chapter 21:Say Heloo to ma little Friend...

Alternate Title: Explosive Finale

.....

The concert was reaching its climax, Verosika's powerful voice reverberating through the stadium as the crowd sang along:

"Burn it all down,

Burn it all down,

I don't give a f***,

Burn it all down."

Above, in the blimp, Hammerstein was losing his patience. He snarled at his subordinates, "Enough of this! Ready the ultimate weapon! Operation Bombardment of Reinforced Kinetic Energy Deployment System (B.O.R.K.E.D.S)!"

Tucker, through the eyes of his spectral fox, saw everything. He looked up, anxiety gnawing at him. He had a few moves that could destroy the blimp, but it would kill everyone on board. Despite knowing the demons likely deserved it, he couldn't bring himself to kill.

Just as he was worrying about what to do, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Armyn.

"Everything good up there?" it read.

Tucker thought for a moment before a grin spread across his face. He had an idea. He quickly texted back, "Got a plan. Be ready."

Meanwhile, the crowd continued singing along with Verosika. As the final chorus approached, a bright light suddenly shone in the sky, blinding some demons temporarily.

They didn't care however, too caught up in the moment. But Verosika, lifted above the crowd, looked down and suddenly saw a demon appear in front of her.

Her breath hitched, but she continued singing. Thoughts raced through her mind: Where was Blitzo? Why was this demon on stage? Who was he, why did he smell so nice, and why were his eyes behind the mask mesmerizing her?

The demon quickly bent down and placed a magical Japanese symbol on the ground before teleporting away. No one else saw this, as the light was still blindingly bright.

"What the hell was that?" Verosika thought, barely keeping her composure. "Focus, girl. Finish the song."

The light quickly faded, revealing a sight everyone watching would remember. Ten gigantic orange energy tails, like a flower closing, surrounded the stadium.

On the roof, Armyn looked at the blimp with a smirk and said, "Say Helooo to ma little Friend!" before firing the emergency bazooka he had been hiding.

The bazooka shot quickly, the projectile flying toward the blimp. Hammerstein's underlings panicked, warning him about the incoming missile. "Boss, we've got a missile inbound!

"What!! Lift the shield!" Hammerstein roared.

"We can't, all the power is diverted to B.O.R.K.E.D.S.!" one of the underlings cried.

Hammerstein gritted his teeth, screaming Tucker's name in rage. The missile hit the superweapon just before it fired, causing an explosion so loud it could be heard ten horizons away.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!

Millions of pieces of burning metal fell from the sky, creating a stunning image as Verosika finished her song. The crowd went wild, thinking it was part of the show.

Armyn smirked, kissing his bazooka.

[Mission Complete]

.....

Five minutes later, Tucker and Armyn made their way back to the VVIP booth. They gave each other a knowing nod before fist-bumping at the door.

Though the moment he entered Ruby immediately pounced on."You missed the whole performance!"

Amethyst tried to pull her sister off while Armyn just laughed, taking a selfie to capture the moment. "You know, Ruby, you've got quite the grip. Ever thought about practicing martial arts?" he asked.

Ruby ignored him, her frustration focused entirely on Tucker. "Do you know how amazing Verosika was? You missed it!"

Tucker managed to peel Ruby off him and chuckled. "I'm sure it was great. I'll watch the replay later, I promise."

"Now now, ladies how about we get out of here and have some fu...Bang!" The next thing he knew he was soccer punched in the face by both twins.

....

Two hours later, the stadium was cleared out, with demons heading to hotels or bars to celebrate the amazing show and fuck. After listening to a Succubus sing anyone would be in the mood.

It was like Wrath was having a massive orgy with the amount of moaning you could hear throughout the city.

...

Back at his run-down motel, Tucker wasn't alone. Armyn was sleeping on the futon Tucker had provided.

Ruby and Amethyst were staying at a hotel in the city so they seperated after getting some dinner. They also exchanged numbers and sin-stagram IDs, adding each other as friends.

"You think we'll see them again?" Armyn asked sleepily from the futon, his eyes half-open.

Tucker shrugged, glancing at his phone. "Maybe. They seem like fun."

"Yeah, they do," Armyn agreed with a black eye, his voice fading as he drifted off to sleep.

Before heading to bed, Tucker messaged his boss and friend, Valentina. "I approve. She'd make a great protégé."

Valentina's reply came quickly. "I knew you'd see it. She's got talent."

"She does," Tucker replied. "Can't wait to see what she does next."

They chatted for a bit longer before saying goodnight. Tucker sighed, exhausted but satisfied. Tomorrow, he needed to meet with Verosika's manager to give the good news, not knowing things were about to go really badly for the pop star who had just had the performance of her life.

As he lay down, Tucker's thoughts drifted back to the concert.

The crowd's energy, Verosika's stunning performance, and the unexpected battle with Hammerstein. It had been a night filled with excitement and danger, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's see what tomorrow brings," he murmured before drifting off to sleep.

...

Meanwhile, Verosika was at an after-party, drinking and mingling with other celebrities and friends in the same circle. Despite the buzz and laughter around her, her thoughts kept drifting back to Blitzo.

She sipped her drink, trying to shake off the feeling. "Why can't I stop thinking about him?" she muttered to herself. "He should be here. Where is he?"

Her friend, an imp named Jess, leaned in, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Who are you talking about, Verosika? Got someone special on your mind?"

Verosika forced a smile. "Just thinking about Blitzo. You know, my bodyguard."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Bodyguard, huh? Is that all he is, word on the street is hes your little boy toy?"

Verosika's smile faltered. "It's complicated."

"Tell me about it," Jess prompted, genuinely curious.

Verosika took a deep breath. "I met him at a bar fight. He was holding his own against a bunch of demons. It was… impressive, and sexy."

Jess laughed. "Sounds like a wild first meeting."

"It was," Verosika said, her voice softer now. "He's rough around the edges, but there's something about him. We started talking, and before I knew it, I hired him as my bodyguard. One thing led to another, and we got involved."

Jess nodded. "Sounds like you care about him a lot. To think thee Verosika Mayday got the goo goo eyes an imp." He must have a massive dick, is what she thought not seeing other appeal otherwise.

"I do," Verosika admitted, staring into her drink. "But sometimes I wonder if he feels the same."

As the night went on, Verosika's thoughts remained on Blitzo. Even in her drunkenness, she couldn't shake the worry. When the party finally wound down, she made her way back to her hotel, nearly blackout drunk.

She called out for Blitzo as she stumbled into the room. "Blitzo… where are you?"

Her vision blurred as she looked through smeared mascara and lipstick at the lump under the covers. She collapsed onto the bed, too incoherent to express her sadness, anger, or love. "Tomorrow… I'll tell him tomorrow."

She rummaged through her coat pocket and pulled out a small box.

Inside was a ring. She smiled, hiding the box in the side wardrobe of the bed before passing out.

Unknowingly, a single tear fell down her cheek and onto the bed.