"Thump, thump-thump, thump." A specific rhythmic knocking sounded. Makiya knew Number 2 had returned. The black-haired, leggy woman bared her fangs at him the moment she stepped through the door, her voice filled with respect. "Master, the executive meeting has been organized. Everyone is waiting for your presence."
It was currently daytime, and vampires generally didn't have a habit of being active. Most were huddled in their rooms resting or killing time. Half of the blood bank's high-level management lived in the bar next door, only coming out to play at night.
"Well done. Let's go." Makiya ignored Number 2's little expressions and patted her backside, gesturing for her to lead the way.
The combat power of the vampires in the Marvel world wasn't particularly high. In the noble hierarchy, a vampire Baron at the bottom could only lift about 1,500 pounds. Their agility, reaction speed, and other physical attributes barely exceeded those of Captain America. Additionally, some vampires possessed abilities like controlling small animals or flight.
Of course, such 'settings' should be taken with a grain of salt. Captain America, set at the peak of human potential, could supposedly hold back a hand from the Mad Titan, Thanos. There was no logic in that. Based solely on combat performance, Cap could take on a whole crowd of non-noble vampires by himself.
The most troublesome thing about the vampires was that ordinary human weapons simply couldn't kill them. Their wounds would heal rapidly. However, Makiya was confident in his overwhelming combat power. He had far too many ways to crush them as he pleased.
Inside the meeting room, over twenty male and female vampire executives were already seated. Each one was dressed respectably, looking no different from Wall Street elites on the surface. In reality, they were evil creatures that fed on human blood.
On second thought, the people on Wall Street weren't much better than vampires; they had done things even more devoid of humanity. All of them deserved to be hung from lamp posts like dried meat. But this was a land of freedom and democracy, and capital was king.
The meeting room doors were pushed open, and the chatter came to a sudden halt. Hierarchy was strict among vampires, and the consequences for offending a superior were miserable.
Iris and her companion walked into the meeting room first, then stood respectfully to the side to welcome their master.
The group of vampires was confused. They thought a big shot from above had arrived for a surprise inspection and straightened their posture, only to find an Asian man walking in.
"Makiya?" several female vampires blurted out, their eyes widening.
"What? You know him?" a male executive who didn't visit the blood bank often asked curiously.
"Of course. We know him all too well." One female vampire smiled and relaxed her posture, her ample figure pressing into her chair. "I nearly smothered him last night. That guy has a very long, very flexible tongue."
As she spoke, she waved at Iris. "What kind of theme are you two playing today? Why did you call everyone in for it?"
The moment her eyes met Makiya's, the female vampire's expression froze. Her body moved uncontrollably as she stood up and knelt on the ground, crawling step by step to the head of the table. She pushed back the chair and remained there on all fours.
Makiya sat down casually on her back, looking at the shocked group of vampires with a mysterious smile.
"You're not Makiya. What are you?" one blood bank executive stood up in fury, two canine teeth protruding from his lips. His fingernails grew sharp and lethal as he leaped through the air toward Makiya.
"Regardless of who you are, how dare you offend the Great Holy Race! I will tear you to pieces!"
A flash of golden light erupted. The sudden burst caused everyone to instinctively close their eyes. When they regained their vision, they saw the executive who had just attacked lying on the floor. A thick, burnt smell wafted from the stump of his neck. His head was nowhere to be seen.
Makiya released a wave of Nen, lifting the head that had rolled under the table and making it float through the air to land on the table in front of him.
The other vampires exchanged looks, immediately realizing this man was not to be trifled with. Their long lives had etched the fear of death into their genes. They chose to wait and see what Makiya's goal was.
"What fascinating creatures." Makiya carefully studied the head. Even separated from its body, it remained vital. The scorched wounds on the neck were already beginning to heal. Its mouth opened and closed. If Makiya hadn't used telekinesis to plug its mouth, it would likely be shouting curses by now.
A small flame appeared at Makiya's fingertips, turning from crimson to gold. Aside from the high temperature scorching all the hair off the vampire's head, it had no other effect.
'Where's Newton? Someone call for Newton! This world isn't physical at all!'
It was said that vampires feared ultraviolet light, and human-made UV lamps were indeed effective against them. Why was the UV light within the flames useless?
UV light, garlic, and silver—the vampires of this world only feared those three things. Crosses, holy water, and the like were completely ineffective. Furthermore, vampires felt no reverence for churches.
At least Iris and her partner didn't. That hussy had roleplayed as a pure nun in white stockings and high-slit robes more than once, receiving 'instruction' from Father Makiya while the repentant Dick watched in the background.
But God did indeed exist in this world. The Spirit of Vengeance, the source of Ghost Rider's power, was God's creation.
Unfortunately, there were too many heavy hitters on this little planet. For various reasons, God hadn't shown His face in a long time. The crosses and holy water in churches were just ordinary earthly matter—tricks used by priests to fool young boys—lacking even a hint of supernatural power.
"Let me feel this... mm, there is indeed a surge of supernatural energy residing in the body. Dark, bloody... in theory, Holy Light should be able to dispel it."
Thanks again to the Magic Emperor, Makiya had a vast array of methods to try. He knew several skills of both male and female Priests. He had nearly reached the second awakening with the female Priest's path.
A speck of Holy Light bloomed in Makiya's hand. As soon as the golden light appeared, the skin on the vampire head began to emit white smoke. It looked as if concentrated sulfuric acid had been poured over him; large chunks of skin charred and fell off, revealing the bright red flesh beneath.
The headless corpse struggled violently. The Holy Light in Makiya's hand condensed into a sharp spear. Under the terrified gazes of the vampires, it pierced the headless body. In an instant, it was like pouring water into a deep fryer. The vampire's body erupted in smoke and sparks, dissolving into ash amid violent convulsions, leaving behind only a shriveled, tattered suit.
This scene instantly enraged the rest of the vampires. Those not under control stood up, baring their fangs.
"Don't be afraid! He's just one man! If we attack together, we can definitely kill him!"
"Kill him! Avenge Victor!"
"Charge!"
A crowd of vampires lunged at Makiya. Behind him, Iris showed a look of pity. They had no idea how powerful her master was. To dare to resist... their end would be nothing short of miserable.
Just as Iris expected, Makiya simply glared at them. The group instantly froze in place, as if under a paralysis spell.
Makiya reached out, and Iris obediently handed him a file. He slowly flipped through the documents page by page, like a god of death judging who deserved heaven and who belonged in hell before reaping their souls.
After a moment, Makiya finished his review and began pointing. "You, you, and you. Plus those few over there, come here."
He picked out eight people. These were vampires who had worked honestly for their wages and hadn't hunted on their own much. Makiya had a use for them.
The remaining dozen or so who enjoyed murdering humans were beyond redemption. They didn't deserve to live. Life was priceless, and the only thing equivalent to it was life itself. They had to pay with their deaths.
Furthermore, these people were connected to the gangs in Hell's Kitchen. It was hard to say if they had anything to do with the death of his parents. To be safe, they all had to die.
Once the chosen vampires stood behind him, Makiya used his telekinesis to slowly pull back the curtains. Blinding sunlight instantly flooded the meeting room. The dozen vampires under the illusion began to smoke, turning to ash amidst flames and agonizing howls.
The remaining vampires were as quiet as mice. Makiya had released his physical control over them, but not a single person dared to move. They all stood submissively, waiting for his orders.
Many of them were originally wealthy or high-ranking humans who had sought the 'blessing' of being a vampire out of a fear of death, willing to manage blood banks and provide food for high-ranking vampires.
These beasts also deserved death, but Makiya recalled the various human modification methods used by Erotica Makiya. He felt they should be used on these vampires so they could spend the rest of their lives atoning.
Erotica Makiya's hypnosis abilities came in handy. If he used Sharingan genjutsu, Makiya would need to constantly maintain his ocular power. Hypnosis was different; after ten seconds of eye contact, even if Makiya lifted the mental control, they would still serve him as their master.
"Number 1, take Number 3 through Number 11 and round up the rest of the vampires. Ensure every member is present for the meeting at dawn."
"Yes, Master."
At 3:30 AM, the blood collection hall of the blood bank was crowded with people.
The blood collection hall was exactly what it sounded like—the core facility of the blood bank where blood was harvested. Naturally, the methods were brutal and evil.
Vampires would strip and knock out captured homeless people, inject them with drugs, and place them in transparent bags. Medical tubes provided a steady supply of liquid food and water while removing waste. Simultaneously, tubes connected to their veins periodically extracted blood, turning living humans into biological blood-making machines.
Each bag held a living person. The steel array of the blood collection hall was densely packed with nearly a thousand bags to supply the vampires' daily survival and tributes.
Vampires' noses twitched as the smell of blood in the air constantly triggered their taste buds. As lower-level vampires, they were perpetually hungry, as all the humans they captured were used to feed their superiors.
A total of 98 vampires were present. Inside the office, Iris knelt before Makiya to report, a flattering smile on her face.
Makiya had too many tricks and killed vampires without hesitation. She didn't want to die, so she had completely changed her previous attitude to one of extreme subservience.
Makiya patted her golden hair and rewarded her with a lollipop.
"Patience," Makiya said with a gentle smile as he watched the greedy Iris. "Once I finish my experiments on them, I should find a way to modify you. After that, you won't need to drink blood anymore."
Iris looked up at Makiya with her cheeks puffed out, her large eyes filled with confusion.
Makiya gave a meaningful smile. "There's an old Chinese saying: one drop of essence is worth ten drops of blood. I plan to give you all a more efficient and sustainable way to 'drink' blood."
After repeatedly scouring the vampire database, Makiya found that the death of his parents was inextricably linked to the high-ranking vampires of this city. It was perfect for settling both old and new scores, starting with the modification of these vampires.
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