Chapter 412 — You Came To My City

"You–"

The Shadow Council leader was already moving toward Damian’s position, blade raised for a killing strike, his face twisted with rage.

Damian’s fingers came together–

’Can’t maintain it for long... my mind is about to break...’

SNAP

–And his Domain exploded outward from his position. The ground transformed into pitch-black void and the moon disappeared behind a crimson sky.

Giant wolf corpses materialized in the air above the battlefield, dozens of them, suspended in the crimson sky like terrible monuments. Black fog rose from the void-ground in thick streams, flowing upward and wrapping around each corpse.

Damian’s voice came out raw and filled with fury.

"Awaken."

All crimson eyes opened at the same time.

And then they descended.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

The wolves hit the street like falling meteors, each impact cratering pavement, sending shockwaves through buildings.

The Shadow Council leader was mid-leap when three wolves crashed into him from different angles.

Jaws closed on his blade arm, another set of teeth found his leg, the third wolf’s claws raked across his chest.

The other wolves crashed into the scattered Shadow Council fighters.

’What the fuck–’

An A rank operative screamed and drove his blade through a wolf’s skull.

Black fog sprayed from the wound but the beast didn’t stop, didn’t slow, didn’t die because it was already dead.

Its jaws kept closing, crushing through Aura reinforcement.

"You came to my city..." Damian’s voice cracked with fury that echoed across the Domain.

The wolves tore into Shadow Council operatives, the black fog that filled them leaked from wounds, spreading across the battlefield like a living thing.

"You attacked my headquarters!"

An A rank cut through a wolf’s throat but the fog held it together, the severed head still attached by tendrils of darkness that refused to let it fall.

"You killed my people in the streets–"

The Shadow Council leader cut through two wolves but four more replaced them instantly, their massive forms overwhelming him through sheer numbers.

"–in MY FUCKING CITY!"

The words came out as a roar that made the Domain itself tremble.

The wolves descended on every remaining operative with savage brutality.

Screams cut off wet and sudden, bodies hit the ground with heavy thuds, blood sprayed across the void-black.

When the last echo faded, the battlefield had transformed.

Shadow Council operatives lay scattered across the street, dead or collapsed and bleeding, their bodies torn and broken, their masks cracked and stained with blood.

Only a few A ranks were still standing, but barely, blood poured from dozens of wounds, their breathing ragged, their stances wavering.

But even as Damian screamed it, even as the wolves tore into his enemies, he felt it.

The Domain flickered, his Will was burning out, mental exhaustion catching up, the strain pushing him past his absolute limit.

The wolves began to fade, the black fog that animated them dissolving back into darkness.

The Domain collapsed entirely, reality snapping back.

Thud

His legs gave out as he dropped to one knee on the blood-soaked rooftop, his axe clattering beside him, both hands pressed against stone to keep from falling completely.

Twenty meters away, the Shadow Council leader dropped to one knee as well, his chest heaving, blood pouring from wounds across his arms and legs.

Their eyes met across the distance.

Damian’s head lifted slowly, his crimson hair falling across his face, blood dripping from his chin.

His voice came out raw and still burning with rage.

"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST COME HERE AND WALK OUT ALIVE?!"

"..."

The words hung in the air and for a long moment, nobody moved.

Then the Mafia members began to process what had just happened.

"Did he just... in 3 seconds..."

"The shot... the Domain... all of it..."

"How is that possible?"

Their voices overlapped, shock bleeding through.

"He killed dozens with one bullet..."

"Then killed the Domain user..."

"Then summoned those... those things..."

Old Man Mike stared up at Damian from his position on his knees in the street. His weathered face showed something between awe and disbelief.

’Have... you already become so powerful, Damian?’

The thought cut through the pain from his wounds.

’It’s been three months since you disappeared... Three months... And you’re still sixteen years old... One month before you turn seventeen.’

His hands trembled.

’Even though I believed in you from the start... but this...’

The surviving Shadow Council A ranks stood frozen, their weapons raised but motionless, their eyes tracking the kneeling figure with dread.

"..."

The silence stretched.

****

The Shadow Council leader’s blade lowered slowly, his eyes never left Damian’s face, then he stood up slowly.

"Damian Valcor..."

His voice carried across the silent street, steady despite the pain.

"That Channel Shot of yours still surprises me to this day."

Damian’s eyes widened fractionally.

’Huh?’

"And your Domain..." The leader continued, his tone almost conversational. "It has become so powerful that if it were the old me, I would have died instantly from your despair alone... Not to mention those beasts you manifested."

’Old him? What the fuck is he talking about? Do I know this guy?’

Damian’s thoughts raced, cutting through the exhaustion.

’I’ve only used Channel Shot and my Domain in one place... Only one occasion where anyone could have seen both together.’

The realization hit like ice water.

’The second portal!’

His hands pressed harder against the blood-soaked ground, forcing his broken body to stand up slowly, eyes locked onto the leader’s face.

"You..."

"To be honest, I never wanted to face you."

The leader interrupted, his voice carrying something that sounded almost like regret.

"You saved my life in that portal... When the controller was about to kill all of us, when I was too exhausted to dodge an attack from a creature, you pulled me aside without even realizing it in your state."

He took a step forward, his blade still held loosely in one hand.

"The Shadow Kings told me the S ranks would take care of you. They said my only job was to erase your organization and nothing more."

Another step, then he stopped.

"But looking at you now, I realize their plan was never going to work." His free hand came up, fingers closing around the edge of his white skull mask. "Which means I’ll have to use my Skill to kill you... So there’s no point hiding who I am anymore."

He pulled the mask off slowly.

And Damian’s breath stopped.

Golden hair, matted with blood and sweat. Golden eyes that caught the moonlight even through the exhaustion and pain.

Features that Damian recognized from the portal, from fighting side by side against impossible odds.

Jonathan Thorne

The branch family member of the Thorne Imperial Family.

The noble who’d fought alongside commoners without discrimination, who’d shown genuine sympathy during the portal, who’d confirmed in his testimonies that Damian had saved everyone.

"..."

Silence pressed down on the battlefield like a physical weight.

The Mafia members stared with expressions mixing shock and disbelief, unable to process what they were seeing.

"I remember him from the files... Jonathan Thorne..."

Someone whispered the name like a curse.

"The Imperial heir who testified for Boss after the portal... He’s the one leading this raid?!"