The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

The moment Lagus uttered those words, Neraxis felt as if his entire body condensed, then reformed.

Yet that was not the case, only an illusion that Lagus had stimulated inside his mind.

But it didn't take a genius to understand that what Lagus had done just now was not great.

In fact, Neraxis already felt his mana zapping by the moment, so to counteract it, he spread out his Void realm.

Or tried to, anyway, yet he was met with a deep resistance to the point where it felt like no matter what he did, he couldn't get past that pressure.

All the while, Lagus wasn't even taking this seriously.

But who could blame him? He had spent eons dedicating his time to perfecting such a realm, and here Neraxis was, trying to replicate the same power with much less strength.

However, since the alternative was death, Neraxis took a deep breath and focused.

The ground suddenly shook as most of the individuals present were erased, slightly distorting the completely white space.

A small crack had appeared, yet it mended itself just as quickly.

But that was enough to earn a surprised look from Lagus.

"My... I didn't expect you to be able to do that, not yet, anyway. But I suppose our perfection is hereditary. All I hope is that you find what you're looking for."

Neraxis tilted his head in confusion, unsure of what Lagus had in mind.

But that was when Lagus suddenly released his white realm, causing Neraxis's body to lunge forward.

He tried to stop himself, but it was way too late to do so.

He slipped between a pitch-black realm, then Lagus's white realm, until eventually, he found himself in a completely purple Void, one where he couldn't even breathe without the usage of mana.

The mana concentration was beyond normal, and it was thousands of times higher than what he had felt in his own Void, and several hundred times higher than what he had felt inside Lagus's realm.

However, his confusion only grew further as, bit by bit, he began growing accustomed to it.

His breathing eased up, and his pulse ran steady, as if what was happening was completely normal.

But having gotten the opportunity to take a breath, Neraxis used his power of time to check out the surroundings.

And to his surprise, this was one of the realms where time did not pass at all.

That meant he could be here for as long as he wanted to, and no one would be able to do anything.

He must've thrown me inside thinking I'd either die or come out running within moments, Neraxis deduced. Or maybe he's trying to give me greater powers? No... he doesn't seem like the type of guy who would do that.

After all, he was selfish. So selfish he'd used his own child for his own gain.

But Neraxis planned to end it all here, no matter what it took.

He was initially against sacrificing himself, but the more time he spent inside that time-stopped realm, the more his thoughts warped.

Who would really miss him if he was gone?

Evangeline? His parents and sister?

They'd all forget about him eventually, like a lingering thought.

The same went for Evangeline. She was still young by vampire standards, and by no means did he want to leave her.

But in the end, like the others, she'd forget him.

<You're being an idiot again,> Raguel remarked. <Remember all those years ago, when you first entered the time-stopped realm? You told me to call you an idiot when you were acting like an idiot. This time's the same.>

Raguel cleared his throat. <You have given them a reason to wait for you, so what happens when a day passes, a week, a month, a year? That hope will soon turn to despair, and when they finally realize you won't be back, then what? Are you planning on leaving them with the lingering thought that the person they had cared about had gotten himself killed for no reason?>

Neraxis's brows twitched.

"That does sound like something I would've said."

<I know, right?> Raguel chuckled. <I did quote you, but I didn't expect you to remember. That's a good sign. Means you're still somewhat there in the head.>

Neraxis sighed. "Can I absorb this realm?"

Raguel paused for a moment, speechless.

<You want to absorb this unstable thing? Do you know how long it's going to take you to convert all your Universe Cores into this realm? Or even merge the two together?> Raguel asked, and before Neraxis could answer, he continued. <Millions of years! I'm talking maybe more, billions is even a possibility. By then you'd have definitely lost yourself.>

All of a sudden, Raguel stammered. <W-Wait a second... I believe I understand why Lagus threw you in here. He was expecting you to do just that, absorb the realm and forget about those you care about. He wants someone he could relate to, a person who's lived for eternity and does not care about anyone except himself... just like Lagus.>

Neraxis stared at the open purple Void for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"I know."

<What? And you're still going through with it?>

"I am."

<Alright... so you've lost your shit, yes?> Raguel asked. <You're playing into his trap!>

"Not if I have a backup," Neraxis said with a chuckle. "Save all of my memories in the back of your mind. Or however you work, I don't care. Just make sure to save the memories of everyone I care about. I don't need anything else."

<I'm going to back everything up whether you like it or not,> Raguel replied with a pout.

All of a sudden, Neraxis felt as if his mind was being probed, until eventually, that feeling settled down.

<It's done,> Raguel announced, exhausted. <You can do whatever you want, and once you're done here, I can restore the memories... on one condition.>

"What?" Neraxis's brows furrowed. "What condition?"

<I will only restore your memories if it's the last resort. So what I want you to do is stay true to yourself. If, when you're done here, you turn into a monster, then I won't even bother with you,> Raguel replied coldly.

"Aren't you supposed to follow my orders?" Neraxis asked, the pressure around him increasing. "So what's this then, your rebellious phase?"

To his surprise, Raguel stopped responding.

Neraxis grumbled as he extended his hands forward and began absorbing the realm and merging it with his Void realm.

Keep true to myself, huh?