Assembly

"Sir, abnormal magnetic field fluctuations have been detected in the New York suburbs. Nearby satellite signals are suffering severe interference."

The words "New York" and "abnormal magnetic field fluctuations" together immediately gave Nick Fury a bad feeling.

"The Energy Level in the New York suburbs is rapidly rising."

"Connect me to Agent Hill, the field commander in New York, and Tony Stark."

Nick Fury reacted swiftly.

"Also, send our Helicarrier over there."

"Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D. is requesting a connection. They say something major has happened."

"Put it through." Tony, who had been adjusting his armor, stopped what he was doing and headed for the living room. "J.A.R.V.I.S., wake Gwen and Russell and have them come to the living room."

"Sir, Gwen and Russell are already in the living room."

At that moment, Russell and Gwen stood side by side before the window, looking in the direction of the Hall of Eternal Night.

There, dark clouds blotted out the moon as thunderclaps continuously erupted, illuminating the night sky.

"What powerful energy fluctuations. What a dangerous presence."

The hairs on Gwen's arms stood on end. Whenever she considered going over to investigate, her Spider-Sense began throbbing wildly.

Russell frowned deeply.

The scenes in the movie weren't this exaggerated, were they?

Even the enhanced Deacon Frost only had stronger healing abilities. In a straight fight, he was still inferior to Blade.

Why had his combat strength multiplied by who knew how many times here?

From Russell's perspective, endless energy was pouring through a passage toward the Hall of Eternal Night.

Though much of it was consumed along the way, an immense amount still spilled out, blanketing the Hall of Eternal Night as if it cost nothing.

And—

A strange, bloody figure was steadily approaching through the passage, seemingly about to cross endless spacetime and descend into the present world.

Russell took out his phone, intending to call Master Ancient One and ask about it.

This involved too much. He and Gwen were small fry; they couldn't handle it.

Before the call could connect, a text message arrived first. Its general meaning was:

"Go ahead boldly. Everything is under control. If anything happens, I'll cover for you."

"What's going on?"

Tony walked over to the two of them and stared blankly at the sight before him.

Behind Tony was a screen that J.A.R.V.I.S. had moved over.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill were connected on the screen.

"Blood God Descent."

"Just now, at the vampire gathering site—"

Russell and Maria Hill spoke one after the other.

"Through some special ritual, they communicated with an Interdimensional Demon God and exchanged sacrifices for power."

Russell turned and explained to everyone.

"And you are?"

"Kamar-Taj. Russell."

When out in the world, you made your own identity.

He was doing work for the Sorcerer Supreme, so what was wrong with borrowing Kamar-Taj's name?

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander, Maria Hill."

"Iron Man, Tony Stark."

"Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy."

The group quickly introduced themselves.

"Master Russell, what should we do now?"

Nick Fury got straight to the point.

He had long heard of Kamar-Taj and knew its sorcerers were skilled at dealing with supernatural evil forces. He wanted to hear a professional opinion first.

"Go in, wipe out every vampire there. As for the Blood God, the Sorcerer Supreme will deal with him."

"We don't have enough manpower. The military is off today, and it'll be difficult to mobilize them in a short time. Only a few hundred S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are setting up the perimeter."

"Fuck." Tony snapped. "This is what you meant by taking measures?"

"What about the NYPD?" Gwen asked. "The NYPD has tens of thousands of people. Why not ask them for help?"

"Deacon Frost has operated in New York for decades. His informants are spread throughout every sector of the city. Mobilizing local forces would leak the news," Nick Fury explained.

There was an even more important reason he did not mention: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s duty.

One of its duties was to protect civilians from threats posed by supernatural incidents or advanced technology, while filtering out information civilians were not meant to know.

If the NYPD took part in an operation to eliminate vampires, the existence of vampires could easily be exposed before the public, causing panic.

"Let's get moving first," Russell urged.

"The blockade has been set up," Agent Hill reported. "We can now detect any vampire that leaves, but we lack the numbers to guarantee interception."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier has already launched and is expected to reach New York airspace in ten minutes."

Nick Fury directed, "When it arrives, the Helicarrier will attack the vampire gathering site with specialized weapons. Hill will intercept any fleeing vampires. Tony, you three will support Hill."

"Got it."

The call ended, and everyone sprang into action.

Tony tossed two communicators to Russell and Gwen.

"The channels are already set. Test them. If there are no issues, we'll leave now and meet up with Agent Hill first."

"No problem." x2.

"Good. Do you need me to arrange a helicopter to take you there?"

"No, we'll get there ourselves."

Russell declined Tony's arrangement. He needed to get used to his current strength and speed while traveling, preparing for the coming battle.

Without another word, Tony suited up with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s help, opened the window, and shot into the sky.

Gwen fired a webline and latched onto Tony.

In the blink of an eye, the two vanished into the night sky.

Russell sprinted forward and leaped hard into the air.

He released his Spiritual Energy and pushed his Perception to its limit. The terrain within several kilometers entered his mind.

After quickly selecting a foothold, he jumped again.

If he did not have to worry about the buildings beneath him, Russell felt that every leap could carry him hundreds of meters.

Could I step on the air to gain momentum?

Thinking of this, Russell immediately gave it a try.

Crack!

A sudden, brief crack sounded as Russell stepped into empty air.

With his current strength, he really could use the air for leverage.

But it was still slower than running and jumping on the ground.

Giving up on traveling through the air, Russell honestly bounded across rooftops toward the Hall of Eternal Night.

Not being able to fly was not cool at all.

Still, for getting around, there seemed to be a more impressive method.

With a thought, Russell set his sights on Kamar-Taj's Portal spell.

I just told Nick Fury that I came from Kamar-Taj, and Master Ancient One didn't object. Did that mean he tacitly acknowledged me as a member of Kamar-Taj?

As a member of Kamar-Taj, how could I not know how to use a Portal?

With that happily decided, he would seek Master Ancient One's guidance after dealing with the vampire incident.

Meanwhile, Blade was locked in a bitter battle.

Just moments ago, with his companion's help, he had successfully escaped and rushed without pause to the center of the Hall of Eternal Night's altar.

He had cut through enemies like vegetables all the way there, thinking the altar's center would be no different.

But events unfolded completely beyond his expectations.

Maybe I should escape first?