Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 788: Final Countdown

An intimidating aura preceded him, constricting the air much like Vespera's presence did when she entered a room, and this tension did not dissipate even after his arrival. Possessing broad shoulders and silver streaks at his temples, his expensive coat was cinched at the waist. Having presided over discussions with every intelligence chief in the nation, the very ground seemed to affirm his authority before his boots even made contact.

To their credit, the women did not reach for their weaponry, yet their gazes collectively locked onto him.

The Chairman halted before Kaiden, a dry smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"As tight-lipped as his mother, and somehow even more of a handful. You are quite the subject for study."

Kaiden's lips quirked slightly at the corner.

"You've already shown a significant desire to study me, Chairman."

The Chairman raised a silver eyebrow.

"The scientist at our ranking test who refused to let us leave until that phone call arrived. The numerous proposals you've since sent through my mother, hoping she'd permit you to study me properly."

He regarded Kaiden for a prolonged moment.

Evaluating.

Then, he threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh, so loud it echoed across the staging area, causing a peripheral agent to glance over reflexively.

"She told you about that? Ha!"

He shook his head, still grinning.

"Can you fault us, Kaiden? Every time I believe your file has reached its limit, another Monarch binds to you, a Tier-Zero appears at your doorstep, or your sister's strike team ends up in the ER. I keep anticipating the escalation to cease. Yet, it persistently climbs."

He extended his hand, his expression losing its humor.

"Honestly, kid. My apologies. None of this has brought me any pleasure. But certain actions are necessary, and they cannot be undone by wishful thinking."

Kaiden's gaze shifted from the offered hand to the Chairman's face.

He allowed the silence to linger.

Then, he reached out and grasped the offered hand firmly.

"You have been more than understanding, Chairman. Especially considering my mother has threatened your Association with treason on several occasions."

The Chairman's shoulders trembled slightly with a silent, half-suppressed chuckle.

"Only a few times."

"Let us proceed."

"Gladly."

The handshake held for another beat before they released each other.

Grace observed the exchange between the two men on the open ground outside the dungeon's entrance, with the continent ablaze a thousand kilometers to the east.

She sighed.

"...Men."

To Kaiden's right, Aria's shoulders gave a soft, solitary shake. Luna let out an open snort. The remaining women joined in their amusement, a wave of laughter rippling outward from the group, causing the vein at Grace's temple, which had only just begun to subside, to throb anew.

...

The convoy steadily dispersed over the ensuing minutes.

As each vehicle unloaded its occupants into the perimeter, the clearing transformed into the framework of a defense line being erected in real-time. Association ground crews, squads of Eclipse veterans, and two platoons of independent awakened individuals Vespera had summoned through favor and personal requests. Engineers deployed field generators and established runic wards along the outer perimeter. Field medics raised tents, and supply crates were stacked three deep against the treeline.

Remarkably, not a single soul crossed Kaiden's gate.

At some point within the last six hours, a news outlet had bestowed a name upon the creature. The anchors adopted it within the hour, the stream chat quickly latched onto it, and by the time Bastet's tactical overlay retrieved its most recent classification card, the name was officially logged.

Kaiju.

The word had resonated with the world, perfectly encapsulating the entity it described, and now humanity had a spoken name for this being before it reached their defenses.

Every significant power Vespera and the Chairman could muster from the impact zones was positioned outside those fortifications, not within.

The rationale behind this strategy was solid. The moment the declaration was issued, Vespera had drawn the initial line on the map, a decision subsequently reinforced by every briefing.

A dungeon gate's malfunction was a possibility; it had occurred before. Kaiden's was the first human-operated gate in history, leaving no prior incidents for reference. However, across all other recorded instances, the Association's archives documented seal breaches on multiple continents. If every S-tier operative within reach were inside Kaiden's domain when his gate faltered, the Kaiju outside would have an entire nation to devour while the defenders grappled with the wrong side of the barrier.

That constituted the primary reason.

The secondary reason was more straightforward: Earth required defense, and defending the planet from within a sealed dimension was an impossibility.

The third consideration was the space available. The expansive clearing offered unobstructed terrain stretching for kilometers in all directions. A formation of this magnitude and power could deploy here freely, unlike within any cramped corridor, basin, or cathedral. Every firing angle was clear, with no restrictions.

Thus, they remained in the open.

[Time Until Defense: 00:40:00]

The perimeter solidified around them. Units reported in, and protective wards embedded in the ground hummed, shifting to standby. As the final vestiges of daylight faded, the sky transformed from a dull grey to a somber, iron-like hue.

[Time Until Defense: 00:15:00]

The defensive line achieved its final arrangement. Sightlines were meticulously checked, and final positions were confirmed.

[Time Until Defense: 00:05:00]

From behind Kaiden, the cathedral's entrance stirred, and his mother emerged.

Vespera moved to her son's side, a stark silhouette against the darkening sky.

"Everything is prepared," she stated after a moment.

"Then let us conclude this here."

Kaiden let out a breath.

Aria released his hand and stepped forward. Luna, having vanished from her perch on the boulder, reappeared fifty meters away at the clearing's edge, Stormblade already in her grasp. The remaining women assumed their combat positions around him without a word, their powers flickering to life as they moved. Alice's halo intensified above his head.

The Chairman had already retreated towards his own lines. He fully grasped the gravity of the impending events and recognized his place was with his own forces.

[Time Until Defense: 00:01:00]

Far on the horizon, beyond the Association's outermost defenses, past the dense treeline, and across the vast, empty expanse separating Kaiden's territory from the nearest settlement, a movement began. It was an immense, slow shift, akin to the crawl of a continent.

The Kaiju was approaching.

And the Paragon of Sin awaited it outside, ready to confront the threat.