He is still reasonable, so he can argue with his pride, but his pride always wins. The victory of his pride is because he needs it to maintain his power.
Fortunately, he is still reasonable and can keep his pride in check. But what he can't stop himself from doing is being dominating.
If before, he could stand by and watch as someone used his students as bait without doing anything, he can't do that now. He must stop it or retaliate with a thunderous strike.
He won't let himself be jerked around without resisting. More than that, he wants to be the one jerking others around and controlling them.
He wants to be the one taking advantage of others. He wants to be dominating.
He smiled when he thought of that. Then he said, "I like that. I think I'm going to be doing it from now on."
Maybe he would try his best to squash the emotion of Pride if it were painful to feel. But pride makes him giddy and excited. It makes him happy and confident.
