Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 760: New Meta

Raziel remained silent for a moment, his display replaying the exact instant Kaiden transformed from Pride to Gluttony while mid-air. The replay showed Kaiden landing on the creature's back for a second time, the siphoning field already active even before his feet touched down. It was a seamless, practiced maneuver, a transition that defied the capabilities expected of a fighter at his current level.

"Their teamwork is exceptional," Raziel commented. "The spatial manipulator launched the Storm Valkyrie at maximum velocity for the decisive blow. Kaiden and the demoness maintained their position on the creature's back despite impacts that should have thrown them off. The ranged specialists continued their assault without pause, even as the melee combatants executed their attack."

"They place profound trust in each other, far more than most teams who have collaborated for an entire decade," Evangeline remarked lightly.

"They trust *him*," Raziel corrected. "The entire coordination originates from a single individual. Every shift, every strategic withdrawal. He issues a command, and they seamlessly fill the established gaps. This level of synergy requires more than mere time investment."

Evangeline flashed a grin, a dazzling smile that conveyed absolutely no warmth. "I suppose sharing a bed with your entire team does present certain tactical benefits. I wonder if others will attempt to emulate this approach. Perhaps it will become the new strategic paradigm."

"..."

She gave a playful wink. "You are welcome to try, by the way. I merely suspect you might only find success with the male members."

Raziel disregarded the remark. His sister’s provocations were as predictable as the tides and held as much significance.

He closed the replay, his gaze drifting to the cavern depths below. The primary source of his concern was not Kaiden. The young man was undoubtedly talented, an anomaly, and certainly formidable upon reaching his full potential. However, he was an individual fighter. Individual fighters could be countered, outmaneuvered, or simply outlasted.

Vespera Ashborn, however, was a different matter entirely. She could not be dealt with in the same manner.

"She provided him with everything," Raziel stated. "Resources, established infrastructure, financial support, intelligence networks. The entirety of the institutional framework she meticulously constructed within New Dawn over ten years was dismantled overnight and reassembled under a new banner."

"With herself appointed as Regent," Evangeline added, her smile faltering. "This signifies that she retains ultimate command over operations while bestowing upon him the titular position. He is the public face; she is the driving force."

"For the present."

"For the present," she concurred.

The unspoken ramifications were palpable. For years, the Radiant Order had navigated a delicate power balance among three major guilds: Crimson Dominion, New Dawn, and themselves. This equilibrium was partly sustained by the internal discord within New Dawn. At times, Vespera's unyielding demeanor and Magnus's insatiable ambition had pulled the guild in opposing directions, thereby restricting its expansion capabilities. That constraint had now vanished completely. Vespera, liberated and at the helm of a guild forged entirely to her own specifications, with a son whose public notoriety was escalating at an unprecedented rate, was a formidable force.

Eclipse represented the original New Dawn, stripped of its incapacitating liabilities.

"We observe," Raziel declared.

Evangeline tilted her head slightly. "We merely observe?"

"For now."

She met his gaze, and for a fleeting moment, all playfulness vanished from her expression. "You adopted a similar stance regarding the Ashborn boy two months ago."

Raziel held her gaze steadily. "And my assessment proved correct. Prudent observation was the right course of action then, and it remains the correct strategy now."

"Until it is no longer appropriate."

He turned his attention back to the cavern. Below them, a medic was tending to a wound on a young paladin's arm. The paladin winced slightly but remained silent, a testament to his rigorous training and commendable discipline. The Radiant Order instilled excellent standards in its recruits.

"Until it is no longer appropriate," he agreed.

Evangeline dismissed her interface with a flick of her wrist. She stretched her arms overhead, the movement causing her armor to shift and creak, and offered a delicate yawn.

"The demoness is remarkably beautiful," she commented casually, her eyes glinting with a hint of sadism. "I do wonder what their reaction would be if I were to smite her."

Raziel offered no response.

...

Scarlet the Flame Monarch’s penthouse boasted expansive floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city's illuminated skyline, yet she paid them no heed.

Emerging from the bathroom, a robe draped loosely around her, her hair still damp from the shower, Scarlet felt the soothing warmth of the hot water dissipate the lingering ache from the bruise that extended from her shoulder to her elbow. This mark was a recent acquisition, a memento from protecting her mercenary contractor's team against a formidable Dreadmaw Pack. Despite dispatching them in under two seconds with a burst of her fiery abilities, the largest creature had managed to land a glancing blow before its demise.

It was simply an occupational hazard.

Her assistant stood awaiting her in the opulent living room, tablet in hand. Her posture was impeccably straight, her expression conveying the determined look of someone who had foregone sleep and accepted this reality hours prior.

"Welcome back," the assistant stated.

"Mmm," Scarlet responded, reaching for a pre-poured glass of wine on the counter and draining it before she had even settled into a seat. "Did anything significant occur during my absence?"

Her assistant offered no verbal reply. Instead, she simply extended the tablet towards Scarlet.

Scarlet raised an inquisitive eyebrow, accepted the device, and focused her attention on the digital display.

An article from a major publication, which was undoubtedly crafted by a seasoned storyteller with a knack for captivating readers, grabbed Scarlet's attention. The headline boldly proclaimed: The Ashborn Prince and His Shadow Queen: Inside Eclipse’s Royal Family.

A photograph accompanied the text.

Scarlet's eyes widened in surprise.

The image depicted Vespera Ashborn reclining against her son, Kaiden, whose arms were wrapped around her from behind. Kaiden's chin rested on Vespera's head, and her expression was one of utter... tranquility.

Scarlet brought the tablet closer, her gaze sharpening as she scrutinized the image.

"This can't be real... Did they use Photoshop?" she questioned.

"No," the assistant replied matter-of-factly.

"..." Scarlet was momentarily speechless. The friend she knew, a veritable ice-cold killing machine, appeared to be... happy.

Content. The Shadow Monarch radiated contentment. Leaning against her son, her eyelids were half-closed, and a subtle warmth softened the lines of her face.

Scarlet had known Vespera for years. They had fought side-by-side, trained in proximity, and shared spaces in summits that invariably grew frigid the moment Vespera entered. She had witnessed Vespera quell threats with a mere glance and dismantle egos with unnerving silence.

Never, in all that time, had she seen Vespera look like this.

A soft giggle escaped the Flame Monarch's lips.

"Even that woman can seem like a happy mother," Scarlet remarked, her eyes still fixed on the photograph. She gave a slight shake of her head, unable to suppress a grin. "What a strange world we live in."

She settled back into the plush couch, a glass of wine in one hand and the tablet balanced on her knee. Vespera's half-lidded eyes seemed to gaze back from the screen, warm and unguarded in a way the real Vespera would have certainly eliminated anyone attempting to capture.

Scarlet took a slow, deliberate sip of her wine, savoring the moment.

"I'm starting to feel jealous," she murmured.

Her assistant remained silent.

"Perhaps I should have a child too?" Scarlet mused aloud, her gaze still locked on the image.

Her assistant regarded the Flame Monarch with a carefully measured expression, the kind developed over years of choosing words wisely around a woman capable of incinerating an entire city block.

"If you dedicate as little time to your children as Vespera apparently did – which, given your workaholic tendencies, you absolutely would..."

"Did you say something?" Scarlet interrupted.

"No, and please refrain from interrupting me."

"..."

"As I was saying, if you dedicate minimal time to your child, the likelihood is they would end up resembling Selena, Calix, and Cassian far more than Kaiden or Alice."

Scarlet's face instantly contorted. The grin vanished, her wine glass halted mid-sip, and a visible shiver of distaste ran through her shoulders.

"Ugh." She grimaced. "No, thank you."

Her assistant offered no further comment. The point had been made.

Scarlet shifted her attention back to the tablet, this time focusing on the young boy.

He seemed remarkably young, perhaps younger than his considerable audacity suggested. Yet, his features mirrored his mother's, and the way he casually held the most feared person on the continent suggested an unsettling level of comfort.

The Flame Monarch offered another faint smile.

"The golden child, eh..."

She took another drink.