The SSS Ranked Villain's Return-Chapter 188: Helpless

[Celina's POV]

He's here.

After all this time, he finally showed himself.

And of course, like the previous times, he appeared alongside chaos.

This is it. Celina decided, dashing through the chaotic, debris-filled streets. I'll kill you now.

Her father was strong, but he was just one man surrounded by a horde of monsters.

She had practiced assassination so much that moving like a killer had become second nature.

Now, it was finally time to put her hard work to use.

Celina only left behind a message before throwing her phone away. It was the least she could do for the people she considered friends.

An absurd number of monsters were appearing, and all of them were heading outward from one particular place.

Still, she was almost there.

Despite the many white-robed individuals, none of them attempted to stop Celina—but even if they did, she would kill them all the same.

Finally, she arrived in front of a park near the restaurant where they had eaten.

In the middle, she felt two presences—one unstable, while the other was extremely strong.

Taking a few cautious steps forward and navigating through the trees, Celina finally saw them.

And as she did, her rage immediately boiled.

One person was a spitting image of herself, while the other was a robed cultist with his hood down.

They were chatting about something—laughing, even.

However, that only made her even angrier.

But she had practiced for this exact situation. Therefore, Celina calmed herself down, making sure not even a single breath of hers could be heard.

Right after, she climbed down the tree and turned invisible.

As she did, she spotted some goblin monster emerging from her father's palm, then running out of the park like some crazed puppet.

She let out a silent scoff. Disgusting.

It didn't seem like they noticed her. Even her steps were silent—as if she didn't exist at all.

And finally, Celina was right behind her father's wide back, her daggers aiming for where his heart would be.

Yet, for some reason, her hands were shaking, and despite her attempts to put in as much strength as she could, they didn't budge.

Why can't I…? Celina thought, conflicted. I trained so much, killed so many people… And yet I can't even kill a person who's standing with their back turned toward me?

However, despite that, she forced herself, extending the shaky dagger forward until, eventually, it managed to connect with her father's back.

But it didn't pierce him. Instead, he chuckled.

"See, Raines? I told you she couldn't kill me." Her father remarked, turning around to face her with a massive smile. "Celi, it's been so long—"

His words were cut short when Celina suddenly slashed her daggers upward, slicking his neck open.

Surprisingly, it healed in an instant, making his smile even wider.

"Won't work, Celi. I've got a regeneration skill. Pretty strong, if I do say so myself."

"Elijah." The cultist, Raines, called out. "I do believe we had a bet where if she attacked you after your greeting, I win, did we not?"

"Tch, we did." Her father, Elijah, grumbled before tossing over a wad of cash. "Happy?"

"Very." Raines turned toward Celina. "As for you, girl, why do you hesitate? This trash has a kill count in the millions by now. If anything, the world will be much better if he's gone."

"Shucks, Raines, have some empathy." Elijah grumbled playfully.

Nonetheless, the question still stood, and from their silence, it seemed like they wanted her to answer it.

Why did I hesitate?

"I hesitated because I want to kill him while staring into his eyes." Celina said coldly, and in the very next moment, undid her invisibility.

Elijah's smile cracked for a second, and in that time, Celina decided to strike again.

Her daggers shot out—one heading for his throat, while the other flew directly toward his heart.

But like before, they went clean through his body and didn't leave behind even a single hint of damage.

How am I supposed to deal with this regeneration skill? Celina thought with furrowed brows.

She wasn't the strongest, nor was she the weakest.

However, there was one thing she was hiding, and that was…

[Dagger Princess {SS} has been used!]

[Forcefully unlocked Aura!]

[Aura {E} → Domain {C}]

[Dagger Combat {E} → Dagger Combat {A}]

The moment she used her main skill, all its effects activated, making her daggers emit a faint crimson glow.

At the same time, the makeshift {Aura} she had morphed into an entire hazy Domain which covered an area of at least 50 meters, making the eyes of both men present widen.

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"Your girl really is something, Elijah." Raines remarked, amazement clear in his tone.

"That she is." Elijah affirmed proudly.

Yet before either of the two could speak another word, Celina suddenly vanished from their vision, her presence completely disappearing.

"Oh? It's an assassin domain. A pretty efficient one at that." Raines praised, and in the next moment, a red line appeared on his left arm, cutting it at the elbow.

Despite that, Celina knew she hadn't done much damage—just like her father, this cultist's arm regrew instantly.

"I'm recruiting her, Elijah." Raines stated, stretching out his mana and slightly distorting her Domain.

But before it was fully distorted, Celina put her all into one final attack.

She had rough control over her Domain. Therefore, she made it so her next hit would make it impossible for others to heal.

It was a command, and it sucked a lot of mana out of her.

However, as her crimson daggers grew even brighter, she suddenly swung down, a trace of the Fire affinity leaving behind a small trail.

And before her father could react, his head was sent flying clean off his neck, with the surprised Raines standing by.

"Oh? You actually managed to injure him." He remarked, a faint smile forming on his face. "It's truly a pity, though. If only he was really here~"

Celina frowned in confusion at his words.

Yet, in the next moment, a blue portal appeared, and through it, her father stepped out.

He was completely unscathed, with only a frown on his face.

"Raines, you ruined the surprise." Elijah complained. "Do you know how long I waited to surprise little Celi?"

"Sorry, sorry." Raines said with a shrug. "But that's behind us now. And I believe games are over."

As Raines's words fell, he snapped his fingers, immediately shattering Celina's Domain.

[Dagger Princess {SS} has been deactivated!]

[Aura removed!]

[Dagger Combat {A} → Dagger Combat {E}]

I-I failed. Celina thought, her breathing becoming irregular.

She was panicking.

All that training, all the simulations…

And yet, here he was. The person she had wanted to kill for so long had tricked her with a clone.

The worst part? She hadn't even realized it.

"Now, girl, since the Eternal Night is off-limits for people like you, what do you say about joining us?" Raines asked.

However, she didn't answer, and in response, his pressure intensified.

"Let me rephrase," Raines said coldly. "Join us, the Evangelists. Or die."

"..." Celina stared at him speechlessly, then at her father, who was still smiling as widely as ever.

He doesn't care—No... Why would he care? He abandoned my mother and me and left us to die once already... Celina thought, realizing there was no actual way out of this.

Therefore, she extended her hand, puzzling them.

But in the next moment, Celina stretched out her middle finger, pointing it toward both of them, then let out an exhausted sigh.

"Fuck both of you."

"Pfft..." Elijah barely held back his laugh, but that was not the case for Raines.

"Very well." Raines nodded and walked over to her before taking out a single needle from his dimensional ring and holding it between his fingers, almost as if he was about to flick it toward her.

And that was the case, as his cold voice rang out for the last time.

"Die."

The needle was sent flying, making Celina close her eyes out of fear.

But she didn't feel anything.

No pain, nothing.

She reopened her eyes, confused, just to spot a familiar figure standing beside her, his red sword stretched out, glaring at Raines.

"Neraxis Valen," Raines called out with a nod. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Can't say I'm feeling welcomed," Neraxis remarked, bringing his sword back, the needle that should've hit her falling to the ground. "Raines Hale. Thirty-seven years old. Single, and of course, a virgin."

Raines's brows furrowed. "You know quite a lot, Neraxis Valen. However..." He glanced toward Celina. "I wonder if this girl knows you've joined the Eternal Night?"

Hearing that, Celina froze.

What...? Why would he? This cultist is lying—

"She doesn't," Neraxis shook his head.

It felt like a pit formed in her stomach.

The person she trusted, the person she opened up to, had joined the same organization her father was a part of.

"Neraxis..." Celina called out weakly. "...Why?"

Instead of replying, Neraxis tilted his sword before stabbing it through Celina's shoulder, making her eyes widen.

But just as she was about to try running away, an unfamiliar feminine voice rang out inside her mind.

[Hi, Celina, I'm Evangeline, Neraxis's helper, you could say. This situation is very delicate, and he can't show weakness at the moment. I can assure you, he had his reasons for joining the Eternal Night, and helping them was definitely not one of those reasons.]

Why should I trust you? Celina asked, narrowing her eyes. For all I know, you're lying to me too.

[Sweetie,] Evangeline said softly. [I can't convince you. The only thing I ask of you is to give him time. He's an idiot, and he doesn't know what he himself wants most of the time. But one thing I can tell you is that he cares about you deeply.]

But—

[No more time,] Evangeline interjected urgently. [The moment he pulls the sword out, run. Eris is nearby. Meet with her, get the rest of the girls, and run away as far as you can.]

Despite her reluctance, Celina nodded, a single tear falling from her eye. I hope you're not going to betray me too... Neraxis.

"Whoops, I missed the vitals," Neraxis said, pulling out the sword and putting it above his head, almost in a downward motion. "But I won't miss this time."

From this angle, Celina could see his face, which betrayed the words he said, so she decided to believe in Evangeline.

And during the single moment of freedom, she kicked off the ground, jumping onto a nearby tree, then kicking off again and sprinting as far away as she could.

Be safe... Neraxis.