Demonic Dragon: Harem System

"I'm going to reach Emperor Level."The words lingered in the air like restrained thunder. Scarlet and Xenovia exchanged glances, surprise written clearly across their faces.

"But…" Scarlet began, her gaze drifting toward the stars. "Considering your current cultivation stage... that could take years. It took me twenty to reach it."

Strax nodded slowly. His long tail snaked through the sky like a living serpent, leaving invisible trails of mana behind him.

"Which is why I'll use dual cultivation," he said, his deep voice carried easily by the wind. "The gods move like pieces on a board too ancient to remember its own rules. They act based on laws they no longer understand."

He paused briefly before continuing, darker now:"If I want to face them… if I want to protect this world in my way, I have to become something outside their equation."

Xenovia leaned forward and placed a hand on one of his gleaming scales. Her eyes were curious—but also suspicious.

"What's dual cultivation?" she asked with the innocent tone of a child asking what taxes are.

Scarlet slowly turned her head to stare at her, eyes widening just enough to show she was caught between laughing and questioning if Xenovia was even real.

"You seriously don't know?" Scarlet murmured, furrowing her brow.

Xenovia blinked, confused but resolute."Should I?"

Strax let out a low chuckle. It wasn't mocking—but there was a touch of amusement in it, like watching a puppy try to understand the circle of life.

"It's when two souls connect in an intimate bond, channeling vital energy from one another during meditation…" he said, voice steady and serene—until he paused briefly."…or during the carnal act."

Xenovia's eyes widened like someone had just slapped her with reality. Scarlet, on the other hand, brought a hand to her forehead and let out a long, contained sigh, her cheeks turning redder than the crimson scales beneath them.

"Oh…" Xenovia murmured, averting her gaze, clearly entering full internal panic mode."…so that kind of thing."

Scarlet crossed her arms, not even trying to be subtle.

"He means sex, Xenovia. S-E-X. Naked. Sweaty. Screaming each other's names while the world collapses outside."

"Scarlet!" Xenovia yelped, her entire face flushing red. She looked like she was about to explode. Literally. If her mana had a form, it would've been tying itself into knots.

Strax remained silent, but a slight tremor ran through his massive body. He was holding back laughter. Barely.

"Have you ever…?" Xenovia began to ask, then stopped mid-sentence. Even she realized she was digging herself into a bottomless hole.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow.

"Ever? You mean, have I ever dual cultivated? Hmm… let me think…"She pretended to ponder for a second before flashing a look filled with mischief."A few times… only with Strax."

Xenovia looked like she was about to vomit mana from sheer nervousness.

"You're a degenerate!" she shouted, covering her face with both hands."I… I've never done anything like that!"She sounded half-horrified, half-panicked...

Scarlet laughed, and her laughter echoed through the clouds—free, mocking, and maybe just a little enchanting.

"Want a how-to guide, Xenovia? I can draw diagrams if that helps."

"No! Argh, this is so… so… indecent!" protested the girl, hiding her face in her palms as she muttered something about chastity and purity like she was reciting a sacred mantra.

Strax, now openly laughing, turned his massive head to glance back at them. His golden eyes gleamed with barely-contained mischief.

"If it's necessary… I'll teach you."

Xenovia screamed—but it wasn't out of indignation.

"If it's you, I want to!!!"

The silence that followed was brutal. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Scarlet stared at her like she had just summoned the Dragon of Lust in the middle of the sky. Her mouth hung slightly open, trying to figure out whether this was a hormonal breakdown, a cry for help, or a full-on advance from a desperate virgin.

Strax blinked.

"Uh…?"

Xenovia, still hiding her face, realized far too late what she had just said out loud. Her eyes widened so much it looked like they'd leap from her skull.

"FORGET WHAT I SAID!!! I'M HUNGRY!!! THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!!! I WANT A… A SOUP!!! I SAID SOUP!!!"

Scarlet slowly turned toward her, a devilish smile curling on her lips.

"Soup, huh?"

"YES! RAMEN!" screamed Xenovia, her whole face blazing red."NO SEX, NO DUAL CULTIVATION, NO SINFUL TEACHING! I JUST… I… I'M A VIRGIN, NOT INSANE!"

Strax gave a slight flap of his wings, making the air around them tremble, and his deep laughter rumbled like distant thunder.

"Then what do you want, Xenovia?" he asked, clearly amused.

"I WANT TO DIE!!!"

Scarlet fell to the side, laughing so hard she hugged the scale she was sitting on.

"Oh gods, Strax, your sister is seriously a walking enigma!"

Xenovia, curled up like a little ball, groaned softly.

"Why does my mouth work faster than my brain…"

"Maybe it's a sign your body wants to cultivate more than your soul," teased Scarlet with a crooked smile.

"YOU'RE THE DEVIL!!!"

"Strax, did you hear that? Xenovia's purity just collapsed like an ancient temple."

Strax smiled, but when he spoke, his voice came out calm—almost comforting.

"If you ever truly want to… I'll be there. With respect."

Xenovia went silent. Completely silent. Like she'd glitched.

Scarlet's eyes widened."Wait… you're blushing… and you're not denying it."

"I… I'M CONFUSED!!!"

"Confused and aroused, maybe?" Scarlet teased, feline grin fully on display.

"GO TO HELL, SCARLET!"

"That's a form of cultivation too, if you think about it."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

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[Strax's Mansion…]

Rain slammed against the windows of Strax's mansion, as if the sky itself was restless. On the third floor, in one of the darkest, quietest rooms, the sound of heavy, ragged breathing filled the air.

Kryssia lay on sweat-soaked sheets, her small body trembling beneath the blankets. Her face was pale, skin clinging to bone like pain had drained all vitality from her. Her left arm—now just a bandaged stump—gave off a bitter, putrid smell of infection. The lost eye remained hidden under fresh wrappings, but crimson and purple stains bled out from the edges.

She muttered incoherent things, fevered and delirious.

"I…" she tried to speak—

"Don't waste your energy."Samira sat beside the bed, a damp cloth in hand. She wrung it out and gently pressed it to Kryssia's forehead. The silver-haired woman with a serious gaze had been there for hours—almost without sleep.

"The fever won't break…" she murmured, mostly to herself."She'll collapse if this keeps up."

Beatrice, on the other side of the room, fumbled through vials of potions and medicinal herbs with trembling hands. Her eyes were red from crying, but she forced herself to stay composed. She was the only alchemist among them, and though she felt powerless, she couldn't afford to stop.

"This isn't a normal infection," Beatrice said, her voice tight."Something inside her… is rebelling. Like she's being poisoned from within. Maybe from prolonged exposure to corrupted mana… or maybe from the trauma."

"The arm…" Monica whispered, standing against the wall, her eyes fixed on the blackened bandages."It should have regenerated, even with basic healing magic. But her body is rejecting everything. Not even blessings are working…"

"Because she's broken inside," Samira replied bitterly."Not just her body… but her soul is bleeding too."

Beatrice closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath."Let's wait for our dear one to return," she said softly.