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

Chapter 411: Greater Purpose

“Like… think about it,” Razeal began again, his tone calm but carrying a strange weight now, as if he wasn’t just answering her question anymore but exposing something deeper, something he had thought about far too many times, “I hate them… to every fiber of my being.” His voice didn’t rise, didn’t sharpen it stayed level, almost detached but there was something underneath it, something that didn’t need to be expressed loudly to be real, “I know it… and it’s in my eyes too.” Slowly, he lifted his hand, pointing two fingers toward his own eyes as he leaned forward just slightly, his gaze locking onto Maria’s, “Look… can you see it?”

Maria instinctively focused on his eyes then, drawn in by both the question and the way he said it, and what she saw… was not what she expected. His eyes deep crimson, almost unnaturally intense were cold. Not just calm. Not just controlled. Cold in a way that felt… empty.

There was no flicker of rage, no visible hatred, no burning resentment nothing. Just a stillness so absolute it felt unnatural, like staring into something that had already burned out long ago. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was controlling himself too well… or if that was simply what remained of his emotions now. Either way… she couldn’t see what he claimed was there.

“Yes… I can kill them,” Razeal continued, lowering his hand slightly, his expression unchanged, “but… what happens after that?” He tilted his head faintly, as if genuinely considering it even now, “What comes next?” A faint, almost mocking smile appeared on his lips as he spread his hands lightly, “They’re gone. That’s it.. Nothing else.” His voice carried a quiet, almost philosophical tone now, “And you know what’s funny?” His gaze remained steady..

“No matter how much you hate someone… how much you despise them… once they’re dead?” He paused just a fraction, “…you can’t hate them anymore.” The statement landed strangely, not loud, but heavy. “It just ends there,” he continued, his voice soft but firm, “No matter how much you try… no matter how much you want to keep hating them… you can’t feel it the same way.” His lips curled slightly into a sarcastic smile..

“Because that’s what death does. It ends everything… even your hatred.” He leaned back again, his posture relaxed but his words sharp, “And that’s the thing…” His gaze shifted briefly before returning to her, “Think about it… when someone kills the person they want revenge on… do they keep hating them forever? Even after death?” He shook his head faintly..

“No. They don’t.” His tone turned more reflective now, almost analytical, “And I think… most people don’t even realize this themselves… but the real reason they want to kill someone…” He paused slightly, “…is because they don’t want to keep hating anymore.” His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest..

“That feeling… that constant, consuming hatred… it eats at you.” His voice dropped just a little, “…and deep down, they know… once they kill that person… it will stop.” His eyes narrowed faintly, “…they’ll finally be free of it.” A faint chuckle escaped him, dry and without humor..

“That’s why people chase revenge… not because it fixes anything… not because it brings anything back…” He shook his head, “…but because they want relief.” His gaze hardened slightly now, “…because they want to move on.” He exhaled slowly, “…because if they don’t… that feeling will keep eating them alive.”

The room had gone completely silent again, both Maria and Sofia watching him without interruption, absorbing every word, every layer behind it.

“But here’s the problem…” Razeal continued, his tone steady again, “…nothing changes.” His eyes held hers, “…what happened… stays.” He gestured lightly, “…what you lost… what you felt… what got destroyed…” His voice carried a quiet finality, “…it never comes back.” A faint smile returned, but it was hollow this time..

“So yeah… revenge is pointless.” He let out a small breath, “It’s not about justice… it’s not about balance…” He looked at her directly, “…it’s just about feeling better.” Another pause. And then his tone shifted. Subtly. But clearly. “And that…” he said quietly, “…is exactly what I don’t want.” His gaze sharpened slightly now..

“…because that feeling?” He tapped his chest lightly, “…that hatred… that anger…” His voice lowered, “…that’s the only reason I’m still alive.” The words hung in the air, heavy, undeniable. “I don’t want it to go away,” he continued, his tone calm but firm..

“Because if it does…” A faint pause. “…then what’s left?” His expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes deepened..

“…I want to prove them wrong.” His voice carried quiet intensity now, “…every single one of them.”

He leaned forward slightly, “…I want them to see it.” His lips pressed together faintly, “…how wrong they were… how right I was…” His gaze didn’t waver, “…and what kind of mistake they made.” A silence followed that felt heavier than anything before.

“That’s the only thing keeping me alive,” he added quietly, “…because without that?” A faint, almost indifferent shrug, “…I don’t have a reason to live.”

The room fell still again.

Maria stared at him, her expression shifting not shocked, not confused, but conflicted.

“So…” she finally spoke, her voice softer now but still steady, “…you want to keep hating them… for your whole life?” She shook her head slightly, “…that’s why you don’t kill them?” Her brows furrowed faintly, “…because if they die… you won’t be able to… feel it anymore?” There was a pause, her voice lowering, “…that’s wrong…”

She looked at him, “…you shouldn’t…”

Razeal let out a faint breath, cutting her off before she could finish, “I know.” His tone was calm, almost resigned..

“I know what you’re going to say.” He leaned back again, his gaze drifting for a brief moment as if recalling something..

“…that living for revenge is stupid.”

“…that I should live for myself.” His eyes flickered faintly, “…be selfish… enjoy whatever time I have… even if it’s short…”

“…Find a purpose for my own life.” His gaze returned to Maria, steady once more, “…not live for others.” A quiet pause followed. And then, almost faintly, he added, “…I’ve heard it all before.” He said as remembering his conversation with Tongue and Zara before.

“Yes… Like just what are you even thinking?” Maria finally spoke, and this time her calm wasn’t hollow anymore; it carried urgency, fear, and a desperate attempt to reach him before he sank any deeper into something she clearly didn’t agree with, her brows knitting together as she leaned forward slightly, her voice no longer distant but firm, almost pleading..

“What if they die some other way? What then?” Her eyes searched his face intensely, as if trying to force him to confront that possibility..

“What would you do then? Just… what? Kill yourself too? Because you won’t have a reason to live anymore?” She shook her head, frustration mixing with disbelief, “You shouldn’t be living your life for hate… for people you hate. That doesn’t make sense.” Her tone tightened, more emotional now..

“That would just mean they win. Everything they did, everything they wanted it all works out exactly how they wanted it to.” Her voice softened slightly, but the weight behind it only grew heavier, “You’re just hurting yourself at that point… nothing else.” She gestured vaguely around them, as if pointing at the reality he was standing in now..

“Look at your life right now… just look at it.” Her voice steadied, trying to ground him, “You have strength.. Power. Everything you once wanted… and more than that.” Her eyes didn’t leave his, “You’re married now… you’re the son-in-law of Atlantis a whole kingdom.” There was almost disbelief in her tone now, “You have a life, Razeal. A real life. A big one.” She exhaled softly, shaking her head again, “You can have anything you want now… without struggling, without suffering the way you did before.” Her voice grew quieter, but more intense..

“Do you even realize how many people would die to be in your place right now?” She paused, letting that sink in, “…you could live happily. Do whatever you want. Build something. Become something.” Her eyes softened, but her expression remained serious, “…I can see infinite possibilities in you.” Then her voice tightened again, frustration returning..

“So why are you so adamant about this?” She shook her head again, more firmly this time, “You need to walk away from it… don’t let that hatred consume you.” Her gaze hardened slightly, “…that’s exactly why I’m telling you to kill them or wanted you to kill me.” The statement came out sharp, almost contradictory to what she had just said, but her reasoning followed immediately…

“End it. Finish your revenge… and then just.. move on.” Her voice dropped, serious and unwavering, “Because this? This is not okay.” She stared directly at him now, her concern unmistakable, “…this is just unacceptable.” And she meant it not out of anger, but out of genuine fear for what he was becoming.

Sofia, who had been silently watching this entire exchange, felt that same unease but unlike Maria, her reaction was far more decisive. As she looked at Razeal, really looked at him, listened to every word he said… something in her expression shifted completely.

Her face, which had been concerned before, turned cold. Focused. Serious to a degree that felt almost dangerous. He’s destroying himself, she thought, her jaw tightening slightly, and he doesn’t even realize it.

And in that moment she made a decision. Without hesitation, a deep aquamarine glow flickered in her eyes, sharp and radiant, and in the next instant, a solid object materialized in her hand a tablet, carved from a dense, ocean-blue stone, ancient-looking yet pulsing faintly with energy. She stepped forward immediately, closing the distance between her and Razeal, and before he could even fully process what she was doing she placed it directly into his hand.

“Here.” Her voice was calm but it wasn’t gentle. It was firm as if she had Decided.

“What?” Razeal blinked, caught off guard, his conversation with Maria abruptly interrupted as he looked down at the object now resting in his palm, then back up at Sofia, confusion clearly written across his face, “…what is this?”

“It’s a summoning tablet,” Sofia replied without hesitation, her tone unwavering, “Crush it… and it will call the entire army of Atlantis.” She held his gaze, completely serious, “Let’s kill them.” There was no hesitation. No doubt.

“What you’re doing… what you’re thinking… it’s wrong.” Her voice sharpened slightly, “I will not accept this.” She stepped closer, her expression hard, “I will not have a husband whose only reason for living is hatred.” The words carried weight authority, concern, and something deeply personal beneath it, “…this is really unacceptable as she said just now..” She didn’t blink, didn’t look away, “…we end this. Now.”

A brief pause. “Whatever comes after… we’ll deal with it.”

Razeal just stared at her, then at the tablet, his expression somewhere between disbelief and mild shock, as if his mind hadn’t quite caught up with the sudden escalation. And before he could even respond

Maria spoke again. “I’m with her.” Her voice was calm, but this time it wasn’t empty it was resolved. She had been silent until now, just listening, but now she lifted her gaze toward him, “…you know what? Let’s do it.” There was no hesitation in her tone, “…I was going to die anyway.” A faint, almost bitter smile touched her lips, “…this doesn’t sound so bad.” And beneath that… there was something else agreement.

She believed this was the right move. Because to her, his current path was worse.

“Hey..” Razeal finally spoke, his voice cutting through the tension as he looked between the two of them, his expression now clearly exasperated, “Can both of you just… stop for a second?” He raised a hand slightly, as if trying to physically pause the situation..

“At least listen to me properly first.” His tone wasn’t angry but it carried a tired kind of disbelief, like he couldn’t quite process how fast things had spiraled. “I get it,” he added, exhaling lightly, “…I really do.”

His gaze moved from Maria to Sofia, “…the concern… the intention behind this.” A faint, almost ironic smile appeared, “It’s… impressive, honestly.” Then his expression flattened slightly, “…but this?” He glanced down at the tablet in his hand, then back at them, “…this is not going to solve anything.” His tone grew more serious, “…if anything, it’ll just make everything worse.”

And without making a big deal out of it without dramatics or hesitation his fingers relaxed slightly, and in the next instant, shadows subtly coiled around the tablet in his hand, swallowing it whole as it disappeared into his shadow space entirely. Gone. Out of reach. A preventative decision quick, quiet, and deliberate. “…there,” he muttered lightly, mostly to himself, ensuring Sofia wouldn’t suddenly act on impulse. Then he looked back at both of them, his expression now steadier, though still carrying that same underlying exhaustion, “…now can you please… let me finish?”

“What do you mean ’not’?” Sofia’s voice cut in sharply, her expression tightening further as frustration and concern blended into something far more forceful now, her brows drawn together as she stared directly at him..

“Are you even listening to yourself right now?” Her tone rose not into a shout, but into something much more cutting, more urgent..

“You just said you can’t live if they don’t exist. Do you even hear how that sounds?” She shook her head, visibly struggling to accept what she was hearing, “…this is so.. so stupid, Razeal.” There was no softness in her words now, only raw honesty mixed with fear, “You need to let this out. You need to end it.. And i will make you..”

She stepped forward slightly, her gaze unwavering, “Whatever you like it or not… this is the only way.” Her voice lowered, but it carried even more weight now, “After that… you’ll finally have a real purpose to live for.” Her jaw tightened faintly, “…because the one you’re holding onto right now? It’s wrong.”

Razeal didn’t react immediately. He simply looked at her for a moment, his expression calm.. too calm and then slowly shook his head, almost tiredly, “…that’s because you don’t know.” His voice was quiet, not defensive, not angry just certain, “…and you can’t understand.” That only made things worse.

“Then tell us,” Maria cut in immediately, her voice stronger now, no longer trembling but firm, demanding clarity as she leaned forward slightly in her chair, her eyes locking onto his.

“…what else is there?” Her tone sharpened, frustration and desperation mixing togetherzz

“Because right now, everything you’re saying just sounds like you’re mentally unstable and need help.” There was no insult in her voice just blunt truth, as she saw it. The room held its breath for a second.

And then finally Razeal spoke.

“Thats because I only have five or six years left to live.” The words came out simply. No buildup. No hesitation. Just stated like a fact.

And everything suddenly … stopped. Sofia and.. Maria both just froze. Their expressions didn’t just shift they collapsed, like something fundamental had just been ripped out from under their understanding.

“…what?” Maria’s voice came out almost inaudible, her face losing all color as her eyes widened slightly, “…what do you mean…?”

Sofia didn’t even speak her gaze was locked onto him, sharp and disbelieving, as if trying to detect a lie that wasn’t there. Razeal didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze lingered on their stunned expressions for a brief moment and then as if to make himself sure..

Villey… Calculate the probability of me overcoming my destiny and fate as I am now… including all variables the changing world, available resources, potential growth over the next five or six years… everything. Also tell me… in percentage terms… the likelihood of failure and Of losing everything… of not surviving. Razeal suddenly asked in his head..

[Analyzing…. ]

[Analyzing… ]

[Analyzing completed..]

[97.999973%.. After accounting for all known variables, projected growth, and environmental shifts… survival probability remains critically negligible. Conclusion: you will not survive. No… we will not survive.]

Razeal didn’t react to it internally. Not outwardly. Not even slightly. He simply looked back at Maria and Sofia who were still frozen in place and spoke again.

“97.9999 percent… that’s the probability that I die.” The number hung in the air like something suffocating.

“And that’s with everything I do… everything I push myself to do… over the next five or six years.”

“And…that’s the best-case scenario.”

“So now…” he continued, tilting his head slightly as he looked between them, “…you understand?” His tone remained even, but there was something heavier beneath it now..

“…why I don’t want to ’move on’?” He leaned back slightly, exhaling faintly, “Because to even shake that number… even by one percent…”

“…I have to go through hell.” There was no exaggeration in his voice. “…a life of constant pain… suffering… pushing beyond limits you can’t even imagine.” He looked at them directly..

“…you have no idea what I’ve already done just to reach this point… just to survive until today…and even that… is barely enough.”

“No one would want this kind of life,” he added quietly, “…no one would choose it.” His gaze drifted for a second before returning to them..

“…it’s not something you ’live’ through… it’s something you endure.” And then he said the thing that tied everything together. “…and the only reason I’ve been able to endure it…” His eyes sharpened slightly, “…is because of them.”

“Because of the hate.” The word wasn’t loud. But it carried everything. He looked directly at both of them now. “…that’s what kept me going.” Another pause. “…so tell me…” His tone remained calm, but now there was a quiet challenge beneath it..

“…if you kill them…” His eyes held theirs steadily, “…do you really think I’ll still have that?” Neither Maria nor Sofia answered. Because they couldn’t.

“Because if it was just me…” Razeal continued, his voice softening slightly not weaker, but more full of honesty.. “…if it was just my own purpose… my own selfish desire to live…”

He shook his head faintly, “…I would’ve ended it a long time ago.”

“Because what’s ahead of me…” he continued quietly, “…isn’t something worth choosing.” His eyes didn’t waver. “…it demands everything.” “…pain.” “…suffering.” “…sacrifice.” “…dedication beyond anything normal.

“And for what?”

“For a chance that doesn’t even reach two percent?” He shook his head again, “…if it was just about me… it wouldn’t be worth it.”And then, finally he looked at them both fully. “…you need something bigger than yourself… to walk a path like that.” His voice was steady. Certain. “A greater purpose.” A brief pause. “…and my life alone?” He shook his head slightly. “…is not that Greater Purpose.”

“I will do it,” Razeal said, and this time there was no hesitation, no quiet reflection his voice carried a sharp, decisive edge, something final, something already resolved long before this conversation even began, his crimson eyes holding a strange intensity as he looked between them..

“I will fight… and I will go to the very edge of it.” His fingers curled slightly at his sides as if gripping onto that decision itself..

“Not because of me… but because of revenge.” The word didn’t come out as anger it came out as purpose..

“And my revenge isn’t just for them.. there are many… many people… big people… Big powerful people… who think they can control everything about me.” His lips curved faintly, but it wasn’t a smile it was something colder, almost mocking..

“They think they’re right. They think what they’re doing is justified.” His gaze hardened, “Their hypocrisy… this entire world’s hypocrisy.” His voice lowered slightly, gaining weight..

“I want them to understand it… the pain I went through.”

“And I want them to face the consequences of it.” The room felt heavier with each word.

“That’s why I’m doing this,” he added, his tone unwavering now, “and I’ve already promised myself…” His eyes flickered with something dangerous, “…it won’t be easy for them.” There was a quiet finality in his voice now.

“I will give myself justice.” His gaze sharpened, “…real justice… And I will punish everyone… and everything… for every wrong that was done to me.”

He exhaled slowly

“So until that is done…” His eyes lifted slightly, “…yes.” “…I will live for revenge.” There was no doubt left in him. “…I’ve found my purpose.” And then, almost as an afterthought but one that carried chilling clarity, he added, “…after that… maybe I’ll think about myself.” His hand rose slightly, tapping lightly against his own chest..

“…but for now?” His voice lowered, firm and absolute, “…this life…” A faint pause. “…the world owes everything to it.” His eyes didn’t waver, “…and until I take everything back…”

“I won’t stop.. and I won’t let my motivation be erased this easily.” His gaze darkened slightly, the intensity in it unmistakable now, “…this… is my only purpose.”

“My motivation.”

Silence followed. Not empty silence but one filled with the weight of everything he had just said. Sofia and Maria didn’t move. They didn’t interrupt. Because now… they could feel it.

The hatred. The certainty. The madness that wasn’t uncontrolled but chosen. Directed. And that made it far more terrifying.

Maria’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. Her eyes searched his face, trying to find something else anything softer, anything less absolute but there was nothing. Only that same unwavering resolve. “…what’s after your life?” she finally asked, her voice quieter now, uncertain in a way it hadn’t been before, “…why… why is it so short you say?” Her brows knit together as confusion and fear mixed togetherZ

“Whats going to happen to you?” She took a small step forward, “…what happened?” Her voice trembled slightly now despite her effort to keep it steady, “Tell me.”

Razeal looked at her for a moment, then briefly at Sofia both of them staring at him now, not with opposition anymore, but with something else. Fear? Concern? A need to understand? He could see it clearly. And yet… it didn’t change anything for him.

“Just know this,” he said calmly, his tone almost indifferent, as if he were explaining something trivial..

“For this era… I’ve been chosen to be something called a ’divine villain.”

“Call it destiny… fate… cosmic order… or whatever you want,” he added with a faint shrug, “…but that’s what it is.” His gaze remained steady, “…and its says.. I will die.”

“So yeah.” A faint exhale. “…that’s all there is to it.”

“What…?” Maria blinked, completely thrown off now, her confusion overtaking everything else, “…what do you mean by divine villain? Fate?”

She shook her head slightly, “…what are you even saying?” But Sofia..

Sofia didn’t ask. She rather reacted. The moment those words left his mouth, she took two steps back, her expression shifting into something raw something close to horror. “…no way…” she muttered under her breath, her eyes locked onto him as if she was seeing something she never wanted to confirm, “…no… that can’t be…” Her reaction alone made the air in the room change.

Razeal noticed it immediately. “…well,” he said, casually pointing a finger toward Sofia, “…she seems to know it?” He said though there was even a faint hint of curiosity in his tone, as if he hadn’t expected that either.. Surprised that she knows about this too?

Maria immediately turned toward Sofia, her confusion now mixed with rising fear, “…what is it?” she asked quickly, stepping closer to her,

“And… why are you reacting like that?” Her voice grew more urgent, “…is it bad?”

She turned back toward Razeal almost instantly, her heart clearly racing now, “…what is it?”

Razeal shrugged lightly, completely unfazed by the tension he had just created, “…it’s nothing much.” The way he said it only made it worse. “My fate is just… written super badly.” He tilted his head slightly, almost casually, “It says that…I’ll be fucked.” He began listing it out like it was a report, not his own life, “…I’ll have to destroy the world…” “…I’ll be tortured…” “…betrayed…” “…and pretty much everything bad that can happen… will happen.” His tone remained calm and almost detached . “And then ill die.” A small pause. “So yeah… that’s pretty much it.”

“Ohh yeah… it’s inevitable.” “…no matter what I do… I can’t change it.” He added that last part almost as an afterthought, “…there’s no way around it.” And as he spoke, the color drained from both their faces.

Maria stood frozen, her mind clearly struggling to even process what she had just heard, her earlier resolve completely shaken, her lips parting slightly as if trying to respond but failing to form anything coherent.

Sofia, on the other hand, looked worse. She wasn’t just shocked she looked like she understood enough to be terrified.

And Razeal… noticed that too. A faint smirk touched his lips not out of cruelty, but out of a strange, detached amusement. Maybe telling them wasn’t such a bad idea, he thought idly, watching their reactions shift, their expressions break under the weight of what he had just said. This is… kind of interesting.

“Hey… Sofia, is it true?” Maria’s voice broke the suffocating silence, softer than before but carrying an urgency that hadn’t been there earlier, as she turned toward Sofia almost instinctively, searching her face for denial, for contradiction anything that would make what Razeal just said feel less real, because his calmness made it worse, not better.

Sofia, however, didn’t answer immediately; she stood there with a blank, almost hollow expression, her eyes unfocused as if her mind was still trying to process something it refused to accept, her lips slightly parted but no words forming, and the faint, repeated motion of her head shaking slowly side to side made it clear she wasn’t rejecting Maria’s question… she was rejecting reality itself.

“Sofia…” Maria stepped closer, her worry deepening as she reached out and grabbed her shoulders, giving her a slight shake, “What is it? What he said… is it true?” Her voice rose slightly, tension slipping through despite her effort to stay composed, “Tell me.”

Sofia blinked, finally snapping out of that frozen state, her gaze slowly focusing on Maria’s face but even then, her expression didn’t recover, her voice coming out low, strained, almost distant, “…it’s… bad.” A pause. “…worse than bad.” She swallowed faintly, “…I don’t want to believe it.”

That answer alone made Maria’s chest tighten.

“No… no, that can’t be it,” Maria said quickly, almost immediately turning away from Sofia and back toward Razeal, her mind rejecting the implication before it could even fully settle..

“There has to be another way, right?” Her voice carried a desperate logic now, trying to ground the situation into something fixable, “You can change it, whatever this is… destiny, fate? Or whatever you’re calling it…” She shook her head firmly, “…nothing is truly inevitable.” Her eyes locked onto his, searching, demanding, “Right?”

Razeal looked at her, completely unfazed, and answered as if the question itself was obvious, “Of course it can be changed.” There was no hesitation in his tone, no drama just a simple statement, “…that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” He leaned back slightly, shrugging faintly

“What do you think I’ve been fighting for?” That answer should’ve been reassuring but it wasn’t. Because of how casually he said it.

“I won’t let you die.” Maria’s voice cut through suddenly, firm, unwavering, filled with a seriousness that hadn’t been there before, as she stared directly at him, her grip tightening slightly on her own hands as if anchoring herself to that decision. And that actually made Razeal pause for a fraction of a second. Not because of the words themselves but because of the conviction behind them.

“…well,” he replied after a brief moment, a faint, almost dry shrug following, “I don’t plan on dying either.” The simplicity of his response only made the tension worse.

“Then tell me how,” Maria pressed immediately, stepping closer again, her composure slipping into urgency, “What do you have to do?” Her eyes were sharp now, focused, desperate to find something actionable, “What is this path you’re talking about?” She shook her head, trying to piece it together.. Her voice lowered slightly, more serious now, “There has to be a way to break it.”

She looked straight at him, “…nothing is absolute.” Even Sofia, despite her earlier reaction, had regained enough composure to focus again, her eyes narrowing slightly as she listened, because she knew better than most what “inevitable” meant in the context of fate and cosmic order… and yet Razeal was speaking as if he had found a way around it. That alone didn’t make sense.

“There is a way,” Razeal said calmly, his tone unchanged, “…I’ve already found it.” He tilted his head slightly, “…but it’s just not that simple.” A brief pause. “You see its kinda.. Rough .”

“How rough?” Maria asked immediately, not even hesitating, her gaze locked onto him, unwilling to let even a second of ambiguity remain, “And what exactly is it?” There was no fear in her question now only determination to understand.

Razeal studied her for a moment, then asked instead, “What do you think my chances are… of killing the Empress?”

The question though might seem random.. but it definitely wasn’t.

Maria blinked, caught off guard, “The Empress?” she repeated, her mind immediately jumping to the strongest being she knew, the absolute peak of power in their world, and without thinking too much about it, she answered honestly, “…zero.”

Then quickly added, as if trying to correct herself, “Well no, not exactly zero…” Her thoughts scrambled, “Maybe… maybe with time, with help… with planning… if we work together, if we use resources, if.. Maybe sofias father and well.. Umm..” she stopped, realizing she didn’t actually have a solid answer, “…I don’t know.” She looked at him again, uncertain.

“Yeah,” Razeal nodded slightly, as if confirming something, “…that’s about right.” Then he said it. Casually.

“So The thing is…” he continued, “…I don’t just have to beat the strongest in the world.” He shrugged faintly. “…I have to fight god.. beings above the strongest in the world.. And then…beings above even that.” He looked at her, completely serious, yet speaking like he was listing minor inconveniences..

“I have to fight entities on a universal level.”

“Even the supreme gods and all.” The air itself seemed to freeze. “The strongest existences in the entire cosmos.”

Maria just stared at him now, her expression slowly falling apart.

“And after that,” he added, almost lightly, “…I need to go against the entire structure of reality.” A small shrug followed, as if it was nothing more than a task to be completed, “…change the whole world or chosmos to be with me.. Like me or whatver that be..” He leaned back slightly in his chair, completely relaxed.

“And so yeah.. that’s pretty much it.”