I had managed to make it through the next two rounds without passing out, but I had definitely put a lot of strain on my body. I was exhausted, and I was in desperate need of a break, but I was determined to make it through the tournament. I felt like I had something to prove, even if it was just to myself.
I grabbed a couple of energy drinks and some food from the vendors and headed back to the arena. I was ready for the next fight, and I was determined to win this one. I entered the arena with a renewed sense of determination and quickly found my opponent. It was a huge demon with horns and red eyes. He was huge, and it was obvious he was a lot stronger than me.
"Tiny little black cat wants to fight?" The demon growled at me, but I ignored him and winced, fighting a wave of dizziness from my activation of my Umbrakinesis.
I focused on the energy that was swirling around me, and I felt my body start to change. My fur started turning black, and my eyes began to glow a bright, electric blue. I was ready.
"Let's do this," I said, and the demon roared, charging forward with his huge claws raised. I dodged the first swipe and then used the shadows to manifest a wall of darkness that blocked his next attack. He roared in rage, and I used the shadows to create a massive explosion of dark energy that sent him flying backward. He landed with a thud, and I quickly followed up with a powerful uppercut that sent him flying into the air. He crashed into the ground, and dark energy blasted me up after him. I slammed into him, sending him flying into the wall, and then I landed on top of him and pinned him down.
"Give up yet?" I asked, and the demon roared in defiance. I smiled and then used my Umbrakinetic powers to create a giant fist of darkness that slammed into his face. He screamed in pain and then went limp. The crowd roared in approval, and I stood up, victorious.
"Is this the best you have got?" I called up to Bellazibub, and she leaped from the top in response, landing softly in front of me.
"It seems that it is time for me to see just how far you've come. Don't think I will go easy on you for giving me such a good time last night," The Bee Demon said to me, and then a burst of crushing black energy rolled off her like waves, forcing me to stagger back.
"Geez! Has no one killed you this entire time?!" I asked in amazement, and she smiled warmly back at me.
"I don't like giving people a chance, but you need to be trained, and I think that I am the one that needs to do it. Now, prepare for a lesson in humanity, my love!" Bellazibub said, and then she charged forward with such speed and power that I could hardly keep up. She slammed into me with a flurry of attacks, and I fought back as best I could, but I was quickly overwhelmed. Every time I tried to counter, she seemed to anticipate it, and she sent me flying with ease.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she finished her onslaught with a powerful uppercut that sent me crashing into the ground. I lay there for a few moments, trying to catch my breath, and then I slowly stood up. My body ached, but I felt strangely energized.
"You are getting better," Bellazibub said, and I smiled.
"Thanks. I think I am getting the hang of it," I replied, and she rushed me again. I thought I had learned something from the first encounter, but I was wrong.
Bellazibub was relentless, and she kept pushing me to my limits. But slowly, I started getting better. I blocked more of her attacks and sometimes even managed to land a hit on her. Finally, after what felt like hours, she stopped and stepped away from me with a satisfied smirk.
"You have done well," She said, and I smiled back, panting as I tried to catch my breath.
"Thanks," I said, then I blacked out. I had been using all my power just to block and stay on the defense and was using my Umbrakinesis to hit me all at once after the danger was over.
When I came back, it was already dark outside. Bellazibub had taken me back to her castle and put me in a bed to rest in. She had also given me some food so that I wouldn't pass out again from exhaustion. After I had rested for a few hours, she came back with Lexi, who looked overly concerned for me as she slithered over.
"How can you be bedridden?! You are a god! The god!" She complained as she snaked into bed to cuddle into me.
"Down here, I am not. I am just really strong with limitless potential. This is like being born into a new world for me, and my power baseline reset so I don't accidentally destroy the world while trying to get my thoughts in order," I explained, and Lexi pulled back, giving me a skeptical look.
"Destroy the whole world? What magic can do that?" Lexi asked.
"You understand magic as it is written and the ways that people learn it, right?" I asked, and Lexi nodded. "I know what magic is and how it is connected to each thing. I don't know the spells; I just make them up using magic. I could do something out of rage that could be catastrophic, so there is always a baseline for me when I enter a new world, or that is what I have always assumed. Not like the Guides or Kadeon would have ever told me, even if I had asked."
"I see. I guess that makes sense, but I still think it is strange that you are blacking out so much," She said, and I shrugged.
"I made a new kind of magic, basically. My body is trying to get used to me using it, and in part, it is using True Magic to do so, which I have very little of. What is frustrating is that I am getting better at using the Umbrakinesis, but my True Magic Levels aren't increasing yet," I complained.
"Maybe you need to try finding different and more mundane uses for the magic? Like how Primal Magic doesn't like to do the same things over and over again? Maybe it requires you to be more creative with it to get stronger?" Lexi asked, and then said, "I don't think magic was meant to be a weapon, but people made it into one, so if you try doing more interesting things and diversify, you might have better luck."
I nodded, understanding what she was saying. "You're right. I'll try to use the magic for different purposes and see if that helps." I looked up at Bellazibub and said, "Thank you for all your help. I'm slowly getting the hang of this. I appreciate it."
Bellazibub nodded, her smile warm and brightening the room. "It is no problem. Just seeing your determination fills me with pride. Just don't forget the deal, and everything is good. I have never known you to go back on something that you have agreed to, so I am not that worried. Rest more, and tomorrow I will train you more, but I will leave you two to get some rest," she said and then left the room.
"How much longer do you think we are going to be down here?" Lexi asked, and I thought about that. It was clear that this was going to take longer than I had expected.
"Possibly two weeks. I am going to have to go back in a few days for Breya, and then I will need to spend at least a day with Tallia. While I do that, I will need you to stay here with Bellazibub and feed the portal magic to keep it open. I also need you to guard it to make sure nothing tries to come through. Portals are not unusual, but they will attract demons like flies to shit, and I don't think Bella is going to let me leave one open in her house. That means that I will need you, Toto, and Martha to protect it," I explained, making Lexi frown.
"What about Bella? If she helps, it will be easy, right?" Lexi asked, but I shook my head.
"That will start a shit storm with the other demons, and that will bring the generals up from the bottom three layers to try to replace her," I said, but Lexi wasn't convinced.
"Well, isn't she going to be coming with us? Isn't that what she wants?" Lexi asked, but I shook my head.
"No. If they come to replace her, they will kill Bellazibub," I said, and Lexi went quiet.
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