The Third Layer of the Abyss.
The moment Lucius stepped out of the Rift, his body grew slightly heavier. The abrupt change in surroundings left him vaguely uncomfortable.
An indescribable stench of decay hung in the air, far worse than anything in the Dragon Domain.
Behind him, the Chaos Guard filed out, their dark-red armor gleaming coldly.
Lucius took a deep breath and looked around.
A gray-purple sky stretched overhead. There were no stars, only a few dim spots of light scattered across it.
Beneath his feet lay a gray-brown wasteland. In the distance, he could make out towering pillars of rock.
Sela emerged behind Lucius and swept her gaze over the surroundings.
"So this is a higher layer? It's even more desolate than I imagined." She shook herself, her tone disdainful.
Lucius did not respond. He extended his senses over several hundred miles.
Scattered Low-Level Demons wandered the wasteland. Most were below High-Level Demon rank, and a few High-Level Demons occasionally passed in the distance. He sensed nothing above commander rank.
This really was the outskirts.
"We'll head southeast." Lucius withdrew his senses. "There's a rocky valley there that would make a good base."
Sela glanced southeast and nodded.
To avoid attracting attention, both demons suppressed their auras to commander rank.
After roughly half a day's travel, the valley appeared ahead.
Vast formations of dark-red rock thrust from the ground like countless giant fingers stabbing into the sky.
Natural gorges and caves ran between the rocks. Visibility was limited, but that made the place ideal for concealment.
Lucius chose a valley surrounded by rock on three sides. Its entrance was narrow, wide enough for only five demons abreast.
Inside, however, the valley was spacious enough for the Guard to make camp.
"This will do," Lucius ordered.
The Guard sprang