Chapter 204: Elizabeth III

[Several Minutes Later]

Both fighters’ eyes opened simultaneously.

But Elizabeth’s face was noticeably pale, her usually perfect composure showing cracks, her hands trembling slightly.

The crowd leaned forward collectively, desperate to know the outcome.

Damian sighed, his voice carrying across the silent arena.

"Sigh... I lost. Gareth, Arielle, and Liam can stay in the Council. The others are removed as planned. Also, I’ll be taking the position of Vice President from now on. I’ll select new Council members later."

He turned and walked off the platform without giving anyone a chance to ask questions, his Mafia members immediately falling in behind him.

The crowd exploded with confused whispers.

"He lost? But he used a Domain!"

"Why does Elizabeth look so shaken if she won?"

"Something happened in there. Something we didn’t see."

Seraphina wore a strange expression as she looked at Elizabeth, her analytical mind recognizing that her disciple’s reaction didn’t match someone who’d just won a straightforward victory.

Then she disappeared from the arena, her S+ rank speed making the movement instantaneous.

Elizabeth remained standing alone on the platform, her pale face and trembling hands visible to everyone still watching.

When Naomi and Adrian approached her with concern, she just sighed.

"Let’s go. I need to process some things."

She walked away without explanation, leaving the entire student body confused and speculating wildly.

Because Elizabeth Murdock didn’t look like someone who’d won.

She looked like someone who’d seen something terrifying.

****

[A Few Minutes Earlier - Domain of Despair]

The moment Damian activated his Domain, reality shifted for both fighters.

The arena disappeared, replaced by an endless void of black fog that moved with malevolent intelligence.

Elizabeth and Damian stood on what seemed like solid pitch black ground, though no actual surface was visible beneath their feet.

The sky above was crimson like fresh blood, pulsing with irregular rhythm like a massive beating heart.

And everywhere – scattered across the dark ground, hanging in the air, pressed against the boundaries – were bodies.

Then... the dark fog began moving toward Elizabeth, drawn to her like metal to a magnet.

It wrapped around her body, seeping into her mind, pulling at something buried deep in her psyche.

"!!!"

Elizabeth’s legs gave out.

Thud

She collapsed to the ground, her hands coming up to her head, her entire body beginning to shake.

"Please... don’t kill me... don’t kill me... don’t kill me..."

Her voice came out broken, desperate and terrified in a way that was completely unlike the confident Student Council President.

Damian’s expression showed confusion mixed with concern.

’The Domain amplifies the target’s own negative emotions and despair. It’s pulling from her personal trauma, manifesting whatever she fears most.’

Elizabeth curled into a ball, her arms wrapping around her legs, tears streaming down her face.

"We’re family... why do you want to kill me... please don’t kill me..."

Her voice cracked on the words, genuine horror showing in every syllable.

’Family members trying to kill her. That’s her deepest trauma. Someone close to her attempting to kill her is what she is scared of.’

Damian’s face became serious, his hand waving to pull the fog back toward himself.

The black mist retreated from Elizabeth immediately, her breathing becoming less ragged as the direct assault on her psyche lessened.

But Damian noticed something else as the fog returned to him.

He could feel his own emotions that he’d fed into the Domain. The despair, the rage, the guilt, the fear – all of it was present in this space, affecting him as well as his target.

’I can’t escape my own negative emotions inside this Domain. It’s not a weapon I can use without cost.’

He walked closer to Elizabeth and knelt beside her, his hand gently patting her shoulder.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know my Domain would focus so intensely on your specific trauma."

Elizabeth controlled her breathing with visible effort, her hands still shaking as she wiped tears from her face.

Then... she smiled helplessly, though the expression was fragile.

"T-This is a terrifying Domain, Damian. I wasn’t prepared for this at all. You’re a complete freak."

Damian sighed.

"Let’s just tell everyone outside that I lost. In reality, I would have lost eventually. You would have resisted the Domain given enough time – your mental fortitude is too strong to break permanently. I just took you by surprise with something you couldn’t predict."

Elizabeth knew that was true, but shook her head.

"A win is a win. You beat me with an unexpected trump card. That’s legitimate victory."

But Damian raised his hand to stop her.

"I don’t want to be President. It’s too much work and too many administrative responsibilities. I’ll be Vice President instead and make the changes I want to make. Just support me while I do it."

He stood, offering her his hand.

"And honestly? Everyone wants you to be President. Not someone like me. You’re the face the Academy needs. I’m just the muscle that enforces necessary changes in this rotten system."

Elizabeth took his hand and let him pull her to her feet, sighing as she realized he was right.

Students, professors and even the Headmaster – they all trusted Elizabeth’s leadership. Replacing her completely would create more problems than it solved.

"We’ll talk more later about Council structure and responsibilities."

Damian’s voice became strained.

"R-Right now I need to end this Domain. I’m getting affected by it as well, and staying here too long isn’t healthy."

Elizabeth nodded understanding.

Damian released the Domain, reality snapping back to normal with both of them returning to the physical arena.

But the damage was done.

Elizabeth’s composure was shattered, her carefully maintained mask had cracked by confronting her deepest trauma unexpectedly.

And Damian had learned something important about his own Domain – it was a weapon that cut both ways, affecting user and target alike.

’I need to master this properly. Learn to control the emotional feedback. Otherwise using it against strong opponents will hurt me as much as them.’

But for now, the immediate crisis was resolved.

The Council was restructured. Elizabeth remained President with her authority intact. And Damian became Vice President with power to make changes.

And everyone in the Academy had just witnessed a C+ rank student use a Domain – something that would reshape how they thought about rank limitations and what Damian Valcor was actually capable of achieving.

Damian, who was forced to resign from the council at the start of the year, had now taken control of it completely.

And he had shown he had weapons beyond physical strength.

Weapons that could break even the strongest minds.