More hideous dark shapes poured from the tear in the sky – more writhing tentacles, more winged abominations with too many eyes, and more creatures that seemed to bend the very fabric of space around them.
All three on the rooftop where doing their collective best to keep the situation from getting out of hand.
Just then, a bone-chilling roar drew everyone's attention to the portal. A massive, draconic head emerged from the tear, its scales the color of an oil slick and its eyes blazing with hell fire.
"Oh, come on!" Lucifer yelled in frustration, his concentration broken. The beam of light connecting him to the portal flickered and died.
Without a thought, Ezra moved to intercept the dragon-like monstrosity, adjusting the settings on her Monsoon blade. The water blade shifted, becoming wider and flatter.
As the creature lunged towards them, Ezra swung the blade in a wide arc. Instead of a cutting edge, it released a pressurized wall of mist.
The dragon recoiled, roaring in confusion as the mist obscured its vision. Ezra didn't let up, continually adjusting the blade's form to keep the creature at bay. "Lucifer! Whatever you're going to do, do it now!"
Margot appeared at their side, her weapons at the ready. "That thing's too big for us to take down conventionally," she said, her voice grim. "We need a new plan."
Lucifer's mind raced. Direct attacks weren't working – the portal was too strong, too vast for him to close on his own. But maybe...
"The building!" he said suddenly, his eyes lighting up with realization. "If I can charge the whole tower with my energy, maybe it'll act like a giant antenna. Amplify my power enough to seal the breach!"
Ezra's eyes widened. "That's insane." Then she grinned. "It might just work."
Margot nodded. "Do it. We'll keep you covered."
Lucifer knelt, placing his hands on the roof. Instead of pushing his power out, he let it flow, imagining it seeping into every beam and wire of the Obsidian Tower. The building began to hum, a low vibration that grew steadily more intense.
Ezra took up a defensive position, her Monsoon blade shifting once more. This time, the water froze instantly, forming a wickedly sharp blade of ice. "Bring it on," she muttered, eyes locked on the approaching horrors.
Margot stood at her side, reaching into her seemingly endless arsenal. She produced two small, ornate boxes, each inscribed with arcane symbols. With a whispered word, she opened them, releasing a swarm of mechanical butterflies. Their wings glinted like razor blades as they formed a protective swarm around Lucifer.
The draconic monstrosity had recovered from its confusion, its massive head swiveling to focus on Lucifer.
It opened its maw, revealing row upon row of teeth that seemed to lead into an infinite void. A sound like reality tearing emanated from its throat as it prepared to unleash... something.
Ezra moved without hesitation. She charged forward, her ice blade leaving a trail of frost in the air. With a leap that defied human limits, she plunged the frozen sword directly into the creature's eye.
The dragon's roar of pain shook the entire building. It thrashed wildly, nearly throwing Ezra from the roof. She held on grimly, adjusting her blade once more.
This time, superheated steam erupted from the hilt, pouring into the wound she'd created.
The creature's head snapped back, dislodging Ezra. She tucked into a roll as she hit the roof, coming up in a defensive stance.
The dragon wavered, its form flickering like a bad transmission. With a sound like mountains colliding, it retreated back through the portal.
But more horrors were already pouring through the breach. Margot's butterfly swarm engaged a flock of bat-like monstrosities, the air filled with the sound of metal on bone.
The teacher herself was a whirlwind of motion, switching between weapons with dizzying speed. One moment she was firing bolts of pure sound from a tuning fork, the next she was throwing vials of liquid that exploded into nets of crackling energy.
Through it all, Lucifer remained focused, his entire being attuned to the Obsidian Tower. Energy crackled along its length, building and building. His whole body shook with the effort of containing it.
Just a little more...
But as if nature it's was against them, a deafening roar split the air. Lucifer's eyes snapped open to see a massive shape emerge from the portal.
It was like a mountain given life, a titan of rock and magma that dwarfed even the dragon from before.
"Oh, come on! Again?" Lucifer yelled in frustration and fear. He felt so vulnerable in all of this. The thought of death made him miss his old self, however, the brimstone and pitchforks associated with his previous identity was a part of him he wanted to do away with completely.
Anytime he dreamed about brimstone and endless falling, his resolve to live a normal high school boy's live grew thicker and thicker. He wouldn't willingly go along with the norms anymore.
As long as he was concerned, he was not longer interested in playing a partner's play.
He wasn't that kind of devil anymore, he was now a friendly neighborhood devil, despite the weaknesses. And right now, he hoped against hope, that he would be able to live through this apocalyptic event long enough to witness what he would make of his new life.
Well, back to the present...
The titan raised a fist the size of a bus, ready to smash the entire roof – and everyone on it – to dust. Ezra and Margot moved to intercept, but they'd never make it in time.
Lucifer braced himself, knowing he couldn't move or the energy he'd built up would dissipate. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.
It never came.
A brilliant flash of red light filled the air. Lucifer opened his eyes to see the titan reeling back, its fist crumbling to pebbles. A line of figures stood between him and the creature, all wearing crimson robes.
The Crimson Oath had arrived!!