The SSS Ranked Villain's Return

"Hey... did you like him?" Evangeline asked, causing Jane to flinch.

"What are you talking about?" Jane brushed it off. "I knew him a bit, but who's to say he's actually dead? I mean... it's a bit sudden, don't you think?"

Evangeline's brows furrowed. "The blood on the ground was his. And someone else's. I... I don't know if he's dead, but this isn't a good sign."

"You saw blood...? Can you show me?" Jane shot up from the throne eagerly.

Evangeline's frown deepened as she stood and led Jane toward the horrific sight ahead.

But when they arrived, all the blood that had been there moments ago had vanished. Only the cracked ground remained.

Yet at the same time, it finally revealed what was below.

A narrow cave extended far beyond, its end hidden in darkness. That was likely where the blood had dripped down.

Still, she didn't want to jump to conclusions so Evangeline stepped up and widened the crack with a simple kick.

Surprisingly, Jane was the first to jump inside. And, of course, Evangeline followed right after.

The fall took a fair amount of time, and it almost felt like the cave itself began to glow, reacting to their presence.

Evangeline fell into thought for a moment, then decided to copy Neraxis's technique.

A pair of crimson wings manifested on her back, spanning nearly the entire width of the cave. She flapped down, catching up to the falling Jane.

Grabbing her collar, Evangeline flapped again, barreling them both toward the ground below.

But just as they were about to face-plant into it, she stopped midair and glanced at Jane.

"You okay?" Evangeline asked. "Sorry for the speed-up. I don't really want to waste time here, you know?"

"Ugh..." Jane held herself back from vomiting. "I-It's alright... put me down."

Evangeline eased her grip, letting Jane land carefully.

But the ground wasn't solid, it was liquid.

Jane's eyes widened as her foot sank into it, then her knee. By the time it reached her waist, Evangeline grabbed her by the hair and sighed.

"Seriously... with how special you make yourself out to be, can't you grow a pair of wings? Or I don't know, summon a light platform to stand on?"

Despite the nagging, Jane simply pulled herself up and touched the wall. A single pillar emerged, providing her a foothold.

"You seem pretty calm, considering the situation," Jane remarked, balancing. "I thought you of all people would be more spooked by what just happened."

Evangeline's brow twitched. "We don't know what happened yet, okay? We came down here to find out. So until we do, don't make any stupid assumptions."

Jane shot her a side-eye, but it was clear she felt something too. Her hands and feet were trembling, she could barely keep her balance.

Just as she was about to fall again, Evangeline caught her and tied a thread of blood around her waist.

"Klutz. Don't go falling in again. It's clearly a swamp," Evangeline said flatly and finally looked around.

The cave was very narrow and the ground, despite appearing like any regular stone, was actually liquid.

As she looked up, she noticed the glowing crystals pointed in a single direction.

When she turned around, those same crystals no longer glowed.

So it's this way… but it feels familiar… Evangeline glanced around. I wonder why?

"Hey, your wings are in the puddle," Jane pointed out.

Evangeline rolled her eyes, shortened her wings, and flapped them as they continued onward.

Yet they had no clue where they were going. There was no sign of Neraxis either.

"Hey, how does your revival work?" Evangeline asked. "Do you need the full body?"

"Ideally… yes." Jane nodded. "But I can make do with bones. Or any part of the body, really."

Evangeline's brows furrowed. "Like their blood…?"

"Blood works too. Spit... any other stuff that could come out of his body," Jane replied with a slightly flushed face. "Too bad there's nothing here."

But there was... If only I wasn't an idiot... Evangeline sighed.

If she hadn't panicked earlier, she could've at least secured a drop of his blood.

Now she had no choice but to follow this tunnel and hope she found even a piece of him.

At times like these... I wish I could just vomit up all the blood I drank to revive him... but it's already become part of my mana.

After a few minutes of travel, they finally arrived at a peculiar spot. The ground below turned red, and so did all the crystals above.

At the same time, she had begun sensing an ominous presence ahead of them.

From the looks of it, Jane sensed it too.

"I think it's your cousin," Jane muttered as a frown appeared on Evangeline's face.

"Is it really the time for jokes?" Evangeline asked, her tone laced with anger. "You really—"

Before she could finish her words, the red liquid parted, revealing a small bat.

But once Evangeline focused on it, she let out a chuckle.

"What does someone of your caliber think they're doing here?" Evangeline asked coldly. "Shouldn't you be running errands for your master? Or maybe masters... I don't judge."

The bat hovered in the air, staring at Evangeline. Then its body suddenly twisted and grew, becoming more humanoid.

Just a moment later, a being who looked nearly identical to Evangeline appeared.

But it was definitely not her sister. She'd definitely know if she ever had one.

Instead, it was one of the lesser vampires who just so happened to have a knack for mimicry. Despite that ability, they were looked down upon and considered cowards.

Which of course, they were.

But Evangeline didn't know what to feel more offended by.

The fact that the vampire mimicked most of her appearance perfectly, or...

"Why did you have to make my breasts so small? Shoddy vampire..." she muttered, a grin tugging at her lips.

"I've been dying to kill another vampire. So thanks for volunteering."