Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 714: A Professional Relationship

Brittany and Trisha drew near from the distant end of the studio. They moved side by side, shoulders almost brushing, with the hesitant steps of intruders unsure if they fit in the space. Brittany's cheeks stayed swollen, her arms crossed protectively over her midsection. Trisha clutched her hands before her so fiercely that her knuckles turned white.

"Are we interrupting?" Brittany began, her words emerging soft and timid.

Kaiden pushed away from the wall. "No. Come on over."

They advanced. Hesitantly, like nearing a man whose partner had just threatened to slaughter them like beasts, their gazes darting between him and the crowd of women who held no forgiveness for their past actions. Tessa had ceased shaking Talia and observed with keen interest.

Kaiden regarded them as he would any fresh team member.

"Here’s the deal," he stated, in the casual tone of someone chatting business over drinks. "You’ll serve as independent contractors with mercenary standing. You battle beneath my flag, cover your own expenses, and Runewoven’s lawyers manage your contract issues with Ashbound till resolution. Lodging, mission aid, and a flexible stipend are provided."

He waited a moment for it to sink in, then pressed on.

"The setup is straightforward. You arrive, give it your all, and head home."

That summed it up. He outlined the conditions with the same straightforward vibe as assigning training drills, then shifted topics.

Brittany's arms unwound from her belly and fell to her sides, her tense shoulders easing for the first time in hours.

Trisha let out a slow, measured breath through her nostrils, the sort released only after expecting a strike that never came.

After Ash, who had flaunted them as prizes and dubbed it a favor they ought to cherish. After the callers, who learned of two women sinking and arrived demanding payment rather than aid. After Nyx, who exposed her true disdain and dangled salvation laced with scorn.

Kaiden simply addressed them as worthy awakened combatants.

Brittany's lips quivered into a shaky smile.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her voice broke. "Thank you, Kaiden. And we're sorry for what we did to you."

Trisha gave a single nod, her eyes shining when she replied.

"We won’t squander this chance."

"I know you won’t." Kaiden eyed the wall clock. "Now get some rest. We’ll handle details tomorrow morning."

They departed. Brittany dabbed at her face as she pivoted. Trisha placed a hand at the small of her back, and together they exited the studio, shoulders still near but backs held far prouder than on entry.

The door clicked shut behind them.

Luna tracked their exit, then shifted to Nyx, who resumed lounging against the remote wall, phone in hand, face an impeccable mask of indifference.

Luna's eyes sharpened.

Her stare traveled from the door through which two women had just left beaming after their darkest night, to Nyx, who had branded those women promiscuous fools and brainless tramps not an hour prior, to Kaiden, who had extended them salvation with the poise of someone who always viewed them as mere peers.

And Luna got it.

’The pink bimbo,’ she mused, eyeing Nyx glide through comments with that subtle, smug grin. ’She tore them down deliberately so he’d shine as a hero by contrast, when really he just handled them like regular colleagues. This woman’s sharp.’

Nyx kept her focus down. Her thumb slid lazily over the screen, and her lip corner flicked upward.

...

In the medical bay, Chinedu appeared diminished.

Odd to consider for a six-foot-four giant packing mana to shatter mountainsides, yet the treatment bed had that effect, diminishing all. Sheets tucked to his chest, arms at rest by his sides, a soft green regeneration array glow throbbed over his trunk where the gravest wounds mended.

He lay awake. That irked most.

Unconscious, Mariana might have pitied him over rage. Though no, fury would persist.

"Thirteen," she declared from the threshold. She stayed standing. "Out of twenty. That’s what you left us."

Chinedu fixed his gaze on the ceiling. "I know."

"Seven awakened fighters. Lost." She entered but arms stayed crossed, posture rigid like a judge’s bench. "New Dawn dropped fifty-two thousand points. From top spot to fifth in sixty minutes. Fifth, Chinedu. In an hour."

Silence from him.

"And why?" Her tone hushed. "Shouldn’t you be S-tier awakened fighter material? Meant to lead New Dawn’s youth to triumphant destiny?"

Chinedu's jaw clenched. Green light throbbed over his ribs.

"The Guild Leader’s name draws mockery on every forum and channel nationwide," Mariana went on, voice lowering more. "Memes about him. Memes. Of Magnus Ashborn. Because you made our guild a joke."

Chinedu stayed mute awhile. His chest rose and fell beneath the glow, and when words came, they sounded dull and final.

"I stuck to the strategy handed me, Mariana."

The chamber froze.

"Every command. Every positioning. Every clash rule from the top." Eyes ceiling-bound. "I won’t lie here claiming I acted alone when we both heard whose orders crackled over comms."

Mariana's lips parted.

No sound emerged.

It spanned mere instants. A tiny split Chinedu, supine and upward-staring, might miss. Yet there it cracked, a faint fissure in a career forged on one man's infallibility.

Then it mended.

"The Guild Leader’s plan held merit," she countered, voice slicing. "Your follow-through failed. You stumbled into an F-tier kid’s snare despite your vast superiority, costing seven lives by missing the obvious."

Chinedu’s gaze slid from ceiling to her features. The friendly glow vanished, replaced by the weary, blunt look of one seeing a respected figure pick belief over evidence.

"Mariana. That guy’s no F-tier."

"..." Mariana met his eyes another moment, then averted. She turned to go, paused.

She eyed the vacant seat by his bed. No blooms. No belongings. No clingy paramour lurking with whines.

"Your little tramp couldn’t even drop by, eh?" she noted. "Probably hunting fresh game. The prior one turned rancid."

Chinedu’s eyes narrowed.

Mariana strode out. Her boots echoed crisply on the med bay tiles, measured and firm, without a backward glance.

The door sealed. Green light throbbed in the deserted space.

...

Next morning, Kaiden and his crew headed back to the basin.

Days slipped by while the contest raged onward.

Kaiden ascended, his followers surging alongside via streams and threads.

The peak found a steady pulse, almost bearable.

Until it shattered.