Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The main office of Asgard’s city hall had recovered an appearance close to normal, although the amount of documents accumulated across Monica’s desk showed that the war had not completely ended for the administration. Maps of the desert, military reports, evacuation records, and lists of destroyed materials shared space with commercial requests, railway projects, and proposals for rebuilding the border outposts. Beyond the large windows, the city continued functioning beneath a clear morning sky, with locomotives crossing the industrial districts and columns of steam rising between buildings made of stone and metal.

Strax did not appear interested in any of it.

He was lying across the longest sofa in the office, using one of the cushions folded beneath his head and keeping his right hand over his face to block the light entering through the windows. His body still carried several bandages over the most injured areas, although most of the damage had already disappeared. The dark scar left by the connection to the entity remained visible over the upper part of his chest, but it had shown no reaction since the Heart Chamber was closed.

Scathach sat in an armchair near the sofa, using a small knife to carefully remove the peel from an oval fruit. Aria occupied the other side of the room near a bookshelf, reviewing several commercial documents Monica had placed aside. Frieren remained beside the main desk with the map of the seven crowns open in front of her, while Monica compared the latest information with a report sent by the southeastern patrols.

"Let us review everything from the beginning," Monica said. "Not because there is any doubt about the result, but because the reports need to present a comprehensible sequence. Most commanders know only the part in which they were involved."

Strax did not remove his hand from his face.

"You can review it without me."

"You were at the center of almost every event."

"That was my first mistake."

Frieren ignored the complaint and placed a small marker over the southeastern region of the continent.

"The first confirmed event was the migration of creatures. Several species abandoned the desert at the same time, including predators that would normally fight one another over territory. The patrols initially treated it as movement caused by environmental changes."

Monica added another piece to the map.

"Then we found the first adaptive creature. It altered its own structure during combat, reinforcing the regions that were struck and creating specific responses to the techniques used against it. From that moment onward, we stopped treating the situation as an ordinary monster invasion."

"Because it was not a beast," Strax commented, still lying down. "It was a weapon."

"A weapon produced by an underground biological network," Frieren completed. "The organisms consumed matter, mana, and parts of other creatures to grow. The migration began because the local fauna was being hunted or pushed out of the regions where the network was expanding."

Monica turned one of the report’s pages.

"The ancient imperial observatory led us to the first facility. We discovered that the outpost had been built over a growth chamber and that the former administrators did not merely study the network. They deliberately fed it animals, mana crystals, and other resources."

Aria looked away from the documents.

"We still do not know why?"

"No," Monica replied. "The most important records were removed or classified. It may have been an attempt to create weapons, study the seal, or control whatever existed inside the desert. That part will continue being investigated, but it does not require an immediate operation."

Frieren moved eleven more pieces around the dunes.

"The observatory was only one of twelve outposts connected to the center. When we destroyed the first facility, all the others awakened. The network began producing specialized creatures and tried to recover the specimen we had captured."

Scathach finished removing the peel from the fruit, cut a thin slice, and continued listening without interrupting. Strax appeared increasingly uninterested in the summary, but he made no attempt to leave the sofa. In fact, he did not even change position.

Monica continued.

"We organized a simultaneous attack against the twelve outposts. Rogue, Beatrice, Tiamat, Samira, Cassandra, Daniela, Kali, and Asgard’s troops divided themselves among the locations. The objective was not to conquer the facilities, but to destroy the cores before the network could redistribute the matter."

"While Strax went to the center alone," Aria said.

"I had a simple job," he replied. "Enter, destroy whatever was being created to kill me, and tear out the network’s heart."

Frieren looked toward him.

"You were nearly destroyed along with it."

"That part was not in the plan."

"It usually never is."

Monica continued before the discussion could progress.

"The network used the information gathered during the battles to create a draconic imitation. It possessed incomplete versions of White Fire, Black Ice, and Strax’s physical structure. The problem was that it knew how to reproduce results, but did not understand the origin of the powers or the way he made decisions."

Strax partially removed the hand covering his face.

"It was strong."

Frieren waited.

"But?"

"But it was irritating."

"That is not a useful analysis."

"It is the analysis I have."

Monica released a small sigh and concluded that section of the report.

"The imitation was destroyed, the twelve outposts lost connection, and the main core of the network collapsed. That was when we discovered the network was not the true origin of the crisis. It had grown over a much older prison."

Frieren moved the outer markers aside and revealed the seven inner symbols.

"Beneath the facility was a structure formed from seven layers of containment. At the center was an ancient entity connected to sand, names, and the loss of identity. Several civilizations found the prison over time and reinforced the chains using different systems of magic."

"The golden eye," Strax murmured.

The lightness vanished from his voice for an instant.

Monica nodded.

"The entity identified Vex as one of the seven living crowns maintaining the seal. It also called Strax a key, probably because White Fire managed to destroy the network while Black Ice temporarily reinforced the ancient chains."

Aria slowly closed the folder she was holding.

"Then it tried to reach Vex through him."

"Yes," Frieren replied. "The entity left a mark on Strax’s body and used the connection to reach the Heart Chamber in the North. We turned that attempt into a trap. Vex was removed from the chamber, Strax occupied the anchor’s position, and allowed part of the manifestation to cross."

Monica moved to the final document.

"The manifestation was isolated, separated from the main body, and destroyed. The connection to Strax disappeared, Vex’s chain stabilized, and the other six crowns stopped reacting. The entity remains awake, but it is once again isolated beneath the desert."

"And now there is an entire region of the continent where no one can dig, speak names near the sand, or try to study ancient ruins," Aria commented.

"Correct."

Monica closed the folder and placed it on top of the stack.

"Five dead, forty-seven injured, twelve outposts destroyed, hundreds of creatures eliminated, thousands of civilians evacuated, and an ancient prison reinforced. That is the complete summary of the small war."

Strax removed his hand from his face and stared at the ceiling.

"That felt like it lasted forever."

Scathach raised one of the fruit slices on the tip of the knife.

"It lasted a little more than a week."

"One long fucking week. I am fucking exhausted."

"Your vocabulary gets worse when you are tired," Monica commented.

"My vocabulary becomes more precise."

Scathach approached the sofa and placed the slice directly into his mouth before he could continue complaining. Strax chewed for several seconds, initially showing no interest, but soon moved his hand completely away from his face and looked toward the fruit she was still holding.

"Hm. What is this? It is good."

Aria answered without needing to check any document.

"Snow fruit. It grows inside the greenhouses of the northern district. The flesh remains sweet even at low temperatures, and the peel can be used to produce preserves."

Strax received another slice from Scathach.

"It is good. Let us commercialize it."

Monica returned to organizing the documents.

"It has already been commercialized for several months. There are four stalls in the central market, two in the railway district, and an export agreement with the North."

"Good."

He accepted a third slice as though he had personally participated in that commercial decision and lay back down. Scathach continued cutting the fruit with the same patience, while Aria hid a smile behind the folder she had opened again.

The silence remained comfortable for several moments. After so many days surrounded by reports about monsters, biological networks, and ancient prisons, discussing fruit felt strangely satisfying.

Strax chewed the final slice before speaking again.

"Now that Asgard is at peace, I think it is time to start training again."

Monica slowly raised her eyes.

"You ended a war yesterday."

"Exactly. I spent an entire week without proper training."

"You faced hundreds of creatures, destroyed an underground network, killed a draconic imitation, and held the arm of an ancient entity inside a frozen chamber."

"That was work."

Scathach cleaned the blade with a small cloth.

"And what do you consider training?"

"Something I can repeat without destroying a region."

She placed the fruit on the plate and studied Strax for several seconds.

"You still do not know how to correctly use draconic words or draconic runes. Your pronunciation possesses strength, but lacks precision. The runes also remain unstable whenever you try to combine them with your elements."

Strax supported himself on his elbows.

"Can you help?"

"I can. I know the ancient fundamentals and several variations you will hardly find inside current books. You possess enough energy to use complete words, but you keep forcing the sounds as though they were ordinary commands."

"That is good. That manual you left years ago was completely lost."

Scathach narrowed her eyes.

"How does someone lose a draconic manual?"

"I did not lose it."

"Then who did?"

Strax thought for several seconds.

"Probably a war."

Monica massaged her forehead.

"You need a personal archive."

"I have people who store things."

"Clearly, it does not work."

Before Strax could find an answer, the main door to the office opened. Lithara entered first, wearing the same calm expression of someone who had just received interesting information but had not yet decided whether it was good or bad. Albedo walked immediately behind her, her arms crossed and her attention much more focused on Strax’s reaction.

Lithara stopped in front of the desk.

"Apocalypse made contact."

Strax slowly left the sofa.

"What do you mean?"

Lithara shrugged.

"It seems she now has the human form she wanted."

The office remained silent for several seconds.

Frieren was the first to react.

"She completed the transformation?"

"That is what I felt. The connection stabilized and, shortly afterward, I received a message."

Strax sat completely upright.

"What message?"

Lithara looked toward him.

"That she is returning."

On the other side of the continent, far beyond Asgard’s railways, the central forests, and the mountains dividing the ancient kingdoms, a woman sat upon the highest point of a mountain range.

The wind crossed the summit without meeting any obstacle, slowly moving the wide sleeves of her white and golden Hanfu. The light fabric followed the shape of her body elegantly, while golden borders crossed the collar, waist, and lower layers of the clothing. Despite the altitude, she showed no sign of feeling cold.

Her hair was long and completely white, tied into a high ponytail that descended down her back like a stream of silk. Several loose strands crossed her face and moved with the wind, revealing pale and delicate skin. A golden ornament held part of her hair in place, formed from thin rods and blue-green details resembling ancient ceremonial pieces. Long earrings descended beside her neck, combining gold with small green stones.

Her golden eyes remained fixed on the horizon.

There was no haste in her posture. The woman appeared serene and calm, but the mountain beneath her body carried a silent pressure, as though nature itself recognized that something extremely powerful had chosen to remain there. Clouds passed below the summit, covering valleys and rivers, while the morning light reflected from the golden details of her clothing.

She raised one hand and observed her own fingers for several moments. The human form responded perfectly. Breathing, weight, the movement of her hair, and even the subtle warmth beneath her skin were exactly as she had desired. After spending so long existing in another way, she finally possessed a body capable of walking beside him without destroying everything around her with her own presence.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"It has been a long time... Master."

Apocalypse spoke while looking in Asgard’s direction.

Even from the other side of the continent, she remained connected to him.

"I hope Master likes this body. I made it while thinking about Samira and Monica," she said, feeling her large breasts, narrow waist, and defined ass. "I believe humans call this... being hot?"

She looked toward the mountains.

"I think I need to learn about the world," she said. "After all, I was only a horse."

Apocalypse’s body transformed, and she returned to her original form, a Black Horse—

No.

After her training and enlightenment, she had transformed into a majestic White Horse with golden eyes.

"Apocalypse is not a good name... I will ask Master for a human name."

She then leaped from the summit and galloped over the clouds.

"I am coming, my Master."