Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 187: The Rift

The next morning, Vale sent messages to all the Flagbearers. There was no time to waste. He instructed them to send their forces, those that wouldn’t be able to participate in the first wave, to the second layer.

What should remain at the forefront are those clearing the Rift; every other person should leave. This way, there wouldn’t be any worries about monsters going after the fortress or not.

He was going to render the fortress meaningless so they could focus on the Rift. Those waiting at the second layer would serve as the second line of defense in case anything went wrong.

Things began to move fast after that. It took days for the Flagbearers to mobilize their forces, clear their storages, and put their affairs in order. All the while, Vale patrolled the Borderland daily in case of any unusual activity.

But everything was as normal as before. The Rift did not send any monsters out, and even the frequent ruin breaks had lessened, as had the ruin spawning. This made Vale itchy somehow because it felt very much like the calm before the storm.

Why was the Rift so abnormally quiet? It was as if it was waiting for something to happen. Eventually, after five days of planning, the different forces began their movement to the second layer, and on the seventh day, they received confirmation that they had reached it.

Those who remained at the forefront were those willing to fight the Rift, and they all gathered at the Steelclaw Alliance fortress.

And so, the day after the forces moved to the second layer, they continued their meeting.

"I am taking three Tower Captains with me, each with ten Errant Knights," Flagbearer Pomora said.

"I am taking two." Chief Takoda nodded at Vale, who sat at the head of the table. "They will carry fifteen people each."

After a beat of silence, Steelclaw added his own. "I am taking two as well. Ten people each."

"I am going with myself and my subordinates," Vale said. He had put a lot of thought into it and realized he would have to bring them along this was after Slya nagged him and accused him of trying to stall their growth. According to her, he wasn’t letting them grow by not allowing them to face danger.

She also made a good point by saying they would likely die anyway should anything happen to him. "...So let us go and protect our construct..."

Vale had struggled with the urge to point out that anywhere he would need protection from those two was simply too dangerous. But then again, anything might happen maybe like having an empty core.

Besides, they would be staying in the Commander’s Tower with him when the fight began anyway.

He did a count of everyone going to the Rift then. Eighty-six people. Three Knight-rank, eighty Errant Knights, and three Master Knights.

That was the size of a small army, and with the Master Knights, they should make any Clan Leader take them seriously, very seriously.

"Are we still going with the plan? Cripple the Riftborn Titans for others to deal with while we focus on the Rift Lord?" Pomora asked. She hadn’t been smiling as much as she used to.

This wasn’t just a "ruin clearing." The Rift had always been a dull threat they saw every day, something they were used to but now they would be facing it head-on.

Vale grimaced. "I don’t like it, but there’s nothing we can do. The gap between an Errant Knight and a Master Knight is too great. And during the operation, I will be staying with the Forsaken Tribes’ forces. The real fighting will be left to you Flagbearers."

They continued the meeting. One thing Vale noticed was that everyone seemed to be tired of the Rift, even Steelclaw. They planned some more, and then everyone went their separate ways. The operation was decided for the next day so they could have the day before as free.

There wasn’t much to do, though, so Vale used it to prepare himself together with Slya and Tiber. They brought out their technique books and studied them some more, then spent the rest of the day filling their cores and hunting weak monsters.

☆☆☆☆☆ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The next day, everyone was ready as soon as the sun showed signs of rising. Vale didn’t wear armor like Slya; he wore a dark, leather-like material that fit his body, etched with enchanting symbols.

The material itself was fire-resistant, and then it was enchanted to withstand a high concentration and amount of heat. Now, he wouldn’t have to worry about his clothes catching fire when he used his techniques.

Tiber didn’t wear any armor either. He was dressed in ordinary clothes. He would be changing into his nightmare form, so there was no need to restrain himself with metal.

They joined the others outside. The forces were already in the enchanted Tower, so Vale brought out his own black, gleaming Tower and got absorbed into it together with Slya and Tiber.

Then they floated with the others and followed the Flagbearers as they took to the air. There was no time for speeches. They all knew what they were going to do and how much danger it carried.

Clear the Rift. Loot the Rift. Kill the boss.

Soon, they passed the purple fortress and went further in. Everything was strangely silent. The forest that should have been churning with monsters was still, and the ruin break portals that should have been flickering to stop them were absent.

Inside the Tower, Vale frowned as he sent his senses sweeping around him. Nothing. The silence, and the monsters that should have been there but weren’t, made everything worse. It set everyone on edge because they expected to start fighting from here.

They continued, and immediately after entering the Rift’s immediate territory, they all felt it, like ice sliding down the spine, the aura spanning several meters.

The ground suddenly changed from sparse plants to absolute nothing. The terrain was now dry, without any hint of vegetation, the soil loose and sandy.

And then they saw it. The Rift.