The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

"Pfft... hahahaha!" Sloth burst out laughing, his throat closing in by the moment under Neraxis's crushing force.

But even so, his laugh echoed in this strange place, causing a slight shiver to run down Neraxis's spine.

And before Neraxis could shut Sloth up, he spoke.

"How does it feel, Neraxis? Do you feel like you've gotten the revenge you were seeking?" Sloth asked with a wide smirk.

He narrowed his eyes. "You know... out of all the Sovereigns, I'm the best at reading people. So much so that I can tell someone's true intentions with just a single gaze."

Neraxis's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? It's simple..." Sloth trailed off, meeting Neraxis's eyes. "You've been killing us, but you don't feel anything. Why are you doing it? Revenge? Clearly not. I don't feel even a sliver of hate from you. If anything, all I'm feeling is slight amusement at the prospect of killing someone as strong as me."

"You consider yourself strong?" Neraxis's brow rose. "If you were strong, you wouldn't be writhing below my feet like a rat. And just like a rat, I shall grant you a painless death."

But before Neraxis could tighten his grip further, Violet suddenly placed a hand on his forearm.

She wasn't strong by any means, but the mere touch sent an electric jolt up his arm, reaching his brain.

He halted for a moment, and in that time, he met Violet's eyes, which seemed to be brimming with confliction.

"Neraxis... are you still doing this for revenge?" she asked in a low tone.

He stared at her for a few moments, and just as he was about to speak, Evangeline walked up to Violet and delivered a slap across her face.

"Who do you think you are to ask him that?" Evangeline lashed out. "These people tormented him and his family for thousands of years, and when he's finally getting revenge, you interrupt him."

"It's fine, Evangeline," Neraxis said plainly. "She's right. He's right too... I don't feel much hate for them anymore, though I do know I have to kill them if I want my family to be safe."

He held Evangeline's hand firmly. "And our future child too."

Violet rubbed her slightly reddened cheek. "So it is as Sloth had said, huh? I see..."

"So what, are you planning on going against me now?" Neraxis asked. "Because my goal is still the same, and I'm willing to help you."

He took a deep breath. "I spent nearly 500 years in there with Wrath. We've spoken about the past. We've also fought day and night. We grew close, and I still killed him in the end."

Neraxis tilted his head. "Why? Because I see him as an enemy. It's just that simple."

"It's never that simple, Neraxis," Sloth remarked with a chuckle. "But I won't stop you. Who knows where this path might lead you? Though... as someone who has seen the beginning of the Eternal Sin's life, your current actions do hold some resemblance."

Neraxis's brows furrowed at that comment, and without wasting another moment, he tightened his grip.

At the same time, he collapsed the Void around Sloth's head, killing him in an instant.

And just like the others, they were simple killings, almost like a complete walk in the park.

Yet unlike the past kills, Violet's silence spoke one too many words.

She was obviously conflicted by his true intentions.

After all, she knew what he had gone through, but even then, Neraxis was simply killing these people for the sake of killing.

Nothing more, nothing less.

So with that in mind, he grabbed Violet's hand again and performed the same action as earlier.

Just instead of searching for Sloth, he was looking for Gluttony.

A minute later, he finally found him, and he was resting in a very surprising place.

He was on Neraxis's home world, in his old house, eating cereal in his very own kitchen.

Neraxis's brows furrowed, and without wasting another moment, he moved the Void over to Gluttony and split the space open.

Immediately, he found himself inside his living room with a familiar face ahead.

Or rather, a mask.

It was a grinning shark, and through its eye holes, Neraxis could see crystal-like crimson eyes glaring at him with pure malice.

Yet that malice only lasted for a moment as Gluttony put down the cereal and stood up, walking over to Neraxis.

Despite the many deaths of the Sovereigns, Gluttony's strength remained firm.

So firm, in fact, that Neraxis could tell at a glance that Gluttony was stronger than him.

Even so, he wasn't going to back down when they finally fought.

But as Neraxis got into a fighting stance, Gluttony suddenly let out a chuckle.

"How does it feel ticking us off your checklist?" Gluttony asked. "You don't go through our challenges like you did with Pride, and yet you believe you've attained victory, yes?"

Neraxis tilted his head.

Before he could speak up, Gluttony vanished from view.

And as Neraxis looked around, trying to find him, he was suddenly met with a peculiar sight.

He was inside his Void realm again—just this time, there was another section in his Void realm where he could see a partial red color.

It expanded rapidly, almost as if it was trying to absorb his Void realm.

At the same time, Neraxis felt a bit of his mana zap, and once he glanced at his status screen, his eyes widened.

Name: Neraxis Valen

Age: 503

Bloodline: The Progenitor Solarian Vampire {Mythic}

Affinity: Abyssal Solarity [Mythic]

World Cores: 39 (438) → 33 (373)

—Perks:

[Primordial Presence] (Mastered)

[Unyielding Vitality] (Mastered)

—Stats:

Rank: Transcendent+ → Celestial-

Strength: Transcendent- → Transcendent

Agility: Transcendent- → Transcendent

Stamina: Celestial-

Intelligence: Primordial-

Mana Capacity: Celestial

—Secondary Stats:

Luck: D-

Charm: Mythic+

—Skills:

[Void Manipulation (Null)]

[Ancient Sun Vampirism (SSS+)]*

[Manifestation of the Sun (SSS)]*

[Vampiric Dominance (Mythic)]

[Universal Diffusion (Saint)]

[Stellar Dominion (A)]

[Minor Reflect (D)]

[Aegis of Eternity (C)]

—Fragment of Calamity Skill Tree (5/???)

Stupid Vertical Slash (Transcendent)

Basic Abyssal Calamity Footwork + Swordsmanship (Mythic)

Mastered Horizontal Slash (Saint)

Mastered Stab (Saint)

Mastered Illusion Slash (Saint)

+-----+

His World Cores had decreased by a huge chunk, yet his mana capacity still remained at the Celestial level.

But he knew that if this were to continue, then he'd lose that too.

Therefore...

I need to kill the Sovereign of Gluttony now.