword. "I’d make a bad assassin if I tell you that," she said playfully.

I shrugged. "You’ll be a bad one either way since you’ll either die or return empty-handed."

The woman stiffened, and her voice turned cold. "You think you’re a match for a Knight rank? You arrogant fool!"

Then she released her essence pressure, making a subtle ripple in the air that slammed into me. Fear unfolded in my mind, as if she was already in front of me, shoving a dagger down my throat. I gasped and lashed out with a blast of essence, throwing off the pressure.

"Oh?" the assassin said.

I ignored her and tried to steady my breathing. My blue-white essence still covered me, holding the pressure back. ’So this is the difference between Knight and Squire ranks! Their essence has gained quality and quantity... wait... I should be able to match their quantity, or even surpass some!’

With that thought, I began to see hope in escaping from a fight with two Knight-rank assassins. ’I don’t have to kill them. I just have to escape whatever is freezing the area. If I can get to camp...’

"I wonder how long you’ll resist my pressure. Squires run out of essence reserves quickly. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to test that out and then crush you with my pressure alone, you arrogant bastard!" The woman dipped her hand into a hidden pocket.

I seized the opportunity. I had already concluded that a surprise attack was my only chance. As soon as her hand went into her pocket, I didn’t wait to find out what she was about to do.

I gathered more essence into my sword, which throbbed before lashing forward. The blade extended, shooting toward her, but she danced nimbly out of the way. Her hands flared with green light as she threw something forward.

The ground around her ripped apart, and green vines burst out, throwing up sand. They coiled and undulated forward, each vine as thick as my limbs.

I panicked and gathered essence into my sword, releasing it in a bolt that tore into the vines, cutting chunks away. But more vines replaced those I destroyed, wriggling together into a wall of green that filled my vision.

The assassin brought her hands together and said, "Green Burial!"

The green wall surged forward, fast and unrelenting, engulfing me before I could release another essence arc. Vines coiled around my limbs, tightened around my neck, and filled my mouth as I tried to scream.

I struggled, but it felt as though my limbs were about to be torn from my body. My mind became a whirlwind of dampened thoughts as the lack of oxygen overcame me. ’I might... die...’

"Eight... five... three..." The assassin counted softly. This was one of her favorite techniques—clean, without blood splatter.

She moved toward the twitching vines when she suddenly paused. "Is he still alive?" she asked in surprise.

She sent a mental command down into the ground with a blast of green essence. More vines burst out, shielding her just as the ’Green Burial’ exploded with a ripple of blue shockwave that shook the ground and sent twitching vines flying.

I was on my knees, essence still radiating from my body. My clothes were ripped, and a thick red line wound around my neck.

My face turned upward as I gasped for breath, my green eyes tinged with red.

Suddenly, I staggered and raised my hand. My essence surged forward, forming a shield in front of me, but it shattered almost immediately as a green arrow pierced through it with little resistance.

The shield diverted the arrow slightly, but it carried force that slammed into my right shoulder with the force of a hammer, throwing me back against the wall.

My head struck the wall, and my vision went white from the intense pain that erupted through me, my muscles twitched and ripped.