Wanting to Surpass the MC with the Greatest Harem.
Chapter 40: Planning

Chapter 40: Planning

The moon hung low above the Ghost Village, casting an eerie glow through the high windows of the palace. The soft breath of the night wind barely stirred the curtains, and silence cloaked the hallways like a shadow.

Inside Kreper’s chamber, the only sound was her gentle, rhythmic breathing as she slept, her body curled beneath the silken sheets. Her cheeks were flushed, a faint smile still lingering on her lips from their earlier union.

He stared at her large breasts but was not going to act like a slut and do anything while she was asleep. He turned away.

Dominic sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, watching her. There was a strange mix of guilt and pride swirling in his chest. She had given herself freely to him, her loyalty unquestionable now—but that wasn’t what lingered most in his mind. What consumed him was the looming threat of Coris, and the message that her betrayal had only been the beginning.

He rose slowly, careful not to wake her, and gathered his clothes. The warmth of the bed still clung to his skin, but a chill settled over him as he stepped into the hallway. The corridor was dimly lit by scattered torches. His shadow stretched long across the walls, and he moved like one of them—silent, purposeful, haunted.

His room was quiet. The familiar scent of stone and aged wood grounded him a little. He locked the door behind him and sat by the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers laced tightly together. His damp hair clung to his forehead. His thoughts, however, were storming.

He had faced the Delusional Demon earlier that day—something unlike anything he’d ever battled. A creature that didn’t just strike at your body, but at your mind. It had dragged him into false realms, worlds that bent logic and warped perception. One moment he was in a field of fire, the next he stood ankle-deep in blood beneath a black sky. And each time, the demon had taunted him, whispered into his ear like a thousand echoes of fear and failure.

Dominic had won, barely. The fight had left him shaken in ways even the Lekar battle hadn’t. It wasn’t just strength he would need going forward. It was clarity. Purpose. Discipline.

Coris was gathering something—a storm. She had allied with beings he still couldn’t fully comprehend. And now, the knowledge that eventually, even Coris would be deemed disposable by her own masters. It only complicated the game.

He exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

"I can’t wait for them to strike first," he muttered to himself. "That’ll be suicide."

The people in Ghost Village had looked to Lady Fares for protection, and now many would be placing their hopes in him as well. Whether he had asked for it or not, leadership had landed on his shoulders. He wasn’t just a System Wielder now—he was a commander in a silent war.

Dominic stood and walked to the small desk by the window. He pulled out a blank parchment and began sketching out a plan with ink.

"I need fighters. Loyal ones. People I can train and trust. Not just servants or shadows, but warriors who will take a stand."

There were potential allies in the village—assassins, old mercenaries, hidden bloodlines perhaps even Lady Fares hadn’t uncovered yet. He could reach them, offer protection, power, purpose. If Coris’s attack was inevitable, Dominic would meet it not with a wall—but with a blade pointed outward.

He circled the name "Coris" in thick strokes. Then beneath it, wrote:

Recruit & train elite fighters.

Establish a command unit under Lady Fares.

Fortify the palace defenses.

Prepare counter-offensive if Ghost Village falls.

"I need to push my limits," he said aloud. "System, I’ll need every scrap of power you can give me. No more holding back."

The system did not respond immediately, but he could sense its quiet presence—like a watching god, silent and calculating.

He sighed, then turned toward the window. Out there, somewhere in the dark, Coris was planning. Maybe even watching. But she wouldn’t find him unprepared.

Tomorrow, he would begin assembling them. Warriors who could stand the onslaught. Assassins, rogues, forgotten ones who still held grudges against the their very own existence. Even those cast aside by Coris herself.

He wasn’t going to just defend Ghost Village. He was going to make it the one place the demons feared.

He looked toward the faint hint of dawn forming on the horizon.

"A kingdom is only a dream," he whispered, "until someone bleeds for it."

And Dominic... he was ready to bleed.

*****************************

As the final shimmer of illusion melted into the night air, the dense, deceptive magic that had cloaked the room lifted, and the truth settled in its place. Alice reached down, offered a hand to Kelly. The young demon hesitated for a moment — unsure whether to reject or accept — but something in Alice’s eyes, something human and steady, pulled her forward.

Kelly grasped the hand.

Alice pulled her to her feet.

Neither spoke for a long moment. They didn’t need to. The choice had been made, lines crossed — not in blood, but in understanding.

"Come with me," Alice said quietly, glancing over her shoulder. "We’re going to meet someone. Someone who can help."

Kelly nodded slowly, following Alice without resistance. Her limbs still ached, her ribs were sore, but none of that mattered. What she had just felt from Alice... it was more painful than the bruises. And far more powerful.

They walked through the ruined corridor of the underground passage Alice had taken to confront Kelly — each step echoing like a footfall into a future neither of them fully understood. Shadows bent and shifted, and Kelly realized that the magic in this place was far older than her — deeper than most demons dared explore.

Eventually, they emerged into the misty outskirts of the ancient forest near the Ghost Village. The air was crisper there, the silence unbroken but for the rustle of branches and the distant flutter of a raven’s wings.

There, leaning calmly against a twisted oak, was Lady Fares.

Her eyes flicked up before either of them could speak — black as onyx, glinting beneath the hood of her shadowed cloak. The air around her pulsed with an eerie, controlled magic — shadowborne and ancient.

Alice stopped a few feet away. Kelly faltered behind her.

"She’s with me," Alice said quickly, sensing Lady Fares’ aura spike the moment her eyes landed on Kelly.

Lady Fares said nothing at first. Her gaze flicked between the two of them. Her fingers twitched slightly, shadows curling along her wrists like smoke — poised to act.

Then, with a wave of her hand, the energy stilled.

"You’re bleeding," Lady Fares said to Alice, voice like velvet laced with steel. "And yet you brought a demon to me?"

"She’s more than that," Alice replied. "She’s one of the four who were sent to kill Dominic."

Lady Fares narrowed her eyes. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath.

"She told me," Alice continued, stepping forward, her voice unwavering, "that Coris Bendly is among them."

Lady Fares froze. For the first time in years, her composure broke — if only slightly. A flicker of disbelief crossed her face before she masked it again behind a colder, tighter expression.

"Coris?" she whispered, almost to herself. "That traitorous—"

"She’s planning something," Alice interrupted. "I don’t know what, but Dominic is the target. And this demon—" she motioned to Kelly, "—agreed to tell us everything she knows."

Lady Fares stepped forward now, slow and graceful like liquid darkness. Her presence drew closer, suffocating in its intensity. Kelly instinctively stepped back, but Alice held her ground.

"She’s young," Alice said softly. "Just a kid in all this. I don’t think she wants to be part of it anymore."

Lady Fares looked at Kelly, peering into her the way shadows search for hidden corners. "Is that true?"

Kelly hesitated. "I... I don’t know what I want. But I do know Coris is dangerous. More than you think. I’ll tell you what I know."

Lady Fares turned away. "Then you’ll come with me. There’s a place where the shadows can be made to speak. And I want to hear every word."

Alice nodded. "I’ll come too."

Lady Fares glanced back. "No. Rest. You’ve done more than enough."

"I need to know what’s going on," Alice insisted. "Dominic... he needs people he can trust."

At that, Lady Fares finally nodded in approval.

"As you wish. But know this, Alice: you’ve made a gamble. Trusting a demon... it never ends without a price."

Alice looked to Kelly. The girl — demon or not — had bled. She had hesitated. She had chosen not to kill.

"Then I’ll pay it."

Lady Fares extended a hand, and the shadows peeled open before them — a silent portal of ink and magic leading into a deeper sanctuary. She stepped in first.

Alice followed without fear.

And Kelly, after a second’s hesitation, stepped through last.

The game was changing.

And now, the truth would start to bleed.

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