The dragon's harem

The massive and monstrous bison approached them at a terrifying speed, trotting over the snow surface thanks to its massive and flat hooves.

It looked like a racing truck, massive and heavy, sending a cloud of dust in its trampled track. But Arad stood in its path, staring at the approaching death in the face.

If this beast hit him head-on, he won’t just die; his body would explode into a splash of torn flesh and gory organs. Gojo did say that this thing could topple castle walls after all, and Arad wasn’t going to test the truth of his brother’s words.

He waited, and waited, until the rushing beast was no more than a couple of meters away, and he was certain that it could no longer change its course. At that precise moment, Arad took a step aside, moving as fast as he could on this cold and fluffy snow. Thanks to training with Alcott, he was quite adept at keeping his balance and moving through difficult terrain.

It all happened so fast, and even Arad felt it pass like a blur. The beast’s eyes moved, looking at him as it started changing course, but it was too late; at its speed, it couldn’t turn fast enough. But that slight turn, that faint angle, it gave Arad the key to killing this beast.

Arad had just moved to the side, and the beast was flying past him at a deadly speed and with crushing force, but he was ready to attack. Turning his torso, he threw his foot with all of his weight and might behind it, aiming a kick right at the bison’s front right knee.

The bison moved at a constant speed, and its legs were easily predictable, so Arad’s kick connected without an issue, even if he was slipping a bit and sinking into the snow.

The bison was heavy, moving at great speed, and Arad’s kick came from the side, forcing the knee to twist, dislocate, and then shatter under the harrowing forces.

As the bison’s knee tore apart, the beast tumbled and rolled, thanks to being turned at a slight angle. It’s fall kicked a massive cloud of snow and mist, but that didn’t signal the end of the fight yet. A monster of such power would stand back up on just three legs in seconds. Arad had to finish it off, which he did almost instantly.

As the bison stopped rolling, Arad was upon it with a fist carrying his entire weight and strength behind it. That’s right, he won’t need any weapon; his good old hands are good enough.

His fist came crashing down and hit the falling beast right in the throat, crushing its windpipe in a single hit. But at the same time, he could barely dodge one of the bison’s swinging legs. Getting this close to such a massive beast while it struggles was deadly, but Arad was used to danger enough to remain calm, dodge back, and gain some distance again.

The bison quickly stood back up, and it tried to growl, but couldn’t. It tried to move, but looked sluggish, struggling to remain standing while rocking its head.

It was suffocating, and quickly. It had been running for a while, so having its ability to breathe robbed so suddenly was deadly. All of its blood was now ashen, and it lacked even a single drop of oxygen.

It tried to remain standing, but soon fell right back down, struggling and growling as it lost consciousness and died. Arad was standing there, not even looking at the poor beast; he was more interested in looking at his own right foot. He had dislocated his ankle while kicking the bison.

With a calm face, he twisted it and cracked his ankle back to its place.

Gojo laughed, clapping his hands as he watched the bison slowly die. He knew his brother was powerful, but seeing him take this bison down with such finesse made him aware of the full extent of Arad’s power. He isn’t just a brawler, but a smart fighter that can use his strength and speed in creative ways to take down opponents far stronger than himself.

Now, it has became clear how Arad could kill gods and abominations that should be far stronger than him. If he were this big of a menace as a mere human, Gojo could just imagine the chaos he could conjure when having full access to his draconic powers.

Besides Gojo, Liliana was staring at Arad with a gaping mouth, pale and drained. What did she just see? Did he just one-punch that bison? No, it was a one kick, then he punched it. Either way, how could he move like that? She knew that Alcott trained him, but this was just ridiculous.

It was impossible for Arad’s kick to break the bison’s leg if the beast was standing still. He used the bison’s weight and speed against it, coupled with the angle of his kick and timing of the impact, to maximize stress. He could’ve aimed at the easier to hit calves, but he chose the knee since it was the weakest point.

Arad was already terrifying enough if he was just a brute who relied on strength and speed to crush his enemies like a barbarian, but he isn’t. He is smart, calculated, and most of all, cunning like a fox… no, like a dragon.

She had heard that he brawled with werewolves in a dungeon before, and she didn’t believe those rumors at the time. After finding out that Arad was Gojo’s younger brother, she imagined him fighting those werewolves with a knife or some physical magic… but now… she can’t help but think that Arad literally went fist to fist and bite to bite against a werewolf and won.

She looked at Arad, took a deep breath, and then spoke.

“Should’ve used a knife. It would die faster if you slit its throat.”

Arad nodded. “You’re wrong.” He pointed at the dead bison. “I don’t know how tough and resistant its skin is. This is a monster, not a normal animal, so based on the mana density in its hide, the knife might just slide away without cutting.”

He pulled a knife that he had picked up at Death and Life’s house. “If the knife fails, I would’ve missed my only chance. On the other hand, I’m certain that its skin is malleable, so crushing the crunchy windpipe with my fist is assured if I get a decent hit in.”

He approached the bison and tried to stab it in the neck, only for the knife to slide away without as much as scratching the skin. “Figured… It’ll take a while for the mana to dissipate.”

When a monster dies, their bodies slowly lose its mana and turns mundane. So even if a beast couldn’t be slashed by steel swords, a day after their death, their hide should have become weak enough to be cut like any animal.

He then looked back at Haru, “Can you tell how long it’ll take its skin to soften?”

She shook her head. “I can’t… It’s hard to tell time, and it’s even harder to see details that don’t have a lot going on.” She could see him drop the bison down, but she couldn’t see him skin it.

“For a monster this size, it might take a whole day.” Gojo approached and looked closer at the bison’s head. “But, I can make you a sharp knife with magic. One powerful enough to cut through its skin.”

Arad looked at the ground and frowned. “Without using enough magic to alert the horrors beneath us?”

Gojo patted his chest with pride. “Who do you think I am?” He grabbed a handful of snow and started compacting it with his hands. “I won’t use creation magic. Instead, I’ll reform the already existing snow, making it harder and denser, then forge it into a knife.”

The snow turned into ice between his palms, and soon turned into a clear, glass-like dagger. Gojo then reached into his pack, where he had some leather strips hidden. They were the same strips Arad had made from the bear’s skin to hold the bear fur coat.

Gojo wrapped that leather around the dagger’s handle to protect Arad’s hands from the cold ice, and then handed the dagger to him. “Here you go, one Ice-glass dagger ready to go.” He smiled. “Careful, only the sharp edge is hardened with mana; the other parts are just as durable as ice, so don’t force it.”