Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The night was thick with tension in the Royal Castle.

The main hall, usually adorned for banquets and celebrations, was now the stage for a deadly confrontation.

Xenovia, with her proud posture and eyes gleaming with defiance, faced the Crown Prince's special squad. Find exclusive stories on empire

The soldiers, all clad in black armor with golden details, surrounded the girl like predators about to strike.

Their swords and spears emanated a magical aura, runes faintly glowing on their blades—weapons created to face high-level cultivators like her.

Xenovia, though exhausted, remained firm.

Her combat dress was in tatters, and cuts on her skin left crimson trails of blood running down, but her eyes showed no weakness. She twirled her longsword, the steel hissing through the air as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Why not surrender, Lady Xenovia?" one of the soldiers asked, his voice echoing through the hall. "This is just a training exercise to show your place. You should accept your position beside the Prince. There's no honor in resisting."

"Honor?" Xenovia spat the word as if it were poison. "Honor is defending what I believe in, not kneeling before a tyrant disguised as an heir." Her voice was strong, but there was a slight tremor—not from fear, but from exhaustion.

The squad advanced in unison, their weapons coming from all directions.

Xenovia leapt backward with supernatural speed, the sound of the blades slicing the air around her. She spun on the ground, her sword slashing the leg of one soldier, making him cry out in pain as he fell.

Before she could take a breath, a second soldier attacked from behind. She barely blocked the strike, her knees giving slightly under the impact. Their strength was overwhelming, but her gaze remained determined. Xenovia knew this was more than a physical fight—it was a political game. The Crown Prince wanted to test her, humiliate her, force her to submit.

"Is this what you call loyalty?" she shouted, her voice cutting through the silence as she moved away. "Blindly following the orders of someone who doesn't understand the value of those beside him?" She spun her sword in a wide arc, creating a gust of wind that pushed the soldiers back.

At the far end of the hall, sitting on a dark wooden throne, was the Crown Prince, watching everything with a cruel smile on his lips. His blonde hair was perfectly styled, and he wore an ornate armor with the royal crest. He rested his chin on one hand, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he watched Xenovia fight.

"Xenovia, darling," he finally spoke, his voice oozing false sweetness. "This is all unnecessary. You know this marriage is inevitable. Why not make things easier for you and your family? Isn't that what your father wants?"

His words were like a direct blow to Xenovia's heart. Albert, her father, had requested more time—just six months for Strax, her brother, to train and possibly stop the ceremony. But time was running out, and the Crown Prince was clearly tired of waiting.

"My father may want that, but I don't," she replied, her voice dripping with contempt. "And don't underestimate me, Prince. I'm not a piece on your board."

With a scream, she charged at the nearest soldiers, her sword cutting through the air with deadly precision. Two fell within seconds, but fatigue was beginning to take its toll. The squad, trained to hunt vampires, was not only skilled but relentless. Xenovia knew she was at a disadvantage, but she refused to give up.

'Are you sure you won't use my power?' Xyn asked Xenovia in the middle of the fight. 'No one knows about you, it's better to keep it that way...' she responded.

One of the soldiers launched an enchanted chain, wrapping it around Xenovia's arm, restricting her movements. She pulled hard, but the chain's enchantment was too strong. Another soldier moved in, striking with a spear. Xenovia dodged at the last second, but the blade cut into her side, causing her to groan in pain.

She staggered, blood flowing from her wound, but she didn't let that stop her. With a swift movement, she pulled the chain with all her strength, throwing the soldier holding her against a stone pillar. He passed out immediately, and Xenovia used the moment to cut the chain restraining her.

"Is this the best you've got?" she taunted, even as she fought to stay on her feet. Her breath was uneven, and the pain in her body grew with every second. She knew she couldn't keep going like this for much longer.

From the throne, the Crown Prince chuckled softly. "So stubborn... and so beautiful in your fury. Do you really believe you can escape your fate, Xenovia?"

"My fate is not determined by a man like you!" she replied fiercely, raising her sword once more.

The prince signaled, and more soldiers advanced, clearly ready to end the fight. Xenovia backed away, trying to create space to breathe, but her options were running out. Her body was at its limit, and even her vampire regeneration wasn't fast enough to keep up with the wounds she was accumulating.

Before the soldiers could attack, a loud crash echoed through the hall. The main doors flew open violently, and a figure entered. A gust of icy air began to freeze everything, as if a storm had taken over the entire place.

The soldiers attacking Xenovia began to freeze, solidifying in their armor as the floor filled with snow. Finally, the woman turned her gaze toward Xenovia.

"Enough of this," Kryssia said, her voice as sharp as blades of ice. It was as if she were freezing every word in her mouth, a warning that she was there to put an end to the scene once and for all.

The Crown Prince, who had risen with an arrogant smile, tried to retort, but his words were abruptly cut off. Before he even realized it, Kryssia was before him, her eyes glinting with a murderous gleam. She grabbed the prince by the neck with a firm, powerful hand, lifting him off the ground with ease.

The prince tried to react, his hands futilely hitting against the iron-like fingers that held him. He struggled to breathe, his eyes wide with fear. "You... you can't do anything to me, I'm the Crown Prince! My father is the Emperor!" he screamed, his voice trembling with panic.

Kryssia looked at him with a cold smile, completely without compassion. "I'm sure you can't touch her, as the Emperor ordered," she said, the threat in her voice as clear as crystal.

The prince tried to speak again, but his voice was muffled by the crushing force Kryssia exerted on his neck. "You can't kill me!" he gasped, his words becoming weaker as he fought for breath.

Kryssia smiled with merciless coldness, her eyes blazing with fierce determination. "I'm the General. I kill whoever I want, if it's to protect this kingdom." She tightened her grip a little more, making him gag. "You are threatening the entire kingdom, prince, by laying a hand on that woman. And that... I won't allow."

The prince's eyes began to lose focus, panic overtaking his expression. He could feel Kryssia's power, the unquestionable authority she represented. The words she spoke were not empty threats but a declaration that anyone who dared to defy her judgment would feel the strength of the empire in their favor.

She looked at Xenovia for a moment, as if ensuring the woman was okay. Then, she returned her attention to the prince, whose eyes were now filled with pure despair. He was completely submissive to her strength, and he knew it.

Kryssia tilted her head slightly, as if reflecting on her words. "You know, don't you? Your position as prince does not give you absolute rights. What gives you power, in this moment, is the fact that the Empire needs stable leadership. Otherwise..." She tightened her grip again, and he let out a muffled scream, his hands now trying to pull her fingers off his neck, useless as any resistance.

"I'm not asking for permission from you, prince. I'm demanding that you remember what it really means to be part of the imperial line." Kryssia turned her head slightly, as if preparing to finish what she had started.

"If you touch her again," she continued, her voice low and dangerous, "there will be no empire left for you to rule."

The prince was desperate, his eyes now pleading for mercy. "Please... I... I didn't know she was so important. I... I just wanted…"

Kryssia interrupted with a sharp movement, tightening her grip a little more. "Don't make me laugh," she said, with a cold smile. "You're not even worthy of a fraction of what the Empire demands from its rulers. Xenovia, the daughter of Albert Vorah, is more powerful than all of you combined, prince. And if you were smart, you'd have backed off, never trying to meddle with something you don't understand."

She suddenly released him, throwing him backward, and he hit the floor with a thud. The prince was gasping for air, lying there, his dignity completely shattered before Kryssia's power.

The room was in complete silence. Xenovia watched, still recovering, but now with a gleam of gratitude in her eyes. Kryssia glanced at her, then at the frozen guards around the room, as though she truly didn't care about the consequences of what she had just done.

"I apologize, Lady Xenovia," Kryssia said softly, bowing slightly. "No woman should be treated like that. And I won't allow anyone, no man, to disrespect you."

The prince was now on his knees, trying to regain some composure, but fear and shame were still written all over his face. He knew Kryssia could easily end him, but the fact that she had held back still left him in a panic.

"Remember, prince," Kryssia said, turning to him one last time before walking away, "the next time you try something like this, it will be your last." She said, moving to leave, but before she was gone...

"Wait!" Xenovia called out to her. "Can we talk? After you fought with my brother... I haven't heard much about him," Xenovia spoke suddenly, and Kryssia's eyes seemed confused.

"Brother?" she questioned. "Oh, right... did he have a different name? I don't know... he probably didn't even mention it, since you beat him up." She said, placing a hand on her chin thoughtfully.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Anyway, you faced off in Eldoria," she said, and Kryssia shuddered for a moment... remembering that magnificent fight!

"He's your brother?!" She exclaimed quickly, like a little girl with a crush. "Y-Yes..." Xenovia suddenly stopped... after all... what kind of reaction was that?

"Come on! We need to talk a lot!" Kryssia said, appearing beside Xenovia and grabbing her by the arms. "Hey, you can start healing now, I know you want to look weak in front of that loser, but we both know you're one of the strongest on the continent, stop hiding, it's ugly," she whispered, making Xenovia blush with embarrassment.

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