Chapter 211: In the High Office

Words : 1114 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

POV: Chairman - Awakened Association HQ The elegant ambiance of the high-security chamber did little to soothe the Chairman’s building migraine. A data pad hovered in front of him, flicking through tab after tab of red-flagged intel reports, diplomatic cables, covert activity summaries, and threat analysis updates, all stamped with the same three-syllable name. Kaiden. He exhaled slowly through his nose. Not out of frustration. Not even out of disbelief. But because this was exactly what he’d expected. What he hadn’t expected... was that it would all happen within twenty-four hours. "Current estimates project we’ve diverted resources equivalent to a small-tier city defense operation," a robotic voice read off one of the memos. "And that’s just to maintain shadow ops around the target’s vicinity and deter foreign contact." The Chairman pinched the bridge of his nose and looked across the polished table before him.NovelFire Grace, his ever-efficient secretary, stood there with a tablet in one hand and two comms lines open on her wrist device. She looked... composed, but even she had stopped applying her usual lip tint this morning. A rare tell. Next to her stood Agent Reaves, her trusted assistant, whom she picked to help her with the task of monitoring Kaiden and his Valhalla’s Sinners. Originally, the Chairman tasked Grace with the job, saying he didn’t trust anyone else with the job. But now they all knew this wasn’t a one-woman job. As for Reaves, she was a sharp, thorough woman, perfect for the task. But the slight twitch in her jaw betrayed how much this situation had already spiraled beyond normal protocols. "I assume this summary is accurate?" The Chairman asked, lifting the datapad and letting the holographic projections of organization logos float above it. Grace nodded. "We had to burn two diplomatic favors just to reroute the Crimson Dynasty’s emissary to LA instead of directly to Kaiden’s last known coordinates." she said. "And Europe?" he asked wearily. "Still fractured," Grace replied. "The Guild Coalition is fighting amongst themselves over which guild deserves first negotiation rights. Some factions want to seduce him. Others are considering preemptive sabotage of his digital platforms. Though, with how things stand, I don’t know if that’s possible at all." Agent Reaves chimed in next. "We caught a French guild executive bribing Kaiden’s old classmate for his contact info. Nothing sensitive was leaked. We... handled it." "Define handled." "Boss. With all due respect, you know what ’handled’ means perfectly well," she replied with a poker face before adding, "Also, we’ve traced a minor phishing campaign from the Japanese. They believe Kaiden is some sort of reincarnated kami-born. Bunch of lunatics. They want to invite him to a talk." The chairman didn’t even blink at the news. "Of course they do..." he muttered, switching tabs. Another report flicked up. Middle Eastern Relic Guard, dispatching desert runners on sacred ground claims. The Soulbound Consortium of Africa was calling him "the next Walker of the Beasts." And the United Awakened Association in Geneva? Already sent a three-person envoy to "observe the anomaly firsthand." The only group that hadn’t made direct contact? The Silk Ring. But their name was all over the metadata. The Chairman leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting up toward the ceiling. They were bleeding the budget. Bleeding favors. Bleeding time. And for what? To babysit a former unawakened dropout who somehow walked out of obscurity and into mythic-tier engagement metrics overnight? "Sir," Agent Reaves said gently, as if sensing his thoughts. "He’s not a normal anomaly. He’s not just another S-tier or above awakened with immense potential." "’Porn cultivation’ isn’t a recognized path. He’s an anomaly among anomalies," Grace chirped. A long pause. Then Holstein swiped through to the latest political pressure index. Dozens of notifications from the ARC Division, demanding increased jurisdiction. Senate aides were asking for briefings. Foreign intelligence networks probing their firewall hourly. All because of Kaiden and his damned group, Valhalla’s Sinners. "No more reactive policy," the Chairman finally decreed. "I want proactive containment. Grace, schedule a private internal review. Reaves, prep a briefing on worst-case scenarios." "And Kaiden?" Reaves asked. Holstein stared down at the datapad, where Kaiden’s smirking face from the Bastet Subjugation stream was frozen mid-frame. He looked... confident. Effortless. Lethal in how naturally the world seemed to pivot around him. "Make no mistake. We’ll support him. We’ll protect him. But this isn’t babysitting a talent in danger of getting poached anymore. This is cold war." He set the pad down. "From now on... we treat Kaiden like a living nuclear code wrapped in charisma and lube." Reaves didn’t react. Grace quietly bit her lip to suppress a laugh while she muttered under her breath, "Boss... He isn’t the type of man who needs to use lube..." Before the Chairman could so much as raise a brow at Grace’s scandalous words, a ping echoed across the chamber. All three heads turned toward the holo-feed blinking on the main monitor. [Valhalla’s Sinners – New Public Announcement Uploaded] The Chairman groaned and motioned for the feed to be cast. The moment the glowing screen expanded, Grace was already scrolling through it with her perfectly manicured fingers. "It’s an announcement addressed to all followers and media subscribers." "Didn’t they already make one this morning?" the Chairman muttered, rubbing his temples. "About cutting male access to their adult content?" "Yes, sir," Grace replied. "But this seems... more detailed. And stylized." She cleared her throat and began reading aloud: [Valhalla’s Sinners – Official Statement] Due to a decision we arrived at, the adult content of Valhalla’s Sinners will no longer be viewable by men. But not to worry. We are more than an adult content machine. We like to think of ourselves as explorers. Pioneers who set out to forge a new path through the chaos of a post-mana world. For those concerned: Worry not. We will continue producing a wide range of content for all genders, including dungeon dives, magical skirmishes, lifestyle showcases, culture quests, Valkyrie focus specials, magical education series, and more. And most importantly... Our next stream airs today at 7 PM GMT. It will be a special title: Sinners Boot Camp No scripts. No filters. No masks. Just us.NovelFire The team. With you. But don’t worry. We’re not getting soft. Despite some forum claims we’ve seen written by some know-it-all viewers, we’re not retired. We are not satisfied with what we have now. How could we possibly be satisfied? This is only the beginning. We’ll be back hunting dungeons soon enough. There was silence in the chamber when she finished. A long silence. Then... "...They’re trying to branch out." Agent Reaves voiced her thoughts out loud.

Chapter 211: In the High Office

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