Demonic Dragon: Harem System
Chapter 140: A deadly clash

As Strax cautiously advanced, his senses heightened as he approached the obstruction on the road. The trees seemed to close in around him, their dense foliage creating a nearly tunnel-like effect. He could feel the eyes of the forest upon him, an unsettling sensation that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Damn..." he muttered as he neared the source of the disturbance—a massive fallen tree blocking the path. But it wasn't an ordinary tree; it was enormous, its trunk as wide as a small house, with twisted, knotted roots as if it had been ripped from the ground by some immense force. "This isn't a natural tree," he murmured. "Magic? No... there's something wrong..." he thought as he activated his eyes.

[<Dragon Eyes resonate with the Environment.]]

Strax read the message from the System, confused. His eyes automatically activated as he sensed something behind the trunk. The entire trunk was glowing a different color, as if camouflaging something behind it. "Caution... better talk to them first..."

"Attack the trunk, Master." It was Tiamat speaking, already aware that something was behind the trunk. Strax responded, "Calm down," and walked back to the carriage. Was it an ambush? Probably.

Calmly, he signaled back to Carlos, pointing out the fallen tree. "It's a tree, but something about it seems off. Stay alert, it's probably an ambush."

Carlos nodded, his grip on the reins tightening. "We might need to replace a way around it." He said, but Strax shook his head. "There's no expanding mana. I presume the surroundings are already controlled by whoever is behind this. Just move forward; I'll cut the tree in half." Strax commented as he dismounted Apocalipse. "Stay behind, girl." He said.

As he dismounted, a strange sound caught his attention. He turned immediately, his eyes picking up mana movements in the bushes. From the forest's shadows, several figures emerged, their movements stealthy and deliberate. They were cloaked in dark robes, their faces hidden under hoods.

"Ambush!" Strax shouted, drawing his swords. The figures quickly moved, surrounding him and the carriage.

The girls inside the carriage heard Strax's warning and prepared for battle. Monica drew her dagger, Beatrice readied her sword, and Samira took a defensive stance, opening the carriage door and drawing her longsword.

The attackers wasted no time with idle talk, going straight for the most visible target in front of them. The first of the men delivered a powerful strike, which Strax blocked. When the blades collided, he felt his hand shake from the force exerted. He deflected the blow to the side, kicked the man in the stomach, and sent him stumbling back to the ground.

They weren't mere bandits; they were professionals. Their movements were coordinated and precise, far superior to the common thugs...

"Damn it..." Strax muttered, deflecting another sword strike coming his way. Turning, he saw that he wasn't the only one engaged. Monica and the others jumped from the carriage, joining the fight.

Beatrice was occupied with one of the attackers, who was putting pressure on her. Samira was handling three opponents, and Monica was fiercely battling another. All of them were the same—black robes and leather gear, with masks covering their faces.

"Watch the flanks!" shouted Strax, dodging a strike and counterattacking with precision, slicing another attacker's face. "Got it! Beatrice, cover the left!" Monica replied, cutting down an assailant who was getting too close.

"Damn sons of bitches," Beatrice muttered a string of profanities, her fury evident. She used her speed to cut down several of them. "Done! Samira, center!"

Samira, with impressive agility despite the heavy sword in her hands, dove into the heart of the combat, igniting her blade with flames. Her hands glowed with pulsating energy as she struck an attacker in the chest, burning him and sending him crashing to the ground with a deafening impact. "Take that, you little shit!"

"I hate dealing with cockroaches," Strax said, fiercely maneuvering with Tiamat and Ouroboros, spinning and killing several opponents. "Damn, this shit won't stop?" Strax questioned, having already taken down more than seven of these idiots. He could see that the attackers were well-trained, their tactics showing a level of organization and discipline, but they were still easy to handle.

Well, he thought so, having fought a monster for weeks—Xenovia, in this case.

As he fought, Strax noticed an emblem on the attackers— a distorted insignia he recognized immediately. "Zaratz," he growled. "So, this bunch of bastards really is from the damn Zaratz guild." Strax cursed, pushing the attackers back, with his wives fighting by his side.

"Carlos, watch the rear!" Strax ordered, blocking another blow.

Carlos, armed with a light sword, turned just in time to strike down a sneaky attacker. "I'm watching! They're more than we expected!"

"This should hold them for a while!" Strax said, creating an ice barrier while his swords began to glow. "Get ready, I'm going to finish this shit!" Strax shouted to them as the two swords started to catch fire...

[]

The message appeared, but he ignored it again. The flaming swords began to blaze, and once more, he looked at the enemies, who had been silent until now. But soon... "Kill that guy!" one of them shouted, drawing the attention of the others.

Monica delivered a kick to the abdomen of an enemy distracted by the shout of his comrade, sending him staggering backward. "Strax, three more to your right!" she shouted, seeing more of them entering the ice barrier Strax had created.

Strax spun, delivering swift, deadly strikes, killing the three immediately. "Got it! Form up!!" he shouted, and everyone moved closer to him, creating a perfect circle, protecting each other's backs.

Around them, numerous men began to encircle them, all similar in appearance but varying in height.

"Kill them!" one of the men shouted, pointing his sword, as at least twenty men rushed toward them.

And so... a great mortal fight began, Strax and Samira had their weapons bathed in flames and began to burn their opponents, while Beatrice, Monica and Carlos were cutting everything that came in front of them.