Warlock Ch 158. I'm The One Who Holding All the Cards
He let out a soft chuckle, his gaze sweeping over the stunned faces of the tribunal. "Is this the best the great tribunal has to offer?" he said, his tone mockingly casual.
Aria's eyes burned with fury as she straightened, her hands clenching into fists. "You're walking on thin ice, Kaelan."
Damian's smirk returned, sharper than before. "Oh, I know. But the difference is, I'm the one holding all the cards."
The room fell into a heavy silence. For the first ti, Damian—no, Kaelan—felt truly untouchable. And he wasn't sure whether that terrified him or thrilled him. The power surging within him was undeniable, a heady mix of his own abilities and the stolen essence of the demon king. It made him feel like he could do anything—like no one in this room, or even in the world, could stop him.
But it also painted a target on his back, one he couldn't ignore. The way they all looked at him—Aria, the tribunal, the guards—it was a mix of fear, hatred, and begrudging awe. Not a single one of them looked at him like an ally. They didn't see a warlock who had made a tough call to save their world. They saw a monster.
Damian's smirk faltered slightly as he scanned the room. He'd known this would happen. Power like his was a double-edged sword. Everyone wanted it, but the mont soone had it, everyone else wanted them gone.
He exhaled, loud enough to cut through the oppressive silence. "So," he began, his voice calm but carrying an edge of defiance. "What's the plan now? Are you all going to sit there, glaring at ? Or do you actually have sothing to say?"
The tribunal exchanged uneasy glances, their silence stretching for a mont too long. Finally, it was Aria who broke the tension, her voice cold and steady. "You've made your point, Kaelan. We can't suppress you. But don't mistake that for immunity."
"Oh, I'm not mistaking anything," Damian replied, his smirk returning. "I know exactly where I stand. You can't touch , and you hate it. Admit it—every single one of you is seething because you can't control . Because you can't own ."
The senators bristled, their expressions hardening. One of them, an older man with a sharp, angular face, rose to his feet. "You think this is about control?" he snapped. "You think we care about owning you? This is about protecting the balance of the magic world. You've disrupted it with your arrogance, and now we're left to clean up your ss."
Damian raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with mockery. "The balance? Is that what you call hiding behind your laws while the demon king ran unchecked? Because last I checked, I'm the one who actually did sothing about him."
"You replaced him!" another tribunal mber interjected, his voice rising with anger. "You didn't destroy a threat—you beca one."
"And you're all just mad because I'm better at it than he ever was," he shot back, his voice laced with venom. "Let's not pretend this is about morality or justice. This is about fear. You're afraid of because I'm not one of your obedient little pawns."
"Enough!" Aria's voice cut through the rising tension, sharp and commanding. She stood, her gaze locked onto Kaelan with an intensity that made even him pause. "We're not afraid of you, Kaelan. We're afraid of what you represent. Power without accountability. A force that answers to no one. You're not invincible, no matter how much you believe it."
Damian tilted his head, his smirk softening into sothing more calculating. "You're right about one thing," he said, his tone quiet but steady. "I don't answer to anyone. And I'm not about to start now."
Aria's jaw tightened, her fists clenching at her sides. "Then you leave us no choice."
"Really?" Damian asked, his eyes narrowing. "And what's that choice, exactly? Are you going to exile ? Lock in so magical prison? Because if you think that'll work, you haven't been paying attention."
The older senator from before stepped forward, his voice low and nacing. "You underestimate the lengths we're willing to go to maintain order."
"And you underestimate how little I care about your order," Damian shot back, his Mana flaring around him in a subtle but unmistakable display of power. "The world isn't so delicate balance you get to control. It's chaos, and the sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be."
Aria's expression darkened, her voice quieter now but no less resolute. "You're playing a dangerous ga."
Damian laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Dangerous? Maybe. But it's my ga, and I make the rules."
The silence that followed was deafening. Damian felt their stares, the unspoken judgnts hanging heavy in the air. He knew what they thought of him. A threat. A rogue elent. A monster.
And maybe they were right. Maybe he was a monster. But he'd rather be a monster than a tool.
Finally, he straightened, his smirk fading into a calm, unreadable expression. "So what'll it be?" he asked, his voice steady. "Are we going to keep playing this little ga of who's more powerful? Or are you going to admit that you can't control and move on?"
Aria didn't answer imdiately. Her gaze remained locked onto his, a silent battle of wills playing out between them. Finally, she spoke, her voice quieter but no less firm. "This isn't over, Kaelan."
"It never is," he replied, his tone almost bored. "But for now, I think we're done here."
Without waiting for a response, Damian turned on his heel and walked toward the massive doors of the courtroom. The tension in the room was suffocating, but he didn't look back. He didn't need to. He could feel their hatred, their fear, and their powerlessness in every step he took. The power coursing through him wasn't just the demon king's—it was his own, honed and unyielding. And it was enough to remind them all who he was and what he had beco.
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