Chapter 290 — Snapped II

SLAM

Damian’s hand came down on the table hard enough to make the metal ring, the cigar dropping from his fingers and rolling across the surface.

He stood up violently, his chair scraping backward with a harsh screech, his crimson eyes suddenly blazing with fury that had been completely absent moments before.

"Who the FUCK do you think you are?!"

His voice cracked like a whip, all the emptiness gone in an instant, replaced by rage that had been building beneath his unresponsive exterior.

"Yes... show them... show them what you really are... a monster who destroys everything..."

"You want to talk about what happened in that portal?! You want to judge the choices I made?!"

He leaned forward, hands pressed flat against the table, his presence suddenly overwhelming despite being only C+ rank facing multiple S and A rank officers.

"If it wasn’t for me, ALL of them would have died there! Every single Imperial heir, every Noble brat and every commoner student – DEAD! Ripped apart and eaten by those creatures while they screamed for help that would never come!"

His breathing became ragged, his control slipping completely.

"I saved them! I fought when they were too scared to move! I killed Monsters while they pissed themselves in terror! I used everything I had, pushed myself past every limit and destroyed my own mind just to keep them breathing!"

The female police officer tried to speak, her voice carrying false authority.

"But who gave you the right to decide–"

"WHO AM I TO DECIDE?!"

Damian’s scream made her flinch back, genuine fear crossing her features.

"I was the one THERE! I was the one fighting! I was the one watching students get torn apart because some Noble FUCK decided sacrificing commoners was acceptable!"

His voice became venomous, spit flying as words tore from his throat.

"You know what I saw?! I saw Noble students throw commoners to those creatures to buy themselves time to escape! I saw them use human shields! I saw them sacrifice people who trusted them!"

He pointed at the officers accusingly, his hand shaking with rage.

"And I’m supposed to let that slide?! I’m supposed to protect cowards who would kill their own teammates to save their pathetic lives?!"

His hands pulled at his own hair, frustration and rage and madness mixing together.

"I would GLADLY kill any human who sacrifices another human to save themselves when we had a COMMON ENEMY! Anyone who puts their own WORTHLESS life above someone fighting beside them DESERVES to die!"

"Just like you deserve to die... for being too slow... too weak... too worthless to save me..."

The female SFD officer’s voice emerged cold, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Who are you to decide who deserves death?! What right did you have to–"

Damian’s eyes locked onto hers with such intensity she actually took a step back, her hand moving instinctively toward her weapon.

"You weren’t even THERE, you fucking bitch!"

The words came out venomous, each one precisely chosen to cut despite his fractured mental state.

"You sit here in your safe room, in your safe city, asking questions about things you can’t possibly understand! You want to judge me?! You want to question my choices?!"

He laughed, the sound carrying genuine madness now, his exhausted mind no longer able to maintain any pretense of sanity.

"I watched people die! I watched them get eaten alive! I watched them beg for mercy that never came! And you have the AUDACITY to sit there and act like you understand ANYTHING about what happened!"

His attention shifted to Ashley, his expression becoming something approaching pure hatred.

"And you..."

He moved around the table slowly, his movements predatory despite his exhaustion and mental breakdown.

"You’re one sick bitch, Ashley Blackheart! Always twisting facts to come at me! Always looking for angles to destroy me! Always hiding behind your badge while pretending to serve justice!"

His voice dropped to something dangerous.

"It makes me wonder... are you the mole inside the SFD?! The one who keeps protecting the Shadow Council?! The one who leaked Brian’s family information to terrorists?!"

Ashley’s eyes flashed with fury, her professional mask cracking.

"Watch your mouth, Valcor–"

"Or what?!" Damian interrupted, getting closer. "You’ll arrest me?! Charge me?! Please, try it! I’d LOVE to see how that works out for you!"

For a fraction of a second, Ashley wanted nothing more than to kill him.

But she kept that desire buried deep behind her professional exterior with her face showing nothing but controlled anger.

Damian didn’t seem to care.

He didn’t show any reaction at all except to step closer, getting right in her face, so close their noses almost touched.

His crimson eyes bore into hers with absolute madness, completely unfazed by the tightly controlled fury radiating from her.

"You think I’m a helpless kid?!" he whispered, his voice carrying certainty that came from somewhere beyond rational thought. "You think I don’t know all your politics?! All your games?! All your pathetic attempts to find leverage against me?!"

His smile became absolutely chilling.

"I dare you... I DARE you to try harming me! You belong to one of the Hundred Families, right?! The Blackheart family?!"

His eyes showed nothing but madness and rage and something approaching glee.

"If your branch survives to see the next day after harming me, I would GLADLY tear my own heart out and hand it to you on a fucking platter!"

"Yes... destroy them all... everyone who questions you... everyone who judges you... make them suffer like I suffered..."

Ashley’s breathing quickened, her body actually shaking with rage at being threatened by someone she’d been investigating for over a year.

Her voice emerged as barely controlled fury.

"You think your master will save you?! Hehe... that old man has had many disciples over the years and all of them are dead now! He never went very far in protecting any of them when pressure mounted!"

She leaned closer despite the dangerous proximity, her professionalism completely abandoned.

"And now that many powerful people find you an eyesore, now that Imperial Families want you removed... you’re almost dead already! It is just a matter of time before someone decides you’re not worth the trouble of keeping alive!"

Warren James moved forward, trying to defuse the situation before violence erupted.

"Both of you, calm down! This is getting out of hand–"

Damian started laughing.

The sound was completely wrong, carrying genuine amusement mixed with unhinged madness, his exhausted and shattered mind finding humor in threats that should have terrified him.

"You think Headmaster Kaiser is my only reliance?!"

He looked at Ashley, then at Warren and then at all the assembled officers with eyes that showed he’d completely lost touch with reality.

"If you believe that’s my only backing, then go ahead... do whatever the fuck you want! Try it and see what happens!"

His eyes tracked each officer specifically, reading names from their badges and memorizing faces with the kind of focus that promised future consequences.

"Officer Sarah Doss," he said, looking at the female SFD officer. "Badge number 4721."

His gaze shifted.

"Officer Hank Webb, Badge 3892."

Then to the police officers.

"Officer David Park... Officer Jennifer Liu..."

His smile became absolutely terrifying, showing too many teeth, his crimson eyes blazing with madness.

"I’ve memorized all your faces, all your names and all your badge numbers."

The implication hung heavy in the air.

A promise of future violence delivered by someone who’d clearly lost the ability to care about consequences.