I Have 10,000 SSS Rank Villains In My System Space-Chapter 386: Maria changes

The sky above that district of the imperial capital no longer resembled sky at all. It had darkened unnaturally, not with storm clouds rolling in from the horizon, but as if the color itself had been drained and replaced by something deeper, heavier, more oppressive. Winds howled in violent spirals, tearing through streets and slamming against shattered buildings, whipping cloaks and banners into frenzied motion. Dust and debris lifted from the ground and hovered briefly before being hurled away by invisible shockwaves radiating from a single point in the air. And at the center of that disturbance, suspended like a malignant star, was Maria.

Her demonic power had erupted beyond restraint. It no longer flowed around her in controlled layers; it churned outward in pulsing waves, dark and volatile. From a distance she appeared like a compact sphere of black-red energy, a small floating core of destruction, yet the density packed within that form was anything but small. Killing intent saturated the air so thoroughly that even those without refined senses could feel it pressing against their skin. Each pulse of her aura sent ripples through the surrounding space, cracking stone below and vibrating the foundations of nearby structures. She looked ferocious no longer a noble heiress, no longer even a grieving woman, but something awakened and unchained.

The impact of her eruption was not confined to that street. It traveled. The shockwaves did not merely break masonry; they carried sensation. Within kilometers of the capital’s center, mages paused mid-incantation, knights halted in motion, commanders stationed at outposts turned their heads simultaneously toward the same direction. They felt it.. not as simple magical fluctuation, but as something alien, something that did not align with known elemental signatures. The empire had endured countless threats: dragon incursions, Dimensional beasts, rogue cults, even ancient relic awakenings. This was different. The energy did not behave like standard mana. It felt heavy, predatory, almost sentient.

Ordinarily, such a disturbance in the heart of the capital would have triggered immediate mobilization of the empire’s elite. But the timing could not have been worse. For two months now, portals had been appearing across the empire in unprecedented numbers.. tens of thousands by last count some minor, some catastrophically powerful. Entire battalions had been dispatched to border regions where high-tier rifts opened with unnatural frequency. Dukes and their personal forces were investigating anomalies at the empire’s edges. Even senior mages were stretched thin stabilizing spatial ruptures. The empire’s main military backbone was already engaged.

Still, this was the strongest empire in the world.

Panic did not define its response.

Those who could sense the magnitude of the disturbance began calculating rather than fleeing. Veteran knights, high-ranking mages, and nobles with sufficient power evaluated their current engagements and, where possible, redirected trusted subordinates to maintain containment while they themselves moved toward the capital’s center. None were reckless; none assumed catastrophe outright. Confidence ran deep in the empire’s foundations. Even if the sky were to fall, they believed it could be held aloft.

Yet confidence did not erase responsibility.

If this unknown force remained unchecked, civilian casualties would follow.

Thus, the strong began converging.

At measured but urgent speed, individuals of considerable power advanced toward the epicenter of the ominous aura. Some leapt rooftop to rooftop. Others streaked through the air trailing mana contrails. Commanders barked rapid orders to secure perimeters and evacuate weaker residents. The disciplined machinery of an empire under strain began to pivot toward a new threat without descending into chaos.

Meanwhile, those lacking sufficient strength did not hesitate to retreat. Civilians nearest the disturbance shopkeepers, laborers, elderly residents were ushered away by guards. Parents carried children. Merchants abandoned goods without hesitation. The ground itself trembled beneath their feet as shockwaves rolled outward. Fear did not manifest as hysteria; it manifested as urgency. The unspoken understanding was clear: whatever was happening there was not meant for them.

And at the epicenter, suspended between fractured rooftops and swirling winds, Celestia just observed calmly.. Staring at all this in front of her with her eyes nerrowed.

Her platinum aura shimmered faintly around her frame, not flaring in aggression but maintaining a stabilized defensive state. Her small frown was not one of fear but of assessment. The demonic eruption before her was no longer an emotional flare; it had escalated into an environmental phenomenon. The sky’s coloration shift, the wind distortion, the pressure fluctuations.. these were symptoms of a power that exceeded ordinary parameters.

Maria hovered within that sphere of dark radiance, her wings extended wide as if claiming dominion over the air itself. The runes crawling along her skin pulsed brighter with each surge of energy, as though reacting to the amplification. Celestia noted something crucial: the power was no longer expanding erratically. It was stabilizing. That meant Maria was adapting to it. This was not a temporary loss of control.. Rather It was integrating.. As if she evolving right now.. Gaining power by every second.. As from where she doesn’t know.. But it was of very enormous amount

And.. that realization unsettled her more than the initial eruption.

The pressure around maria continued to build. Even from several meters away, the heat prickled against Celestia’s skin. The dark weird aura pressing outward was definitely not mere magic.. it carried intent, emotion, and something older beneath both. It was suffused with full of evil and haterate.

Even though Maria did not move from her position in the sky.. But the change around her was more violent than any physical motion could have been. It was not merely that her aura had expanded it was evolving. Rising. Climbing in discernible thresholds, like a mountain being erected in real time before Celestia’s eyes. The pressure in the air shifted in layers, each one heavier than the last, each one unmistakably marking the crossing of a boundary.

Saint rank.

The density of her presence stabilized there for barely a breath before it surged again.

Saint peak.

Celestia’s expression remained outwardly composed, but her senses sharpened fully now, analyzing the fluctuations with disciplined precision. That level alone would have already placed Maria among the strongest combatants of her generation. It would have been enough to command armies, to hold territories, to be acknowledged across normal noble factions. Yet the energy did not plateau.

It spiked again.

Saint King early stage.

Celestia’s platinum eyes narrowed more intensely. That was no longer something to dismiss as emotional overflow. That was structural advancement. One did not casually ascend into Saint King. It required comprehension of one’s domain, integration of body and will, mastery of energy circulation.. ot to say.. it required time.

But Maria still did not stop.

The aura thickened further, condensing into something that bent the air itself.

Saint King.. middle stage.

The wind around them began spiraling more violently, pulled toward Maria like gravity itself was shifting allegiance. And now.. celestia’s jaw tightened imperceptibly. This was no longer escalation; it was violation of universal laws in itself.

And it still didn’t stopped.

Saint King high stage??

What the fuck??

The sheer magnitude of what she was witnessing pressed against Celestia’s composure like a physical force. High-stage Saint King was not a casual milestone. It was a realm where even seasoned elders of noble houses struggled to stand. It was not something achieved impulsively. It was carved out over decades through disciplined training, life-and-death combat, accumulation of rare resources, secret techniques refined over generations.

And it was still rising.

Celestia felt something unfamiliar stir within her something dangerously close to disbelief. She herself stood at early-stage Saint King. Sixteen years old, already hailed as the pinnacle of her generation, a prodigy whose advancement defied historical records. Even without employing her hidden techniques or bloodline amplifications, her raw physical strength alone was an anomaly that placed her far beyond her peers. Her status was not mere pride it was documented fact.

And yet here she was, watching Maria.. Maria Grave, born of royal-grade blood, not imperial surpass her in raw rank within seconds.

The pressure intensified further until it felt like the sky itself was being compressed inward.

Saint King..peak.

It stabilized there.

The aura stopped climbing.. but not because it could not continue. It stopped because it had reached a summit that was already beyond acceptable reason.

Celestia’s thoughts sharpened rapidly, but internally there was a crack forming. Reaching Saint rank alone granted one the title of Saint an honorific recognized across continents, reserved for those whose power commanded reverence. To ascend to Saint King was to enter the upper hierarchy of power structures, to stand alongside generals and ancient guardians. For most, even touching that threshold required fifty to sixty years of cultivation.. if they were fortunate. Many spent lifetimes chasing it and died without reaching it.

Maria had crossed that entire span in moments.

"How is this possible...?" Celestia murmured inwardly, though her lips did not part.

Like.. If maria reaching this level was beyond any logic.. But what more illogical was that.. Ranks were crossed and surpassed like this?? Like what the Fuck is this?? It takes decades to just small power ranks at this level and she totally crossed full big rank just like that?.. Just in fucking fraction of second in from of her??

Celestia gaze remained fixed, calculating, but beneath that calm was a bruised sense of superiority. Maria had never been considered her equal in talent. She had not possessed imperial bloodline inheritance. She had not been groomed under the empire’s highest secret arts. By every structured metric, Maria’s ceiling should have been below hers.

And yet..

The demonic energy around Maria did not resemble ordinary cultivation. It did not feel refined in the imperial sense. It felt awakened. Unsealed. As though something ancient had been dormant beneath her human framework and had finally been allowed to breathe.

Maria’s wings stretched wider again. The black-red aura did not flicker; it churned in a controlled vortex around her. Her face, marked with living runes, remained expressionless now. not screaming, not raging outwardly but concentrated. Focused.

And then suddenly..

A deep red-black flame flickered into existence above Maria’s right palm. It did not ignite gradually; it manifested abruptly, as though reality itself had conceded to her will. The flame did not cast light in a normal manner. Instead, it consumed brightness around it, swallowing illumination into its core. The air around that flame warped, thin lines of distortion rippling outward.

Maria brought her hands together slowly.

The fire between them compressed.

Shifted.

Reshaped.

It was not wild combustion.. it was materialization.

The flame elongated, solidified, edges forming where none should exist. The red-black inferno condensed into structure, its outline sharpening with unnatural clarity. Within seconds, a massive greatsword took shape in her grasp entirely forged of that hellfire. Its blade was broad and heavy, surface swirling with molten darkness beneath a translucent crimson sheen. Runes identical to those on her skin flared faintly along its length, as if the weapon was not separate from her but an extension of the same awakened essence.

She held it effortlessly.

And even more weirdly enough.. The fire did not burn her.. Rather it responded to her.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed further. She did not recognize that flame. It was not elemental fire. It was not ant fire as catalogued in forbidden archives. It carried something older something not classified within imperial doctrine.

She remained floating, aura steady, posture upright. She would not reveal disturbance. But her mind worked relentlessly.

What the fuck is going on?

It was all weird she just couldn’t recognise.. Like what.. exactly was wrong with.. maria

Celestia forced herself to analyze instead of react.

No matter how overwhelming Maria’s presence had become, no matter how violently her aura had risen through thresholds that should have required decades of normal magic cultivation, Celestia refused to accept that what she was witnessing was natural progression. It was not simply pride speaking it was reason. Power did not ascend like this without foundation. Even prodigies followed laws. Even anomalies respected structure.

And this... did not.

Not at all..

Maria’s form radiated something deeply unnatural. It was not merely that she had entered a higher realm of strength. It was the texture of that strength. The density. The emotional volatility woven into it. Not to say the way her wings were not ethereal constructs of mana but physical extensions of flesh and bone veined, textured, disturbingly organic.. And them the goat-like horn protruding from one side of her forehead was not ornamental. It curved with brutal authenticity, jagged near the base as if it had torn through skin rather than emerged gracefully. The inscriptions crawling across her body were not decorative tattoos; they moved, shifted, rearranged subtly like a living script responding to internal pulses of power.

And the feeling emanating from her.. there was something profoundly wrong about it.

It was not just hostility.

It was repulsion.

Celestia did not like admitting instinctual reactions.. But the sensation gnawing at the base of her spine was not born of fear it was rejection. Her very being recoiled from Maria’s current state. It felt... impure. As if something that should not coexist within this world had been allowed to manifest.

"She must have used something forbidden," Celestia reasoned internally. "Some taboo ritual. Some external trigger."

The transformation was too abrupt. The advancement too steep. The power manifestation too grotesquely aligned with sudden emotional collapse. No lineage, no matter how rare, should unlock in such a violent cascade without preparation. And Maria did not possess that kind of talent.

Unless...

Celestia’s eyes narrowed further.

Unless she was part of something hidden subject of experimentation. A vessel? A survivor of some secret ritual that had gone unnoticed beneath courtly decorum?

That would make sense.

It would explain the unnatural acceleration.

It would explain the eerie aesthetic.. devilishly beautiful in silhouette, yes, but wrong upon scrutiny. The wings, the horn, the shifting runes, the elongated black claws. Even the way her aura did not behave like refined mana but like a living predator pressing outward.

It had to be artificial.

Because if it was natural...

Then everything Celestia believed about structured hierarchy would fracture.

The killing intent surrounding Maria intensified further, but it was no longer diffuse. It sharpened. Focused and Directed.

At her.

Celestia felt it like countless invisible blades aligning toward her very core. The pressure did not batter her aura; it targeted her specifically. Maria’s hatred was not abstract rage at the world. It was aimed, precise, personal.

And yet Celestia did not retreat.

She floated steadily in place, platinum aura quietly reinforcing her form, eyes never leaving Maria’s. Rank was not the sole determinant of battle outcome. Raw energy radiating at Saint King peak did not automatically equal victory. Skill, experience, comprehension of law, mastery of technique, tactical clarity.. these mattered.

Not to say the real prodigies fought above their rank.

Celestia had done it before. She was born for this

Her mind ran through calculations even as she observed. Maria’s aura was massive, but unstable at its edges. That suggested incomplete assimilation. The demonic fire blade, though terrifying, might be an extension of emotional state rather than practiced weapon mastery. If Maria had not trained in this form, then the power could be overwhelming but imprecise.

Still, the speed earlier... that could not be dismissed.

Celestia studied Maria closely, searching for weakness, searching for the seam in this eruption of strength.

While.below them, movement stirred.

Sofia pushed herself free from the collapsed rubble of the house she had been launched into. Broken beams slid off her shoulders as she stepped into open air, dust clinging briefly to her hair before falling away.

Though even with allthat she was still unharmed. Not even a scratch marked her skin. The blow that had sent her crashing down had been unexpected, not devastating.

She brushed debris from her clothing and lifted her gaze upward.

The wind hit her first.

Hot.. Pressurized and extremely violent.

Then she saw it fully.

Maria, suspended in the sky with those weird demonic wings extended, sword of hellfire in hand, aura spiraling outward like a black-red vortex.

Sofia blinked Confusedly..

"What the hell is going on with her..." she murmured under her breath.

The killing intent was unmistakable. It was suffocating, but it was not directed at everyone indiscriminately. It was concentrated laser-focused on Celestia. Maria’s eyes were locked onto the princess with unfiltered hatred, her entire being radiating singular purpose.

.. And just as she was thinking sofia understood immediately.

Ahh that.. Maria must’ve realized the truth when she was talking to celestia..

She had discovered Razeal’s innocence.

And that realization had maybe detonated something inside her? She wondered though not fully sure.. But that could only make sense right now..

And why she’s like that

Anger made sense.

Fury made sense.

Even explosive confrontation made sense.

But wait...This? This is weird

Like she’s angry fine.. But..

This level of murderous intent???

Sofia watched Maria’s expression carefully again. And there was no wavering. No hesitation. No sorrow remaining. The grief had transformed into something absolute.

"She wants to kill her," Sofia realized.

Not intimidate.

Not injure.

Kill.

For Razeal.

This level of haterate?

The realization stirred something uncomfortable within Sofia’s chest.

Like yeah she had known Maria loved him. It had not been subtle. The tension, the jealousy, the way Maria’s composure fractured around him it had been obvious. But Sofia had never taken it that seriously. In her mind, Maria’s feelings were one-sided, messy, perhaps obsessive, but ultimately harmless. Something that would cool with time.

But this....???

This was not fucking.... like??

Sofia narrowed her eyes.

"She’s going this far... for him."

Sofia’s eyes did not leave Maria.

She saw Maria’s condition she didn’t even seem to be fully in control of herself. It was as if she were lost, her senses consumed, her hatred and killing intent having completely taken over.

The realization unsettled her.

Maria was not fighting with intent.

She was burning.

But again.. This isn’t the time to be concerned about this.

Should I stop this? Sofia wondered genuinely as her brows drawing together as the wind whipped around her. She looks in bad condition..

Like as if had lost her all senses. And that energy also unsettled her too.

But before she could do anything..

A sharp flutter cut through the air.

Then another.

Two distinct presences approached at tremendous speed, their auras refined and unmistakably powerful. Sofia’s head snapped toward the direction of the incoming energy.

They arrived almost simultaneously.

A figure descended lightly, wind spiraling around her like a living cloak. Long light-green hair flowed behind her, and wings formed entirely of compressed currents of air extended gracefully from her back. Each feather was sculpted from translucent wind, shifting and reshaping with fluid elegance. She hovered with effortless poise, stopping beside Celestia with a steady, assessing gaze.

Sylva faerelith~

And a second figure followed close behind, slower in descent but no less composed. She wore square spectacles that caught the light faintly as she adjusted her posture midair. Behind her unfolded massive white wings not feathered, not organic.. but layered sheets resembling paper, each segment overlapping in structured symmetry. They rustled softly as if pages turning in a quiet library. Her presence carried an intellectual sharpness rather than raw aggression.

Selphira Kane.

Daughter of the headmaster of the Imperial Academy.

The same Selphira who had once officiated the holy duel between Razeal and Sylva two months ago.

Both women floated into position beside Celestia, instinctively aligning themselves with imperial hierarchy. Regardless of personal strength, the princess outranked them in authority. And in times of crisis within the capital, command flowed upward.

Selphira inclined her head slightly. "Your Imperial Princess," she acknowledged in a calm, measured tone, her voice controlled despite the violent turbulence around them. Her eyes flickered past Celestia almost immediately, focusing on the storm of demonic energy ahead. "What... is.. Unm this?"

She did not finish the sentence fully, but the implication was clear.

Sylva’s wind wings meanwhile flexed subtly as she also studied Maria. "It’s Maria Grave?" she murmured, recognition dawning. "Heiress of the Grave family?" Her expression remained composed, but there was unmistakable tension beneath the surface. "What exactly is happening here?"

They had come expecting a monster eruption, perhaps a high-tier portal spawn.

But 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Instead, they found a pillar-family heiress radiating Saint King peak power in this weird looking form?

Maria hovered at the center of the chaos, wings spread wide, hellfire sword blazing in her grip. The sky behind her had taken on a faint crimson tint from the intensity of her aura. Black-red energy spiraled around her in waves that distorted the air itself.

Alarm bells rang silently in both Sylva and Selphira’s minds.

This was definitely not ordinary power.

Selphira adjusted her glasses slightly, narrowing her eyes as she assessed the fluctuations. "The energy signature is... wrong," she said quietly. "It does not align with conventional mana structures."

As at same time a small voice chimed from Sylva’s shoulder.

The wind spirit perched there.. The delicate pixie-like being made of condensed air pressed closer to her ear. "It feels evil," the spirit whispered, its tiny voice trembling faintly. "Ominous. I do not like it. It is... disgusting."

Sylva’s expression sharpened at that word.

Disgusting?

That was not a term her spirits used lightly.

Selphira continued her analysis, voice steady despite the growing pressure in the air. "She is at Saint King peak," she stated plainly. "At minimum. Possibly fluctuating above that threshold momentarily." Her gaze shifted to Celestia. "We may not be able to fight this down."

Obiously they were aware of their strength.. There is no way they can hold a saink king peak rank powerhouse down.. Not to say defeat it

Sylva inhaled slowly. "My spirits can," she said, her tone calm but firm. "But we are in very middle of imperial capital." Her eyes moved meaningfully toward the streets below, where civilians were evacuating in chaotic streams.

Four Saint King-level combatants clashing in the very center of the imperial capital? Obiously it was a fucking bad idea..

The damage projection would be catastrophic.

Her gaze turned back to Celestia, clearly awaiting direction.

For the Permission.

Obiously she was not dumb.

Like literally... she certainly had not remained heir to a duke house by carelessly entangling herself in disasters without calculating the cost.

The wind around her wings swirled in tight, controlled spirals, not merely reacting to Maria’s demonic outburst but measuring it. She was already thinking ahead property damage, civilian casualties, political backlash, accountability.

In the Imperial Capital, nothing was ever simply a fight. Every shattered roof tile would have a price. Every life lost would demand explanation.

If she unleashed her spirits at full scale and the city suffered, the responsibility would not be abstract. It would land squarely on her house?Reparations? Formal apologies? Political leverage lost?

Sylva was no fool.

Even aid carried consequences. Helping in the wrong way, at the wrong scale, could cost more than doing nothing at all. And so, naturally, her eyes turned toward Celestia.

The Imperial Princess stood here. The authority rested with her. Let the burden be hers. Its her decision

Sylva’s expression remained neutral, but the calculation was clear: if this became an imperial command, the fallout would not fall on her family alone.. It be celestias responsibility.

So she just floated quietly beside her, reached similar conclusions through different reasoning. Her paper wings rustled faintly, pages shifting as though the air itself were recording the unfolding crisis. She did not voice it aloud, but she understood precisely what was at stake. Four Saint King–level entities in open combat over the heart of the Empire would not merely scar stone. It would fracture influence networks, unsettle the populace, and invite scrutiny from factions already watching the instability caused by the recent portal outbreaks. This was not merely a clash of strength; it was a test of governance. And Celestia stood at its center.

Yet Celestia did not look at either of them.

Her platinum eyes remained fixed on Maria.

Calm.

Utterly calm.

"There is no need for that," Celestia said at last.

Her voice was neither loud nor sharp. It did not carry strain. It did not seek reassurance. It simply stated a conclusion.

And that made Sylva’s brows drew together slightly. Selphira’s gaze sharpened behind her spectacles also.

Even though they did not interrupt, but the confusion was unmistakable. No need?

Maria’s aura was still rising in violent pulses, her demonic flames distorting the sky itself. The air pressure alone was beginning to fracture nearby buildings.

Saint King peak was not a thing to be taken lightly.

Like yeah celestia might be strong.. But she definitely cant do anything in this.

There’s no way she thinks she could take care of this.

Because.. It was not about defeating Maria alone.

It was about containing the devastation.

Fights between powerhouses did not end with bruises. They ended with land reshaped, districts reduced to rubble, and casualty numbers that stained records permanently. Tens of thousands could die in minutes if the shockwaves were allowed to propagate unchecked. And this was the capital.. the symbolic heart of the Empire. If it bled openly, even briefly, it would send tremors across every border.

Still Celestia did not move.

Her posture remained relaxed, almost indifferent.

Maria, meanwhile, hovered in place, wings slowly beating, the greatsword of hellfire gripped in her hand. Her aura pulsed outward in waves black and crimson licking the air all around her. Yet she had not attacked again. It was as if something within her was still climbing, still searching for a threshold to break through. The runes along her horn and skin shimmered erratically, their glow intensifying with each surge of emotion that rippled through her body.

But she still hadn’t attacked..

Whether for power to peak or for control to solidify, none of them could yet tell.

Selphira’s paper wings tightened slightly. "Your Highness," she began cautiously, "this level of output... She’s preparing for something.. We need to be fast.. With.. Whatver..."

"Because one attacks and..."

Celestia though did noteven turn her head towards them.. She did not acknowledge the warning directly. Instead, she lifted her hand slowly.

The motion was deliberate. Unhurried.

Two fingers extended toward Maria’s direction.

Nothing dramatic accompanied the gesture. No sudden eruption of aura. No explosive flare. Just a quiet, almost casual point toward the storm of demonic fire suspended in the sky.

Sylva and Selphira exchanged a brief glance before looking back at Celestia’s hand, then at Maria, then back again. Confusion deepened. Was this restraint? A technique? A signal? The simplicity of the movement made it more unsettling. Not really confident it would work whatever she was going to do...

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