When Ethan Voss arrived at the Edgewood Building with Emil Blonsky, the scene was strangely quiet. The battle that had taken place earlier had already ended, leaving the building nearly deserted. Only a handful of guards remained scattered throughout the structure.
After eliminating the remaining resistance, Ethan entered the pure white chamber at the end of the corridor. The room looked exactly as Blade had described earlier.
In the center stood the coffin-like bed.
Beside it sat the table with the laptop.
Ethan turned on the computer and began studying the information stored inside. After analyzing the complex three-dimensional model displayed on the screen, he quickly reached a conclusion.
It was an altar.
Because Ethan already knew the general storyline of events, he immediately understood what it was for. This was the ritual altar Deacon Frost intended to use to summon the Blood God.
Which meant Blade would be used as a sacrifice.
His blood would be drained to activate the ritual.
Unfortunately, the computer did not contain the actual location of the altar itself. Ethan also interrogated the few remaining guards, but none of them knew where the ritual site was hidden.
Fortunately, that problem was not particularly difficult.
Ethan stepped through a portal and returned briefly to the divine realm.
Inside the kingdom, he used a small portion of its origin essence to grant himself a new mutant ability.
Superhuman sense of smell.
Because the ability was created using the power of the divine kingdom itself, it would not weaken when used in the outside world. However, the stronger the ability became, the more of the divine kingdom's essence it consumed.
At the moment, Ethan could easily afford something like enhanced smell.
But excessive use of the kingdom's essence would slow the development of the entire realm. Until he gathered a larger supply of origin resources, he had to use such powers carefully.
Besides, Ethan had no particular love for fighting personally.
Constantly rushing into battle would only lower his status.
After memorizing the various scent traces inside the room, Ethan returned outside and began following them.
The vampires had clearly left the building by vehicle. Under normal circumstances, that would make tracking them impossible.
But with his enhanced sense of smell, every vehicle left a unique scent trail behind.
Following those trails was easy.
Meanwhile, far away from the building, Blade slowly regained consciousness.
The violent electric shocks he had suffered earlier had knocked him out completely. But as a Daywalker, his body possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Most of his injuries had already healed.
Unfortunately, that regeneration came with a cost.
He was starving.
The blood hunger that defined his cursed existence had returned in full force.
Previously, Blade had relied on a special serum to suppress his vampiric thirst. But in his current condition, there was no way to inject the serum.
The hunger left him weak and disoriented.
Not long after he woke up, the vehicle transporting him finally stopped.
Several vampires dragged him underground and into a massive chamber that resembled an ancient temple. At the center of the chamber stood the ritual altar.
Deacon Frost was already waiting there with a large group of followers.
His face was filled with excitement.
"Our ancestors once called this place the Palace of Eternal Night," Frost announced proudly. "Isn't that wonderful?"
He turned toward the twelve figures standing behind him.
They were the twelve members of the Pureblood Council.
Each of them was a true pureblood vampire and one of the most powerful figures in vampire society.
"Unfortunately," Frost continued mockingly, "all of you so-called geniuses forgot about this place."
His lips curled into a contemptuous smile.
"But fortunately… I rediscovered it in the old histories."
He glanced at the council members with undisguised disdain before walking toward Blade.
"Do you know why we're here tonight?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"This temple was built for a sacred moment."
"Tonight… the Blood God will descend."
Frost stared directly into Blade's eyes.
"With your abilities, you could have accomplished incredible things. But your human side makes you weak."
His voice became sharper.
"Why do you suppress your thirst for blood?"
"That hunger is your nature."
"It's the nature of vampires."
Blade slowly lifted his head.
Despite his weakened state, his voice remained firm.
"I will kill you."
Frost laughed dismissively.
"I doubt you'll have the opportunity."
He waved his hand toward the altar.
"Take him."
Above the altar was a small elevated chamber containing a tall stone coffin standing upright.
Blade's own mother personally escorted him there.
Before the heavy stone lid closed, she gently touched his face.
Blade forced his eyes open. The sensation of her hand against his skin filled him with conflicting emotions.
In his childhood dreams, his mother's touch had always been warm and gentle.
Now it felt cold.
Almost lifeless.
"Poor child," she whispered softly. "You must be so thirsty."
"Don't touch me," Blade growled weakly.
"Eric," she said quietly, leaning close to him. "Your mother died a long time ago."
Her voice carried no hesitation.
"I have hunted. I have killed."
"And I enjoyed every moment."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Isn't that exactly how you feel when you hunt vampires?"
"Sooner or later, your bloodthirsty nature will overcome everything."
After finishing her words, she signaled to the vampires nearby.
The stone coffin slammed shut.
Immediately, two sharp blades shot out from the interior mechanism, slicing deeply across Blade's wrists.
Blood burst outward instantly.
The blood flowed through grooves carved inside the coffin and spread across the altar's intricate network of ancient symbols.
Below, the twelve Pureblood Council members were forced into specific positions around the altar. Each one had an armed guard standing behind them with a gun pressed against their backs.
Blade's blood slowly reached each of the ritual symbols.
A strange and terrifying energy began building within the temple.
Outside the building, the sky suddenly darkened.
Thunder rolled through the clouds.
At that moment, Ethan and Blonsky arrived at the hidden temple.
One glance at the ritual site told Ethan everything he needed to know.
The Blood God summoning ritual had already begun.
To be safe, Ethan opened another portal and brought someone else to the scene.
Professor Charles.
The professor had been teaching the children in Noah Town moments earlier. But when Ethan called for help, he immediately understood the seriousness of the situation.
After all, few people were better suited to dealing with creatures that possessed souls.
Before entering the temple, Ethan gave Blonsky a simple instruction.
"During the fight, kill any male vampire you see."
He paused briefly.
"But if you encounter a black female vampire… spare her life."
Inside the temple, the ritual had reached its final stage.
The twelve council members were forced to tilt their heads upward.
Blade's blood continued flowing.
Droplets fell from above, landing directly on their foreheads.
At the center of the altar, Frost stood with his arms raised toward the sky.
"Are you thirsty?" he shouted wildly.
"Tonight… the Blood God will descend!"
On the stone surface above the altar, the twelve streams of blood finally converged.
They merged together and formed a single strange drop of blood.
The drop fell directly onto Frost's forehead.
"Ha… ha ha…"
Blood ran down his face as his eyes filled with madness.
At that exact moment, the thunderstorm above finally exploded.
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and struck the temple with terrifying force.
The lightning spread through the stone walls and illuminated the ancient runes carved throughout the structure.
The twelve runes corresponded directly with the twelve council members.
Lightning surged through their bodies.
They struggled violently for a few moments before their physical forms shattered completely.
Then something horrifying appeared.
Twelve skeletal spirits with wings burst out from the destroyed bodies and flew wildly through the air.
Frost laughed louder.
He opened his arms wide.
The spirits quickly noticed him.
One after another, they dove into his body.
After a terrible scream of agony, all twelve spirits disappeared inside him.
Frost stood frozen in place.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were completely blood-red.
At that moment, Ethan, Blonsky, and Professor Charles stepped into the temple.
It was obvious that Frost had already absorbed the power of the Blood God.
Ethan immediately turned toward the professor.
"If the Blood God's power spreads, it could become a serious problem."
"Professor, control him first."
Charles had already scanned the memories of several vampires present in the temple.
He knew exactly what kind of creatures they were.
Eliminating them was absolutely the responsibility of the Justice League.
The moment Ethan finished speaking, Charles unleashed his telepathic power.
Frost had only just obtained the Blood God's power and had not yet adapted to it. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming psychic force seize control of his mind.
Before he could resist, a swirling purple portal opened above him.
The portal swallowed him completely.
The newly created Blood God disappeared instantly.
The remaining vampires stared in shock.
They looked at Ethan and the others with complete confusion.
Before they could understand what had happened, a blonde female vampire screamed.
"Kill them!"
The remaining vampires had no choice but to obey.
They rushed forward.
"They're asking for death," Ethan said calmly.
He glanced toward Blonsky.
"Destroy them."
Beside him, Professor Charles spoke quickly.
"The person you're looking for is upstairs."
"The situation is dangerous."
"I'll stay here and assist. You go first."
Ethan nodded and moved immediately.
As expected, he encountered a black female vampire along the way.
Blade's mother.
She charged toward him aggressively.
A portal appeared in front of Ethan instantly.
She ran straight into it and vanished.
Blade himself was already on the brink of death. Without hesitation, Ethan opened another portal and sent him directly into the divine kingdom for emergency treatment.
By the time Ethan returned downstairs, the battle had already ended.
Blonsky had wiped out the remaining vampires.
Even immortal creatures could not survive being smashed into pieces.
Frost's carefully planned ritual had collapsed completely.
The New York Vampire Council no longer existed.
But Ethan had gained something far more valuable.
He had discovered that the Blood God's power could be converted into a massive amount of essence for the divine kingdom.
.....
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