Chapter 26: A Sudden Turn in the Blood Covenant

"Do you believe in prophecy?"

Across the Hudson River, a man stood atop a building in North Bergen, gazing at New York City in the dead of night.

"Lord Charus, I naturally do. The great Naval will descend with overwhelming power, at which time the sky will be shrouded in darkness, and the sun’s light will no longer grace the earth."

The speaker was a man encased in dark, ornate metal armor, his voice resonating with the metallic clatter of steel. At his waist hung a long, black sword sheathed in an exquisite, dazzling scabbard, and on his back was a shield embossed with the image of a red dragon. It was clear this man was no ordinary individual; his deep, dark armor seemed to swallow the light, reflecting not a single glimmer.

Charus stared at the longsword, then glanced at the Black Knight. His expression, serious and cautious, was quickly replaced by ambition. His lips curled upward, revealing thick canines as he picked up a glass of red wine from the table.

"A toast to your rebirth, Sir Nathan."

"A toast, High Lord Charus."

This was a council chamber of the Blood Covenant of the Claw. Under Charus's control, the Claw had secured almost the entire west bank of the Hudson River, and their enterprises covered nearly the whole of New Jersey.

"But why this obsession with Manhattan? What is so special about this place?" Nathan asked, clearly failing to grasp why Charus fixated on Manhattan as if it held some peculiar, magical allure.

"Because our future path lies here. Through the prophecies of the Old Gods, we must unify the Blood Covenants to welcome the arrival of the Old Gods and the descent of darkness."

It sounded like idle rambling, but given his identity as a vampire and his unwavering conviction, the words carried a ghostly, persuasive weight.

"Does that page truly possess such immense power?"

"Hahaha!" Charus’s fingers twitched, crimson magical energy flickering at his fingertips. The surrounding space trembled, and evil, obscure magical runes filled the room in an instant. He seemed capable of tearing through space and leaving at any moment.

"The great Lord God has re-chosen His champion, Sir Nathan. Have you not already experienced it? This power is far beyond what those amateur dark arts could ever hope to rival."

Clearly, the power of the Darkhold had descended upon the world through Charus. Though he remained himself, the ambition within him had begun to swell in a grotesque fashion.

"Sir Nathan, tonight marks the first step toward the restoration of our glorious era. Scylla and Atlantis will become vassals of the Claw today. Once the six Blood Covenants are reunited, we shall assault the Sanctum Sanctorum and welcome the return of the gods."

As he spoke, he raised his hands high, looking utterly confident. Though it was unclear where he drew his certainty from, Charus clearly believed he could succeed.

Nathan, however, could no longer stomach his cheap boss’s endless, bizarre ranting. He chose to interject. "When do we depart, my Lord?"

"Tomorrow night. Prepare your arms and your magic, Sir Nathan. My warriors are already gathering on the Hudson; tomorrow night, we shall turn Scylla and Atlantis into history."

Charus erupted into laughter. Nathan left the noisy chamber without a word. Even though his armor provided soundproofing and his own power was indeed fueled by the inexhaustible ambition of the vampire before him, he found it difficult to endure the man’s growing arrogance and conceit. If not for the near-infinite lifespan offered by vampirism, he never would have stooped to serving such a delusional fool.

Exiting Charus’s hall, Nathan Garrett strode quickly away from the scene. He would rather be alone than spend another moment with his master. Reaching the roof of the building, he mounted his dark, magical flying horse. With a flicker of magical energy, Nathan concealed his form and vanished into the night of North Bergen.

The impending war of the Blood Covenants had not gone unnoticed. Their movements were too grand, and they were operating in territory under the sharp watch of S.H.I.E.L.D. The recent upheaval among the vampire clans in New York was enough to make Coulson wish for a vacation.

"Phil, the vampires are mobilizing. It looks like they’re preparing for another night of war in New York."

Coulson had assembled a team to deal with the vampire situation, handpicking his most trusted old friends to assist him. Their temporary base was a house near the Manhattan Bridge in Jersey City, already occupied by a significant number of agents busy monitoring and investigating the vampires’ activities. It was the first time since S.H.I.E.L.D.’s inception that they had observed such large-scale activity, and the vampires were acting as if S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't even exist.

"Do we have more intelligence?"

Coulson had been buried in a mountain of files for some time, but it was a wretched job—it was no wonder Fury couldn't find anyone else to take it. It was thankless, exhausting, and nearly impossible to achieve any real results.

"Hard to come by. The vampire organization’s structure makes infiltration nearly impossible. Our informants are all bottom-tier vampires; they only know that the High Lord of the Claw has recently issued orders. Their elite combat squads are gathering on the west bank of the Hudson. It’s clear they’re planning something big."

"May, help me organize these materials. We’re going to report to the Director. Things are getting out of control."

"I suspect Fury will just tell you to keep observing. When I went with you to report last time, he didn't look happy. It seems there are too many terrible things going on."

"Sometimes I really wonder about the original intent of this organization. It seems that as S.H.I.E.L.D. grows more powerful, the bad things in the world don't decrease—they only seem to multiply."

Coulson sighed weakly and handed a folder to Melinda.

"Just so we're clear, I'm not seeing the bald guy."

"It's fine. Just help me process this pile of trash they sent over for a while. There’s too much useless information in here."

—

At the same time, Brutus finally awaited the return of the battered Zoya. Upon hearing the intelligence about the Claw gathering their forces, the High Lord contemplated the implications. The multiple eyes on his face blinked in unison as he pondered. Ignoring the kneeling Zoya in the dungeon hall, he walked toward the depths of the crypt, seemingly intent on verifying the safety of his book and reinforcing his magical wards.

"The old man clearly hasn't made any breakthrough progress. It seems that page of the book hasn't acknowledged him."

After some time, when Brutus did not return, Zoya left the crypt. Considering that the human with the strange power might attack soon, she likely wouldn't be appearing here for a long time.

"The Claw is breaking the balance, and with the interference of that human, New York is no longer safe. I must protect the High Lord and leave."

—

The next morning, with about a day of daylight left before Lynn was to meet Blade, Lynn finally emerged from his laboratory. This time, his expression was brimming with irrepressible excitement, as if he had achieved some major breakthrough. Kara followed behind him, as always.

"Doctor, the issue of you being unable to directly perform the bio-integration has not been resolved. Are we proceeding with the next stage of testing?"

"Naturally. Kara, prepare the testing ground. I’m going to pick someone up. We’ll perform some rough tests to prepare for the battle to come."

Lynn left the laboratory. While he felt a twinge of regret that the prototype G-Unit could not be integrated into his own body due to certain issues, he had other candidates. This was also a good opportunity for her to integrate into her future life; after all, her worldview and values had changed significantly under Lynn’s influence over this period. Considering what was to come in this world, Lynn couldn't just let her be an ordinary person.

About two hours later, Jessica and Lynn sat on a bus. Jessica looked excited—it was the first time Lynn had taken her to his "workplace."

"What is it?"

"Hmm? No, nothing. Just curious why you decided to bring me. Your workplace—it's supposed to be a secret, right?"

"Between us, it’s not really a secret."

"I just didn't expect it to be so soon, Lynn. I thought you’d want to evaluate me for a while longer. I haven't had many chances to be with you, and honestly, I..."

Lynn patted her head to stop her from saying something she might regret; after all, she was only eighteen, and before being captured by the Purple Man, she had been just an ordinary young girl. Based on her experiences, her mind hadn't had the chance to mature through her powers before being shattered by the Purple Man.

Jessica looked out the window at the bustling New York traffic, but her focus didn't land on anything, as if the buildings didn't exist and the busy pedestrians were merely inconsequential background noise.

"Your friend from school seems close to you. Did you know each other before?"

"Patricia? She’s a friend I grew up with. During the time I went missing, it seemed like she was the only one looking for me. She has a strong personality and didn't have many friends at school. Her parents didn't have a good relationship, and before... before those things happened, she always stayed at my place. We were very close."

"I see."

"Why? Is there something wrong with her?"

Jessica’s gaze drifted toward him. Lynn suspected that if he told Jessica to end the friendship right now, she would agree without hesitation.

"It’s nothing. But you need to prepare yourself for what’s coming next."

"Is there anything you do that isn't dangerous?" She covered her mouth as she spoke.

—

About two hours later, Lynn brought Jessica back to the underground lab. She looked at the object suspended in the bioreactor and asked Lynn, puzzled, "What is that?"

"The prototype G-Unit. Well, it was originally meant for me to test directly, but there were some complications, so I need your help."

"Can't Aunt Kara do it?" Jessica seemed to think Kara was more suited for the test.

"I am not suitable," Kara replied, looking at Lynn. It appeared Lynn had already ruled it out. Kara had no doubts; after Lynn’s conditioning, she trusted him completely. Since he had already excluded her from the testing, she would not interfere.

"Then what about you, Lynn?"

"I’m not suitable either."

"The Doctor cannot perform the integration due to... parameter issues," Kara explained.

"Alright, what do I have to do?"

"Follow me, Miss."

—

Night fell. Lynn notified Blade via phone to meet him in the Bronx. He would bring the necessary firepower, and since he had already obtained the location of the Nosferatu crypt—and considering ordinary humans wouldn't be of much help—Lynn told Blade to come alone.

Blade had no objections; it was a perfect opportunity to keep his friends in a safe place. The task tonight was clearly a life-or-death struggle, and Blade didn't want them dragging him down.

"Hey, Eric, you don't have to fight alone. Aren't we a team? Can't we participate in this? This is what many of us have been pursuing our whole lives."

"You stay here. This isn't something I’ve arranged. King, you and Rachel stay here."

With that, Blade walked out.

"So? Do we follow him or...?"

The woman named Rachel looked to be in a bad mood, but she was clearly calmer than Hannibal.

"Following him now will only get us caught. It’s better not to have a direct confrontation over some things." As she spoke, one could see sharp canines occasionally glinting at the corners of her mouth—it appeared she was a vampire. It was unclear why she was with Blade.

"Are we just going to give up this chance? Come on, he said he found a once-in-a-lifetime powerful ally. If we don't go now, we might never have another opportunity."

"Who said we aren't going?"

"Huh? Then why aren't we leaving?"

"Shh." Rachel looked around. "You idiot, can't you wait a minute?" She pointed to her ears. "I’m a vampire, remember? I heard everything on his phone. It’s in the Bronx. It’s going to be a massive operation tonight; we won't miss it. If we show up as reinforcements, we’ll be much more useful, won't we?"

"You're right. Why didn't I think of that? What do we do now?"

"Maintain your weapons, then let's play some poker."

"Is it that kind of thing I'm thinking of?"

Rachel’s originally cunning expression turned peculiar, and she grabbed a pillow from nearby and threw it at him. "What are you thinking about? Shouldn't that be saved for last?"