Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 237: You are going to die
After gently rifling through his table and drawers, the person searched the room, all the while Vale continued to breathe normally as if he were indeed asleep.
"...But wait... How did a spy as weak as this manage to sneak in? They must be part of the staff or something close to that..."
He wasn’t surprised that there was a spy among his staff. In fact, he would be more surprised if there were none. What surprised him most was that they were willing to come directly into the commander’s quarters.
"...Is this because of the sleeping gas that’s not working on me? Is that where their confidence comes from?..."
Suddenly, the person stopped searching and instead turned toward the bed. Vale stopped himself from tensing as he felt someone loom above him.
Then he heard an amused voice. It was feminine and low. "I know you are not asleep. Stop pretending."
Vale was out of the bed and to the side in a flash of red blur, a cloak of fire immediately surrounding him. His eyes locked on the target. "Who are you?" he demanded.
The person turned, a tall woman covered with a black cloak. Her eyes shone a steady yellow, and her black hair covered the rest of her face. She chuckled. "Such fast reflexes."
Vale straightened and let the cloak of fire fall away. He was wearing a simple black gown for the night. He knew intruders might come, but he never expected them to make it past his door before he was ready for them. But this person...
"You are an assassin?" Vale asked, and he couldn’t keep his surprise.
"Yes. You find that surprising. Why?"
"Because you are not worthy. You are too low-ranked for my level," Vale narrowed his eyes. "And yet you made it past my door."
She spread her hands, and Vale tensed, thinking she might attack, but she was only gesturing. He saw something on her left hand,a small doll. "Maybe this is because you underestimate all those you think are weak. Don’t you find it strange that I was able to enter your headquarters without trouble?"
His face cleared. "You are already part of my army, disguised as a weakling. Tell me, are you using an enchanted tool or artifact to shield your level?"
She shook her head and sat atop his bed. "No. I’m actually a Knight rank, and I never was powerful in my rank. Why are you asking me all this instead of who sent me?"
"Who else would send you to kill me?"
"It could be Rikon."
"It could," Vale allowed. "But it isn’t. My dear brother doesn’t want this war to go far. He’s eager to have his hand on all the power, and what faster way but to kill me? But I’m curious about what gave you the courage to come here when you know there’s a Master Knight nearby."
"Because he won’t hear."
Vale’s eyes darkened. "What did you do?"
She laughed. "Relax. Even I am not stupid enough to go after a Master Knight. This place is simply sealed off, and it will remain sealed for a while."
Vale relaxed, but not entirely. There must be a reason the woman was brave enough to come after him, even when the gap between them was that huge. And the answer would be an artifact. An extremely powerful one.
Vale opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak. Instead, a wave of scorching fire blasted out of his mouth toward her, cracking in the air.
She didn’t dodge. She didn’t even move, except for smiling. But the doll in her left hand ripped free and hovered in front of her. The doll was made of cloth and shaped like an abnormal monster with small limbs and an overly large stomach.
The doll swelled to twice the size of a normal human and took the fire attack head-on. The fire sank and seeped into the doll like water into mud.
Then the doll’s eyes lit up with red energy. Its beak opened, and it blasted out the same fire wave but at a much larger intensity, as if it were amplified.
Vale didn’t dodge. He let the fire wash over him, burning away his clothes. "So this is why you can stand in front of me. You have a very powerful artifact."
The woman smiled. "Yes. It’s a binding type and uses very little essence from its master. Oh, I see the greed in your eyes, but this is an artifact that withers with the death of its master. But why should I care? You are going to die."
Yellow light flowed from the doll’s body and formed into two swords by its side. Then it exploded forward. The swords moved by themselves, flickering with deadly sharpness.
Vale crouched as he avoided the first wave, and as the swords curved down toward him, he created a cloak above and around himself, deflecting the sword that glanced across it with a screech.
Still crouching, he lurched himself forward and slammed into the doll with his weight, but it was like trying to push a mountain.
Vale tried to jump back, but its hand lashed out, gripping him by the shoulder and trying to rip it from his body. Bones creaked as they were pulled, ready to shatter.
Vale knew the doll had more strength than him. It was not something he could easily get away from. A small fireball flickered away from him and toward the woman still sitting on the bed.
And immediately, Vale changed places with his fireball.
He appeared in front of the surprised woman, a fire spear in his hand, and he hurled it without hesitation. The spear blurred through the air and crossed the distance in an instant, but just as it was about to touch her, she disappeared.
The fire spear exploded, but the woman wasn’t there.
Immediately, Vale created his fire cloak around him just as a beam of lightning slammed into him from behind, throwing him forward.
He whirled just in time to avoid another beam and saw the woman looking at him from behind the doll’s back. Vale cursed. "How many abilities has this thing absorbed?"
