Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 784: Lacking Gratitude

Bastet's tail let out a slow, deliberate flick across the stone floor.

"Regarding the duration of this effect," she declared, "I anticipate it won't be a matter of months. My estimation is a day or two, at most."

Aria's head snapped towards Bastet, her curiosity piqued.

"Is that assessment based on concrete evidence, or simply a hunch?"

"A hunch," Bastet confirmed.

Her feline ears twitched, and the most cunning grin yet stretched across her lips.

"However, one should never dismiss the uncanny intuition possessed by a genius felinid queen such as myself."

Alice finally released Alexandra from a final, tight embrace. Alexandra stepped back, her hands still trembling slightly from the exertion, and smoothed down her dark demonic maid attire.

Then, she turned her attention to Kaiden.

She closed the short distance between them.

And pressed herself against his chest.

Her arms circled his waist, her cheek resting flat against the center of his torso, remaining perfectly still and unhurried.

"Thank you, Kai," she murmured, her voice muffled against his body.

"Thank you for honoring my determination."

A moment later, Kaiden's hand came to rest between her shoulder blades.

From behind him, Aria's sharp silver eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Are you becoming perhaps a little too accustomed to embracing him, Alexa?" she inquired, her tone conversational and calm.

Beneath the surface, the Yandere Princess was watching with undisguised suspicion.

"Yeah," Luna chimed in, observing from her corner in the Safe Zone with her arms crossed. "The shameless blonde went from never even daring to meet his gaze to practically clinging to him at the first available chance."

Alexandra's blush intensified, shifting from a faint pink to a blazing scarlet.

Yet.

She did not immediately release Kaiden.

"This is merely an expression of my gratitude," she stated, her voice soft but firm. "Kai has done a tremendous amount for me."

"I've done a lot for you too," Luna retorted instantly, pushing herself away from the wall she'd been leaning against. "And I don't see you latching onto me like a lost kitten seeking its mother."

Alexandra's blush deepened further.

Then, gradually, the flush transformed.

A grin, initially timid, blossomed into one of pure mischief. She finally let go of Kaiden, stepped back, and turned to confront Luna directly.

"You know," Alexandra declared brightly, "you are absolutely right. Please allow me to rectify that oversight immediately."

With that, she sprinted forward, arms outstretched, offering a massive hug.

Luna's grin, which had been forming in anticipation of scoring a point, froze mid-expression.

The issue was purely visual.

Alexandra was clad in her signature maid uniform: a form-fitting black leather corset intricately laced with red down the front, puffed sleeves leaving her shoulders bare, a short, flared black and red skirt that rode high around her shapely thighs, and garter straps affixed to lace-topped thigh-high stockings that peeked out from beneath the hem with every movement.

The uniform itself was undeniably cute.

However, the corset's plunge was so profound that the red lace trim at its upper edge served as little more than a token embellishment. Every jolt and bounce threatened to spill her generously proportioned assets completely out of their containment.

Luna's expression soured.

"Oh, for crying out loud," she groaned.

Spinning on her heel, she bolted. "No, no, no! I am absolutely not doing this!"

The sight of the Storm Valkyrie—the Sinners' fastest operative, the warrior who had once fought off an S-tier threat single-handedly while her own severed limb was clamped in her teeth—sprinting away from a maid in full tactical retreat was certainly not something Kaiden had anticipated witnessing that day.

"Hey!" Alexandra yelled, increasing her speed. "Wait up! I just want to properly convey my thanks!"

"Put it in writing, you freak!"

"What am I, your tax auditor? Friends show appreciation through physical contact!"

"Wear a hoodie and maybe I'll consider it! Actually, on second thought, no, that wouldn't be sufficient either!"

"Come on now!"

Luna became a blur of purple streaking across the Safe Zone's stone floor, heading directly for the Abyssal Cavern.

The colossal Skyfiend, which had just landed after depositing Bastet in the Safe Zone, lifted its massive head from preening its wing. Its reptilian eyes locked onto the small purple figure hurtling towards it at full combat speed, an expression of grave alarm evident on its face.

Luna slammed into the beast, planting one foot firmly on its shoulder, and vaulted onto the ridge of its spine in a single fluid motion.

"GO GO GO!"

The Skyfiend emitted a startled, resonant cry—a deep, majestic creature's bewildered protest at being commandeered without consent—and flared its immense wings. Its talons scraped against the abyssal stone as it struggled to comprehend the situation.

"Faster! There's a massive cow threatening to trample me with her enormous udders! That's a fate worse than death!"

Alexandra gave a valiant but brief pursuit for about eight meters, her blonde hair streaming behind her, her chest bouncing with a violent rhythm that Luna had clearly registered from the very first stride.

With a thunderous beat of its massive wings, the Skyfiend lifted off the ground, sending dust swirling throughout the Safe Zone. It soared into the cavern's ceiling and accelerated towards the corridor, its bewildered cry of protest echoing through the abyssal depths as it retreated.

"Later, loser! Go choke Kai with those deadly weapons!" Luna's voice boomed, echoing multiple times from the depths.

Alexandra's running slowed.

Her arms lowered.

She placed her hands on her knees.

"...Alright," she gasped. "Alright. I seriously need to work out."

Her chest rose and fell with each deep, open breath, the fabric of her top stretching with every inhale.

Then, a soft laugh escaped her.

It began subtly, a quiet chuckle that shook her shoulders, then erupted, open and unrestrained, her free hand flying to cover her mouth. Her eyes crinkled at the corners. She was visibly flushed and sweating, laughing into her palm. Such uninhibited laughter hadn't graced her lips in ages.

Kaiden observed her with a gentle smile.

Aria's hold on his arm tightened. Glancing down, Kaiden saw her silver eyes had softened at the edges, a slight smile gracing her lips as she watched Alexandra catching her breath across the Safe Zone.

Bastet's tail gave an amused flick, and she let out a short, refined laugh behind her hand.

Alice, beside Kaiden, erupted into delighted giggles; all of them found the recent event quite amusing.

"Was anyone filming?" Alice inquired.

"I always record when Kai is in view," Aria stated casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing.

"...Good. Please make it a private upload. I want to see it."

"Certainly, little sis."

Kaiden chuckled at their exchange, exhaled through his nose, and walked across the Safe Zone towards Alexandra, who was still bent over, recovering.

"Come on. Let's get you and the luggage inside."

Alexandra straightened up, still flushed and breathing heavily, and gave him an appreciative nod.

The girls gathered around, each picking up a bag from the stone floor.

Together, they turned towards the Abyssal Corridor. Somewhere far ahead, the bewildered cries of the commandeered Skyfiend still reverberated off the distant walls.

Kaiden's focus involuntarily shifted, as it had countless times in the past few hours, to the system countdown shimmering at the edge of his vision.

[Time Until Defense: 07:22:08]

It was time to get to work. The true challenge was about to commence, heralding a confrontation unlike anything the world had ever witnessed.