A ferocious Demon Wolf crawled out of the darkness, its body covered in black scales, corrosive-smelling saliva dripping from its mouth.
On its back sat a monster with three different heads. As they appeared, the tide of demons spontaneously parted down the middle, opening a path for them.
"High-ranking Demons." Carter Slade's expression turned grave.
"That one is probably about the same." Vision looked toward a pale figure, leaving nothing but corroded traces in its wake.
"Uh... it's not just them." Tony pointed at a humanoid demon not far away, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead. "Those humanoid-looking ones don't look like pushovers either."
"Shadow Demon, Corrupt Demon, Fire Demon. That one is Beelzebub. Some time ago, he offered me the souls of two beautiful young girls." Lucifer explained generously. "But I was in a good mood that day, so after inviting them to dinner, I sent them back."
"How do we stop them?" Johnny Blaze asked anxiously.
"Do you even need to ask?" Tony immediately began gathering energy, white light glowing from his palm cannons.
"Don't act rashly. This is the Gate of Hell." Carter Slade immediately stopped him, then looked seriously at Lucifer, who stood atop the black circular platform.
"Why are you looking at me? I don't mind if you go stop these demons from wreaking havoc in the human world, but..."
Tony, Johnny, and Vision exchanged looks. Just as they were about to act, Lucifer's "but" froze them in place.
"But what?"
"You'll have to bear the consequences of acting." Lucifer said with a faint smile. "The reason these demons haven't attacked you is because I... and Mephisto are here.
"We both have some standing in Hell, but once you attack first, then..."
"Then these demons will tear us apart alive." Carter Slade