Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 1017: Overwhelming Victory

Bone cracked around the buried hooks. He hauled harder, heat racing along the bars as their teeth ripped through the flesh joining the crown to the face below it.

"GGGRRRRAAAAAAA-!"

Wrath detonated inside the skull. Kaiden wrenched the hooked bars through both sides, splitting the head in a blast of bone and burning brain matter.

Kaiden jumped backward out of the collapsing crown, dragging a hooked bar through each half as he went. His last explosion ripped the skull from the spine, and the Sovereign’s body crashed into the terrace.

The impact drove muddy water over the retaining wall in a black wave. The Ninth staggered under the shock while Alexandra’s screen disappeared beneath flying gore.

"Kai?" she called.

"I’m good."

Kaiden stood on the terrace in front of the mangled head. He dissolved the hooked bars and drew their blood back into his gauntlet, along with the mess coating his face.

"...Holy shit," Luna repeated.

- NinthFan: The maid held the boss open while the demon wrestled it. The cat melted it. Then they fired Luna through it. What am I supposed to watch after this?

- GateTheory: Look how fast Alexandra changes who she’s covering. They can attack nonstop because they trust her to be there.

- StormMain: Nyx threw Luna into a boss and caught her before she even hit the ground. I’m losing my mind.

[You’ve slain Templebreaker Sovereign (Level 106). +12,000,000 XP.]

[You’ve gained 25 DMP.]

The lesser Templebreakers had earned him another 3.7 million experience and 1,095 DMP on the climb. Kaiden grinned at the boss’s contribution before closing the notifications.

Behind the carcass, the gate folded in on itself.

The Templebreakers crawling on the lower terraces dropped dead. Violet light drained from the flooded paddies until ordinary muddy water lay beneath a mountain of dead monsters.

"Is that..." One of the Ninth lowered his shield. "Captain?"

Their captain watched the last strip of the gate vanish above the cedars.

"It’s gone."

The shield-bearer began laughing. He faced the town at the foot of the mountain and shouted down the service stair in Japanese.

"IT’S GONE! THE GATE IS GONE!"

Cheers answered from the cordon below. The sound climbed the terraces as the captain counted his squad.

He patted each soldier as he passed. Some were laughing, others staring at the place where the gate had been, and one sat down hard in the mud when his captain reached him.

All twelve were there.

The captain’s face crumpled with relief. His squad had stood within reach of that thing’s hooks, close enough to feel its dying convulsions shake the ground beneath them.

Now his men were arguing about who would tell the story first.

Kaiden released Wrath as the captain approached. The man set down his spear, knelt facing Kaiden and his women, and bowed until his forehead touched the terrace.

"Thank you," he said in strained English. "For my people. All of them... Thank you."

Kaiden crouched in front of him and offered his hand.

"Your experience helped put it down, Captain. I’m glad we got to do this together."

The captain took Kaiden’s hand, and they rose. Behind him, the soldier with the split shield wiped his eyes on a sleeve thick with mud.

"I’m keeping this," the man announced, lifting the wreck.

"It’s broken," his squadmate told him.

"I know. I’m hanging it on my wall."

Luna glanced from the shield to the enormous carcass.

"Ahh..." the gamer girl exhaled, leaning back, stretching her hip. "That was fucking amazing."

"Gotta admit, this fight was indeed cool~" Nyx purred, cracking her neck.

"I can’t believe the supposed ’ordinary’ dungeon was actually ordinary..." Alexandra mused under her breath.

"Are you suggesting our Japanese friends are bad at scouting?" Calypso asked, grinning.

"N-no!! Of course not!" Alexandra yelped, then turned toward the demoness. "How can you even suggest such a thing?"

If looks could kill, the Hearth Valkyrie would’ve ended the Infernal Monarch’s legend a thousand times over.

"Ahaha..." Calypso covered her mouth as she giggled.

Alexandra healed the cut on Calypso’s arm while the demoness kept grinning. "Hmph...! I’ll give you a proper lecture, but first..."

Beside them, Bastet picked a strip of monster flesh off one of her gold bracelets with profound disgust.

"Master, next time I will do better."

"Hm?" Kaiden paused.

"I’m not satisfied with my performance," the tanned kitten scowled, looking away.

Kaiden grabbed the felinid by the waist and hoisted her over his left shoulder, holding her legs with that arm.

"Nya! Master??"

"If you want to complain, I thought I’d give you something to actually complain about."

"I don’t want to complain, Master," Bastet said dryly, feet dangling.

"Are you sure? Cause it sounded to me you were fabricating utter nonsense so you could be dissatisfied with yourself."

"... That’s not true," Bastet pouted. She found the most comfortable position on her lover and clung on.

Aria slipped her hand into Kaiden’s free one.

"I like this much better than falling out of the sky, Kai."

He squeezed her fingers. "So do I, my beloved moon."

Above them, Alice’s halo bobbed toward the pair.

"You’re welcome," she chimed pointedly.

"Thanks, little sis~" Aria reached up toward the halo, and it brightened under her fingers. "You’re amazing. Sincerely."

"But of course. I’m Kaiden’s sister!"

"That you are."

They started down the service stair. At the foot of the mountain, the crowd was pressing up to the cordon to watch the Ninth return with Eclipse.

- BrotherInNinth: He just messaged me. They’re all coming home.

- HozumiSeven: I am crying in a 7-Eleven.

- RedMap: Five gates cleared. Please stay in Japan forever.

In the Circle’s operations center, a fifth red mark went out.

...

Sonoda met Kaiden beside the lead car when the family reached the cordon. The captain was speaking to his colleagues in the control room. Eclipse remained surrounded by waving townsfolk and raised phones.

"My lord." She offered him a towel, visibly struggling to maintain her briefing manner while townsfolk yelled their thanks from behind her. "The council sends its congratulations."

"Much appreciated." Kaiden released Aria’s fingers to take the towel and wiped the last blood from his neck.

"Could we eat before the next one?" Alexandra asked, clutching her stomach. "I’m sorry, I know everyone is excited..."

"I’m with Lexi," Nyx said at once. "I’m starving."

"Of course you are," Luna grinned. "Gotta keep the fat reserves stocked up."

"That’s right, bestie." Nyx winked, zero shame. "My puppies are very high maintenance."

"Hah?"

"Your meal is already being prepared back at the estate." Sonoda smiled at Alexandra, then opened her folder.

Kaiden glanced at the map inside it. Hozumi’s mark had been crossed out. The surrounding gates remained untouched.

"Could you have lunch brought here instead?" he asked. "If there’s another gate nearby, we’d like to keep going."

Luna stopped arguing with Nyx at once.

"Yes! Please!"

"After we eat," Kaiden reminded her, then looked around his family. "Everyone feeling up to it?"

Bastet lifted her head from his shoulder. "Very much so, Master."

"I’m ready whenever you are, Darling~" Calypso smiled, showing him the arm Alexandra had healed.

Sonoda looked from the family to the red marks scattered across her map.

"My lord... How many gates were you hoping to clear today?"

Kaiden grinned. "How many can your people get ready for us?"