A calm finally settled over Adam's mind as the immense, crushing pressure of Gorael vanished.
The absence of his overbearing weight was as deafening as its presence.
The sky, which had been torn open by Gorael's six monstrous eyes, slowly stitched itself back together, leaving behind only a lingering sense of dread and the faint cackling of lightning as the fabric of space was melded together.
The demonic horde, now freed from the powerful pressure, yet still terrified, remained prostrate on the ground, their bodies trembling like leaves in the wind.
The silence was palpable, broken only by the whimpers and low growls of the demons.
Adam, however, stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the spot where the Arch Devil's presence had been. His mind, once a tempest of potent rage, was now a cold, clear lake reflecting the harsh reality of his situation.
He recalled Gorael's words: a losing investment.
He had been born, observed, and driven with a specific purpose; to serve as a key to an unknown and untapped realm.
Adam's value was directly tied to the portal. Now that the portal was useless to Gorael, so was he.
His life was, for now, was still in the danger zone.
The relief that he wasn't a pawn in a grand, terrible game was short lived, replaced by a new, more immediate terror.
Adam had not been born into freedom; he had merely been given a breather from execution.
Gorael had stated that he had initially sent others to find him; subordinates who were meant to look for his birth and bring him to the nexus point.
Gorael's immense pride meant he wouldn't send his lower realm devils on an errand he considered a losing investment, but that didn't mean his original subordinates, the three peak lesser devils who managed this territory, had been informed.
For all they knew, Adam was still a key, a treasure to be found, and they would be coming soon.
The basin, once a seemingly safe haven, now felt like a cage with the door open just enough for him to get his head out, but not his body.
Though, he wasn't willing to run away and abandon the nexus point, a treasure that was powerful enough to attract even Greater Devils.
He had to make a stand.
His only gamble and chance being the rudimentary knowledge he had gleaned from his hell's inheritance and the small, alien-like runes that Gorael had swiftly engraved on the nexus point.
Adam let out a silent sigh, the familiar scent of miasma and sulfur filling his lungs.
He was going to have to gamble.
He turned to his horde, his red eyes piercing through their fear and confusion.
For demons, an interaction with a being of Gorael's stature was an impossibly rare event.
Their leader, Adam, had not only survived such an encounter, but had stood, albeit with difficulty, in defiance of a being whose power was beyond their comprehension. For them, this was a sign of immense fortune, a golden ticket to a future of power and glory.
Being alive after encountering such a powerful being could only mean that luck was on his side, right?
The chaotic hearts of the demons had reached an unanimous consensus: they would hug the thighs of this newborn in hopes of reaching greater heights, heights that would've been impossible to reach without such great fortune.
"Stand," Adam commanded, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the air.
The demons rose to their feet, their bodies still shivering, but their eyes now gleaming with a fervent, unified excitement.
"You have your orders. The portal is gone, but the nexus remains. We will now fortify our domain. The rest of you, gather resources. Bring me rock, wood, anything you can find that can be used to build. Find more of our kin and bring them here. We fortify this basin now!"
Roh, the towering demon of twisted muscles, was the first to salute with a thunderous roar, his rage filled eyes now filled with fervent loyalty.
Agri, who had crept out of rest of the demons, wrapped her lower body around Adam's leg, her expression a mix of worship and blatant greed as she saw him as the pinnacle of her newfound opportunities.
The other thirty-odd powerful demons, the peak lesser demons, followed suit, their faces a mix of nervousness and fierce ambition. They had found a devil who not only possessed power, but also seemed to be able to defy a being whose name alone was enough to inspire terror.
Seeing them gather and look on in anticipation, Adam reluctantly released Agri's ample breast and shook the thoughts of pleasure away.
He had a more pressing matter to attend to. He walked towards the obelisk, his gaze fixed on the intricate, high-level runes that Gorael had carved into its surface.
They were a sophisticated and complex series of inscriptions, far beyond his nascent comprehension. However, his hell's inheritance, that vast, instinctive knowledge, helped him recognize their purpose. The great, envy inducing knowledge that a devil received in their inheritance had laid a solid foundation in understanding greater magics.
As for the left over runes, they were designed for energy manipulation.
Adam closed his eyes, channeling his demonic energy, feeling for the subtle currents of the runes. He searched for the patterns related to energy gathering and output, and then with a focused resolve, he began to draw.
His knowledge of demonic runes was rudimentary. He knew the basic shape and purpose of a defensive rune, but he had no idea how it would look when connected to Gorael's far more advanced inscriptions, or if his rune would even work with the existing ones.
He was gambling on the fundamental principle that all demonic runes, regardless of their complexity, shared a common language.
The hours passed like a blur.
The sun, a perpetual red orb in the sky, slowly began to brighten, a signal of the hellish morning.
The demons were in a frenzy, their chaotic nature now focused by Adam's clear commands.
They ran amok, their shouts and roars echoing through the basin as they tore apart twisted trees and jagged rocks, dragging them back to the center.
Their grotesque and muscular bodies worked like obedient, some what ugly, ants around the basin.
"Finally done!"
Adam, his upper body bare and stained with chipped stone, finally let out a sigh of relief as he stared at the single, imperfect rune he had carved.