Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 119: No way to win?

The two stared at each other, the space between them filled with cracking tension. There was no smile on Alyndra’s face; it was carved like a mask of flesh.

This time, there would be no game. Only sword and fight. Only fight.

The two of them shot at each other, streaks of red and gold clashing in the middle with the sound of a muted thunder strike. The ground cracked around them, and their essence pressure sent the wind bellowing, throwing up dust.

They pushed their swords against each other, and then Alyndra’s sword seemed to gain more weight as it glowed a blinding gold. She pushed Vale away and shot at him, sending arcs of slashes at him.

Vale returned them with his own. They fought like this for a while, exchanging bolts and strikes. Occasionally, their swords would clash again, turning the area around them into a battlefield filled with fissures and craters.

Suddenly, Alyndra shot off like a released arrow toward another building, and Vale followed. They broke through the window, and the sound of stone crumbling and metal tearing filled the air. Seconds later, the building exploded in raging fire, with some parts cut up into square pieces.

Fortunately for them, most of the Knights in the area had evacuated when they saw Alyndra earlier. They knew how battle-crazed she was.

Building after building went down like this as they fought and chased each other through the core. Sometimes it was Vale doing the chasing, and sometimes it was Alyndra.

Two streaks of light, gold and red.

Suddenly, Alyndra stopped and created space between them. She was breathing fast, her body covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Her eyes widened when she took a proper look at Vale before narrowing again. ’What? He’s not tired? We’ve been running through the core the whole time... Don’t tell me... his reserve...’

To a Knight, the amount of power and strength they could use, both physically and magically, was tied to their core. And that was what ranking meant: A to S.

Vale strode forward, his breath measured and controlled. The flaming sword he held seemed to be bigger. "You’re tired of running?"

She failed to gather her words in time and replied helplessly, "But I am S-ranked."

"Huh? Oh, that. You’re powerful, there’s no doubt about that," Vale gestured. "But I’m more powerful. Come here, let’s finish this. Fighting you isn’t bringing me the same satisfaction I felt when I killed Fell.

"You are more like a job to be done."

Alyndra felt shock and humiliation mix into one. For as long as she could remember, her potential had been something that had brought her respect and fear.

In her rank, and even among some weak Errant Knights, she was an object of fear and respect, someone people said would someday step into the world of immortals, The Master Knight Rank.

But now, right here, facing Vale, she suddenly felt what her opponents had always felt when fighting her, fear and helplessness. Because no matter how they fought, she never ran out of essence, giving her the chance to create techniques others would never dream of.

She bowed her head, her face shadowed, her jaw clenched. "Shut up," she whispered, then louder, "Shut up! I’m stronger than you! I’m the one with the sword given by the Sword Saint. I will apprentice under the Sword Saint when I reach the Errant Rank.

"I’m stronger than you!"

Vale smirked, his eyes cold and cruel. "Is that so?"

Then he began. With one hand, he created an Infernal Ball, and with the other, he bound it in place. He created another one and did the same. Again and again and again, until he was surrounded by twenty Infernal Balls glowing red around him like little moons.

Then, using the power of binding, he began to merge them together, combining the Infernal Balls while maintaining the same size. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He frowned as he looked at the final product. It looked like a lava ball, and even Vale felt the heat. The surrounding air dried up immediately. The only thing preventing an explosion was the binding.

Facing him, Alyndra took several steps backward. It was as if she was facing a giant bonfire. She covered herself in essence. "What the hell is that?"

Vale nodded to himself. "This takes about a quarter of my core. So I can only produce four? I’ll call it... Bigger Infernal Ball? Ah, alright. I’ll call it that... It’d be better if I could form this quickly, though."

’He’s even creating techniques right in front of me! Wait... this is my chance, I’ll attack him now...!’

Vale said, "See? Bigger Infernal Ball!"

He didn’t aim it at her. Instead, he threw it up into the sky.

A blinding red flash seared the eyes, spreading like a mushroom cloud. It was immediately followed by an ear-shattering sound of cracking and hissing.

The shockwave hit the ground like a storm. The ground cracked, and the tops of the nearby buildings were blown away. Glass shattered, and metal tore.

The return shock caused a whirlwind, yanking debris and dust upward, completely clouding the sky in front of them.

Vale winced. "I can’t use that easily because of my team..."

Alyndra looked at the explosion, and her hands shook. She had to use her sword as a walking stick to stop herself from staggering. ’W-What is this power... No way... No way for me to win...’

☆☆☆

Far from the fighting, Slya and Tiber were waiting at the front of Team 2’s building. They weren’t the only ones waiting, as everyone was wary that Alyndra was fighting.

A lot of them had left the surrounding streets, hurrying away as fast as they could.

They tried to control themselves. After all, Vale was fighting the most powerful Knight in the second layer. And even though they knew how powerful he was, they were still worried.

They wanted to go and help, but they knew they’d only cause his death if they did.

And then they felt it. Everyone in the core saw it, the explosion that sounded like a thunderclap, looking more like blood clouds in the air than fire.

The ground shook, and buildings trembled.

Everyone silently turned their gaze toward the area. No one said anything. But they could instinctively feel that something had changed.

Only Slya whispered with a smile, "Vale."