The SSS Ranked Villain's Return - Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Being Tricked
Neraxis wiped the dust off his clothes as he looked up at the girls.

“We got him,” he stated with a smile.

“Yeah… but don’t you think this is a little unconventional?” Evangeline asked, approaching him. “I mean, why not just torture him and get the information that way?”

Neraxis tilted his head. “What’s the point? Now he’ll have no choice but to answer my questions.”

Evangeline sighed. “I guess you’re right, but I’m not sure if he’s going to be around for long. Oftentimes, the lesser vampires are the first ones to die when they disobey their progenitor.”

“Disobey as in…?”

“If he harbors malice and wants to actively kill you, then his blood will boil and he will be killed,” Evangeline explained. “This effect is only for the lesser blood vampires though. The ones that share more of your power tend to be less stupid.”

“I see…” Neraxis nodded. “That seems like a good thing to know. Guess he’ll be dead either way then.”

With that, he turned to Ariella, who still hadn’t moved.

Yet as he met her eyes, he realized they were unfocused.

“Evangeline, be right back,” he stated, approaching Ariella and placing a single finger on her forehead.

Immediately, the world around him slowed down, and the moment it did, he saw Ariella pacing back and forth, destroying the time specters.

“How long has it been for you?” Neraxis asked, earning a shrug from Ariella.

“12 years or so. I can’t say I’m not used to it. Though I’m glad you came in the end,” Ariella replied emotionlessly. “Say, we did win the fight, right?”

“Yes…” Neraxis muttered as he approached her and gently held her waist.

Of course, without even wasting a single moment, he used Destruction to erase every single time specter in this realm.

Soon, the entire realm repaired itself, yet Ariella was still looking at the ground, not saying a word.

He felt terrible. While he was out fighting, she disappeared in the blink of an eye, and when he saw her again, it had been 12 years for her.

I wish I could do something… Neraxis thought, gently stroking her pink hair.

But in the end, he had doubts whether or not turning her into a vampire would fix anything.

Still, as he stroked her hair, he swiftly severed her connection to the universe.

To his surprise, she twitched.

So far, Ariella was the first person to show a reaction after he had cut off the connection, so he had to investigate.

“Ariella… did you feel anything off?” he asked.

After a few moments of silence, she nodded. “That weird static disappeared…”

Neraxis’s brow rose. “Anything else?”

“Nothing.” Ariella shook her head. “I guess it’s going to be much easier to go crazy in this place now. Eerie static is better than complete silence.”

“…” Neraxis stared at her for a few moments, feeling completely helpless.

There was literally no way he could help her unless he stayed with her every single moment of the day.

And honestly… it doesn’t seem so bad. Neraxis sighed and proceeded to slightly lower Ariella’s chin.

Her blank blue eyes met his, and the only thing he could do to snap her out of it was give her a kiss on the forehead.

Ariella’s blank eyes showed signs of surprise but quickly faded as he backed away.

Is she…? Neraxis held back a chuckle as he leaned in, once again pecking her on the forehead.

It seemed like every time he did this, her complexion brightened, but it vanished just as fast.

Therefore, he decided on a slightly longer solution.

He leaned in, and while staring straight into Ariella’s curious eyes, kissed her on her soft lips.

Ariella’s eyes widened, but in the very next moment, they closed as she leaned into the kiss.

The way her tongue was intertwining with his—it was almost like she had expected something like this to happen.

Nonetheless, his grip on her waist became more firm, and with each passing second, he got more into it.

However, he knew they couldn’t do anything here since it was a bit too open. Even if time was frozen, they were still in a desert, after all.

Therefore, after a couple more steamy seconds, Neraxis pulled away from the flushed Ariella.

“Were you expecting something like this to happen?” Neraxis mused with a chuckle, patting her head.

Ariella gave a small, innocent nod. “I’ve seen us kissing a lot in the future. We even did a lot more than kissing… but I never really knew how to achieve that outcome, so I…”

“You trapped yourself and waited for me to come save you,” Neraxis finished, rolling his eyes. “You know all you had to do was show that you were somewhat interested in me, right? I would’ve gotten the hint.”

“I don’t know how to give hints…” Ariella replied. “Also… sorry for lying to you. I’ve only been in this place for a few minutes or so, not 12 years.”

“So all those time remnants were fake?” Neraxis asked in disbelief.

And Ariella simply nodded. “They were all me, so they’re very easy to erase.”

Neraxis stared at her for a few moments, then pinched her cheek. “So let me get this straight. You made up this elaborate plan to guilt-trip me, all for a simple kiss?”

“Ow…” Ariella swatted his hand away and rubbed her cheek.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not,” Neraxis replied firmly. “But I’ve already made up my mind on something, so it’s up to you to decide whether you want to go through with it or not.”

As stupid as it was, and how easily he could simply dismiss that thought, he wanted to help Ariella.

If by being close to her, he could solve all her temporal problems, then why not?

“Ariella, do you want to live with me?”

“…What?” Ariella’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“My family is being targeted, and I have a lot of people I care about, so I’m thinking of buying a giant mansion where all of us could live,” Neraxis explained with a serious look as he gently brushed her pink hair behind her ear.

“So? What do you say?”