Malgrim had been planning on leaving for a while.
He was not dumb.
He, and even Vorlag, had noticed long before the black barrier and the mana wave, that Kaelgor was secretly gathering resources back at Lord Gorael's base.
They had their own demons, their own spies. Thus had noted his movements, the theft, and the careful preparation.
Kaelgor was stealing from the Arch Devil's territory, and seemingly unaware or uncaring for the potential retaliation.
The only logical conclusion was that Lord Gorael was abandoning this territory.
Or perhaps he was already dead, the victim of a power struggle, or maybe even an incursion from a rival faction in the process.
If not, then why hadn't Lord Gorael sent a squad of peak-tier lesser devils from those deeper layers to subdue Kaelgor?
It meant that, for whatever reason, Lord Gorael was no longer watching this territory. Or he no longer cared.
Their initial assumption was that Kaelgor wanted them away from Lord Gorael's territory so that he could secure his control over the nexus.
But his actions proved otherwise.
Since Kaelgor was thieving and sending demons through the nexus's portal, it must mean that he was planning on running away instead of taking over.
But most devils would love to gain a foothold in hell's first layer.
It was a safe, controlled environment, that allowed a devil build power without the constant threat of stronger foes.
Why would anyone run away from such an opportunity?
The answer, that Malgrim had deduced, lay in the nexus under Adam.
It seemed to pose more danger than potential.
Was Adam another devil faction that had cemented itself right in the center of Lord Gorael's territory?
Was the Arch Devil losing control of his domain to a stronger power?
Or perhaps it was a bet, a gamble that had backfired spectacularly?
The last one unknowingly being the closest to the truth.
Malgrim had noticed how Kaelgor's attitude towards Adam, and his reaction to his daughter's near-assassination, was nonchalant.
No, it was more than that: it was almost disappointed.
Like a gambler who had just lost a bet.
Like a devil who had wanted to take control of this newly free territory, but had been outmaneuvered and forced to cut his losses.
As if he tried to kill Adam before it was too late.
And Kaelgor was a smart gambler, so he had decided to leave after he failed.
Every hint, every clue, pointed towards Kaelgor wanting to escape the first layer.
Malgrim had come to the conclusion: it was time to go rogue, to leave this dangerous, unpredictable territory behind.
But before he left, he wanted to fish for opportunities.
He had his army surround the basin, observing, waiting, seeing if Adam would fight Kaelgor.
A small part of him still hoped that there was a treasure in the nexus under Adam, something worth stealing, something that could give him an edge when he went to the deeper layers of hell.
And if Kaelgor tried to steal it and run, Malgrim would be there; ready to snatch it from him.
He even hoped that the nexus would be left abandoned after Kaelgor and Adam wore each other down.
A new rogue devil needed a base of operations, after all.
Of course, he did not expect, even in a million years, that a grand teleportation array was in play.
He did not know that the nexus was not just a source of power, but a weapon that was too hot to hold.
He saw only the surface, the politics, and the power struggles; being content to skim the edges of the chaos.
Therefore, Malgrim was shocked, but ecstatic, when he saw the law fragment appear.
His four green eyes widened, his lips parting silently in pure, unadulterated greed.
This was not what he had expected.
But a law fragment?
A shard of fundamental truth, a shortcut to power that could shave years, decades, or even centuries off his ascent?
This was beyond his wildest dreams.
Although not attuned to his natural affinity, he didn't care!
He would take it, by any means necessary!
His mind swiftly shifted into high gear.
He had prepared for this moment, had long positioned his forces to catch fish trying to escape the net.
Now, that preparation would pay off.
He immediately ordered his drone-like horde to move; their synchronization a testament to his meticulous planning and control.
Insectoid demons scuttled forward, their chitinous limbs clicking against the scorched earth. Wraith-like demons drifted through the air, their forms flickering with malevolent energy and purple miasma.
The wall of chitin and shadow that had been a passive barrier now became an active, moving trap, blocking Kaelgor's path with ruthless efficiency.
Kaelgor saw him.
His eyes, burning with a mixture of anger and annoyance, fixed on the slender, tall, multi-armed devil.
But he did not stop, he did not slow.
He did not waste a single precious second trying to argue or convince Malgrim to step aside.
He knew that any hesitation would be fatal.
If he stopped, if he engaged in conversation, he would be surrounded, overwhelmed, and torn apart by the endless horde of greedy devils and demons that were even now converging on his position.
He charged straight ahead.
His malice and power seemed to converge onto his being.
Blazing red energy surrounded his body; a halo of pure, concentrated rage that flickered and pulsed with each powerful stride.
Thick, suffocating killing intent radiated from him as a wave of pressure that made weaker demons stumble back, their instincts screaming at them to flee. The surrounding air grew heavy, charged with the weight of his fury, the intensity of his will, and his control over demonic mana.
His hand shot to his side, and with a motion that was both fluid and violent, he pulled out his abyssal black halberd.
The weapon was a masterpiece of the lower layer.
Its blade was a smooth curving arc of polished abyssal steel, its shaft wrapped in the leather of some long-dead demonic beast. At the pommel, a single, glaring black horn of a peak-tier lesser devil empowered the weapon all the more.
Night flickered with flames, within that single horn.
It hummed with power, a malevolent, demonic whisper that promised death to all who opposed it.
Malgrim, who had been so cocky, so certain of his advantage, suddenly had his eyes open wide.
The overwhelming aura that erupted from Kaelgor was not what he had expected.
He knew, reluctantly, that Kaelgor was most likely stronger than him, but he never knew that the difference in two devils at the same realm and tier could be so different!
The way his body was empowered by his rage, by his main sin, was something a devil would usually only start to explore at the awakened realm.
It was the first, faint glimpse of a deeper power, at the potential that lay beyond the restrictions of the first layer.
Being on the cusp of awakening, of evolution, for over a century, naturally meant that Kaelgor had grasped some insight and mastery into this new field.
Albeit only slightly, as his current body restricted his full potential regarding this.
But even a fraction of that power, channeled through a century of pent-up fury and frustration, was enough to make even a peak-tier devil hesitate.
And Malgrim hesitated.
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Authors Notes:
Hey there, Author here.
So I have been reading the comments for this novel, and I am going to address some things.
First off, character illustrations.
I want to show you all the characters I have created, as sometimes I feel like words aren't enough to describe them perfectly the way I visualize them.
But!
I do not have a characters tab, as I am not a contracted author.
My work around and current thoughts lead to me creating a discord for not only images, but other aspects of the novel. The only caveat is that I have no experience in creating, nor managing a discord. :(
Thoughts on this?
Next, the upload schedule.
I can see why monthly uploads, or at times longer than a month, are not pleasing to my readers.
But I also can't upload daily, as I have other responsibilities. (Also why I haven't thought of becoming a contracted author yet.)
It's not only about having enough time, but also writing my novel up to my weird standards. I like having consistently and some form of structure, even if I never intended this novel to go this far.
So, I usually look at my novel in sections of thousands of words, not just a chapter or two.
So although I can lower the time between every upload, I still don't think that it will be every day- though I will try my best for more consistent uploads.
Hope this can give my readers some hope, though I know I don't deserve much right now…
Tell me your thoughts, what you think about the discord idea, and any other things I might have missed.
Again, thanks for the support of my readers.
(Skull_of_Life I'm looking at you <3)