I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space - Chapter 408: Riven and Nancy?

Chapter 408: Riven and Nancy?

“My brother…?” Nancy repeated faintly, her voice barely more than a breath as her eyes stayed locked onto Riven’s face, searching desperately searching for even the smallest crack in his expression that would prove this was nothing more than another manipulation, another cruel twist meant to break her further.

But his face remained the same calm, gentle, composed. That unchanging stillness only made something inside her tighten painfully. Her brows trembled slightly, disbelief clear in her gaze, before her lips curled into a weak, strained smile that didn’t carry even a hint of real amusement. “You’re… trying to manipulate me… aren’t you?” she said, her voice fragile yet holding onto that last thread of defiance, as if calling it out would somehow protect her from it becoming real. Even saying it seemed to take effort, her body too drained to support the weight of her own thoughts, yet her mind clung stubbornly to resistance because accepting this… even considering it… felt far more terrifying than rejecting it outright.

Riven didn’t react to the accusation. He didn’t sigh, didn’t defend himself emotionally, didn’t even show the slightest irritation. Instead, he simply answered, his tone as calm and matter-of-fact as ever, “It cannot be manipulation… if it is the truth, can it?” His words were soft, almost gentle, but they carried a quiet finality that made them harder to dismiss.

“Because at the end of the day… it will remain what it is. A fact.” He remained floating there, legs crossed, hands loosely resting, surrounded by that faint, divine aura that seemed to neither impose nor retreat just existing, just present. And that presence, that unshaken certainty, pressed down on Nancy in a way no force ever had.

She went silent.

Completely silent.

Her eyes didn’t leave him, but the hatred in them had shifted fractured into something far more unstable. Her heart screamed at her not to believe him, to reject everything he was saying, to hold onto what little certainty she had left. But her mind… her mind betrayed her. It searched. It questioned. It tried to understand. Why would he say that? If it wasn’t manipulation, then what reason did he have? And even if even if what he said was true… what did it change? If her brother was somehow involved, then why? What possible gain could come from that? And more importantly… even if her brother was the reason behind all of this, that didn’t change her decision. It didn’t make her willing. It wouldn’t make her accept anything. If anything, it should only make her more resistant, more cautious… more determined not to let any of this happen. So why… why present it this way? Her thoughts tangled over each other, slow and heavy, her exhausted mind struggling to keep up as doubt seeped in where certainty once stood.

Riven observed her silence, and a faint smile returned to his lips not mocking, not victorious, but almost… knowing. As if this reaction was exactly what he had expected. He let her sit in that silence for a moment longer before speaking again, his voice calm, steady, almost like a teacher explaining something fundamental.

“You know this universe… this reality we exist in?” he began, his tone smooth and measured.

“The place where all beings… all matter… everything that lives and breathes… exists and continues?” His gaze remained on her, ensuring she followed, even if barely. “It does not run randomly,” he continued. “It is not chaos without structure. It functions… on balance.” His voice deepened slightly, not in intensity, but in significance. “A very delicate balance. One that is absolutely necessary for existence itself to continue.”

Nancy frowned a little.

“And when that balance shifts… even slightly,” Riven said, “the consequences are not small. They are not isolated. They are catastrophic.” He paused briefly, letting that word settle before continuing. “Not just for a single person… or a single race… but for the entirety of existence. Everything that lives within it.” His eyes remained steady. “And right now… that balance is unstable.”

“And if that instability is not corrected…” he continued calmly, “…the result will be destruction on a scale you cannot imagine. Not just death but suffering. Pain. Collapse. Trillions upon trillions of lives… erased or broken beyond recovery.” His tone didn’t rise, didn’t dramatize it remained controlled, which somehow made it heavier. “And to prevent that… reality itself has a system in place.”

“The Cosmic Order.”

The words seemed to carry weight beyond their sound.

“A self-organizing system,” Riven explained, “where stability and instability exist in precise proportions. Not too much of either. Just enough to allow structure to form… to persist… and to remain real.” His voice softened slightly. “It is the underlying framework that ensures reality does not collapse into nothingness.” His gaze didn’t waver. “And this order… assigns direction. Flow. Purpose. To everything within existence.”

Nancy listened calmly.

“Fate. Destiny. Path,” he continued. “Every being… every event… is guided by it. Not controlled in the way you might think but aligned. Directed toward what maintains balance.” His tone remained even. “And currently… your brother stands at the center of that alignment.”

Nancy looked at him..?

“In simpler terms,” Riven said gently, “you could say he has been chosen. Blessed… by the Cosmic Order itself.” A faint pause. “It is the highest form of duty any being can receive.” He tilted his head slightly. “He now stands at the forefront of this entire existence… to fulfill what must be done.” His smile remained soft. “I cannot tell you everything. That is not something I am allowed to reveal.” Another pause. “But I can tell you this much.”

“You,” he said quietly, “have been given a role.”

“A fate. A path. A purpose… assigned to you… by that same order.” His gaze held hers firmly now. “Because of your brother… Because he needs something he does not yet possess.” His voice lowered slightly. “Understanding. Maturity. The comprehension of pain. Of loss. Of consequence.” He spoke each word with deliberate clarity. “And in this reality… such things are not taught through words.”

“They are learned… through experience.”

Nancy’s eyes widened faintly, her mind recoiling even as it was forced to listen.

“If he does not experience it… if he does not understand it… then he will never become what the order requires him to be,” Riven continued. “And if that happens… the imbalance remains. The collapse continues.” His tone stayed calm, but the implication grew heavier. “The path he must walk… And it has already been defined.”

“And your role in that path…” he said softly, “…is essential.”

“The suffering you are meant to go through,” Riven concluded gently, “…is not meaningless. It is not random. It is necessary.” His eyes remained fixed on hers, unwavering. “Your pain… your end… they serve a purpose greater than either of us as individuals.” A slight pause followed. “If it does not happen… he does not learn. And if he does not learn… everything falls apart.”

And at his sudden words, Nancy froze completely, utterly still as if something inside her had been struck at the exact point where her thoughts had been quietly trying to avoid going, her pupils visibly trembling as that single word echoed in her mind ’lesson’ and in that instant, a memory surfaced without her permission, sharp and clear despite her exhaustion, Razeal’s voice, his tone, the same word used in almost the same context, that what was supposed to happen to her… was meant to be a lesson for someone, and back then he hadn’t told her who, hadn’t explained it fully, leaving her with confusion but now… now hearing Riven say it so directly, so calmly, so definitively it connected, and that realization hit her harder than anything else he had said so far, because now she knew or at least, she was being told that it was for her brother, that everything she had gone through, everything she was being forced toward, was tied to him, to Areon, and for a moment, her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably, crashing into each other with questions she couldn’t even organize properly why? why would her brother need to learn something like this? what kind of lesson required this level of cruelty? what kind of system would demand something so twisted? and more importantly…

What would the world even gain from it? Was this really destiny… or was it something else entirely? Was this so-called Cosmic Order not just manipulating her… but also manipulating him too? The idea felt suffocating, and yet, disturbingly, it also explained too much, and that made it worse, because before this, she had thought it was only about her, that she alone was being dragged into something horrific, and that alone had already been unbearable, but now…

knowing that her brother might be part of it too, that he might be unknowingly tied to this same system, that his life and his future were being shaped by something beyond his control it filled her with a new kind of fear, one that went deeper than her own suffering, her chest tightening as a wave of stress and worry surged through her, her thoughts racing, trying to make sense of it, trying to reject it, trying to protect him even in her mind, and yet from the outside, she didn’t show it, she forced her expression to remain as steady as she could manage, because she knew one thing she needed more information, she needed to understand what he was saying before reacting, because reacting too early… might mean losing the chance to know the truth, whatever it was.

Riven, seeing her silence, her stillness, the way her eyes had shifted ever so slightly despite her attempts to hide it, continued without hesitation, his tone calm but carrying a quiet seriousness now, “And this is why… you running from your responsibility is wrong,” he said, his gaze steady on her, “because his path… the one he is meant to walk… is not just important, it is necessary,” he paused briefly, letting the weight of that settle, “it is essential for the balance of the cosmos itself,” his voice remained gentle, but there was no softness in the meaning behind it, “his destiny has already been written for the greater stability of existence, and if he fails to walk that path… if he does not learn what he is meant to learn… it will not only affect him, it will disrupt the entire Cosmic Order,”

“And if that happens…” Riven continued, “…the consequences will not be small,” his eyes didn’t waver, “all of existence will suffer,” he said it plainly, without dramatics, without exaggeration, “because he will never understand pain, he will never understand loss, and without that… he will never become the person he is meant to be,” his tone lowered slightly, more deliberate now, “and without that… he cannot lead, he cannot fulfill his role within the Cosmic Order,”

“Trillions upon trillions of lives…” Riven added quietly, “…will be lost,” his gaze softened just slightly, though his expression remained calm, “a number beyond what you can imagine.”

“Pfft…?” The sound auddenly escaped her before she could stop it, weak, strained, but filled with disbelief, and then, despite her condition, despite how broken her body was, Nancy forced a small, bitter chuckle, shaking her head faintly as she looked at him, her eyes narrowing again, “You really think I’ll believe this…?” she said, her voice trembling but laced with sarcasm, “At least make it a better story… this doesn’t even make sense,” she exhaled shakily, her chest rising unevenly, “Trillions of people would die? The entire Cosmic Order depends on my brother?” her lips twitched into something almost mocking despite how weak she was, “A sixteen year old kid? Who is still naive, still full of pride? All he does is try to impress our mother, try to get her attention, her recognition?” her voice grew slightly sharper despite the strain..

“And you’re telling me that person… that one person… can determine the balance of the entire universe?” she let out another weak breath, almost a laugh, though it carried no real humor..

“And the whole cosmos needs him to stabilize it? If not, trillions die?” she shook her head faintly again, “Who would believe something like that…?”

Riven didn’t react… Not even slightly.

No annoyance.. No frustration.

Only that same calm, composed understanding, as if her disbelief was expected, as if it was the most natural response she could have, and in a way… it was, and he knew it.

“It may not sound believable,” he said calmly, “but that does not make it untrue,” his eyes remained steady, observing her without judgment, “have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?” he asked suddenly, his tone shifting slightly not in intensity, but in direction, as if guiding her toward a concept rather than forcing her to accept a conclusion.

Nancy didn’t respond verbally.

She just looked at him.

Waiting? Obiously she never had..

Riven continued, “It is the idea that even the smallest action… something seemingly insignificant… can lead to consequences far beyond what one could predict,” he spoke slowly, ensuring every word was clear, “for example… the flap of a butterfly’s wings at the edge of your empire… could set off a chain of events that eventually results in a storm, a disaster, in the capital… weeks or months later,” he paused briefly, letting the image form in her mind, “A tiny cause… leading to an enormous effect,” his gaze sharpened just slightly, “that is how systems like the cosmos function,”

Nancy’s brows twitched faintly, her expression tightening as she listened, “and when the Cosmic Order aligns itself with someone… when it places its focus on them…” Riven continued, “…those chain reactions become inevitable,” his tone remained steady, “you see, it is not power that matters,” he added, “power can be given, enhanced, amplified beyond imagination,” his voice held quiet certainty, “but character… cannot,” Nancy’s eyes flickered slightly, “the order does not choose based on strength,” he said, “it chooses based on what a person can become… based on the path they are capable of walking,” his gaze didn’t leave hers, “your brother may not seem extraordinary to you now,” he acknowledged, “but that is irrelevant,” his tone didn’t change.

“Because his destiny is not about who he is now… but who he will become,”

“He is meant to rise beyond what you can currently perceive,” Riven continued, “beyond even what you consider divine,” his voice remained calm, but the meaning behind it grew heavier..

“One day… he will stand above even the gods,” Nancy’s pupils trembled faintly again,

“And whether you believe it or not,” he added softly, “the future of this cosmos… will be shaped by him.”

“Through him,” Riven continued, “the balance of existence will be restored.” His voice remained steady. “Peace… stability… order… for eons to come.”

“And why should I even trust your words?” Nancy suddenly snapped, her voice still weak but now carrying a sharp edge of resistance, her head shaking faintly despite the strain it caused her neck as she forced herself to keep looking at him, refusing to let his calm presence suppress her thoughts any further..

“First, nothing you’re saying makes any sense… and second, there is absolutely no reason for me to trust anything coming from you,” her breathing grew uneven again, but she didn’t stop, pushing through it stubbornly..

“Let’s say even if I assume you’re not lying even if my brother really is involved in all this… how do you know?” Her brows furrowed, her gaze tightening with frustration and suspicion, “All this ’cosmic order’, ’destiny’, ’balance’ what even is that? If I’m bound by some so-called cosmic duty too? then why didn’t it come to me directly? Why didn’t this ’cosmos’ explain anything to me?Shoulnt it ring in my head? or akashvani of whatever?..” Her voice cracked slightly, but the anger behind it didn’t fade…

“Why do you know all of this… and I don’t? Where is the proof? Where is the accountability? What you’re saying…” she exhaled sharply, her lips tightening again, “…to me, it just sounds like a pile of nonsense.”Her entire expression reflected rejection not just of his words, but of the entire idea itself, as if accepting even a part of it would mean losing the last bit of control she still believed she had.

Riven, however just simply kept smiling softly and calmly as if her reaction was expected, as if her frustration was nothing more than a predictable stage in the process, and he shook his head very slightly, almost amused, “That’s not how it works,” he said in the same composed tone, his voice steady and almost patient..

“The Cosmic Order does not need to inform anyone of anything, nor does it need permission,” his gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering yet not forceful, “If it decides something… then it simply happens,” he continued, “It does not provide proof. It does not explain itself. It does not justify its actions,” his smile remained, but there was a quiet certainty behind it now,

“Because it doesn’t need to.” He tilted his head just slightly, as if posing a question without actually expecting an answer, “Do you really think anyone… could oppose it? If they didn’t like what it had already decided?” His tone wasn’t mocking, but there was a subtle implication in his words one that made her resistance feel… small in comparison to what he was describing.

Nancy’s lips pressed together tightly, her expression tensing, her mind still rejecting him, still trying to find flaws in his logic, still trying to hold onto something that made sense in her own understanding, and yet… one question suddenly surfaced, cutting through everything else, and before she could stop herself, she asked, “Does my brother know about this?” Her voice was quieter now, less aggressive, but still firm, still searching.

“No,” Riven answered immediately, without hesitation, his calm smile unchanged, “He does not… nor does he need to.”

Nancy blinked faintly, her brows drawing together again as confusion mixed with frustration, “Wow…” she muttered weakly, a faint, sarcastic breath escaping her, “The one who is supposed to lead this entire order… doesn’t even know about it?” She looked at him directly again, her eyes narrowing slightly despite her exhaustion, “And you think that makes sense?” Her tone carried disbelief, but inside though… there was something else something quieter. Relief. Just a small amount, but enough to register. Because at least now, it didn’t sound like some scheme to turn her against her brother directly. It didn’t feel like manipulation in that specific way. And yet… that didn’t make it better. If anything, it made it worse.

Because now it meant something else entirely that her brother was being used without even knowing it. And that thought… made something inside her burn too.. But she still didn’t show it. She couldn’t afford to. Not now yet atleast..

“It is inevitable,” Riven replied simply, as if her question hadn’t shaken anything in his explanation, “Whether he knows or not… it will not change the outcome,” his voice remained steady, almost reassuring in a way that felt unsettling, “Because it has already been decided.”

Nancy stared at him for a moment longer, her breathing shallow, her mind racing again, and then finally, she spoke again this time more focused, more deliberate, asking what had been building inside her all along, “Then why do you know?” Her voice was still weak, but now carried a sharper intent, “If he isn’t supposed to know… then why are you?” Her gaze didn’t leave his, “What right do you have to know all this? What power gives you that?” Her lips tightened slightly as she continued, “And who are you… to interfere in all of this? You talk about duty who gave you that duty that you always talk about?” Her breathing hitched slightly, but she forced the words out anyway, “And why do you even care? If everything is going to happen the way it’s supposed to anyway… then why are you here?” Her eyes hardened faintly despite her condition, “Why are you trying to convince me… now?”

For the first time, her questions weren’t emotional.

They were deliberate.

Focused and very Important.

Riven listened to all of them without interruption, his expression never changing, that same calm smile remaining as if he had all the time in the world, as if none of her questions were difficult or unexpected, and for a few seconds after she finished, the space between them fell into complete silence. No movement. No sound. Just stillness.

Then, slowly… Riven opened his mouth.

“I am Riven,” he said.

His voice, though still calm, carried something different now something deeper, something that seemed to resonate beyond just sound.

“I am one of the three Supreme Gods.”

“I am the Preserver,” he continued, his tone steady, “The God of Equilibrium… the one whose duty is to maintain balance within the endless flow of the Cosmic Order.”

“The one who observes all timelines… past, present, and future,” he added, his eyes remaining locked onto hers, “the one who ensures stability… continuity… and existence itself.”

And as he spoke, the world around them responded.

A faint wind began to move where there had been none before.

The space itself seemed to shimmer slightly, as if reality was acknowledging his presence.

The light subtle, almost imperceptible shifted, giving everything a faint, almost sacred glow.

And his voice…

It didn’t just come from him anymore.

It echoed.

Softly, but clearly.

From all directions.

As if the space itself carried his words..

Nancy’s body reacted before her mind could.

A sudden shiver ran through her, sharp and uncontrollable, her breath hitching as something deep within her something instinctive, something primal recognized what stood before her.

And then… suddenly

Without her control…

Her head lowered automatically..

Her neck bowed.

Not by her will.

Not by her choice.

But as if her very being… her soul itself… acknowledged him.

As if something inside her understood what her mind still struggled to accept.

And in that moment…

For the first time…

Nancy felt truly small.

But just as his introduction ended, something inside Nancy reacted before she could even process it, a sudden, involuntary shiver running through her entire body as if her very existence had brushed against something far beyond her understanding, and almost instantly she yelped under her breath, forcing her head back up again with a sharp, almost panicked motion, not even knowing where that sudden strength had come from because just moments ago she could barely move, yet now she had pushed herself upright enough to look at him again, her breathing uneven, her heart racing faintly, and for a moment she just stared because nothing had changed.

There was no overwhelming light, no divine aura flooding the space, no thunder splitting the sky or reality tearing apart in his presence. He was still exactly the same. Floating in mid-air, legs crossed, hands joint but relaxed, that same calm, gentle smile on his face as if everything was perfectly normal.

The only difference… was that he had slightly nodded toward her, as if acknowledging something, as if returning a gesture she hadn’t even consciously made. And that… that unsettled her more than anything else.

“What… what was that just now…?” she whispered in her mind, her thoughts trembling as she tried to make sense of what she had just experienced, because she knew.. she knew that she hadn’t bowed on her own. Something had made her. Something deeper than her will, deeper than her body.

And that realization made her chest tighten, but even then, she forced herself to hold onto something else her doubt, her rejection, her refusal to accept what he was claiming. She had heard every word of his introduction. Every single one. But instead of accepting it, her lips suddenly curled, trembling as a strained laugh escaped her.

“Hahaha…” she let out weakly, her voice shaking but filled with disbelief, almost mockery, as she looked at him again, “You… a god?” Her eyes narrowed slightly despite the exhaustion weighing them down, “I don’t know what you just did… some kind of trick… kind of magic to create those effects or whatever?… but do you really think I’m going to fall for that?” Her voice grew sharper, more forceful, even if her body couldn’t support it..

“If you say you’re a god, I’m just supposed to believe you?” She shook her head faintly, her lips trembling again, “Also you not afraid?” There was a hint of genuine disbelief in her tone now, mixed with something else fear, not of him, but of what he was claiming..

“Using the name of gods like this… for someone like you?” Her eyes flickered with something close to anger, “Do you even understand what that means?” Because she did. Everyone did. Claiming to be a god.. especially falsely was not just arrogance, it was taboo. Something that invited divine punishment, something that no sane person would dare to do, and yet here he was… not just claiming to be a god, but something even higher. A Supreme God? And that made him more unsettling than anything else. Because what kind of person would have the audacity to say that? Unless… they truly didn’t fear anything at all.. But again she couldn’t help his stupidity..

“Hahaha… one of the Supreme Gods…?” she repeated, her voice breaking slightly as she forced out another weak laugh, “At least have some knowledge if you’re going to lie…” her eyes hardened again, clinging to what she knew, “There is only one Supreme God. The God of Creation.” Her voice steadied slightly as she spoke of it, as if grounding herself in something familiar, something established…

“The one who is held in the highest regard… even by all other gods… as their protector… their leader… the very source of existence itself,” her breathing grew heavier again, “And that tittle.. you’re saying there are three?” She shook her head again, dismissively, “There is only one. You stupid liar… even for lying, you need knowledge.”

Riven listened to everything without interruption, without even the slightest change in expression, and then… he chuckled. Softly. Not mockingly, but almost… knowingly. “Haha… yes,” he said calmly, “He is a Supreme God. And that title does represent the highest authority within existence.” His tone remained gentle, almost instructional..

“But no… there is not only one.” His gaze stayed steady on her, “It is simply knowledge that very few possess. Only gods… or those close to them… are aware of it.” He paused briefly before continuing, “There are three Supreme Gods.” His voice carried quiet certainty, “The God of Creation… the God of Equilibrium the Preserver… and the God of Destruction.” He spoke each title clearly, deliberately, “The three fundamental laws that govern existence itself.” And then, without hesitation, “And I… am one of them.” He finished with that same calm smile.

“The preserver.”

Nancy just stared at him.

Then slowly… she shook her head again.

To her, it still sounded like nothing more than fabricated nonsense. Something made up on the spot. Something impossible to believe.

“Ohhh Really?…” she let out another weak laugh, though it carried no real humor this time, only frustration and disbelief, “Fine… let’s say I believe you,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm despite how faint it was, “Let’s say you really are a Supreme God.” Her eyes locked onto his, her expression hardening despite the tears she was holding back, “Then explain this to me…” Her breathing grew uneven again, but she didn’t stop…

“What kind of god are you?” Her voice trembled not from fear now, but from anger that had been building for far too long, “A god… who tells a girl like me… that getting raped is her duty?” Her lips trembled violently now, her voice cracking slightly, “That I should accept it? That it’s the right thing to do?” Her chest rose sharply as she forced herself to continue..

“A god… who has been watching me suffer all this time… and did nothing?” Her eyes burned, her entire body shaking faintly now, “Not even healing me… not even easing the pain… not even giving me food… or water…” Her voice broke again, but she pushed through it, “A god… who lets an innocent person go through all of this… just to break her… mentally… physically… so she gives up and follows your so-called ’decision’?” Her breathing became ragged, her voice rising despite her weakness, “So that in the end… she kills herself… after being raped?” Silence fell for a split second as her words hung in the air.

“Is that what a god is?” she asked, her voice dropping into something colder, sharper, filled with pure disgust, “Pathetic… laughable…” Her lips trembled as she forced the words out, “Have some shame…” Her gaze burned into him, filled with nothing but hatred now, “You’re not a god.” Her voice hardened, every word deliberate, “You’re something far worse than a monster.” Her breathing hitched again, “You don’t even deserve to be called human.” Her eyes didn’t leave his, even as her body trembled under the strain, “You’re… disgusting.” Every word landed with weight, with conviction, with everything she had left.

And through it all…

Riven simply listened… Still smiling as if none of it had shaken him at all.