The air felt thinner at the top.
Lucifer stood before the portal to the final floor. His hand hovered near the glowing frame, heat buzzing softly through his skin. Months—months of effort, blood, and quiet rebuilding—and it all led here.
Behind him, the rest of the tower spiraled downward like a dead god's spine. Ninety-nine floors behind. One ahead.
This was the end.
The final test.
But he didn't step in yet.
He stood there, letting the hum of the portal wash over him.
[Get ready, son. This is unlike anything you've ever faced before. If you can defeat whatever is in that floor… then you can face Adam. I believe in you.]
Damaris' voice echoed faintly in his mind, the connection always warm now. It wasn't like the system talking. It was personal. Direct. From the blood.
Lucifer gave a small smile.
"…Yeah. I know."
But his face turned serious again.
