Tanya dry-swallowed and took a sharp breath as Minx's finger moved up her neck. She offended the cat woman, and now she was getting a warning.
"Some of us don't rely upon magic to be lethal." Minx whispered, "Magic won't save you against experience."
Just as Minx caressed Tanya's face gently to magnify the woman's fear, her body lifted out of the water. The water rose into the air with her, leaving the haremites bewildered.
"You know, your terrifying movement techniques are only powerful if you can move, right?" Danny, the nerdy gravity mage with poorly dyed purple hair, giggled maliciously.
"Put me down!" Minx demanded with wrath in her eyes.
"I will. I just want you to know that even a weakling like me is lethal with magic." The nerdy woman said mockingly, "Knowledge of magic is power. So watch yourself; those bullied can now bite."
The cat woman looked at the water in appraisal.
A moment later—
SPLASH!
Everyone's eyes widened in shock as Minx turned into a large cat and a massive splash exploded to her left.
Danny immediately panicked and turned her magic to the location of the splash, cranking up the power. To her horror, a reverse waterfall shot up to the sky—and it didn't contain a black cat.
She was played.
Her anti-gravity was set for Minx's small size, so when the beast woman transformed into a large cat, she dropped low enough to whip the water with her tail, leading to the misconception she dropped.
Everything happened in a fraction of a second in surreal shadows. As a result, Danny panicked and released her gravity magic and—
SPLAAAASSH!
Water hit the woman's face, but she didn't notice. She was in shock, staring at a surreal sight with a terrified expression.
"Wheeeeeew!" Kazz whistled, still leaning back against the steps with a relaxed demeanor, "I'm surprised you could follow that, Mirth. Most people are straight fucked if they cross paths with a shadow cat."
A werewolf to Danny's left had its paws pressed against a large black cat twice the size of a panther. The latter was covered in foamy white soap that popped against her black fur.
Black shadows warped the area around the cat like smoke giving her a twisted look that was hard to look at. The haremites were bewildered that Mirth was touching her instead of passing through her. Minx looked that surreal.
"You made your point, Minx." Mirth said dryly, "Your eyes tell me that you would have killed her without this barrier, and those consequences are too extreme. She's a young woman from a previously peaceful world, so leave it as a warning. It's a good learning experience."
Danny's eyes trembled in terror. In two seconds, her arrogance would have gotten her killed. It was inconceivable until a moment ago.
"I already made my point; this rabid imp disregarded it." Minx replied coldly, "If someone raises a weapon against a person, they must be prepared to face the consequences. If they get a warning and raise a weapon, they should [expect] consequences."
Mirth took a deep breath. "She's not a threat to you, so don't be dramatic."
"Not a threat?" Minx scoffed in belief, "This woman put me in a vulnerable position that a dangerous person could exploit to kill me without this barrier."
"She's gotta point." Kazz laughed, "I would've killed the idiot for the same reason."
Whoooosh! Whoosh, woosh, woosh.
Everyone looked up hesitantly with terrified expressions. The water rippled on the surface as a pair of golden wings slowly flapped above them.
Caitlyn stared at the four women with crazed eyes. Her bloodlust made Minx's killing intent look like a temper tantrum.
"And you all died without the barrier for making Leon's Harem City look dangerous." She declared as if looking down on insignificant ants.
The temperature in the area dropped to sub-zero temperatures as anxiety washed over everyone. If the death angel wanted to kill everyone, it was game over.
Caitlyn didn't see the contradiction in her terrorizing actions. She didn't register how bad her totalitarian stature looked to others either. Her mind was that unstable.
"Eyyyyyyoooooo!" Reina called out to everyone in a quirky voice. It was absurd to hear such a carefree call when there was a bloodthirsty group threatening to kill each other.
"In case you're wondering why I'm not afraid right now, it's because Leon asked Caitlyn not to kill me or anyone else here.
She follows everything he says to an extreme. So she's kinda the weakest person in the room right now." She giggled.
Caitlyn turned to Reina with eyes that said [I'm filing an exception request with Leon to murder you].
"Maybe that was rude. I don't know. I just think this is silly because Leon won't allow anyone to kill a haremite. No one will show up if people aren't safe in Harem City, you know?" The brunette asked while looking down.
She subtly reminded everyone about the slumber party's objective.
"Maybe I'm just rambling. So don't mind me." Reina requested, "I just found it important to remind the haremites that they're safe because of Leon. He'll only use force to [maintain that safety]."
An icy chill crawled down the aggressive women's spines. In other words, if someone murders another, the [weakest person in the room] will become their executioner.
Lindy and Caitlyn's eyes widened in astonishment. They forgot Reina's quirky airhead personality was a facade, and the woman hidden within was terrifyingly cunning.
"Isn't that great?" Reina asked, "He's kinda like the Sanctuary barrier. I mean, has anyone seen anyone even argue around the guy? He's not scary, but people just calm down around him. I think it's really cool."
Her insight left everyone's mind twisted. They realized she was right; they had never seen an argument while Leon was around. Everyone was afraid to [disappoint] him out of respect.
"Now that you mention it, this shit would've never happened if he was here!" Kazz remarked before bursting into laughter.
"The idiot's nauseating fear of controlling women has a few virtues." Cynthia said while wiping the soap off her hair with an annoyed expression.
Fritz looked down at her soapy body with a pouting expression. "I wish he was here. If he were, I wouldn't be covered in soap."
"I like when he's around because I don't like dealing with idiots." Phan, the asian who aided Quinn because she couldn't drive, said.
"I just like when he's around. Not for any reason in particular." Regina, the Mexican electricity mage, said with a light blush.
The beast women who got their ears petted assented immediately. They felt spiritually connected to him after the event.
"See!? Seeeeeeee!?" Tricksie exclaimed mockingly, "This is why everyone should've immediately consented to him joining us in bathing."
Zora and Zena scoffed and rolled their eyes. They couldn't believe that people were claiming that Leon bathing with them was a necessity.
"Yeah… I'd prefer it, actually. I feel a lot safer when he's around…." Layla commented hesitantly.
Those that saw her glance at Caitlyn and avoid eye contact with Lindy immediately understood the [value] of Leon. He was their leash!
"I'd prefer it too." Foxy said seductively, immediately drawing a sharp glare from Caitlyn.
"ignoring that last comment…." Feris, the green dragon woman, commented, "I forget the guy's around at dinner. So it wouldn't bother me in the slightest."
"Same. I've spent more time with him than most, and I've never seen him look at me." Kira, the blond kleptomaniac, remarked, "He treats women like ghosts. It's almost eerie."
"I'm glad I'm not the only person that thinks that." Filo, the red dragon woman, laughed.
"If he didn't brazenly have sex of a battlefield, I'd think he was gay. Or that I was unattractive; both would be a shame."
The women burst into giggles at her words.
"He's the worst harem god candidate ever." Kern gruffed,
"Hey! I think Traxie's the best candidate!" Mindy snapped.
"You just love Leon, so pipe down, short stuff." Kazz laugh-scoffed in amusement.
Mindy's face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, triggering a burst of giggles. The small cat woman immediately covered her face in embarrassment when she heard the laughter.
"Shaven-headed lesbian and seasoned man hater again." Layla said more confidently.
"I'm only here because of that phobia of it. Otherwise, I'd rather die than be called a haremite. Having the guy in the bathhouse seems trivial compared to that."
Everyone in the area fell quiet for a moment before the place erupted into pandemonium.
"Hah! The guy saved my life, and I still would've left if he didn't have that quirk." Cindy, the head architect manager with a tight wound hair bun, scoffed.
"Preach!"
"Well said."
"I'd be terrified of him if he didn't have it."
"Heh. I thought we'd never address this glaring topic."
"Right? It's strange no one has."
Fifty haremites buzzed with fervor, finally talking about a topic people avoided out of fear. The moment someone mentioned it, everyone poured in like a tidal wave.
Five minutes of hardcore discussion followed until someone brought up another lucid topic.
"I don't know why his phobia is relevant." Klash, the ogre fire mage, commented, "I think we should be more thankful he's a legitimate psychopath."
The ogre looked around in annoyance when she saw shocked faces.
"What? The guy's ruthless apathy is the only reason most of us are alive." She asserted mockingly, "I'm certain a couple of dozen people could've gotten past the men and titans, but I'm not one of them."
A ripple of synesthesia blasted through the haremites, leaving them stunned.
"Yeah…. Hygeia's counseling made me forget about our entrance here."
"You're right. I haven't even thought about that."
"Damn. That's a depressing truth."
The atmosphere turned dark for a minute before Mirth clapped her hands.
"I [respect] his abs. Keyword respect, ladies." The canine woman, who had chiseled abs, said while looking at Caitlyn and Lindy.
"So long as people keep their hands off him, everyone can admit he's handsome." Lindy smiled, "You won't be punished for voicing the obvious."
A wave of bewildered giggles waved over the haremites when Caitlyn nodded with a smile.
"He looked like a Chad until he got that haircut." Lisa, the head of farming, remarked.
"Yeah, can we talk about that? It's like he's a different person." Foxy giggled.
"It's like he looked terrible on purpose." Fritz giggled.
Caitlyn and Lindy giggled but kept quiet as the haremites talked about how charming and handsome Leon was for the next ten minutes.
They just smiled, wearing smiles laced with pride.
Reina watched the scene with a mysterious smile, satisfied she had twisted the death threats into a reason to love Leon.
—
[A/N: I'm taking votes for the first godly harem lemon sesh. All options are coming; I'm just wondering what people want to see first.
1. Bath House Heaven | 2. God Mattress Harem Den | 3. Absurd Magical Setting
Thank you to those who checked out Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse! Four chapters and another lemon scene are coming your way today so check'em out. By the way, Playboy = Charming Dual Cultivator, it's a serious apocalypse novel.]