Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 620: Grand Display

The chairman looked exhausted. He was so done with the Ashborns.

So damn done.

Because Alice was registered as the seventh member of Kaiden’s team for the competition, the Awakened Association, which organized and oversaw the event, knew perfectly well who she was.

However, the other partaking guilds, New Dawn included, weren’t privy to this information. To them, she was still a mysterious entity.

The chairman hesitated before opening that feed.

When he did, there was no immediate spectacle. No overwhelming sensory hook. Just motion, fluid, adaptive, wrong in a way that made his instincts itch.

Kaiden shifted between forms without command words, without visible spell casts. One moment, he was striking, raw physical force amplified beyond baseline expectations. Next, he was absorbing impact. Then came magic, sigils, pressure, control, all cast without any incantation, without the telltale lag of system mediation.

The chairman leaned forward slowly.

"He’s not selecting abilities," he realized. "He’s inhabiting them...?"

Pride, Wrath, Gluttony... whatever framework they thought was imposed on this boy was no longer being accessed like before. They were states of being, woven together into a continuous expression of intent.

The chairman closed the feed and leaned back, letting a long, tired breath escape him as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Inexplicable. Every last one of them."

He looked to Grace then, the weariness no longer fully concealed.

"They will take the world by storm," he said. Not as speculation. As recognition. "Again. Louder than ever before."

Grace was already smiling.

"There’s no stopping it now," she said lightly, almost fondly. "The Sinners seem to have decided they’re done hiding. Before, they were always acting with a sense of mystery, a sense of caution stemming from the knowledge that the world was watching, and that the world was a dangerous place."

She folded her hands on her knee.

"They no longer look afraid of the consequences of revealing what they can do. I don’t know whether they trust Vespera, us, or simply their own strength and defenses. But one thing is clear."

Her smile widened.

"They won’t be holding back anymore."

The chairman closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Then he nodded once.

"Agreed. Put the prearranged motions into place. We can’t have another country or organization kidnap them... Or even charm them over to their side. The Sinners must remain on American soil, and we must understand what’s going on with them."

Grace stood, saluted, then turned to leave.

...

Kaiden’s day blurred into motion and momentum after that, the hours stacking neatly atop one another as the competition pressed on.

He moved through hunting zones with efficiency, fights ending decisively as monsters fell one after another, bodies breaking under coordinated pressure and overwhelming force.

Between engagements, he returned to the forward camp where Renoa had already prepared a proper lunch of revitalizing monster meat, steaming plates laid out with the ease of someone who had long accepted feeding absurdly powerful people as part of her daily routine.

Kaiden ate well, energy flowing back into his limbs as conversation and laughter carried on around him, then rose again to hunt, rhythm settling in like muscle memory. Kill. Recover. Advance. The bottleneck that had once pressed against him felt distant now, already behind him.

By the time the pace finally eased, Kaiden found himself reclined on a deep sofa within the main guild hall, body stretched out in a moment of unguarded leisure.

Alexandra stood beside him with grace, porcelain cup in hand, while Aria leaned in close and accepted the brew meant for him, then lifted it toward his lips.

She blew softly across the surface, care written plainly into her expression despite knowing the heat would never trouble him in his current state. There was no way Kaiden’s current constitution could be damaged by drinking a sip of warm liquid. "Here, Kai," she said with a warm smile that reached her eyes, full of love and adoration for his person. "Drink slowly."

He took a sip, savoring the taste as much as the gesture with his arm already resting comfortably along her back while she settled at his right side. After he looked at her like an abandoned puppy, Aria giggled warmly and understood the message, namely, her thigh draping over his leg in a familiar, possessive way that Kaiden loved to feel.

On his left, Luna sprawled with a handheld console clenched in her grip, thumbs moving so fast they blurred.

The screen reflected in her eyes as characters on it were dismantled with ruthless efficiency, inputs landing with brutal precision born of reflexes sharpened by lightning and battle.

Kaiden’s hand rested across her shoulder, fingers curling as he pulled her closer into his side. Luna let out a long sigh without looking away from the screen. "This is so boring now... They move like bots. I don’t even have to think anymore."

Hearing her complaints, Kaiden couldn’t help but laugh, the sound low and genuine, and squeezed both girls closer, enjoying the way Aria leaned into him while Luna shifted just enough to settle comfortably under his arm.

"You should probably play some management or strategy games if you want a challenge, Luna... Battle games that depend on reflexes will never be difficult for you ever again, unless you play against a fellow awakened who is also high level and amazing at this type of game."

Hearing his analysis, the gamer girl sighed defeatedly and leaned down, resting her head in his lap. "I became so powerful that I killed the joy of life. Am I like Thanos now?"

"..." Kaiden could only chuckle in response and pinch her cheeks lovingly, eliciting some scoffs that quickly turned into happy little giggles.

Behind the sofa, Nyx’s hands worked steadily at his shoulders, fingers pressing and kneading with expert familiarity, tension easing out of muscle and bone under her quiet attention.

The contrast between her controlled touch and the chaos she wielded on the battlefield never failed to amuse Kaiden.

A few steps away, Bastet and Calypso occupied themselves with their own brand of bonding.

The tanned felinid gestured animatedly as she explained the internet, phones, and social media to the demoness, who listened with narrowed eyes and increasing disbelief.

Calypso’s questions came sharp and blunt, each one more incredulous than the last, while Bastet laughed and attempted to clarify concepts like memes, influencers, and comment sections without losing her composure. The exchange drew a few snorts from the others, all enjoying the amusing education process of the demoness.

Kaiden inhaled slowly, feeling extreme warmth as he took in the sight of them all together.

Strength and beauty surrounded him in forms both gentle and overwhelming, loyalty and affection woven into every glance and touch. The downtime felt earned, precious in a way that made him reluctant to let it pass.

After a moment, his gaze shifted inward, curiosity stirring as he reached for the familiar interface. Farming had gone well today. The bottleneck was gone. He wanted to see what that meant now, what numbers and changes waited for him after pushing past the wall that had held him back.

His fingers tightened slightly where they rested on Aria and Luna as the status screen began to form in his mind, anticipation threading through the calm.