Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 218: Make it worth it

The ruins were still active. They didn’t just disappear with the Rift, but no new ruins would appear, and no ruin breaks either. They were basically waiting treasure troves for the Knights, and in the week that followed the Rift clearing, they had made good use of them.

It was what kept them busy, clearing ruins. There was just something about knowing that there wouldn’t be an increase in ruins again; it made the competition among them stronger.

Vale picked the ruin he wanted, and it manifested as a small house, the type that children use for playing. He didn’t linger and quickly ducked into the small door, appearing inside a building that was several times larger than the ruin’s outward structure.

Vale smiled as he took in the hall he found himself in, his voice echoing. "Time to hunt some monsters."

And he did. The ruin was one of the remaining Errant Knight-rank ruins with strong monsters, allowing him to let loose without worrying about his surroundings.

"...all my abilities have increased in power. Some of them are just their old formations getting redone to accommodate more quality essence... but some of my abilities also get completely new formations... new techniques... I wonder if I’ll be able to try them..."

He sat in a lotus position back in the hall where he first found himself. His body was covered in blood, and bits of monster flesh surrounded him. His technique book was in front of him, and he silently read it.

But suddenly, he paused and looked up. "Do you want to stand there until I’m done? And I don’t think you’re the type to sneak a sword into your target’s back."

It was as if he was speaking to thin air. Vale closed his book and returned it to his spatial ring. But as soon as he finished speaking, the air in front of him ripped and twisted, and then a man stepped out. He appeared. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He was a bald man with a dry face and a thin body. He wore layers of clothing, and Vale might have thought he was a beggar, but the clothes he wore were fresh and of good quality. He held a beaded necklace in his hand, counting with his fingers.

He smiled gently. "I didn’t know you could detect me."

"I might not have detected you," Vale admitted, "if I wasn’t expecting you to be here."

The bald man grimaced. "So it was a trap after all. It seemed too good to be true, but then it fit. You’ve been studying all week, and going to test it out alone is perfect. So, Apki?"

Vale blinked. "You mean the assassin you first sent? Well, he was strong for an Errant Knight, but he was nothing compared to what I wanted to do. He wasn’t worth fighting seriously. I hope you are."

The bald man’s face tightened. "So you’ve been aware all this time. That makes things difficult. I have to warn the Clan Leader that the Flagbearers shouldn’t be trusted. But really, why do you think you’re strong enough to make yourself bait for me?

"I have considered all the options, and I know you are a man to be killed."

Vale opened his mouth before closing it with a frown. Finally, he shook his head. "You’re arrogant."

The bald man smiled. "Call me Thane. I know your name, and it’s not like you’re going to tell anyone about me. Something about the dead not speaking."

Vale finally stood, smiling. "This might actually be worth it. Make it worth it, Thane."

Thane smiled, then spread his hands as if trying to embrace something. A small pulse burst out of him, a rippling wave of blood-red energy that swelled and covered the hall.

Vale frowned because he didn’t feel any effects from the red energy, but he knew something had been done, so he raised his hand to summon his tower... but failed.

He couldn’t raise his hand. It was as stiff as a board beside him.

Vale was surprised. He tried to move, but it was impossible. Every part of his body was no longer under his command. But his mouth was still working. "What did you do?" He sounded more curious than anything.

"I’m a Blood Knight. I used an artifact of the same essence as me, and it has a domain. Everything it covers will be under its command as long as they have blood."

Thane slashed his hand with a small dagger, and blood began to gush, but instead of falling, it hung in the air, accumulating and forming into a sword.

"But I can still use my technique," Vale pointed out. And then, as if to prove it, he made the space in front of him explode with a sweeping wave of fire that rushed toward Thane.

But the assassin was fast. He flashed to Vale’s side in a blink, a small smile on his face as he aimed at his neck. "But you can’t move, and an immobile target is a dead one."

"Dominion."

Thane’s eyes widened, and he jumped away. The blood in his hand flowed faster and covered him moments before a wave of heat and fire forcefully exploded outward.

Intense heat made the ground explode and melt around them. The blood shield around the assassin dried into blackened ash, revealing Thane.

But the assassin wasn’t badly hurt, only that his skin had been burned away, revealing the blackened and twitching muscles underneath.

Vale watched in fascination as, in the next instant, new skin grew, and the man was healed. But he was naked, covered only by a thin layer of blood like a newborn.

Only his beads survived.

"That’s impressive," Vale said. The regeneration was fast and insane, and the man didn’t seem to have suffered any mental burn.

But Thane was now looking at him in surprise. "You’re powerful. You actually burned my skin faster than I could regenerate. We didn’t know you were this strong."

A note of fear crept into his voice.

Vale tried to shrug. "Between me and the Golden Knight, who do you think would win? That bastard must have raided the vault by now, so tell me."

Thane’s face tightened. "You must die now."