A storm was brewing within Adam's mind.
He was still weighing the options for maximum impact, when he arrived at the shabbily built wall.
Long days of constant working had laid a solid, albeit ugly, earthen wall that stood near his defensive barrier. Hell's coarse and hardened dirt were stronger than normal concrete; but the attackers were also far stronger than unawakened humans could ever be.
Adam stepped onto the rough bulwark, his cloaked figure a stark contrast against the uncertain, anxious bodies of the demons manning the walls.
Their cunning feral eyes were scanning the situation, bodies moving like compressed springs ready to snap.
The situation was bleak, being outnumbered and without proper equipment; unlike the steeled demons under Kaelgor's command. Plus, there was the aura of several other devils radiating within the approaching army, like suns amidst candles.
Their only chance lay within their current lord, Adam. And there was a glimmer of hope within their sinister minds; the nexus, the barrier, and the traces of potent mana that occurred when rune work was being done.
He was unique, lucky, and held wisdom; therefore there might be some hope yet…
They looked to him, standing undaunted, and some of their hidden terror seemed to settle under his unnerving calm.
Below, the sea of Kaelgor's demon army halted at the basin's edge.
It was a terrifying sight: thousands of demons, a forest of horns, claws, and glinting weapons, led by a squad of devils and the intimidating appearance of Kaelgor himself.
Demonic wooden clubs, hard bone sharpened into spears, and hide armors of various types and appearances donned the army.
For a long, silent moment, the two forces simply observed each other across the distance, the only sound the low hum of Adam's defense barrier.
Kaelgor moved first, taking a step forward, his army flowing behind him like a single organism.
The devil's voice, amplified by his power, boomed across the space, devoid of offers or mockery this time.
It was a pure, unadulterated ultimatum.
"Newborn. You collude with rebels. You defy my will. You defy an Arch Devil! Your mere existence is a stain on this land. Tear down this barrier, kneel, and I will grant your followers a swift death. Resist," The air around Kaelgor seemed to crackle with blood-thirsty violence, "And I will unravel your fortress stone by stone, kill every individual behind your pathetic walls, and feed your soul to the lowest of my imps while your subordinates watch."
Adam did not immediately respond.
He let the threat hang in the air, his expression one of mild curiosity, as if studying a particularly aggressive insect. His senses observed the expression of the demons around him; their uncertainty and bloodlust stirred by Kaelgor, but they wouldn't dare act against him, at least not just yet…
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, carrying a clarity that silenced the restless horde.
"Kaelgor," Adam said, his tone casual, dismissive even, "I know not of this collusion you speak of. You speak of defiance, while I merely live. You fabricate a rebellion, while I see only impatient guests arriving early for his own funeral."
A faint, wicked smile touched his lips.
He raised a hand in a casual, almost theatrical gesture towards the pinnacle of the obelisk behind him.
"You've come all this way to destroy this 'rebellion', this false king... it would be rude not to give you a glimpse of what this 'false lords' is capable of."
The air grew heavy as Adam's own anticipation for his attack rune grew.
The smug confidence on Blair and Agri's faces widened.
This was the path he had chosen: not a deterrent, not a sneak attack, but a direct, arrogant challenge. He was going to show Kaelgor exactly what he was facing, and dare him to take another step.
Although a strategy of waiting for the enemy forces to get closer before attacking would be smarter, or even trying to kill Kaelgor himself would be better, Adam decided that the losses wouldn't matter in the long run.
The benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
What was the benefit?
To fuel his pride, to see the look on Kaelgor, on that arrogant devil face! To feel the dread and worship of not only his followers, but the thousands of demons before him.
Yes!
He was understanding it now; a concept of infection and contamination, laced with worship, and birthing something more… something divine!
The one true path to becoming a true devil!
The command was on the tip of his mind, the psychic impulse to unleash the obelisk's fury already ready to strike. But in that final moment before starting his beautiful annihilation attack, his gaze swept over the ten devilish lieutenants flanking Kaelgor, and his world narrowed.
There, amidst the hulking brutes and sinister figures, was one who did not belong. A devil whose aura wasn't just one of power, but of a strange, captivating allure.
Instinct took over.
His hell's eyes flared to life, the demonic runes in his pupils squirming as they focused, pulling up her information in a flash of crimson script that only he could see.
Name: Lyra
Age: 3 Months
Rank: Mid-Tier Lesser Devil
Bloodline: Forming Shadow Devil Traces
Status: Primordial Yin Intact
A virgin devil?
And her form… it was a echo of a lost world.
Like all devils, her appearance was a reflection of her past life, a ghost in the shell of her new, hellish form. Its only with time that their former appearances might shift into something different, something more evil…
She, this Lyra, had clearly been an elf in another life.
Her skin was a smooth, light brown, like sun-baked earth. Her ears, elegantly elongated and pointed, swept back through strands of hair the color of pure silver. Two small horns, similar to his own but shaped like elegant, upward-curving a 'L', grew from her temples; a delicate crown of dark, obsidian-like bone.
But it was her face that truly captivated him.
It held the ethereal, ageless beauty of the elves, with high cheekbones and a slender jaw, but it was now touched, carved by hell's hand. Her eyes were pools of liquid silver, no pupils, just like shifting, molten mercury that seemed to see through everything and yet nothing at the same time. Emotions like waves and glimmers.
A faint, dark tracery of shadow, like the finest of lace, whispered beneath her skin along her collarbones and the backs of her hands, the nascent mark of her shadow devil lineage, flashing in and out of existence. Like corrupted, yet beautiful, veins peeking through the softest and most gentle of skin.
She stood with a grace that was both alien and utterly compelling, a symphony of light and darkness, of lost grace and newfound, demonic power.
Demonic, graceful, and enchanting.
In that single, heart-stopping glance, a tsunami of new, reckless calculations obliterated his previous plan.
"I must have her!"
"I MUST HAVE HER!"
Smashing Kaelgor's army was a short-term victory.
But her… She was a treasure.
A unique, pristine resource. A fellow newborn, powerful, unclaimed, and with a potential that mirrored his own ambitious growth.
Only royalty could truly stand at his side.
His current pets, Agri and Blair, would never truly be more than that: pets.
To unleash the attack rune now would be to risk obliterating her in the process.
It was an unacceptable loss!
A dangerous, exhilarating gamble ignited in his mind.
He would not show his full hand, not yet at least. He would draw them in, and make them commit; letting her get closer in the process. He would turn this siege into a hunt, and she would be the prey.
Whether she wanted to be a 'prize' had never crossed Adam's mind; her opinion in the situation didn't matter!
The wicked smile returned to Adam's face, but its meaning had completely changed. It was no longer just about defiance; it was about acquisition.
Poor Kaelgor and his army was nothing but an afterthought at this point.
"Kaelgor!" Adam's voice rang out, his raised hand now curling into a casual fist before dropping to his side.
The building energy at the obelisk's peak subtly dissipated, settling back into a dormant state. "A speech worthy of a 'true royal of hell'. All threats and no imagination."
He took a step forward on the wall, his eyes glinting with a new, mischievous light, though his gaze kept flicking back to Lyra.
"You want my fortress? You want my obedience? Then come and claim it. Break my barrier if you can. But know this," His voice dropped, becoming an intimate, chilling whisper that somehow carried to every devil present, "I won't be making it easy for you. Let's see if your… recruits… are worthy, capable of claiming this one's property."
He was baiting them.
He was inviting the attack, forcing a conventional siege.
It was a risk that made Blair and Agri shoot him confused, worried glances.
But Adam's expression was one of utter confidence.
He had seen something worth changing the entire battle for, and the game had just become infinitely more interesting as a result.
'I must have her.'