Back at the basins edge, Kaelgor's large force of trusted subordinates had begun their own campaign of siege warfare.
Kamir, Kaelgor's most trusted subordinate and a hulking berserker demon, was left to take charge of 100 peak-tier 1 demons and to hold the basin.
Although they might not be able to deal with Adam one on one, their massive numbers and powerful equipment were more than enough to stall Adam's escape, should he choose to flee.
Still, that was only their secondary purpose.
Kaelgor had already told them that Adam wasn't the primary target; the real goal was the nexus point.
There was no meaningless grudge or reckless desire to risk their plans: their goal was a straight road.
Kamir stood, his body radiating faint steam from the sheer heat of his demonic body. His body was surrounded in the faint, white smoke intertwining with the powerful, black miasma. Only his demonic eyes were visible through the narrow slit in his helmet.
The basin was a dead end, and unless Adam's forces wanted to scale the steep, treacherous walls of the surrounding chasms, the trenches and pit falls made from tectonic shifts, and the jagged rocks that resembled sword mountains around the basin, then they wouldn't be able to leave.
The easiest route of escape was blocked by Kamir and the small army of 100.
He knew his best bet was to drain the basin of its energy, or at least force Adam into a costly conflict.
His brutish form belied his cunning intellect.
Adam had a stock of demonic beasts as food, and Kamir knew that they would run out at some point, but not anytime soon.
The demon's physique was extremely resilient, making it easy for them to go a month without food. Targeting the food was not something practical in the short term. Water was unnecessary for fiends, as blood was enough to keep them hydrated.
The barrier allowed sound to travel through, but the miasma gathering on the shimmering surface told Kamir that poisons wouldn't get through.
How about underneath… but it takes too much time. Though the thought wasn't a bad one.
His gaze then lingered on the obelisk's sleek, black structure with runes seemingly woven into its frame.
The energy that was being harnessed was practically infinite, but the rate at which Adam could utilize this energy had to be limited; only that limit was unknown.
Draining its power was something that would take an unknown amount of time. Yet, he knew that the longer he waited, the more powerful Adam would become, and the more secure he would be.
Starting now, at some point, the basin would be forced into action.
With that in thought, Kamir came up with a plan to deplete the basin's energy, or at least try.
Obviously, Kamir wasn't planning on testing the barrier himself.
Orders were quickly passed down.
The powerful berserkers forcefully split the other factions and hordes of demons around the basin, using fear and coercion, and made them submit.
Just like his master, Kamir took a similar approach.
These were demons that had been too hesitant or had outright refused to join Adam's force. Now, their choices were gone and they were going to be forced to attack Adam's fortress in waves.
Regret and hatred filled their gazes.
Many tried fighting back, but all were forced down the basin's ledge. Their roars of wrath as they slid and tumbled down the slope failed to avoid Adam's ears.
Adam had initially not wanted to force all of the surrounding demons under his control; after all, there were too many for his small faction to manage.
As a result, over time, Adam had watched as the basin's far edge was soon filled with hundreds of demons of all types.
Now they were forced to choose his enemies side.
The initial fear within the disorderly demons soon started to fade. Their brutish, powerful bodies piled up like a small mountain.
Because of this, their massive numbers gave them a sense of security and hope; a delusional confidence.
Kamir walked to the edge of the basin, his black armor glittering in a demonic radiance. His voice was a low, rumbling growl that carried across the basin.
"Go! Succeed, take down the enemies camp, and you will be rewarded handsomely by Lord Kaelgor! Take their souls, and feast to your hearts content!"
Like a shot of adrenaline, a surge of confidence and bloodlust filled the hundreds of demons. Their faces filled with madness as they rushed forward.
Adam, watching the approaching waves of disorganized, desperate demons, and smiled.
The dungeon was half-finished, the grunt work already in its final stages. The dimensional gate was also humming with progress.
So far, everything was going smoothly, for the most part.
A rough guess of Kamir's intent surfaced in his mind.
He knew that his opponent was trying to draw out his energy, to make him waste his power on a trivial matter. Though, he felt like he didn't need to play along. He didn't need to waste the defensive barrier's energy on these weaklings.
He looked at Roh.
"Open a small breach in the barrier. Enough for the fighting to be contained, enough for my forces to engage," Adam said with some excitement, "And prepare yourself."
Roh's eyes widened, his mouth opened and close, but he obeyed without question.
The defensive barrier shimmered, and a small, 10 meter wide gap opened like a gaping maw in the fortress's defenses.
The sight of the opening sent a desperate cry of hope through the attacking demons and a blood-crazed roar of defiance from Adam's own forces.
Roh and a group of peak rank 1 demons rallied the demons in front of the small opening, while another group of demons worked at the side to build and put wooden stakes and boulders as walls and defenses.
Blair and Agri, alongside with the rest of the workers, all took a break from their earlier task to see what was going on.
Yet nobody expected a battle!
A nervous tension filled the air, but soon, more than anything, a primal carnage and bloody desire filled everyone's eyes.
Demons were machines of war, always compelled to slaughter and fighting.
The initial reluctance and wariness of both sides slowly faded until it was no longer present. Their true desires, their instincts, surfaced as both sides grew nearer.
"BANG!"
With a violent crash, the battle began.
Adam's demons, though disorganized, were fighting with more coordination than that of the opposing force. Their formation was a steady wall that funneled the overwhelming numbers of the invading demons.
They tore into their enemies, their bodies bursting into energy, their blood and body parts becoming a rich reward for their lord.
Souls of the fallen desperately trying to escape.
Agri's eyes lit up as she could no longer hold herself back, dashing toward the horde and killing the demons wantonly. She was a whirlwind of destruction, her fists and feet blurring as she decimated her opponents, her movements a chaotic, powerful, and bloody dance.
But…
Adam let out a sigh of defeat as he watched Agri kill demons from both sides without care.
"Go stop her from killing the wrong demons." Adam commanded Blair, whose eyes were equally thirsting for carnage.
"Yes, master!" Blair said readily, her body filled with a sense of purpose.
She dashed toward the front as well, her movements a stark contrast to Agri's chaos; graceful and efficient as she began to fight and redirect Agri's violence toward their enemies.