Just as he was going to walk over and tell her to input the coordinates into the nexus's dimensional portal, Nyx sashayed over first, her hips swaying with deliberate, hypnotic grace.
She traced her hand seductively over Adam's bare chest, her fingers lingering on the hard planes of his muscles, her touch light and teasing.
"Would you like to go 'rest' together at the side for a while?" She asked, her voice a low, suggestive.
Her eyes glittered with mischief, and her intentions clear.
A brief respite in the midst of the storm.
His first rational thought was to deny.
Yet, as Adam pondered her offer, his mind racing, he realized that he technically could!
There was nothing he could do except wait for his demonic energy to recover, to rest and regroup before the next round of work.
The strain and fatigue he had endured was all related to demonic mana and mental energy. His physical state was near its peak!
A brief moment of indulgence, a chance to relieve some tension and 'strengthen' his bond with a new ally, might be just what he needed.
His gaze lingered on Nyx, on the way she looked at him with such blatant hunger and confidence…
Adam, obviously horny, wanted to agree to Nyx's enticing offer.
Her every move was a powerful temptation.
But he learned to suppress his desires and focus on calculated actions. History had taught him that lesson painfully.
With a slow, deliberate smile, he changed the conversation, not directly agreeing but instead redirecting her towards the nexus's pedestal.
"I require something of you first. Something important." He said, his tone gentle and calm, but with indisputable authority.
Nyx squinted her eyes knowingly.
She could sense his lust, could feel the heat radiating from his body, but she also recognized the shift in his focus.
He was a devil who could compartmentalize his desires, who could set aside pleasure for purpose.
It was an attractive quality: a sign of a true devil, a true leader!
Not some mindless beast that thought with their cock.
She grabbed hold of his arm, her fingers curling around his bicep with familiar ease, as they walked over to the platform where the pedestal stood.
Still, not now didn't mean not soon~
She had been waiting for a chance to have some alone time with Adam.
Her goal was clear: to solidify her place in his harem, or even to win more favor over Lyra and Saphira.
After all, one was a lazy, complacent elf deviless who seemed arrogant of her worth in his heart, while the other didn't seem to be all that keen on being Adam's woman.
'Outwardly at least; who knew how the red bimbo truly felt and thought.' Nyx smirked in thought.
This was a good start, a foundation upon which she could build her influence.
"You know," Nyx murmured, her voice a sultry purr, "I've been watching you since we first met. You have a certain... presence. An aura that draws others in. Different from most newborns."
Adam glanced at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"And what exactly does my aura tell you?"
"That you're a devil who knows what he wants," She replied, her fingers tracing light patterns on his arm. "And that you're not afraid to take it. It's... attractive."
"It's also dangerous," Adam red gaze was like a blazing spotlight that peered into her soul, "Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" His voice was soft, yet ensnaring and dark.
"Hmm~" Nyx laughed softly, "Darling, I've been in dangerous situations my entire existence. It's what makes life interesting."
Adam squinted his eyes in delight; her character was truly different from the others.
'Captivating, mature… and dangerous,' Was what Adam thought of her.
They arrived at the platform, where Roh stood, his massive form maintaining control of the attack rune.
Several other demons ran back and forth towards him, their movements efficient and purposeful.
Surprisingly, unknowingly to Adam, Roh had set up a proper command structure.
He had demons observing the surrounding army at the edge of the barrier, taking note of the enemies movements, and they would report to Roh where the more concentrated demons and attacks were coming from.
It was something Adam hadn't even thought of, but Roh had already efficiently implemented it.
His intelligence when it came to command and warfare was once again noted by Adam; a quiet acknowledgment of his subordinate's growing competence.
Roh was slightly surprised to see Adam and Nyx approaching, but he quickly put away his personal thoughts and greeted them with a respectful nod.
"My Lord. Lady Nyx. The attack rune is functioning at optimal efficiency. The enemy's assaults have been slowed, but they are persistent," He hesitated for a second before continuing, "The nexus itself seems to have gotten hotter as well."
"I see. You have done well."
Adam praised Roh with a brief, sincere word of acknowledgment before turning his attention to the pedestal.
He knew that the nexus was getting hotter, but not even half a day has passed, yet the temperature had risen by a lot!
Connecting his mind to the nexus once again, feeling the flowing demonic mana, Adam estimated that the nexus would overheat by the 2nd day this rate!
'Two days at most? I doubt that other nexus's fall at such quick speeds!'
Adam knew that it was because forces with nexus's had proper demonic armies to defend themselves; not just relying on the barrier to hold while firing back with an attack rune.
Adam could only imagine the consequences if he opens his barrier slightly to have his several hundred demons face off against the 20,000, equipped demon army…
'I don't even know if there is hidden demons and devils close to the barrier.' Adam thought bitterly.
Thinking thus far, Adam recalled how Nyx and the other two had gotten in.
Sweeping his gaze across the various surrounding demons, Adam soon found the centipede demoness with scythe arms. Her power had made Adam make a note of her back then. That, and the fact that she was one of the demons under his command that he knew of.
"You!" His voice instantly went to the demoness's head, startling her and making her scurry over in a hurry.
"Yes, my lord?" Worship and caution filled her eyes as she stared at Adam.
Adam froze for a second, noticing that she seemed slightly different, slightly more… pretty?
Shaking his head, he put those thoughts aside, "Get a group of unoccupied demons and patrol the perimeter, but make sure to listen to any underground activity."
"Yes, my lord!"
The demoness was there when Nyx and the others had emerged from underground, and immediately understood what Adam was afraid of.
Adam, satisfied with her intelligence, turned to Nyx.
"Nyx," He said, gesturing towards the control panel, "I need you to input your astral coordinates. Your original realm."
Nyx walked forward, her fingers brushing against the cool surface of the pedestal.
Internally, she smiled.
The fact that Adam had already finished the dimensional portal was a piece of great news. It meant that they had a way out, a failsafe in case everything fell apart.
It also made her even more willing to follow him, as he had a true foundation to set up a faction.
"Yes, darling~" She said sweetly, more submissively.
Her thoughts raced ahead, painting a vivid picture of the future.
Since she was one of the first female devils to join Adam, she could start early and invest in his rise.
In the future, her faction could become one of the main cornerstones of Adam's strength.
She would have more power and authority as a result, a position of influence that would make her rivals envious.
But as she prepared to input the coordinates, a question flickered in her mind.
Why would Adam need her realm of origin?
If he wanted to escape to another realm in case of an emergency, shouldn't he use his own realm's coordinates?
'Unless...' She could only think that Adam came from a very powerful realm, and didn't want to risk going there.
Perhaps it was a realm where he would be easily detected, or where the rules were too restrictive.
Or perhaps there was something else, something he wasn't telling her.
'Although,' She mused thoughtfully, 'My original realm isn't the weakest either...'
She realized that maybe the safety net was all too good to rely on.
Adam watched her input the coordinates, his expression unreadable.
He would have liked to go test the realms safety, but that was a matter that could take a while.
With Roh dealing with the enemy army, utilizing the nexus, he had no time to do so.
'It's not like I am planning on using this escape either way!' Adam thought in determination.
Still, Adam was finally able to access his first realm!
Unbeknownst to Nyx, Adam was incapable of entering his realm of origin.
The barrier that separated him from his former world was impenetrable, a wall of cosmic law that not even mentioning his power, even Arch Devil Gorael could not breach it!
He had the faintest guess that he could send his will or even his soul, but he hadn't had the time to experiment.
Risking it on the fly, when he needed to suddenly leave, could mean that he gets stuck before the barrier, letting his enemies beat him to death as he stood like a still statue. Or he could get his soul thrown to drift in the void of space, drifting without body until his soul expired.
It was a gamble he would rather not take.
With the not so safe backup escape set, Adam felt a sense of security.
The weight on his shoulders seemed to lighten, just a little.
And with that weight lifted, a new temptation surfaced.
He felt the tiniest of itches, a desire to go for the law fragment.
The thought flickered in his mind, like a brief, dangerous temptation.
He quickly shook his head, forcing the greed down.
That would be foolish.
He wasn't even a peak-tier devil, and he thought of competing against those with armies?
Foolish was too kind of a judgment.
Nyx, having completed the task, turned to face him, her copper eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Now that's over, shall we rest?" She said, her voice a seductive purr.
Adam felt his own lust rise.
Although his greed was forcibly suppressed, he didn't have to do the same with his lust!
After all, he had a small amount of time before it was his turn to go back to work.
He reached out, his hand brushing against her cheek, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw. His arm slid down her waist as he tugged her in.
"Shall we?"