"Kill her?! That extreme?!" Lexi exclaimed, and I nodded.
"Yes, she is too powerful and has too much influence. She knows too many secrets, and she has a powerful network of contacts. Killing her would be the only way to guarantee she does not continue to rise in power and influence." I said, and Lexi frowned.
"That's terrible; she is going to be leaving with us!" She said, and I nodded.
"I know, but that only makes it worse for her. I am sure that the Aether demons won't take kindly to her leaving. It's horrible, but it's the reality of this world," I said, and then we went quiet. We both knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but it was something that we had to do, and I knew that I could rely on Lexi to be there for me.
After a few moments, Lexi spoke again. "How are you going to do it? How are you going to stop them from coming after her?" She asked, and I looked up.
"We will just take her with us when we go back. I still need Bellazibub here, so she is just going to have to sit on the side for now. I am sure that you and the girls can handle this," I said, and Lexi sighed and then cuddled into me.
"Yeah, I guess I will have to start training harder with the girls then, but I really wish they would keep their hands off my scales," Lexi said and then looked up at me with an accusatory stare. "I blame you for this. Now they think it is some kind of game! You are lucky that you made that cream for my tail, and they haven't been able to get any of them off!" She scolded, and I grinned.
"At least you are starting to get along with them for who they really are. There is no point in trying to sugarcoat them. They are demons and severely misguided compared to what you and I see as normal. It is better that you have them constantly reminded not to let your guard down in the Underworld," I said, and Lexi let out another sigh but cuddled back into me, pushing her face into the side of my neck to get closer to me.
I had no problem getting back to sleep, and then the next few days of training went by in a blur, but I made sure to check up on Breya at the end of each day via the portal. I had been in the Underworld for 6 days now, and the training was getting intense, but the countdown for Breya's egg was on the final day, and I was glad. I couldn't remember the last time that I had been bedridden so many times after the train, but my resistance was all boosted like crazy now because of the Karma System.
My system still seemed to be working, but I wasn't sure what was to come of Luck, Murphy, and Destiny's card that I got at the last system boost. I had done Karma and Fate's Cards, and things had become easier with everyone, and I had a few freebies from Fate, but those were all but useless now. I hadn't even tried to go see any of the Zodiacs, but I had no way to break Kadeon's control, and he would more than likely make them fight me, or he would have poisoned their minds.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind today? Are you having your first child? Is that why you are just taking my attack without blocking?" Bella asked as she punched my face, but it just absorbed her attack.
"I was thinking about the Zodiacs, and I am doing something. I am using my Umbrakinesis to absorb your attacks and then double them to hit me. I am making your punch super punches!" I laughed but was actually crying inside at how much each damn hit hurt. I had also used my power to pin me solid to the ground, so unless she could knock over the arena, I wasn't going anywhere. The more she hit me, the less pain I felt as my resistance grew, then she would switch it up and hit me with some type of magic.
"Why don't you fight back? How is this making you stronger?" Bella asked after slamming an ice wall into me that just broke a me-shaped cut-out and passed over me.
"Because it is all I can do to just stand here and hold this! I am only going to get as strong as I can if I focus on my resistances and use my Umbrakinesis to block and then double the damage I take. I can't fight back until I have enough strength to do something more than just stand here." I said, and Bella looked at me with admiration.
"You are a tough one, Cat God. I can see why everyone loves you. You are a true fighter, and you will make it through this," She said, and I smiled.
"Thanks, Bella. I appreciate it." I said, and then I felt my strength start to wane. I had been using my Umbrakinesis and my resistance to take the hits, but I was exhausted, and I knew I had to rest.
"Take a break, Galio. Get some rest and some food, and I will see you when you get back from the Upworld," Bella said, and I nodded, then stumbled away. I was exhausted, and I needed to take a break.
Lexi was waiting for me with some meat skewers and a fruity drink that I gladly took as we started to walk. Over the last two days, Lexi had been working with me in my rest time to use the True Magic in more mundane ways.
"What do you want to try today?" She asked as I ripped some meat off a skewer and chewed it with relish.
"Let's try something fun, like making something that doesn't exist," I said, and Lexi smiled.
"That sounds like a good idea! What are you thinking? A new type of food? A new type of weapon? Or maybe something else?" She asked, and I thought for a moment.
"I think I might try to make a new type of creature. I mean, there are so many different creatures and races in this world, but what if I tried creating something that nobody has seen before. It would be fun to see how it turns out," I said, and Lexi nodded.
"That sounds like a great idea. I am sure that you can do it. Let's go somewhere quiet, and you can focus on it." She said, and then led me to a small clearing in the forest.
I sat down and focused on creating something completely new. It was a challenge, but I had done it before, and I knew that I could do it again. I had to focus on the right type of energy, and then I had to find the right type of energy that I could use to make it. After a few hours, I created a small, furry creature with a large head, bright eyes, and four legs. It looked like a mix between a teddy bear and a cat.
"I think I did it!" I exclaimed, and Lexi came over to look.
"Wow, that is so cute! What is it?" She asked, and I smiled.
"I think I will name it a Cuddly Cat. It's a mix between a teddy bear and a cat, so I guess you could say it's a teddy cat," I said, and Lexi laughed.
"That's perfect! I'm sure it will be a hit down here!" Lexi exclaimed as we watched it slowly walk away from us.
Then a demon flew down from the sky and ate it in one bite almost faster than either of us could blink.
"What the hell was that?!" Lexi exclaimed, and I sighed.
"I guess that it wasn't as powerful as I thought," I said, and then looked up at the sky. "Well, I guess the moral of the story is that even the strongest of creations can be destroyed in an instant," I said, and Lexi nodded.
"That was horrific! The Cuddly Cat was so cute!" Lexi complained, and I snorted.
"Being too cute and not deadly is a serious disadvantage down here," I laughed, and Lexi puffed out her cheeks.
"Fine! This time make something that will be able to defend itself! Something big and powerful!" She said, and I nodded.
"I think I have just the thing," I said, and then closed my eyes and focused on creating something powerful enough to defend itself from the demons. After a few hours, I created a giant creature with four arms, four legs, and a large tail. It had an armored hide and sharp claws and teeth, and it looked intimidating, to say the least.
"What is it?" Lexi asked, and I smiled.
"I call it a Demon Cat. It's big enough to take on any demon, and it has armor that can take a hit. It should be able to defend itself," I said, and Lexi gave me a flat look.
"Does everything have to be named after you?" She asked, and I shrugged.
"I guess so. I mean, it is kind of my thing," I said, and Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Fine, whatever. Let's just hope that it's strong enough to survive down here. We don't want it to end up like the Cuddly Cat," She said, and I nodded.
"I am sure it will be fine. I made it strong enough to take on any demon, so I think it will be alright," I said, and then we watched as the Demon Cat slowly walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
I had no idea if it would survive or not, but I was sure that it was strong enough to do so. I had done my best, and that was all that I could do. Now, I just had to hope that it would be able to hold its own.
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