The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

Neraxis followed Delta. The two were walking through some sort of hallway.

It had the same white walls and golden engravings as his room, but on a much larger scale.

There were also little tables scattered around with all sorts of jewelry on them—mostly gold.

Nonetheless, it did not change the fact that he was starting to grow nervous.

Just what did I sign up for? he grumbled. The hallways looked appealing to the eye, but they felt suffocating due to the lack of windows.

It felt like he was trapped—which, knowing his luck, was most likely the case.

The two finally arrived at a crossing, where one side seemed to widen slightly outwards.

Neraxis gave up trying to perceive the distance. It felt like one huge illusion, as when he looked backward, the room he had been staying in previously was still in view—just a couple of meters away.

[Spatial stuff. Wouldn't know too much about it,] Evangeline remarked, and he merely nodded in response.

However, the moment he looked back at the crossing, it disappeared—replaced by a massive room with a lone white throne.

The ceiling seemed as though it were hundreds of meters away, yet there were a bunch of giant chandeliers scattered all around, giving it the same illusory feel as the door.

"The First Veil will arrive shortly. In the meantime, get yourself acquainted with the others," Delta suddenly said before pointing toward an area right next to the throne.

It was a single round table, and there sat three other people, all wearing white faceless masks that covered only half of their faces.

There appeared to be two women and a single angry-looking man.

He found it odd, but before he could question it further, someone grabbed his hand and placed something inside.

"Put this on for now. Your identity must remain secret, Veiled One," Delta stated and let go of his hand, leaving behind a familiar half-mask.

"Thank you," Neraxis expressed before putting it up to his face. Immediately, he felt a gust of wind rush through his entire body before it went away.

As he snapped out of his stupor, he noticed Delta was no longer there—seemingly disappeared in the slight moment he was out of it.

Hmm? Neraxis glanced at the three people, only to see them looking back at him and waving for him to approach.

Since he had no other choice, he went ahead with wary steps.

Shortly after he arrived, Neraxis decided to introduce himself. "Hel—" but was immediately interrupted by a single finger on their mouths, signaling for him to be quiet.

Okay... Evangeline, I didn't join a cult, did I? A shiver went down his spine as he silently sat down at the round table.

[Don't be silly. That girl wouldn't be with a bunch of cultists,] she remarked with a pout, rendering him confused.

You mentioned that before. What did you mean? Do you know her?

[No, but I know her kind. They don't mingle with people who have lost their minds. Doesn't change the fact that there are some evil ones, though.]

Neraxis raised an eyebrow as he asked, So? Is she evil?

However, her response was anything but satisfactory. [She appears to be neutral, like a guardian of sorts.]

Huh... So is she guarding this entire place? Neraxis thought while looking around.

[That, or she's guarding this little organization instead,] she added, causing his expression to grow even more glum.

Before he could ask any more questions, a faint feminine laughter resounded from the other side of the table. It was one of the people who had been sitting there initially.

"Pfft... hahaha... You should've seen the look on your face," the woman said, trying her best to hold back the laughter.

But it was to no avail. Before Neraxis could even speak, the other two broke out in laughter as well, making him feel extremely awkward.

"Really funny," he scoffed before continuing. "What is this place?"

However, as his words trailed off, the table soon grew quiet, their laughs dying down.

That was until his eyes locked with the woman's. Her crystal-like green eyes made him immediately go on guard.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before she spoke. "This place is the Sanctum, but you can just refer to it as our base of operations."

"The Obscura, right? Can you tell me about it?"

"No," she flatly rejected him without even a second to spare.

But he wasn't discouraged. "...Then are you three the other Veiled Ones?"

"We are," they all replied in unison.

"I don't suppose you can tell me what a Veiled One is?" Neraxis said with a soft smile. They could see half of it, so maybe their minds would be changed.

This time, he did not even receive a response, as the table once again turned silent.

[I expected you to be a social butterfly. Who knew you were so bad with people?] Evangeline teased with a chuckle.

But he did not entertain her—he just sat back and waited for the supposed First Veil to arrive instead.

However, his plans were interrupted when one of the people at the round table stood up and walked over to him.

"Why are you so weak?" a deep voice resounded, each word carrying a certain weight.

Neraxis stood up and matched the man's glare. "Why don't you ask this leader of yours instead?"

The man's face scrunched up in disgust before he spoke. "Boy, I did not mean to insult you. However, what do you think you can do with your feeble strength? Wash the dishes? Clean?"

Neraxis listened patiently as the man's taunts grew more and more sophisticated until finally, he had enough.

"Just like your m—" The man's words were cut off as a red sword materialized out of thin air and swung down at him.

He looked at it as though it were some sort of toothpick, not even attempting to dodge.

And that was his first mistake; Neraxis grabbed hold of the sword and immediately finished the downward swing.

A barely audible rip resounded as the man's clothes were cut in two, the mask being the only thing left on his body.

"Pfft..." The two women behind him tried their best to hold back their laughs, but tiny chuckles escaped.

As for the man before him, his widened brown eye stared directly at Neraxis. "You... Are you an idiot?"

"Says the one who's naked," Neraxis shot back and took a few steps backward before sitting down at the round table again.

Inwardly, his heart was beating out of his chest, but if the man had really wanted to do something to him, he would have done it the moment the sword materialized.

It did not take a genius to realize that he was way out of his league. The people before him were at the very least B or A ranked Awakened—possibly even higher.

As for Amara herself, he could only speculate.

However, as he was lost in his thoughts, a pair of footsteps resounded—ones that seemed just as light as Delta's but not quite the same.

Soon, a familiar silhouette appeared in Neraxis's vision. It was Amara, and she was wearing black dress-like armor that perfectly complemented her golden hair.

She smiled upon noticing him. However, as she turned her gaze toward the man behind Neraxis, a deep frown appeared on her face.

"Idiot... Put some clothes on."