Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 641: Wrong Attitude

Kaiden’s anger flared white-hot behind his eyes.

His fist came down.

”No-” Damian flinched violently and screamed, the sound tearing from his throat in raw terror. His arms flew up instinctively to protect his face, his broken shoulder sending lightning bolts of agony through his entire body. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact that would surely end him. After seeing Kaiden butcher the men who easily beat Damian to a pulp, the boy knew he was far, far out of his league.

But the punch never came.

The hand stopped an inch away from his face.

Damian’s scream cut off abruptly, dying in his throat. His chest heaved with panicked breaths as he slowly opened his eyes. Kaiden’s fist hung suspended in the air between them. The fury radiating from the man was palpable, a living thing that pressed down on Damian like a physical weight.

But he hadn’t struck.

Damian looked up at Kaiden uncertainly, confusion and terror warring on his tear-streaked face. His whole body trembled, and he couldn’t tell if it was from pain, fear, or the adrenaline crash finally hitting him.

Kaiden’s eyes were cold and hard as stone.

”If you truly believe that she’s being manipulated, then you never knew your sister to begin with.”

The words landed like blows.

Kaiden stood slowly, pulling his hand back and turning away. His coat shifted with the movement.

Damian’s vision blurred as tears began streaming down his face, mixing with the blood and grime already coating his skin. His throat closed up, and he could barely force the words out. ”I know...” he whispered, broken and small. ”I know she’s not being manipulated...”

Kaiden began walking away, letting his footsteps echo against the brick walls.

”You can be angry with the world,” he said without looking back. ”You can hate yourself. You can despise me all you want.”

He paused for just a moment.

”But Aria is the only person in this world who doesn’t deserve your disgusting attitude.”

Damian broke.

A sob tore from his chest as the words shattered what little composure he had left. ”Sister...” he whimpered, the word coming out choked and desperate.

Memories flooded him all at once, crashing over him like waves.

Aria coming home exhausted after working two shifts, her hands raw and red from scrubbing dishes at the restaurant. Aria skipping meals so he and Lux could eat. Aria turning down university acceptance letters because they couldn’t afford the tuition and she needed to work full-time. Aria staying up late to help him with his homework, even though she was barely staying conscious. Aria smiling through it all, telling him everything would be okay, that she’d take care of them.

She’d sacrificed everything.

Her education. Her youth. Her dreams.

All so he could have food on the table, clothes on his back, and a chance at a future she never got to have.

And he’d just called her defiled.

Called her manipulated.

Accused the man she loved, the man who helped her escape that life, of controlling her.

The disgust he felt toward himself was overwhelming, a nauseating wave that made his stomach turn. He wanted to claw the words back, to unsay them, to take back every vile thing he’d just spat about the one person who had given up everything for him.

”I’m sorry,” he sobbed, his voice breaking completely. ”I’m sorry...”

But Kaiden was already walking away.

He gestured to one of the agents standing in the shadows. The operative stepped forward immediately, silent and efficient.

”Take this boy home,” Kaiden ordered without emotion. ”I don’t want Aria to see him. She’ll not be able to focus on the competition.”

The agent nodded once. ”Yes, sir.”

Kaiden didn’t look back.

He kept walking, his silhouette disappearing into the darkness at the far end of the alley, leaving Damian curled against the blood-stained wall with nothing but his regret and the echoes of his sister’s sacrifices haunting every ragged breath he took.

Kaiden believed that Damian didn’t need to be cradled.

What this boy needed was a cold reality check, not to be told that it was okay to make mistakes as a young man growing up. He made a mistake, and he should feel like shit about it. He should confront himself and arrive at his own conclusions about what kind of person he wanted to be and what kind of brother Aria deserved.

Kaiden felt it wasn’t his job to articulate such things to him.

He raised his fists as he walked and noticed the blood of the three thugs staining his gloves. The dark crimson caught the moonlight, still wet and fresh.

He willed it, and the Blood Monarch’s Gauntlet came alive instantly.

Crimson light pulsed along the ornate metalwork as it fed on the blood, drinking it in like a living thing. The patterns etched into the gauntlet glowed brighter with each drop consumed, ancient runes flaring to life as the artifact processed its meal. The blood disappeared entirely, absorbed into the gauntlet’s dark surface, leaving no trace behind.

Kaiden sighed while watching the process.

”My mood is ruined,” he muttered to himself. ”I need to see Aria’s wonderful smile right away, or I might just kill some more pests.”

His eyes drifted to a few thug-looking men walking down the streets nearby. They moved with that particular swagger, the kind that came from years of getting away with things normal people couldn’t.

But Kaiden shook his head.

”No. I don’t have time to waste on these lowlives.”

His girls were waiting for him.

He walked toward the park where he knew he’d find them, his steps purposeful and steady. The trees overhead cast shifting shadows across the path, and the distant sounds of the city felt muted compared to the violence he’d just left behind.

Aria spotted him first.

She blinked and scoffed when she saw him approaching. She put both hands on her hips and pouted with exaggerated indignation. ”Kaiden Grey, explain yourself...! We finally get a date, and you just up and leave?”

But instead of offering a snarky response as the Moon Valkyrie expected him to, Kaiden just kept walking toward her without a word.

Aria’s scornful attitude disappeared the moment she got a better look at his face. He wasn’t playful or happy like he’d been before. His expression carried weight she couldn’t quite identify.

”What’s wrong, Kai?” she asked, her voice shifting instantly to concern.

Kaiden looked firm yet troubled as he walked toward her. Mighty yet human. A man who could tear through flesh and bone without hesitation, now looked... fragile?

He walked right up to her and pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her completely.

”I never want to see you sad,” he declared quietly against her hair.

Aria froze up and blinked several times, completely lost and confused. ”Kai...?”

But as the self-proclaimed amazing and understanding girlfriend that she was, Aria didn’t need all the context. She could feel the tension in his body, the way he held her just a little too tightly, the unspoken weight pressing down on him.

She hugged him back just as fiercely.

”Dummy,” she whispered with warmth flooding her voice. ”I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

An otherworldly beautiful smile emerged on her delicate face. ”How could I possibly be sad?”

Kaiden inhaled softly at that and closed his eyes for a moment, letting her words wash over him. The contrast between the brutal bloodshed he’d just committed and the tender warmth of this embrace was stark and absolute.

A duality of man.

Monster and protector.

Destroyer and beloved.

He held her close and let himself be human for just a little while longer.

Now, with the date out of the way, it was time to finally finish this competition for good.

...

Author: As you have probably noticed, I’m struggling with releasing 2 Chapters a day. Truth be told, I’m quite burned out, and I know I’d only produce crap if I forced myself to do more. I apologize, and thanks for all the support.