Chapter 78 — Psychological Dominance

No one dared to answer Damian’s question.

The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, broken only by the labored breathing of the three broken heirs lying at his feet.

Damian stood there for a long moment, letting his cold crimson eyes sweep across every face in the massive crowd that had gathered to witness this brutal display.

Students from all years were present now. Even some other Student Council members had arrived at the edges, watching with complicated expressions but making no move to intervene.

They all knew the truth that nobody wanted to say out loud.

Damian Valcor was beyond their authority now.

He’d crossed into territory where normal Academy rules simply didn’t apply anymore because enforcing them would require power that nobody present possessed.

Damian’s gaze finally settled on a student standing near the back of the crowd, partially hidden behind others.

A nervous-looking third-year holding a lit cigar in one hand and a lighter in the other, probably having snuck out for a quick smoke before getting caught up in the spectacle.

Damian’s telekinesis activated.

The cigar and lighter were suddenly ripped from the student’s hands by invisible force, floating through the air toward Damian as the crowd gasped and parted to let the objects pass.

The student’s face went white with terror, thinking he was about to be attacked next.

But Damian caught both items casually, brought the cigar to his lips, and lit it with a smooth, practiced motion.

He took a long drag, the tip glowing bright orange in the afternoon light, then exhaled a cloud of smoke slowly.

The image was striking in its casual arrogance.

Standing over three beaten Imperial heirs and several other Nobles, covered in their blood and his own dirt, smoking a stolen cigar like he owned the entire world and everything in it.

Several girls in the crowd actually sighed despite the violence they’d just witnessed.

"He’s terrifying but also kind of..."

"Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it."

"...really attractive when he’s like this."

"You need therapy."

"Shut up! I know you also have those thoughts about him!"

Damian took another drag from the cigar, then looked toward where Edrin, Ronan, and Lysa stood watching with expressions caught between awe and a bit of fear.

"Let’s go. We have work to do."

His voice was calm, conversational, like he hadn’t just brutalized the three strongest students in their year.

"The thirty-two who stayed loyal are waiting at the shooting range, right? Time to remind them why they made the correct choice."

Edrin nodded mutely, still processing everything he’d just seen.

Ronan started grinning like a madman despite his earlier fear, his faith in Damian completely vindicated.

Lysa looked like she wanted to say something about the excessive violence but wisely kept her mouth shut.

Damian started walking toward them, stepping over Micheal’s groaning body without even glancing down.

The crowd parted before him like water before a ship’s prow, students scrambling to get out of his path.

Nobody wanted to be within arm’s reach of him right now.

As Damian passed by Adrian and Victoria, he made brief eye contact with the purple-haired heir.

Adrian’s expression was carefully neutral, but his eyes held a knowing glint.

’This is exactly what I expected. Maybe even less violent than I predicted.’

Victoria stood frozen beside him, her white eyes wide with shock at what she’d witnessed.

"Adrian... How is this even possible? How could he handle those attacks so easily?... I’ve never seen anything like it."

"... I don’t know."

Adrian’s voice was quiet enough that only she could hear.

"All I know is... I fear his calculative mind more than his strength. What he did in the end with the cigar was clearly for psychological dominance... it was his way of telling everyone watching – ’I own this place’."

Fiona Sigurd stood nearby as well, her analytical mind working furiously behind her glasses.

She was already calculating the new power dynamics, the political implications, the ways this single incident would reshape everything about the first-year hierarchy.

’The Mafia isn’t just going to survive now. It’s going to dominate completely. Anyone who doesn’t see that is a fool.’

She made a mental note to avoid antagonizing Damian at all costs and possibly even find ways to cooperate without officially joining his faction.

Neutrality seemed like the wisest position right now.

Damian reached Edrin, Ronan, and Lysa, then paused to take one final drag from the cigar.

He flicked it aside, the lit end leaving a glowing arc in the air before hitting the ground.

"Walk with me. Tell me everything that happened while I was gone. And mark all those who left the Mafia previously.

Never let them join us again."

His tone was businesslike now, already moving past the violence and onto practical matters.

"And someone needs to explain to me how the fuck did Victor Cross think he had the authority to declare my organization illegal. That’s going to require a personal response."

The four of them started walking away from the courtyard, leaving behind the beaten heirs, the terrified crowd, and the shocked Student Council members who still hadn’t decided how to handle this situation.

But before Damian was out of view, he glanced at a far away place for a moment, before looking away.

’He even sensed our location...’

Seraphina Vale and Salazar Blackwood were standing at the place where Damian glanced and both of them exchanged a surprised glance.

They were slightly shocked at how Damian was even able to sense them. But they also disappeared soon after.

The crowd of the students slowly began to move again, whispering frantically to each other.

"Did that really just happen?"

"Three Imperial heirs with their inherited skills active and he barely got scratched..."

"He didn’t even use his weapon or any skill. Just his fists."

"Someone needs to call the medical wing. Micheal and the others need serious treatment."

"Who’s going to tell the professors what happened?"

"Are you crazy? Nobody’s going to report this. You saw what he did. You want to be next?"

Among the crowd, several students pulled out their watches and immediately started posting on the Academy forums.

Within minutes, the incident was spreading like wildfire across the entire campus network.

Videos recorded by dozens of students from multiple angles were being uploaded and shared.

The narrative was already forming.

Damian Valcor had returned from two months of mysterious training and immediately established absolute dominance over the entire first year by defeating three Imperial heirs simultaneously.

The Mafia wasn’t dead.

It was stronger than ever.

And anyone who’d thought about opposing it was now reconsidering very carefully.

****

In the medical wing, Professor Richard Evergreen received an emergency call on his watch.

"Multiple students with severe injuries incoming. Three priority cases requiring immediate treatment. They are the SS ranked talents of the first year."

He sighed heavily, already knowing somehow that Damian Valcor would be involved.

That kid was becoming a regular source of overtime work.

Doctor Isabelle appeared beside him, looking resigned.

"Let me guess. Damian Valcor is back?"

"Sigh... Get the emergency pods ready. From what I’m hearing, we’re going to need all of them."

****

Damian walked through campus with his three lieutenants flanking him, heading toward the old shooting range where the loyal Mafia members waited.

"Boss, about Victor Cross..."

Edrin spoke carefully, adjusting his glasses.

"He’s apparently planning to bring formal charges against the Mafia at the Council meeting. Trying to get official sanctions that would ban us from all Academy facilities and resources."

"When’s the meeting?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

Damian’s smile was cold and sharp.

"Perfect. That gives me exactly enough time to have some much needed rest.

Victor Cross wants to play politics? Fine. I’ll show him what happens when you try to use rules and regulations against someone who doesn’t give a fuck about either."

Ronan laughed, the sound booming across the empty pathway.

"This is going to be good. I can’t wait to see his face."

Lysa looked worried but kept her thoughts to herself, following along silently.

They reached the old shooting range, and Damian pushed open the doors.

Inside, thirty-two students stood waiting, their faces lighting up the moment they saw him.

Zavier was there, still looking as anxious as always. Ariana stood calmly near the back. Other familiar faces from the Tranquil City operation were scattered throughout.

These were the ones who’d stayed.

The ones who’d believed in him even when everyone else didn’t.

The ones who deserved to be rewarded for their loyalty.

Damian looked at each of them in turn, his expression softening just slightly.

"Thank you for waiting."