Adam stopped in front of Agri, his red eyes burning with a dangerous mix of lust and wrath.
"Your punishment is not finished," he announced, his voice now a low growl, "But I will be fair. The penalty for a lie is pain. The reward for your loyalty...is pleasure." Adam gave Agri a condescending stare, a coldness in his eyes that made her shiver.
"So be a good bitch, won't you?"
Agri's eyes widened, a flicker of pure anger warring with the dawning realization of her new reality. Adam was not just powerful; he seemed to be able to read her thoughts. A manipulator, a cold, calculating monster who found pleasure in both her pain and her unearthed lust.
Her lack of experience in encountering other devils had lead her to misjudge and underestimate Adam's, a devil's, cunning mind.
Emotions and personalities seemed to lay themselves bare before a devil's mind.
Adam began to walk back towards his horde, leaving a disoriented, humiliated, but profoundly intrigued Agri to gather her wits.
Her demonic physique worked to quickly heal her wounds, yet still leaving her body sore. The lingering pain on her fleshy backside made her want to vent her anger, but she also knew she couldn't; her frustration festered into a potent, volatile rage.
Her agitation made her flail angrily as she tore the surrounding patch of trees, her screams of unadualterated anger echoeing rampantly.
Distant shrieks of fury echoed as Adam walked out of the forest, a devilish grin on his face as he listened to the 'beautiful' cries.
'This is what it means to be a devil,' he thought, the truth settling deep into his soul, 'This is what it means to be alive.'
Carrying his newfound thoughts, he thought about his plans and how put them into motion. How to build his territory. He needed to see what other 'treasures' this nexus point held.
With steady, strong steps, Adam returned to the center of the basin, his horde already hard at work.
The demons, now fully energized by the twin emotions of fear and anticipation, were moving with a surprising efficiency.
A demons natural strength and endurance made them great physical labor workers.
The two flame demons were spewing jets of scorching fire from their mouths, clearing away the jagged rocks and twisted flora around the massive spire.
The grotesque, multi-armed demon with the enormous mouth was devouring the debris, its cavernous maw grinding rock into dust with ease.
Roh, his wound now a faint scar, was barking orders with a newfound zealousness, his rage filled eyes still simmering with a mix of fury and respect.
He had been hurt, but he had been acknowledged, and for a low rank demon, that was a profound form of progress. It was something that he had while the rest of the demons didn't.
He could reach the next layer of hell, but then what?
Brutally struggle to survive by himself against the endless horde of demons that also vied for power, status, and each other's souls.
He was wise enough to know that there was strength in numbers, but only devils could organize and bring order to the otherwise unruly demons. Only by utilizing a devil's authority, could Roh lead and subjugate others of his kind.
Roh had gotten a glimpse of what it meant to lead other demons, to satisfy the natural desire to rule and lead… unfortunately, such a fate wasn't his to obtain.
At least, not until now.
Adam approached the massive nexus point again, but this time with a more focused intent.
The obelisk was not just a conduit; it was a heart.
He laid his hand flat on its sleek, cold surface, closing his eyes to truly feel the energy. It was a powerful, abyssal hum, a deep well of pure demonic power that resonated with his own demonic core.
It felt like coming home, a dark and eerie homecoming in a realm of blazing flames. Hell's pulsing mana felt like it gathered towards the nexus naturally.
He saw, through his hell's gaze, the subtle current of energy running through the stone, the complex network of runes and glyphs that were not carved, but were an inherent part of its structure. Naturally occurring demonic runes, a phenomenon that only occurred on natural treasures born in hell.
That was what it was, not man-made artifact; it was a natural phenomenon of hell itself!
A place where reality, the fabric of hell, was stretched thin and the demonic energies of the hell's realm could be tapped into.
He could use this.
He could use this to fuel his magic, to create a fortress of unimaginable power, and most importantly, to create a portal to other dimensions.
The resources he needed had conveniently come to him.
He opened his eyes, a grin stretching across his handsome face. As a devil of hell, he had to mark a dominion in this weaker layer of hell, to serve as a warning to all who dared trespass, and to make others reluctant to intrude.
"This new domain will be claimed by me," he announced, his voice carrying over the sound of the working demons, his face one of profound satisfaction.
'And this spire... it will be my first step to power.' Greed and lust were fervent within his red eyes.
Agri walked out of the forest, the various gazes directed at her and her still sore behind only served to fuel the rage and humiliation within her.
From potentially becoming Adam's mistress or concubine, to being punished; Agri's state of mind was currently very volatile.
Seeing her expression full of color, Adam felt a deep satisfaction, savoring his time with her, restraining on eating the fruit before it was ripe. He was trying to control his urges, wanting to lead them instead of being lead by them.
Reeling in his growing desires, he turned his gaze back to the spire, his casual observation catching onto something he had missed before.
It was not just a conduit.
He felt a different, more subtle energy emanating from a section of its base.
He was so focused on the structure that he hadn't paid much mind to the structures foundation.
The nexus point was naturally a magical artifact that had inherent demonic runes running throughout its surface and even its interior.
Yet, as Adam's attention had been constantly focused on the black obelisk, he hadn't noticed the faint rune traces that had dissipated not long ago were encircling the nexus's structure!
'As if the nexus was slowly nurtured to grow here!'
Trees were natural resources, but that didn't mean that someone couldn't plant and cultivate a tree, or even transplant entire tree!
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
A faint glimmer of understanding started to sprout new outrageous thoughts, but his instinct yelled at him that it was the truth.
A tingling sensation washed over his entire body.
The reason for Gorael's lax security, the reason for this entire territory being under no scrutiny... it wasn't because he was uninterested.
It was because the Arch Devil was expecting something to be born here.
And that "something" was this nexus point and Adam!