Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 147: Bastet, the Sun-Kissed Pharaoh

Despite only being two levels higher than the Royal Guards, her presence was overwhelming. A true ruler. A living embodiment of the desert’s might.

Kaiden barely had time to process her sight before she moved.

With a graceful motion, she raised a single hand. A sun disk above her head pulsed with golden light, and a burning beam of solar energy lashed out at them, forcing the entire team to scatter before it could incinerate them where they stood. The stone floor melted in its path.

The pyramid shifted. The grand chamber warped, expanding into an endless golden desert. The only things that remained were Bastet, her radiant throne, and the scorching sun looming above. There was no escape.

“This is her domain…” Vaelira muttered.

The monster spoke.

“You dare slay my Royal Guard… and think you will walk free?” Her voice was both serene and deadly, like silk wrapped around a dagger. “By my right as Queen of the Desert, I, Bastet the Sun-Kissed Pharaoh, sentence you to death.”

Vaelira reacted first. With a flick of her wand, she unleashed [Summon Grand Phantom Court].

A horde of spectral warriors materialized beside them, a mighty legion of knights, assassins, and warlocks formed from her immense mana expenditure.

Bastet countered immediately.

With a whisper in an ancient tongue, the spirits of long-dead warriors rose from the sands, forming her Ancestral Army. The two spectral forces clashed in a full-scale war.

“We must push forward!” Luna shouted. “Letting the boss monster dictate the pace of the battle will end in our deaths!”

Kaiden knew she was right, so he charged in. The Valkyries followed.

Bastet raised her hand, summoning a sphere of molten gold. It burned so brightly that the air around it distorted from the sheer heat. She hurled it at them.

Kaiden ducked at the last second, the sphere barely missing his head as it exploded behind him. Flames erupted, sand turned to glass, and the force nearly knocked him forward into her waiting blade.

But before she could strike, a storm howled through the chamber.

Luna came in from the side, bringing her blade down on Bastet in a savage arc.

She spun in a blur, catching the strike on her khopesh with a single hand. A brilliant arc of lightning surged through the impact point, but she didn’t flinch. With an effortless motion, she parried Luna’s attack and retaliated with a kick, sending the Storm Valkyrie flying backward.

“Kaiden gritted his teeth but did not slow down. He knew Luna would be able to tank that kick, and he refused to ruin the momentum of their combined assault.

A crescent of moonlight cut through the air.

Aria had already fired. A sharp lunar arc flew toward Bastet at deadly speed, forcing the Sun-Kissed Pharaoh to make a move.

However, she didn’t block. She didn’t need to.

Instead, the feline monster merely tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, letting the arc of moonlight pass just inches from her tanned body. Effortless. Perfect. She was displaying her superiority by toying with them.

“Is this all?” Bastet purred, her voice laced with amusement. She extended her free hand, and the sun disk above her head flared to life once again.

Kaiden’s instincts screamed.

Heat. Pressure. Death.

Before she could unleash whatever devastating spell she was charging, a shimmering barrier of raw force appeared between them.

Bastet’s golden eyes flicked to the side.

Nyx stood at a distance with her arms outstretched, eyes glowing with her spatial powers.

Kinetic Barrier.

The very air seemed to solidify, warping the light around it. A second later, a beam of solar energy shot forth from Bastet’s sun disk, slamming into the barrier with the force of an exploding star.

*Boom!*

The chamber shook as the impact rattled against Nyx’s shield, sparks and golden fire raining in every direction.

Kaiden didn’t waste the chance.

He lunged, pushing his body to the absolute limit. [Doom Strike] was primed, ready to cleave her in half.

This was his moment.

He swung.

Bastet’s body made an unnatural motion as she twisted her torso with inhumane agility, dodging at the last second. While they were in mid-motion, as if time had slowed down during Kaiden’s attack, Bastet’s golden eyes met his.

She smirked.

And with one fluid motion, she kicked at the blade’s shaft, forcing Kaiden off-balance.

Her khopesh flashed toward his exposed ribs.

“Kai!” Luna’s storm-charged blade slashed at Bastet’s side.

Kaiden stumbled back, catching himself just in time. His pulse thundered in his ears. This unnaturally agile, feline monster was stronger than any opponent they had ever fought, bar none.

However, there was one thing he noticed. Bastet never tanked any shots. While it could’ve been explained that an elegant queen wouldn’t want to suffer bruises, if he assumed her to be a monster intent on winning, tanking a few shots to have a better opening for a counterattack would’ve been smart. But she dodged at all times, no matter how little scrape she would’ve suffered. Combined with her extremely potent fire power, Kaiden arrived at the conclusion that this monster wasn’t a damage sponge but a glasscannon.

High Magic and Mana stats, good Strength, Endurance, and Agility, but low Vitality.

In a blur, Bastet sidestepped his axe swing, retaliating with a brutal palm strike. Kaiden was sent flying across the sand. His chest burned with extreme pain where she struck him, alongside his spine, thanks to the painful landing into the rough sand.

[Ding!]

[Sun-Kissed Brand: The target’s body suffers from searing internal heat. Health drains over time.]

“Damn it! She even has debuffs…” he cursed while forcing himself to stand before dashing back into the fray.

Bastet hadn’t stopped. She raised her hands, summoning a sandstorm within the battle.

Thick clouds of golden dust swirled toward them with violent force. Visibility dropped to near zero, and the grains sliced against exposed skin like razors.

“Get behind me!” Jack roared, planting his feet firmly against the shifting ground. He raised his shield.