The Morningstar!

Out from the tear in the sky was Kal'shemazoth. It seemed to focus its attention on the leader of the Crimson Oath. When it spoke, it was not with sound, but with a psychic pressure carried through their minds, threatening to crush it.

"Welcome? I need no welcome, little one. I am entropy. I am the end of all things. And I am hungry!" Boomed the monstrosity over the din of chaos occurring all around them.

One enormous tentacle lashed out, faster than anything that size had any right to move. It was headed straight for Lucifer, seeking to snuff out the power building within him and the tower.

Time seemed to slow.

The Crimson Oath leader's eyes blazed with inner fire. She thrust her hands forward, and the barrier she had been maintaining shaped itself into a spear of pure force. It streaked towards the tentacle, meeting it halfway.

The resulting collision sent a shockwave across the roof, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. The tentacle recoiled, a keening psychic wail emanating from Kal'shemazoth.

But the assault was short-lived. More tentacles were already snaking their way through the portal, reaching for Lucifer and the others.

"We need more time!" Ezra shouted, her Monsoon blade shifting to its mist form in an attempt to hide their position.

The Crimson Oath member with the chained book stepped forward. "Time," he said, his voice resonating with unearthly harmonics, "is relative."

He opened the book, its pages blurring as he flipped past at impossible speed. The air around him began to warp and twist, iridescent fractures appearing in space.

The book-wielder's voice rose to a fever pitch, syllables spilling forth that had no business existing in this reality.

Suddenly, everything... shifted. The tentacles of Kal'shemazoth, which had been whipping towards them at lightning speed, now moved as if through molasses.

The lesser creatures pouring from the portal were frozen in mid-air, suspended in the moment between moments.

"Now, Lucifer!" the book-wielder croaked, blood trickling from his nose with the strain of holding back time itself. "We cannot maintain this for long!"

Lucifer nodded, sweat pouring down his face as he channeled every ounce of power he possessed into the Obsidian Tower.

The entire building began to glow, softly at first, then with increasing intensity. Cracks appeared in the roof around him, energy seeping through like light from beneath a door.

Ezra moved to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. She said nothing, but Lucifer felt a surge of strength flow into him at her touch. Across the roof, Margot did the same, lending her own considerable power to the effort.

The Crimson Oath formed a circle around them, their voices rising in a chant that thrummed in harmony with the energy pulsing through the tower.

Even in the slowed time, Lucifer could see the strain on their faces. Whatever they were doing, it was costing them dearly.

With a final, desperate push, Lucifer let out a primal scream. A column of blinding light erupted from the top of the Obsidian Tower, lancing into the portal.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, with a sound like reality itself tearing, the edges of the breach began to curl inward.

Kal'shemazoth's psychic voice boomed in their minds, a mixture of rage and... was that fear?

NO! THIS WORLD IS MINE! YOU CANNOT–

The entity's protests were cut short as the portal collapsed in on itself, dragging Kal'shemazoth and the frozen horde of lesser creatures back into whatever hellish dimension they had come from. The tentacles retreated, flailing wildly as they were pulled into the shrinking tear in space-time.

With a final, anticlimactic *pop*, the portal winked out of existence.

The unnatural silence that followed was deafening.

Time reasserted itself with a lurch, sending everyone staggering. The book-wielder collapsed, caught at the last moment by one of the twins. The others of the Crimson Oath looked a little better, some of their crimson robes looked tattered or singed, faces pale with exhaustion.

Lucifer slumped forward, caught by Ezra before he could face-plant onto the cracked rooftop. His entire body felt like one giant bruise, but a giddy sense of triumph bubbled up within him. They had done it. They had actually done it.

The silver-haired leader of the Crimson Oath approached, her steps slightly unsteady but her bearing still proud. "Well done, Mr. Morningstar," she said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "It seems the rumors of your potential were not exaggerated."

Lucifer managed a weak grin. "Thanks. I think. So... do you guys do this often, or...?"

The leader's almost-smile bloomed into a full-fledged chuckle. "More often than we'd like, I'm afraid. But seldom with such... interesting company." Her gaze swept over Lucifer and Margot, a considering look in her eyes.

Margot stepped forward, her usual composure somewhat ruffled but quickly reasserting itself. "I believe proper introductions are in order," she said. "Though perhaps somewhere a bit less... exposed?"

As if on cue, the sound of sirens began to filter up from the streets below. The battle might have been hidden from most eyes, but its effects were impossible to ignore. Paradise City would have questions, and lots of them.

The Crimson Oath leader nodded. "Agreed. We have much to discuss, and little time to do it. The battle may be won, but I fear the war is just beginning."

With a gesture from the leader, the other members of the Crimson Oath began to gather around. The air shimmered with building energy, the precursor to some form of group teleportation.

Lucifer looked at Ezra, then at Margot. Both nodded in silent understanding.

As the teleportation spell was casted, Lucifer allowed himself one last glance at the Obsidian Tower – and the city beyond. The sky was clear now, the angry purple replaced by the soft hues of dawn. A new day was beginning in Paradise City.

He just hoped they'd be around to see the next one.

In a flash of crimson light, the rooftop was empty, leaving behind only the scars of an impossible battle – and the first rays of a sun light.

***