Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 638: Scuffle

Kaiden coughed.

Not a light one.

A low, dangerous sound that vibrated in his chest.

Bastet stiffened.

Her entire body shuddered from head to toe, ears twitching violently as if struck by lightning. Her golden eyes snapped toward him, instantly wide.

”I-I will behave, Master...” she said at once, posture straightening with alarming obedience.

Luna snorted.

Aria covered her mouth to hide a grin.

Kaiden pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Let’s just walk.”

They moved forward again, slipping back into the flow of the nighttime crowd. Neon lights reflected faintly off windows and damp pavement, conversations blending into a low hum. A street musician was playing something soft near a crosswalk, the melody drifting lazily through the air. For a few minutes, it felt normal again. Just a group out enjoying the city.

Alice rotated slowly above Kaiden’s head, the black halo faintly pulsing.

Then her voice brushed against his mind.

Kaiden’s expression changed instantly.

The warmth vanished.

His posture straightened, eyes sharpening as his awareness expanded outward.

he asked without moving his lips.

This was the clean district. The polished district.

Alice remained quiet, but the faint vibration of her presence confirmed it.

Kaiden sighed inwardly.

Do I care?

He wasn’t law enforcement. He wasn’t some masked vigilante with a city contract. In fact, it was explicitly illegal for awakened individuals to interfere in civilian altercations unless lives were in immediate danger. The government did not appreciate humans playing gods on their turf.

It wasn’t his duty.

And yet...

Luna’s eyes twitched.

Bastet’s tail stilled.

Both of them had noticed the same shift in the air.

A faint shout.

A scuffle.

Something is hitting metal.

Kaiden’s own enhanced senses picked it up clearly now.

He slowed to a stop.

”I need to test something,” he said casually. ”I’ll be right back.”

”Kai?!” Aria gasped, immediately reaching for him. ”Wait...”

”Let’s go,” Luna cut in smoothly, already grabbing Aria’s wrist. ”There’s a park with a bench nearby.”

Aria blinked. ”What?”

Luna tugged her along without explanation. ”Trust him.”

Nyx and Alexandra exchanged a glance and followed without protest. Calypso rolled her shoulders once, eyes glinting faintly, but she didn’t move to interfere. Bastet remained where she was for half a second longer, golden gaze locked on Kaiden’s back.

Then she turned and followed the others.

Kaiden didn’t look back.

He crossed the street casually, then veered off between two buildings as if he’d simply decided to take a shortcut. The alley ahead was dim, lit only by a flickering wall lamp and the distant glow of the main road behind him. The sounds were coming from the next alley and clearer now: muffled grunts, something striking flesh, a body hitting concrete.

He didn’t rush.

He placed one foot against the brick wall, pushed upward, and caught the edge of a rusted fire escape without so much as a scrape of metal. His body flowed with the motion. No wasted effort. He pulled himself up in one smooth movement, followed by his boots landing silently against the narrow platform.

From there, he didn’t even use the stairs.

He jumped.

It wasn’t a flashy leap. There was no visible power, no shockwave, no dramatic gust of wind. But the distance he cleared wasn’t human. He caught the next ledge with one hand, fingers digging into the concrete. His body swung once, and then he was climbing again.

Brick. Pipe. Window frame. Vent.

Up.

Each motion precise. Silent. Efficient.

Anyone watching would’ve sworn they’d blinked and lost him.

Within seconds, he reached the rooftop of a twelve-story building overlooking the block. He stepped forward and walked to the edge, coat settling behind him as he looked down.

From this height, the alley was fully visible.

Three men.

All broad-shouldered, thick-necked, wearing sleeveless jackets despite the cold. Ink crawled up their arms and necks, featuring snakes, skulls, and gang symbols layered over older, faded prison tattoos. One had a clouded white eye that didn’t move correctly. Another’s ear was half gone, torn and badly stitched. They weren’t kids pretending to be hard. These were men who’d been punched in the face for a living.

On the ground between them was a scrawny boy.

Curled in on himself, arms raised too late to block a kick that slammed into his ribs.

”Thought you could just walk through here?” one of the thugs spat, grabbing the kid by the collar and yanking him up just to slam him back into the wall. ”You blind or just stupid?”

”T-this isn’t-” the kid tried to say.

A fist cut him off. Hard. Straight to the mouth. Teeth clacked. Blood splattered against the brick.

”This is our street!” the man with the ruined ear growled. ”You don’t breathe here unless we say you can.”

The white-eyed one crouched down, grabbing the kid’s jaw and squeezing until he whimpered. ”Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Another kick. This time to the stomach. The boy folded, choking on air that wouldn’t come.

”Know your place, rat.”

Kaiden watched with no emotion on his face.

He tracked the rhythm of the blows. The spacing. The strength behind them. None of them were awakened. Just muscle and cruelty. But they weren’t holding back either. That wasn’t a scare tactic. That was a proper punishment.

The kid tried to crawl away, escaping from the cruelty of these sadistic adults.

One of them stomped on his hand.

A sharp, cracked scream echoed off the walls.

Kaiden’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he focused on the boy’s face as the thug grabbed his hair and forced his head up under the weak alley light.

Messy silver hair.

Sharp jawline.

Familiar eyes.

For half a second, Kaiden’s mind didn’t process it.

Then it did.

His blood ran cold.

That wasn’t some random civilian.

That was Damian Levander, Aria’s little brother.

Being beaten into the pavement.