She had either been here without him noticing or she crept up to him without him noticing. Either way, she was too close to him, and even worse, he didn't notice how she became this close to him. The Lord of Khaos' words rang in his mind. If he can't find her, then he can't defeat her. He should worry about finding her first before thinking of fighting her. An enemy that can get this close to you without you noticing is a very dangerous enemy.
Baal remained Stoic despite the fact that he can see his reflection in her silvery fangs. He didn't sense her get so close to him but he schooled his emotions and wasn't flustered. It helped that he didn't sense any ill intent or danger from the snake. They are part of the same house so betrayal cannot occur. Murder can occur by the will of the lord of a house but certainly not betrayal. That fact strengthened his resolve not to cower or look weak.
He said calmly. "I see you're around, Number 0. We should spar sometimes."
Xander closed her mouth and turned her two left eyes so that they can focus on him.
She stared at him in silence for a while before she hissed at him. "We'll see."
Then Baal bid farewell and left. Xander retracted her head and placed it before Aeternus. Others may not see her, but the top of the pillar is occupied by Xander. She has coiled her entire body around Aeternus.
"What do you think about the fight?" Aeternus asked Xander.
"Baal is very talented but Infernox is stronger. Infernox is at a disadvantage because wisdom always trumps brawn."
Aeternus agrees with her. Baal's ability to use all elements when combined with his spell artifact makes him very versatile. He can improvise and adapt to any situation so he doesn't have any weaknesses. Infernox is stronger but has many weaknesses. He needs to get angry and he also needs to get hurt to get his maximum boosts. Baal on the other hand is boosted at any time.
Baal took advantage of his opponent's weakness to win that fight. He used ice to weaken Infernox and slow him down. He also didn't aim to hurt Infernox at all during the fight. The boost that Infernox gets from being hurt is more powerful than the boost from his anger. The more hurt Infernox gets, the higher his power and resistance to damage becomes.
That's why Baal only siphoned Stamina to tire Infernox out and used ice to tie him down. He didn't touch Accumulation because Aeternus forbade it and he didn't touch his health which will hurt Infernox. Baal clearly did his research. Baal becomes unstoppable when he combines information with his versatility.
"I still believe in Infernox though. In time, he will be too strong to be contained by anything." Aeternus said to Xander.
Xander spoke. "I think so too. Infernox wasn't this big when he became a duke and he certainly wasn't this big a hundred years ago. He is growing stronger somehow."
Aeternus nodded. All his subordinates are talented in one way or the other. Xander may not specialize in raw power but she is the best when it comes to information gathering and stealth operations. Her ability allows her to observe others without being observed. Her keen eye noticed that Infernox is growing stronger but she doesn't know why.
A demon duke can change their shape so it is easy to overlook Infernox's increase in size but Xander caught it probably because she feels threatened by him and has been watching him closely. She is right in that Infernox is growing stronger. His unique ability, the body of calamity gives him a 0.001% boost based on his Accumulation. It is why he is getting stronger the more he Accumulates.
For now, the boost is 71, it can become 1,000 in the future when Infernox's stockpile of Accumulation increases. At that time, he won't need Accumulation to fight the demon lord. The passive boost from that ability will be more than enough for him. The demon lord has a power rating of 1071. A generous boost of 500 from her sin abilities will still make her come up short in a fight with Infernox.
'I am looking forward to his growth. I want to see what Baal will be able to do then.' he thought to himself.
In the early days of the challenges. A defeat means death. Sometimes a victory or a draw might also lead to death if Aeternus isn't satisfied with the display. But things have changed now that he has weeded out the weak and useless. Infernox will not be killed for his defeat because he has potential and because Baal can't kill him. Baal can only restrain him. It is not a good enough reason to get rid of Infernox. That's why he let Infernox live.
Then he asked Xander. "Is everything set?"
"Yes, my lord. I have spread the news that you are about to attack a plane. The demon lord and her forces have all prepared for the attack. It seems all the demon nobles are working with her." Xander replied.
Aeternus became happy. "Even better. The more the merrier. A party needs a lot of guests."
Xander has been scouting the domain of demon nobles for him. This time, he sent her to spread the rumor that he is about to leave the plane. It is a rumor and as such is unreliable but the demon lord chose to believe it. The Lord of Khaos has ensconced himself in the domain of high-rank demons for over 200 years, but there's only so much he can take. It is in a demon's nature to pillage and rob, so they believe it is high time for him to do just that.
He spends most of his days plotting and preparing for the call to action. His house has expanded over the years with a large army of demons. He is more than prepared for what is to come. He waited eagerly and was full of excitement when he received the go-ahead from Legion soon after. He grinned but his stiff face didn't show it.
"It's time to get this party started." He said to Xander.