The first faint glimmers of hell's bloodied dawn filtered into the nexus's peak, painting the trio's entangled forms in a warm, depraved glow.
They lay with entangled limbs and satisfied exhaustion. The air was still thick with the musky scent of their exertions while the various liquids were now dry stains.
Adam lay on his back, a conqueror in indulgence; his form a masterpiece of demonic perfection.
Lean, powerful muscle carved under skin that seemed to absorb the faint, reddish glow. The new horns on his temples were a dark, elegant crown against his blackening blonde hair. His manhood, even in the aftermath of the night's activities, was lazily rested against his stomach, waking to the new days light and the softness under his arms; a testament to his vitality and a primal sign for the day to begin as the last had ended…
His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, but as the light touched his eyelids, they snapped open.
His hellish red eyes gleamed, instantly alert. A quick recollection of his status and the previous nights events flashed through his mind.
A lazy, possessive smile touched his lips as he stretched, his hands roaming to fondle the two beautiful creatures nestled against him.
One hand cupped the full, pale curve of Blair's breast, his thumb brushing over a nipple, still peaked and sensitive. The other hand slid down the sleek, cool skin of Agri's back, coming to rest on her ass, gripping it tightly with ownership.
Agri, pressed against his side, trembled.
She felt his touch, that possessive grip.
Her body, still tingling from the residual pleasure of the night before, reignited with fresh anticipation. A powerful cocktail of lust, submission, and a slight, thrilling fear coursed through her.
She knew what was coming.
She knew she would be taken, used, and dominated by him; being left as a blissful wreck.
Her feral yellow eyes were squinted, her lips parted, ready to purr, to beg for it; just the way he likes.
But before Adam could roll over and plant his seed within her once more, his entire body went still.
His fondling hands stopped.
His head tilted slightly, every sense hyper-focused at that moment.
A faint tremor was felt.
Not a quake from deep below, instead this one was different. A rhythmic, distant, and growing thump that vibrated through the very stone of the obelisk; with the demonic mana within.
Demonic currents reacting to a dense concentration of mana; to walking mana batteries…
In an instant, the lazy arousal vanished from Adam's eyes, replaced by a cold focus.
He ignored Agri's soft, confused whimper and moved with a predator's grace; moving to his feet in one fluid motion.
As if summoned by his will, the long cloak of demon hide lifted from the floor and wrapped itself around his shoulders, covering his magnificent, naked body and his still-impressive morning arousal in an instant.
The intimate moment was replaced by the sharp tension of impending threat.
Agri and Blair were both surprised, a wave of letdown and confusion washing over them. But they were not foolish. They knew their master's moods.
This swift, total shift in attention meant something was amiss.
Scrambling, they moved to cover their own nakedness with their bodies natural armor and stand to join their lord, their own senses straining to understand. Their strength limiting what they could 'see' as compared to their lord.
Agri, however, stumbled as she tried to rise too quickly.
A sharp, tingling jolt of lingering pleasure and sudden, oversensitive pain, shot from her well-used groin throughout her entire body.
Her legs, weak and trembling from the night's exertions, gave way entirely.
"Eeeiik!"
She fell to the floor with a startled yelp, landing on her hands and knees. A faint trickle of clear liquid traced a path down her trembling inner thigh as she trembled; merely moving had sent a small orgasm through her body, as she was still sore and sensitive.
Blair looked down at her rival's prone, trembling body, and for a fleeting second, pure, unadulterated envy flashed in her copper eyes.
That was the state she wished to be in, of being so thoroughly ravished one could barely stand. But the emotion was quickly smothered by alertness as she followed the line of Adam's sight, his unwavering gaze locked into the distance.
She turned her head, looking out from the pinnacle of the obelisk, across the basin, towards the distant hills on the horizon.
And her blood ran cold...
The horizon was no longer empty: it was moving.
It was a dark tide, a living avalanche of muscle, steel, and malice, marching with a thunder that shook the very foundations of their nexus point.
Kaelgor had come, and he had brought an army.
The sight of thousands of demons marching in such a 'low-level area' made Agri's and Blair's blood run cold. Such vast numbers would be able to breach their barrier; that they were sure of.
The thunderous approach of Kaelgor's horde was a physical pressure, a war drumbeat that vibrated through the black stone of the obelisk and up through the soles of Adam's feet.
Yet, unlike his girls, it was not a sound that inspired fear in him, but a cold, dangerous focus.
The time for subtlety and hidden growth was over. The board was set, and now it was time to play his pieces!
His first realization was that his trump card could no longer remain hidden.
The attack rune, the product of his meticulous labor and understanding of Gorael's foundational magic, would have to be revealed. Its secrecy had been its greatest strength; now, its power would be his message.
He moved from the platform, the movement fluid and deliberate. Blair and Agri reacted, moving after him.
Agri winced as she put weight on her leg, the lingering numbness and pain had not faded yet, but her determination to follow him was absolute.
They fell in behind him as he began his descent, their eyes fixed on his back.
They saw no tension in his shoulders, no hesitation in his step, and even a hint of eagerness and cruelty in his aura…
His gait was steady, calm, almost leisurely; like a stroll through a garden rather than a march towards an opposing army. But it was his eyes that held them captivated.
They burned with an eager, undaunted light; a look that carried anticipation.
He was not facing a threat; he was assessing a challenge.
Their earlier flickers of worry, born from the sheer scale of the approaching army, evaporated under the weight of his confidence.
Their clouded thoughts cleared and their minds dissected the situation.
They had been there. They had poured their own energy into the rune carved into the peak. Worked for hours on end to complete it. They had even felt its dormant, yet powerful potential. A flicker of destruction that was ready to be unleashed at any given moment.
And now, seeing their master so calm, so ready to wield it, filled them with a smug, worshipful certainty. Their master was about to teach these fools the meaning of power.
Adam's mind raced with various thoughts.
He was confident in the runes; Gorael's work was impeccable, and his own additions made them usable.
The past days of activating the arch devil's revenant runes had also served to further strengthen his attack rune, and defense rune, to horrifying degrees.
'Were such powerful runes even allowed to be here?' The thought flashed.
But another question soon replaced his wandering thoughts: application.
How should he deal with the enemy forces?
A sudden, devastating sneak attack to decimate the front lines, kill many off, and sow chaos?
A blatant, opening display of overwhelming force to shatter their morale before a single blow was struck?
Or a surgical, focused strike aimed directly at Kaelgor himself, to decapitate the army's 'head' and watch the body wither?