Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 570: Warm Bath

Steam curled thickly through the chamber, clinging to delicate skin, softening the world into heat and breath and quiet water.

The bath was large enough that none of them felt crowded, yet close enough that every small movement was noticed. Bare shoulders brushed together, knees bumping beneath the surface, the slow lap of water against bodies that had been pushed far past their limits today.

Aria was the first to drift closer. She slipped onto Kaiden’s left thigh with the kind of casual confidence that only came from absolute trust and adoration. She quickly squeezed his thigh between her two legs, clinging as the needy girl that she was. Bastet followed a heartbeat later, mirroring the motion on his other thigh.

Both women guided one of his hands down without a word, resting it against their bellies. Damp skin, warm and smooth beneath his palm. Aria traced slow, idle patterns along his fingers, her touch light and absentminded, while Bastet’s thumb pressed reassuring circles against the back of his hand, possessive without being demanding. Neither spoke. There wasn’t a need for them to do so.

Nyx leaned in from one side, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. Calypso claimed the other, crimson skin warm as she nestled close, her cheek pressed against him lovingly, nuzzling herself as close as possible. Both of them sighed once they were settled, the sound low and content, like the day’s violence was finally bleeding out of them.

Luna hesitated.

She glanced around, clearly weighing her options. "You needy bitches took all the good spots..." She grumbled cutely.

"What do you mean? You can sit opposite us~" Nyx purred, fully aware of Luna’s real thoughts.

The Storm Valkyrie’s eyes narrowed at the curvaceous beauty, then her cheeks flushed faintly before committing. Slipping between Aria and Bastet, she eased herself back until her spine met Kaiden’s chest, shoulders tucking beneath his chin.

"Ah!"

"Hey!"

Aria and Bastet complained as they nearly fell off Kaiden’s thighs, but due to them both being extremely clingy girls, they already had a good hold on his legs, so that did not happen.

Though if needed, Kaiden himself could’ve held them by his grip on their bellies.

Despite being seated right atop the slumbering great serpent, the purple-haired girl showed no signs of embarrassment, nor did she display any notion of a desire to apologize to her friends.

Instead, she exhaled slowly and relaxed with her hands resting atop her thighs. There was no penetration occurring, nothing lewd happened. The girl just wanted to feel the closeness and warmth that came from sitting on his lap.

And, frankly, she didn’t hate being squished between the tanned kitty and the yandere princess either. It was a rather cozy spot to be in, the gamer girl with a foul mouth realized.

The bath was quiet again, save for breathing and the gentle movement of water. Steam drifted lazily overhead, beading on skin and sliding down shoulders, the kind of silence that wasn’t awkward but heavy with things left unsaid. The girls stayed close, pressed into Kaiden from every side, as if proximity itself was reassurance.

"So, Kai..." Nyx began at last. "What’s going on?"

Kaiden didn’t answer right away. His fingers flexed once against Aria’s stomach, feeling her tense and then relax again beneath his touch, Bastet’s steady warmth anchoring his other side. Luna shifted just a little against his chest, settling more comfortably on her throne.

"What do your status windows say?" Kaiden asked instead of answering right away.

"...Nothing," Aria whispered. Her usual confidence wavered just slightly as she frowned, silver eyes unfocused. "I can’t see anything at all. The requirements for breaking past the bottleneck are just... blank."

Bastet inclined her head in agreement, expression sharp but thoughtful. "The universal system acknowledges the bottleneck," she added, "but provides no path forward."

Nyx clicked her tongue softly. Calypso’s tail flicked once beneath the water.

"Hm," Kaiden murmured.

Internally, the pieces slid together.

Of course, they couldn’t see anything. Only he carried the Demonic Pornstar System. The girls were bound to the universal framework, the same cold, impartial structure that governed every awakened human on the planet. Levels, skills, bottlenecks. Rules without personality. Rules without favoritism.

And yet...

That system could speak to them, if it wanted to.

Evidenced by the impossible moment when Calypso accepted her levels being lowered so she could stand beside him rather than above him. The system had spoken to her then. Not the universal one.

The Demonic Pornstar System had acknowledged her choice and had rewritten her path.

It could do it because she was already part of it.

The realization settled deep in his chest.

The Valkyries were obvious. Luna, Nyx, and Aria hadn’t awakened on their own; they had awakened the moment they accepted him. Accepted the bond. Accepted being his warrior women, his companions in war, blood, and survival. Their power was inseparable from his existence.

And the monster girls...

Kaiden’s gaze drifted briefly to Bastet’s profile, to the way her posture was regal rather than feral now, controlled rather than wild. To Calypso’s presence... Well, which didn’t change much at all. Unlike the tanned kitten, the demoness changed less.

However, she, too, changed in some aspects.

The [Monster Girl Subjugator] skill, granted by the Demonic Pornstar System itself, had done more than bind them. It had reshaped them. Smoothed the rough edges. Rewritten their instincts just enough to pull them out of the category of "monster" and into something closer to awakened combatants.

They fought differently now. Thought differently. Grew differently.

They were no longer rogue variables.

And it was only possible because they, too, were part of his system.

As such, it made sense to Kaiden that if the Demonic Pornstar System could suppress his own bottlenecks from showing, it could do the same for the women who were connected to him through the system.

But that was enough guesswork for one day.

"Go ahead, my antisocial system. Tell us what’s going on."

The steam parted, not physically, but perceptually, like the world itself was making room for something that took precedence over heat and flesh and comfort. A window unfolded before all of their eyes, black-edged, sharp-lined, text forming with deliberate patience rather than the usual instant snap of system prompts.

The girls, too, saw it immediately.

Aria’s fingers stilled against his hand. Bastet’s thumb paused mid-circle. Nyx lifted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with interest, while Calypso’s smirk faded into something more attentive. Even Luna straightened a fraction against his chest, spine pressing more firmly into him as she sensed the shift.

The window finished rendering.

—

[Demonic Pornstar System: Active Authority]

[Operational Mode: Bottleneck Arbitration]

—

The tone that followed was rigid, professional, but not lifeless. There was intent behind it.

[The Demonic Pornstar System has assumed control over the Universal Progression Framework within the Successor’s influence radius.]

Kaiden didn’t blink.

So it was overriding it outright. Just as he thought.

[Clarification: Universal System bottleneck conditions have been suppressed. This suppression applies to the Successor and all Recognized Companions.]

Nyx let out a low whistle. "Well. That answers that."

The system continued, indifferent to commentary.

[Successor: Kaiden Ashborn.]

[Status: Valid.]

[Recognized Companions:]

— Valkyrie Bonds: Confirmed.]

— Subjugated Monster Girls.]

— System Integration Level: Sufficient.]

[Recognized Companions are not independent variables.]

[Their growth, bottlenecks, and ascension paths are now linked to the Successor’s Systemic Authority.]

The words settled heavily over the bath.