Tracking the location of the crescent dart, Blake arrived at the top of the Empire State Building.
“We didn’t actually have to meet here,” Blade said as he saw Blake arrive, quickly stepping forward to meet him.
“This vampire uprising was organized by Dracula.
His goal is to seize the Ankh of Life.
Through the Ankh, he intends to grant his undead legion the ability to walk in daylight.”
Blake’s expression instantly turned grim.
After all, the Ankh of Life was currently on his person.
“How did Dracula find out about the Ankh?”
Blade shook his head.
“We don’t know.
But we’ve received word that Dracula has arrived in New York and is currently in an abandoned church in Lower Manhattan.
I plan to launch a surprise attack to catch him off guard.”
Werewolf by Night had listened to the whole exchange.
Once Blade finished, he spoke up in disagreement.
“Blade, I think we should find the Ankh first and secure it.”
Blade snorted in response.
“If we didn’t know Dracula’s location, of course we’d do that.
But now that we do, the best way to solve the problem is at the source—by taking Dracula out directly.
What do you think, Warrior of the Moon?”
Blake thought it over.
He suspected this had a very high probability of being related to Khonshu, so he decided to play along.
“Is the intel reliable?”
Blade’s tone was resolute.
“I swear it on my honor.”
Blake nodded and walked toward the monster ship.
“Then what are we waiting for?
Let’s go.”
Seeing how straightforward Blake was, a rare smile appeared on Blade’s face.
“As expected of one of New York’s two defenders.
You certainly live up to your reputation.
You’re in a league of your own.”
Hearing the implication in Blade’s words, the Werewolf grew furious.
“Blade, what is that supposed to mean?!”
Blade didn’t answer and followed Blake into the ship.
“Blade, you bastard!”
The Werewolf was highly annoyed by Blade’s attitude but powerless to do anything about it.
Frankenstein saw them arguing again and paid it no mind, already used to it.
He turned to the Living Mummy:
“Hey man, did you see that?
Blade actually smiled.
I haven’t seen him smile in ages.”
The Living Mummy rolled his eyes at Frankenstein.
“Alright, there’s a big battle ahead.
Hurry up and reload your Gatling gun.
It won’t be funny if you run out of ammo halfway through.”
Frankenstein frowned in dissatisfaction as he watched the Living Mummy walk away.
“Buddy, do you take me for some kind of idiot?
I used to be a scientist, don’t underestimate me!”
The group returned to the Howling Commandos’ monster ship, which immediately went into stealth mode and flew toward Lower Manhattan.
***
Arriving above the church where Dracula was hiding, the monster ship’s hatch slid open.
Blake looked at the members of the Howling Commandos beside him: Blade, Frankenstein, the Living Mummy, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing.
Each was a highly unique talent—the kind you could easily spot in a crowd.
“Are you ready?”
Blade didn’t answer.
He gave Blake a glance and leapt down.
“Is he always like this?”
Werewolf by Night stepped up and patted Blake’s shoulder.
“You know what?
Although he’s being a jerk, the fact that he treats everyone equally like a jerk actually makes me quite happy.”
With that, Werewolf by Night leapt down after Blade.
Blake shook his head at the backs of Blade and Werewolf by Night, following close behind them.
The group crashed through the roof of the dilapidated church, landing smack-dab in the center of the hall.
“Looks like we’ve walked right into a trap.”
His Spider-Sense flared frantically.
Blake scanned the pairs of glowing red eyes lurking in the surrounding shadows, then looked up at Dracula, who was seated at the far end of the church.
As the Lord of Vampires, Dracula cut a striking figure.
He had flowing, silver-white hair and wore a crimson robe fit for a medieval aristocrat.
His build was lean yet exuded a clear sense of power.
“Then we fight our way out!”
As Blade drew his longsword, he hurled several UV flash grenades into the surroundings.
With Blade’s opening move, the battle commenced.
An almost endless swarm of vampires surged forward from all directions.
The Howling Commandos each showed off their prowess.
Werewolf by Night slashed with his razor-sharp claws.
Frankenstein’s Gatling gun bloomed with fiery blossoms.
The Living Mummy used his bandages to bind several vampires while chanting ancient incantations.
Man-Thing grew in size and charged into the vampire horde, plowing through them like they were nothing.
Blake didn’t idle either.
Knowing that capturing the leader was key, he and Blade charged toward Dracula together.
Dracula didn’t pay the two rushing figures any mind.
He released a wave of telekinesis, intending to blow them away.
The immense telekinetic force warped the air, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
To Dracula’s surprise, while Blade was indeed knocked flying, Blake charged straight through the force as if it were nothing.
A heavy staff strike came crashing down.
Dracula dodged to the side, watching as the chair he had just been sitting on was smashed to splinters.
Web-like cracks spread across the floor, centering on the point where the staff had struck.
Several crescent darts flew his way.
The ease on Dracula’s face vanished, and he hastily employed blood magic to block them.
“No wonder…
no wonder I was told to pay extra attention to you.
You really are quite interesting.”
With that, Dracula drew a sword from thin air and closed the distance, engaging Blake in a fierce clash.
With his mist form, blood magic, superb swordsmanship, and an immortality that even Death—one of the five cosmic entities of the universe—could not claim, Dracula held the absolute upper hand in his duel against Blake.
‘Do you need my help, Blake?’ Cassius’s voice echoed in his mind.
Blake declined, ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got this.’
Backing away from Dracula, Blake looked up at the sky.
At some point, the moon had been obscured by dark clouds.
“You seem to know a lot about me?”
Dracula spun his sword.
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
Blake retracted his staff, kicked away a vampire that lunged at him, and pulled two silver batons from beneath his cloak.
Dracula raised an eyebrow and sneered.
“What?
You think you can fight me with a pair of silver batons?”
Blake didn’t reply.
Holding a baton in each hand, he closed in once more.
“Bring it on!”
Dracula laughed heartily as he met Blake’s charge.
It had been a long time since he faced an opponent who could stand on equal footing with him.
They clashed repeatedly, swords and batons grinding against each other as they locked in a contest of strength.
Dracula tried to tempt Blake: “I know you have the Ankh.
Hand it over, and I can make you my servant!”
Blake let out a cold snort.
“Keep dreaming.”
Dracula wasn’t angered by the refusal.
Instead, he wore a look of mock pity as he kicked Blake back.
“You might have misunderstood.
I wasn’t asking for your permission.”
With that, Dracula stepped forward, planning to take the Ankh from Blake and turn him into a vampire, making him one of his top generals.
Seeing Blake in danger, the members of the Howling Commandos tried to break free from the vampires binding them to rush to his aid.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many vampires.
No matter how powerful they were individually, they were like pythons that had fallen into an army ant nest—firmly trapped with no way to break free.