The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

Off in the distance, thousands of roots were sprouting from the ground, covering the entire surroundings in a woody mess.

Yet Neraxis was even more confused by Lagus's reaction.

"Pfft... So all you were hiding was a simple tree? Talk about..." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing. "Or not."

At those words, he lifted off the ground before approaching one of the branches and creating a small gash inside it.

A mass of green mana appeared at once, traveling through the roots.

Yet when it was exposed, it wilted quickly, making the entire branch Lagus had cut deteriorate.

As that happened, a surprising notification descended.

[1x (C+ Ranked Human) Slain! Reward: ERROR ###]

"Oh? A branch of life?" Lagus mused out loud before approaching another root and doing the same.

[1x (B Ranked Human) Slain! Reward: ERROR ###]

"Hahaha... What a find." He glanced upward, noticing a pair of larger roots stretching across the entirety of this mess.

<Stop.>

"Why would I? Aka, you know me better than—" Lagus froze. "You're not Aka. Weaver?"

<You are correct. Unless you want me to delete you, I would suggest you stop this instant.>

"I wonder if you really can? I've already gone this far, and I plan to go further." Lagus taunted before summoning a completely black flame and sending it toward a portion of the roots.

[214,410,877x (E- Ranked Human) Slain! Reward: ERROR ###]

[44,477,264x (C+ Ranked Human) Slain! Reward: ERROR ###]

[18,992,042x (B Ranked Human) Slain! Reward: ERROR ###]

[9,94-ERROR]

[System Access Revoked!]

"Oh, is that your grand plan? To restrict this rudimentary tool? You do realize who I am, don't you?" Lagus stated and began zipping past all the roots until eventually, he arrived at the very top.

However, what awaited him were ten people, one of whom was the hesitant-looking Aka.

<We regret to inform you this is the end of the line for you, Eternal Sin.>

"I would say I'm at just the perfect moment, don't you think?" Lagus remarked while glancing off to the side.

Surprisingly, the events that had happened a couple of hours ago were playing on repeat.

The battle between Neraxis and the monsters, as well as his eventual death.

"You've taken quite an interest in him, haven't you?"

<He's someone who can restore the balance that you broke. Therefore, we believe it is worth investing in him.>

"I don't doubt it. My return sure has been a spectacle, hasn't it?" Lagus chuckled before growing serious and using his mana, creating a black flame.

He sent it right at the massive holographic screen that was replaying the events, yet before it could even reach it, the flame was dispersed.

<We can't let you do that.>

"Are we too late? Apologies, boss." The Sovereign of Gluttony's voice rang out as he and six more people approached.

Each one of them had a menacing amount of strength. However, Neraxis was not able to see the masks of a few of them, neither could he hear what they were saying.

It was almost as though Lagus was hiding them from him.

[You'll see eventually,] he commented as the action resumed.

"We will be destroying the tower today," Lagus announced, shocking both the Sovereigns as well as the administrators.

<Are you crazy? You will get us all killed.>

"Boss, while I do get that you want to express yourself after your return, isn't this a bit much?" The Sovereign of Gluttony said, and Lagus merely ignored him, glancing even further above.

A small beam of light shone there—if he had to guess, it was likely the tower's core.

Therefore, after setting his sights on it, Lagus took a deep breath and swiftly began flying toward one of the administrators.

All of them were formless beings except for Aka, so he wasn't sure which one he was attacking. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

However, as he neared, a sudden cocoon of threads enveloped him, spinning wildly around him.

"Ugh... I hate your skills, Weaver." Lagus groaned, just barely burning the threads apart.

[His threads have the ability to alter fate, so you don't exactly want to get caught in them.]

I see... Neraxis replied, continuing to watch as Lagus eventually broke through their ranks with the assistance of the other Sovereigns, who, after just a few minutes, had perished.

The only ones left were the Sovereign of Pride, Gluttony, and Envy.

Even then, the shape they were in was horrible, and it seemed like they would die at any moment.

Nonetheless, his system messages, which had vanished, reappeared the moment he approached the light at the top.

[System functionality restored - Administrator Access granted.]

"I'll try again and again," Lagus remarked before closing his eyes.

Yet as he reopened them, an eerie silence fell upon the battlefield between the Sovereigns and the Administrators.

"First thing's first."

[Rebirth {EX} (One-time use)] -> [Rebirth {EXX} (Two-time use)]

"Now..." He trailed off, blood seeping down his nose.

<Critical ERROR! The user 'Lagus Destine' is going to face immediate ejection in: 6 hours!>

[It took a lot out of me,] Lagus commented, yet Neraxis kept on watching with curiosity.

None of what was happening had he ever thought was possible.

Lagus tapped the air a couple of times, and soon, more system messages began appearing, just this time, they looked a bit more ominous.

<Administrator Edict: The user 'Lagus Destine' will have all his injuries healed and—>

<Denied. Direct changes to one's self are not allowed.>

"Pfft... Even in the end, there's someone higher... Comical." Lagus held back his laugh before proceeding with his second plan.

<Administrator Edict: Sovereign of Gluttony, Sovereign of Lust, and lastly, Sovereign of Envy may retain their memories after death or if the timeline is altered.>

"As for you." Lagus sent a glare toward the Sovereign of Pride.

<Administrator Edict: The remaining Sovereigns and Administrators who had not been mentioned, dead or alive, lose all of their memories of the being 'Lagus Destine' and 'Subject Neraxis Valen.'>

<Critical ERROR! The user 'Lagus Destine' is going to face immediate ejection in: 1 hour!>

"Don't do this..." A soothing, soft voice rang out, and as he turned toward it, he saw Aka, her sky-blue eyes staring straight at him.

Despite his momentary reluctance, he would see this through.

<Administrator Edict: Akashic Records may retain their memories after death or in the case there are alterations to the timeline.>

"This is my gift to you, Aka. I'm sorry." Lagus said, his vision fading. "I wish we'll get to meet in the future again."

<### ERROR: Dreamspire's world-connecting properties have been severed... Facing immediate destruction of the tower!>

As he saw that his plans were coming to fruition, he made one last edict.

<Administrator Edict: The changes made to the tower remain no matter the timeline.>

<Critical ERROR! The user 'Lagus Destine' is going to face immediate ejection in: 20 seconds!>

Lagus inhaled deeply, scanning his surroundings, taking it all.

Everything was burning, turning to ash, and yet here he was, standing like a god at the very top of the tower, overlooking everyone's life and death.

"Hahaha..."

<3>

<2>

As the ejection timer was about to hit zero, however, he suddenly used a skill.

[Rebirth {EXX} (Two-time use)]

Locking onto a moment in the past, he traveled back.

And as he did, the sight of a ruined land once again appeared before his eyes, with the couple of wannabe heroes stabbing their weapons through Neraxis.

"Huh? Boss—" The Sovereign of Gluttony's shocked voice rang out, but Lagus quickly silenced him.

"No time to explain. Just know that you owe me one," he said before taking a deep breath and focusing on Neraxis, who was lying on the ground, nearly dead.

A moment later, he used his {Possession} skill which thankfully went off cooldown once he came back.

Nonetheless, the popup was nothing short of alarming.

<Body Compatibility: 0%>

<If the user 'Lagus Destine' proceeds with this action, they will not be able to have a successful possession until the body's compatibility reaches 100%.>

<Do you wish to proceed?>

"...Yes." Lagus affirmed with a sour look, and soon, his body melted down before a single strand of mana traveled toward Neraxis's body.

In the short moment before both of their deaths, he saw the Spire off in the distance, yet it looked different—broken.

Yet Lagus did not have much time to admire it before forcefully taking over Neraxis's body and using a skill.

[Rebirth {EX} (One-time use)]@@novelbin@@

Due to him being greatly wounded and his consciousness fading, he could not input the correct timeline. Therefore, the system took it upon itself to do the regulations.

<Safest date... 2367. Seeking user's confirmation...>

<Confirmed.>

<Due to low body compatibility, the user 'Lagus Destine' will enter a dormant state!>

As the sequence of events continued, Neraxis's breathing felt labored upon seeing something like that happen.

Yet that was exactly where the vision cut off, as after that, there was complete darkness.

[I hope you enjoyed the show, Neraxis. I know you have many questions, so I will be seeing you again in the future,] Lagus said with a chuckle as his voice faded away, followed by...

[System Log 3: Finished]

Soon, his vision returned to normal, and Neraxis found himself sitting on the same mattress as earlier, his expression pale.

[Huh? Are you not going yet?] Evangeline asked, yet upon noticing his condition, she panicked. [Neraxis! What happened!? Are you okay?]

Am I okay? Neraxis glanced toward the mirror ceiling. I have no fucking clue.

As he thought that, he saw his status window blinking a faint red color, and upon opening it, his eyes widened.

+-----+

[Status]

Name: Neraxis Valen

Age: 17

Stigmata: [Fragment of Calamity {100%} (Seals Unlocked: 2) [Ready to unseal! Y/Y]]

Affinity: [Eclipsed Abyss {SSS}]

(NEW) Body Compatibility: 8%

—Perks:

[Aura of the Abyss] (Basic)

[Unyielding Vitality] (Intermediate)

[Cosmic Sight] (Intermediate)

—Stats:

Rank: C+

Strength: C-

Agility: C+

Stamina: C+

Intelligence: B+

Mana Capacity: C+

—Secondary Stats:

Luck: I- -> J-

Charm: A+

—Skills:

[Eve of Ruin {E}]* -> [Eve of Ruin {C}]*

[Swordsmanship {E}]

[Stellar Dominion {A}]

[Minor Reflect {D}]

[Sword Dash {F}]

[Restorative Cut {E}]

[Vampiric Dominion {A}]

[Aegis of Eternity {C}]

[Crimson Sovereignty {S}]

—Fragment of Calamity Skill Tree (2/???)

[Simple Horizontal Slash]

[Simple Stab]

+-----+

Fuck...