Damian turned to face his professor fully, his expression shifting from gentle concern to sothing harder, more resolute.
"Thank you for taking care of her... For teaching her and for giving her a safe place to recover. I’m genuinely grateful for everything you’ve done."
His sincerity was obvious.
Then he reached down and drew his gun from its concealed holster.
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed slightly, her body tensing, but she didn’t move.
Damian held the weapon out to her, grip first, offering it peacefully.
"Kill right here if you want to. If you genuinely believe that what I did was wrong, that those students deserved to live... that humanity needs pathetic sexual assaulters like them to protect itself.
I abhor sexual assaults more than anything. The very act of forcing yourself on soone just to satisfy your own lust, not caring about the victim, their entire lives and how it would affect them or their loved ones... is one of the most evil things I can imagine. And the people who commit these cris can never be expected to help anyone, not to ntion the entire humanity.
I don’t consider them humans. So whether it is a child, teenager, an old man, a hero, a criminal, a student or even a Noble... Anyone who commits a cri like that, will be killed by all the sa. So... Stop right here."
His voice was calm, steady, carrying complete conviction.
"Because I need you to understand sothing fundantal about who I am and what I’m building. I will never care about the bigger picture when it conflicts with protecting my people.
I will kill anyone, even those who protect humanity from Monsters, if they harm what’s mine. Their potential contribution to the species ans nothing to compared to the actual safety of the individuals I’ve chosen to protect."
Seraphina’s expression went cold, unreadable.
"I’m offering you this choice because I respect you. Because you’ve helped , taught and supported when you didn’t have to. So if you feel strongly enough that I need to be stopped, then stop now. Because I promise you, I will never change this position. This is who I am... And in the future, you will not get another opportunity like this."
Seraphina stared at him for a long mont.
Then she reached out and took the gun from his hand, her movents slow and deliberate.
She raised it smoothly and pressed the barrel directly against Damian’s forehead.
Her finger rested on the trigger.
Complete silence filled the room.
The gun barrel pressed cold against Damian’s forehead.
Seraphina’s finger rested on the trigger, her violet eyes locked with his crimson ones.
Neither of them moved nor blinked.
The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.
"I’ve executed many people in my line of duty, Damian."
Seraphina’s voice was cold, flat and utterly devoid of emotion.
"Traitors who sold military secrets to enemy forces. Deserters who abandoned their posts during critical battles. Criminals who murdered civilians under our protection. War criminals who committed atrocities that couldn’t be forgiven."
Her finger tightened slightly on the trigger.
"I’ve killed people I knew personally. People I’d trained alongside. People who I’d considered friends before they crossed lines that couldn’t be uncrossed. I’ve put bullets in their heads without hesitation because duty demanded it and justice required it."
Damian’s expression didn’t change at all nor did he flinch. He didn’t show any fear or even tried to talk his way out of this.
He just stood there, completely calm, completely accepting of whatever decision she made.
"So don’t you ever make the mistake of thinking that if you truly stood against humanity, if you genuinely beca a threat to our survival as a species, that I wouldn’t kill you just because you’re my student. Don’t ever assu that our relationship would protect you from consequences."
The gun pressed harder against his skin.
"If the day cos when your actions threaten humanity’s future, when your ambitions put innocent lives at risk on a scale that can’t be justified, when you beco the monster that needs to be put down for the greater good, I will be the one to do it. Without hesitation or any regret. Is that absolutely clear?"
"Yes."
Damian’s response was imdiate, simple and carrying complete understanding.
"I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. That’s part of why I respect you so much."
Seraphina held the position for another long mont.
Then she lowered the gun and handed it back to him, grip first.
"You’re not there yet. What you did to those students was brutal and excessive by normal standards, but it wasn’t wrong given what they attempted.
They tried to rape one of your people. They deserved death for that, regardless of their potential or their families or their future contributions to humanity."
She stepped back, her cold expression lting slightly into sothing more complex.
"But you need to understand the line, Damian. There’s a difference between protecting your people through necessary violence and becoming a monster who kills indiscriminately.
Right now, you’re on the correct side of that line. The people you’ve killed deserved their fates. But that line exists, and if you cross it, I will stop you personally."
Damian holstered his gun, his expression thoughtful.
"I understand. And I appreciate the honesty. It’s refreshing compared to people who pretend moral absolutism while secretly compromising constantly."
Seraphina sighed heavily as she saw the nonchalant expression on Damian’s face and walked over to lean against the wall, suddenly looking very tired.
"Do you rember that I ntioned the military’s intelligence unit being even more powerful and far-reaching than the SFD?"
"I rember."
"They know what you’ve been doing in Tranquil City. They know about the Outer Region takeover. They know about the way you killed those students, the brutality involved and the trophies you took. They know you’re now controlling a significant portion of a major city’s criminal operations."
Damian’s eyes sharpened with interest but not concern.
"Military intelligence doesn’t usually interfere in internal criminal matters. They focus on external threats and large-scale security issues. Why would they care about gang activity in one city region?"
"Because you’re not running normal gang activity."
Seraphina’s voice carried a note of sothing that might have been admiration mixed with concern.
"You’ve established actual governance in the Outer Region. You’ve created laws, forbidden certain cris, built infrastructure, provided services that the governnt should be providing but isn’t. You’ve demonstrated that an alternative system can work better than the official one."
She crossed her arms, studying him carefully.
"That makes you interesting to certain people in positions of power. Many higher-ups in the military are genuinely impressed by what you’ve accomplished. You have talent, obviously. You’re ruthless when necessary but also strategic and forward-thinking. You clearly understand the bigger picture despite being willing to prioritize your people over abstract principles."
Damian listened silently, his expression neutral.
"They’ve also been looking at your academic performance. Your theory exam results are particularly interesting. You scored exactly the sa on every single subject. Not full marks, but identical scores across completely different topics. Mathematics, history, Aura theory, tactical studies... all of them have the exact sa grade."
A slight smile crossed Seraphina’s face.
"That’s actually more difficult to achieve than getting perfect scores across the board. It requires such precise understanding and control that you can calibrate your answers to hit specific point totals intentionally.
It’s like you’re sending a ssage to anyone paying attention: ’See, I could get full marks easily, but I don’t care enough to bother. I’m just showing you that I understand everything perfectly while putting in minimal effort.’"
"That’s a very specific interpretation."
"But accurate, isn’t it?"
Damian’s smile widened slightly but he didn’t confirm or deny.
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