The dragon's harem

Amaterasu turned around and signaled to Arad to follow her. An archon flew right in and picked the priestess, taking her to the healing room. “So, would you tell me what that place was?”

“Something like an elemental expansion that calls upon my divine power to transport the target to a holy land under my rule. You can see it as a free world-to-world teleportation ticket.” She turned around, clapped her hands twice, and her robe shifted into a flowering yukata. She took a step forward, and when her foot landed, she was already wearing geta.

“It is a world where the sun is as deadly to those who aren’t my faithful the same way it is deadly to vampires. By the way, she doesn’t know this, but many Mikos use that world as their elemental expansion. It is basically the power I grant those who can’t fight for themselves.” She smiled, clapping her hands twice. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to destroy that church.”

Arad tilted his head. “I was only told to open the door, not how. Next time, make sure they tell me not to break anything.” He smiled. “And before you ask, I did check for anything alive before blasting it.” He looked back through the walls at where the archon was healing the priestess. “And, I could’ve just teleported away, but I was certain that wouldn’t convince her.”

Amaterasu smiled, then clapped her hands three times, and with each clap, the lights flashed on and off. After the last and third clap, Arad found himself standing in front of an old shrine at the peak of a green mountain, looking at the expansive green lands below and the vast sea behind them.

“Ohirume!” As Arad looked at the scene, he heard a shaking voice call from behind. He turned around and saw a hunched old lady, almost crying, looking at Amaterasu with tearful eyes.

“It’s been a while since I came here.” Amaterasu looked at her, then pointed at the crumbling shrine. “I want to pick it up. Lead the way.”

The old lady just nodded and started walking away as Amaterasu followed her. “We’re on Mount Oe. We’re here to pick something for Jack. He’ll be able to help you, not me. He is my hero after all.”

Arad looked at the shrine, and noticed that beside the old lady, no one was around. “Mount Oe? Never heard of it.”

“It’s an abandoned land in the far east that was ravaged by demons thousands of years ago. Not many humans live around anymore, and this old lady is the last descendant of a family of Mikos.” Amaterasu smiled. “She might be old, fragile, and look weak. But in her prime, she was scarier than Lydia by a lot.”

“You praise me a lot, my lady. But this old body of mine is already past its time. I’m nothing but a walking corpse, waiting for my end.” She looked back, and her eyes met Arad. “What an ugly and unkept man, couldn’t you have at least shaved that beard?”

“Is that an insult?” Arad smiled. “Sorry, but I don’t care. If my wives like it, then everyone else is just background noise.”

The old lady giggled, “You’re just like my lady, too bright to change. Keep it up, and you might one day live to reach your dreams.” She then looked forward and opened the door into the shrine.

The old lady took her shoes and walked in, then Amaterasu did the same, prompting Arad to copy them and follow. Soon, they wore slippers and headed down to the basement, where the old lady opened another door, but this one didn’t lead to a nice room, but to a dark and wet cave, leading deep into the heart of the mountain.

“So? What is in here? You know I just needed some blessed water.” Arad asked, and Amaterasu looked back at him with a smile.

“I’m going to give you a whole storm. This is where my younger brother’s grave is, where Susanoo was killed and all of his power sealed away.” She pointed at the darkness. “I want you to tame his power, give it to Jack, and have him rain holy water from the heavens to wash away any poisons or curses that you might face.”

Arad closed his eyes and expanded his senses across the whole mountain, quickly sensing the harrowing power resting at its base. A divine entity far more powerful than anything he would’ve expected.

“Susanoo? Your younger brother, the one you killed?” Arad gasped, and Amaterasu nodded. “He used to block my sun, cause the people’s crops to perish, and sink their ships in the sea. Wherever he gazed, a storm would devastate the lands, so he had to die.”

She licked her lips. “Albeit, he wasn’t as bad as some other gods. At the time, it was simply a convenience for me. He and Tsukuyomi caused trouble, and I had to prove that I was unbiased.” She shifted her gaze toward Arad, “What do you think of me? Cruel, evil? A family murdering demon?”

“Depends on whether you had the chance to help and fix their behavior.” As Arad replied, Amaterasu shrugged. “Maybe, probably, but do you know how he died?”

“Let me guess, he tried to overthrow you?”

“Come on, I’m not that evil.” She looked at the old lady, “Want to tell him?”

“A little six-year-old girl whose entire village was swallowed by a flood during one of Susanno’s storms managed to crawl all the way up the mountain to survive, and died on the doors of this shrine. Her dying breath prayer reached Amaterasu and summoned her to this world, causing her to clash with her younger brother and put an end to his torment.” She looked at the dark walls of the cave as they slowly marched downward.

“The little girl died, and the clouds split open, the sun flashed red, and a woman of godly beauty stood above the corpse, her mere presence pushed the flood away, dried the lands, and her light strangled the roaring lightning of the clouds.” She looked at Amaterasu, “And to think, our goddess had once again come to visit us.”

“Don’t worry, there aren’t any disasters that may threaten this land; it is under my protection. But, I might one day suggest creating a royal family here and putting him in charge.” She pointed at Arad. “He is forming a great and powerful empire in the west, and it’ll be a good chance to finally open this blessed land to the world.”

“If that is the case, can he peacefully deal with the demons?” As the old lady asked, Arad’s right arm went flying and blood splashed on the walls. As he looked back, he saw a little girl with thrones growing from her back and head munching on his torn arm.

“Ibaraki Doji{Child of Thorns}” Amaterasu smiled, “I guess, we have to get past her first.” As Amaterasu grabbed the old lady and flew back, thorns and vines exploded in the entire cave and impaled Arad, quickly drowning him.

“I smelled something sweet, but I guess I was mistaken.” The little demon girl growled, and sighed. “Old lady, who…” But before she could finish speaking Arad was standing behind her with glowing purple eyes, having already returned to his hulking three-meter size.

“You’re alive?” The demon girl growled, and Arad’s foot kissed her face, sending her bouncing from one wall to another like a ping pong ball.

“What is a demon lord-level demon doing in the mortal world?” Arad smiled. “Besides, why are all demons hiding behind the faces of children?”

Ibaraki quickly recovered from Arad’s kick and smiled as her jaw dangled loose. “To make mortals drop their guard. No one would approach us if we showed our true, horrendous forms.” And with that, her skin turned red, and the thrones growing on her back expanded through her whole body.