The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

"So who are we going after first?" Neraxis asked as he leaned back on the sofa.

He had grabbed a few snacks from the fridge, since it seemed like while he was out, Evangeline had moved in here.

She had restocked the fridge and cleaned the house, definitely making him wonder why he hadn't already handed her a ring.

It seemed like she caught onto his thoughts as her cheeks flushed red. But she swiftly got back to the matter at hand.

"Violet was thinking of going for Greed first. Envy is also a good choice," she said.

"Why not the others?" Neraxis asked.

"Envy and Greed are two of the weakest Sovereigns. Wrath and Sloth are equal in strength, and Gluttony is the strongest out of us all," Violet explained. "Pride was technically the weakest and the strongest because... well, you know. As for me, I'm the weakest."

She walked closer and sat beside him.

"You see... my powers are mostly based around seduction, but I'm not a very big fan of them. At most, I use my charming powers to make people do my bidding. Aside from that..." Violet trailed off, meeting Evangeline's gaze.

Evangeline tilted her head, then let out a sigh. "You've got virgin number... I lost count."

Neraxis didn't even humor Evangeline as he stood up and looked at the two of them.

"When are we heading out?"

"Leaving so soon?" Evangeline asked, puzzled. "Don't you want to stay for dinner? Maybe even more...?"

"The sooner we get this done, the faster we can do whatever you want, Evangeline," Neraxis replied.

A moment of silence ensued, followed by Violet standing up and placing her hand over his chest.

He was momentarily startled, ready to push her off.

But that was when he felt a surge of power course through him. It was faint at first, but the longer she rested her hand on his chest, the stronger the power became.

And after what felt like minutes, she finally raised her hand and sat down again. Just this time, she had a clearly fatigued expression on her face.

"What was that about?" Neraxis asked.

"I gave you a bit of my strength," Violet replied, heaving a deep breath. "You're now more handsome."

"..."

"Pfft..." Evangeline held back a laugh as she approached Violet. "Nice joke... but what is it really?"

Her question simply hung in the air, and as it died, Neraxis and Evangeline realized one crucial thing.

Violet wasn't lying.

"You have a natural way of wooing people, though it only works if you set your mind to it. It's hard to explain, but you can try it on me," Violet suggested, facing him with her perfect black eyes.

"Try to charm me."

Neraxis really couldn't understand where she was going with this, but even so, he leaned down beside her, gently grabbed her chin, and tilted it to meet his eyes.

He stared at her for a few moments, yet she showed no reaction. She simply stared back at him blankly.

"Wow..." Violet mumbled. "If not for that pretty face, you'd be doomed, I'm afraid."

Neraxis's brows twitched as he turned to Evangeline, almost as if he was looking for confirmation.

But Evangeline simply turned her head and began to whistle, ignoring him.

Seriously? Am I that hopeless?

N−No,it′sokay,N-No, it's okay,N−No,it′sokay, Evangeline said. It′smorelike...youuseactionsmorethanwords?It's more like... you use actions more than words?It′smorelike...youuseactionsmorethanwords?

He paused, staring at the two women for a few moments.

And is that a bad thing?

"In the first place, why do I need this exactly?" Neraxis muttered. "You're the only woman Sovereign, right? I'm not going to go around charming men."

"No one's asking you to," Violet replied and finally revealed her true goal. "You see... Evangeline mentioned you had a problem connecting with the other girls. I was wondering what the problem was, so I did a little test."

She leaned back, a faint smile appearing on her face. "All that stuff about me giving you some charm was a lie, by the way. I just wanted to see you at your most confident. And yes, it was as bad as Evangeline mentioned."

"So you set me up." Neraxis sighed. "So much for that then. But look... can't we do this some other time?"

"No, we have time," Violet said flatly. "After all, we already have a Sovereign heading toward us as we speak."

The moment she finished speaking, his eyes widened.

"The what now...?"

"Oh, are they here already?" Evangeline asked excitedly. "It was a bit of trouble to get him to stay in one spot. Thanks, Violet."

Violet nodded at her, then began explaining.

"While you were doing whatever you were doing, we set some plans into motion. We revealed our location to Envy and Greed a week ago. It looks like one of them finally took the bait. It's going to be difficult for either of them to descend since the world is protected by a barrier. If you weren't born here, then you'd have trouble finding a way in... that type of deal."

With those words, Violet tapped him on the shoulder and fixed her cutesy white dress.

"As for me, I'll be watching the fight from the sidelines, if you don't mind."

"What are their weaknesses? I remember you told me Pride was forced to fight at the same strength as his opponents. Is that the case for the others as well?" Neraxis asked.

"Something like that," Violet replied. "They're not as special as Pride, but they do have some special circumstances. For example... Envy can only fight by copying the skills of his opponent. He can't copy proficiency though, so that's why he's probably the weakest."

Violet cleared her throat. "And then there's Greed. He was once the most powerful, but... as ironic as it is, he became too greedy. Now he's like Gluttony, but worse. He absorbs mana, stamina, all of that stuff from the surroundings. But at the same time, he suffers extreme debuffs by doing so. The debuffs twist his psyche, and he can even lose himself."

She sighed and tapped him on the shoulder again.

"Whichever it may be, it won't be easy. But I wish you luck, Neraxis."