Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 152: What are you playing at

"When the rift opened nearly thirty years ago, my father personally came to this place and tried to close it. He came here with Master Knights and built most of the territories to stop the horde of monsters.

"But they didn’t close it. Somehow, they convinced themselves that just stopping the rift’s advancement and draining it of resources was enough. My father left, but he put a Commander here. An Athrimir of blood... one of my uncles," Vale said.

He only knew snippets of the history, after all. It wasn’t like his father ever sat him down and explained anything to him.

"But after the Commander died... well. He wasn’t replaced." Vale shrugged. "I’m only going to reclaim that authority."

Frexon chuckled. "You sound so sure of yourself. First, you call yourself an Athrimir, and now you want to be the Commander? This borderland needs no command. It’s fine as it is now, with each Flagbearer taking care of their immediate territory."

"That won’t do," Vale said flatly. "Not when we need to clear the Rift out. If they don’t work as one, they will fall. I won’t allow it."

Frexon stared at him, the smile slipping from his face. "I wonder what power you will use to enforce this. Assuming you are an Athrimir and want to be a Commander."

Vale paused, then sighed. "I wonder as well."

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Vale decided to take the day off. He needed to look after his body after what he’d passed through in the prison. After eating, he made Frexon call a servant to provide him with a medicinal bath to soak in.

He spent close to two hours there, trying to read the map of the forefront and the Flagbearers’ territories.

The Rift took the central position and was described as a chaotic, glowing chasm whose dangerous energies affected everything around it.

To the north lay the Forsaken Tribes and part of the Exiled territories. The south was home to CrimsonHood and Scuffed Bones.

Vale couldn’t help but scoff after reading the part about the Scuffed Bones and the CrimsonHood—his two known enemies very close to the same place.

The east was the Steelclaw Alliance.

There was nothing in the west; it was dominated by a forest overrun by monster breaks. It was a place where any Flag could hunt as they wished.

But there was also one remaining territory. To the southeast, close to the Rift and taking a slightly central position, was the Purple Fortress. It was the place of the old Commander and the place where Vale had set his sights.

From the look of the map, the monsters had already claimed the Purple Fortress, with a ruin sprawl directly in front of it. There was also a constant ruin break around it.

Reclaiming the fortress wouldn’t only help his claim as Commander but would be a direct push against the monsters.

Vale enjoyed his medicinal bath. His muscles loosened, and with the constant small plates of food the servant brought him, he briefly considered just staying there and forgetting everything else.

Eventually, he went about reclaiming his sword and ring. At first, Frexon didn’t want to give it to him, saying Sevrix wouldn’t approve, but Vale pointed out that they could get it back after the seven days. Besides, wouldn’t Frexon himself be there?

He checked the ring to make sure the contents were still intact, then went out to the merchants to buy some new clothes. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any enchantments strong enough for what Vale needed when he used his fire.

So, he settled for cheap clothes and bought them in dozens.

The rest of the day was spent touring the Scuffed Bones fortress. It seemed small, but upon closer inspection, Vale realized it was a small village.

There was almost everything needed to be self-sufficient. It had been built around an active ruin, but the monsters in the ruin had been hunted so much that they no longer put up resistance. The ruin was in the form of a forest, but it had been cleared and repurposed for farming.

Slya and Tiber followed him throughout his tour, as if to protect him in case something happened.

By nightfall, they returned to their room, ate, and slept.

The next morning, after bathing and eating, Vale told them his new plan: becoming a Commander. But first, they needed the protection of one of the Flagbearers.

"So, you’re saying you want to go to the Steelclaw Alliance?" Frexon asked again.

Vale only nodded.

Frexon was getting used to him now and did not say anything else. He simply opened a portal for them and waved them through.

The Steelclaw Alliance was almost identical to the Scuffed Bones in design. The major difference was that it was painted bright red and lacked any hint of gloominess.

Since it was protected by an invisible shield, Frexon couldn’t directly enter, so he dropped them at the gate. The guards seemed to have been expecting them, as they waved them in almost immediately.

A guard waiting for them escorted them inside and into the main building.

Unlike Sevrix, Steelclaw was seated behind a table filled with books on his throne-like chair. His steady gaze swept over the books in front of him.

When they entered, he turned his attention to them, and it felt as if thunder might strike the room. He studied Vale for a while, as if trying to see something in his face.

Finally, he looked away and said in a heavy voice, "You have your mother’s face and her hair, almost everything. But you have his eyes."

Vale was stunned. "You believe me?"

"You would have been dead already if you were not who you say you are. The borderland does not suffer such."

Vale stilled his expression, understanding.

’So... it’s not even about proof or not. They simply do not want an Athrimir here. But they won’t kill me openly... or is this just a Steelclaw thing? Is he the only one who knows the truth? Then what is he playing at?’