Tony shook his head hard, trying to clear the fog from his mind. He quickly donned his Mark armor and raised his hands, aiming at the strange figure beside Adam.
"You're the one who smashed through my wall and crashed my party? Another weirdo in ancient clothes. Don't tell me you're from Asgard too."
But Tony's drunken warning sounded like a joke to Dracula.
"No matter how much time passes, humans never change. You love using all kinds of tools to extend your power, then treat those tools as your power itself, and that gives birth to overwhelming confidence."
Dracula completely ignored the repulsor energy building in Tony's palms. His focus stayed locked on Adam, then drifted downward to the bloody cup of flesh Adam extended.
His nose twitched, and a look of deep ecstasy crossed his face.
"This blood is highly corrosive, yet it doesn't eat away at your own flesh? How fascinating. I didn't expect to encounter something so interesting the moment those foolish descendants woke me. When did a species like you appear in this world?"
Dracula didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and took the chunk of flesh from Adam's hand, lowering his blood-red eyes to examine it.
Then he actually drank it.
Not just the sober people... even the drunks present rubbed their eyes in disbelief, staring at this mad act.
This was Xenomorph blood. By now, everyone on Earth knew how terrifying it was. A single drop rivaled humanity's most advanced weapons.
Yet this guy had downed it in one go? Even more absurd was how refined the motion looked. The angle of his slender fingers holding the flesh cup seemed practiced a thousand times over.
Elegant. Too elegant.
"This guy isn't normal. I never thought there'd actually be a vampire willing to drink Xenomorph blood."
War Machine Rhodes deployed his array of weapons... missiles, guns, the works... but didn't open fire immediately. He knew this intruder's fate would be miserable.
No one present had seen such a confident, aristocratic vampire before, nor did they know his identity. But that sheer insanity alone was enough to silence them all.
It turned out that even the most worldly individuals could be captivated by certain acts of pure madness.
Sizzle!
Sure enough, the moment the Xenomorph blood entered Dracula's mouth, it produced a horrifying sound, instantly corroding everything it touched.
Even Dracula... the so-called progenitor of vampires... clearly felt his mouth dissolving. As the blood flowed, his throat, esophagus, chest organs, and stomach all began to melt.
"How wonderful…"
Dracula muttered words that could no longer be called language, yet everyone present understood exactly what he meant.
His body was rapidly disintegrating, but the upper half of Dracula's face... the part not yet fully corroded... showed an expression of pure bliss.
It was as if the horrific melting had nothing to do with him.
Adam observed the man closely. Among everyone present, only his face showed no surprise... only understanding, as if it were perfectly natural.
"Interesting. You actually can draw nourishment from Xenomorph blood, even if the amount isn't enough to offset the damage," Adam said, genuinely curious.
Now missing half his torso, Dracula acted completely unaffected. He simply waved a hand. His blood-red eyes grew even redder, and his ruined face was filled with satisfaction.
He reached out, grasping toward Adam's chest, clearly wanting another taste.
Boom!
Adam grabbed the incoming hand, spun, and slammed Dracula into the bar with a back throw.
"Vampire, I'm very interested in you. Since you have such a passion for Xenomorph blood, I have a good proposal. You can join me. Become part of me." Adam straightened up slowly, watching Dracula climb back to his feet at a leisurely pace.
The vampire's injuries were healing at an astonishing rate.
"Not bad. But I have an even better proposal. You become part of me, and I'll rule these Xenomorphs for you. You're not a vampire, so you can't appreciate these creatures' beauty from my perspective. I've never tasted blood that satisfied me this much."
In no time at all, Dracula had repaired his body and regained the ability to speak. He bared his long fangs and made a courteous gesture. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vlad Tepes Dracula. At the invitation of my many foolish descendants and servants, I've come specifically to deal with you."
Dracula leaped forward, his sharp claws aiming for Adam's throat.
Adam's expression remained indifferent. He took a small step back. Dracula revealed a sinister smile and opened his mouth, intending to bite down on his shoulder.
He planned to turn Adam into a vampire.
Don't mistake Dracula for ordinary vampires. Ordinary ones were lambs to the slaughter before Adam. Even if they bit him, their weak vampire virus couldn't infect him in any way. They could only accept their humiliating fate. But Dracula was different.
At that moment, a massive repulsor blast sent him flying, followed by a barrage from a minigun.
"Buddy, I don't know which grave you crawled out of, and I don't care if you're the real Dracula. None of that matters to me. But you broke into my place and ruined my party. That's not okay."
"Exactly. No one ruins Tony Stark's parties."
Tony and Rhodes spoke in unison.
Dracula barely spared them a glance, fixated on Adam. But the next second, his vision filled with a cold glint as razor-sharp claws pierced straight through his body.
Deathstrike moved like an emotionless glacier. She drove all her claws into Dracula without a flicker of feeling.
Her adamantium claws were razor sharp.
Dracula bled profusely but refused to die. Instead, he wore an even more twisted, meaningful smile. Even now, he maintained that timeless elegance.
Rip!
Deathstrike twisted her hands and pulled outward, tearing Dracula's body to shreds.
That wasn't the end. The Abomination Xenomorph and the Gilgamesh Xenomorph... both relying on terrifying physical prowess... charged forward and smashed Dracula's form to pieces.
Everyone watched as Dracula collapsed with a crash.
"This vampire is completely insane. Is he really Dracula? First time I've seen a bat this brave."
Tony walked over, his head much clearer now. He worked to pull up the data Jarvis was feeding through his helmet.
"Step back, Tony. He's not dead yet. If Dracula were that easy to kill, he'd be too cheap," Adam said.
"He's in that condition and still not dead? I'm starting to believe he really is Dracula."
A trace of shock crossed Tony's face. Even with the alcohol not fully cleared, he understood what that meant.
"Looks like you really pushed the vampires to the brink. Even their legendary progenitor showed up."
"There's another possibility. Dracula never cared about the lives of other vampires. He came purely for me. As long as he lives, vampires won't disappear from the root. They'll keep appearing endlessly."
The virus Dracula carried was extremely infectious.
"What I'm curious about is why this guy chose this exact moment to challenge me. Where does your confidence come from?" Adam looked down at him.
"Heh heh heh. Aren't you at your weakest right now? This is the best chance for me to strike. So here I am."
Dracula spoke again. He still wasn't dead. His body... now little more than a mangled mass of flesh... simply fused back together upon contact, like stitching mismatched frames. In moments, he was whole again.
"Such strong regeneration. No… it's more than just regeneration…" Tony was shocked. His expression grew grave as Jarvis performed high-speed scans.
"Of course. This guy drank Varnae's blood of immortality. He's very hard to kill. Add in certain other traits, and he possesses true immortality." Only Adam remained completely calm throughout. He studied the vampire, growing more excited by the moment.
Excellent. Very good. He hadn't expected to be this lucky. This universe's Dracula actually possessed the undying trait... the rarest of specimens. One of the few individuals across the multiverse that Death herself refused.
In other words, no matter how many times Dracula was killed, Death would not accept him. He could only keep living.
"You all underestimate the power of vampires."
Dracula rose to his feet as if nothing had happened. He casually brushed dust from his clothes with extreme gentleness. He lifted his head, his white hair falling loose, and meticulously gathered it strand by strand before tying it into a ponytail.
Dracula looked at those present... his focus on Adam. "What do you think vampires are? Merely hosts and food for Xenomorphs?"
Adam countered, "Aren't you?"
Dracula's smile faltered slightly.
When Dracula got serious, the power he displayed was surprising.
Terrifying lightning descended from the sky, striking straight at Stark Tower.
In a flash of thunder and lightning, the heavily guarded high-tech building was devastated in an instant.
Countless floors were destroyed outright. Masses of advanced equipment were obliterated by the electricity.
"What the hell is this? A magic-using vampire progenitor? It's like…"
"Like Thor."
Adam's blood was boiling with excitement. Yes... this was the Dracula he wanted. The one who could summon lightning like the God of Thunder. This was the true progenitor of vampires.
Though across various universes, Dracula's win rate in notable battles trended toward zero. Aside from looking impressive and commanding respect upon appearance, he achieved little else.
While Stark Tower's defenses took heavy damage, more powerful vampires seized the chance to break in. These were Dracula's personal guards, each possessing unique abilities.
One of the most dangerous could create illusions.
"I'll turn all of you into vampires... especially you, Adam. The greatest vampire hunter, right? You love hunting vampires so much? Your retribution has arrived."
The vampire confidently unleashed his illusions. Only a tiny handful of people were affected. Every single Xenomorph... without exception... ignored the hallucinations completely.
"How is this possible?" He looked shocked. The next instant, the Ajax Xenomorph pounced and bit through his neck.
Using illusions against Xenomorphs should have been an excellent idea. Unfortunately, it was already an outdated strategy. On Adam's side, upgrades happened far too quickly.
Chaos erupted across the floor. Adam entered the fray himself. He swung Mjolnir, summoning lightning across the sky to clash with Dracula.
Deathstrike and the other Xenomorphs displayed their combat prowess efficiently. They leaped across walls and ceilings with blinding speed, swiftly slaughtering vampire after vampire. They knew vampires all too well. Even against those with special abilities, they maintained terrifying killing efficiency.
Dracula summoned a bolt of lightning to strike Deathstrike first, attempting to incinerate the strange woman.
But the lightning that should have reduced a person to charcoal only broke her skin and tore away some flesh. In an instant, the damage healed completely.
"Adamantium skeleton, super regeneration, immunity to illusions, masterful combat skills… Where did you find this freak, Adam? Why don't I have one?"
Even Dracula was stunned. Ignoring attacks from the others, he relied on his immortality and tried to bite Deathstrike. Each successful bite would give him another ally. Eventually he would leave Adam isolated. Whether adamantium would hurt his teeth wasn't a concern.
Deathstrike moved her hands like a master surgeon, dismembering Dracula with surgical precision.
Adam raised Mjolnir high, bathing in countless bolts of lightning, and brought the hammer down on Dracula's head. Divine lightning flooded the vampire's body, wreaking havoc and destruction.
Every cell should have been annihilated before such godly power.
But Dracula refused to die. Not only did he survive... he howled in pain while looking around at his fallen guards. His face finally twisted with extreme displeasure.
He had specifically chosen a moment when Sentry and Druid were away. Yet he still couldn't take Adam down, and his carefully selected guards were wiped out. He had no choice but to retreat.
If he couldn't finish Adam in a few minutes, he needed to withdraw. Otherwise, once Sentry and the others returned from thousands of miles away, he would be done for.
Dracula wanted to leave. Adam naturally refused to let him.
"Stay. Become a glorious Xenomorph. It is your honor." As Adam spoke, he hurled Mjolnir at the vampire, who was rolling desperately in an attempt to leap from the tower. The hammer struck true, pinning him to the ground.
"I don't actually like using Mjolnir much. But it lets me connect more directly with divine power and proves useful in certain situations... like right now."
That brief moment of delay was all it took. At Adam's command, numerous Xenomorphs seized Dracula.
"I shouldn't have rushed. If I'd prepared more adamantium nets, the result might have been different," Dracula said with some regret, though it was only regret.
Laughable. He didn't fear death. Ever since drinking Varnae's blood of immortality in the fifteenth century and becoming a vampire, he had few notable victories against anyone beyond ordinary humans. Yet Dracula feared nothing.
Every method the world had devised to kill him ultimately only delayed his revival by a few seconds. This time would be the same. No matter how these people tried to torment him, he would repair all damage and reappear in the world as the progenitor of vampires, continuing to expand their numbers.
And he would drink the blood of every Xenomorph. The taste was intoxicating... even with half his head gone.
"Too many vampires isn't good. It reduces both the quantity and quality of food. But being hunted down to this extent isn't good either." Dracula struggled to lift his head, baring his fangs.
Adam smashed the hammer into his head again, then ordered a swift Xenomorph to bring over a Xenomorph egg.
"So this is a Xenomorph egg. First time seeing one up close. Buddy, you really have a strange obsession with vampires…"
Tony seized the moment to gather data. Soon he watched the oversized egg bloom open like a flower. A facehugger burst out and latched onto Dracula's head.
"This is the parasitism. Looks like a chestburster won't be long. I'm curious... all vampires are supposed to obey Dracula. So will all these Xenomorph vampires obey this one?"
"Whether that happens depends entirely on my interests," Adam replied casually. Only then did he leisurely pick up an undamaged, lucky wine glass and drain its contents.
Adam hadn't felt this pleased in a long time. "I occasionally wonder how to obtain stable, high-quality Xenomorph variants. That problem is solved now. The undying Dracula will become the perfect vessel for Xenomorphs, constantly birthing powerful blood Xenomorphs for me."
Those present waited. Even when inquiries came in from people like Fury, Tony brusquely blocked them.
Until Dracula opened his eyes. He looked down at the throbbing in his chest and sneered. "You want to chestburster me? Looks like my fate is the same as the other vampires. I hear your Xenomorphs can even steal the host's healing factor."
Dracula was lying. He knew Xenomorphs couldn't steal his immortality. It wasn't simple genetic power.
What he didn't know was that Adam understood his undying trait perfectly. He also knew that one of the cosmic entities called Death refused certain universes' Draculas. No matter how strong Xenomorphs were now, they hadn't evolved to the point of copying or stealing universal... or even multiversal... rules.
Soon, the chestburster emerged.
Amid the bloody mess, Dracula convulsed in agony. "Very well. You win. But the progenitor of vampires does not die. Before long, someone will appear in my name. That person will prepare enough adamantium nets to capture all you creatures and turn you into blood banks."
"Excellent idea. Let's help each other. I'll capture you first. You'll gestate Xenomorphs for me. In return, I'll have the Xenomorphs that burst from your body regularly provide you with blood," Adam suggested.
"Do I look like an idiot? Or do you think I'm a perpetual motion machine?"
"Impressive. A vampire who even knows the concept of a perpetual motion machine."
Adam felt like applauding the guy. He took the seemingly completely dead Dracula back to the Weyland Building.
He impatiently shoved a second facehugger into Dracula.
Dracula finally realized what Adam intended. At that point, he couldn't even keep pretending to be dead. This was completely different from the script he had imagined.
He had studied the gruesome fates of many vampires. He knew that after a chestburster, Adam either used the vampire's corpse as food for the Xenomorphs or simply discarded it as garbage.
In either case, Dracula had been confident he could eventually repair his body and escape. He only needed to play dead and suppress his mental fluctuations. But what was this? Adam immediately started a second parasitism without pause?
Damn it... how did Adam know he wasn't dead?! Druid wasn't even here, yet he didn't bother checking before implanting another one?
He began to struggle. A Xenomorph immediately walked over and slapped him hard across the face.
Dracula looked closely. The pale Xenomorph before him was clearly the one that had just burst from his own body.
"So you knew all along. That's why you're doing this to me. You know I'm immortal…"
Dracula's expression shifted unpredictably, but no one paid him any attention.
Dozens of facehuggers were already lining up in front of him. Even more Xenomorph eggs were placed nearby.
Faced with this scene, even Dracula... who feared neither death nor anything in the world, not even cosmic gods... felt an uncontrollable chill of terror.
In the past, people had tried all sorts of methods against him: prolonged burning with flames, sealing him in lava, burying him underground.
But none of it did more than delay his revival. All restraints were meaningless before the twin powers of time and immortality.
"No one can kill me. Whatever torment you inflict on me now, I will repay tenfold on you and your bloodline in the future," Dracula blustered. His mentality was beginning to crack.
A temporary setback meant nothing. He had lost many battles and been killed in countless ways.
But it turned out that all his past enemies were child's play compared to Adam.
Falling into Adam's hands, he became a twenty-four-hour incubator. At any time, facehuggers stood ready. The moment one Xenomorph burst out, the next facehugger eagerly pounced.
As time passed and the cycles repeated, Dracula began to break. He had never imagined he would fall so low, enduring endless pain without rest.
What was he supposed to do now? Keep suffering? Endure until Adam died of old age and all the Xenomorphs perished? It might be an incredibly long time, but Dracula had no choice. Look... there was already a squad of chestburster Xenomorphs standing before him.
"Ha, this guy is fascinating. How is he doing it?"
Mr. Blue was drawn over by the commotion. He marveled at Dracula's miracle.
"Normal Xenomorphs strip away all genetic material. So why does this guy keep generating new genetic material out of nowhere? No matter how you kill him, he won't die. It's as if injury is only an intermediate state for him, and health is the eternal state."
"Maybe it has something to do with Death. Who knows exactly why this guy earned Death's disgust," Adam replied casually.
Death?
Mr. Blue rested his massive head in thought. He knew Adam wasn't referring to the state of death, but the multiversal entity that embodied it.
Far from frightening him, it only sparked greater interest.
So Mr. Blue joined in. Together with countless facehuggers, he tried every possible variation on Dracula.
Dracula let out agonized howls. Sometimes his voice grew hoarse, but it miraculously recovered, rising high again in wave after wave.
Over time, a terrifying urban legend began circulating outside. It claimed the Weyland Building was haunted by a screaming ghost that wandered day and night, using its wails to lure innocent victims.
Dracula's suffering was not in vain. Every curse and plea became the most beautiful hymn for the newborn Xenomorphs.
"Although this Dracula's overall strength isn't outstanding, he's definitely not weak. He possesses physical qualities far surpassing ordinary vampires."
After assessment, Adam found that Dracula could gestate twelve to fifteen Xenomorphs per day.
"I originally thought the number should be higher. But considering the period of weakness right after each chestburster... before he returns to perfect condition... his fragile body slows the incubation rate until the next healthy phase arrives," Mr. Blue said.
The key was that these Xenomorphs were more perfect than clones. Each was nearly identical to the others, like copy-paste duplicates. Their combat power was pleasantly surprising. While far from sub-sky-father level, they were more than enough to lead small squads.
Adam had no interest in exploring how one of the five founding cosmic entities... Death... judged Dracula, or more specifically, how the Death of this universe felt about this universe's Dracula. He lacked that curiosity for now.
He was only very interested in these stably mass-produced, powerful Xenomorphs.
Excluding special variants like the Abomination Xenomorph, the Swift Xenomorph, and the Eternals Xenomorphs, the Dracula-brand mass-produced Xenomorphs were the best.
They were noticeably stronger than the mutated variants that had absorbed large amounts of nutrients and grown significantly.
"Hm. With this new batch of fresh troops, the mid-to-low-level officer numbers in my forces will soon be filled out. We'll be able to go toe-to-toe with Frost Giants."
Dracula's arrival greatly accelerated Adam's army-building plans. Combined with the large numbers of mammals... flying, running, swimming... that were captured as hosts whenever suitable, an army of fifteen thousand was quickly assembled and sent en masse to Asgard.
Not only that... Adam personally set out this time, bringing many powerful combat units with him.
Countless eyes were watching Adam's every move. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, seeing the dense swarms of Xenomorphs filling the entire Weyland Building left them breathless. Not just the high-security floors... even the ground-floor lobby was packed with countless Xenomorphs. They stood on the floors, clung to the walls, and crowded across the ceilings.
Even the rooftop and surrounding plazas were filled to bursting with Xenomorphs.
The sheer terrifying numbers would make anyone who saw them feel suffocated.
"How much time has passed, and he's already raised another army of this size…"
"Believe me, Adam is still deliberately holding back. If he really went all out and placed a few more Xenomorph queens around the world, their numbers would grow exponentially. Don't forget... we don't even fully control the land, let alone the vaster and deeper oceans… Who knows how many Xenomorphs are hidden in the seas right now. Let's hope the Atlanteans can hold out."
Every person who harbored ill will toward Adam felt deeply pessimistic at this moment. Just how the hell were they supposed to deal with such a monster?
Throughout Earth's entire history... even counting the Eternals and Deviants... was there anyone like Adam?
No. None at all. Adam was unique. There were no references or precedents. This meant no one knew what method could permanently solve the terrifying threat posed by Adam and the Xenomorphs.
But this absolute power also successfully caused more people to defect on the spot, turning to extreme worship of Adam.
Since they couldn't defeat them, why not join them? The cost of joining the Xenomorphs was laughably low, and the process of leaping from ordinary human to superhuman was absurdly simple.
Was there anything more worthwhile than joining them and becoming a powerhouse in one step?
Everyone except Dracula held Adam in reverence.
The Asgardians were even more so. They had painstakingly gathered personnel and prepared an elaborate welcoming ceremony.
But when they saw the astonishing number of Xenomorphs appear, they all fell silent.
The Xenomorphs parted to form a path.
"I have come... as the God of Thunder... to end this long and bitter war!"
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