I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space - Chapter 368: Out Of System Space

Chapter 368: Out Of System Space

Suddenly, Maria and Merisa who had been standing close, speaking in low voices with expressions weighed down by thoughts far heavier than words.. froze at the same instant. It wasn’t because either of them sensed danger, nor because some overwhelming pressure descended upon the surroundings. It was something far simpler, and yet far more decisive.

It was because the shadow dome in front of them stirred.

The dense, suffocating mass of Shadows that had remained unmoving for over a month suddenly rippled, its surface shuddering as if disturbed from within. The shadows unraveled, peeling away like smoke caught in a strong wind, dissipating layer by layer before finally vanishing completely.. leaving behind nothing but open air and the small stretch of water beneath.

And from where that dome had stood…

Razeal emerged.

He floated out calmly, his body suspended just there his silver hair drifting slightly as if carried by a breeze no one else could feel. His crimson eyes were open now, steady and clear, carrying none of the turbulence that one might expect after a month-long isolation. If anything, he looked… kinda Better then fine?.

Merisa’s and maria reacted at the exact same time.

Both of them instinctively moved forward almost floating a step ahead without even realizing it drawn by the same impulse, the same worry, the same need to confirm with their own eyes that he was fine and all.

But both stopped just as suddenly.

Merisa halted first. Her body froze mid-motion, uncertainty flooding her expression as countless thoughts clashed within her mind. Should she even go to him? What she gonna speak? Should she apologize again or stay silent? She didn’t know what right she had anymore, nor what words would even be acceptable to say.

Maria stopped too but for an entirely different reason which no one really knows except her.. Maybe just her bad tsundere personality.

Her face hardened instantly, the softness vanishing as if it had never existed. She turned her head sharply to the side, arms stiff at her sides, deliberately refusing to look at him directly. And yet, despite herself, her peripheral vision betrayed her.. her side gaze still lingering on Razeal, following every subtle movement, every breath, every sign that he was truly fine.

She stood there pretending indifference with practiced precision.

But not everyone hesitated.

Not everyone stopped themselves or thought before acting.

The moment Razeal fully opened his awareness to the outside world, he barely had time to register the familiar surroundings before..

Sofia appeared in front of him.

It was as if she had teleported. One second there was nothing in front of him, the next she was standing dangerously close, her ocean-blue eyes blazing with fury, cheeks puffed up in a furious pout that somehow made her look even more striking. Her expression was a storm of anger, frustration, and pent-up emotion that had clearly been brewing for an entire month.

Without even giving him a chance to speak, she reached out and grabbed for his ear.

But razeal also reacted on instinct.

His right hand shot up, catching her wrist mid-motion before she could twist anything. He blinked, genuinely confused, staring at her as if he had just been attacked by a force of nature he hadn’t anticipated.

“What are you doing?” he asked, honestly baffled.

Her eyes flared.

“What am I doing?” Sofia snapped, her voice sharp and fast, words pouring out of her mouth in an unstoppable torrent. “The question should be what are ’YOU’ doing.. Mister?! Do you have even a little bit of common sense?! Leaving your wife alone on the first day of marriage and then disappearing for over a month without saying a single word?! No explanation, no word, no gesture or even signal or whatever? nothing!”

She yanked her wrist slightly, testing his grip, clearly offended that he had dared to stop her.

“And what?” she continued, voice rising. “You dare to hold my hand? Stop me from doing what you absolutely deserve?! Twisting your ear was the least lenient punishment I was thinking about, you know! With this kind of attitude? I think you deserve something far worse. Believe me.. let go of my hand right now, or I’ll twist something else, and it will be much worse than whatever pain you’re imagining at the moment right now hearing my word’s.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, the threat very real.

Razeal stared at her for a second, then another.

“Excuse me?” he said slowly, blinking again half from surprise, half from genuine bafflement.

In his head another thought also echoed absurdly clear: Can people really speak this many words in a single breath?

“Excuse you, Mr. Husband~” Sofia shot back instantly, leaning in just slightly, her voice dropping into something far more dangerous. “Let go of my hand, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.. Like maybe when you’ll lose the ability to produce children within the next few seconds, and I promise you.. I won’t feel even a little bit guilty about it.”

Her gaze locked onto his, blue against crimson, neither backing down.

Razeal’s eyes narrowed in response, his grip firm but not aggressive. The air between them grew tense as the two stared each other down, neither willing to yield, the silence stretching longer than anyone else present felt comfortable with.

Finally, Razeal exhaled.

He released her wrist.

“There,” he said calmly. “I don’t want a fight. Can we maybe calm down? It’s really not that big of a deal.”

Sofia froze.

Then

“Not that big of a deal?” she repeated slowly, disbelief dripping from every syllable. “You literally left me alone on the first day of our marriage.” She repeated.

Her voice rose again but then she paused.

She looked at his face more carefully this time, the anger faltering just slightly as something else crept in. Understanding. Conflict. A hint of restraint.

Her tone softened, just a fraction.

“Look… husband,” she said, crossing her arms. “I don’t want to act insensitive. I’ll ignore this once.. just this once because I know you had something going on with your mother.”

She sighed.

“But remember this,” she continued firmly. “You’re not a stray single man anymore. You have a wife now. Start acting like it. I’ll forgive you this time because you clearly have a lot a lot to learn. But next time? Don’t leave me alone.”

Her eyes sharpened again.

“And you will also explain what you were doing inside that black dome of yours for a whole fucking month. Because if you don’t, I’ll assume you were trying to find a cure for some hidden wound one that makes you unable to use the weapon every man should.. Particularly to be used on first day of marriage.. Between two lovely couples.”

She placed both hands on her hips, leaning forward slightly.

“And I don’t think I need to explain what married couples usually do on the first day of their marriage, do I?”

The air fell silent again.

“Ummmm…” Razeal was honestly left speechless.

Not because he didn’t have words or because he didn’t understand what Sofia was saying. But because the situation itself felt… strange. Unfamiliar. Almost surreal in a way he hadn’t expected. He stood there quietly, crimson eyes blinking once, then again, staring at her as she glared at him with hands on her hips..

It felt weird.

Not threatening or humiliating. Just kinda… weird.

Like a kid being scolded?

And that alone should have annoyed him. It should have irritated him or maybe offended him even being talked down to like this, in front of others, as if he were some irresponsible child who had run away or something?

Yet strangely enough… he didn’t feel bad. Not even a little actually..

If anything, he felt amused.

There was something oddly entertaining about the way she looked right now furious, dramatic, genuinely upset, yet still standing there talking nonstop, caring enough to be angry in the first place. The realization settled somewhere deep in his chest, unfamiliar and oddly warm, and it made the corners of his lips twitch faintly.

And then another thought crept in.

A bad one.

A part of him some instinctive, reckless part whispered that maybe, just maybe, he should say something that would make her even more angry. Just because… it might be funny? The image of her reaction alone almost made him want to try.

His brain, however, immediately warned him that this was a terrible idea. That this woman would absolutely waste more of his time if he pushed her buttons any further. That indulging this impulse would only lead to unnecessary chaos.

Still…

Before he could decide, Sofia snapped again.

“Do you understand what I am saying or NOTTT?!”

Her voice rose sharply, cutting through his thoughts as she took a step forward, eyes blazing when she noticed he still hadn’t responded. To her, his silence wasn’t calm.. it was infuriating.

Razeal inhaled slowly.

“Ahhh… yes, yes,” he said at last, nodding lightly. “I do.”

Sofia paused for half a second only to narrow her eyes suspiciously when he didn’t immediately follow up.

“But,” Razeal continued, tone unhurried, “can I explain later? I kind of… have something to do right now. And maybe this isn’t the best time?”

Her brows furrowed deeper.

“I mean,” he added, gesturing vaguely between them, “shouldn’t things like these be discussed in private? You know… husband and wife stuff?”

As he said that, he smiled. A natural, easy smile almost warm.

Sofia froze completely.

She stared at him as if he had just said something outrageous, her anger stalling mid-burn as her mind tried to process what she had just witnessed. His expression, his tone, the way he spoke it didn’t match the Razeal she knew. It didn’t match the man who usually met conflict with indifference or hostility.

“You…?” she muttered, eyes narrowing further as she studied him closely now. Something was off. Very off.

And then

“What?” Razeal said casually, tilting his head slightly. “And here I thought my wife would be sweet and understanding… giving her husband some time.”

His voice dipped just enough to sound almost playful and even flirty.

And paired with that dashing, effortless smile?

Sofia’s brain short-circuited.

Her mouth fell open in pure shock.

Then

She vanished.

In the blink of an eye, the space in front of Razeal was empty, and Sofia reappeared right beside Maria, grabbing her shoulders and leaning in close, hands cupped around Maria’s ears as she whispered urgently.

“HEY.. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!”

Her voice was hushed but frantic.

“He’s acting SO SUSS. Like really suss. Did he hit his head in there? Did something happen while he locked himself up? This is NOT normal.. Atleast not feeling like itt!”

Maria stiffened slightly at the sudden intrusion, lips pressing together as she listened. Her eyes, however, were still on Razeal. And the more she looked, the more unsettled she became.

Because Sofia wasn’t wrong.

He looked different.

Not physically.. his posture, his presence, his aura were all unmistakably Razeal’s. But something subtle had shifted. The sharp edges were still there, but they felt… rearranged. Like something had been dismantled and rebuilt in a way no one else could see yet…

“I…?” Maria finally murmured, then fell silent again, still staring.

“What?” Sofia whispered insistently. “Say it.”

Maria turned her head slowly toward Sofia, expression blank but eyes conflicted.

“There are only two possibilities I can think of,” she said quietly.

“And?” Sofia pressed.

“One… he reached some kind of enlightenment while being alone in there.”

Sofia’s eyes widened slightly.

“And the other?” she asked carefully.

Maria hesitated.

“…or he finally lost it.”

They stared at each other.

Sofia swallowed.

“…That’s not comforting.”

Meanwhile, Razeal ignored both women, whatever they were doing, and turned his cold gaze toward Merisa. “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?” he asked in a cold voice, also wondering why his order’s authority didn’t work on her.

“I thought you told me… to leave that dark dome made of your shadows.”

Merisa answered quietly, her voice low and restrained, yet carrying a weight that could not be hidden. The sadness in her eyes deepened the moment the words left her mouth, as if speaking them aloud only made the reality more unbearable. Of all the things he could have said after emerging.. after an entire month of isolation, after everything she had confessed, after everything she had laid bare this was the first thing he asked her? Not about what she felt. Not about what she endured. Not even about the truth she had revealed with trembling body and a broken voice. Just this. A reminder that she was still somewhere she was not wanted.

From her perspective, it hurt far more than she had expected.

She had understood, or at least believed she understood, why he had locked himself away. She told herself again and again that he needed time time to think, time to breathe, time to untangle the storm of emotions and thoughts that must have erupted inside him after learning the truth. She believed that his silence meant contemplation. That his isolation meant reflection. That somewhere inside that shadowed dome, he was weighing the facts, measuring the circumstances, trying to understand that what she had done had not been born purely from cruelty or any hate or any unwantedness towards him.. but from fear fear forged by the darkest shadows of her past.

Merisa had convinced herself that when he came out, there would be an answer. One way or another.

Either he would understand her and forgive her. Or he would not and would reject her completely.

And now, standing here, hearing his first words, she felt her chest tighten painfully. The fragile thread of hope she had clung to for an entire month trembled violently. His question was not loud. It was not emotional. But it was distant and that distance crushed her far more effectively than anger ever could.

Her lips curved into a faint, bitter smile as she shook her head lightly, purple hair shifting with the motion. She lowered her gaze, staring at the ground beneath her feet, choosing silence over words that would only break her further. She already knew the answer. Or at least… she feared she did.

Is your hate towards me really that much?

The question screamed inside her chest, unspoken yet deafening.

Even after knowing my past… even after knowing that my cruelty came from fear, from trauma, from shadows I never escaped… is it still impossible for you to understand me even that much?

Her heart clenched as memories resurfaced her mistakes, her decisions, the punishment she had inflicted upon him. She knew she had gone too far. She had admitted that. She had even apologized for that.. Even got revealed the truths she had buried for decades, sacrificing her pride, her dignity, everything she had built herself upon. And yet this?… Yeah she also knew she had not been completely wrong.

She had punished him because he committed a crime.

That truth did not vanish just because her actions had been influenced by fear.

Yes, she had been extreme. Yes, she had lost control. Yes, she had allowed her past to dictate her judgment. But she had not punished him without reason. And somewhere deep inside, she still believed that even if she regretted how she had done it.

Why is it so hard for you to accept that? Why is it so impossible for you to forgive one mistake?Can you not even understand me that much? She’s not the only one who made mistake in here right? She is ready to forgive and forget his.. Cant he do same to hers?

Her throat tightened.

She still cared for him. That truth had never changed. She had apologized. She had abandoned everything her authority, her image, her pride just to reach him. And yet, here she was, standing in front of him, feeling more distant than ever before.

Why are you being so cruel to me…? Why are you being so cruel… to your own mother?

The words burned inside her chest.. She wanted to ask him.. but she didn’t spoke.

Because she already knew.

It would not matter at last.

He had taken his time. He had made his decision. And no matter how painful it was, she could feel it now.. solid, immovable and final. There was nothing more she could say. Nothing more she could give. She had gone as low as she possibly could..

Then there was nothing left.

Merisa remained silent, head lowered, hands clenched faintly at her sides, as if holding herself together through sheer will alone.

Then Razeal spoke again.

“Leave from here.”

His voice was cold. Flat. Devoid of hesitation.

“I don’t want to see your face.”

The words struck her harder than anything before.

Razeal had been silent for several seconds before saying it, as if giving himself time to be certain. And when he spoke, there was authority in his voice.. not just emotional rejection, but power layered into the command itself. The authority of a Vampire Progenitor surged subtly beneath the words, an absolute order she could not refuse even if she tried.

Obiously he did not want her here.. her presence or even to see her.

Merisa slowly raised her head, meeting his gaze at last. The sadness in her eyes was no longer restrained it flowed openly now, quiet and devastating. But she did not cry. She did not beg. She did not protest.

Instead, she smiled.

A small sad smile.

“Yes,” she said softly.

She chose to follow his order.. not because she was bound by his authority, not because her body would obey even if her heart resisted but because he had asked her to leave. And if he did not want her here, then she would not stay..

Inside her chest, something finally snapped.

For an entire month, she had stood here, unmoving, waiting, hoping, enduring. For an entire month, she had believed no matter how faintly that there was still a chance. That this would end differently. That maybe, just maybe, he would come out and look at her not as a Enemy… but as a mother who had just failed him once who deserves atleast a one chance.

But.. Now, that final thread was gone.

She turned around slowly, her steps heavy despite her posture remaining straight. Her expression remained calm, but inside, she felt hollow. Emptied. As if something vital had been taken from her and never returned.

I am his slave now afterall.. she thought bitterly. Even if I wanted to defy him… I couldn’t.

But worse than that

He doesn’t want me.

That realization hurt more than any chain ever could.

She began to walk away.

And then

“Wait.”

Razeal’s voice cut through the air suddenly.

Merisa froze mid-way, her breath catching for just a fraction of a second as hope.. unwanted, dangerous threatened to surge back into her chest.

Merisa turned her head back almost instantly the moment she heard his voice. It was reflexive, instinctive, driven by something she did not want to admit even to herself. Her eyes lifted to him with fragile, dangerous expectation, her breath hitching for just a fraction of a second as she wondered.. no, hoped that maybe he had stopped her because there was more. Maybe there was something else he wanted to say. Maybe there was hesitation. Maybe regret. Maybe… some feelings?

But the moment her eyes met his face, that hope cracked.

Razeal’s expression was cold. Not conflicted. Not restrained. Just distant, sharp, and empty of warmth. There was no softness hiding beneath it, no hesitation in his gaze. Whatever she had imagined shattered instantly.

“Wait. Don’t go for now,” he said flatly. “I have some use of you. So wait till then.”

The words hit her far harder than if he had simply told her to leave again.

Her eyes dimmed visibly, the light in them dulling as the meaning settled in. Use of me? For a brief, foolish moment, she had allowed herself to believe something else that maybe he was acting cold on the surface while still struggling inside, that maybe forgiveness was still somewhere within reach. But the way he looked at her now erased that illusion completely.

“Use of me… haa?” she murmured softly, the words barely escaping her lips.

It felt as though something sharp had pierced straight through her chest, not violently, but slowly, cruelly. Still, she smiled. A sad, quiet smile, practiced through years of endurance.

“Whatever you say,” she replied, giving him that same broken smile, as if agreeing was the only thing she had left.

Razeal did not respond. He did not look at her again. He simply turned away, as though her presence no longer mattered enough to register.

“All right, let’s go,” he said, directing his words toward Sofia instead. “We’ve already wasted too much time.”

With that, he began to float toward the blue-colored ship floating there in water

“And guess because of who?” Sofia mocked immediately from front.. her irritation resurfacing as quickly as ever.

Razeal ignored her completely.

But as he passed, his gaze met Maria’s for just a fraction of a second. It was brief so brief it might have been imagined but it was there. Maria looked into his eyes deeply, searching for something, anything familiar. But there was nothing she could grasp. No expression. No explanation. Just distance.

The eye contact broke as suddenly as it formed.

Razeal continued toward the ship without a word. Maria said nothing either. Neither of them changed their expressions. It ended just like that unfinished, unresolved, heavy.

Maria watched his back as he passed her, her lips pressed tightly together. Then Sofia grabbed her hand abruptly and dragged her along behind him toward the ship, muttering under her breath as she did so. Merisa followed last, silent, her steps measured, her gaze lowered, saying nothing as they all boarded.

Inside the ship, the atmosphere was thick.

Razeal immediately noticed the other three already present Yograj, Aurora, and Levy sitting inside. Their reactions were subtle but clear. Relief flickered across their faces the moment they saw him. Finally. At last. The waiting was over.

Levy, however, looked particularly bad.

His cheeks were hollow, his posture slumped, his body half-sprawled as if even sitting upright took effort. He looked drained in a way that went beyond physical exhaustion.

Razeal’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before he spoke. “What happened to him?”

He directed the question to Yograj, his eyes still fixed on Levy’s condition.

Yograj exhaled slowly before answering. “He was put inside an illusion by your mother,” he said evenly. “You forgot?”

Razeal’s eyes flickered.

“Even though she broke the illusion after some minutes you went into that dark dome of yours right after. It still took a lot out of him. But don’t worry it’s just his spirit that was exhausted. He’s fine now. You should’ve seen him a few days ago. He was unconscious for over twenty days after the illusion was broken and after that looking like a dead man walking.. I mean sleeping.”

Levy weakly raised one hand in the air in response, giving a lazy thumbs-up. “Yeah… alive,” he muttered before letting his arm fall back down with a sigh.

Razeal stared at him for a moment, then instinctively turned his gaze toward Merisa.

She immediately turned her head away, choosing not to meet his eyes, her expression unreadable.

That little bastard deserves it, she thought coldly. He should be thankful he’s even alive.

She remembered the illusion clearly. She had restrained herself.. far more than she normally would have. She had used just enough to give him a payback.. Obiously not enough to destroy him afterall he was around her son, after all. That alone had spared him from something far worse.

He was cruel inside that illusion, she reflected. Cruel enough to deserve everything he got.

As for his half-dead state? In her eyes, it was mercy.

Twenty days unconscious is nothing compared to what I could’ve done, she thought with quiet certainty. He should thank me.

She felt no guilt for doing what she did.

Razeal though seeing the entire situation inside the ship, suddenly remembered what had actually happened back then what had been going on when Merisa had appeared that day, when everything had spiraled out of control so fast that none of them had time to breathe. His gaze lingered for a moment on Levy, lying there half-dead, exhausted to the point where even opening his eyes seemed like effort. The memory of that illusion, the pressure, the timing, all of it surfaced quietly in his mind.

“Well… Get well soon,” Razeal said, turning toward Levy and speaking in a calm, almost casual tone.

And the words hit Levy like a thunderbolt.

His mouth fell open slightly, eyes widening in pure disbelief. He stared at Razeal as if he had just heard something impossible. Of all people, from all mouths, this was the last one he had expected to hear such words from. This stone-faced, sharp-eyed, emotionally distant person actually wishing him well?

For a moment, Levy even wondered if he had misheard.

Razeal, however, had his reasons.

No matter how annoying Levy could be, no matter how reckless or irritating he was at times, Razeal knew one thing clearly Levy had been a huge help that day. Without his illusion, without the way he had distracted and destabilized Merisa even for those few crucial moments if not for that razeal might not have been able to do what he did. If merisa wasn’t in that emotional state she would never have allowed him close not to say ask him to hug her. And that all was definitely thanks to his illusion somewhere.. That had cracked something open, just enough for Razeal to slip through.

Because of that, he was not stingy enough to withhold a few simple words.

Those words, however, shocked more than just Levy.

Yograj paused mid-breath. Aurora’s gaze flickered. Even Sofia stopped fidgeting for a moment. The atmosphere inside the ship shifted subtly, an unspoken realization passing through all of them at once.

Something about Razeal had definitely changed.

And before anyone could even think of reacting, before anyone could respond or question him

“Anyways,” Razeal said suddenly, clapping his hands together once, the sound sharp in the enclosed space. “Let’s go to Ocean Black now. I can’t wait to try something out.”

He rubbed his hands together lightly, a faint, unsettling excitement glinting in his crimson eyes.

Everyone inside the ship looked at him.

No one said anything.

They could feel it.. something was different. Not dramatically obvious, not outwardly explosive, but wrong in a way that made the air feel heavier. Razeal’s presence felt sharper, more focused, as if whatever he had gone through inside that shadow dome had carved something deeper into him.

Still, no one said anything for now.

And the ship began to move travailing hundreds of kilometres in seconds.

Its massive body cut through the water smoothly, leaving ripples spreading outward as it traveled in a single, unwavering direction. The hum of the vessel filled the silence, steady and low, as waves parted beneath it. Time passed slowly, the rhythmic motion of the sea lulling but never comforting.

An hour passed.

Then more.

Finally, the ship began to slow.

Razeal, who had been standing near the front, lowered his gaze from the compass in his hand. The needle trembled slightly before settling, pointing forward with absolute certainty. He raised his head and looked ahead.

And what he saw made him pause.

In front of them was darkness.

Not the absence of light.. but something heavier. A vast, suffocating blackness stretched across the horizon. The water ahead was no longer clear or blue. Instead, countless black, round shapes floated atop the surface, bobbing gently with the waves. Some were small, barely larger than stones. Others were massive, like boulders drifting without weight.

They moved together, rising and falling in slow, synchronized waves.

There were too many to count.

The sea itself seemed swallowed by them.

The sight extended for kilometers.. no, farther. Hundreds of kilometers, perhaps more. The end of it could not be seen. Everywhere Razeal looked, his vision was blocked by those black spheres, layered and overlapping, an endless mass stretching into the distance.

They reflected no light.. as if they were absorbing it.

The atmosphere felt wrong. The air itself seemed heavier, colder, as if something ancient and hostile slept beneath the surface. Even the sound of the waves felt muted, swallowed by the presence of whatever this place was.

Razeal stared.

“So… this is Ocean Black,” he said slowly, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and restrained excitement as his eyes traced the endless expanse in front of him.

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