It was undeniable.
Agri's and Blair's auras now held a hint of his own; something akin to a strange, parasitic infection, or a faint bond of sorts.
A subtle theory formed in his mind: 'Devils are the embodiment of sin, of evil, of everything negative in creation. But we are also beings of control and of order. Is it possible for us to not just command demons, but to infect them? To imprint our own will upon their very essence, using their devotion to us as a vector for something more… something permanent?'
Adam mulled over his thoughts, subconsciously walking down the steps.
Soon, the trio reached the obelisk's base.
'Devils are harbingers of both chaos and order, but how we achieve the duality of our existence is not defined in simple terms. Perhaps, this is the first step of a devils path,' Adam's hands roamed free as his thoughts drifted, his intuition telling him that understanding this new connection would be of great aid to him in the future, 'Now, I just need to know whether this is a…'
"Mhmm~"
Lost in thought, a stifled moan brought him back to attention.
Agri had let out a slight whimper as Adam's hand had pinched the fleshy part of her butt. The enticing sound brought Adam back to his sense, causing him to look up at his surrounding.
Multiple demons had already formed a loose perimeter around the platform, their expressions a mix of awe and fear. While some were respectfully kneeling, others had hints of lust and blatant curiosity in their gaze; their eyes lingering particularly long on the two beautiful demonesses.
The obscene sounds made atop the tower had likely drifted to their ears in the dim morning light; an intoxicating glimpse of their new lord's depravity and a preview into the chaotic nature of the new devil who held power over them.
Such actions made the demons own urges spike with fervor.
Adam straightened up, his body feeling strong and full with vitality.
He casually let go of the two demonesses, giving them a firm but gentle push forward.
They instantly changed their expressions from one of dazed lust to one of pure reverence and knelt.
Adam raised his hand, gesturing for the demons around him.
"The time for rest is over," Adam's voice was firm, resonating with a new sense of purpose, "Today, we begin the true work. The attack rune is a tool for defense, but my final goal lies beyond this world."
The attack rune was a great form of giving the chaotic demons a sense of security. While the hint at the portal gave them hope for the future.
He walked to the center of the obelisk's raised platform, his eyes glowing with the raw energy of his ambitions and thoughts.
The dimensional gate was his ultimate goal: his ticket back to his former world, a world filled with resources.
He had a strong feeling that he could interact with his old realm, but completing the project was far more complex and tedious than any rune he had carved thus far.
Usually, crafting a dimensional rune required immense amounts of energy and an intricate understanding of dimensional magic that even most devils would not possess; even with hells inheritance giving a tremendous helping hand.
Thankfully, he had a shortcut.
He looked at Blair, her body still quivering with a mixture of pride and anticipation, along with a hint of lingering memories and sensations.
"Blair, your refined control over demonic energy will be essential in completing this project. I need you to delicately fill the foundational runes for the dimensional gate around the pinnacle. These runes will be for a bridge; connecting the mana nodes to one another. There is no room for error!"
Blair's eyes widened with a mixture of pride and awe.
Her earlier punishment had become a position of immense trust; a demonstration of Adam's willingness to move from the actions of her the day before and believe in her unique talent and skills.
Elated and eager to prove her usefulness, she immediately ran off and began her work; her hands moving with a meticulous focus that was entirely at odds with her fiery, impulsive nature.
Although Gorael had wiped the dimensional gate runes from the nexus point, their outlines were still subtly engraved into the structure.
Like a removed inlaid that still left its grove onto the jewelry.
This meant all Adam had to do was trace and fill the runes already laid before him.
He could faintly see the remnants of Gorael's immense power, a perfect outline of a mastery Adam himself was decades, maybe even centuries, away from achieving.
'Because of this, the quality of these runes will be far higher than what I could have ever achieved,' Adam thought, controlling the excitement welling up inside, 'These are at a level I will probably not reach for a very long time!'
Adam then turned his attention to Agri.
"Agri, you will not be carving or cutting stones anymore. Instead, a dimensional gate requires a constant supply of energy to remain stable, meticulously filling each node with power; akin to guiding hand. Your role will be to create and maintain the conduit that feeds the gate. Use your raw power to forge a steady flow of mana from the nexus point in the obelisk. If the flow falters, the gate's runes will collapse and all that energy will dissipate, or worse, destroy adjacent runes," Adam's gaze hardened, "Remember, follow Blair's filled in path, and fill those sections with energy cautiously."
This made it so that they had to work together and coordinate appropriately if they wanted to ensure success, all while subtly making Blair the lead in this coordinated task.
Agri, who had initially been watching Blair with a mixture of envy and fury, was taken aback.
Her role was not as delicate as Blair's, even requiring her to be marginally under her command, but it was just as vital and relied on her raw, untamed power.
It was a recognition of her potent, although not as precise, mana reserves. Even if her control wasn't as delicate or sophisticated as Blair's, her raw magic power was her equal!
Her only way to surpass Blair in terms of power would be to advance to the awakened realm…
With a newfound sense of purpose, she chased off after the fiery demoness, ready to began prove her worth as well.
Adam watched them both Blair and Agri work, a satisfied smirk on his face.
Of course, he would oversee them to ensure no mistakes were made, but this new motivation would be of great help for their growth.
Physical desires and honing their skills were only part of the equation.
He could feel it in the air, a potent feedback loop of ambition that seemed to feed back directly to him…