Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 155: Red moon

The red moon lit up on his hand, surrounded by a purple circle.

The elders gasped, and the chief half-rose from his chair, his dark eyes reflecting the red light flaring in front of him. His mouth worked, but he couldn’t find anything to say.

Vale was also surprised. The Mark Order on his hand was emitting a red light that was just short of blinding, and the more he stared at it, the clearer-headed and strangely weightless he felt.

’...Is this the mysterious power that allows me to break free from any form of essence pressure and suppression?...’

But it wasn’t just that. Just as Vale had felt a nudge back in the Inheritance Ruin, he now felt the same pull as he looked toward the chief and the crown atop his head.

He began to walk forward as if in a trance. The elders got out of his way and bowed as he approached the chief, who stood from his throne and bowed as well.

Vale reached out and grabbed the stone crown. The moment he touched it, the moon atop the crown lit up, glowing a dull red.

’...This... Is this a relic of the inheritance of the Forbidden Knight, the Crimson Lord? So this Mark Order can activate such artifacts...’

With hesitation, he returned the crown and stepped down from the dais. Manefor was already there with a chair for him, and he sat, dismissing the Mark Order.

The crown atop Takoda continued to burn with a faint red light, and the chief kept examining it. Vale smiled.

’...I guess I’m a Blessed after all... Come to think of it... I can be considered his Blessed... I have the moon on my hand...’

After a long silence, during which both the elders and the chief stared at Vale with an almost devotional look, one of the elders whispered, "The Crimson Lord..." and bowed his head.

It had been hundreds of years since the True Blightfur had disappeared and the Crimson Lord had stopped responding to their prayers. Even the chief, who was the oldest among them, couldn’t say he had ever heard the Crimson Lord.

But now, the Crimson Lord had finally heard their voices again and sent them a Blessed.

Vale twitched in his seat, almost regretting setting himself up like that. But he remembered all that he had to do and straightened. "Is that enough proof?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Yes, it is, Blessed Vale," Takoda said with solemnity.

Vale opened his mouth to correct him, then closed it immediately. Instead, he said, "Good."

Manefor leaned forward from his place, his eyes intent on Vale. "Tell us. Why has the Lord not answered us since? Why now? Why you? Why not directly?"

Vale thought quickly, making his voice melancholy. "The Lord slumbers. He defeated a great evil and fell into sleep. But now, as a new storm appears on the horizon, He has no choice but to mark a new Blessed. Why me? Even I cannot answer that."

’...I’m glad for all those knight stories I read while small... hehehe... hehehe...’

They accepted his explanation without doubt. The burning crown atop the chief served as proof enough. Vale seized the chance to ask, "What’s that crown?"

"It’s been passed down from chief to chief since the first ancestors. It’s an artifact that can channel and use the power the Crimson Lord stores in it. It’s the tribe’s most powerful weapon. But it stopped working and fell silent after the Crimson Lord stopped answering us."

The chief adjusted himself and frowned. "No. It stopped working for a long time, then started working again before going dead four hundred years ago, the same time the True Blightfur left us."

Vale frowned. ’.....Four hundred years ago... So the Crimson Lord—or the knight acting as the Crimson Lord—died, or something, four hundred years ago?... Hmmm.....’

"Tell me about the Blightfur."

"They were the most powerful fighters we had, the guardians of us Forsaken Tribes. They were created and brought to our world by the Crimson Lord," the chief’s eyes turned darker. "If they were here, the monsters wouldn’t have taken our land!"

Vale smiled. "How about you support a commander who wants to clear the Rift?"

Chief Takoda shook his head, a little sadly. "The Rift won’t be easy to close. Not because we can’t, but because the others won’t cooperate. I’ve tried to unite us all to clear it time and time again, but no one agrees.

"If you want to clear it, you’ll either have to do it yourself or find a way to force them. Being a commander is a good move, but unless you actually become the commander, not only in name but in strength, it’ll all be for nothing," Chief Takoda said.

’...When I haven’t even proven that I’m Vale Athrimir to them, even though they probably know I’m Athrimir?...’

Vale didn’t let this show on his face as he asked instead, "Then will you support me?"

Chief Takoda stood, his elders stood, and they bowed to Vale. "You are the Lord’s Blessed! We will follow you!"

’....If only others could be this simple... Then there must be something I can use...’

"What do you know about the Purple Fortress—the old commander’s fortress?" he asked carefully. Taking the fortress wouldn’t only be a way to hold onto something at the forefront, but it would also be a way to proclaim his power.

He wasn’t naive enough to think that a knight rank would easily rule over master knights. He needed something to balance things out.

’....The commander’s fortress will help, but it’s still just a building after all... Why’s everything so hard? Maybe I can employ a master knight somewhere?....’

"The Purple Fortress belongs to the previous and only commander. It was central to the effort to clear the Rift back then. But the commander died while exploring the Rift in advancement," the chief suddenly paused. "Wait, I know of a way you can prove yourself."

That made Vale sit up. "What are you talking about?"

The older man grinned. "Do you know about the Towers? They were made by your clan’s enchanters, but that was only a copy. The original Tower was a chained artifact that belonged to your clan, and it was once one of the most powerful weapons here at the forefront.

"From what I know, it’s bound by blood to only your clan. And after the commander’s death, it returned to the Purple Fortress."