Etrigan stopped at the pyramid's entrance, his dark yellow body casting a long shadow in the dim light. He stared at the massive gate, cast from black bones and lava. Strange runes covered its surface, every stroke seeming to scream.
"Nergal, you coward! Why won't you show yourself and face me?!"
No answer came from within. The demon growled, gripped his greatsword with both hands, and slashed diagonally. The gate crashed down, shattering into several pieces.
"Holy shit, is this guy always this badass?"
"What else did you expect?" Constantine shrugged. "Aside from Lucifer and a very few others, not many in Hell can take him head-on. That burst of power you unleashed earlier only caught him off guard."
"So we've got this in the bag today?" Wilson leaned over to ask. Thanks to his racial gift, there was practically no one who could collect a debt from him, because deep down, he simply refused to acknowledge that he owed anything.
"Hard to say. He doesn't sign contracts with people or anything. He does whatever takes his fancy."
Everyone looked toward the demon. Etrigan was striding into the deep, empty darkness inside the pyramid.
"Keep up!"
Li Jie raised his rifle and followed. The moment he stepped through the doorway, darkness so thick it felt tangible swallowed the faint light of Hell spilling in through the entrance.
He switched on the tactical light beneath his rifle's muzzle, and a dazzling beam sprang to life. Strangely, though, less than a few paces from the muzzle, the light was rapidly devoured, as if something ravenous were swallowing it.
"Something's wrong."
Zatanna raised her staff. Its crystal orb gave off a soft silver glow, trying to dispel the darkness. Like a pebble dropped into a deep pool, the silver light spread into a