Demonic Dragon: Harem System

While everyone had their targets, Strax and Cristine were in an unknown location that Cristine had brought him to.

It was a small, concrete room, well-lit only by a few solitary lamps hanging from the ceiling. The room itself was simple and unassuming, with maps and notes scattered across a wooden table worn by time.

In the midst of this chaotic array of information was the location of their first real target: Malek, one of the most influential executives of the Black Association. He had evaded their previous attempts, but now, he was within their reach.

Cristine gazed at the map, her eyes glowing with intensity. She had always been impatient, hungry for revenge, and now, with Malek so close, her blood seemed to boil with anticipation.

"There he is," Cristine pointed to a spot on the map, Malek's hideout location. "He's moving with a small convoy. Looks like he's trying to relocate before the army can track him, but here we are, tracking him."

Strax nodded slowly, his eyes following the path indicated on the map. "How did you get this?"

Cristine clenched her fist, the excitement visible on her face. "We were planning a strike, I already have several allies inside the guild, and one of them is with Malek." Her eyes brimmed with determination; she had truly prepared well for this.

Strax merely smiled slightly as he saw Cristine's determination, but he knew that brute force, while useful, wouldn't be enough.

They needed a strategy. With Malek surrounded by loyal, well-trained guards, any mistake could cost them dearly.

"Calm down, Cristine," he said, his voice soft but firm. "We're not just going to charge in and attack like lunatics. We need to do this smartly."

Cristine looked at him, her eyes still burning with the same intensity, but she knew he was right.

"The plan is simple," Strax began, picking up a small knife and pointing it at the map. "You'll distract the convoy. Make them think they're facing an external threat. I'll use that to infiltrate and take down Malek and his guards before they even know what hit them."

Cristine leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Strax. "And what exactly are you going to do? They'll be ready for anything."

Strax smiled, that enigmatic smile she was beginning to know well. "Leave that to me. When the distraction starts, I'll use my King of Shadows Steps to move unnoticed. I'll be on them before they realize."

Cristine frowned. She had seen Strax in action before, but what he was suggesting seemed impossible. Taking down an entire convoy of guards alone? It was bold, even for him. But something in Strax's gaze reassured her. He believed in what he was saying—and she began to believe it too.

"Alright," she finally said. "I'll start the distraction. I'll give you the time you need to act."

Strax nodded. "Perfect. Now, let's get ready."

...

The cold night wind blew through the tall, dense trees, carrying the scent of dry leaves and damp moss. The full moon shone above, illuminating the rugged terrain of the forest where Strax and Cristine hid, observing their target from a distance.

Malek was isolated, surrounded by his elite guards, unaware of the imminent fate awaiting him.

Strax kept his eyes fixed on the scene ahead.

Malek's camp was surrounded by a dozen men armed with swords and spears, ready to strike at any sign of danger.

Black leather tents were scattered around a central fire, where the guards rested in shifts, vigilant but unprepared for what was to come.

Cristine, beside him, gripped her longsword tightly, her body tense with anticipation. She could feel the weight of the mission on her shoulders, but there was something more—a sense of revenge boiling within her. Malek had orchestrated attacks that destroyed entire villages, including the one that killed her mother. This wasn't just another target; this was a reckoning.

Strax, however, didn't share the same impatience. In his hand, Ouroboros, the spiritual weapon he wielded, had already begun to react to the tension, slowly transforming from a longsword into a black dagger. It seemed to vibrate in sync with the surrounding darkness, as if it were an extension of the shadows spreading across the forest.

"I didn't know you could do that…" Strax thought, speaking directly to the Infinite Dragon. "Though it looks like steel, this sword is made of pure spirit, so it can shape itself as much as it wants. The core is the red gem inside it," Ouroboros explained. "Is Tiamat like this too?" "Yes, I can become a Dagger, Spear, Axe, whatever you need." She commented.

"Then come forth as well…" he said, and a golden dagger appeared in his hand, seemingly made from a dragon's tooth.

"They're beautiful... though not as much as your spirits, of course." He smiled.

"They're more alert than we expected," Cristine interrupted his thoughts, watching the guards move around the camp. "This won't be easy."

Strax looked at her with his calm yet sharp eyes. "We don't need luck, just time. And you're going to give us that."

Cristine raised an eyebrow. "A distraction?"

He nodded, his fingers running along the dagger's surface, which now gleamed softly with a dark hue. "I'll use the King of Shadows Steps to get close without being seen. When you start the attack, they'll focus on you. Meanwhile, I'll be the ghost in the shadows they can't see."

Cristine smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I like that."

She was used to throwing herself into the heart of battle, and this would be another chance to test her skills. The excitement was rising inside her, ready to spill blood. However, there was something almost unsettling about Strax—the way he blended into the darkness and his confidence that he could take down an entire group of soldiers without making a sound.

"Are you sure you can kill all of them alone?" Cristine asked, though she knew the question was unnecessary.

Strax just gave a slight smile. "Watch."

...

"Well, let's test this..." Cristine said, holding a bow as she set an arrow aflame... "It's been a while since I've used a bow..." she murmured as she readied the shot.

"Burn it all." She said and shot towards one of the tents, the one housing the horses. The goal? To cause the horses to panic, creating chaos. Not just one, but several arrows began to fly.

The ambush's shock was immediate. Malek's guards didn't have time to react properly before the arrows were upon them. Cristine started targeting specific points as the fire began to spread. Fortunately, they were in a dry area, perfect for such an attack.

A man's scream echoed through the camp, and the other guards quickly rose, grabbing their weapons and trying to extinguish the spreading fire.

"I'm going down there..." Cristine was the first to advance, sprinting through the forest like lightning, her longsword gleaming in the moonlight as she wielded it with mastery.

Cristine was already in the midst of the chaos, striking down anyone who approached. Her blade sang through the air, dancing with violence and precision as she kept all eyes on her. Screams, orders, and the sound of clashing steel filled the night.

"Intruder!" one of the men shouted as Cristine killed the first one...

Meanwhile, Strax had vanished into the shadows. He moved with an almost supernatural agility, using his King of Shadows Steps technique. It was as if he was part of the very darkness that surrounded the camp. No one saw him; he was invisible, undetectable.

When the first guard fell with a blade buried in his throat, the others didn't realize until it was too late.

The man's body crumpled to the ground silently, and Strax had already moved on to his next target.

Ouroboros, now a dagger, sliced through the air with deadly precision. Its black edge penetrated flesh and bone effortlessly, and each soldier fell before they could even scream.

The chaos continued with Cristine, who was now fighting three guards at once. She blocked and counterattacked with intense fury, leveraging her strength and training. But as she waged her own battle, she couldn't help but notice the strange silence beginning to envelop the camp.

One by one, the guards were falling.

Not by her hands, but by the shadows that moved like a predatory beast around her.

She caught a glimpse of a figure disappearing behind a tent, and in the next moment, the muffled sound of another body hitting the ground.

Strax was killing them all alone, so quickly and silently it seemed impossible.

Cristine was momentarily stunned.

She had seen Strax fight before, but this… this was different. He wasn't a trained assassin; he was just… It was as if he were an invisible force, an entity of the night, reaping lives with the same ease as breathing. With each passing second, fewer guards remained standing, and the confusion began to turn into panic.

'Lord Thanatos…' she thought for a moment, distracted by the sight of him killing so many people… She continued to fight, dodging a blade and slicing deeply into a guard's arm, but her eyes were searching for Strax.

He moved through the shadows with a terrifying grace, emitting no sound beyond the whisper of his short blade. The last guard fell with a choked groan, his throat cut by a precise strike.

In the center of the camp, Malek stood, looking around in terror. He didn't understand what was happening. His most loyal guards were all fallen on the ground, lifeless, and he couldn't see the culprit. Cristine walked toward him, her sword still dripping with blood.

"Your time is up, Malek," she said, her voice laden with dark satisfaction.

Before he could respond or flee, Strax appeared behind him, emerging from the shadows like a specter. In a swift movement, he drove Tiamat—now a golden, lethal dagger—into Malek's back, straight into his heart. Malek's body went rigid for a moment before collapsing, dead, without even a final gasp.

Cristine stood watching the lifeless body on the ground, shock still visible on her face. The attack was over. Malek's entire camp had been eliminated without a single error, and Strax seemed as calm as ever, cleaning the dagger before sheathing it.

"How did you…?" Cristine began, still unable to fully believe what she had seen.

Strax looked up at her, his face as calm and impenetrable as always. "I said I would take care of it."

She didn't respond. She simply watched as he moved, his presence still almost ethereal under the faint light of the moon. Strax had become more than just a mere warrior in her eyes—he was a shadow, an invisible force that could turn the tide of any battle without anyone noticing.

"Let's go," he said finally, leaving the destroyed camp. "There's more work to do."

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