Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 787: Last Arrivals

The cathedral exhaled them into the open air, the first time they had felt it in hours.

A flat staging ground stretched between the dungeon’s exit and the distant treeline. Association perimeter vehicles were amassed at the far edge, under a sky darkened by late-afternoon American light, which had taken on the hue of old tin. Veterans of the Eclipse conflict manned the middle cordon, while the Association’s forces were positioned within the inner ring. Vespera’s own contingent waited somewhere beyond the trees.

Kaiden stood at the entrance to his domain, his women gathered around him.

Aria was at his right, her silver hair flowing in the wind, her fingers loosely entwined with his. Luna had one boot propped on a shattered boulder to his left, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the treeline, watchful for any movement. Bastet stood a half-step behind him, her veils drifting and settling against the gold adornments on her ankles, her tail swaying gently in the breeze. Calypso idled a short distance away, the handle of her axe resting on her shoulder, a casual grin on her face. Nyx and Scarlet were seated on a bench provided by the Association, their legs crossed in opposite directions; the Flame Monarch appeared completely at ease beside the Space Babe. Alice, in her quiet halo form, hovered above his head, unusually silent.

Vespera had remained inside, occupied with her own preparations.

[Time Until Defense: 00:56:12]

Kaiden’s eyes scanned the treeline.

A minute later, the convoy crested the rise.

Armored vans formed the core of the procession, led by a dozen SUVs with blacked-out windows, streaked with dust. The lead vehicle proudly displayed the Awakened Association’s field pennant. They entered the staging area in a structured sequence, braking in formation, their tires gripping the gravel, engines settling into a synchronized coolness.

The van doors opened first.

Taigi emerged before the lead SUV had fully settled onto its suspension. She landed with a step-down jump onto the stone, her saber already in hand. The captain’s armor she wore bore the gray dust of a dungeon she had been fighting in barely an hour prior. Her warriors debouched behind her in an orderly procession, reforming their ranks as their boots met the ground: a shield wall at the front, spearmen falling in behind, archers forming the third rank, skirmishers fanning out to the flanks, and trappers bringing up the rear. Forty-six warriors clad in bronze armor transitioned from vehicles to battle lines without missing a beat.

They had been recalled from a resource-gathering mission. Weeks spent grinding against whatever the enemy threw at them, their cycle cut short by the rune displayed on Bastet’s sash. The Association had swiftly ushered them onto transport vehicles the moment they exited the run and sped them here.

Taigi covered the final thirty meters in a sprint, dropping to one knee on the stone the instant she reached her Lord.

"My Lord. Forgive our delay."

Her voice was steady, though her breath hitched slightly.

"We were held up."

Kaiden looked down at the Leader of the Dungeon-Born.

A smile came easily to his lips.

"You haven’t missed a thing, Taigi."

Her head lifted slightly, her dark eyes meeting his steadily. The wave of relief that washed over her face took a single, brief breath to arrive and then settle. She gave a single nod.

"We are prepared."

"Good. Prepare for defense."

Taigi rose. Her saber was drawn from its sheath in a single, fluid motion. She then turned to her formation, raising the blade above her shoulder.

"Forward! We defend our home!"

The column responded with a unified roar that echoed across the clearing. Forty-six warriors in bronze armor streamed past Kaiden and his women in disciplined file, pouring into his domain like a rolling tide of shield rims, spear points, and quiet, fierce resolve.

Taigi followed last. As she crossed the threshold, she inclined her head toward Kaiden’s women. The Yandere Princess returned the gesture with a small smile, the kind that conveyed a true welcome home.

Then they were inside, and the stone outside fell silent once more.

...

The doors of the lead SUV opened next.

The heavy hitters exited first. There were no mere ornamental escorts among them; Kaiden recognized this at a glance. The powerful auras emanating from the agents disembarking from the second and third vehicles were palpable, felt in the chest before they were even registered by the ears. Two S-tier signatures, and at least three high-A ranks. These were veterans of battles Kaiden would have hesitated to confront on a favorable day.

The passenger door of the middle vehicle opened last, and Grace stepped out onto the stone.

She looked utterly depleted.

The composed executive secretary Kaiden had last encountered was nowhere to be seen. Her lip tint was gone. Her hair, pulled into a messy knot, had come undone on one side. Dark circles under her eyes were so pronounced that concealer would have been useless even if she had attempted it. Her blazer was the same one she had clearly been wearing for days.

Kaiden tilted his head as she walked the cleared ground toward him.

"Rough day?"

She gave him a look.

It was the most desiccated expression his face had ever endured, and behind it lay a continent’s worth of exhaustion, unfolding in real-time.

Her lips twitched as Kaiden mirrored her expression with utmost seriousness.

Grace exhaled.

"This is a colossal clusterfuck.""Yeah..." She placed both hands on her hips and got straight to the point. "Help me out here, Kaiden. I know you’re somehow involved in all of this. So, tell me. How is it that you confronted that creature, and it left you alone? Why did Vespera pull back to this location instead of fighting on the front lines?" Her gaze flickered sideways, sharp and knowing, settling on the woman seated on the bench. "And how come half the heavy hitters my team has been trying to rally all day suddenly dropped off our communications and showed up at *your* dungeon instead of the impact zones?" Scarlet, completely unfazed by the accusation being directed her way, pushed herself up from the bench, flashed a wide grin, and offered Grace a V-sign. A vein visibly pulsed at Grace’s temple, a classic anime trope. She inhaled slowly through her nose, deliberately averting her gaze from the Flame Monarch once more. Kaiden paused for a moment. "Oh. That." Grace’s eyes narrowed infinitesimally. "The monster challenged me to a duel. A Dungeon Master’s Duel. It intends to claim my dungeon. My mother has been orchestrating preparations ever since the challenge was issued." He let the statement sink in. Then, he raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You didn’t know?" There was a brief silence. "I assumed she would have informed you." Grace stared at him. Grace was meant to be in the loop. She had received the briefing, she had briefed her Chairman, and she had spent countless sleepless hours coordinating continental asset allocation based on that very briefing. Now, the man at the heart of the entire crisis was questioning if she was privy to the information. She held his gaze for a solid four seconds. The nearest Association agent found something else to focus on in the vicinity. Then, she let out a sigh, a mix of defeat and a strange sort of affection. She had been safeguarding this man’s reputation long before he even had one. "She did." Another sigh escaped her. "I just wanted to hear that absurdity spill directly from your lips." Kaiden’s smile returned. "Fair enough, I suppose. Were you satisfied?" "Immensely," Grace replied, her voice laced with as much wryness as she could physically muster. A deep voice suddenly boomed across the clearing before either of them could respond. "The man himself, is it?" Kaiden turned. The fourth individual to exit the lead vehicle had been standing by the open door and was now approaching them with an unhurried stride.