I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space Chapter 383: Sofia’s Realisation

On the opposite side of the fractured road, Maria at last permitted herself a sigh of relief.

The clash had been averted.

Selena’s golden glow had pulled back inside her. Celestia’s platinum aura had eased into restrained power instead of explosive might. The catastrophic triple explosion that Maria dreaded—saintess, princess, and Atlantis princess ripping the capital asunder amid an already teetering disaster—had halted right on the brink.

For the moment.

Truth be told, Maria had been deeply anxious. The rapid buildup... the cutting remarks, the emotional volatility, the surge in Sofia’s aura when Razeal’s name came up—if events had advanced just one more inch, Sofia could have truly confronted both Celestia and Selena.

And that wouldn’t have been an ordinary battle.

It would have spelled ruin.

Witnessing the tension subside, if only briefly, Maria drew a single shallow breath before her features tightened once more.

Yet... one issue lingered unresolved.

The vibration in the atmosphere persisted, though it wasn’t intensifying anymore.

Selena and Celestia now stood near each other, conversing in hushed tones. From afar, it nearly appeared serene. Nearly.

Maria recognized the facade.

The tranquility was fragile.

Nevertheless, it sufficed for now.

She directed her focus to Sofia.

And annoyance surged right away.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Maria whispered sharply as she approached, her voice subdued to avoid notice. "Causing all this uproar right here?"

Her strides were swift and measured, carrying an edge. She halted before Sofia, her eyes blazing.

"If you planned to strike, you could have consulted me beforehand at least."

Accusation laced her murmur—part exasperation, part real dread.

Sofia, though, didn’t react to the scolding as Maria anticipated.

She interrupted almost at once, her mind evidently elsewhere.

"Don’t fret over that now," Sofia replied, her manner curt and preoccupied, as though Maria’s words scarcely landed. Her thoughts wandered far off. "Tell me first: what’s the connection between Razeal and Selena?"

Maria blinked.

Sofia’s stare burned with doubt now.

"Because I sense something seriously off with that Selena," she pressed on, her voice dipping a bit, yet the pressing need evident. "When Razeal’s name left my lips... the look on her face..."

Sofia’s eyes probed Maria’s, seeking validation, seeking truth. "That wasn’t the reaction it ought to have been."

Maria blinked again, thrown by the sudden topic switch.

Sofia wore clear bewilderment on her features. Obviously, that’s the sole reason she hadn’t launched straight into a rampage.

And that held true.

Without that odd response—without the raw plea she’d caught in Selena’s gaze—Sofia might have already spilled blood.

But abruptly—

Her attention veered.

Her face altered halfway through her words.

"Hold on."

Her eyes narrowed as they fell to Maria’s visage.

"What’s wrong with your face?"

Maria went rigid.

"Have you been weeping?" Sofia’s tone gentled on reflex, doubt yielding to worry. "What’s happening, Maria?"

Her look intensified anew. "Don’t say it’s tied to Razeal. I spotted you two in that room moments ago. Did something go down between you?"

The statement landed like a subtle strike.

And in an instant, Maria recalled.

The chamber? The admission? The quarrel?

The tangled web of feelings that had stolen her breath and left her quaking.

Her hand rose on impulse, swiping hastily at her cheeks with its back. As though sheer will could wipe away the traces.

Damn.

How had she overlooked her disheveled appearance?

For a fleeting instant, alarm flashed in her eyes. Then she suppressed it. Buried it all deep.

"No," she replied swiftly. Too swiftly. "I haven’t been crying."

Her voice evened out, even as her fingers clenched a touch at her sides.

"It’s merely from rushing here," she tacked on, waving indistinctly. "Soaring at top velocity. Cutting through the wind that way... it makes your eyes tear up."

The excuse spilled fast, nearly scripted, though wholly invented.

Clearly, she wouldn’t reveal to Sofia that she’d just confessed to a man who was her husband in name and faced rejection.

Yet, for all her effort to compose herself, a tell escaped. A subtle wave of mixed feelings crossed her countenance—pain mingled with embarrassment, unease, persistent sorrow, and unhealed wounds.

Sofia caught it.

"Is that so?" she queried, dubious yet not pressing fiercely.

Maria nodded, maybe too emphatically.

"Yes."

Sofia eyed her but didn’t wholly accept the reason, though she opted, temporarily, to let it pass. Despite Maria’s look plainly holding more than mere aerial discomfort.

But weightier issues loomed.

Sofia breathed out gradually and redirected her focus to Selena.

"Anyway..." she grumbled.

Suddenly, she grasped Maria’s wrist with resolve—not rough, but insistent. She angled her frame a fraction, compelling Maria to peer where she indicated.

"See that woman."

Her manner shed its fury.

It turned puzzled... profoundly puzzled.

"Something’s deeply amiss with her."

Maria trailed her line of sight.

Selena lingered nearby, beside Celestia still. Yet even from this range, her bearing seemed skewed.

Her shoulders tensed, though her pose lacked hostility.

Her eyes...?

Sofia’s hold on Maria firmed a bit.

"I uttered Razeal’s name before her," she went on deliberately, gaze locked on Selena’s features. "And she responded just like that."

Maria traced her view once more.

Selena positioned herself beside Celestia, her aura dimmed yet subtly present. Her frame stood stiff. Her focus split—partly on Celestia’s speech, partly still aimed at Sofia.

"Do you realize where she headed before I intervened?" she inquired.

"Toward Razeal."

Conviction rang in her tone.

"I’m certain."

"She rushed to him."

"And recall when I declared I’d bar her from seeing him..." Sofia’s jaw tightened subtly, "...she glared at me as if I’d robbed her of her rightful claim—she even outright threatened me or seemed poised to strike."

She shook her head once.

"That’s not the conduct of someone who loathes a man."

Sofia pressed ahead, her voice falling softer.

"That gaze..."

"You recognize that gaze, don’t you?"

"Observe her," Sofia murmured. "She’s frantic."

"Just observe." Sofia raised her hand and jabbed straight at Selena.

Maria tracked the point of her finger.

Nearby, Selena faced Celestia, their heads bent close as they exchanged urgent whispers. But Selena’s mannerisms seized the attention. Her hands gestured wildly while talking—one instant carving the air with crisp motions, the next rising to press her temples. Her digits knotted fleetingly in her locks as if anchoring her racing mind by touch. Her breaths appeared ragged. Even from afar, the unrest in her form was plain.

She appeared... unsettled.

Not from rage.

But from inner chaos.

Selena’s golden aura had drawn inward, but subtle sparks still danced about her shoulders, surging and fading in erratic pulses. It echoed the turmoil on her face. Her brows knitted firmly. Her lips parted fast, as though wrestling order into her thoughts before they fled once more.

Maria pursued the line of Sofia’s finger, her eyes locking onto Selena completely.

And comprehension dawned.

She grasped the scenario and Sofia’s point.

And she grasped Sofia’s response as well.

Yet grasping didn’t equate to endorsing.

"I believe I see your line of thought," Maria stated softly, her voice even. "But that’s not the case."

"You’re overthinking it. It’s not like that." Maria went on. "True, she’s eager to see Razeal. I acknowledge that part."

She offered no denial.

"But it’s absolutely not what you suspect."

Her sight stayed on Selena while speaking, her tone easing a fraction.

"You may not realize this, but Razeal and Selena shared a childhood bond. An intimate one. Prior to all that unfolded... before the charges arose."

She halted shortly, eyeing Sofia’s reaction.

"Following the mishap... once it all crumbled... she came to regret it."

"I know her well. She’s inherently compassionate, so... whatever transpired then, she’s borne that remorse ever since."

Maria’s glance drifted back to Selena momentarily, her unrest still apparent from here.

"She even attempted to aid him in the arena affair," Maria noted. "You missed it. But I witnessed it."

"So, don’t misjudge this," Maria stressed solidly. "And above all, settle yourself. Consider the circumstances rationally."

"You’re misinterpreting the whole thing. At minimum, you ought to have consulted me prior to jumping into an assault."

Her eyes darted to Sofia, irritation seeping in.

"You lack full knowledge as yet. You merely caught Razeal’s statements and charged over primed for combat. What’s that about?"

The final query emerged sterner than meant.

Maria pivoted wholly to face Sofia and softly clasped her hand, her hold gentle yet firm.

"Settle down," she urged once more, softer now. "Let’s deliberate prior to moving."

"You can’t afford to misconstrue this at present... correct?"

For a brief moment, it appeared Sofia might truly heed the advice.

But Sofia refused to ease.

Instead, she yanked her hand away abruptly.

"No."

Her tone fell flat.

Then, without pause, she lifted her hand and seized Maria by the nape—strong digits weaving lightly into her tresses as she compelled her to swivel back to Selena.

"Cut that out," Sofia barked.

Her voice stayed low, yet it thrummed with leashed force.

"I said, observe her."

She bodily redirected Maria’s head toward Selena again.

"You can’t possibly be that oblivious, Maria."

Her tone edged sharper, impatience evident.

"You’re female too. Just look at her."

Maria’s gaze fastened on Selena anew.

Selena’s motions had turned wilder. She spoke in a rush now, her fingers ascending to her head once more as if her inner whirl clashed too fiercely. The subtle golden glimmers near her shoulders blazed briefly, then faltered.

Sofia’s voice sank deeper, intensifying further.

"I grasp what you mean," she persisted. "I see the childhood ties. The remorse. The shame or such."

She inclined nearer, her stare unwavering from Selena.

"But examine her face."

Discernment filled Sofia’s eyes now—not bewilderment, not doubt.

Acknowledgment.

"This isn’t hatred toward him."

Her statements flowed more measured, intentional.

"This is desire for him."

She paused to swallow before tacking on, nearly somberly—

"Intensely."

Maria remained silent.

Sofia’s eyes steeled.

"But... why?"

Her clasp in Maria’s hair tightened subtly.

"Why would his accuser harbor such a gaze?"

Her jaw locked.

"Why would she ignite like that when I forbade her meeting?"

Sofia’s breaths deepened a touch—not from alarm, but from the strain of assembling an unsavory truth.

"And that face," Sofia urged. "Do you know when it shifted?"

"The instant I mentioned gifting her heads as a bridal token to Razeal."

Her eyes sparked.

"And I’m certain she didn’t fret over my threat to sever her head."

Dark assurance colored her voice.

"She recoiled at ‘wedding gift to Razeal’—that’s the trigger."

Sofia’s lips thinned.

"Currently, her thoughts must be whirling—

She bypassed awaiting a reply.

"Razeal wed? A marriage? Who’s she to him?"

Her eyes slitted.

"I can read it. It’s etched across her features."

She motioned faintly at Selena anew, whose digits still quivered by her temples.

Maria blinked, scrutinizing Selena’s countenance properly this time. As her regard held, she sensed an oddness in Selena’s look. It kindled a muted doubt in her. Still, full conviction eluded her.

"Impossible," Maria uttered at length, her voice minus its prior sureness.

She tilted her head up to Sofia, injecting calm into her words.

"Settle yourself."

"It may not match your suspicions."

"It could remain a mix-up."

Her brows creased faintly.

"Priority: calm down—that’s not your focus now."

She shook her head once.

But Sofia merely denied it with a shake of her own.

The gesture began languid, nearly incredulous. Then steadier. Decisive.

Her visage—typically divine, stunningly exquisite like a sea deity carved from lunar glow and wave froth—had set into a far deadlier cast. The tenderness that lent her brilliance had vanished. Replacing it was acuity. Keen and Fearsome.

Her eyes, naturally bright and radiant, now bore a profundity akin to the shadowed sea preceding a tempest.

"You’re missing it," Sofia declared, her voice subdued and steady, yet pulsing with resolve. "This is precisely what I believe."

Her glance darted to Selena again.

"She desires him."

No doubt tinged her words.

"Observe her looks."

Maria parted her lips to counter once more, but Sofia huffed briskly and abruptly released Maria’s head.

"Drop it," she grumbled.

Then her mouth quirked faintly.

"You know? I’ll simply demonstrate it."

And... ere Maria could respond, Sofia advanced.

"Hey, what’s that?" Maria lunged forward on instinct, aiming to snag her arm.

But Sofia pressed on undeterred.

She ignored the plea.

And truthfully, the moment had passed.

With a single stride ahead, Sofia halted purposefully, her aura swelling just sufficiently to attract notice.

"Heyyy, you two!"

Her call pierced the gap crisply.

Selena and Celestia turned toward her on reflex.

Selena remained inwardly seething, her feelings unsteady, her breaths irregular from the prior upheaval. But Sofia’s shout yanked her focus to her.

And Sofia timed her revelation perfectly.

"I’m Razeal’s spouse, for your information!"

She didn’t murmur it.

She bellowed it.

Distinct, straightforward, and unmistakable.

Her gaze pinned Selena’s features as she voiced each syllable... scrutinizing her intently.

And yes... she witnessed it.

For the response struck instantly.

Selena’s complexion drained of color, as though beholding the world’s utmost horror. It contorted into total, profound astonishment. Her eyes bulged, and her respiration turned erratic and swift. She’d merely fantasized this before—mere contemplation sufficed to spark dread fits. But now, hearing it voiced aloud, affirmed so plainly by this figure... it utterly fractured her psyche.

Breathing grew labored for her.

It overwhelmed her capacity to process. Utterly. Thus, rather than embracing it, she spurned it fiercely.

"No... you’re fabricating! I won’t accept it! Impossible—absolutely not! No, he’d never... it’s untrue!"

She cried out, her voice quaking and faltering. She struggled to shape coherent phrases, yet she hollered them regardless, as if volume could render the denial real.

But Sofia merely elevated her ring finger.

"No. See this. It’s the band he slipped on my finger personally. And indeed, we are wed."

She weighted each term.

And her eyes—her eyes darkening perilously as she assessed Selena’s reaction.

"No! Lies! I refuse to believe you!" Selena wailed again.

She shook her head violently now.

At this point, regardless of evidence presented, she rejected it all. She avoided even glancing at the ring Sofia proffered. Her fists balled, her whole form shuddering with distress and terror. Overcome to the brink, she nearly assailed the woman for uttering such a claim. For to Selena, this embodied the direst horror conceivable.

She cherished him most. Across years.

No one merited him more.

Her hand stirred.

Power glimmered softly at her tips.

She prepared to strike.

Not from reason.

Not from tactic.

But from pure alarm and dread.

For if she eradicated the claim’s origin...

If she muted Sofia...

Perhaps she’d evade hearing it anew.

But precisely as Selena poised to surge, her hand was seized in mid-swing.

Halting her advance abruptly.

Selena glanced over instinctively.

And beheld Celestia.

Celestia’s countenance showed utter blankness.

Not icy, wrathful, or warm.

Void.

Simply motionless.

Her grasp secured Selena’s wrist with ease, blocking further action.

With her free hand, Celestia moved deliberately.