I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space Chapter 1: Proud Of You Host

The Empire of Aetherion

Emperium Capital City Elaris within Arkanveil Academy

High in the sky, the sun burned fiercely over a massive stone coliseum, its bright golden light flickering on sharp steel swords, gleaming armor, and garments embroidered with golden silk. Tension and thrill vibrated through the atmosphere, as though the heavens themselves paused in expectation.

This enormous edifice, round and steeped in antiquity, represented legacy and honor. Myriad gazes watched from the upper tiers, the seating areas filled with aristocrats, academics, warriors, and visitors from distant lands.

Here lay the renowned Arkanveil Academy, the foremost institution for magic and warfare across the realm. Today brought the initial challenge: the Gate of Worth, Arkanveil's iconic ritual for the admission examination.

Beneath the spectators, across the expansive arena of pristine white stone—graceful but sturdy—gathered countless young aspirants. They hailed from various realms, lineages, and social ranks. These were the budding legends, the future elites, at least in their dreams. Males and females, some barely past fifteen, others approaching two decades, formed groups, exchanging words amid a mix of eagerness, anxiety, determination, and myriad feelings. Certain faces displayed terror and concern, as if facing their final moments.

Some wore lavish robes in family hues, emblems boldly sewn onto their cuffs. Others carried arms—swords, poleaxes inscribed with mystical symbols—while a few stood unarmed, their forms pulsing with magical energy. Every individual carried a tale, a heritage, a origin that rang of aristocracy or hinted at fierce drive.

Aristocrats clustered together, chins lifted haughtily, whispering softly and shooting scornful looks at those in plain attire or lacking sigils. In opposition, the ordinary folk maintained separation, yet their gazes sparked with fiercer resolve than any elite's. Their stares conveyed craving, alongside a shadowy, unsettling presence, suggesting they had already bid farewell and braced for possible failure.

Even as nobles and prominent hopefuls began murmuring to each other

"Have you heard? The successors from all four leading houses are entering the academy this year as well!"

"Are you completely lacking in awareness? Who wouldn't know that? Is such a query even worth voicing?" one aristocrat sneered harshly, only to be quieted by a superior, probably of greater status."

"No, it's the three ducal lineages, you fool. The Virelan successor is already midway through her fourth year."

"Simply glance at the audience overhead. That reveals it all," his eyes lifted toward the crowded balconies filled with elites.

From the ground, they swallowed hard while peering upward.

Elevated far above the masses, embedded in the arena's sturdy rock walls, sat five opulent observation suites, arranged evenly as if deliberately positioned. The middle one loomed grandest, exuding superior prestige and deference.

These five suites, in plain sight, served the Four Duke Families. The uppermost, raised a touch higher than the rest, pertained to the Royal Family.

Imperial sentinels positioned themselves at the forefront like unyielding monoliths, solid and immobile, emanating formidable presence. Each suite displayed familial banners, waving gently in the breeze.

The Royal House occupied the central spot, its emblem—a sacred tiara flanked by crossed blades—shining beneath the sunlight.

On either side ranged the Four Grand Duke Houses, each enveloped in distinctive splendor

The wavering mirages of Virelan

The scorching flames of Drakenvyr

The flourishing ethereal creepers of Faerelith

And the luminous sheen of Luminus

"Yes, observe the Royal Knights up there. I believe the Royal Princess could be enrolling this year too. Otherwise, why would the family dispatch their imperial envoys and even the Royal Guards?" one murmured, swallowing nervously. "This could mark the inaugural occasion since the academy's inception where offspring from all Four Duke Families and the Royal Family converge in one institution."

"That's... intimidating. Yet, I still don't understand—why participate in the Academy Trial Test at all? From what I've heard, individuals of their stature gain instant entry to the top tiers. What's the purpose?" another hopeful inquired, somewhat uneasy.

"Evidently, it's to establish superiority among them. It's a competition—a battle for supremacy. Though the Royal Princess probably won't join, the feud between the four Duke Houses is bound to ignite."

"With the Virelan lineage's successor already in her fourth year, the rivalry should center on the other three Ducal households. That could also clarify the lack of a complete showdown—maybe why the family heads themselves are absent. Had all four been engaged, the event would have been far more spectacular. Likely that's the reason only these delegates appeared."

While they debated this, somewhat apart in a nearly overlooked spot distant from the throng, a silhouette in dark robes loomed, shrouded completely from crown to sole. His visage remained concealed beneath the extended hood, but a closer inspection would reveal his ashen complexion and angular traits, paired with jet-black obsidian orbs of such profound intensity that beholders might drown in their gaze, and locks of deep royal purple-blue.

He lingered quietly at the edge, his expression utterly neutral, as if emotions eluded him entirely, a fixed trait. Yet inwardly, he exhaled wearily, tempted to shake his head in dismay.

[Tsk tsk, host... this feels like an occasion tailored for you alone. The ideal way for a supreme antagonist to make an entrance, right? Who else possesses such an air? See how all these elites tie back to you...]

[Your former betrothed, the royal princess in person, attends—tsk tsk. Your elder sister, Mirellia Virelan, who despises you utterly—tsk tsk. The main character, the radiant star of this realm, your inevitable and everlasting adversary—the one fated to end you, Aeron Drakenvyr—tsk tsk. And naturally, we can't overlook your childhood companion who falsely charged you with assault, Selene Luminus... Ah, she's a saintess now too—tsk tsk.]

[You're truly the perfect villain, host. I admire you—foe of the mightiest empire, opposed by all four duke families and the royal lineage stacked against you—tsk tsk.]

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