His lackeys erupted in laughter, their jeers only fueling his arrogance, the same tired dance they'd all grown accustomed to. Julius flirted, Summer rejected him, and the cycle continued on like clockwork. It was a routine he thought he could repeat forever, each time more predictable than the last.
But today?
Today was not the day.
Summer's back stiffened, her posture shifting like a predator on the prowl, and without missing a beat, she turned to face him. Her gaze was sharp, icy, a blade drawn and ready for battle. "I'm alright," she said, her voice a cold edge, cutting through the noise.
Damien fought the urge to smirk. She'd just done it again—shut him down, without so much as a second thought.
But Julius wasn't the type to take no for an answer.
With a languid, smug expression, Julius slowly stood. His golden hair gleamed under the fluorescent cafeteria lights, catching every glint, every shine. His brown eyes glowed with arrogance, an entitlement that practically dripped from him as he sauntered toward their table, like a predator closing in on its prey. His confidence was almost palpable, a sneer curling at the corners of his lips.
He was handsome, undeniably so. The kind of handsome that made most men jealous—jealous of his looks, his effortless charm. The kind that made men want to be him… or break his nose.
Most men who didn't know him.
Julius leaned down at the table, his face coming dangerously close to Summer's. His eyes locked onto hers, thick with the kind of entitlement only someone like him could possess. "Oh, come on, babe," he cooed, his voice smooth, slick with condescension. "It'll be fun."
Today, though?
Today, Summer wasn't in the mood.
Her voice cut through the tension, sharp as a dagger, colder than before. "Get your ugly ass out of here," she snapped, her words like a slap in the face.
Damien let out a bark of laughter, the sound cracking through the strained air like thunder.
Julius whipped his head toward him, his eyes flashing with venom, a sickly sneer spreading across his face. His gaze darkened, but Damien didn't care.
Not anymore.
Damien didn't care about Julius' strength, or his rank. He didn't care that the whole damn cafeteria had gone silent, watching like they were waiting for a fire to ignite. No, Damien didn't care about any of it. All he cared about was the raw, primal rage that was bubbling up from the pit of his stomach, threatening to consume him.
And Julius wasn't done yet.
His expression hardened into something darker, colder, and then—he reached out and grabbed Summer's arm.
"C'mon," he sneered, pulling her toward him. "Try a real man."
Summer winced, her face contorting in pain, her voice cracking with fury. "You're hurting me, you pervert!" she shouted, trying to wrench herself free, but Julius held tight.
The whole cafeteria fell into a tense, suffocating silence. No one moved. No one intervened. Because Julius was strong. Stronger than any of them. The strongest in their class, according to pre-tournament rankings.
But Damien?
Damien didn't care.
Not anymore.
A thick, electric tension settled in the air as Damien slowly stood. His chair scraped against the floor, a sound so sharp it echoed through the silence, each scrape a warning. The temperature in the room seemed to drop, the air suddenly colder, heavier, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Damien's wet hair clung to his forehead, strands sticking to the sharp angles of his face. His gray eyes—once dull and empty—were now burning with something much darker, something colder, something lethal.
When he locked eyes with Julius, there was no fear in Damien's gaze. Only cold resolve. His voice came out low, a promise rather than a threat.
"Let. Go."
Julius smirked, his lips curling in disdain. "Or what?"
Damien didn't blink. Didn't hesitate. Didn't flinch.
"Or I'll kill you."
The words left his mouth before his mind even had time to catch up with them.
But Julius heard them. He felt the weight behind them, and for a split second, the arrogance in his eyes faltered. And then—Julius released Summer's arm, his hand jerking back as if burned.
Summer stumbled backward, cradling her wrist as she exhaled in a relieved rush, her breath shaky but free. She quickly tried to de-escalate, her voice softening. "Hey, why don't we just go our separate ways?"
But neither Damien nor Julius heard her. They were too far gone now. Both of them radiated pure, unfiltered rage. A deadly tension hung in the air, and the entire cafeteria seemed to shrink around them, the fight inevitable.
Before Damien could react, Julius moved. His fist shot forward like a bullet, faster than anything Damien had ever seen. The speed took him by surprise. He tried to dodge, but—
CRACK.
The corner of his chin took the full brunt of the punch. His body jerked back with the impact, his vision swimming as the world tilted sideways. A ringing in his ears drowned out all sound, his legs struggling to hold him up as his balance faltered.
Shit…
Before he could even regain his footing—
Another punch.
An uppercut, straight to the chin.
The impact sent a shockwave of pain through his skull. The world tilted, spun, and fractured. Everything around him blurred, fading to black.
And just like that, the world went dark.