The dragon's harem

Chapter 705 Spirit Attack

Gin walked in her draconic form, carrying a massive wooden carriage above her back, followed by several wagons. As it started to snow heavier than in the past weeks, the knights riding around her got close to hide behind her wings.

”Itʼs getting insane, isnʼt it?” One of the knights sighed, looking forward where a barrier made my Merlin clashed with the snow piled on the road, pushing it to the side as they moved.

”The magic in the air is moving strangely,” Gin said, looking around, ”I canʼt tell if itʼs a cold spirit, a dragon or an elemental, but something is close by,”

The knights gulped, ”We shouldnʼt let our guard down,” One of them growled, putting his hand on his swordʼs handle. ”It hasnʼt been a day since we left the capital,”

”Youʼll be surprised how monsters show up.” An adventurer riding a horse in the back said, ”The moment you get away from cities, they start crawling from everywhere.”

”Is that so?” The knight looked back.

”Youʼre one of the new recruits of the army, right?” Gin looked down at the knight.

”Thatʼs true. Vlad targeted the soldiers based on their strength and experience. Only us lower ranks were spared,” The knight looked down.

”You donʼt need to feel bad about it,” The adventurer hurried forward to ride beside the knight, ”I heard that he could sense how strong someone is by their blood, counting how much they bleed.”

”I heard so as well,” The knight nodded. ”Vlad could smell all the wounds someone sustained in their life. We were spared in favor of killing experienced adventurers first.”

The adventurer sighed, ”Even though the A-rankers are out on quests. Of course, Vlad waited for them to leave to attack,”

”He planned the attack,” Gin replied, ”If not for you, we wouldʼve lost,” She gently lifted her head, Arad sitting above it covered with a leather coat.

”I only did my part,” Arad replied, standing up, ”But, troubles keep following us.” He looked forward, seeing a tall pale elf standing in the middle of the road, glaring at them as his long silver hair danced in the frigid wind.

”Get me down,” Arad said.

”You sure?” Gin lifted her hand for Arad, and he climbed it. She then slowly lowered him to the ground. ”Thatʼs the source of the extensive cold. You should let me or Eris handle him,”

”Letʼs hear what he has to say first,” Arad walked off Ginʼs massive claw and walked forward alone, approaching the strange elf.

”Do you mind getting out of our way? Weʼre transporting refugees to a safer place.” Arad said, standing two meters away from the elf.

The elf smiled, ”My name is Kory, a high cold spirit.” He bowed down, ”I felt the wind queenʼs fall, and the unfortunate events of the humanʼs capital.”

”I donʼt feel bloodlust, but I have a bad feeling about you,” Arad sighed, his eyes flickering with a fading purple light.

”So Iʼll cut to the point. I want Zephyrʼs seal and the king to grant me the land of the capital. In exchange, Iʼll preserve the land for him,” Kory smiled.

”Youʼre trying to use the chance and extort him,” Arad sighed, ”And someone like you is a high spirit.”

[Spirits are divided into several ranks. Lesser, middle, high, noble, and then royal. Usually, there is one royal spirit, for the wind Zephyr is the royal spirit of the wind. This one is two ranks below Cold Spirit Queen, a peer to Zephyr.] Mom explained in Aradʼs head, using the library he has to bolster her knowledge.

”But itʼs a good deal, isnʼt it?” Kory smiled, ”You canʼt fight in your current condition, can you? And I can freeze that wagon before anyone gets out.” He stared at the wagon above Ginʼs back.

As a silver dragon, most of Ginʼs attacks were that of cold and ice, they wouldnʼt even make the cold spirit flinch. The rest who could fight are inside the wagon. Itʼll take them a second to get out, but thatʼs more than enough for Kory to freeze the wagon and lock them inside.

”Do you think I wonʼt claw you down?” Gin growled.

”Move at such speed, and youʼll break the wagon. The recoil of the wizardʼs magic breaking would rip everyone inside apart, including your precious king.” Kory smiled.

Arad looked at Koryʼs face with a tired sigh, ”It was a silver dragon first, now a cold spirit. Why two ice types in a row?”

”I felt that fight,” Kory giggled, ”I doubt she knows you almost killed one of her kind,” He stared at Gin.

^I canʼt risk fighting with my void. It could go out of control and suck everyone inside into my stomach.^ Arad thought.

^[You want my help?]^

^Yes. Just like when I faced the elvish queen, you can act as my warlock patron, right?^

^[What do you want?]^

^[Your expansion. I need to finish him in one hit.]^

^[Even if you werenʼt injured. Your body would barely be able to sustain my expansion for ten seconds. Now Youʼll be lucky to hold for two seconds,]^

^Itʼll be enough to kill him.^

Aradʼs right hand nails extended forward into claws.

Kory smiled, ”So youʼve...”

[Curse Expansion: Witchʼs cursed domain]

The world around Arad seemed to crumble as he walked forward and stood facing where Kory was.

^The oldest and strongest curse is that of existing. By using Domaʼs domain, I can remove myself from the whole world. Stands outside it as an observer,^ Arad could see the reflection of the world in his eyes. ”So youʼve chosen death.” Kory swung his arm, freezing Gin whole with wagons in a second.

^Itʼs not even two seconds, itʼs 1.78 seconds. Thatʼs how long I can survive outside existence without being unable to turn back.^ Arad lifted his palm, ^But, that also means Iʼm standing outside time and space, time doesnʼt flow, and distance doesnʼt matter here. Whatever that spirit does in that 1.78 seconds, I can choose to act at any point in that time, and I know what shouldʼve happened there.^

CRACK! Arad plunged his palm in the middle of nowhere, and he got back to reality where his hand was grasping Koryʼs heart.

”So youʼve...” Kory shouted, about to cast his spell on Gin and the wagons. But he stopped, seeing Arad suddenly appear too close to him, his palm plunged into his chest.

”What?!” He gasped, looking at Aradʼs face to see his eyes flashing with a golden and pink light, black tattoos covering his whole body, slowly fading with a gust of hot wind.

”Borrowed power, I should learn to put my hand in the dirt every now and then,” Arad pulled Koryʼs heart out, and the spirit fell to his knees, puking blood. ”Did you do?” He cried.

Arad walked past Kory and opened his mouth wide, munching the heart in one bite, swallowing it in a single gulp. Aradʼs eyes flashed with a faint yellow light as the lycanthropic curse in his body pulsed.

Kory turned around, ”You monster, Iʼll just heal...” He growled with blood gushing out of his nose and mouth, but he soon realized, his magic rapidly faded and he wasnʼt able to heal. It was strange, a spirit like him shouldnʼt be killed from such an injury, he shouldʼve healed immediately.

Arad looked back at him, licking the blood from his lips with a passive face, ”I ate your heart and soul. Albeit I donʼt understand how the second one worked.” Arad did physically eat Koryʼs heart, but eating the soul was something that Doma pulled off.

”You!” Kory shouted, but his body immediately disintegrated into snow, crumbling down.

”Arad! What did happen? Iʼm sure he was about to cast a powerful spell,” Gin gasped, realizing that her claw was already lifted before she noticed. ”I did zone out for a second, did you do something?”

”No one can escape the fate written for them,” Arad said, walking toward her, ”Only the queen who rebelled against the curse of existence.”

The knights, adventures, and escorting bandits just realized that they stood a few steps forward, their noses burning from the cold. ”Heʼs dead!” One shouted as they saw Koryʼs crumbled body.

Arad looked at Ginʼs face, ”We should get moving,”

”Youʼre right,” She lowered her claw for him and carried him over her head.

^[You must rest for the rest of the trip. Even that small use of your lycanthropic curse is quite a burden on your mind. Go inside and sleep, let Alcott or Eris guard the caravan.]^

Arad smiled, ”This was an unlucky encounter, Gin should be able to handle any threat.” He turned around walked toward the wagon door and knocked on it. ”Merlin, let me in.”

The door opened, ”Come in,” Alcott opened the door, ”Iʼll sit guard from now.”

”Itʼs cold out there,” Arad replied.

”Donʼt worry about me. Go and rest, youʼre still recovering, right?” Alcott patted Aradʼs shoulder.

”Yeah, I can barely fight like this,” Arad walked inside the carriage to rest.

Two weeks later and after seven monster attacks, the caravan finally reached Aradʼs domain borders.