Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 786: Final Hour

He didn't make a bowl out of the mire; he reshaped it into one. His will drove the basin floor thirty meters deeper than the magma burrow's exit and another thirty meters below the Verdant Expanse's edge. Sheer rock walls, forged from impenetrable stone, rose on all sides of the sunken pit, capping the entire biome from above. The poison, heavier than the surrounding air, settled precisely where he intended it to remain.

Above the bowl's rim, clean air existed, unreachable by anything that walked the floor. Even flyers had no alternative. The biome’s ceiling, the same abyssal rock pressed flush against the dungeon's cap, meant the entire airspace below was a vaporous layer. Any creature attempting to escape the floor's spores by flying upwards would only ascend into denser poison, eventually hitting unyielding stone.

The dungeon's inherent rule, which prevented biome atmospheres from mixing across their boundaries, handled the rest.

He redirected the concealed burrow tunnel from the Magma Vein Expanse's edge directly into the Mire instead of the Verdant Expanse. The tunnel's exit point shifted on the map, now opening high on the basin wall. Any intruder who managed to bypass Melty’s sisters would consequently slide down the sloping terrain, directly into the heart of the toxic air below.

[Virulent Mire × 2 km². -1,400 DMP.]

The Defenses menu next appeared, and the red LOCKED tag that had persisted over the Lava Turret option throughout his Low-Tier occupancy was conspicuously absent.

‘Finally.’

Three turrets were deployed. Two positioned to flank the burrow entrance within the Mire, their molten barrels already prepped within their carved housings. A third was nestled in a ridge above the densest mist in the Sink, positioned to conceal the turret's heat signature within the pearlescent haze until the precise moment the first projectile was launched.

[Lava Turret × 3. -1,500 DMP.]

‘Last bit.’

Common Creatures were next. Venomflies at three per DMP and Slimes at ten per DMP, still the most economical units available in the catalog. Three hundred of the flies were dispersed into the Mire in a slow, spreading pattern; their wings blurred into static shapes visible only to Kaiden due to his temporal displacement. These were bred specifically for targeting armor seams and vent grilles, areas the inherent toxicity couldn't reach alone. Two hundred Slimes oozed onto the low floor of the Sink beneath the mist, their slick forms ensuring they wouldn't be detected until it was too late for anything traversing through them.

[Venomfly × 300. -100 DMP.]

[Slime × 200. -20 DMP.]

[Available DMP: 680]

Kaiden retreated into the air.

Eight square kilometers of dungeon now surrounded him, an expansion from the previous five just a minute prior. The Abyssal Cavern lay at the entrance, followed by a Safe Zone at its periphery, with two paths diverging ahead. The Magma Vein Expanse channeled into the Virulent Mire along the environmental hazard kill route. The Abyssal Corridor fed into the Twilight Sink via the meat grinder route. Both culminated in the pushed-back Verdant Expanse, leading to the cathedral-palace waiting at its far end.

Three square kilometers of newly developed terrain. Every inch of it was hostile, though none contained the Mid-Tier monsters he couldn't yet afford.

And that was perfectly acceptable.

The Mire didn't require monsters to breach armor. The Sink didn't need them to blind an approaching formation. The turrets, flies, and slimes would accomplish their designated tasks.

Not that these unoccupied biomes would remain empty indefinitely. They would certainly be populated in due course.

He had dedicated the entire duration to ensuring every detail was as impeccable as possible.

With that settled, his work was complete.

He descended back towards the dais.

But not to his original position. He placed his feet directly beside Aria's right side, his shoulder mere inches from hers, his face only six inches from the edge of her silver hair. Close enough that when she turned to address him, expecting him to still be on the throne, she would instead find him practically at her ear.

Time flowed once more.

For a single breath, the cathedral seemed to stir back to life.

Then, Aria turned her head to speak towards the throne.

His face, six inches away, was what she found instead.

She startled.

A small, surprised "oh!" escaped her, entirely devoid of her usual composure. Before the sound faded, his arm was already encircling her waist. He drew her effortlessly to his side, cupped her chin with his free hand, and pressed a slow kiss to her jawline.

"Kai-!"

"Hi."

"You- I was just-"

"Missed you."

Her cheeks flushed to the most charming shade of offended pink he'd witnessed on her in weeks.

"You did that on purpose!"

"Oh, absolutely."

"Hmph!!"

...

They settled back into the cathedral as the minutes slowly elapsed. Kaiden brought up the combat feed on the dais once Aria had quieted against him, and his family gathered around the projection to watch alongside him.

The feed, upon rendering, presented a scenario far more dire than Kaiden had anticipated.

The Claimant was perched atop its tenth dungeon of the day. The torrent of light entering its maw had noticeably thickened since their last observation, and a relentless stream of monsters erupted from fissures lining its entire form in waves that showed no sign of abating. The kill counter displayed on the tactical overlay had surpassed six digits and continued its upward climb.

The anchor’s voice crackled through the feed.

"...Ten dungeons consumed since dawn. The Association has officially confirmed that all attempts at coordinated military engagements today have met with failure. The Global Scientific Community has now formally designated the phenomenon as Tier-Zero. Civilian protocol continues to recommend evacuation towards designated shelters..."

Luna crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly.

"They're going to fail. Every single one."

"Indeed," Nyx affirmed from his seat on the bench.

"So, it falls to us." Bastet’s voice was a steady presence against his chest.

"It falls to us," Kaiden echoed.

Calypso let out a slow breath, and for the first time, no smile graced her lips.

A moment later, a message chimed at the periphery of Kaiden's awareness.

[Direct Message Thread: Kira Vaughn]

He brought it forward. The feed minimized to a corner of the projection, and the conversation thread unfurled across the dais.

Kira: Boss

Kira: I am so incredibly sorry.

Kira: We cherish you all. We truly do...

Rika: Just for the record, Kira's been weeping for the past twenty minutes.

Kaiden: You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Had you come, I would have personally seen to your dismissal.

Kira: ...

Kira: Dammit. We should have come then, so we could’ve looked braver.

Rika: I TOLD YOU! I WARNED YOU! I knew he would send us away!!

Kaiden: Look after one another.

Kira: Come back to us, Boss.

Rika: Don't die! We just got hired!

Kaiden: I will do my best.

...

The subsequent hours were dedicated to processing the remainder of the Mid-Tier catalog.

The Master’s Domain tab revealed an extensive configuration suite that Kaiden had yet to delve into. They collaboratively discussed every intricate mechanic. Luna retrieved archival gaming references to draw parallels. Bastet elaborated on how she had navigated comparable challenges during her own Low-Tier tenure. Calypso, at intervals, would playfully grope him while he attempted to maintain focus. Alexandra brought up two servings of food. Alice meandered in and out, transitioning between the pantry and his lap.

The countdown proceeded relentlessly through the afternoon.

Six hours.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

And then one.

[Time Until Defense: 01:00:00]

It was at this precise moment that the final arrivals made their appearance.