Lyra launched herself forward, appearing like a black comet of rage.
Those tens of meters were crossed in a blink of an eye.
The mid-tier strength of a lesser devil was already at a level beyond any demons in the 1st layer; because being limited by this layers restrictions, at the peak of rank 1, any and all mid-tier devils were invincible to them.
It was but a blink for the surrounding demons, but for Adam, he was watching intently.
Just as her spear was about to connect with the shimmering wall, the barrier rippled. A tiny, precise opening, no larger than her body, flashed into existence for a fraction of a second. The opening was precisely timed so that Lyra had no time to react to the opening.
Carried by her momentum, Lyra's body went through effortlessly. She stumbled onto the hard, scorched earth of Adam's territory; her spear dissipating into mist as its residual energy tore through the ground, while her rage was momentarily overshadowed by sheer shock.
"Snap!"
The opening in the barrier sealed behind her with a soft sound, but to her it was like a thunderclap.
Adam stood before her, his hand lowering, a flicker of intense satisfaction and cunning in his chiseled features. The blatant mocker in his eyes vanished, allowing Lyra to realize that she had been purposefully lured into his side of the barrier.
His sharp, red eyes bore into her with an intensity that surpassed what she had felt before.
The convenience of his newfound distanced control over the obelisk's functions was not lost on him. Adam could feel the nexus point's energy flow respond to his mental commands with ease and precision.
'If I had this control during the last attack…' He thought in retrospective irritation, 'Then the situation would not have been as dire...'
But that was a thought for another time, as there was no point dwelling on the past. His primary 'objective' was now trapped inside his walls, within hands reach.
His gamble had paid off!
In fact, because of Lyra being part of the 1st wave of fodder cannon, Adam was able to avoid most, if not all, risk!
Had Lyra not been part of the 1st wave, then Adam would have had to endure it and wait. If he were to use the attack rune to early, then he was confident that Kaelgor would pull back.
How and why was he so confident in the attack rune?
After completing the attack rune, Adam kept on expanding and connecting the residual runes that Lord Gorael had left on the nexus. He did that mainly to complete the dimensional portal, but he also realized another benefit.
He was able to feel the nexus's core hum in a way that made it seem… alive and excited?
It was like feeding a child that only knew how to devour, growing stronger and stronger with every engraving; bringing it back to life. It was at that moment, feeling the runes surging with destructive power, a feeling that Kaelgor couldn't even get close to matching, that Adam knew that his attack rune was something that defied the 1st layer of hell!
Although the defenses also 'grew' in a similar manner, the energy was spread over the entirety of his base, while the attack rune was concentrated.
If Kaelgor, the rest of the devils, and his elites were all to attack at once, within a small region of his barrier, then the resupply rate of the nexus's demonic energy wouldn't be able to recover in time.
In the end, he was lucky to have not had to go to such lengths and risk.
"You Dare!!!"
From beyond the barrier, a roar filled with pure, unadulterated fury shook the very air.
Kaelgor had seen it all; his recruited devil lured and captured like a simple-minded beast. Her demeanor was nothing that a devil, born of pride and wit, should be like!
The rampant power from the warlord was immense, like a tangible eruption of rage.
His mana grew dense, while his aura was laced with the sins of wrath and pride. A single step forward made his elites follow in tandem. The nearby devils felt what the pinnacle of strength with hell's 1st layer was; a subtle respect formed within them as they followed after.
The real assault was about to begin in earnest!
Yet, Adam barely paid it any mind.
His lust-filled gaze was fixed solely on the silver-haired deviless now trapped in his territory, her mercury eyes wide with a mix of fury, confusion, and a subtle dawning horror of her own impulsiveness.
His hunt was over, the prize was caught.
The air outside the barrier seemed to solidify as Kaelgor charged. His every step caused the form to crack and break with a loud thud. A trail of mangled demons was carved as he charged; uncaring for the accidental deaths of them.
In a matter of seconds, he had crossed the distance and was meters away from the barrier. Standing just on the other side, he appeared like a mountain of steel. His fist was pulled back, gathering energy that started to shake the ground before Adam's fortress.
The blow, if it were to land alongside the rest of Kaelgor's army right behind him, would be devastating!
Adam was sure that Kaelgor would be able to break through, become surrounded, and would either be captured or forced to flee.
If he were lucky enough to escape that is.
But, Adam didn't even turn to face that attack fully. Instead a flicker of annoyance crossed his face; as if he were no more than a buzzing fly interrupting his dinner.
With a thought as casual as swatting an insect, he sent a mental command to the alter, igniting the nexus's runes, and sending its potent demonic mana to the pinnacle of the obelisk.
High above, the attack rune flared with black and red light; the surrounding miasma surging in like moths drawn to a flame.
Then.
"Zchooom!"
"Bang!"
A beam of pure, concentrated hellfire and solid darkness shot out.
It wasn't a precise weapon; but it made a statement.
It streaked across the front ranks of Kaelgor's army like a child dragging a scorching pencil across the ground.
Demons caught in its path didn't have time to scream; they simply vaporized, their bodies dissolving into ash and swirling motes of dark energy. Leftover libs and half complete bodies floated in puddles of pungent blood. Souls of the vile fallen desperately tried to escape, only for many to be taken by their fellow 'comrades'.
The beam carved a deep, smoldering trench in the ground before the barrier, a line of utter annihilation.
It stopped Kaelgor dead in his tracks.
The massive devil skidded to a halt, his intended barrier-shattering punch dying mid air. The stunned, furious confusion on his face was a sight to behold. His entire army recoiled, the mindless frenzy of their charge broken by the sheer, indiscriminate power of the strike.
"Tsk!" Adam was annoyed that his strike was so inaccurate; completely missing Kaelgor even when he was near the barrier. But it was to be expected after all, as the nexus's peak was over a kilometer away.
Thinking thus far, Adam finally decided to look back at him, a smirk of utter contempt on his face.
"The game has changed, Kaelgor," His voice rang out, cold and mocking, "I'm no longer playing yours. Entertain yourself out there and... play king in Your puddle of filth~"
He was dismissing him, mocking him; treating his invasion force as an utter failure.
"Whoosh!"
It was in that moment of arrogance, while mocking, that Adam's heightened senses caught a rush of air.
He moved on pure instinct, twisting his body to the side.
"Shink!"
A blade of solidified shadow, sharp enough to part the air itself, sliced through the space where his heart had been a microsecond before. Instead, it grazed his chest, leaving a shallow, stinging cut that welled with black blood.
Lyra stood there, her chest heaving, her silver eyes wide open, but not with fear. Instead, a feral intensity filled her eyes and posture, like a trapped animal!
Lyra's thoughts were frantic.
'Who is he? Doesn't matter… I'm trapped. I'm trapped!" Then she saw him turn and mock Kaelgor, "He's distracted. Now! Kill him now! It's the only way!"
She had seen his focus shift to Kaelgor and had seized the chance, as a desperate, lethal gamble born of panic and pride: and it had almost worked.
Adam looked down at the cut, then back at her.
The smirk on his face didn't fade, instead it transformed.
The contempt for Kaelgor melted away, replaced by a blazing, possessive lust. He no longer cared for the devil who had cause him so much trouble.
His eyes took her in; her heaving chest, the wild, pure mercy-like eyes, the shadows coiling around her like angry serpents, and the smell of his own blood in the air…
"Feisty," He smirked, his finger wiping off his blood before tasting it; contaminated by darkness.
Then he moved like a blur.
He didn't give her time to think.
He was on her in an instant, but he didn't try to land a killing blow; opting for a grab that she barely evaded, his fingers closing on empty air where her arm had been.
Lyra reacted with the desperate speed of cornered prey.
She wasn't fighting to subdue; she was fighting to kill. Her every move was lethal. Shadows lashed out from her hands, as a spear, whips, daggers, and more.
A backhanded shadow blade sliced towards Adam's throat. He ducked under it, but a second, follow up kick materialized from within her shadows, catching him in the ribs with a solid thump that drove the air from his lungs.
He grunted, more in surprise than pain.
He retaliated, but not with magic, and instead with physical speed and power that dwarfed hers.
He lunged, aiming to grab her wrist. She twisted away, but his other hand shot out, catching a handful of her silver hair and yanking her head back. She cried out in rage and pain, while also driving her elbow backward into his gut. He took the blow, his grip tightening, and slammed his forehead into the back of her skull.
"Bang!"
Stars exploded behind her eyes.
It was a frantic, brutal skirmish: a brawl.
Adam received a series of shallow, stinging cuts across his arms and torso; each one a testament to her lethal skill and refusal to yield.
Lyra, in turn, was battered and bruised. A fist to her side made her gasp. A kick to her thigh sent her stumbling. A hard shove against her shoulder left a deep, aching bruise.
He wasn't trying to maim her; he was weathering her storm, studying her, and containing her.
Slowly grinding the tempting deviless down~