Nemoria nodded, her face red with embarrassment. "Yes and no. I was able to get in contact with a powerful demon, but I had to be a bit drunk to do it... I was able to contact Diablo... What was I talking about again? What was this all about?"
"Ah, yes!" Nemoria exclaimed, "Diablo said that he could... Try to eat him? Is that right? I think I might have gotten into the bottle a bit hard!" Nemoria said and then stubbled, but I caught her.
"How is Diablo supposed to do that when he is locked up?" I asked as I caught Nemoria, but then there was the sound of thunder clapping beside me, and I turned to see a very old friend of mine.
"Nobody puts the Devil in a box, Galio. You should know this," Diablo, True King of the Demons, said from beside me and smiled when I turned to face him. "It has been a long time, brother."
The King of Demons wore no clothing, his body covered in red scales and two broken horns protruding from the sides of his head. He was still as powerful as ever and stepped forward with a smirk, cracking his knuckles before looking up at Leo, who was still gathering energy.
"Time to take care of this pest," Diablo said with a smirk before jumping forward and slamming his fist right into Leo's chest. That should have been the end of it, but energy rushed out of Diablo, and he was blasted backward before slamming into the ground, unconscious.
"That was anticlimactic," I said with a sigh, looking up at Leo. He didn't even look like the same person. He was now an Aether Demon, but he still had the same eyes that I knew before.
"Brother. You and I have unfinished business," Leo spoke, but it sounded like he stood beside me.
"Get everyone back to the Mortal Realm," I said, but Tallia put a hand on my arm.
"Are you sure that you are ready for this?" She asked, and I leaned in and kissed her.
"I am always ready to protect the people that I love," I said, putting a hand on her cheek. "Get something nice on. Today is a special day for us, and I will not let anything get in the way of that," I told her, and then kissed her again and pressed my forehead to hers.
"Kick his ass so you can come home and give me the child I have been waiting for!" Tallia said, and I winked before walking forward.
"Let's do this," I said as I burst into the air, flying up to Leo.
"It's time for the last showdown. Well, I guess these days it would be called the ultimate showdown," I joked as I flew circles around Leo, who was still gathering energy from the Aether Realm. "Ready to show me what you got?" I asked mockingly and then chuckled when he clenched his fists with rage.
Without warning, Leo lunged at me with a powerful punch that sent shockwaves through the air, but I ducked quickly and spun around, slamming my fist in the opposite direction. Our attacks connected, and both of us were sent flying back.
I grinned as I flew up into the air and waved down at him. "You are outmatched! How do you expect to beat your King?" I asked and laughed as he growled loudly before pointing two fingers at me and sending fireballs in my direction.
I crossed my arms and deflected them easily, sending a wave of electricity toward him that caused an explosion on impact. He stumbled back and looked surprised, yet recovered quickly and charged again. This time, he summoned tentacles of shadows as they tried to wrap around me, but I ripped through them like butter.
"Is that all you got? Come on, this is supposed to be a fair fight," I yelled tauntingly as I flew higher into the air and shot lightning bolts at him. He dodged most of them, but one caught him in the shoulder and burned a mark on his chest.
[Please continue this story in first person with a strong comedic tone but turn the tides in Leo's favor]
As I flew higher into the air, sending more lightning bolts at Leo, he began to laugh. At first, it was soft and single, but then it quickly grew louder and deeper. He raised his hands, and suddenly, a wave of energy surrounded him.
"You think you can defeat me? You could not even stand up against my minions, let alone the power of a True Demon King!" He roared with laughter as his body started to grow and change. His skin hardened like armor, and his horns curved outward in sharp spikes.
He leaped high into the air and came flying towards me, smashing into me with enough force to send us both crashing down to the ground. Still laughing, he stepped forward and grabbed me by the throat, picking me up off the ground and squeezing until I saw stars.
"I should have killed you when I had the chance so many years ago! Now you will bear witness to the true power of a demon king!" He yelled before throwing me down, and I felt something break inside of me.
Pain shot through me like fire, but I refused to give up. I pushed past the pain, summoning all of my strength and focusing on my goals: getting Leo back to his old self and defeating the Dark God, Kadeon.
"Leo, please. Can't we talk about this?" I said, bringing up a shield of pure light around me as I stood.
He laughed again, and I saw a spark of recognition in his eyes as he stepped closer. "Galio... why must you still cling to your delusions? I have embraced who I am now. I will never be that weak, insignificant god again."
A rage welled up in me, and I screamed as I fired multiple blasts of lightning at him. My attack consumed him, leaving only a pile of ashes where he once stood. But then I noticed small sparks of electricity sparking around me, and a moment later, Leo reappeared, unharmed.
"That's impossible!" I shouted, astounded.
"Yes, Galio!" He said, smiling. "My powers are infinite now. I am far beyond what you could ever understand, even if you were to read every book in existence and study day and night forever."
Leo lifted his arms in the air, and suddenly I heard an ominous voice coming from every direction. It was Kadeon, the False God himself.
"Excellent work, my son. You have passed the final test. I shall reward you for your loyalty and devotion," he bellowed, and then the sky opened, revealing the false god himself. He offered Leo ultimate power and dominion over the world. In exchange, Leo would need to serve Kadeon faithfully.
I wanted to scream out and tell Leo not to do it, but he had already accepted the offer. With one swift motion, he snapped his fingers, and suddenly, I felt encased in a bubble of ice. I couldn't move or speak as I watched helplessly as Leo transformed into a full-fledged Chaos Beast.
It seemed that my efforts were in vain, and I had failed. But then the ice shattered, and I heard a voice say, "No, Galio. You haven't lost yet. There is still time."
It was Tallia, Eliza, and Nemoria standing behind me. I looked back in amazement, and they nodded in agreement. Together, our power combined, and we began to chant words of ancient magic. The spell worked, and soon I felt my strength return.
With renewed vigor, I reached out and touched Leo. A bright white light surrounded us both, and I finally understood what the Goddesses were doing. They were purifying his soul, allowing him to regain control of his actions and free himself from Kadeon's grasp.
The sky lit up as if a thousand suns had descended upon the Underworld. Leo stumbled backward in shock and then collapsed onto the ground. When his transformation finished, I rushed over to him and gave him a big hug.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, tears streaming down my face.
"It's ok. I'm alright now," Leo said weakly, but I could see he was dying.
"Leo! You are going to be sent back, but you have to hold on to this feeling! You have to remember who I am! You are my friend Leo, don't ever let Kadeon take that from you! Remember that you are a good person!"
Leo smiled and nodded. A moment later, he was gone, his soul sent back to the Yaggisdral. I collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, and my goddesses circled around me in concern. We all knew what had just happened, but no one wanted to talk about it.
But then I remembered something - I still had to fight Kadeon if I wanted to save Leo and the others. I would have to face my friends again, but it was clear that I was going to need help from the people that I trusted the most. I turned to face the girls and stood up.
"I can't do this alone," I said, and they all smiled.
"You don't have to. You just have to learn to believe in us and not try to do everything on your own," Tallia said, and I sighed with a smile.
"Let's go home."
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