Chapter 268 Future.

Chapter 268: 268 Future.

Like I said. I really hate magic.

I suppressed a full-body shudder. Best to just get this over with. "Great. And, uh, you are absolutely sure you’re okay with this part of the script?" I asked Steve.

"Eyyy. It’s all good, boss," Steve grinned. He and a dozen of his identical clones were strung out along the outer edge of the chalk rings, all wearing heavy, hooded cultist robes. "I can chant with the absolute best of them. I actually used to be a choir boy."

"You did?"

"Yup! Technically, I was the entire choir."

The ring of assembled Steves chuckled, a few of them throwing up high-fives across the pentagram.

"Uh, right," I said, still feeling a deep, nagging HR conflict about this setup. I looked back at Lilith. "Can we seriously not execute this without the human sacrifice angle?"

"Oh, blood is totally mandatory, bestie! Especially for a heavyweight summoning like this one!" the succubus chirped as she finished scratching a jagged sigil into the floorboards. She popped up, dusting the chalk off her hands and nodding at her handiwork. "Mmm! A virgin would be absolutely perfect, obviously!"

"About fifteen years too late on that front," Steve snorted.

"This isn’t going to, like, permanently damn his soul to hell, is it?" I asked.

"Only if we lose, Milesy!" Lilith smiled sweetly.

Well, that was fair enough.

"I would just like to formally state on the record that I have severe moral objections to participating in blood rituals," Vanessa announced, wiping the glowing chalk off her knees.

"And yet, you’re still standing inside the pentagram," I pointed out.

Vanessa lifted her chin, her expression hardening. "Yes, well. I can hardly permit a greater demon from the deepest pits to run loose in my city."

"Appreciate the flexibility," I said. "Are you guys almost done?"

"Just one... teeny... last line... and boom! Done!" Lilith cheered, adding a massive, dramatic flourish to the outer ring. "Omg, it is gorgeous! Legion is going to be completely unable to resist this bait, Milesy! It’ll pull him right through the veil like a giant demonic magnet!"

"I’m banking my life on it," I said. I turned to the rest of the crew to review the choreography. "Alright, final rundown before cameras roll. Glacia, Psyren, and I will be running the summoning sequence here on the floor.

"Vanessa, you dramatically breach the gym right before we complete the incantation. You try to stop us, but the magical interference actually triggers the final pull. Legion gets dragged into the physical plane. He is going to be extremely pissed off and completely uncooperative. But that is exactly what we want."

"How so, sir?" Glacia asked, her brow furrowing. "Will the viewing audience not immediately realize the demon is completely out of your control?"

"Exactly! Which perfectly sets up the absolute best trope in the industry, The Teeth-Clenched Team-Up!"

The girls just stared at me blankly.

"The... what now?" Psyren asked.

"The demographics love watching heroes fight villains," I explained, slipping my hands into my suit pockets. "But you know what spikes engagement even harder? Watching bitter rivals suddenly team up to take down a massive, apocalyptic threat.

"That is the exact narrative we are selling today. When it becomes painfully obvious that Legion isn’t going to take my orders, and he tries to slaughter everyone in the room, we temporarily join forces and put him in the dirt.

"The heroes save the city, the villains execute a dramatic retreat, and congratulations, Vanessa! Your brand is permanently established. You’ll have A-list villains knocking down your door for a booked fight by tomorrow morning."

Vanessa pursed her lips, but gave a stiff, formal nod. "Very well. If it is strictly necessary." She glanced over at Mystic. "Will you be assisting on the floor?"

"Unfortunately, I will not," Mystic stated, her heavy armor gleaming under the gym lights. "I am required on the exterior perimeter. I must ensure none of Legion’s possessed puppets interrupt the broadcast, and guarantee he does not attempt to flee the building once he is anchored."

"Exactly," I said. "Alright, Rhea? Are we green?"

"Good to go, boss man!" the manic scientist cackled through the comms. "I’ve been dying to fire these coils up!"

"Great. Okay, everyone not catching screen time, clear the floor. Let’s make some money."

"Best of luck, bestie!" Lilith squealed as she skipped past me. Her pointed tail wrapped playfully around my wrist, the tip trailing up my forearm to tickle my jaw. "If you pull this off, I am going to have to think of a super exciting way to reward you! Like, incredibly exciting!"

I suppressed a shiver at the promise. I was half-tempted to ask her to stay on the floor, but I knew the industry rules. Lilith would be a massive asset in a heavy firefight, but she wasn’t an official member of my league.

She had a highly lucrative civilian fashion career and a pristine public reputation to protect.

I absolutely couldn’t let her nuke her brand by openly fighting alongside a registered supervillain on a live broadcast. This was my contract, and my crew would handle the heavy lifting.

The heavy double doors swung shut behind Lacey, Vanessa, Lilith, and Mystic.

I popped my knuckles, rolling my shoulders to loosen the tension in my back. I adjusted my dark tie, smoothing down the lapels of my suit jacket. No heavy iron plating tonight. Just the classic, tailored mob boss aesthetic.

"Places, everyone," I called out, taking my spot near the head of the pentagram. "It’s showtime."

"Of course, sir," Glacia said smoothly. She drifted back into the shadowed corner of the gym, her hands clasped patiently in front of her white coat.

"You got it, boss!" Psyren winked, bouncing over toward her designated camera setup near the bleachers.

I gave the gym one last critical sweep. The lighting was moody, the chanting Steves looked incredibly ominous, and the massive Tesla coils loomed in the background like metallic trees. Everything was perfect.

"Rhea?" I asked, tapping the comm piece hidden in my ear. "Are we live?"

"Ready to broadcast, boss man!" Rhea confirmed from her mobile command van parked three blocks away.

"Alright. We go live in three... two... one." I gave Psyren a sharp nod.

"Hey, boys!" Psyren cheered, popping up directly in front of her phone screen. She flashed a massive, manic grin into the lens. "It’s your absolute favorite babe, coming to you live with exclusive footage of my boss trying to aggressively conquer the world! You guys wanna see something crazy?"

She flipped the camera around, centering the lens squarely on me and the glowing demonic pentagram.

Ah, livestreaming the literal apocalypse.

I really loved the future.