Bronx was now teeming with vampires. Although the sphere of influence of the Nosferatu Blood Covenant was vast, the fighting force concentrated in the Bronx wasn't overwhelming enough to crush all opposition.
This time, Lynn had mobilized almost every single vampire combatant he inherited from Deacon, not just for his deal with Blade.
Even if Blade hadn't offered that piece of Vibranium, Lynn would probably have come here himself. After all, now that he had inherited Deacon's assets, it was inevitable that he would come into conflict with their original owners.
Besides, Blade had let slip something incredible: Brutus possessed a page from the Dark Grimoire. By probing the mind of the vampire named Herman with his psychic tendrils, Lynn had managed to pick up some magical knowledge himself.
In this world, magic always comes at a heavy price. Either you enter into a contract with a Dimensional Lord and become their lackey or tool, borrowing their magical power, or you steal it from them by special means, like the Secret Keepers Blood Covenant does.
Alternatively, you must be an extraordinarily powerful being yourself, possessing endless energy to burn as you cast spells. The only other way is to rely on magical artifacts—items capable of passively siphoning magical power from various dimensions. However, most of these magical artifacts are either under the scrutiny of Dimensional Lords or were forged with their help, which makes them virtually impossible to replicate or mass-produce.
So magic, in this world, is destined never to become something just anyone can master.
"Doctor, everyone's pretty much assembled. We have one hundred and fifty people in total, already dispersed to surround all the exits to the underground palace as you instructed. We left one exit open just for Blade, as you said. But are you sure he can really handle it alone? I have my doubts about this…"
While Lynn was still digesting the magical knowledge he'd absorbed, Kara had already finished making all the arrangements and now stood by his side, reporting in.
"Oh? Why do you think that?"
"Just looking at his physical stats, he doesn't seem strong enough to pull this off."
"Kara, you can't judge the outcome of a fight by physical stats alone. Just let him handle that side himself; we don't need to send extra support."
"Understood, Doctor. I'll follow your plan."
"It's fine. Just make sure to lock down the choke points and keep as many vampires under control as possible. I don't want any of them escaping—immortal, tireless employees are a precious resource. You can't find workers like that just anywhere."
The two armed vampire soldiers beside Lynn heard every word but didn't react. As far as they were concerned, working for Lynn was a lot better than serving their old vampire masters. At least with him, you didn't have to worry about your head getting crushed just for screwing up. Sure, you could still get punished—Maria might torture you—but as long as you didn't end up dead, that was considered a blessing.
"Blade should be arriving any moment now."
As if right on cue, a man dropped down from the sky. Lynn had no idea how he managed such a dramatic entrance in a neighborhood full of low buildings, but he pulled it off.
"You always make quite an entrance."
"Save it. Are we moving now?"
"Kara, fill him in on the plan."
Kara quickly briefed Blade on the structure of the Nosferatu underground palace, its defenses, and the magical traps designed to repel intruders. The tactical plan itself was simple, but sometimes simple is best.
"So you left one entrance just for me?"
"Same as last time. I'll take care of the bulk of them, and you and your friends can handle the rest. I think that suits you, Blade."
"No problem. That works for me—simple and straightforward."
"This is just a siege. No need to overcomplicate things. Kara and I will attack head-on; you'll get your signal. Just don't let the Blood Covenant's Overlord get away."
"Don't worry, I won't."
With that, Blade left the rendezvous point, leaving only Lynn, Kara, and their group of vampires to launch the frontal assault.
"Let's begin, Kara."
"Right away, Doctor."
——
This was Nosferatu territory, and almost everyone in the area shared one unspoken rule: never go out at night, or you might fall victim to one of the local legends—demons that come for your soul. Those who didn't believe the stories often found themselves feeling unusually weak after a night of wild partying, sliding into a mysterious, incurable illness and eventually disappearing, their bodies never found.
The only exception was for those who managed to make it to a Romulus Pharmaceuticals pharmacy, where they could purchase a life-extending elixir.
Tonight, a man as pale as death himself staggered into the main Romulus Pharmaceuticals store. The place, a twenty-four-hour Gothic edifice, never seemed to show its true face in the daylight. Inside, it was always shrouded in dim, funereal light, and the staff looked as lifeless as the shelves, more like props than people.
"No money, no meds. Get lost."
"Please, just this once. I'm a loyal customer. My business has been slow lately—just this once, I beg you."
The lobby manager had had enough. He was about to call security to drag the man downstairs when the front doors abruptly swung open.
A woman in business attire stepped in. She wore leather gloves, her deep purple hair twisted up behind her head, a delicate black veil falling from a small hat to conceal her face. Only her dark red lipstick and a hint of enchanting purple beneath the sheer fabric could be glimpsed.
Tall, graceful, with an air of mystery—she immediately drew the lobby manager's attention. He kicked aside the nearly-dried-up businessman and practically strutted over.
A man in a cowboy-style fedora shadowed her, his face lost in the gloom beneath the brim.
The manager's mind ran wild as he imagined what sort of alluring body was hidden beneath those suede-textured stockings, barely bothering to hide the predatory gleam in his eyes. For that brief moment, he forgot he was a vampire—completely unaware of the imminent danger.
"What can I do for you, miss?"
"Certainly, sir. Please gather all your staff. We're about to throw a grand banquet, and the more guests, the better."
Kara leaned close, whispering in the manager's ear, her sultry, raspy voice crawling into his brain like a parasite, gnawing at his mind and will.
The manager was about to make a puzzled face, but his features suddenly froze, twisted into an unnatural grin. He could feel his blood beginning to boil, his instincts fighting against some invading force. In the end, he lost the battle.
That fixed, eerie smile was still plastered on his face as he turned and bellowed to all the staff in the building.
"Assemble, you idiots!"
At this point, his head and face were already sprouting extra eyes, spinning and swirling in an unnatural fashion.
The pale man wasted no time escaping. Anyone could see something bad was about to go down, and while Romulus' drugs could be bought elsewhere, you only get one life.
With all the vampires in the lobby gathered, Kara asked, "Is this everyone?"
"Of course, my dear. These fools are all my staff." At that moment, all the extra eyes on his face slammed shut, and his masklike smile remained.
"Perfect."
Kara raised her voice.
"Open the doors to the underground palace. Kill your own kind and advance on the main hall!"
The vampires reacted instantly, unable to resist Kara's psychic domination. They fanned out, grabbing hidden guns and weapons.
The manager strode to the counter, conjuring a black magical sigil in his hand. With a flicker of arcane sparks, a hidden door behind the shelves slowly creaked open. He and his staff shuffled through, weapons gleaming, moving more like automatons than living creatures.
"What are you waiting for? Move!"
At Kara's command, Lynn's people finally snapped into action, advancing toward the underground palace.
Her psychic control was as terrifying as ever. Not even vampires stood a chance.
"Doctor."
At a side door, Kara bowed low, as if this wasn't Nosferatu's underground lair but her own backyard.
After Lynn strolled into the palace, Kara followed right behind, signaling the true start of their campaign to annihilate Brutus.
The moment Kara activated her powers, she sent out orders through the parasitic structures embedded in the bodies of her vampire subordinates. There was no need for additional communication. All of Lynn's troops began their assault at the exact same time.
These vampire fighters had been handpicked by Deacon over many years—even if they weren't much good against true supernaturals, this time they came prepared.
That night, two Romulus Pharmaceuticals shops in the Bronx erupted in explosions. In the darkness, bursts of gunfire flashed through the broken windows.
The vampire employees inside had no time to react—they never imagined anyone would dare attack Nosferatu territory like this.
Once the initial shockwaves and fire had cleared the interior, the second wave rolled in: smoke grenades launched through the shattered glass.
As the smoke mingled with a deep blue mist, any vampires who hadn't been burned alive tried to organize a defense, pulling out hidden weapons—only to find the mist slipping into their nostrils. Their bodies started to swell, their subcutaneous tissue writhing beneath the skin.
"Damn, this stuff is—"
He didn't get to finish. His whole body swelled and burst apart, blood and flesh splattering everywhere, instantly igniting into ash that scattered on the wind.
Clad in heavy gear and filtration masks, Lynn's assault teams filed inside and began setting explosives on the entrance to the underground palace. A huge detonation blasted the building above, leaving only a warped, partially open door.
The fighters stormed down into the palace, quickly running into the first wave of defenders.
But as soon as their special ammo struck the exposed limbs of the underground palace's guards, the defenders dissolved into puddles of blood, then into drifting ashes, leaving only empty uniforms with a few bullet holes.
These vampires didn't need radios or hand signals. The parasitic organisms Kara had implanted in their bodies let them communicate mentally. Only at great distances did they need conventional comms.
As for the last two entrances under Lynn's command, they encountered almost no resistance at all.
Jekyll's hot-line cannon blazed, lighting up the night. He tore open the doors with ease, and his squad slipped in behind him to begin the sweep.
On Maria's side, the building remained largely untouched, but the scene inside was a horror show of blood, organs, and gore. Vampire hearts still beat among the wreckage, their faces frozen in looks of unspeakable terror, as if they had witnessed something utterly alien.
The neat, surgical gashes in the palace doors and the perfect cross-sections on the shelves were evidence that Lynn had been testing his high-frequency bioplasma blade on Maria. The blades and her long tail were made for nothing but killing.
Some of the bodies and organs still twitched, trying to reassemble themselves, but in that grotesque "you're part of me, I'm part of you" state, it was anyone's guess what they would eventually become.
So the battle to purge the Nosferatu began, but for tonight at least, it hadn't attracted S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention.
Their focus was on Staten Island to the south, where the fighting was flashier and far less restrained.
All over Staten Island, gangs were shooting it out, magic exploded in every direction, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special ops squads found themselves hopelessly outnumbered, reduced to just two teams tasked with evacuating civilians.
Sarus's forces were in a completely different league from Lynn's, and he had no intention of hiding it.