Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Resentment Chapter 83 - Resentment Elijah sat silently at the head of the table. Leona stood at his side, serene and beautiful like a doll sculpted for war. Before him, Isac, Albert, and Luke sat stiffly, tension bleeding from their very pores. Elijah’s expression was twisted into a deep, ugly frown. He had just returned from his mission— and despite managing to wound the beast, he failed to kill it. The mission was marked as half-complete. The taste of failure soured his mood, made his blood simmer. And now— these fools dared to spout nonsense before him? Elijah’s voice cut through the silence like a knife: "What did you just say, Luke?" The room’s temperature dropped sharply. A terrifying pressure radiated from Elijah’s body. Luke instinctively flinched, sweat trickling down his back. But he forced the words out, teeth gritted. "I’ve... been punished by the Student Council," Luke muttered. "I won’t be able to help you for a while. I have mandatory punishment tasks to complete." Elijah tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "I don’t give a fuck about your punishment, Luke," he said, voice dripping with contempt. "What I want to know is—" His gaze sharpened into a blade. "Did you just say you tried to beat Sophie?" The temperature surged. Behind Elijah, a faint silhouette of a burning phoenix manifested, wings spread in silent fury. "How dare you?" Elijah whispered, his voice cold enough to freeze fire. "I told you—Sophie is mine. No one touches her. No one touches any of the women I set my eyes on." "You were given a simple task." "Disturb Noah’s faction. Cause chaos. But never engage directly." His words hit like hammer strikes. "How useless can you be?" "You—" "SHUT UP!" Luke snapped. The words exploded from his mouth before he could stop them. The room froze. Even the air seemed to still. after months of being insulted, ignored, treated like trash—Luke finally exploded. He stood up, fists clenched, his face twisted in rage. "Shut up, you fucking horny bastard," he snarled. "Sophie doesn’t care about you." "None of the girls you lust after do." Isac and Albert’s faces turned pale. ’What the fuck is he doing?’ "Luke, calm do—!" Isac tried to speak, but Luke barreled on. "No, Isac. No more ’calm down.’" He pointed straight at Elijah, who stared at him with burning golden eyes. "Chosen One?" Luke spat. "You’re nothing." "That bitch Sophie was ready to kill all of us when she thought Noah was dead." "She fought Damon." "Do you even realize what that means?" He laughed bitterly. "And guess what?" "They failed. Noah is still alive." "And Elizabeth—the Saintess or rather former Saintess herself—" "She survived too." Luke’s eyes burned with manic intensity. "Now she knows we tried to kill her." "Our oracle’s gone." "We’re back to square one." "No," he corrected himself. "It’s even worse." He pointed a shaking finger at Elijah. "And it’s all because of you." "You were supposed to handle Elizabeth." "But instead—you were busy chasing skirts." His gaze shifted to Leona, who wore a small, mocking smile. "Especially this bitch." "Open your eyes, Elijah! She’s playing you." "How can you be so blind?" "Chosen One, my ass." Luke’s breathing was ragged. All the resentment he had buried deep inside finally erupted. This man—this arrogant, lustful bastard—was dragging them all down. Meanwhile, Isac and Albert were frozen in terror. ’You fucking idiot!’ ’You just doomed us all!’ They understood better than anyone. Elijah wasn’t just strong. He was their lifeline. Without him—they were nothing. And now... It was over. Elijah slowly rose from his seat. The golden aura surrounding him flared, and a deep, ancient golden sword of burning light materialized in his hand. The room was suddenly suffocating. Like standing before a merciless executioner. One ready to kill for his goddess. "I have tolerated you insects long enough," Elijah said quietly. "And now—you dare to accuse me?" He moved closer to Luke, each step echoing like a death knell. "You dare tell me Sophie doesn’t care about me?" "You dare call the woman I love a bitch?" Each word dripped with lethal intent. The heat rose exponentially. Flames burst into existence around him, the very air igniting under his fury. "You—" "Deserve—" "Death." Elijah raised his sword— But before it could fall, a soft voice cut through the rage. "Don’t do it, my love." Leona’s voice was sweet and soothing, like a cool balm poured onto a raging inferno. She walked forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Don’t kill him," she whispered. "It’s not worth it." "If you kill him, the Academy will interfere." "You’ll lose time." "You’ll fall behind Noah." Her voice grew softer, almost hypnotic. "And I don’t want to see you lose." "You are the Chosen One. The blessed one." "How can someone like you lose to trash?" Elijah’s trembling slowed. He lowered his sword slowly, his golden eyes dimming. He turned to Leona, gazing at her with adoration. "You’re the only one who understands me," he said softly. He took her hand, grasping it tightly, a faint smile crossing his lips. The golden sword faded from existence. Without sparing another glance at Luke, Elijah turned and walked away. At his side, Kitsune—his contracted beast—appeared, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. With Kitsune perched on him, Leona beside him, Elijah radiated supreme arrogance. At the door, he stopped. He didn’t turn back. He didn’t need to. His voice echoed coldly through the room: "I don’t need you anymore." "Our deal ends today." "And good luck winning the throne without me." He disappeared, leaving behind silence. Crushing, suffocating silence. For a moment, no one moved. Then— Albert snapped. He lunged at Luke and punched him viciously. "You fucking idiot!" he roared, landing blow after blow. "Do you even realize what you’ve done?!" Luke didn’t fight back. He just stood there, accepting the beating. Isac sighed heavily. "Stop, Albert," he said. "There’s no point." Albert finally relented, breathing heavily, fury radiating from every pore. "But what now?" he demanded. "Without Elijah’s power, we’re finished." "How do we stand against Sophie—with Noah backing her?" "How do we fight the first-year monsters?" Isac stayed silent for a long time. Then he looked up. And his eyes were dark. "Simple." "If the Chosen One won’t help us..." He smiled grimly. "Then we’ll seek the villains instead." Albert’s eyes widened. "Don’t tell me—" Isac nodded slowly. "Contact the demons." "I have a proposition for them." —End of Chapter 83—