Blair's leg, coated in obsidian-like spikes and fire, stopped a mere inch from Agri's head.
Crouched before the beaten Agri, Adam's unyielding grip held it motionless, the crackling flames smoldering against Agri's face.
The obsidian spikes on her knee cracked against the skin of his hand, but Adam didn't so much as flinch. The intense heat, which had mutilated Agri moments before, was now being devoured by the demonic energy emanating from his hand.
A deathly silence fell over the basin.
The cheers and jeers of the surrounding demons died instantly. Their eyes, once filled with wild excitement, were now wide with an instinctive fear.
Adam had not made a sound, nor even moved from his position; scrutinizing the injuries on Agri's face and body.
His presence alone was a force that commanded silence.
His crimson eyes glowing with a cold, terrifying light as a destructive, demonic black aura radiated from his body. The air itself seemed to sizzle in anger.
Agri, her body still curled up and bloodied, stared up at him, her lips parted as she whimpered; her face torn from the onslaught.
Blair, whose foot was now firmly held, was frozen in a mixture of shock, sheer indignation, and a hint of fear. Yet her pride was wounded most deeply.
She had been on the verge of victory, of removing a rival, only to have her victory stolen by the very devil she intended to win over.
Finally, Adam moved, releasing her foot with a firm, dismissive push.
The force sent Blair stumbling back a few feet, her balance faltering as she tried to regain her composure. She landed clumsily on her heel, her gaze shifting from her now-free foot to Adam's impassive face.
"Your squabbles are a waste of my energy," Adam's voice was low, yet it carried across the entire basin, echoing in the ears of every demon present, "Remember, your little fights waste my time, and your appearance is pathetic!" Adam's annoyed gaze lingered on Agri as he said the words.
Agri whimpered, the humiliation of being called pathetic by the master she had wanted to serve had hit her harder than any blow landed by Blair.
The dawning realization that her past few encounters with Adam had been nothing but failures caused a faint depression to form in her.
Blair, her face pale with fury, was filled with indignant pride.
Her blazing golden eyes narrowed, but she didn't dare attack. The raw power she had just felt from Adam's casual push was something beyond her capabilities.
This was her first encounter with a devil, allowing her to see a gap she never knew existed; the prowess and magnitude of the elements around Adam eclipsed that of any demon she has ever encountered.
Adam walked slowly past them, his footsteps breaking the silence.
He stopped before the obelisk, a ball of suppressed fury withheld in his chest. He had his back to the two demons, not looking the duo as an attempt to calm his rising irritation; the embers of rage igniting into something more potent.
"Agri," he said, not turning around. "Your weakness is your lust and your fear. You desire to be strong, but you have no resolve. You seek power, but you flee from dangers at moments notice. You are nothing but a coward wrapped in pretty lies."
He could feel her trembling behind him, her desire to lash out and argue warring with the knowledge that it would be a death sentence.
Unable to calm his emotions, Adam glanced at Blair, his red eyes flashed as he quickly saw everything there was to know about the flame demoness.
"Blair," he continued, "Your weakness is your pride. You believe your beauty and strength make you a queen, but you are nothing more than a fool. You are so consumed by your own self-worth that you cannot see the value in others, or the danger of your own arrogance."
He understood them and laid their personalities, their faults bare, not as an insult, but as a statement of fact. The truth, at times, was far more potent than any physical confrontation, and in this moment, Adam was truly speaking his mind.
Because inside, he was infuriated!
First, it was the Arch Devil Gorael who had made him feel uncomfortable and humiliated, an experience he refused to go through again.
His annoyance and anger built up further as he thought of the current situation; his concentration on the attack rune was disturbed by the infighting of two demons, challenging his authority.
"I will not tolerate infighting in my domain," Adam declared, his voice rising to a firm decree, "Your conflict is a resource drain. Your blood is a material that I can use, your souls a power I can take. You are both mine now. Not just your bodies, but your very purpose." Adam's voice carried a tangible malice.
"And you," Looking back, Adam gazed at the beautiful flame demoness, "Do you think you are special? Do you think I won't kill you here for touching something that is mine?"
Blair's face turned pale once Adam directed an overbearing, malicious killing intent towards her. She felt as if hell's burning environment did nothing to give her warmth; the chill from Adam's gaze almost made her heart stop.
Adam's anger was slowly getting the better of him, subtly building up as he looked at these subordinates.
Blair stepped forward and opened her mouth. "I apologize, my-"
Her voice was abruptly cut off, and her figure was slammed to the ground by a demonic aura; the pressure and force of the black miasma caused an indentation where Blair was plastered.
"Do you forget your place?" Adam could feel his anger rising as he questioned, "Or is your pride in the way?"
Adam was keenly aware that wrath and bloodlust were beginning to cloud his mind, but at the moment he couldn't care less.
Why should he?
Demons were an infinite resource, easily replaced.
Agri saw Blair on all fours on the ground, violent coughs of blood and her trembling body gave her chills.
Fear and a desperate desire to live, to calm and satisfy her master, lest she end up in the same situation or worse, made her mind spin rapidly.
Plenty of memories from the short time she had been with Adam surfaced in her mind.
Humiliation after humiliation; fear, weakness, and a desperate anger gnawed at Agri's core being. Her demonic and greedy nature refused to give up on latching onto Adam's leg, even in her current state.
"I WANT!" and "MINE!" Filled Agri's delirious, buzzing mind.
With a pained expression, she crawled over towards Adam, a thick trail of blood left in her path. Her movements were slow and laborious.
Her aching body crawled its way to Adam, dark blood painted her struggles onto the coarse earth beneath.
"I'm sorry, master!" It was all Agri said as she bowed her head in front of Adam.