Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 230: He’ll be there
Vale had been gone for some time, and his ’body’ had been returned to the Capital. Slya and Tiber had mourned, and the Flagbearers used the excuse not to move immediately.
Then, word came from the Capital that Clan Leader Thrain was going to host all the Master Knights and use the opportunity to send a final goodbye to his brother and father.
Captain Orin had urged them on, subtly telling them they really didn’t want to anger the new Clan Leader. With no reason to continue dragging their feet, they agreed to depart.
They wouldn’t be taking their Knights with them—they would be meeting them in the Capital. Tiber knew the reason why they did not take them along, and it had nothing to do with them being unprepared.
Tiber and Slya were asked to come along. Captain Orin said it would only be fitting for them to see their Young Master one last time. They agreed because that was what was expected and what they would have done had the situation been real.
Instead of the Flagbearers flying themselves over, Captain Orin invited them onto his ship, and they began the journey to the Capital.
Tiber noticed that Captain Orin was in an unusually good mood, no doubt thinking about the rewards he would reap once they returned.
The journey continued smoothly. Unlike other ships, the one the Coiled Fangs were using wasn’t made for blinding speed, so the journey was slow.
That was good for Tiber and his companions because they were waiting for a signal. Ideally, Vale should have made the army his already. The reason they were still going through all this was because the plan was made for absolute certainty, so they wouldn’t overplay their hand in any way.
Not only that, they had to be wary of when the dead body would be discovered back at the Capital. Vale had been gone for two weeks, and the body as well.
It would take longer for the body to reach the Capital, but no one knew how long it would take Vale to seize the army. The plan was that Vale would intercept their ships on the way if he succeeded.
If not, they would continue to the Capital, and if the body was revealed, the fall would be on Orin. The plan was to avoid making the Capital suspicious of anything.
"You can’t sleep either?" Slya asked. She joined him on the deck of the ship. It was night, and the moon shone gently down on them, surrounded by the stars.
Tiber sighed. "I can’t help it. Not when we don’t know if..."
He didn’t finish, and he didn’t need to. They both knew who he was talking about. The day before, the ships had gotten close to leaving the borderlands behind, and the reason they had slowed down was because it was night.
But the ships were still moving, and by daybreak, they would leave the territory behind. They had intentionally avoided Rikon and the surrounding areas, going so far back as to circle around.
Captain Orin had said something about being at odds with the chief there and that flying the Athrimir flag could get them shot down.
"He’ll be here," Slya said firmly, as if no other option was acceptable.
Tiber chuckled. "Of course. But don’t you need your sleep? I don’t have to sleep as much as others, but you should still rest."
Just then, she yawned and glared at Tiber as if he were the one who caused it. She stood up to leave but stopped when they heard footsteps behind them.
It was Captain Orin. He walked toward them, his gait just short of bouncing. He smiled at them. "What are you two doing up so late? You should sleep more. It’s good for young bodies."
He stared at Tiber. "For all bodies."
Tiber almost felt pity for the Captain because the man had been used—a pawn between two powerful men. Even if the situation swung either way, he would still end up dead.
"And why are you awake, Captain Orin?" Slya asked suspiciously.
"Because I’m the Captain of the ship. It’s my duty to patrol and know what is happening at all times."
"Tough job," Slya said and stood to leave. She never hid her hatred for the Captain. She suspected that was how she would react to anything related to Vale’s brother.
But she hadn’t taken more than a few steps, with the Captain mumbling something, when she stopped. She turned and looked straight ahead.
They all did—Captain Orin and Tiber. The lookout guards standing with them. They watched as a black dot grew larger, coming closer to them.
What had initially caught their attention was that the person wasn’t bothering to hide themselves. In fact, their pressure was released, and they all felt it.
Tiber smiled, and Slya laughed.
Captain Orin stiffened. Even with the distance between them, he recognized the tower. His face turned pale, and his eyes widened. "Shields up! Shields up! Prepare for battle!"
But the tower suddenly vanished, only to reappear looming above the ship. A voice rumbled out. "You look as if you’d seen a ghost, Captain Orin."
Orin swayed as if something had struck him in the head. He whispered, his lips trembling. "Impossible." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Everything had been flipped on its head, and the only thing Orin could see was his life flashing before his eyes. In desperation, he raised his hand. One of the rings on it glittered—the one that controlled the ship.
But before he could do anything, a wave of water cascaded from the sky, shooting downward with the force of a giant’s hammer. Orin’s eyes widened, and he changed position. Now his other hand joined the first in the air in an attempt to use a shielding technique, but he didn’t account for the hammer that slammed into him from the side.
The attack jetted him sideways. He grunted in pain, but he didn’t fall. He was still an Errant Knight, after all. He glanced at Slya, who was holding a forged hammer that was bigger than her. She smiled at him.
And that was his death. The instant he was sent to the side, the moment of distraction when he turned to her, disrupted his chance of creating a shielding technique.
The falling water changed direction, sharpened like an arrowhead, and slammed into his skull. He crumbled without making a sound.
