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

Chapter 512: Her Holy Saintess

”Your Grace,” Pope Lucius IX said, his voice carrying a level of respect so deep that several people around the table instinctively turned toward him with renewed surprise. A few of them even looked at him with strange gazes, as if they were wondering whether they had heard wrongly, but still, no one spoke.

The Sovereign Hall remained silent, only the quiet weight of confusion spreading through the ancient chamber as everyone tried to understand what exactly was happening.

The Pope of the Church of Light was not an ordinary person. He was one of the World Regents, the supreme religious authority of the Church, a man whose words could move kingdoms and whose presence alone usually forced even kings to lower their heads. Yet right now, that same old man was standing from his radiant golden throne and greeting Selena with an amount of respect that felt far beyond simple courtesy.

Selena herself blinked in surprise as well. For a moment she only looked at him, but after recognizing Pope Lucius, she smiled kindly and respectfully nodded toward him.

”Your Holiness,” she greeted him back in a soft voice. After all, even though she was the Saintess, even she rarely had the chance to meet the Pope directly. Most of the time, he stayed far away in the Empire, within the Radiant Citadel, endlessly busy with the highest affairs of the Church of Light.

Her meetings with him could almost be counted, and although he had always treated her kindly, this level of respect still made her feel uneasy. She thought perhaps he was only greeting her because she had just entered the hall, and because the Pope had always been gentle toward her.

Even now, he had stood from his throne before greeting her, which made her feel even more awkward, because in her heart, Selena truly did not think the Pope should need to respect her this much.

Still, she greeted him properly while standing behind Nova’s purple throne beside Marcella, doing her best to remain composed despite suddenly feeling the eyes of the entire hall gathering upon her.

But just when Selena thought this small exchange was already respectful enough, and that the Pope had only wanted to greet her, Pope Lucius IX stepped away from his high-backed golden throne without the slightest hesitation.

The movement alone was enough to deepen the silence within the Sovereign Hall. The old man moved to the side of his own throne, then slowly turned toward Selena beneath the curious gazes of all the World Regents. He placed one hand over his heart, the golden staff in his other hand resting lightly against the floor, and though his back remained straight with dignity, his expression had softened into something almost reverent.

”Your Grace,” he said again, his voice solemn and measured, ”I fear you have mistaken my greeting for a mere observance of courtesy.”

Selena’s expression became even more confused. Her lips parted slightly, but for a moment no words came out. She didn’t understand what he meant.

Around the table, several World Regents narrowed their eyes, their earlier curiosity turning into something sharper.

Even Nova, who had still been quietly furious because of Lucian, slowly turned her head toward the Pope, while Marcella’s eyes behind her square glasses grew more focused.

Razeal, sitting at the far end upon his shadow throne, looked toward the scene with faint irritation and confusion, already feeling that this was about to become another troublesome and useless matter.

The Pope lifted his gaze toward Selena, though he did not straighten completely, as if even standing fully before her felt improper to him.

”You stand behind another’s seat while I remain enthroned before you,” he said calmly, each word clear enough to echo through the hall.

”Such a sight is neither fitting nor one I may permit beneath the eyes of the Divine.” The moment those words spread through the Sovereign Hall, the silence became even stranger.

It was not only Selena who froze slightly. Several World Regents also looked at the Pope with eyes filled with disbelief. The meaning behind his words was far too clear. He was saying that while Selena stood behind Nova’s throne like an attendant or guest, he himself had no right to remain seated above her.

To say such a thing in private would already be astonishing, but to say it here, before the entire World Council, was almost unbelievable.

Selena blinked, visibly taken aback, confused, and deeply awkward at the same time.

Before she could refuse, Pope Lucius stepped aside and extended an open hand toward his own radiant golden throne. The holy glow around it seemed even stronger now, falling across his ivory robes and golden ornaments as he lowered his head slightly.

”Therefore,” he said, his voice filled with formal respect, ”I humbly entreat Your Grace to take this place.”

For a moment, Selena simply stared at him.

The entire throne hall seemed to lose sound.

Even the World Regents who had seen centuries of impossible events sat silently, looking at this scene without fully understanding it.

Pope Lucius IX had just offered his own throne to the Saintess. Not a temporary chair. Not a guest seat. His own radiant throne. The Papal Throne of the Church of Light. Selena’s face immediately became flustered, and she hurriedly shook her head, almost instinctively taking half a step back.

”Your Holiness, that is your throne,” she replied quickly, her voice softer than usual because she was painfully aware of all the eyes now fixed upon her.

”I could not possibly...” She stopped for a second, then quickly added, ”Your Holiness, there is no need. I am quite comfortable where I am.” Her words came out a little faster than normal, clearly showing how awkward and overwhelmed she felt.

She could feel the silence pressing down over the whole council table after the Pope’s words. Every World Regent was looking at her now, and that alone made her feel as though she had been placed at the center of something she had never asked for it was uncomfortable.. like yes she is used to be center of attraction by alot people not to say there were only dozens of people in hall.. but it was different this time these aren’t just common people.. this was the World Council. These were the highest thrones in the world with worlds strongest peoples here. So much that it made even her uncomfortable

How could she simply sit upon the Pope’s own throne while he stood aside?

”That is not the matter,” Pope Lucius answered without hesitation.

His voice was calm, but there was no uncertainty in it. He turned slightly and once again extended his hand toward the papal throne, his expression remaining deeply respectful, almost humble despite the authority and age he carried.

”The question is not whether Your Grace is willing to stand,” he said slowly, every word spoken with heavy meaning.

”It is whether I possess the right to remain seated while you do so.”

”So long as the Holy Saintess stands, these old bones shall never dare rest upon a seat of honour,” Pope Lucius continued, his voice calm yet carrying clearly across the entire hall. The moment those words left his mouth, the silence inside the Sovereign Hall deepened even further.

Not a single World Regent made a sound. Even those who had lived for centuries and had witnessed countless strange scenes now found themselves silently staring at what was happening before them, unable to immediately understand how the situation had reached this point.

The Pope of the Church of Light, one of the highest authorities in the world, was openly declaring before the World Council that he did not dare sit while Selena stood. It was not only respectful anymore. It was far beyond that. It was almost uncomfortable to watch.

Several Regents remained expressionless, but their eyes carried strange looks, while a few of those standing behind the thrones lowered their gazes as if afraid their surprise would be noticed.

At the very end of the table, seated upon his dark shadow throne, Razeal looked at the scene and felt his right eye twitch slightly.

And here we go again... he thought with deep exhaustion. A quiet sigh escaped him as he leaned back just a little, already feeling that anything involving Selena somehow always turned into this kind of exaggerated, holy, dramatic nonsense. He truly could not understand it.

One moment they were discussing his qualification for the World Council, Cosmic Lords, his sword, and Lucian’s sudden strange change of decision. The next moment, the Pope himself was practically offering his throne to Selena as though the whole hall existed only to witness her divine treatment. Razeal’s lips faintly twitched. Of course. Obviously. Why wouldn’t this happen too?

Selena hesitated for a moment, her golden eyes moving between Pope Lucius and the radiant papal throne he was offering. She truly did not know how to respond. Refusing too strongly might appear disrespectful, but accepting such an offer was even more impossible in her mind.

That was the Pope’s own throne. The throne of His Holiness Lucius IX. Even if she was the Saintess, she had never once thought of standing above him in position.

After struggling silently for a few seconds, she finally spoke in a soft voice, unable to simply accept the situation without asking.

”Then... where will you sit, Your Holiness?” she asked, genuine concern appearing across her face. Her voice was gentle, but it carried clear discomfort.

”Surely you cannot remain standing throughout the entire council...” The question was reasonable.

Everyone understood it. No matter how much the Pope respected her, this was still the World Council. The meeting could last for hours. He was an old man, a World Regent, and the head of the Church of Light. How could he simply stand beside his own throne like an attendant while Selena sat upon it?

Pope Lucius smiled with the same serene expression that never seemed to leave his face. There was no embarrassment in him, no hesitation, no sign that he considered his own position to be important in this matter.

”This servant has no need of a throne, Your Grace,” he said calmly, his voice carrying not the slightest hint of exaggeration. ”If Your Grace accepts the seat, I shall simply stand behind it.” He paused briefly, as though considering the matter further, then added with complete sincerity.

”And should even that prove improper, then this servant shall gladly remain upon the floor. Whether standing, kneeling, or seated upon the ground matters little. One who serves the Divine should never concern himself with personal comfort before dignity.”

The hall fell silent once more. This time, the silence became even stranger. It was so shocking that some regents couldn’t even look at this.

There was not a trace of hesitation in the Pope’s tone. Not a single sign that he had spoken only for politeness or ceremony. Everyone present could tell he genuinely meant every word. If Selena accepted the throne and then told him to sit on the floor, Pope Lucius IX would likely do exactly that without a moment’s complaint. That realization made the entire scene even more difficult to process.

On the Spirit Throne, Aurelion sat with his arms crossed, his pale face completely calm and unreadable. His blue spirit-like eyes remained lowered, and outwardly he showed no reaction at all, yet inwardly, one blunt word passed through his mind.

Shameless. The Pope’s face remained serene and holy, but to Aurelion, this level of open devotion before the entire council was practically a performance. He did not speak the thought aloud, of course. He merely sat there with his eyes closed, looking as ancient and peaceful as ever, while silently judging the old man with absolute certainty.

Selena, meanwhile, became even more flustered. Her cheeks carried a faint helpless warmth as she hurriedly raised both hands and waved them slightly, clearly unable to accept what he had just said.

”N-No... Your Holiness, please don’t say such things...” she said quickly, her voice filled with panic and respect at the same time. ”I could never allow that.”

Pope Lucius, however, did not move from his place. His hand remained extended toward the radiant throne, his expression patient and deeply respectful. Selena tried refusing again, speaking softly and politely, while the Pope answered just as politely but with complete firmness.

She insisted that she was comfortable standing. He replied that his comfort was not the issue. She said he was the Pope and should not give up his seat. He answered that before the Holy Saintess, such titles were meaningless. She asked him not to make things difficult for her. He lowered his head slightly and replied that he was only fulfilling what he believed was proper.

The two continued like that for several more seconds, one rejecting and the other insisting, both of them extremely respectful and polite, which somehow made the whole thing even more awkward. No one around the table interrupted. They simply watched this strange exchange continue, some speechless, some amused, some thoughtful, and some clearly wondering when it would finally end. It was so painful to watch.. Really painful.

After several more seconds of this ridiculous back-and-forth, Selena finally fell silent. Her hands slowly lowered, and her eyes dropped toward the floor. She could already feel the gaze of the entire council hall upon her, and the longer she continued refusing, the more uncomfortable the atmosphere became.

She understood now that Pope Lucius would not yield. If she kept insisting, she would only create an even greater scene in the middle of the World Council, and that was the last thing she wanted. She stood there for a few long moments, struggling with the decision, before finally letting out a small, helpless sigh.

”...Then... please forgive my discourtesy, Your Holiness,” she said softly. Her voice carried genuine hesitation, not pride or acceptance of superiority, but the helplessness of someone who had been forced into an impossible situation.

She offered Pope Lucius a respectful bow, and only after that did she slowly begin walking toward the radiant papal throne opposite Nova’s side of the table. Every step felt heavier than the last. The golden light of the throne seemed almost too bright as she approached it, and the silence of the hall made each movement feel painfully obvious. Never in her life had Selena imagined that she would sit upon the Pope’s own seat, especially not before the eyes of the entire World Council.

Pope Lucius smiled gently, and there was no bitterness in that smile, no reluctance, and no hidden discomfort.

”It is this servant who should seek Your Grace’s forgiveness,” he said softly, his voice still carrying that same deep and almost uncomfortable reverence. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped aside completely, giving Selena the path toward the radiant papal throne as though he had never considered it his own in the first place.

Selena hesitated even at the final step, her fingers unconsciously tightening slightly as she looked at the seat before her, but with the entire Sovereign Hall watching and Pope Lucius standing aside so patiently, she could no longer refuse without making the scene even more awkward.

At last, with a helpless and respectful expression, she slowly sat down upon the golden throne.

The moment she did, the holy light surrounding the throne seemed to fall around her soft golden hair and pure aura in a way that made the whole scene appear even more divine than it already was, which only made Selena herself feel more uncomfortable. She did not look proud. She did not look pleased. If anything, she looked like someone who had been gently forced into a place she never wanted to take.

Only after confirming that she had finally seated herself did Pope Lucius quietly move behind the throne, folding both hands before him and standing there with perfect composure, exactly as Marcella stood behind Nova’s purple throne. Not once did he glance at the seat with longing. Not once did his expression show even the smallest wish to reclaim it.

He simply stood behind Selena with the calm dignity of a servant who had finally found his proper place, and to him, this seemed to be exactly where he believed he belonged.

The two knights in sacred armor who had been standing behind the Pope’s throne before also reacted without needing any order. They had been guarding him until now, standing tall and silent like golden-white statues beside the papal seat, but after Selena sat down, both of them lowered their heads toward her with clear respect. Reverence could be seen in their eyes, not forced, not ceremonial, but deeply familiar, as if this arrangement did not shock them nearly as much as it shocked everyone else.

Then, without uttering a single word, they took one step backward and quietly repositioned themselves behind Pope Lucius instead.

The movement was smooth, disciplined, and completely natural. The Pope now stood behind Selena’s throne, and the two sacred knights stood behind him, forming a strange new order of position that made the entire hall feel even more unreal.

Selena, sitting upon the radiant throne, looked faintly stiff from awkwardness, while Lucius stood behind her with folded hands and a gentle smile, and his knights remained behind him as if everything had always been meant to be this way.

The entire Sovereign Hall sank into complete silence.

No Regent uttered even a single word.

Some simply stared.

Others blinked slowly, as though trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.

Even those who had known Pope Lucius for decades found themselves unable to properly comprehend the scene before them.

This was the Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Light. One of the highest authorities in the world. A World Regent. An emperor-level powerhouse whose command could shake nations and whose displeasure could make royal families tremble.

Yet that same old man was now willingly standing behind his own throne while another person occupied it, and not only that, he had openly declared that he would have been willing to stand, kneel, or even sit upon the floor if Selena required it.

What made the scene even stranger was that his expression carried no shame at all. No humiliation. No resentment. No feeling of being lowered. Only quiet reverence, deep satisfaction, and a soft happiness that seemed almost impossible to fake. It was as though giving his throne to Selena had not taken anything from him, but instead granted him some strange inner peace.

The silence that followed became so profound that even the faint sound of breathing seemed unusually loud within the vast hall. Some of the followers standing behind the thrones exchanged subtle glances, but none dared to speak.

Several World Regents remained thoughtful, trying to understand whether this was some hidden doctrine of the Church, some secret relationship between the Saintess and the Divine, or simply Pope Lucius’s own extreme devotion.

The Elven Queen’s eyes lingered quietly on Selena, curiosity deepening in them. The Spirit King sat with his arms crossed and his expression unchanged, though inwardly his earlier judgment only grew firmer.

King Julius leaned back slightly upon his throne, one hand still resting near the Sacred Trident of the Sea, his lips pressed together as though even he was struggling not to react too openly.

Nova looked toward Selena, then toward the Pope behind her. Her lips turning upwards in some kind of weird amusement which maybe only she could feel.

Marcella’s face remained calm, but behind her square glasses, her gaze sharpened with careful observation. This was no small matter. The Pope had not merely greeted Selena respectfully. He had placed her above himself in front of the entire World Council.

At the very end of the council table, Razeal silently stared at Pope Lucius, who now stood behind the radiant throne with a gentle and happy smile on his face, as if this situation had given him some endless joy.

The more Razeal looked at that expression, the more his lips twitched. What a bootlicker, he thought coldly. He truly could not comprehend why this world was like this.

Even World Regents, people who were supposed to stand at the peak of the world, somehow began acting like dogs with their tongues out the moment Selena appeared before them.

He was almost certain this old man would not even smile this warmly at his own grandchildren, yet here he was, standing behind Selena’s chair and grinning like a foolish idiot who had just received the greatest honor of his life.

Razeal slowly exhaled through his nose, feeling tired in a way that had nothing to do with his body. What was the original author even thinking when making Selena’s character? Seriously... this much glazing?

The thought alone made him feel absurd. If only the author had given even half of this treatment to Razeal.. no, not even half, just a fraction of it then perhaps his life would not have been such a ridiculous chain of suffering, betrayal, humiliation, punishment, and endless nonsense.

Yet Selena merely had to appear, and suddenly the Pope himself was ready to surrender his throne before the entire World Council.

Razeal honestly could not even feel jealous. The situation had gone far past jealousy. It was so extreme that it almost felt like a crime.

Just show up, stand quietly, and World Regents would apparently start arranging themselves to worship your existence.

He was almost certain that if Selena softly asked Pope Lucius to lick her feet, the old man might actually consider it a sacred privilege.

Razeal’s eye twitched again at the thought, and he immediately decided he did not want to think any deeper about it. Whatever this holy nonsense was, it had nothing to do with him. It should not concern him. Right?

He just silently watched everything from the very end of the council table, his expression cold and unreadable as he tried very hard not to simply stand up and leave the hall altogether.

Honestly, until now, nothing that had happened here made the place feel like the Sovereign Hall, the highest council chamber in the world where rulers of continents and beings of terrifying power were supposed to discuss matters capable of shaking reality itself.

If anything, this place was beginning to look more like some kind of circus. First there had been strange voting, then arguments about his sword, then Nova suddenly attacking Lucian, then Lucian changing his decision after looking at Selena for reasons that still made no sense, and now the Pope of the Church of Light had given his own throne to Selena and was standing behind her with a face full of holy satisfaction.

Razeal’s lips almost twitched again just thinking about it. Was this really the gathering of the strongest and most important figures in the world? Was this really the serious place he had been dragged into?

Because from what he had seen so far, it felt less like the world’s highest authority.

Still, he forced himself to remain seated upon his shadow throne, because no matter how much he wanted to leave, he knew he could not. At least not yet.

This meeting had not truly begun, and there had to be a reason Nerrisa had brought him here beyond all this nonsense.

Before the atmosphere could sink any further into that strange awkwardness, Nerrisa finally gave a light cough from the head of the table. It was not loud, but coming from her, it was more than enough.

The sound cut cleanly through the silence like a hand sweeping aside a curtain, immediately pulling attention away from Pope Lucius standing behind his own throne, away from Selena sitting stiffly upon that radiant seat, and away from all the strange gazes still lingering around them.

Nerrisa sat upon her majestic platinum throne with one elbow resting lightly against the armrest, her expression calm but carrying a faint trace of amusement, as if even she knew how absurd the situation had become and had decided it was time to drag everyone back to the actual purpose of the meeting.

”It seems all the Regents have finally taken their seats,” she said, her platinum eyes slowly moving across the table. ”Shall we finally begin the meeting?” Her voice was relaxed, yet it naturally carried authority, and just like that, the scattered attention of the entire Sovereign Hall returned to her.

The strange atmosphere began to settle. The World Regents stopped looking toward Selena and Pope Lucius, and one by one, their gazes shifted back toward Nerrisa.

In truth, none of the World Regents openly objected to Pope Lucius allowing Selena to sit upon his throne. It was certainly strange, perhaps even shocking, but at the end of the day, it was his throne and his choice. If the Pope wished to stand behind his own seat while the Saintess occupied it, then that was his matter.

The others had no reason to interfere unless Selena began participating in the meeting as though she herself were a Regent, making decisions, speaking over them, or affecting official matters from that seat. If that happened, then things would be different. Several people would definitely mind. But for now, she was simply sitting there awkwardly while the Pope stood behind her like a devoted attendant, and although the scene was ridiculous, it had not yet crossed into a true political problem. So the Regents silently let it pass. Their interest returned to the meeting itself, and the heavy but orderly feeling of the council slowly came back into place.

The first one to speak was the woman seated upon the pure white phoenix-like throne. Her throne, made from that mysterious white material, carried a cold and sacred beauty, while she herself sat upon it with long pure white hair and majestic phoenix-like eyes that seemed to hold a strange eternal light. She looked toward Nerrisa with a faint smile, her posture graceful and noble, her presence pure and confident in a way that made it impossible to ignore her.

”So...” she began, her voice smooth, majestic, and filled with quiet confidence. ”What is the reason for calling this meeting so suddenly?” Her white eyes narrowed faintly, and a trace of amusement entered her tone as she continued..

”Surely it is not because of the frequent gates opening all around your Empire... is it?” Her words were polite on the surface, but the amusement hidden within them was impossible to miss. It was not cruel exactly, but it had a sharpness to it, the kind of light teasing only someone on the same level would dare to use against Nerrisa.

The moment she said that, all the World Regents turned their gazes toward Nerrisa. It was obvious that most of them had already guessed something similar.

The sudden opening of gates, rifts and all across the Empire was not a small matter. Even if the full details had not yet reached every continent, the World Regents were not ordinary rulers who remained ignorant of such things.

Each of them had intelligence networks, ancient senses, spies, spirit messengers, beast scouts, sea routes, church reports, and countless other ways to learn when something major happened.

So yes, many of them had already suspected that this emergency council had something to do with that matter. A few Regents even failed to hide the amused smiles slowly appearing on their faces. If they had been in Nerrisa’s position, they would have probably called this meeting too.

The situation was urgent and serious enough to demand the attention of the World Council. But the important thing was that it had not happened in their territories. It had happened in the Empress’s Empire. In Nerrisa’s land. And because of that, none of them intended to waste this rare opportunity.

After all, this was Nerrisa.

The proud, arrogant, terrifying Empress who always seemed to stand above everyone else. Whenever another Regent brought a problem to the council, she was usually the first to smile and make some sharp remark, asking whether they were too weak to handle their own troubles, whether their continent had grown soft, or whether they needed her to personally come and clean up their mess.

She rarely missed a chance to mock them when their territories suffered from complicated disasters. Her words were always calm, elegant, and cutting enough to leave people speechless.

And now, for once, she was the one who had called them here because something dangerous had happened in her own Empire.

Whether she wanted their help, their opinions, their witness, or simply needed to explain the seriousness of the situation, it still felt dangerously close to asking the World Council to look at her problem. And that alone was enough to make several Regents feel a quiet thrill of satisfaction.

They would have done the same in her place.

Of course they would have.

They were not fools. If gates were opening frequently across their own lands, they too would bring the matter to the World Council.

But that did not mean they would not enjoy watching Nerrisa be forced to raise the topic. This kind of chance almost never came. It was not every day that the proud Empress found herself standing in the position of the one whose land was in trouble.

For decades, she had been the one looking down on them with that infuriating smile, calmly taunting them while making it sound like their disasters were proof of their weakness. Now that the trouble had reached her doorstep, several of them suddenly found their moods becoming brighter.

One by one, many eyes around the table lit up.

Some with excitement.

Some with petty resentment finally finding a little chance to breathe.

Some with pure amusement.

A few World Regents even looked almost like children who had been waiting far too long for this exact moment, their expressions carefully controlled but their eyes betraying them completely. They stared at Nerrisa with barely hidden anticipation, waiting to see how the prideful Empress would explain the situation, and whether she would actually admit that the matter had grown serious enough for the World Council to be involved. For once, they were not the ones being teased. For once, the great Nerrisa had become the target sitting beneath everyone’s curious and amused gazes.

And from the head of the table, Nerrisa looked back at them all.

Still smiling.

——