Chapter 258 — Reactions
5 min read ·
The Nobles showed similar expressions – shock mixed with fear mixed with the dawning understanding that every assumption they’d made about power hierarchies and commoner limitations had just been shattered.
"That’s... that’s Damian Valcor?"
A Noble boy’s voice cracked as he spoke, his family’s pride completely forgotten, his expensive combat training feeling worthless.
"The commoner from Stormhold Academy?!"
"The one who started the revolution?!"
"The one we mocked for being a criminal scum?!"
Silence was his only answer.
Because words felt inadequate.
Because every insult they’d ever thrown now seemed like the height of stupidity.
Because they’d been mocking a monster in human skin.
William Greene stood with his mouth open, his pride in reaching B+ rank through pure effort and determination feeling hollow now.
Worthless.
’I thought I understood power! Thought I knew what the top of our generation looked like after watching the tournament, after seeing the Imperial heirs demonstrate their skills...’
He looked at the exhausted Imperial heirs – legendary figures who’d pushed themselves to the absolute limit.
Then at Damian – calm, collected and still holding that axe like he was ready for round two without even breathing hard.
’We’re not even playing the same fucking game! He’s not just stronger! He’s operating on a completely different level that we don’t have access to!’
The realization was crushing.
A commoner girl – Republic Academy, one of the ones Damian had saved with his gun – stared up with tears streaming.
"He saved me! Three times! I counted!"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"The Imperials were fighting hard but they couldn’t be everywhere. But his bullets... every time I was about to die, a crimson bullet would appear and kill whatever was attacking me!"
She looked at the other survivors.
Saw the same realization dawning.
"How many of us are only alive because he was watching? Because he was protecting us while fighting?"
But perhaps the most shocked expressions came from Damian’s own team.
****
Zavier’s manic smile had frozen completely on his face.
His spear hung loosely in his grip, forgotten, blood dripping from the blade into mud.
’Boss... what the actual fuck?!’
He’d known Damian was strong.
Had seen him destroy Gareth – pure physical combat with no techniques, just overwhelming superiority.
Had watched him fight Elizabeth in his domain and telling everyone that he lost.
But this?!
’The fight with Gareth was hand-to-hand. No great Aura skills, just brawling. I never saw what Boss could actually do with his full power!’
His eyes tracked the axe in Damian’s hand.
’And the Elizabeth fight was mostly in his domain where I couldn’t see.’
Realization crashed down.
’But this... this wide-range attack with the gun art... he never showed us he could do this! Never even hinted! He only ever shot one enemy at a time during our missions, always precise and always controlled and always just enough!’
Zavier’s mind rewound through months of following Damian.
Every mission.
Every fight.
Every demonstration of power.
’He’s been holding back! Against everyone! Even against us! His own people have never seen what he can actually do when he stops limiting himself!’
The thought was terrifying.
And exhilarating.
’If this is what he shows when pressed... what the fuck is he capable of at full power?!’
Ronan’s massive frame was trembling, though whether from exhaustion or awe was unclear.
’Holy shit!!! I want a fucking range weapon too! I wanna be this cool! I want this level of power!’
Lysa’s eyes were wide with something approaching worship.
’I-is he really our Boss?! The kind but strict Godfather?!’
And Edrin...
Edrin was staring at Damian like he was seeing him for the first time, every assumption and tactical assessment and careful evaluation he’d built over months of working together suddenly revealed as woefully inadequate.
’I thought I understood him. Thought I’d measured his capabilities and accounted for hidden reserves. I was so fucking wrong it’s almost funny!’
’The fight with Gareth was physical dominance. But this? This was power that transcends everything I thought I knew about awakener capabilities!’
’He’s been hiding this the entire time! Moving among us like he was just another talented first-year when he’s actually... what?! What even is he?!’
Damian walked through the silent crowd like they weren’t even there, his boots squelching in blood-soaked mud, his axe resting casually on his shoulder, his entire demeanor suggesting this was just another day.
He stopped beside Edrin, who was still frozen with his swords held loosely, still processing what he’d witnessed.
Pat Pat
Damian’s hand came up and patted Edrin’s shoulder – a casual gesture, almost friendly, completely at odds with the godlike demonstration of power they’d just witnessed.
His crimson eyes met Edrin’s behind the cracked glasses, and when he spoke, his voice carried the same calm, almost bored tone he always used.
"Despair looks terrible on you, Four-Eyes."
The words were simple, direct, containing none of the philosophical weight or dramatic declaration the moment seemed to demand.
Just a casual observation delivered like he was commenting on the weather.
"Next time, try to hold on a bit longer before deciding we’re all dead."
"..."
Silence continued spreading outward from where they stood, the shock too profound for immediate response, minds still trying to process the impossible.
Damian’s hand left Edrin’s shoulder and he turned to survey the battlefield – the absence where thousands of creatures had been, the few hundred corpses remaining from his axe work, the surviving students all staring at him like he was something beyond human comprehension.
Rain fell on the carnage.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
And in the oppressive silence of the incomplete dimension, students who’d faced certain death and found salvation stood frozen, trying to understand what they’d just witnessed.
Trying to reconcile the calm first-year standing in the mud with the godlike power that had erased thousands of enemies and saved them all.
Trying to process that everything they thought they knew about power and human limitations of a C+ rank awakened had just been shattered by two quiet words and four impossible shots.
"Channel Shot."
The words echoed in their minds, combining with the image of spatial ruptures deleting reality itself, creating a memory that would haunt and inspire them for the rest of their lives.