Ritual

In the film Blade, Deacon Frost led a group of vampires to easily capture Gao Tiannu, the Speaker of the Blood Clan Council, then used the vampires' traditional Sun Bath to reduce him to ashes.

Afterward, Deacon Frost took Gao Tiannu's two fangs to threaten the council. The previously arrogant Twelve Elders immediately caved and surrendered completely, only to be turned into sacrifices by Deacon Frost in the end!

The whole process was as simple as child's play. Back when Wang Bert watched the movie, he had complained that the Pureblood Vampires were way too useless, hadn't he?

And now, Wang Bert repeated that very complaint in reality, because reality had unfolded exactly like the movie.

In just a few days, Deacon Frost had taken control of the entire North American Blood Clan—only North America, though. The Blood Clan was divided by regions and had never been unified.

"Was it really this easy? Are Purebloods really this useless?"

Wang Bert could not help asking his captain, the Cowboy Boss from before. When they had captured Gao Tiannu, he had been a newcomer and could only keep watch outside, so he had no idea what had happened inside.

"You're too young, aren't you?"

Cowboy Boss James said, "Everyone has been fed up with the vampire council for ages. We're vampires, at the top of the food chain. Why should we follow human rules? And by everyone, I don't just mean Half-blood vampires. Quite a few Purebloods feel the same way!"

"You mean there are Purebloods helping Boss Deacon from within?" Wang Bert asked.

James nodded with absolute certainty. "That's right. Even if they didn't help, they stood by and watched. That's the trend of the times. The Twelve Elders knew that too, which was why they surrendered!"

"Looks like vampires are on the rise!"

Wang Bert echoed him, though he still had doubts in his heart. Could it really be that simple? The Speaker and the Twelve Elders should have had at least some diehard loyalists. How could they have been completely unable to resist?

Could this be the legendary truth that all reactionaries were paper tigers?

"Our good days are coming soon!"

James said expectantly. Not just him—every other Half-blood was the same. They seemed to see a bright future calling out to them! Wang Bert sneered inwardly. Vampires die in sunlight, sweetheart!

After successfully taking control of the Blood Clan, Deacon Frost began dealing with Blade, who had caused him plenty of trouble lately. He first led a raid on Blade's hideout, severely injuring and biting Blade's teacher and assistant, Whistler. Then he waited for Blade to come to Vampire Tower! As expected, Blade came. The vampires Deacon Frost had prepared were no match for him; Blade slaughtered his way from the bottom floor to the top, killing over a hundred vampires.

But in the end, Blade was still captured, because Deacon Frost held a trump card—Blade's mother.

Blade had always believed his mother was dead. He never knew that she had been revived as a vampire and had even become Deacon's woman. The shock left him vulnerable, and he was captured! Then came the main event: Deacon Frost would use the blood of Blade the Daywalker and the Twelve Elders to summon the Blood God at the altar and merge with him. That way, he could become a Blood God unafraid of Sunlight and lead the vampires in a final battle against humanity!

This altar had been left behind long ago. It was towering and magnificent, its walls covered in strange runes that made it seem especially mysterious. The floor was entirely paved with white jade, giving it an air of nobility.

After deciphering the Holy Book, Deacon Frost spent considerable time restoring the altar and installing light sources. It looked quite bright now, but it was still a vampire altar. No matter how brightly lit it was, it still carried an eerie feeling!

As a proud grunt, Wang Bert had originally not been qualified to enter the altar and could only stand guard outside. But he used an invincible method to easily slip inside—bribing James!

James warned him, "Don't wander around. If you mess up Boss Deacon's big plans, I won't be able to protect you!"

"Don't worry. I'm just going in to have a look. That's the making of a Blood God!"

"Fine, then!"

James nodded at first, then asked somewhat conflictedly, "Say, once we succeed, will these U.S. dollars still be useful?"

You're already daydreaming? Wang Bert grumbled inwardly. He said, "If you don't want them, give them back to me!"

"In your dreams. Go patrol over there already. Don't just stand around!"

James immediately put on a stern face. Wang Bert shrugged and carried his assault rifle as he went on patrol, putting on a convincing act! In just one day, Wang Bert had mapped out the altar's layout and secretly moved his equipment into place. Now, all that remained was to wait for the ritual the next day!

The following night, close to midnight, Deacon Frost locked Blade inside the Iron Torture Device above the altar. The device was covered in spikes. Once it closed, Blade's blood flowed into the prearranged channels along with his screams, running downward and filling the runes on the walls.

"Let us begin!"

Deacon Frost waved excitedly, and the vampires immediately brought in the Twelve Elders, binding them to twelve pillars beside the altar that were carved with special runes.

A Black elder roared, "Deacon, the Blood God is only a legend! You'll get nothing!"

"Only idiots like you think it's a legend!"

Deacon looked disdainful. His dream of decades was finally about to come true. Once it did, no one would ever be able to restrain him again—not the Blood Clan, not...

Meanwhile, Wang Bert arrived at the place where Blade was being held. Three people stood guard: two fully armed vampire elites, and Blade's mother!

Wasn't there supposed to be no one here when the female lead came to rescue him in the movie? Why are there so many people now?

Wearing a UV-resistant bodysuit, a backpack, and sunglasses, Wang Bert grumbled as he pulled a large Ultraviolet Lamp from his bag. He had custom ordered it from one of Frank's colleagues, and it was incredibly effective! Unfortunately, Frank's colleague had not managed to develop Ultraviolet Grenades. Otherwise, their chances of winning this war would have been even greater! Without wasting time, Wang Bert aimed the Ultraviolet Lamp at one of the vampires by the door and switched it on. Purple light shone onto the vampire's face, and the vampire immediately convulsed. Starting from his face, he rapidly turned to ash!

The other vampire was horrified and hurriedly looked toward the source of the light, only to collide head-on with the purple glow. Then, without any surprise, he too turned to ash! The female vampire inside was alerted. Just as she was about to scream, Wang Bert aimed the switched-off Ultraviolet Lamp at her and said, "Ma'am, don't scream. Otherwise, you're dead!"

The female vampire, Vanessa, demanded furiously, "Who are you? How dare you oppose Deacon?"

"I'm a human!"

Wang Bert smiled. "Now release your son. Seriously, you're pretty ruthless, aren't you? You even harmed your own son?"

"I'm helping him! He's a vampire, not a human—and so are you!"

Vanessa shouted, "Once Deacon becomes the Blood God, he, Blade, and I can finally be reunited as a family!"

"Reunited as a family? Oh, right. In a sense, Deacon counts as Blade's stepfather!"

Wang Bert did not even know how to complain about that. Marvel really loved this whole killing-your-family routine. Star-Lord and Thor had both done it. He said, "Enough nonsense. Open the torture device now!"

Though unwilling, Vanessa could only obediently comply. Wang Bert's Ultraviolet Lamp was too great a threat. Even with her speed, she might not be able to dodge it!

Under Wang Bert's watchful gaze, Vanessa turned the device and opened its mechanism. Blade, covered in injuries, collapsed weakly onto the floor, gasping without pause. His crimson eyes were full of madness, like a bloodthirsty beast! Blade's blood craving had struck. Wang Bert had prepared for this and tossed several blood bags from his pack toward him, shouting, "Blade, drink up! We've still got a hard fight ahead!"

At the sight of blood, Blade immediately pounced on it. Like a beast, he tore open the bags with his fangs and drank frantically. Seeing this, Vanessa said, "You can't beat Deacon. If you surrender now, you might still have a chance to live!"

"That's our business. You don't need to worry about it!"

Wang Bert smiled. Before long, Blade had drained all six blood bags, his appetite astonishing. As he drank the blood, the wounds on his body healed at a visible rate. Clearly, his healing ability was far stronger than that of an Elite Vampire!

With his bloodlust satisfied, the madness in Blade's eyes gradually receded. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and asked Wang Bert, "Who are you?"

"I told you, we'd meet again!"

Wang Bert smiled faintly, took a submachine gun and a short blade from his bag, and tossed them to Blade. "I made these myself. Both the bullets and the blade are silver-plated!"

"It was you?"

Blade recognized Wang Bert. He caught the submachine gun and short blade, but his gaze went to Wang Bert's sunglasses. Wang Bert complained, "So sunglasses really are your true form? Not yet. Without them, I can't block ultraviolet rays."

Blade was a little disappointed. He tucked the submachine gun into his waistband, flicked the short blade twice, and said, "This blade is mediocre. I'm going to take my own blade back!"

Wang Bert rolled his eyes. "With that mouth of yours, how have you not been beaten to death yet?"

"Because the only person who talks to me is a rotten old man even worse than I am!"

Thinking of Whistler, who had been bitten, a trace of sorrow flashed through Blade's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with determination. Holding the blade, he turned to look at Vanessa and said in a low voice, "Mother!"

Vanessa was a little panicked. She pleaded, "I'm your mother. You won't kill me, will you?"

"I'm going to end your suffering!"

Blade said sorrowfully. He truly believed that, and he truly intended to do it! "No, you can't do this!"

Vanessa turned and fled backward. Blade immediately chased after her, and the two soon began fighting.

Though Vanessa was also an Elite Vampire, she had barely ever fought and was no match for Blade. Before long, Blade had pinned her against the wall! He raised his short blade, and a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. Wang Bert really could not bear to watch any longer and said, "Blade, just knock her out. Even if this has to be done, it shouldn't be you doing it!"

Blade hesitated for a moment, then knocked Vanessa unconscious with the hilt of his blade. His heart was not truly that hard.

Wang Bert said, "All right, now it's time to deal with Deacon Frost. If he becomes the Blood God, we'll be in trouble!"

Blade carefully laid Vanessa down, then turned to Wang Bert and asked, "What do you want?"

"Of course I have my own purpose, but it doesn't conflict with yours!"

Wang Bert smiled and walked over to Blade's side, handing him the Ultraviolet Lamp. "This Ultraviolet Lamp can switch from flashlight mode to bulb mode. It's very effective against those vampires!"

Blade took the Ultraviolet Lamp and looked at Wang Bert. "I know you want to use me. I don't care. Killing vampires is my responsibility anyway. But if you become a vampire, I'll kill you too!"

Wang Bert solemnly promised, "I'm human. I will never be a vampire!"

"Good!"

Blade did not waste words. He gave a cool nod, carried the Ultraviolet Lamp to the window, and looked down at Deacon Frost and the vampires cheering below. He switched the lamp to bulb mode, held the Ultraviolet Lamp in his left hand and the submachine gun in his right, then sprang onto the railing with all his strength!

"Deacon Frost!"

Blade shouted and leaped down from the height of five stories. Purple light instantly flooded the hall. More than a dozen ordinary vampires immediately let out piercing screams, their bodies smoking and rapidly melting away as if splashed with sulfuric acid! Even the Elite Vampires and the Twelve Elders showed signs of melting on their faces, looking utterly miserable.

"Blade! Kill him! Smash that lamp!"

Deacon roared in fury and alarm. The four Elite Vampires still able to move immediately drew their pistols and fired upward through the pain. As for the ordinary vampires, they could not fire at all right now—they were already close to death! Though the four vampires fired, the Purple Light made it impossible for them to aim. Blade landed on the ground unharmed and rolled once to a stop! Then, he tossed the Ultraviolet Lamp upward, raised his submachine gun, and fired toward Deacon. Deacon and the others immediately scattered in panic, utterly disheveled. One of them was shot in the lower leg, leaving a hole straight through it! By then, the ordinary vampires had already been reduced to ashes under the Purple Light, their rifles clattering to the ground. Two Elite Vampires rolled over to the rifles, grabbed them, and opened fire on Blade! Blade rolled aside to evade, then fired a controlled burst at one of the gun-wielding Elite Vampires. The unlucky vampire was struck in the heart and screamed as he turned to ash and vanished.

"Damn it, put out the lamp first!"

Deacon shouted from behind a pillar. The Pureblood Vampire Mercury, who was following at his side, immediately raised her hand and shot the falling Ultraviolet Lamp apart. With the lamp gone, the vampires all breathed a sigh of relief. At least they would not keep taking damage! "Deacon, the Twelve Elders are injured. We can't fight here, or they might be killed by stray bullets!"

Mercury fired twice at Blade, then turned back and shouted to Deacon. Deacon gritted his teeth and said, "Get out of here. Gather more people and come back in to kill Blade together!"

"Yes!"

The few remaining vampires immediately protected Deacon as they fled outside. Blade naturally pursued them. This left the Altar empty, with only the twelve injured vampire elders remaining! "That was a little easier than I expected!"

Wang Bert jumped down from the fifth floor, one level at a time. Seeing someone approach, the twelve injured elders hurriedly said, "Save us. Whatever you want, we can give it to you."

Wang Bert ignored the elders who were being used as sacrifices. He stood in the middle of the Altar and looked up at the ceiling.

"I seem to remember lightning striking down next!"

Wang Bert was recalling what came next when several vampires suddenly rushed in from the side.