Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The storm of runes still raged in the sky, as if the firmament itself had been transformed into a battlefield. Crimson circles spun like the gears of a primordial clock, spitting out copies of Scathach in endless swarms. Each punch, each kick, each blast of energy set the surrounding space ablaze, shattering floating rocks and evaporating what sea remained.

In the center of that inferno, Strax roared, bloodied, covered in wounds, but still standing. His eyes burned an intense green, his fury almost boiling over. Zani vibrated in his hand, spitting lines of energy in ecstasy, calling for destruction.

And that was exactly what Scathach wanted.

From above, the real Scathach watched with a savage smile, her arms spread wide in exaltation. The runes on her skin burned like rivers of lava, and her voice echoed like a thousand war drums:

"YES!" THIS, STRAX! GET LOST! BE THE BEAST YOU WERE BORN TO BE!

The copies obeyed his command, attacking relentlessly. Fists pounded against his chest, kicks struck his wings, blasts of crimson energy exploded against his body. Each impact drew blood, each successive blow threatened to tear him apart.

And for a few moments, it seemed Strax would give in.

His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing was heavy, and demonic energy leaked from his body like a hurricane about to engulf the world. The black flames that enveloped him writhed, demanding to consume him completely.

But then... something changed.

In the midst of the storm, Strax simply... stopped.

Zani fell beside his body, pinned to the floating stone floor. The dragon looked up at Scathach and lay still. He didn't raise his sword. He didn't flap his wings. He didn't roar. He just stared.

The blows kept coming.

Punches smashed into his face, breaking bones. Kicks shattered his ribs. Blasts of energy burned his flesh until the bones showed. But he didn't react. He didn't dodge. He didn't block. He just accepted it all silently, his eyes fixed on her, as if nothing around him mattered.

The copies increased their violence, trying to force him to fight. But he remained motionless, barely breathing, barely enduring. Blood ran in green rivers, covering his body, but his expression didn't change.

Scathach narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing...?" her voice echoed, lower now, less confident.

She snapped her fingers, and all the copies attacked at once. A barrage of a thousand simultaneous blows struck Strax, sending shockwaves in all directions, tearing through the runic sky.

But when the dust cleared, he was still there.

Standing. Bloodied. Silent.

And staring directly at her.

That calm angered Scathach more than any blow he had landed so far.

"Fight back!" she roared, her voice echoing like thunder. "DON'T DEFY ME WITH THIS SILENCE!"

But Strax said nothing.

He merely tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowed, as if finally understanding. The fury that had previously burned within him seemed to have transformed into something deeper.

Scathach stepped forward herself now, dissolving the copies. In an instant, she was before him, her fist raised in flaming runes. The punch exploded against Strax's face, dislocating his jaw. Blood spurted in streams, but he didn't flinch.

Another blow. Then another. Ten more. Twenty. Each punch made the earth scream, each impact like the collapse of a star.

And still, he just stared at her.

His silence was an affront.

Scathach gritted her teeth, her expression losing its amusement and taking on something darker. She pressed her hand against his chest, runes glowing in her palm.

"FIGHT!" she screamed, unleashing enough energy to char mountains. "YOU ARE MY SON! YOU ARE THE DRAGON OF CHAOS! YOU CANNOT CHOOSE TO BE SILENT!"

The energy exploded, coursing through Strax's body. He fell to his knees, his skin charred, but still conscious. And still staring at her.

Her feral smile trembled, as if with each second he felt less control and more frustration.

And then, finally, he spoke.

Strax's voice was deep, scratchy, but each word carried the weight of centuries of pain.

"For a mother who died and abandoned her son..." he began, spitting blood on the floor, his eyes never leaving hers, "you're quite arrogant to think you can do anything... and he'll accept you."

The silence that followed was deafening.

The runes in the sky wavered, as if even Scathach's magic had faltered for a moment. The energy around her seemed to lose its rhythm.

She stood still, her fist still raised, her eyes fixed on his.

"...What?" Her voice was no longer thunder. It was a whisper.

Strax stood slowly. His body was wrecked, but his posture was firm. He spoke of himself in the third person, and that made each word even more cutting, like an invisible blade piercing Scathach's chest.

"He grew without you. He bled without you. He became what he is... in spite of you." His voice held no hatred now. Only truth. Raw, relentless. "So tell me... what right do you think you have to shape what he will be?"

Scathach's eyes trembled, a flicker of something that wasn't anger, but another emotion, almost forgotten.

"Shut up..." she muttered, taking a step back.

But Strax didn't stop.

"You want him to be nothing but rage. Only destruction." His voice echoed across the battlefield, firm, unwavering. "But do you know why he won't be? Because he's lived long enough to realize he doesn't need to prove anything to you."

The runes around him trembled, and some even crumbled, as if Scathach's own magic was reacting to the invisible blow those words represented.

"You are but a shadow of a mother who no longer exists," he said, his gaze cold. "And to a son who has learned to live without you... no shadow has power."

Scathach's hand trembled. For the first time, the smile was gone. The runic firmament still pulsed, but there was no more music of triumph in it.

There was silence.

Silence, and the sound of her heavy breathing.

Scathach took a second step back, her eyes fixed on her son, who stared back at her without fear, without anger, only with the truth she never wanted to hear.

And for the first time, her heart faltered.