"THATāS ENOUGH!"
A commanding voice cut through the shocked silence like a blade.
The crowd parted immediately as three figures strode forward with absolute authority.
Micheal Thorne led the way, his golden Aura already flaring around him like a blazing sun. His perfectly styled hair and immaculate Student Council badge marked him as someone used to being obeyed.
Leonard Ashford walked at his right, grey Aura swirling around his frame like storm clouds. His expression was dark with fury.
Iris Langsten took the left position, her blue Aura crackling with barely contained energy. Her eyes were locked on Damian with open hostility.
All three were heirs to Imperial Families. All three had reached D- rank. All three radiated the kind of power that made normal students instinctively back away.
They stopped a few meters from Damian, forming a line between him and the crowd.
"What you just did crosses every line this Academy has."
Michealās voice was cold, controlled, filled with righteous anger.
"Attacking fellow students outside sanctioned matches. Causing severe injuries and almost permanent damage to a Noble daughter from a respected family."
His golden eyes swept over the broken bodies scattered around the courtyard.
"This is completely barbaric and unacceptable."
Leonardās hands clenched into fists, his grey Aura intensifying.
"You think you can just come back after two months of hiding and start beating people half to death? You think there are no consequences for this kind of violence?"
Iris stepped forward, her blue Aura crackling dangerously.
"Look at what you did to Ruby! Sheāll need weeks of medical treatment! Her arm might never fully recover!"
Her voice shook with genuine anger.
"Youāre nothing but a thug. A violent animal who doesnāt belong in this Academy."
Micheal raised his hand, and the Student Council badge on his uniform caught the light.
"As the current first-ranked student and a member of the Student Council, I am officially ordering you to stand down immediately and report to the council room for disciplinary action."
His voice carried absolute authority, the kind that came from a lifetime of being obeyed without question.
"Refuse, and we will be forced to subdue you by any means necessary."
Damianās expression didnāt change at all throughout the entire speech.
His cold crimson eyes just stared at Micheal with complete disinterest.
Then he spoke, his voice utterly casual.
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
Michealās face twitched with anger.
"Iām theā"
"I know what you think you are. Current first rank, heir to an Imperial Family and member of the Student Council. A Big shot."
Damianās tone was dismissive, mocking.
"But you seem to have forgotten something important. You fainted just from feeling my Aura four months ago. Passed out like a scared child before I even touched you."
The gathered crowd gasped at the reminder.
It was true. During that first confrontation, Micheal had collapsed from the pressure of Damianās presence alone.
Michealās face flushed red with humiliation and rage.
"That was before! Iām stronger now! Weāre all stronger now!"
His golden Aura exploded outward with overwhelming force.
Leonard and Iris released their full Auras as well, grey and blue energy combining with Michealās gold to create a devastating pressure that made watching students stagger backward.
The combined weight of three D-minus rank Imperial heirs was suffocating.
Normal students would have been forced to their knees.
Damian didnāt even blink.
"Is that supposed to impress me?"
"We know youāre strong, Damian."
Michealās voice was tight with controlled fury.
"Your initial talent assessment was clearly wrong. Youāre probably S rank talent or higher. But weāre not the weak students you faced two months ago. Weāve trained under our familiesā best instructors. Weāve mastered advanced techniques. Weāve grown."
He drew a longsword that gleamed with golden energy, the blade obviously a high-quality weapon passed down through his family.
"The three of us together can match even the strongest of second year seniors. Not to mention you."
Leonard summoned twin daggers that crackled with grey lightning.
Iris pulled out an elegant rapier surrounded by swirling blue water.
All three weapons were clearly treasures worth fortunes, enhanced by generations of Imperial Family resources.
Damian looked at the three armed heirs standing before him and laughed.
A short, genuinely amused sound.
"You really think youāve caught up to me in just these few months?"
His smile was cold, predatory.
"Fine. I couldnāt be bothered to waste time talking anyway. All three of you attack me together right now. Use everything you have."
Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Is he serious?"
"Three Imperial heirs at once?"
"Heās going to get destroyed!"
Michealās eyes narrowed.
"Youāre giving us permission to attack? Together?"
"Iām not just giving permission. Iām ordering you to."
Damian spread his arms wide, making himself an open target.
"Attack me. Use your weapons, your arts, your skills. Everything. And I wonāt even move from this spot."
He planted his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Show me how much youāve grown."
The insult was clear. The arrogance absolute.
Michealās face went red with fury.
"Youāll regret this."
BOOM.
All three of them moved simultaneously.
Michealās golden Aura blazed brighter as he activated his weapon art, the longswordās edge extending with pure condensed energy.
"Imperial Sever!"
The blade came down in a devastating vertical slash aimed at Damianās shoulder.
Leonard attacked from the left, his twin daggers wreathed in grey lightning as he activated his own art.
"Stormās Edge!"
The daggers moved in a blur, each strike leaving crackling trails of electricity in the air.
Iris came from the right, her rapier surrounded by spiraling water as she thrust forward with incredible speed.
"Depthās Pierce!"
The water-coated blade aimed directly for Damianās heart.
Three attacks. Three directions. Three D- rank Imperial heirs using family weapon arts worth more than most students would earn in their entire lives.
The combined force would have killed a normal student instantly.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
All three weapons hit Damianās body simultaneously.
And stopped dead.
His Aura-hardened skin and insane vitality stat absorbed the impact like he was made of solid steel.
Sparks flew from the points of contact.
The weapons didnāt penetrate at all.
They just stopped.
Damian stood completely still, arms still crossed, not even bothering to dodge.
"Is that it?"
His voice was utterly bored.
Michealās eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Impossible! My blade should haveā"
"Again."
Damianās tone was commanding.
"You have my permission. Attack again. Harder this time."
Leonard snarled with rage and pulled back, his grey Aura intensifying further.
"Lightning Barrage!"
His daggers became blurs of motion, each strike enhanced with crackling electricity. Dozens of attacks in seconds, each one aimed at vital points.
The lightning Aura should have paralyzed muscles, disrupted enemy Aura, created openings.
It did nothing.
Damianās body absorbed every strike, his own Aura and Slaughter Intent creating a barrier that conventional attacks couldnāt breach.
Iris switched tactics, her blue Aura swirling more intensely around her rapier.
"Tidal Spiral!"
Water energy condensed around her blade as she thrust repeatedly, each attack drilling forward with rotating force designed to penetrate defenses.
The technique had won her countless matches against other students.
Against Damian, it might as well have been a gentle breeze.
Micheal gritted his teeth and channeled even more power into his longsword.
"Golden Cascade!"
His weapon art reached its peak form, the blade extending into a massive energy construct three times its normal size.
He brought it down with both hands, every ounce of his D- rank power focused into a single devastating blow.
BOOM.
The impact created a shockwave that knocked nearby students off their feet.
Dust exploded outward from the point of impact. For a moment, nobody could see through the cloud.
Then it cleared and...
Damian stood in the exact same position, arms still crossed, completely unharmed.
Not a scratch or bruise was visible.
Not even a tear in his blood-stained clothes beyond what was already there.
His cold crimson eyes stared at Micheal with complete disdain.
"Anything else? Or are you done embarrassing yourselves?"