I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space

Chapter 99: You’ve already Lost

”Judge me? And who the fuck gave you the right to judge me?”

The cold voice sliced through the air like a blade.

The entire classroom went silent. So silent that even the hum of the enchanted lights overhead seemed to still. Dozens of eyes turned, wide with disbelief, toward the source.

Professor Thalia’s mouth hung slightly open, eyes frozen mid-blink. She had expected arrogance, even some backlash since remebering unintelectual craziness he done in the trial event, but this? She couldn’t believe someone had just spoken like that to the Imperial Princess, no less. Questioning her authority like that? It was insane.

There he stood Razeal. His head straight like he have iron rod in his neck which can’t be bent his posture clearly screaming defiance and arrogance. His cold eyes met Celestia’s with unwavering intensity, as if daring her to speak.

A murmur began to stir from the crowd. ”Treason,” someone whispered.

One overly eager student shot halfway out of his seat, clearly intending to defend the Princess’s honor. But before he could utter a word, a burly senior behind him reached forward and yanked him back into his chair, clapping a large hand over his mouth.

”Don’t be a hero, kid,” the older student hissed into his ear. ”She’s not a princess from your bedtime stories. You speak wrong once, and you vanish before dinner.”

The younger boy squirmed, trying to break free, but gave up quickly he couldn’t even pry the hand off his face.

The rest of the class stayed quiet too. They knew better. The Imperial Princess wasn’t someone you crossed not if you valued your life at very least.

Celestia, who stood calmly at the front, turned her head slowly toward Razeal. Her expression was unreadable. Calm. Controlled. But her eyes those royal platinum eyes searched his face, trying to decode what lay behind his words.

She parted her lips, as if to speak.

Then closed them again.

In Razeal’s mind, a tired voice rang out.

[”Host, was that really necessary? I mean... if we’re diving headfirst into suicide, at least give me a heads up. My system circuits aren’t built to survive mental shock therapy.”]

Razeal replied inwardly, stifling a sigh. ”Relax, Villey. She’s not going to kill me. Not yet. And even if she wanted to, too many people would stop her. Let’s trust the politics to save us for once.”

”And even now, you can see there’s no killing intent coming from her.”

Razeal spoke mentally, holding back a facepalm.

Honestly, even to him, this whole situation was a mess. He would’ve preferred to ignore her entirely. But no thanks to that damn system’s built-in arrogance debuff, he couldn’t. The moment he felt even slightly wronged, irritation boiled inside him until it forced its way out.

Maybe he was just blaming it all on the cursed debuff. Maybe not.

Still, he hadn’t said anything wrong.

Why the hell should anyone have the right to judge him?

Especially these disgusting people?

As expected, another voice cut through the tense silence. This time, it was Areon, stepping forward from his seat with a strained look on his face.

”Your Royal Highness,” he said, forcing each word out through clenched teeth, ”I apologize on behalf of this... brainless, clueless criminal. I humbly request that you don’t harm him atleast for this whole week.”

His words stunned the room even more.

Razeal smirked. Just as expected.

Areon? Defending him? Of course. If it’s not the ”protagonist” himself riding in to save the day.

Sometimes it felt damn good knowing you’d screwed things up so perfectly, even your enemies were forced to step in.

Areon stepped forward, coming to stand beside Celestia. His lips were twitching, his face pulled tight with irritation no, with hatred.

He couldn’t believe he had to do this. Apologize for that guy. But he had no choice. Razeal had to stay alive. The essence of the Virelan royal bloodline was too important. Even Areon’s own mother had personally stepped in ordered him, To ensure win against Razeal and she’d even asked him to protect the boy.

And since areon’s mother, a powerful duchess, had personally insisted that Razeal be protected he was confident and couldn’t step back. And even the Imperial family, with all its pride, could not simply ignore a direct request from one of the empire’s four grand dukes.

Celestia didn’t even glance at Areon. Her eyes stayed fixed on Razeal.

”Why would you say that?” she said calmly. ”I wasn’t going to judge you unfairly. I already sensed she was lying. There’s no reason for you to get so worked up... and definitely no reason to be hostile toward me.”

A flicker of confusion passed through her gaze.

Couldn’t he see what she was trying to do? she thought. She’d just openly reprimanded one of the empire’s pillar houses. I stood against an entire political bloc to take his side.

Didn’t he get it?

Her heart clenched.

He had to know. He knew she was trying to help. That she was taking a stand for him. That she was about to publicly prove his innocence, save his reputation even give him little back the face she’d once taken from him.

She was putting in real effort.

So why reject it?

It felt like a judge declaring someone innocent... only for the accused to spit on the verdict and say you are wrong.

Yes, she had judged him wrongly in the past. But hadn’t she admitted it? Apologized? Even gone as far as offering to take responsibility for the consequences? She was even willing to protect him in the days to come.

Did he really not trust her judgment?

Or was it just pride? Was he refusing her help out of sheer spite? Did he really hate her that much?

Was it him simply wanting nothing to do with her, even when she extended a hand of help? Thats stupidity. Right?

A thousand reasons flooded her mind, a hundred possible answers to why he would reject her now. But none of them felt complete. None of them settled the question.

And he threw it back at her.

Still she could only look at him, waiting for him to answer for himselfbwhy did he say that? Yes, deep down, she knew he hated her. But she kept trying to deny it. Refusing to accept it. Actually she just doesn’t wanna beleive it.

Razeal didn’t even glance in Celestia’s direction as if she didn’t exist not that it mattered. His expression remained cold, unreadable. Then, without ceremony, he raised his hand and pointed his finger straight at Maria.

”You,” he said clearly. ”Seven days from now right after my duel with Areon we will have a Duel of Honour. Accept it or not, I will deliver judgment by my own hands not by some lying disgusting mouth around here.”

The words slammed into the room like a shockwave. Silence followed, but only for a moment.

Maria, who had just raised her head, was already burning with dissatisfaction. Celestia had treated her coldly for no reason, and now this? This was gasoline on the flames. Her anger flared.

”Ohhh?” A twisted glint sparked in her eyes half fury, half disbelief.

She was angry. No furious. Declaring a Duel of Honor wasn’t some petty insult. It was a direct challenge to her name, her bloodline, her entire family. A move like this wasn’t just reckless it was disgusting.

If one party demanded the position of heir and the other accepted the challenge, the loser would have to forfeit that title. That was the law. A Duel of Honor was both the most dignified and the most dangerous form of disrespect.

And people wondered why no one used it anymore. Because it was deadly. Because most people valued their lives. And now, this lunatic had thrown it at her like it was a joke. And on the same day he was already expected to die in another duel?

He thinks it won’t matter because he’s already marked for death? That he can just spit in her face, dishonor her family, and walk away clean? Without changing anything?

Did he really believe there were no consequences?

”I’ll say this, boy,” Maria said through gritted teeth, her aqua-blue eyes beginning to glow faintly. ”I love the madness you carry. It’ll be fun such a fun crushing it out of you. I wish i could do it now”

The red fog of killing intent thickened around her, visible only to Razeal’s heightened perception. It wrapped around her body like a second skin, seething, rippling with a desire for blood.

”Let me guess,” she spat. ”You know you’re going to die in that duel against Areon, so now you’re throwing challenges around like confetti? You think you’re clever? You think this won’t have consequences?”

She stepped even closer. Now, she stood just inches away.

”You disgust me,” Maria said coldly. ”Trying to disrespect me and my family in such a way.”

Her voice had lost all warmth. The red fog crept even thicker as time goes by.

Razeal didn’t flinch. Didn’t step back. That, he knew, was what she wanted to make him step back by this close up move, to see him shrink. But he didn’t give her the satisfaction.

Instead, he grinned.

”Why?” he asked with a smirk. ”Are you afraid now?”

Maria’s jaw tightened. Her aqua-blue eyes, now wild with fury, locked onto his. She leaned in until her face was just inches from his, the heat of her breath brushing his skin.

”Oh, you’re clearly dying before our trial even begins,” she whispered, voice seething. ”You’ve already been declared dead. Everyone here knows you won’t survive your first duel. This isn’t about honor. This is about spitting in my face dragging my name and my family into your pathetic last stunt. That’s what this is one final act from a lunatic who knows he’s on borrowed time.”

Razeal’s grin widened, stretching across his face in a way that unnerved even the students watching.

”We will duel,” he said, tone calm but laced with fire. ”And he..” he tilted his head ever so slightly toward Areon without breaking eye contact, ”has already lost. All that’s left is for the rest of you to catch up.”

The entire class watched in stunned silence, their attention locked onto the circus between Maria and Razeal. No one laughed or interrupted.

Most of them couldn’t even blame Maria for the way she was acting not even here, in the presence of the Princess. Not even after being summoned to the High Court. A Duel of Honor wasn’t a casual challenge afterall. Anyone in her position would be furious. Violently so.

As for Razeal’s bold claim that he would win? No one was bothered enough to comment. Everyone already knew the truth.

Razeal had nothing but arrogance. And that arrogance only existed because he was already a condemned man his fate sealed, his time of death fixed. He couldn’t die before his destined moment, and he was clearly exploiting that fact. To everyone else, it looked less like confidence and more like the madness of a man who knew his end was coming and was desperate to make the world watch.

It wasn’t courage. It was stupidity dressed as defiance.

Off to the side, Areon looked at Razeal. A smirk tugged at his lips as he shook his head slowly. He was beginning to understand this man more and more.

No wonder Razeal was willing to trade a dragon heart for just a thousand 4th-ranked elemental cores. His perspective was shallow.

Just another loud fool, shouting nonsense and mistaking it for strength.

Ignorance parading as arrogance doesn’t make you capable, he thought, shaking his head again. It just makes you dangerous to yourself and everyone around you.

---

Hey everyone,

Sorry I couldn’t make it last night I was out on a date with my girlfriend.

But as promised, two Chapters are already written! I’m just putting the final touches on another one right now, and it should be done within the next 30 minutes.

Thanks so much for your patience and for sticking around to read. I really appreciate it!

---