Mages Forced into Melee to Owe Less Debt

"You want me to kill someone who commands strange creatures? My price for taking action is high."

Kaecilius and several subordinates stood there, looking down arrogantly at the vampires before them.

He truly did look arrogant. Those dark circles around his eyes—those in the know understood they were the price of using Black Magic. Those who did not would think every one of these Black Magic Users was a Liver Emperor who had gone days and nights without sleep.

In fact, Kaecilius really had not slept for a very, very long time. Becoming a "Sleepless One" was merely one of the insignificant prices required to use magic.

There were other prices as well. He had to offer his mind, body, lifespan, and more to the various gods who granted him magic. That was the price of using magic—if you borrowed money, you had to repay it.

Under that gaze, some weaker vampires instinctively looked away. A few of noble birth, however, forced themselves to meet his eyes.

"We truly do not know how we offended him, but he has already destroyed seven of our bases in only two days! Hundreds of us are already dead or missing!" said an elegantly dressed vampire elder.

"Be more confident. Missing means dead. The lucky ones become that human's food; the unlucky ones become Xenomorph hosts."

Kaecilius was a meticulous man. Though he looked down on vampires, since he had accepted the job, he had learned a little about Duva.

"I will send a Black Magic User to kill him," Kaecilius said.

"One? We would prefer that you act personally." The vampires present frowned.

"Fools. My main target is Kamar-Taj. I will not waste a great deal of power on some insignificant nobody!" Kaecilius shook his head, his elegant ponytail swaying back and forth quite conspicuously.

At the very least, the vampires present could not help taking a few extra looks.

"But he is not some insignificant nobody..."

"In my eyes, he is. You bats in the sewers have never witnessed a truly great being with your own eyes. Even my master—the Sorcerer Supreme—must borrow that being's power!"

Kaecilius sneered at the vampires. "Even you were born because of that being. Without Black Magic, where would you vampires have come from?"

The vampires all looked bewildered.

But Kaecilius had learned from Dormammu that vampires originated from Black Magic.

And Dormammu was the god who wielded Black Magic. Kaecilius naturally believed that vampires were inferior byproducts accidentally created by the great Dormammu, not worth mentioning.

Another elder was deeply dissatisfied and muttered, "We should never have sought out these Black Magic Users! Paying them to deal with Duva feels unreliable no matter how I think about it. We would have been better off finding Blood Baron..."

But he was quickly rebuked. "Shut up! Our blood clan has its own circumstances!"

Crash!

At that moment, Blade smashed through a window and charged in, followed closely by a large number of Xenomorphs.

"Looks like we had the same idea. We both set our sights on this place, but it seems the vampire you are looking for is not here."

Duva's voice carried over.

Blade drew his twin swords. "My purpose differs from yours. Once I act, I leave no survivors. Even if they are human, as long as they stand with the vampires, they die."

As Blade spoke, his red eyes beneath his sunglasses stared straight at Kaecilius.

A mocking smile curled across Kaecilius's lips. He shifted his gaze to Duva, who was surrounded by several powerful Xenomorphs.

"Those dark circles... a Black Magic User? I did not expect an unexpected gain. But vampires actually colluding with your kind has successfully lowered your standards," Duva said.

Black Magic Users were too easy to identify. On the entire planet, only those who followed Dormammu had this appearance.

"Hmph, I agree. It seems we have at least reached a consensus on this point: vampires are the most suitable materials to be used up."

Kaecilius unleashed Black Magic with a vicious grin. Vast clouds of black mist spread out, enveloping everyone present. The vampires who touched it first were devoured in an instant.

After a burst of screams, their bodies turned into countless black particles that converged like flowing water, as though pouring into some unknown realm, before finally vanishing.

Kaecilius's expression improved slightly.

"Kaecilius! What are you doing? We are allies!" a vampire elder shouted.

"Allies? You defective products think you deserve to be my allies? Do you really think I covet your money? You are only worthy of becoming sacrifices to please Lord Dormammu!"

The vampires wanted to kill Duva, but Kaecilius was different. He wanted to kill them all.

Everyone on Earth would belong to the great Dormammu.

"This guy is not right in the head. Get him." Duva spoke.

Blade said nothing. With sword in hand, he slashed at Kaecilius.

Duva, however, was different. He knew how troublesome Kamar-Taj's spatial magic could be. Those golden portals could not only be used for transport, but could also "sever" things by closing instantly.

So from the very start, Duva targeted the other Black Magic Users present.

Whoosh! A strangely shaped Xenomorph with several strips of flesh growing from its body silently approached a mage, but the latter had been prepared.

"Lowly creature, witness the power of a professional mage!!"

The Black Magic User let out a savage laugh. With a flick of his sleeve, he precisely caught the baton sliding down, then charged at the Xenomorph with nimble steps.

"My weapon is made of Vibranium. I am not afraid of your blood!!"

Very good. He was even a rare Black Magic User whose brain had not been hollowed out by Dormammu. He knew to forge weapons from Vibranium to resist the most troublesome part of Xenomorphs—their Strong Acid blood.

But he did not seem to have much of a brain.

Duva's expression shifted slightly. Though he had already mentally prepared himself for this group of mages' fighting style, seeing it with his own eyes still made it hard to keep a straight face.

Their defenses were clearly not much stronger than ordinary humans', yet they loved grabbing blades and clubs to fight enemies in close combat—especially against Xenomorphs, living weapons most skilled at close-quarters slaughter.

This had to bring up Doctor Strange. Whenever he fought, he hurled all kinds of powerful magic around as though it cost nothing: Cyttorak's Crimson Chains, the Sword of the Vishanti, the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth.

Just look at that luxurious pantheon of magic. Cyttorak, Vishanti, and Hoggoth were all gods of Multiverse-level stature. Any spell Doctor Strange casually cast borrowed power from a host of Multiverse-level gods.

It was worth mentioning that Hoggoth was one of the Trinity Vishanti.

"I always felt that the local mages were somewhat different from what I imagined. Are you worried about owing too much debt to repay? Your master really is not a generous fellow."

When magic was insufficient, they made up for it with their fists.

The more Duva thought about it, the more he felt that these people were too poor—or rather, Dormammu had become poor. They could not even use magic freely. Besides, the price of using Black Magic was far higher than that of White Magic.

They could not compare at all to Doctor Strange, who had Kamar-Taj backing him. No wonder this bunch was eventually beaten to death by Doctor Strange.

"Hmph, you know magic too?" Kaecilius raised a hand and cast the Raggadorr Rings. A golden disc appeared over his palm, easily slicing an attacking Drone Xenomorph in half.

Facing the splattering Strong Acid blood, Kaecilius raised his other hand and summoned a small portal before himself, teleporting all the blood away.

"If I wish it, I can throw all of you into the seabed in an instant." Kaecilius was extremely confident.

He thought Duva had come for him, but Duva knew he would have difficulty killing someone so skilled at escaping. From the start, he had set his sights on the other Black Magic Users.

Amid the chaotic melee, a close-combat mage obsessed with brawling had already been pounced on by a Xenomorph. Screaming, he was dragged before Duva.

With practiced ease, Duva lifted a Xenomorph Egg from the back of a Xenomorph behind him and used it to implant a facehugger into the Black Magic User.

Duva wanted to verify something crucial, and he was deeply anticipating the result.

Sure enough, the instant the implantation succeeded, a powerful magical fluctuation surged from the Black Magic User's body, and black matter began to slowly spread.