The dragon's harem

Chapter 1165: Clash of The Apex Predators

Arad flew up and looked down at Ninaʼs monstrous form. Remembering how Shiʼs turned into what looked to be a bloodied, skinless, massive lizard, he can see a pattern. They are reptilian horrors.

Powerful muscles, long limbs that end in sharp claws, a deadly maw, and a skin that could reflect magic. All in a body with so much regeneration that it seems immortal. Now she is the size of a mountain. No human kingdom can stop such a thing if it wants to rampage.

Luckily, Arad isnʼt a human. His neck wasnʼt wounded by her last bite, he managed to become incorporeal at the last moment. The only reason she managed to shatter his arms at the start was that he was caught off guard.

First, Arad couldnʼt use [Earth Glide] as well as Nina does; she is the literal scion of the Tarrasque, while he merely holds the soul of a failed scion. Underground, she can move far faster than he. And he didnʼt expect her to lash out that violently; in fact, he did expect her reaction to be a bit gentler, considering he went through the trouble to look like a male tarrasque.

Of course, he asked Nina about it. Her reply surprised him.

She said. ^I just finished taking a bath, and I walked into my room wearing only a towel. Itʼs time for me to sleep, but when I pulled the cover of my bed, I found a muscular stranger there. Thatʼs how it felt, and I, too, wouldʼve kicked the bastard away. Hopefully killed him in the process.^

He sighed and looked at her form, trying to find any weakness. He found only one that could be exploited. Thank the gods such a monster isnʼt a perfect being.

What is the saving grace of all of this? She didnʼt have wings. Only the gods know what kind of horror a tarrasque would be if it had wings and could fly.

There was one problem that Arad didnʼt know. The tarrasque didnʼt have wings because it didnʼt need to fly.

Arad flapped his wings and used a void step to teleport a few kilometers into the sky. Technically, he could teleport up to 4000 Km in any direction he wanted, but he only got up 100 km in the sky.

He could still see Nina below, but judging by how she explained her feelings. Itʼs probably for the best to let her calm down a bit. He wants her to see him as a safe home, not a violent monster.

It was then that the black dot on the ground disappeared, and half of the desert shattered. Arad didnʼt have time to worry about his beautiful desert getting violated, because he was about to be joined with it. Nina was now at his side, already swinging her claws.

The tarrasque didnʼt have wings because it didnʼt need them. The monster can jump with enough force to reach the moon. Nina might not be that powerful, but she can also jump high enough to scare a void dragon who just became an adult.

Arad was late to react, and her claw landed on his shoulder. It slashed through scales and flesh, but failed to saw through his bones. The force of the impact was enough to send him tumbling back to the ground.

On that day, two living meteors fell on the desert and the shockwave of their impact spread through the whole world.

Arad was on the ground, and Nina was on top of him, already trying to close her maw on his head. He dodged one bite after another. ”I take it back! You donʼt need wings. What the hell are you, a flea the size of a mountain?”

Fleas are just about 2 millimeters (1/12 inch) and can jump up to 0.2 meters (8 inches). Thatʼs almost 200 times their length. Nina, who was around a kilometer long, had just jumped 100km vertically with relative ease.

Arad had seen many powerful creatures, but Ninaʼs physical might might be far beyond anything he had faced. He can just imagine it, what the world wouldʼve looked like with hundreds, if not thousands, of tarrasques living in it.

But now he doesnʼt have the time for imagination, because for the first time in his life, a woman has him pinned down. If it were another kind of being pinned down, he might even comply. But now, she is trying to bite his face off, and that would be bad.

As Arad dodged one bite after another, he had to think of a way to restrain Nina. The reason was simple: he canʼt attack her. Harming her would go against the idea of making himself a safe home for her.

Merlin had managed to restrain Nina with her magic chains, and Arad now needs to do the same. The problem is, Nina has gotten several times stronger now that she is full. Those chains canʼt hold her anymore.

Arad had thought about just making the chains stronger, but that isnʼt how Merlinʼs magic works. Merlin doesnʼt have the raw power to create such dreadful binding magic. All of her spells are extremely potent because she optimizes them for her targets. The chains worked so well because she made them specifically for the Nina she knew.

Arad managed to roll and slip away from Ninaʼs grasp. That had left him with several nasty wounds on his chest from her claws, but he wasnʼt bothered by them. They immediately healed back.

Physically binding Nina down is impossible, even wonʼt be able to hold her down for long enough so she calms down. The only solution seems to be high magic, magic far above the sixth tier, where her skin wonʼt reflect.

”Nina! Now that you arenʼt hungry, you should have some control over your body. Try to will it to calm down, think of me, Iʼm not a threat. If you managed to calm the murderous impulses now, you might even fully regain control.” Arad shouted at her, and only got a grunt back.

^Iʼm trying, but it is not working.^ As hard as it seemed, Nina was doing her best.

While Nina was a barbarian known for rage, blood, and brutality, she was surprisingly also known for patience. No barbarian has as much patience as her, that how she could endure a desk job in the guild. Thatʼs why Arad still has a wife called Merida. Even Arad himself, at his start, mightʼve ended up dead if Nina hadnʼt been patient enough to ignore his rude comments.

Arad now has two things to do. Restrain Nina without damaging her, and make sure their fight remains in the desert, where no one would get hurt. He already failed the second one.

****

Back at the castle, Merlin flew down from the walls after setting the barrier and found Merida training in the forest nearby. ”I believe swinging a sword wonʼt do you much good.” She said with a smile.

Merida stopped swinging and looked up at the flying wizard. ”True, but this is of habit.” She sheathed the sword and looked at her, ”The tremors have grown silent. Your magic?”

”Indeed, you like it?” Merlin finally landed at her side.

”Yes. Make it easier to concentrate.” Merida then slowly looked at Merlin. She remained silent for a few seconds and then asked, ”May I ask…”

”Never seen you worried like this before.” Merlin giggled, and Merida finally asked. ”Last night, how did it go with you?”

Merlin shook her head, ”First thrust, ripped me open and shattered my hips. The spell worked against me.” She then approached her, ”You sure you want me to give it to you?”

Merida nodded, ”Another spell. The stronger physically someone gets, the duller their senses become. Pain fades away, and with it all others.” She approached Merlin and whispered in her ear. ”Unless he goes all out and a bit violent, I feel nothing. Thatʼs how durable my body is. I want something to make him lose restraint, and something to sharpen my senses.”

”First spell I already have, the second, I have to tailor to your body. If you have some time, we can go do it right now.” Merlin waved her hand and summoned a large staff. She sat on it. ”Want a ride?”

Merida jumped on the staff and they flew away to the castle.