Out Of The Ashes (MC x Lucifer) ✓

The Last Stand

"Oh, crap," blurted Noah. "I knew it was too easy." 

"Did you really think that your little stunt went unnoticed?" Michael asked in an amused tone. "Though, I must admit that summoning another demon here was quite a distraction."

"Out of the way, Michael," barked Lucifer in his commanding tone, stepping forward, his back straight, black wings outstretched to full span. He stopped directly in front of Lhori, shielding her from the angel's sight. "Where are all your lackeys? Do you think you can stop me now when I'm no longer bound?"

"That's a good bluff, Lucifer. But we both know, you haven't regained your power yet," mocked the angel. "And yet you have guts to order me around. It's a real shame I have to put you down again."

"You can try," the demon growled. The air around Lucifer crackling with static and in his outstretched hand a whip materialised; each of five leather strips burning with purple fire. He looked over his shoulder. "You two stay out of it," he said and moved toward Michael who was now wielding a huge, sword, gleaming with jewels.

"You're on," snarled the angel and jumped at Lucifer slashing his weapon in a wide arc. The demon jumped into the air and struck with his whip from above, but the weapon collided with a shield that suddenly materialised in Michael's other hand. The angel jumped into the air to face the demon on an equal level.  

                Their movements were so fast that Lhori's eyes could barely follow what was happening. She was gaping with her mouth open, unable to move. Solomon's words playing on repeat in her mind: Don't go against Michael. You will stand no chance with him. Do anything to avoid him. If he catches you before you get out of there, it will all be over like that! It was bad.

                Suddenly Lucifer was struck by one of Michael's mighty blows and was thrown at the wall with enough force to crack the stones. Lhori gasped and fell on her knees. She suddenly felt as all the air has left her lungs, leaving her wheezing on the floor.

"Lhori!" gasped Lucifer struggling onto his feet again.

"Oh, isn't it fun!" laughed Michael landing in the middle of the room lightly as a feather. "I don't even have to threaten your little human. I only need to beat you up, and she will feel every ounce of your pain! That is just too good!"

                Lucifer ignored the angel and hastened to Lhori's side. "Are you alright, love?" he asked, helping her back to her feet.

"I'll be fine," she wheezed with effort and squeezed his arm. "Don't worry about me, focus on holding him back, and I try to open us a way out."

"Are you sure?"

"We don't have much choice, do we?" she smiled weakly. Lucifer kissed her head.

"Come now, Lucifer! It's not the time for a break yet!" teased the archangel. "I haven't even started yet!"

                Lucifer growled, and the whip appeared in his hand again. Without further delay, he ran at the sneering angel, with a series of lighting fast attacks. Michael kept laughing dodging and blocking all assaults without even sweating.

"Noah, can you do anything to help?" asked Lhori when she could breathe normally again.

"Not really. I'm no more than an annoying mosquito to him," he replied gloomily. In his hands, two daggers gleamed in candlelight, his body was tense, his eyes never leaving the fighters. "I'm waiting for an opening, but I haven't seen any so far."

"Keep at it then, and I'll try to open the portal. If we are lucky, maybe we'll manage to sneak out."

                Lhori took out the scroll Solomon gave her and narrowed her eyes. The incantation was awfully long, and it looked like it needed a series of preparation first. She quickly looked around the room, trying to ignore the clash of steel and bursts of magic from above, where the old adversaries took the fight to the air again. The circle on the floor was broken, and some of the symbols were erased or incomplete. She searched the floor until she found the discarded chalk and started immediately restoring the runes, looking at the scroll every so often for reference. She was squirming from time to time when she felt the sudden pain flowing through her body every time Lucifer got hit, but she gritted her teeth and continued her work.