Lucifer stared at John for another second before a faint laugh escaped him. He lifted his glass slightly, almost like a toast.
"Fascinating species, you humans are."
Then he snapped his fingers.
The effect was immediate.
Rachel suddenly gasped and lurched forward on the couch as dark energy burst violently out of her body. The entire penthouse trembled for half a second as the magic tore upward into the air like smoke being ripped through a vacuum. The lights flickered. The fireplace dimmed. Even the city outside the glass windows seemed darker for a moment.
Rachel grabbed the side of her head, breathing hard as years of pressure and whispers suddenly vanished from her mind all at once.
And then...
A massive astral figure formed above the penthouse floor, towering near the ceiling like a nightmare dragged into reality. Four burning red eyes opened in the darkness as horns slowly emerged from the shifting mass of black and crimson energy.
Trigon.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Koriand'r rose from the couch on instinct as flames gathered around her fists again. Rachel stared upward, caught between fear and disbelief as her body stiffened. John stayed where he was. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the demon lord stabilize his form.
Trigon's gaze locked onto Lucifer first.
The pressure behind those eyes felt ancient. Endless hatred mixed with something far colder than anger.
"You dare interfere with my descent," Trigon's voice thundered through the penthouse, vibrating through the walls and floor alike. "This insult will not be forgotten, Morningstar. I will remember this mistake until the end of existence itself."
Lucifer looked completely unimpressed.
His devil face flickered across his features for a brief moment: Red skin, burning eyes... the monstrous divinity hidden beneath human beauty.
Then he smiled.
"A vermin like you dares threaten me?"
Before anyone could react, Lucifer moved.
One second, he stood near the minibar. The next second, his hand had closed around Trigon's astral throat.
The penthouse exploded with force as Lucifer slammed the massive astral form downward. The marble floor shattered instantly beneath the impact while cracks raced across the room and hellish flames erupted from below like reality itself had split open.
Trigon roared.
The sound shook the windows hard enough to make the glasses shatter violently.
Hellfire wrapped around his astral form and began burning through the dark energy itself.
For the first time since appearing, something close to panic flashed across Trigon's burning eyes.
"You dare..." he growled through the flames.
Lucifer tightened his grip slightly.
"Oh, I dare many things," he replied calmly. "You should know that by now."
The flames surged higher.
Trigon's astral body began breaking apart piece by piece as crimson energy tore away into ash-like fragments consumed by the infernal fire beneath him.
Then Lucifer snapped his fingers again, and instantly a wave of green energy swept over the reality.
The hellfire vanished instantly, and so did Trigon. And all over the Earth, everything related to Trigon simply disappeared from reality, including the cultists.
Silence dropped over the penthouse.
The cracked marble floor repaired itself immediately as reality folded neatly back into place. Broken stone fused together, burn marks disappeared, the shattered glasses were fixed, and even the air itself settled as though none of it had happened.
Lucifer adjusted the sleeve of his suit casually before turning back toward the group.
"Trigon won't be bothering Earth anymore," he said smoothly. "And Rachel is free from her father's grasp."
Rachel sat frozen on the couch. For the first time in her life, her mind felt quiet. There were no whispers, pressure, or that dark power clawing at the edges of her thoughts. Everything was... Just silence. Her eyes widened slowly as she realized it was actually gone.
Koriand'r looked between Rachel and Lucifer with visible disbelief. "Just like that?"
Lucifer smiled faintly as he picked up his drink again.
"Yes, my dear," he replied before taking a sip. "Just like that."
John watched him carefully.
Even now, he still could not fully process what he had just witnessed and sensed. Lucifer had handled Trigon's astral manifestation with the same level of effort most people used to swat away a mosquito. Then he used a massive amount of energy, probably to take care of Trigon's influence over this reality.
That was a level of power that even John couldn't imagine.
Lucifer's eyes shifted back toward John again.
"Now," he said calmly, "all that remains is for you to finish your goodbyes and hold up your end of the deal."
A dark golden portal slowly opened nearby, its edges glowing faintly while unfamiliar symbols rotated around the frame.
John recognized the magical signature immediately.
The portal led home.
Lucifer gestured toward it lightly with one hand while holding his glass in the other.
"Go on," he said. "That portal leads to your mansion." His smile returned, calm and unreadable. "I'll be here, waiting for your return."
'Tsk. He got me real good. He said goals, but never mentioned which ones... And by breaking Trigon's influence on Rachel and removing his connection from his reality, he fulfilled two of my goals... Hahaha, damn it! I needed a couple of years to get everything ready. Haa... six fucking thousand years in hell. One problem pops up after another,' John thought as he stood up.
The trio walked through the portal without another word.
...
[A few minutes later]
Lucifer stood near the glass wall with one hand in his pocket, slowly swirling the amber liquor in his glass as he watched the city below. His reflection stared back at him through the window, calm and unreadable.
Then the elevator doors opened behind him.
Mazikeen stepped out first.
Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor as she approached him. She glanced once toward the spot where the portal had disappeared before folding her arms loosely across her chest.
"You helped humans," she said plainly. "Again."
Lucifer took a slow sip before answering. "Yes, I noticed that as well."
Maze rolled her eyes immediately. "Funny." She stopped beside him and looked out across the city. "You erased Trigon's influence from an entire reality branch for a group of strangers." Her gaze shifted toward him again. "That's not exactly your usual level of generosity."
Lucifer smiled faintly into his drink. "Generosity had very little to do with it, Maze."
Maze narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then what?"
Lucifer stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Down below, sirens echoed faintly somewhere in the city while distant helicopter lights drifted between skyscrapers. The world kept moving completely unaware of how close it had just come to disaster.
Finally, Lucifer spoke.
"They were fascinating."
Maze stared at him like that answer physically annoyed her.
"The alien princess wants to save worlds through direct action because that's the only language she understands. Rachel wants freedom badly enough that she'd fight destiny itself for it." A small smile touched Lucifer's face. "And then there's John."
Maze leaned lightly against the piano nearby. "The walking thunderstorm."
Lucifer chuckled softly. "That's one way to describe him."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the place where John had been standing earlier.
"There's something unusual about him," Lucifer continued. "Beyond the lower gods, magic, and an absurd amount of power stitched into his soul."
Maze's expression sharpened slightly at that.
Lucifer slowly turned the glass in his hand. "I sensed a faint trace of my father's divinity inside him."
The room became still for a moment.
Maze straightened slightly. "You're serious."
"Unfortunately, yes."
That wiped the amusement from her face almost instantly.
Mazikeen knew exactly what that meant. Anything connected to the Presence had the potential to become dangerous in ways most beings could not even comprehend.
"He's blessed?" she asked carefully.
Lucifer shook his head once. "Yes. I think so. I tried to look into his future, but that power blocked me out." His gaze narrowed slightly in thought. "But I've sensed it. It's faint and buried deeply beneath everything else. Almost like a fragment that attached itself to him somewhere along the way."
Maze frowned. "And that concerns you."
Lucifer laughed quietly under his breath. "Everything involving my father concerns me. I don't know what game he's playing right now, but I'll find out soon enough."
Maze walked closer now, studying him carefully. "So that's why you made the deal."
Lucifer looked at her over the rim of his glass. "Partly."
"And the other part?"
A slow grin spread across Lucifer's face.
"I'm curious."
Maze groaned softly and dragged a hand down her face. "Of course you are."
Lucifer ignored the comment completely.
"A human carrying enough divine and magical power to terrify gods, willingly sacrificing six thousand years of his existence for someone he met yesterday…" He smiled faintly to himself. "That kind of person tends to become very interesting later or end up in a ditch."
Maze crossed her arms again. "You really plan on letting him rule Hell in your place?"
"Yes."
She blinked once, clearly expecting at least some hesitation.
"Lucifer," she said slowly, "that human is unpredictable."
"He's exhausted," Lucifer corrected calmly.
"He carries your father's divinity."
Lucifer smiled slightly. "Exactly. I want to see what the old man is going to do if I send his blessed one to hell."
Maze stared at him in disbelief. "That is not reassuring. If he gets angry..."
"He'll rain down heavenly fire on me? Been there, done that."
Lucifer finally turned away from the window and walked toward the minibar again as he chugged the drink.
"My father wants me back on the throne," he said casually while pouring himself another drink. "Judging souls. Tormenting the damned. Maintaining cosmic balance for all eternity." He looked genuinely annoyed just talking about it. "Frankly, I'd rather stab myself repeatedly."
Maze snorted quietly.
Lucifer lifted the glass again before continuing.
"But Hell requires a ruler. The system won't function properly forever without one." He glanced toward her. "If I can use a proxy instead, everyone wins."
Maze raised a brow. "Everyone?"
Lucifer smiled into his drink. "Well, mostly me." Then he pointed the glass at her. "And you. I know how badly you want to go home."
"I..." Maze was about to say something, but...
"I wasn't asking, Maze. That's an order. He'll need someone to show him the ropes. That's where you come in," Lucifer said.
She shook her head slowly before looking back toward the skyline.
"You really think he'll survive six thousand years down there?"
Lucifer took a slow sip first.
Then he smiled.
"Only one way to find out."
--
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