Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 198: Everything exploded

"Impossible," Steelclaw said and took a step back in sheer shock and surprise. His hand went up and gathered more energy, shimmering around his fist.

From the cracks in the stone, darkness swelled and bubbled out like thick liquid, forming together like a sludge as a figure took form. Kren smiled. "I have no fight with you, Steelclaw. I am only here for Vorgaelor."

This was the first time someone—or something—was refusing to die when Steelclaw killed them. Even undead would die if their head was cut off and they lost their body. What was this abomination?

He didn’t attack again. Instead, he took more steps back and put his back against the wall to make sure he was taking in the room as one, so as not to get surprised once more.

Kren nodded. "Good. Right then, Vorgaelor, we have a lot to talk about."

Vorgaelor smiled in amusement. "You want the boy? The last time I met something like you, I killed it. Did the old man tell you? The last one to be given the power you are using died by my hand. That will make it two I’ll be killing."

"I know," Kren said. He began to walk toward the altar. "I was told, but it matters not. And I’m not here to fight, Vorgaelor. Just give me the artifact."

Vorgaelor smirked. "Why? This belongs to the Vale Athrimir by right. The old man wants his hand on it before he grows fangs? Don’t you think you guys are playing a dangerous game? Well... he might die now anyway. The old man might lose more than one thing today."

Kren stopped smiling, and he froze before a grimace twisted his lips. "I honestly didn’t think about that. Let’s see," he began to pat his body. "I kept some healing potions here. He must be alive."

Vorgaelor narrowed his eyes. Something felt wrong to him. This was the messenger, a warrior of the person who wanted to steal from him, and yet he wasn’t doing anything. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t strong enough to face Vorgaelor. A lot wasn’t adding up.

Suddenly, the heaviness in the air tightened. The spell was finally nearing its completion. It was felt by everyone in the room.

It was then that Vorgaelor understood, and his eyes widened. Kren was only stalling for time! The old man couldn’t easily interfere—he was still imprisoned, after all—but maybe he had found a way to temporarily use his power on the outside for a while.

Probably through his messenger, and it would be wiser to use it when the spell was about to complete.

Vorgaelor raised his hand without hesitation as those thoughts flashed through his mind. The air screeched as a green-tainted force bellowed out, the ground erupted in a storm of stone, and Kren was hit. The shield of darkness he put around himself collapsed without effort.

But that wasn’t enough. Vorgaelor began to draw into the air with his claws. Each symbol hung in the air with a sickly green light, making the air around him warp and twist.

In front of him, Kren quickly reformed, darkness turning into human form. He bowed. "So you figured it out. But it’s too late."

Vorgaelor hissed and angrily drew the rest of his symbols. They pooled together and combined, turning into thick chains that lurched forward and wrapped around Kren, binding his legs and hands together.

The Rift Lord brought his hand up again, and a green-tainted force gathered above Kren and rammed down. But this time, Kren jumped out of the way, though the chains binding him only let him fall to the side.

The force slammed into the ground, crushing Kren’s legs below the knee with a crunch and snap of bones. Red blood bloomed onto the ground, tainted slightly with black.

Vorgaelor smiled and clenched his hand, watching as the force gathered Kren’s body and began to squeeze. "Interesting. I thought the old man might have refined the technique after all this time."

The technique that Kren was using was one that strengthened his soul so he could transfer it into almost anything. Combined with the ability to make illusions almost real, he could create any body for himself and put himself inside.

But Vorgaelor had just chained his soul to his body, and he couldn’t get away.

With his back against the wall, Steelclaw watched this with dull eyes. He was reminded once again that his partner was more powerful than him, with more ancient magic and secrets.

"I... was... told this as well." Blood dripped from Kren’s smiling mouth. A small crack, and his skull began to collapse, while his shoulder was long dislocated. His chest was swollen, and his nose was running with blood.

He managed a smile. "It really was too late."

His forehead lit up with black light. Illusory purple light flickered to life around him, and the force squeezing him vanished, but his body didn’t drop. It swayed in the air, held there by purple light.

Vorgaelor took a step back, and his body tingled. He felt something he had not felt for a long time—something he had forgotten how to feel. Fear. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He was breathing hard as he turned toward the altar. His hand went to Vale’s right hand, where the Crimson Moon was bleeding out. He added his essence to speed things up.

Behind him, a sharp crack echoed through the room as Kren’s chest burst outward. Red blood and organs spilled into the air and formed a circle that burned with purple light.

And from the portal, someone came out.

It was someone covered in a black cloak. Only the purple eyes could be seen, and they burned with such power and intensity that Steelclaw felt a blinding pain in his eyes as he locked onto them.

He looked away and fell down, shivering as his eyes went black, as if he had been staring at the sun.

The old man turned to the body of Kren, which was floating behind him, and reached out a single finger to touch him.

Kren’s body shuddered, and he was healed immediately. He fell to his knees. "You are here, my lord."

The old man didn’t say anything. He began to walk toward the altar. He said, "Vorgaelor."

And everything exploded.