The underground space was completely infected with black, rotting roots. A pungent smell of disease emanated from the earth and only got worse as they descended. What they saw buried under that tree was the cause of it being that way with the yellow leaves and falling.
It was a scene similar to the secret room of the Balta Family, even without Nicola knowing it, a huge cave dug into the earth that was kept with the energy of darkness that infiltrated the walls, the floor looked like a horror show with the carnage left all around the place. Blood and organs were mixed with demonic symbols scattered everywhere, Nicola saw the heads, eyes and feet of various magical beasts.
And right at the middle of it all could be seen a portal of black smoke that opened the way to another place, Nicola could feel the spatial fluctuation emitted by that vortex. They could see through that hole a place very similar to a mountain range, where everything had black soil, howls could be heard everywhere and the only vegetation found seemed to be dry and dead, twisted in strange positions. Some of them even had something that looked like red fruit and made of meat and blood vessels that pumped like a heart.
They could also see little demons running around that place, from other sulfur beetles modified to that habitat, something like demonic worms, black and yellow salamanders with many shiny rings etched on their bodies and a strong smell of poison or centipedes big enough to be mounted carrying parts of other dead demons in their jaws.
The air was covered with strange creatures that looked like black and red crows that had several red eyes on their heads and a metallic beak that appeared to be made of steel, a flock of them had surrounded a smaller demon that looked like a big eyeball with two bat wings sprouting from the sides and emitted rays of fire from his pupil attacking these crows back.
It wasn't until they swallowed a few times that they spotted two groups of small goblins and smaller demons that would pass for human babies if it weren't for their reddish skin and black eyes, followed by leathery wings and a thin tail of the same material holding weapons in their hands, the imps. Before they even passed through the portal, a big black hand, full of claws that looked quite deadly, grabbed one of the edges and a big muscular body bent down to get out of it.
"Damn, these tiny little portals are stupid." The demon roared with rage as the goblins and demons laughed softly in their ranks. The demon in front of him was the exact description of a balor, just like that. A large mass of demonic muscles that governed a troop of lesser demons.
Nicola seeing that the demon had not yet perceived him inside his hiding place prepared for the fight by releasing his imperial aura in the direction of the demon and leaving his troops, outside the cave, ready to intervene if necessary. He was not going to let the demons and goblins invade this area and attack the border on the other side for two reasons, the first was that he wanted to create a base within this forest, so making it a war field was out of the question and the second it would be like he was going to explain that having accepted the mission to kill the balor and them, the Melkor Empire was invaded and attacked by that very being. Nicola did not want to have anything to do with that war, so unless he hindered his own plans, as now, he would not intervene.
But this action had a completely unexpected response from the demon, who turned in frightened by Nicola's aura and knelt on the floor. "Great Noble Lord, forgive me for my ignorance, I didn't know you would come here." The great balor apologized to him. The demons and goblins behind continued to pass through the portal slowly and the imps also knelt down, only the goblins continued to stand wiggling their noses and fighting with each other, giving loud laughs, which led to the balor sending a wave of bloodlust on top of them to keep the silence.
Nicola looked at Tuatha in confusion before remembering the conversation with Rhicina. His demonic lineage was a noble lineage and the demons below could recognize this by the aura he released and respected this hierarchy, since the noble demons were very powerful or had powers on their backs that should not be taken lightly. "I did not expect your noble arrival, sir, I am moving groups of soldiers so that we can set up a base on this side of the border and secure the passage, the orcs have sent an infantry of goblins to serve and I see that the undead have sent their troops as well." He said looking at Tuatha next to Nicola and looking up as if he saw the dozens of living dead that were in the forest above.