The dragon's harem

Chapter 1345: Iʼm Just A Hammer

Kali looked at Isabelle for a few long seconds, frowned, and then sighed, ”I honestly donʼt know. She isnʼt harmful, but she is dangerous like everyone else is.”

Isabelle smiled, ”I wonʼt bite your faces off, but Iʼm prone to go off on my own and cause trouble.” She looked at the window with a longing smile, ”I did once try to go out and build a whole universe for the abominations and failed. Everyone wanted to just eradicate the abominations, but I wanted to find a way to save them.” She sighed, ”Now I only see myself as foolish. They destroyed many universes before, whole worlds built by beings far smarter and more capable than I ever could be. Why did I think I could do it at the time? Even I canʼt guess what I was thinking.”

Arad looked at her, sat down, and sighed, ”Once before said that someone can be their lifeʼs protagonist, but they arenʼt always the hero of their stories. Even if someone or something out there can save them, it wasnʼt you, so you canʼt blame yourself for failing.”

”You know whatʼs funny? AO once told me the same thing. That Iʼm not their hero. He told me that I couldnʼt rob Nyar of his role.” She looked at Arad with a smile, ”He fights for his people, bringing them survival at the expense of everyone else. To his people, he is a Hero. To us, he is the villain. Weʼre the same, fighting for survival, and Nyar to us the villain just like weʼre villains to him.”

Arad leaned back and looked at the ceiling, ”So what? You now want to ask me if Iʼll help the abominations if I could? Iʼll answer before you even ask. No, the universe comes first. Its people are my priority. AO was right. The abominations are Nyarʼs problem, not ours. You tried and failed, and I wonʼt be repeating the same mistake.”

Isabelle had wished for a different answer, but nothing seemed to have changed. It was the same. The abominationsʼ track record of ruining everything they came into contact with had cost them all patience from everyone else. No one cares to give them a moment of consideration. Arad mightʼve already killed her if Kali wasnʼt here vouching for her.

”Fine, Iʼve got the gist of everything.” Isabelle looked at Kali, ”I want to help, but my abilities are quite limited without my full power. Thanks to you, over a thousand of my fragments are lost around the universe, some dormant, some alive and kicking.” She jumped from her chair and landed in front of Arad.

”A new side-quest for you. Find them all, or at least a hundred, since when you gather that much, I would be powerful enough to sense the location of the missing parts.”

This was Aradʼs plan all along, to find creation since Kali thinks the power of the primordial portfolios is necessary to win the war. But since he isnʼt the one asking, he should be able to push for something in exchange.

”So? Youʼd get your power back. What do I get from doing all that work?”

She smiled, giggled, and then looked back at Kali, ”Well, if me being all lovey-dovey doesnʼt seem to be worth it, so how about I tell you that my power can help you master creation through your void, it can also help fully realize a world to rule?” She flicked her fingers, and her whole body started glowing.

In the blink of an eye, she turned into a large sledgehammer and landed in Aradʼs hand, ”Technically, both I and Kali are extensions of AOʼs power. Weʼre his weapon and tool. Iʼm his hammer of creation, and Kali is his spear of destruction.” A voice boomed from the hammer.

Arad swung the hammer. It was heavy, weighing at least several tons, and consumed too much mana to wield, but with a single swing, he was able to morph his mana into anything that he was imagining. What floated in front of him was a block of steel.

”I just looked at the hammerʼs head, thought it was made of a block of steel, and a block of steel appeared when I swung the hammer.” He scratched the back of his head, and Isabelle shifted back to her humanoid form. She laid on his massive arm, wrapping her legs and arms around him like she was sitting on the branch of a great tree.

She smiled, ”Well, the more fragments you find, the stronger Iʼll become, meaning the lighter I can make this hammer form, the lower the mana cost is, and the larger the objects it can create. Get me to my full power, and Iʼll be able to forge a world in six days. But even youʼll have to rest after.”

Arad looked at her, ”Can you create a living body? For her.” He pointed at Doma, ”Well, it took AO centuries to make his first living being, even more to perfect them.”

”So no.” He sighed, and she kicked him in the face. ”I didnʼt say you couldnʼt. Youʼll live long enough to make it happen.” She could see the Pricolici blood boiling inside his veins. He wonʼt be dying of old age.

She jumped from Aradʼs arm and landed behind him, looking at Aella and Mira, who stood there, watching everything unfold in silence.

”Donʼt you two have anything to say? Youʼve been silent this whole time.” Her gaze stopped at Aella, who stood in the front.

”Kali is a goddess. She knows what she is doing. If she didnʼt make any move, then I donʼt have any reason to act.” Aella looked at her with a smile and then shifted her gaze to Kali, ”Isnʼt that right? Or should I worry about her?”

Kali shook her head, ”No, you donʼt need to worry about her. Iʼll make sure she understands everything.” She approached Isabelle and wrapped an arm around her neck. ”See this elf? Her name is Aella, Aradʼs first wife. That only means she came first. All the wives are equal unless the situation forces one to rise above the others. Like, here, while weʼre dealing with you, my word as a goddess trumps hers in this specific situation.”

”Your point?” Isabelle lifted an eyebrow.

”Youʼre smart enough to read the situations on your own. Donʼt put yourself above everyone else, or youʼll regret it.” She then looked at Arad. ”Donʼt chew more than you can bite.”

Mira looked at Isabelle for a few seconds, ”Are we really taking her in?”

Kali grabbed Isabelle, ”Look! Itʼs happening. If it was Aella rejecting you, Iʼd say put her in an embarrassing or a difficult situation, and sheʼll give in, like trying to kiss her toes, and sheʼll just run away and accept you. But this is Mira. You have to find another way to impress her. Show me what that brain of yours can do.”

Isabelle looked at Mira, and then her body flashed with light. In the blink of an eye, she was in the form of a smaller hammer in Miraʼs hand, ”Omnitool, I can do anything from hammering nails to cutting wood or forging steel. You canʼt create things from nothing but mana like Arad, but as long as you have the basic material, Iʼll make it happen.”