Chapter 24 Extend An Invitation

Words : 929 Updated : Sep 18th, 2025

Chapter 15 of "The SSS Ranked Villain's Return" kicks off revealing secrets: [What do you mean?] Evangeline asked with confusion, watching their exchange. What would you say I'm... Keep reading!

[What do you mean?] Evangeline asked with confusion, watching their exchange. What would you say I'm doing right now? he quickly asked, raising a question of his own. [Trying to scam the auctioneer?] Precisely, Neraxis said before turning his gaze onto Amara, whose smirk was now visible even to the auctioneer himself as she spoke teasingly, "40 trillion. I have more, dear, you should stop." He couldn't help but let out a sigh. This act was beginning to feel a bit too obvious. At first, she got away with it due to her reputation, but now the auctioneer had grown suspicious. Eventually, he began closing the black box quietly, careful not to attract their attention. However, before he could do so, Amara stretched out her arm, and before Neraxis could even tell what had happened, the auctioneer's head flew up into the sky, the black box following with it. "You could have just given up," he said with a frown, for a moment forgetting that they were not exactly on the same side. Amara opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly red lights began flashing all around the auction. The windows were being closed and barricaded with some reinforced material. Immediately, an alarm resounded, and some form of gas began closing in on them. However, before it could reach them, Neraxis headed straight for the stage, attempting to grab the black box. Alas, he was the weakest one in the room, as Amara simply used mana to whisk it toward herself, holding it in her hand before flashing a massive smile. "It seems like I come out on top in this exchange...?" she began, but she stopped mid-sentence, watching in amusement as a red sword floated right above the black box. "Is this y—" Just before her words landed, the red sword penetrated the black box before disappearing into thin air, the mana particles flying back into Neraxis's sword tattoo. Did you get it? he asked with slight hope. [It will take a little bit to digest, but yes, I got it, but it's still a very reckless plan] Evangeline replied in an exhausted tone before continuing, [You should try to get out now. I won't be able to protect you for long if that gas closes in—or, well, if that woman attacks.]@@@@ Got it, Neraxis nodded and began moving toward a nearby wall. However, the sound of something falling to the ground startled him. It was the black box that had previously contained the red skill book—but now, it was completely empty. Suddenly, he found himself unable to move, completely frozen under the pressure she was emitting—it was similar to what he had felt when she was going up against Valthor. His eyes widened upon hearing those words as he began moving his mouth, mustering every last bit of his stamina to get them across. He needed answers—"What do you mean?" "It's simple. I have a little group I formed not too long ago, and we're currently lacking members. I was going to use that skill book to become even stronger, but I can't do that anymore now, can I?" Amara said sarcastically with a tinge of annoyance. A hostage situation then... It doesn't help that I don't know anything about her either. He thought before asking another question. "What guarantee is there that I will be left alive even after I join?" However, her answer was far from what he anticipated. "That's the beauty of it, you don't have a guarantee." Amara's smile widened. "If anything, your life will be in even more danger once you join my group." [You don't really have much of a choice, either join her or die. It's funny...] Evangeline snickered while Neraxis was preoccupied with his thoughts. Who even is she? How did she even know about this place? And how was she so confident in scamming the auctioneer the entire time... How did no one call her out...? His mind was a swirl of questions, but it was quickly interrupted as an ethereal sword materialized from seemingly nowhere. Amara grabbed a hold of the hilt and aimed the sword directly at his face, mere centimeters away from slicing him in half. Even as the sword did not touch him, he could feel the heat—the sheer sharpness of the blade. Her power was no joke, and he was a fool for even thinking of being able to escape in the first place. Ever since he arrived, everyone was already in the palm of her hand. Amara gazed down at him, her smile slowly fading away as she spoke, "Make your decision. You have five seconds." The air grew chilly at her words, as if they held her raw emotions. Neraxis frowned in reluctance, but not even after a second of thought, he decided, "I'll join. Just tell me about the group." The moment his words were spoken, the previous pressure he felt—as well as the ethereal sword—both vanished. Instead, a massive grin appeared on Amara's face, one that accentuated her already stunning beauty with the flashing red lights. But before his confusion could grow further, he saw her raise her arm and place it over his head, the grin from before widening even more. Immediately, she brought her arm down over his head, knocking him unconscious. The last thing he heard was a giggle, followed by Amara's mischievous voice, "Get some sleep. I'll explain in just a moment."

Chapter 24 Extend An Invitation

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