Vampire

Gandy fled without a fight, catching Maeve off guard. In that split second of distraction, a blue streak flashed past the corner of her eye, and then she saw Homelander charge out too.

But his movement was far more violent than Gandy's—he smashed straight through an entire wall, exposing twisted rebar around the gap.

Maeve shook her head, then followed.

Outside the Department Store, Azu floated midair, watching Gandy land in the Parking Lot, dropping into the sunlight.

Suddenly, Gandy jerked back as if electrocuted. Where the sun had touched him, his black skin turned bright red and caught fire.

Gandy whipped his arm, shaking off the flames, and the scorched skin quickly returned to normal.

"Really does look like a vampire," Azu muttered under his breath.

On the ground, Gandy glanced up at the blue figure in the sky, then started searching for something.

Just then, Queen Maeve leaped out from the fifth-floor gap, landed with a whoosh, and cratered the ground.

As she stood up, Gandy had already rushed toward a Sewer Entrance. He yanked hard, sending the manhole cover flying like a frisbee.

Then Gandy jumped into the sewer.

"You're kidding me?" Maeve frowned but still gave chase. Before she could dive in, however, two deep crimson beams shot down from the sky.

The beams swept forward in an arc, cutting across the Parking Lot. The next second, along their path, crimson pillars of fire erupted one after another!

The relentless explosions brought deafening roars. The ground was pried open, countless cars in the Parking Lot sent flying. Those lucky enough to survive had their alarms blaring, a cacophony of sharp wails.

Clatter.

Debris and stones rained down like a storm.

Standing less than three meters from the Sewer Entrance, Maeve looked up at Azu as he slowly descended. She spread her hands. "Seriously? You wanted to blow me up too?"

Azu smiled. "How could I bear to?"

"See? You're perfectly fine." He gestured with his chin toward where Gandy had jumped. "Besides, it stinks down there. You don't want to spend the next week soaking in a bath, do you?"

Maeve rolled her eyes.

Azu walked past her to the blast zone, where thick smoke billowed. His eyes glowed faintly red as he scanned, locking onto Gandy.

He wasn't dead yet.

The man was curled up, arms over his head. His clothes were nearly ash, only his pants remaining. His body was a bloody mess—chunks of muscle torn away, bone exposed in places.

But his head was intact, and the wounds on his body healed in an instant.

Gandy scrambled up, apparently realizing he couldn't escape like this. He let out a roar, and his muscles began to writhe.

Azu let out an "Oh?" "He can still transform? Or did this guy hold back?"

As he spoke, Maeve jumped into the blast zone, into the sewer Azu had blasted into chaos.

Passing a piece of rebar, she pulled it from the concrete, straightened it slightly, then hurled it with force.

Boom!

The rebar shot out like a cannonball, aimed at Gandy's head.

Gandy ducked sharply. The rebar grazed his scalp, carving a bloody trench across his back before disappearing into the sewer's depths.

The torn muscles on Gandy's back didn't close. Instead, new tissue pushed out from the wounds, stretching rapidly into two arms.

By now, Gandy had bulked up a full size, muscles swelling. On his face, new eyes sprouted on his brow and cheeks.

In moments, Gandy became a monster—half man, half spider. All his limbs pushed off at once, launching him out of the sewer.

He landed on the ground, in the sunlight. His black skin glowed red, then burst into flames.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"Quick, get a photo—rare chance."

"Ugly as sin."

Voices rang out. Reporters stationed at the mall's main entrance had heard the explosion in the Parking Lot and shifted positions, catching Gandy in his monstrous form.

Ignoring the danger, they raised cameras and video recorders, snapping shots of Gandy, eager to capture the rare scene.

Gandy moved into the building's shadow, escaping the sun. The flames on him died out.

He glanced at Homelander floating midair, let out a roar, grabbed a nearby pickup truck, and with a heave, hurled it at Azu.

Azu scoffed, firing Laser Eyes, slicing the pickup in half.

As the wreckage passed on either side of him, Azu called out, "My offer still stands. What do you say? Sure you won't reconsider?"

Gandy answered with action.

He grabbed another car and flung it with all his strength.

Just then, Maeve leaped out of the sewer, landing on the car midair and springing off it toward Gandy.

Every eye on Gandy's face lit up at once. He raised all four arms and slammed them downward.

Azu heard a crackling noise overhead—the countless wires and cables on the building's outer wall suddenly snapped, sparking as they shot down like tentacles to wrap around Maeve.

The live cables electrocuted Maeve. It wasn't enough to kill her, but the intense current sent her into uncontrollable convulsions, leaving her no strength to break free.

Just then, two beams of Laser Eyes swept across her, severing the cables, and Maeve dropped to the ground.

She twitched slightly, her legs weak from the shock, unable to stand or deal with Gandy for now.

"Leave him to me."

Azu murmured as he passed her, then lunged at Gandy.

But Gandy shouted, "Don't come closer!"

"Or I'll kill them!"

He had taken advantage of Azu's distraction freeing Maeve to use his power on the reporters' ties, camera straps, and even the necklaces around their throats.

He tightened these objects around the reporters' necks, using them as leverage against Azu.

But Azu showed no sign of stopping, as if he hadn't heard the threat at all. With a bang, he slammed into Spider-Man.

Gandy's chest caved in, his whole body launched into the air. Then a ripple exploded before him, sending him flying even farther.

Azu whooshed after him, catching up to Gandy as he was flung by the Secondary Impact. He grabbed one of his arms, spun him around several times, and hurled him into the Parking Lot.

A thunderous crash.

Gandy flew from midair into the Parking Lot, smashing through car after car. Dazed and dizzy from the impacts, he lost control over everything.

The reporters felt their necks loosen and instinctively gasped for air. But the moment the air hit their lungs, they all broke into violent coughing.