Adam's gaze swept over the trio of peak-tier devils with such arrogance that it bordered on casual indifference.
He stood before them, seemingly oblivious of the fact that he had just achieved the high-tier realm after a hard fought battle. That he was a high-tier before three peak-tier devils!
The borrowed fur cloak draped over Saphira's trembling body, while his own cloak wrapped around Lyra's soft and nude body.
Vorlag was the first to break the suffocating silence.
The brute's massive, form shifted, his ancient-looking eyes narrowing as he took a step forward, his voice a low, rumbling growl that carried across the space between them.
"Who are you?" He demanded, though the question was rhetorical, a formality.
They all knew his name by now.
"What is your purpose here? What are you doing within that nexus?" He gestured broadly towards the shimmering barrier, towards the obelisk and the half-built portal beyond.
"We would like to know. We deserve to know."
Malgrim remained silent, eerie green eyes fixed on Adam with an unnerving intensity, a thin smile hiding his calculating thoughts.
Kaelgor, too, said nothing.
But the century-old devil's actions spoke volumes.
A subtle pulse of his will, a controlled eruption of demonic mana, and a shimmering, translucent wall of energy erected itself around their small group, forming a dome of silence that blocked out all sound from the surrounding armies.
On his side of the barrier, at least.
Adam would need to do the same to prevent his own demons from eavesdropping, but he found he could not care less.
His subjects would hear what he allowed them to hear, and nothing more.
Adam greeted them with a cordial nod, his burning gaze sweeping over each of them in turn.
"I respect you for your strength," He began, his voice low and measured, carrying the weight of genuine acknowledgment.
"Strength is the backbone of power, prestige, and wealth in Hell. Without it, we are nothing. With it, we can carve our names into the very fabric of this realm, and those that lay beyond it." He paused, letting the words settle.
Flattery, when delivered with sincerity, was a potent tool.
The short time he had spent here had allowed him to learn to respect his foes, or fellow royals. And to not underestimate them.
Then, his tone shifted, becoming more serious, "It is unfortunate," He continued, "But the secrets involved in the basin, the operations within that nexus, have Lord Gorael's name tied to them." He let the implication hang in the air, heavy and absolute.
"That makes them a taboo."
The statement held much truth.
The runes on the obelisk, the power that pulsed through the nexus, the very anomaly of its existence: all of it bore the trace of the Arch Devil's influence.
Vorlag and Malgrim exchanged glances, their supernatural senses probing the words for deception.
They found none.
The truth, carefully selected and strategically presented, was a shield that deflected their suspicion. It also, at least, backed Kaelgor's earlier statements, forming a statement of consistency to the tangled web of lies, truths, and half-truths.
"I will converse with you at another time," Adam said, his gaze shifting from the two curious peak-tiers to the silent, armored form of Kaelgor.
"But now, I wish to speak with him."
He emphasized the last word with a subtle shake of Saphira's battered body, a reminder that he held the devil's daughter in his grasp.
It was a hint, a barely veiled accusation, that Kaelgor had secret motives, that his sending of Saphira had been more than a simple fulfillment of a demand.
'Perhaps he had sought to uncover Adam's secrets, or to sow chaos, or to pursue some hidden agenda.'
The implication hung in the air, a seed of doubt planted in the minds of the other two devils.
Vorlag's hardened face shifted into focus.
Malgrim's thin smile tightened.
The duo exchanged another glance, a silent conversation passing between them.
They were beginning to accept the possibility that the dealings within the basin were simply too out of their league, too entangled with Lord Gorael's hidden plans.
But Kaelgor's secret motives… that was a different matter.
If he still had subtle plans, still sought to pursue his own agendas within the basin, did that not mean there was something to gain?
Something worth pursuing?
It also proved, in their cold, devilish minds, that although Kaelgor had spoken many truths, there were still lies woven into his earlier statements.
Information had been omitted, agendas that had been hidden.
The web of deception was far more complex than they had initially assumed.
With a shared, silent nod, the two peak-tier devils turned and moved away, their tall, imposing bodies retreating into the shadows of their respective camps.
Their own thoughts and calculations still brewed within their minds, a storm of suspicion and ambition that would not be easily quelled.
They would watch, and they would wait.
They would find their own angle on this increasingly complicated situation.
Adam and Kaelgor were left alone, the shimmering barrier between them, the fur cloaks rustling softly in the hellish breeze.
A breeze that would scald human flesh with every caress.
Lyra remained tucked at Adam's side, her beautiful silver eyes watchful.
Saphira hung limply in his grasp, her battered form hidden beneath the fur, her breathing shallow but steady.
Kaelgor stood motionless, his red gaze fixed on the newborn, his expression unreadable behind his helmet.
Prying eyes had witnessed their unheard conversation, but the true meaning of their exchange remained hidden, a secret locked within the minds of the two devils who now faced each other across the humming barrier.
The translucent wall of energy that separated two devils bound by a fragile, temporary alliance forged in mutual desperation and desires; lust for one, and greed for the other.
Adam's smirk widened, his burning gaze fixed on Kaelgor's helmeted visage.
He had still yet to see the true face beneath that imposing helm, the face of the century-old, cunning old monster behind the armored facade.
But that was a mystery for another time.