Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 687: Standoff
Previously on Demonic Po*nstar System...
The sheer mana pressure was enough to force a weaker individual to kneel.
The aura emanating from Magnus Ashborn distorted the surrounding atmosphere, creating a thick aura of strength that squeezed the chest and turned each inhale into a precious loan. Even the ridge appeared to yield beneath the intensity of his anger, with scattered rocks shaking in their fissures, and the subtle vibration of leftover magical force from Kaiden’s assault extinguished like a flame caught in a storm.
Kaiden remained motionless.
Positioned at the ridge's brink with arms hanging loosely, he locked eyes with his father using the firm, unwavering composure of someone who had foreseen this arrival, this wrath, this precise showdown, and categorized it as unavoidable right after the second attack wave.
His companions reacted initially. Five females positioned themselves between Kaiden Grey and Magnus Ashborn, blades unsheathed and abilities igniting, each one fully committed.
Kaiden lifted a hand.
“No.”
Spoken softly, the command allowed no argument. His companions glanced over their shoulders at him, and something in his look caused them to pause.
This matter belonged to him alone.
They weren't pleased. Luna clenched her teeth while Calypso maintained her firm hold on the axe, yet they retreated. Only a short distance. Near sufficient to send an unmistakable signal to all observers, and that included the entire audience.
Throughout it all, Magnus stayed put. His stare never shifted from Kaiden’s features, and the anger within it blazed purely.
“Guild Leader of New Dawn, Magnus Ashborn. What brings you here?” Kaiden inquired.
“Do you even realize,” Magnus uttered, his tone subdued and restrained like a barrier holding back floodwaters, “the consequences of your actions?”
Kaiden inclined his head slightly.
“I assisted folks who needed help.”
Magnus’s jaw locked so tightly that the muscle in his cheek twitched visibly. “You slew official fighters. Deliberately. During a public stream.”
“I aimed at beasts within a basin overrun by monsters,” Kaiden clarified, his speech holding the steady rhythm of explaining basics to one having difficulty grasping them. “My squad spotted empowered combatants in extreme distress and initiated a saving mission. Any incidental harm in that mission falls, as the Association official below has already verified, into an ambiguous rule zone.”
“You’ll suffer the repercussions.”
“For precisely what? For supporting my fellow empowered? For unleashing attack skills against the creatures slaughtering them?” Kaiden halted, seeming to truly ponder the charge. “I’ll concede our precision might have improved. After all, we’re newcomers. Our targeting lacks flawlessness, particularly in such a tense, fast-paced scenario.”
Magnus’s mana aura surged. The ground under his feet splintered more, fresh cracks extending outwards, and the rushing wind struck Kaiden’s visage like the blast from a blazing hearth.
“I’ll insist on a complete probe,” Magnus declared. “All footage moments will get scrutinized. Each power path will be traced. And once the proof confirms what we’re both aware of, you’ll endure the complete force of empowered martial regulations.”
Kaiden inclined his head in agreement.
“Good.”
The response fell awkwardly. Magnus’s gaze sharpened.
“I take complete accountability for my squad’s moves in the saving effort. We’ll assist entirely with whatever probe the Association chooses to pursue.”
He allowed the statement to linger briefly.
“I’m intrigued, however.”
His tone stayed unaltered. The poise held steady. Yet the sharpness in his eyes directed toward Magnus Ashborn resembled a precise blade.
“As they examine the recordings, I’m curious what they’ll uncover regarding New Dawn’s activities in the recent days. Why a nation’s third-biggest guild dispatched its full novice unit to hinder a fifth-ranked squad. A casual band of empowered who never interfered with others’ beasts. Never joined battles not their own.”
“Sufficient,” Magnus barked.
“No. I haven’t finished.”
The statement sliced past the mana aura oblivious to its existence. Kaiden’s speech kept even, though the discussion’s direction had turned, and they both recognized it.
“Runewoven held fifth rank. Valhalla’s Sinners devoted each day in this event to handling our affairs, battling our battles, broadcasting our material. We never went after rivals’ beasts. Never claimed their victories. Never allied to block others’ progress.” He stopped. “Still, Ashbound and New Dawn trailed us for days. Blocking our aims. Dispatching S-tier empowered and more than twenty warriors to trail a novice team that offered zero danger to a top guild.”
He permitted the quiet to operate.
“I can’t shake the curiosity about the reason.”
Magnus’s expression turned to granite, his form stiff, while his rage echoed through the encircling air as the sole motion.
“Kaiden Grey.” Each sound served as a caution. “Choose your following statements with utmost care.”
Kaiden regarded him, and for the initial instance in their exchange, he grinned.
A minor expression. Fleeting. A grin directed solely at one individual, bearing the burden of all unspoken dialogues and all rejections he’d encountered.
“Okay. I shall. Appreciate the guidance.”
He permitted the grin to vanish.
“I can state immediately, before all those viewing this broadcast, that Magnus Ashborn never reached out to me once in my whole empowered path. He never proposed a spot in New Dawn for me. He never tried to bargain, partner, or arrange any agreement with me or my crew. To public knowledge, we’re total unknowns to each other.”
He maintained his father’s stare.
“Thus, I truly can’t shake the wonder... why does New Dawn’s leader despise a novice like me intensely?”
Magnus offered no reply.
Positioned on the pockmarked ridge with clenched fists, he remained silent, for responding to that query would shatter all he’d concealed for months, and his offspring had posed it amid a million onlookers.
The quiet extended.
One million spectators observed Magnus Ashborn stay speechless before a novice who’d just posed a straightforward query he couldn’t address.
The broadcast discussion raced at a pace beyond mere words. It became chaos, raw and unchecked, and amid that chaos, the query echoed from countless unfamiliar voices who’d never pondered it earlier.
Why DOES he care?
Yet at that instant, the noise of regulated mana landings shattered the tension. Three Association personnel touched down on the ridge forming a triangle encircling Kaiden and Magnus, and the chief agent advanced with the assured command of someone who’d halted graver conflicts.
“Kaiden Grey.” Her speech was formal, admitting no discussion. “The Awakened Association initiates an official inquiry into the last hour’s incidents. We request your presence for a prompt review.”
Kaiden faced her and dipped his head.
“Naturally. I’m glad to assist.”
He glanced back at Magnus once more. Their glances connected, and the silent communication between them required no speech. It never did.
Kaiden pivoted away from his father and headed to the Association agents. His companions trailed him soundlessly.
Not one glanced rearward.