The glowing lines of the dimensional gate were mystical and intricate; yet their limitations and power were of the lowest grade.
Adam's hands moved with a surgeon's precision, Blair and Agri flanking him, their bodies radiating concentrated demonic energy as they channeled raw power into the runes he meticulously carved and filled.
Agri had pulled herself of her blissful reverie not long ago; her expression serious as she didn't dare to slack off even now.
Blair too was determined to show her worth.
The air crackled with energy.
Each completed rune segment flared with an abyssal light before settling into a steady, pulsating rhythm.
The portal was a vast, circular archway of obsidian-like material, now over half solidified, its surface shimmering with the half-completed runes.
Adam could feel its power and potential in his heart: a pathways between worlds, of multiple realities and infinite possibility.
A devils birth right, of venturing to unclaimed realms, eradicating armies and enslaving races.
His entire being screamed at excitement toward its completion; every ounce of his will, his cunning, of his power poured into this single purpose.
Vengeance was a smoldering fire in his heart…
Across the basin, perched on a jagged cliff edge, Kamir observed.
His demonic gaze, sharpened by decades of warfare and carnage, missed nothing.
He had seen the blatant, high-tier lesser devils approach; their auras something he couldn't mistake, nor contend against, even at a distance.
He had watched them briefly come face-to-face, followed my a short silence. He had seen Adam walk away and turn to say something; causing the 3 devils to release their overwhelming aura for a split second.
He could was able to discern much information from their interaction; knowing that Adam had refused any help, trade, or threat that they had imposed onto him.
Kamir's eyes gleamed with a red light through the helmet. A flicker of respect, irritating as it may be, had been stirred within him.
The whelp had a spine.
His force of 80-90 armored berserkers was formidable, but against three high-tier devils?
It would have been a slaughter.
His duty was to observe and contain, not to throw his lord's resources away on a futile approach.
The calculation was cold and simple, but the event was still noteworthy.
With a low grunt, he gestured to a swift, imp-like messenger.
"Go. Inform Lord Kaelgor. The newborn refused an alliance with three high-tier, wild devils. His focus remains on the obelisk. The gate… it nears completion."
The imp grunted in acknowledgement before scurrying off into the darkness.
Kamir's gaze returned to the obelisk, a subtle caution now mingling with his contempt.
This was no ordinary newborn, but he was foolish to refuse aid from the wanderers.
Unfortunately, they had only seen Adam's constant construction of the dimensional portal; completely unaware of the attack rune that overlooked the basin.
They thought that Adam was rushing to build the portal; for strength, help, or even running away.
A lack of knowledge, a blindside; and one that would come to bite them in the ass.
As the region slowly succumbed to a deeper darkness, the environment itself seemed to hold its breath.
The ever-present red hue of the sky deepened to a bruised purple. The thick, black miasma that usually churned like a violent sea began to drift in heavier, slower clouds.
The ground, which usually simmered with geothermal heat, seemed to cool, the constant low rumble of the tectonic plates fading to a distant whisper.
It was as if this section of hell itself was pausing, waiting for the culmination of the work happening on the spire.
Adam's steady gaze swept over the nearly complete web of runes.
It was breathtaking; a complex inscription of runes, of power that made the defensive and attack runes seem like child's scribbles in comparison.
He could still feel the connection to his old world, the faintly familiar pull from the other side of that shimmering mercury veil.
Just a day or two more, and then the final connections and the last stabilizing sequences would be done.
Then he could meticulously study his soul link to his realm, to his planet, and see if there was something that he and the Arch Devil had initially missed.
A gamble that had gotten him this far.
He let out a long, slow breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. His mind's mental energy, bodies endurance, and his cores mana reserve were all low after continuous work.
"Enough," He announced, his voice cutting through the silence, "We resume at first light, but for now we rest."
Blair and Agri immediately ceased their channeling, their bodies slumping slightly with fatigue, but their eyes glowed with a fervent pride at having been part of it.
Without a backward glance, Adam turned and began the descent into the heart of the obelisk, his form disappearing into the shoddily made stairs that led up to the secluded chamber at the very peak: the room that had become his throne room, war room, and bedchamber.
The gateway to his future was almost ready, but for now he would rest, get his much needed energy back, and prepare to complete the project as soon as possible.
The demonesses followed his shadow without command…
The climb to the peak was a silent.
The heavy, rhythmic sounds of the working demons from below faded, replaced by the soft sound of their footsteps on the obsidian stairs, more like foot holds, and the low sound of their breathing.
As they reached the peak, crossing into the secluded chamber, the atmosphere shifted, growing thick and heavy, like the air before a lightning strike. A steady heat filled the air, radiating from the stone walls that still hummed with the day's fading heat magic and from the three bodies now contained within them.
The tension was palpable with unspoken desire and a fierce competition.
Adam stood before them, his back to the shimmering, fading light.
With a slow, deliberate shrug, he let the heavy demon-hide cloak slip from his shoulders. It pooled at his feet like a defeated shadow, casting a light on his magnificent, naked form in all its terrifying glory.
The hellish glow from the runes played over the hard planes of his chest, the defined cut of his abdomen, and the formidable length of his cock, already half-hard with anticipation.
His gaze swept over them: a predator assessing his prey.
A teasing, wicked smirk touched his lips as he saw the raw hunger in their eyes, the way their bodies were already leaning toward him, drawn by an invisible force.
"Agri," He commanded, his voice low, rumbling in the air.
A thrill of triumph shot through Agri.
She pranced forward, her movements a blend of eagerness and reverence.
Behind her, Blair stood frozen, her fists clenched at her sides.
Rationally, she knew.
She knew what she had done during the day, all of the work on the gate, that it was not enough to merit a reward. But even then, a treacherous, desperate part of her heart, the part that was all pride and need, had hoped.
She had prayed that for some reason, he would see her superior worth and choose her instead. That her lord would desire 'something' new and use her untouched body as a result.
Unfortunately, Adam didn't give her another glance.
His hand shot out, tangling in Agri's silky black hair and pulling her in roughly.
"Eeeii!"
A gasp was torn from her lips just before his mouth crashed down on hers. His tongue invaded her hot, wet mouth; claiming it, tasting her.
His other hand groped and kneaded the still-sore tender flesh of her plump ass; the morning exercise still branded onto her in a dark-blue.
His touch walking a perfect line between pleasure and pain.