Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 726: Incompetence

Disappointing, yet bearable. The Association would analyze the footage and uncover precisely what it was designed to reveal: New Dawn’s seasoned fighters clashing with monsters near a novice squad amid an ongoing tournament. Aggressive, maybe. Reckless, absolutely. Still, the strikes hit beasts, and if Kaiden’s group lingered close by, that defined the reality of a communal contest area.

Plausible deniability anchored the full scheme.

Then Vespera showed up.

One week of quiet. Seven days lacking any message, any sign, any hint of her location or pursuits.

The Shadow Monarch materialized atop a mountain ridge before millions watching, pummeling her own offspring until Selena’s bones shattered and the twins struggled for breath. That scene now spread far and wide.

Video of New Dawn’s co-founder demolishing three elite guild members live on TV. The PR fallout would demand months to suppress. Sponsors would phone. The Association would call. Every news channel across the land already aired the clip nonstop.

Magnus’s fingers clenched the desk.

But that remained mere harm. Harm proved controllable.

Vespera’s moves stood apart as her own, letting the guild’s attorneys spin the thrashing as private discipline: a co-leader correcting underlings whose rash moves risked the group’s standing. Messy, sure. Viable, nonetheless.

Then Cassian’s outburst resurfaced in his thoughts.

’It was Father! He ordered us to do this! We were following his command!’

His son had bellowed it over the ridge while his mother’s shadows hauled him across rocks. Bellowed it on live TV. Bellowed it to millions already viewing his guild’s warriors chase a rookie squad, now informed directly by his boy that commands had issued from the top.

Magnus’s gut twisted.

Calix likewise. ’Father sent us! This was his plan!’ Pleading, weeping, accusing him to shield themselves, for as their mother’s shadows tightened, they shed their soldier facades and turned into terrified kids seeking another to bear the blame.

Plausible deniability evaporated. The delicate framework of a strategy rooted in vagueness and remoteness—the gap between guild head’s quarters and veteran hunters in a joint zone—all razed by his own boy’s frenzy.

Magnus Ashborn lingered in his office, hands quivering, broadcast images etched into his vision.

Then the door swung open.

…

Silence gripped the common room as Vespera’s group traversed it.

Grace strode alongside the Shadow Monarch, her heels echoing sharply. The Awakened Association’s Vice Chairman cut a commanding figure in her late thirties, with keen features and pristine formal uniform. Three guards formed up around her, clad head to toe in Association combat armor.

Trailing were the judge and attorney. The judge, gray-bearded, clutched a leather briefcase. The lawyer, in his mid-forties with glasses and oiled-back hair, sported a suit pricier than most vehicles, his cologne announcing him paces ahead. As family counsel, he followed Vespera without pause.

Elizabeth, Vespera’s loyal attendant, brought up the rear. The slight, unassuming elder wore plain dark garb, staying a half-pace behind Vespera amid the group.

Twelve New Dawn members stood frozen along the walls since the broadcast. Their gazes tracked the parade. No one stirred.

Until Mariana advanced.

"Lady Ashborn." Her tone held firm, exacting a toll none could fathom. "Guild Leader Ashborn has requested privacy. If you’d allow me to announce-"

Vespera’s gaze shifted.

The look endured under a second. Mariana’s knees gave way. Her sight tunneled to a pinpoint, every innard seizing as primal dread howled she faced imminent death.

Her voice failed. Her chest ignored breath. The Shadow Monarch’s eyes swept past like a hunter dismissing insignificant prey.

Vespera continued onward.

The group trailed her. Grace spared Mariana no look. The guards ignored her existence. Judge, lawyer, and Elizabeth crossed the space as though Mariana’s words never sounded, for to their leader, they hadn’t.

Mariana stayed rooted where she’d moved, palm half-lifted.

…

Magnus’s office door parted sans knock.

Vespera stepped inside. Chill seeped into the air. Corner shadows thickened.

Magnus beheld the intruders in his domain.

His spouse. Three Association guards in battle gear. Grace in crisp uniform. A judge. Their household lawyer. And Elizabeth, stationed at Vespera’s shoulder, hands clasped, eyes fixed on him brimming with mother-in-law scorn.

She had served Vespera since girlhood, after all.

He couldn’t grasp it.

Vespera filed divorce papers mere days prior. They arrived routinely, bureaucratic and bland; he shelved them since splitting top-tier co-leaders from a premier guild involved no quick fix.

Months of haggling awaited. Court sessions. Experts dissecting a realm woven by two noble houses over decades. Valuations, audits, contracts across countless arms. His lawyers would battle for each Chronos; hers matched fiercely, dragging through courts for years, perhaps.

That bought time. Time for mountain footage to blur in minds. Time for Association scrutiny to wane. Time to reshape the tale of ridge events.

So why did the Awakened Association’s Vice Chairman occupy his office with guards and a judge?

"Vespera." He spoke cautiously. "What is this?"

She stayed mute. Her stare met his, unveiling—for the first time in their union—what lay beyond the chill. Vespera never warmed to him. Their alliance forged in iron and schemes, noble lines uniting for dominance over love. He embraced it. He erected an empire upon it.

But now differed. No mere cold faced him. Pure hatred burned there—raw, refined, total. A woman who loathed him to her core, repulsed by his nearness, arrived solely to slice the final tie binding her name to his.

The lawyer advanced. "Mr. Ashborn. Lady Ashborn has readied a full settlement offer and seeks to conclude the marriage dissolution today. Terms stand drafted, vetted, signature-ready. The judge stands by to certify."

Magnus gaped at him. "Today?"

"Today," the lawyer affirmed.

Magnus eyed Vespera. No words came from her.

He turned to Grace.

"Guild Leader Ashborn." Her tone stayed official, precise. "The Association received word of possible upheaval in one of the nation’s top three guilds. As Vice Chairman, I oversee this process and verify all paperwork’s due handling."

"... I see." He faced Vespera again, adding, "Before terms arise, you must grasp-"

"No."