Demonic Dragon: Harem System

A week had passed since Strax's rescue, and the young man was still in a deep slumber. His body, consumed by exhaustion, had been unable to withstand the crushing weight of the debris, despite his cultivation at the King-level. He lay in a bed, wrapped in blankets, his face pale but calm, as if sleep had finally provided the relief his body needed.

While he slept, his wounds slowly healing, a group of women gathered around the bed. Cassandra, Daniela, Belatrix, Monica, Beatrice, Samira, and Cristine were all present, concerned but also curious about what exactly had happened. Scarlet, with an air of authority and patience, stood up to answer their questions.

"He's strong. Very strong, even for a King-level cultivator..." Scarlet began, her voice soft yet firm. "But what he faced wasn't just a matter of brute strength. The Vampire King's castle was no ordinary structure. It was made of Obsidian Steel."

"But what about his Black Ice... what went wrong?" Monica asked, stepping closer. Her eyes were fixed on Strax, still worried about his condition.

Scarlet sighed, crossing her arms as she observed the sleeping young man. "The Black Ice is powerful, but not invincible. What Strax didn't know, and what made him so vulnerable, was the kind of resistance that Obsidian Steel possesses. It's not just about hardness, but how it absorbs and distributes energy. Even the power of the Black Ice wasn't enough to withstand the constant pressure of the debris impact."

Beatrice furrowed her brow. "So you're saying he was... crushed by the structure?"

"Not exactly." Scarlet shook her head. "Obsidian Steel has a particularity: it's flexible, yet incredibly resilient. When something impacts the structure, the energy from the impact isn't simply absorbed. It's distributed in a way that the structure doesn't break, but instead, it resists and exerts increasing pressure on whatever is beneath it."

"So he couldn't escape the pressure?" Samira asked, her tone grave.

"Exactly." Scarlet confirmed, her gaze thoughtful as she looked at Strax's body. "Even though he was a King-level cultivator, the physical pressure he suffered was so intense that his body began to give in, even with the power of the Black Ice."

"But he's always been so resilient!" Daniela said, shaking her head in disbelief. "How is it possible that something brought him down like that?"

Scarlet looked at the young woman with a serious gaze. "A cultivator's power isn't just about pure strength. There are many variables that influence a person's resilience. The Black Ice, for example, is a powerful energy, but it has its limits. It's not invulnerable, especially when dealing with materials that exceed what it can withstand. And Obsidian Steel... is one of those materials."

"So you're saying the Black Ice just couldn't withstand Obsidian Steel?" Belatrix asked, her curiosity evident.

Scarlet nodded. "Yes. And that's why Strax couldn't bear the pressure. Even with the strength of a King-level cultivator, the type of resistance from Obsidian Steel surpassed the Black Ice's ability to hold firm under such pressure."

"This is... concerning," Cristine remarked, her voice clearly worried. "If he had used his dragon transformation, would things have been different?"

Scarlet hesitated for a moment before answering cautiously. "Maybe. His dragon transformation would give him immense strength, but the issue wasn't just brute force. The pressure from the castle was constant, unrelenting, and that would have caused any resistance, no matter how strong, to eventually give way. What he really needed was something more... invincible. A skill that could neutralize the pressure, not just try to withstand it."

"So he had no choice but to submit to the pressure of the castle?" Monica asked, somewhat downhearted by the answer. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Scarlet looked at them, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I wouldn't say that. He had a choice. The issue is that he underestimated the power of Obsidian Steel, and didn't have time to think of a solution. Strax is impulsive, and in some situations, he acts before fully evaluating all the details. That was his mistake. He didn't assess the type of resistance the castle would offer and rushed to use his abilities without considering the limitations of the Black Ice."

"And what can we do to help him now?" Cassandra asked, her words soft but filled with concern.

Scarlet smiled slightly. "He'll recover. His body has an incredible healing ability, and the recovery is already underway. What he needs now is rest. When he wakes up, we'll need to be more careful with the strategies we use. He needs to learn to control his abilities better and not underestimate the challenges that come his way."

Beatrice seemed to ponder Scarlet's words. "So, he won't be the same after this, right? He'll change?"

Scarlet looked at Strax for a moment, her gaze distant. "Yes... and no. He'll still be the same Strax, but this experience will teach him some valuable lessons. We all need to learn our limits, even the strongest. But he'll grow from this. That's something none of us can avoid. Power, resilience... all of that comes with its costs. But he's not the type to give up easily."

"And we'll be here to support him," Cassandra said firmly, the other women nodding in agreement.

Scarlet smiled, but her expression softened. "Exactly. All of us. And when he wakes up, he'll need to understand that every victory comes with a price. But that doesn't mean he should stop fighting. It just means he needs to be wiser in the choices he makes."

The group fell silent for a moment, watching Strax sleep deeply, each of them reflecting on Scarlet's words. The tension in the air seemed thick, but suddenly, the silence was broken by a hoarse, still sleepy voice coming from beneath the blankets.

"Ah... shut up and let me sleep... damn it..." Strax mumbled, still with his eyes closed, tossing from side to side on the bed as if trying to escape from something. He seemed more annoyed than relaxed, flailing and punching the air.

"Is he waking up?" Belatrix asked, with an amused smile, watching the scene.

"Looks more like he's fighting an army of blankets," Monica said, chuckling quietly as she watched Strax squirm, now surrounded by a pile of blankets.

"Ah, and now he's going to have nightmares about the castle's debris," Daniela commented, with a muffled laugh. "Maybe if he learns to control the Black Ice, the blanket wouldn't crush him, right?"

Strax, still with his eyes closed and clearly in a semi-conscious state, mumbled louder, as if arguing with someone in his dream. "I... I can't... I told you, I'm not... weak..." He moved his hand as if trying to push something away. "And the Steel... Obsidian... Damn it!" He suddenly jerked up in bed, waking up completely, his hair messy and a look of confusion on his face.

"Strax, are you alive or did you just come out of a pillow fight?" Cassandra asked with a laugh, seeing the state he was in.

He looked around, his eyes finally focusing on the women around him. "I... I... where... what happened?" Strax asked, still looking sleepy, his muscles visibly fatigued.

"You spent a week sleeping like you were fighting an entire army of blankets," Elizabeth replied, laughing as she crossed her arms. "And with your luck, you were probably getting crushed by a castle again."

Strax looked at the women around him, his confused expression slowly turning into a lazy smile. "Ah, so it wasn't just a nightmare, huh? Where's the castle? I'm going to break it this time!"

The group burst into laughter, with Tiamat leaning forward, a playful smile on her face. "You're still a bit dizzy, Strax. Better not try to knock anything down right now, okay? You've already been through enough."

"They said he was trying to 'break' the castle in his sleep too, but in a really... cute way," Beatrice commented with a mischievous smile, mimicking Strax's movements as he tossed and turned.

Strax let out a small huff, trying to sit up from the bed, but his legs seemed a bit wobbly. "Okay, okay, I get it, I'm a joke. I don't have the strength to fight castles right now."

Scarlet, still watching him with an affectionate smile, approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You won the battle against the rubble. And now, you'll win the rest. Just don't go punching the blankets again, okay?"

"Ah... let me sleep..." Strax murmured, quickly turning and burying his face in the pillow, as if the whole world had decided to attack his need for rest.

Samira, with a mischievous smile on her face, approached the bed and waved a letter in front of him, making the paper rustle in the air. "You really want to sleep, or are you going to take a look at your sister's letter?" she said with a playful tone.

Strax, still with a sleepy expression, slowly lifted his face and gave Samira a curious glance. "How much time until the wedding I'm going to destroy?" he asked with a mischievous grin, as if already enjoying the idea.

Samira, with an enigmatic smile, shook her head and tossed the letter to him. "Well, read it and find out. We haven't opened it yet, so I can't give you any spoilers," she said with a light laugh, knowing exactly how to provoke his impatience.