Panel Upgrade, Battle Imminent

"S.H.I.E.L.D. learned from the Vampire Elder Council that Deacon Frost had violated the terms of the agreement and attacked the vampire elders.

He was also holding an illegal vampire gathering in New York, summoning vampires from all over the world.

The Vampire Elder Council had requested federal assistance in dealing with these vampires.

The current numbers had yet to be confirmed, but the preliminary estimate was around 5,000."

Coulson gave a rough summary without going into detail.

"Looks like the intelligence I got was more detailed."

Tony showed no restraint as he went on to lay out Deacon Frost's plan in detail.

"Also." Tony glanced at Gwen. "The information I received says there are over ten thousand vampires."

"Over ten thousand?" Coulson exclaimed.

If that figure was accurate, then S.H.I.E.L.D. had made a major mistake.

Against vampires, conventional weapons were only moderately effective. Specially made weapons were needed.

When there was an ample supply of specialized weapons, the military's battle against vampires would be a one-sided slaughter.

Once those weapons were depleted, the roles of hunter and hunted would be reversed.

"It never hurts to be prepared. Prepare supplies according to the new figures first," Nick Fury said in a deep voice.

"Also, have the council put pressure on them and inform the military that the situation has changed. Tomorrow, troops must be deployed to wipe out these vampires."

"I'll be taking part in tomorrow's battle too," Tony suddenly said. "And Stark Industries will provide material support as well."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. We truly need your combat strength," Coulson said gratefully.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

"Mr. Stark, Russell and I will be joining tomorrow's battle too," Gwen said firmly.

Tony looked at Gwen but said nothing.

He had seen Gwen's combat ability. She could toss Iron Monger around like a toy.

Then he looked at Russell. After hesitating for a moment, Tony asked, "Can you handle it?"

Russell: "..."

"Well, you can ask Gwen."

Russell and Gwen had sparred briefly several times while fooling around in the bookstore. Each knew exactly what the other was capable of.

"You two can stay here tonight. Have Pepper prepare two rooms for you, then we'll meet up with the S.H.I.E.L.D. people tomorrow morning."

With that, Tony headed toward the workshop.

He intended to stay up all night modifying a version of the Anti-Vampire Armor.

Silver ammunition, ultraviolet bombs, and a silver-garlic mixed gas.

A faint, elegant fragrance filled the bedroom, making one involuntarily relax.

But Russell had no intention of sleeping.

He stared fixedly at the Deep Blue panel before him.

Name: Russell (Transcendent)

Lifespan: 25/7850

Physique II: 5

Perception II: 5

Spirit II: 5

Talent 1 Energy Absorption: Can absorb any energy and convert it into Attribute Points. Defaults to Lifespan.

Talent 2 Attribute Transfer: Lifespan can be converted into Physique, Perception, and Spirit.

Description Panel: None.

The system had just finished upgrading.

Russell noticed it immediately.

The changes to his body had been enormous and intense.

He clearly remembered that his three core attributes had first become 1, then gradually increased to 5.

During this process, his Lifespan, Physique, Perception, and Spirit had all risen in tandem.

His Lifespan alone had increased by 7,600 years.

He clenched his fist and felt the strength coursing through his body.

His arm strength was estimated to have reached five tons, five times what it had been before the upgrade.

In other words, one Physique Attribute Point after the upgrade was equivalent to one hundred before it.

Burn Lifespan!

Lifespan Points transferred into Physique. Unlike the one-to-one conversion before the upgrade, the ratio had become one hundred to one.

Hmm, that was quite reasonable.

Next, Russell tested it again and found that Perception and Spirit followed the same rule.

Deep Blue, Burn Lifespan!

Name: Russell (Transcendent)

Lifespan: 25/150

Physique: 31

Perception: 31

Spirit: 30

Russell had burned 7,400 years of Lifespan in one go.

The reason he had not burned the remaining 150 years was that he had yet to test whether advancing to Transcendent would cause one year of survival to deduct one hundred years of Lifespan.

He chose to distribute the points evenly.

There was no particular reason for it.

Just intuition.

The surging power inside his body brought a sense of fullness.

Thirty-one tons of arm strength. Though he had not tested it yet, his speed was no less than 100 meters per second, and his body could withstand conventional weapons.

There was also a formless, intangible energy that could both defend and attack.

It could greatly enhance both physical defense and offensive power.

The increase in Perception felt as if it had opened a sixth sense.

It reduced his reliance on the five senses, allowing him to see everything around him with his "heart."

In battle, he could anticipate his enemy's moves and foresee an opponent's actions.

The increase in Spirit allowed Russell to truly feel the power of the soul.

His original mental shock ability had been greatly strengthened.

He could launch group attacks and clear out the small fry.

He could also make single-target attacks and intimidate opponents.

He could even weave it into his attacks, striking both body and mind at once.

Russell felt terrifyingly powerful now. His combat strength far surpassed what his stats suggested.

Seeing the values on the panel still below one hundred, a sense of urgency rose within him.

What would the panel's next stage be like?

Would it still be a hundredfold increase, or something even greater?

Hall of Eternal Night.

Deacon Frost's godhood ritual was underway.

As Blade's blood flowed through the pipes into the ritual, the dark clouds in the sky swiftly obscured the full moon.

Blood dripped down onto the foreheads of the twelve controlled Pure-Blood Vampires.

"We are the rulers of the world! The Blood God is descending!"

Deacon Frost stepped into the center of the altar, tore open his clothes to expose his chest, spread his arms with wild abandon, and looked up.

Blade's blood outlined mysterious runes, converging into one point before dripping onto Deacon Frost's forehead. Thunder exploded overhead.

Then bolts of lightning tore across the night sky and struck the Hall of Eternal Night.

The twelve stone pillars of the Hall of Eternal Night lit up one after another. Lightning ran down the pillars, first landing on the foreheads of the twelve Pure-Blood Vampires on the altar before converging upon Deacon Frost.

Moments later, the bodies of the twelve Pure-Blood Vampires exploded, their souls transforming into skeletal bats that flew toward Deacon Frost at the center.

The twelve skeletal bats passed through Deacon Frost's body one after another, injecting the essence of the Pure-Blood Vampires into him.

His bloodline was evolving, his physical abilities were increasing, and his healing ability underwent a qualitative transformation.

The racial flaws of vampires were also erased one by one.

Through Deacon Frost's body, a gaze from beyond the universe descended.

At a single glance, the owner of that gaze was driven mad.

The Heart of Eternity!

This planet had actually been formed from the Heart of Eternity.

Boom! Lightning flashed once more.

The Blood God disregarded everything and sent his power into this universe.

Even if the expenditure was somewhat extraordinary, and only one-tenth of it could arrive.

He did not care in the slightest.

He did not need much. As long as he could steal even a trace of Eternity's power.

His authority would be greatly enhanced.

"My Apostle, conquer this planet for me."

Blood God's Power rained down. This time, every vampire in the hall was bathed in divine grace.