Under the heavy night sky, a roiling, roaring mist of blood rapidly approached.
Wherever it passed, crimson rain drizzled from the air.
The rain gleamed with an eerie red light, staining everything it touched upon hitting the ground, reflecting even the flames on the earth into a sea of scarlet.
[Shock from Daredevil Matt Murdock +85]
[Shock from Luke Cage +865]
[Shock from Jessica Jones +992]
[Shock from The Punisher Frank Castle +845]
[Shock from Iron Fist Danny Rand +873]
No explanation was needed.
Just looking at this villainous entrance, The Defenders knew in their hearts: the Blood Demon had truly arrived!
Sure enough!
As the blood mist gradually dispersed, the Blood Demon flapped the pair of crimson feathered wings behind his back, hovering in midair.
He grinned, his expression brimming with mockery.
“That’s the Blood Demon? He’s even uglier than I expected!”
Jessica blurted out.
“Don’t lower your guard.”
Matt said, his face grim.
He tightened his grip on his billy club, thought for a brief moment, and turned to whisper to The Punisher, “Frank, open fire to probe him. See if you can shoot him out of the sky.”
Frank nodded silently, raised his gun to aim at the Blood Demon, and pulled the trigger, pouring out an entire magazine in an instant.
Bang, bang, bang!
Gunfire erupted, but every shot missed the target—or rather, he wasn’t shooting at the Blood Demon at all, but at Matt, who was standing right in front of him!
If Luke Cage hadn’t darted forward to shield Matt, the latter would have fallen on the spot.
???
Everyone froze for a moment.
“Frank was hit by an illusion.”
Zhuge Qing lightly tapped Frank’s forehead with his fingertip, waking him, and immediately explained, “Before I left the Mountain and Sea Realm, a senior from Mount Shu specifically warned me that the Blood Demon’s trickiest asset isn’t his evil blood-control sorcery, but the mental control and illusion traps granted by his eyes.”
“Mental control? Illusions?”
Jessica felt her scalp tingle at the words.
“Just don’t look him straight in the eyes.”
Zhuge Qing said, not averting his gaze as he met the Blood Demon’s crimson pupils head-on.
“He triggers his illusions through eye contact.”
“Then isn’t it dangerous for you to stare right at him?” Jessica blurted out.
“Because I am a spellcaster.”
Zhuge Qing narrowed his eyes, stepping onto the auspicious position of the Li Hexagram.
His voice was calm: “Li Hexagram: Fire Meteor!”
The moment his words fell,
The pitch-black night sky was torn open as dozens of orange-red fireballs soared from the ground, surging toward the Blood Demon with thunderous momentum.
“A spellcaster from the Zhuge Clan? What a treat tonight!”
The Blood Demon gave a sinister smile and waved his hand.
The blood mist instantly condensed into countless fluttering bats, flying straight into the sky full of fire rain.
The swarm of bats blocked out the sky, a dense, black flood cascading down from high above, swooping directly toward the people on the ground.
Boom!
The orange-red fiery spheres Zhuge Qing launched crashed into the bat swarm, exploding with a burst of fire, yet failing to halt them in the slightest.
The tens of thousands of red-eyed blood bats had eyes dripping crimson; their wings fanned like blades, and far from slowing down, their speed surged as they sliced through the air and dived at the crowd.
“Everyone, stay alert!”
Zhuge Qing’s body crackled loudly as violet-blue arcs of lightning swirled and surged around him, stepping forward to block the front.
“If you get bitten even once, they will crawl into your blood vessels and detonate on the spot!”
Before his voice died down, the expressions of The Defenders shifted drastically.
Luke Cage and Jessica immediately stepped forward, their muscles taut and backs standing like a solid wall; Frank silently raised his gun, his barrel steadily locking onto the bat shadows sweeping low through the air.
“I…”
Matt tightened his grip on his club, his knuckles turning white.
This was the first time he had truly tasted what it felt like to be powerless.
He suddenly saw clearly that his power, in the face of this storm, was as light as a sheet of paper.
Bang!
While Matt was still lost in thought, the front line had already fully engaged the enemy.
Lightning serpents danced wildly at Zhuge Qing’s fingertips, every flash of lightning striking down a blood bat with absolute precision; Jessica and Luke Cage relied on their sheer physical bodies to withstand the swarm’s assault, their blows sending blood-soaked wings flying and fractured bones splattering everywhere.
Lu Xiaofeng and Iron Fist Danny Rand did not stay behind.
The two leaped into the air, flanking from the left and right, going straight for the Blood Demon’s main body suspended in midair.
Clang!
The Hero Sword unsheathed with a ringing hum that made the air vibrate!
A vast and mighty sword momentum, carrying a biting cold gleam, slashed toward the Blood Demon’s throat; Danny’s fists burned with golden light, releasing surge after surge of grand energy like rolling golden waves, crashing forward.
“Wuming!!!”
The Blood Demon didn’t even bat an eye, his gaze fixed solely on the sword in Lu Xiaofeng’s hand.
A low growl escaped his throat, and the blood mist around him surged and expanded wildly, instantly condensing into ten ferocious giant wolves!
Nine of them, their fangs stark and menacing, pounced together at Lu Xiaofeng; the remaining one turned around and snapped its jaws right at Danny.
Anger flared in Danny’s chest.
This thing really didn’t take him seriously at all.
The golden glow on his fists swelled dramatically.
Pushing off the ground, he surged forward to meet the blood wolf head-on—
And then, he was swatted away by a single claw.
Rumble!
The earth caved in as dust erupted.
Lying flat on his back inside a human-shaped crater, Danny’s face was a picture of bewildered disbelief: *Who am I?
Where am I?
Did I train in a fake Iron Fist?*
When leaving Kunlun, Shou-Lao had patted his shoulder and said, “You have gained a glimpse into the true essence of the Iron Fist. You can now hold up the sky on your own.”
And the result?
He stared at his numbed wrist, wanting nothing more than to laugh bitterly.
He tilted his head back to look up into the sky, wanting to see how things were going for Lu Xiaofeng.
If a single blood wolf was this fierce, then under the siege of nine, Lu Xiaofeng was probably torn to shreds already, right?!
Yet reality slapped him hard across the face.
Lu Xiaofeng swept his sword around.
Wherever the blade pointed, the blood wolves stumbled backward—he alone was suppressing and pummeling all ten of them!
The extra tenth wolf was the exact one that had just swatted Danny into the dirt; seeing how weak Danny was, it had turned right back to rejoin the assault.
Even so, Lu Xiaofeng remained composed in his steps, his sword flashes weaving a crisscrossing net.
In his advances and retreats, the ten blood wolves couldn’t even graze the hem of his clothes.
[Shock from Iron Fist Danny Rand +1500]
Danny fell completely silent, lacking even the strength to sigh.
At that exact moment.
Inside a secret room prepared long ago, Madame Gao slowly opened her eyes.
Standing in the room were the other four leaders of The Hand.
They had “passed away” a step earlier than she had, and thus had resurrected a step earlier.
At this moment, they stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, holding binoculars and peering downward, their faces pale and grim.
“Are Iron Fist and the Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe dead yet?”
Madame Gao pushed herself up from the floor and sat up.
She had personally selected the location for this secret chamber: the top floor of the building, right next to the abandoned church.
It boasted a broad view; a single pair of binoculars was all it took to take in everything inside and outside the church.
However, the current situation… didn’t seem quite right?
Seeing her companions all frowning deeply with hollow eyes, Madame Gao’s heart tightened.
She snatched a pair of binoculars and hurriedly looked toward the church.
A moment later, her face darkened as well.
The Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe, Iron Fist, the blind man, The Punisher… not a single one was missing.
All of them were alive and kicking down below, engaged in a fierce, back-and-forth battle.
In an instant, the scheme she had meticulously cultivated collapsed silently before her eyes like a ridiculous farce.
Crack!
Her fingers suddenly exerted force, shattering the binoculars on the spot.
Wood chips mixed with metal shrapnel fell in a rustling cascade.
Her expression remained impassive.
“We still have backup plans. Kingpin’s two hundred gunmen can immediately storm the church. Perhaps…”
“Enough!”
Before she could finish, Murakami cut her off with a sharp bark.
The old man’s brows were sharp as blades, his gaze burning intensely.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you think that rabble can shake a single finger of Bai Yifei’s, or tear open the Blood Demon’s skin?”
Madame Gao narrowed her eyes, chilling coldness filling her gaze.
“When the plan was set, every single one of you nodded in agreement. Now you want me to shoulder the blame alone?”
“Nobody’s blaming you,” Alexandra chimed in with a sweet smile.
“Madame Gao, you saw it too. The bomb didn’t go off, and the people didn’t die. If we force our way in, where’s our chance of winning?”
“Wait!”
Bakuto, who had been staring at the church all along, suddenly paled.
“Have you noticed… Bai Yifei hasn’t shown up to help the Blood Demon at all? He’s gone.”
“Could it be…”
The remaining three held their breath, turning simultaneously toward Madame Gao, their eyes terrifyingly cold.
“There is absolutely no mistake here,” Madame Gao said, frowning.
“In centuries of working together, when have you ever seen me fail at something like this?”
Hearing her say this, Sowande and Alexandra eased up slightly.
Murakami, however, shook his head and stood up.
“Regardless of whether there’s an issue, this place is no longer safe. We evacuate immediately.”
With that, he said no more, grabbed his weapon, and briskly walked toward the exit of the secret room.
Clang! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Just as the door creaked open a sliver, a dazzling beam of sword light slashed through the air.
Before the shock could fade from Murakami’s face, his head soared into the air, hot blood spraying like rain.
Outside the door.
The Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe stood holding his crimson longsword, the corners of his lips curled into a sinister smile as his gaze slowly swept over the four remaining inside.
[Shock from Madame Gao +756]
[Shock from Bakuto +857]
[Shock from Sowande +775]
[Shock from Alexandra +816]
…
“Bai Yifei!”
Madame Gao’s voice was rasping, every word forced out from between her teeth.
She spun around abruptly, dashing toward the floor-to-ceiling window like an arrow shot from a bow, wanting to shatter the glass and flee for her life.
The other three moved almost simultaneously, their actions neat, sharp, and without a trace of hesitation.
Knowing full well they couldn’t win, none of them entertained any thought of avenging Murakami.
All they cared about was rushing outward for dear life, each faster and fiercer than the last.
Yet none of them managed to escape.
Unbeknownst to them, that floor-to-ceiling window had already been covered in a thick layer of ice.
Piercingly cold and harder than refined steel, the four lashed out in turns, yet could not chip out even a hairline fracture.
“Bai Yifei!!!”
With their path of retreat cut off, the four remaining leaders of The Hand completely abandoned all illusions.
Bakuto, possessing the fiercest temperament, was the first to lose patience.
Gripping his blade with both hands, he unleashed an iaijutsu strike the instant he drew it, his blade flashing like lightning with chilling intent.
“Do you truly believe victory is already in your hands?”
The Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe smiled faintly.
Before his sneer even faded, he swept forward like a phantom.
His longsword flicked, a cold gleam flashed—
And three more heads flew into the air!
The reason it was three was that Sowande and Alexandra had taken the opportunity to flank and ambush him, only to be run through the throat and decapitated in a single stroke.
“Now, only you remain, Madame Gao?”
Deep red beads of blood slowly dripped from the sword’s tip.
The Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe looked at the last remaining member—the last surviving Finger—of The Hand with an amused gaze.
“Bai Yifei, how did you find your way here?”
Madame Gao’s face was pale as ashes.
She still harbored a portion of Dragon Bone inside her body, barely enough to prolong her life one more time, but only this once.
If she fell into the hands of the Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe again, there would be zero chance of survival.
“Heh…”
The Marquis of the Blood Wardrobe gave a soft laugh and did not answer.
He approached with slow steps, looking at Madame Gao, whose body was freezing inch by inch in solid ice starting from her ankles.
He raised his wrist slightly, pointing his sword at an angle, his voice filled with mockery: “Humans always love to overestimate themselves. You are like this, and so is the Blood Demon… In the end, you are all nothing more than stepping stones beneath my feet.”
[Shock from Madame Gao +1125]
The night sky was clear and the bright moon hung high, yet crimson rain quietly drifted down.
Inside the abandoned church, the battle had reached a boiling point long ago.
Lu Xiaofeng knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword.
His face was as pale as paper, his lips utterly devoid of color.
The Defenders were hardly doing any better.
Every one of them bore wounds of varying severity, their physical strength virtually exhausted.
“Hahaha!!!”
The Blood Demon was covered in sword wounds, his left wing severed clean off at the root.
The lacerations gaped open, blood gushing like water, yet far from being afraid, he bared his mouthful of fangs and burst into wild laughter toward the heavens: “Congratulations! You will soon merge into my flesh and blood, becoming a part of my power!”
“Delusional bastard.”
Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
His gaze swept across everyone, finally settling on Zhuge Qing, who was the least injured.
“Old Qing, hold him off for a moment. I’m going to charge up a vicious strike.”
“…Alright.”
Zhuge Qing pondered briefly, then nodded in agreement.
“I’m counting on you.”
Lu Xiaofeng sheathed the Hero Sword with a sharp clang and closed both eyes.
In an instant, he seemed to merge into one with the sword.
Sharpened brilliance burst forth from his entire body, and an incomparably sharp sword intent shot straight into the clouds.
The invisible aura of heaven and earth was drawn by him, surging into his body like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
His presence soared step by step, vast and magnificent, beyond what anyone could look upon directly.
“What is Lu Xiaofeng doing?”
Matt’s pupils contracted sharply.