Jason's stern gaze widened as he glanced upward and saw his collaborative partner staring at him from above. Faded light gleamed through the ruined hole, shimmering in the dimmed darkness of the basement.
"Damien?" He was astounded, not expecting his partner to swiftly crush the dhampir with a massive black hand. On the other hand, Damien nodded in satisfaction and lightly gestured to the young man. "Yo..."
"You don't look good, Jason." He continued while Eclipse hovered beside him, ready to pounce at a single moment. 'The cryptid has appeared. I should be careful-' Before he could continue thinking, he felt his instincts scream.
Shifting his body, he dodged a claw that ambushed him without warning. Turning his attention towards the figure, Damien's sable-tinted gaze narrowed. "Don't loiter around, Jason. The cryptid's up here."
Hearing his remark, the dazed young man in black regained his clarity and nodded in understanding. Leaping out of the crevice between the ground floor and the basement, Jason landed between Damien and the dhampir.
He didn't hesitate, activating his brand and releasing a torrent of liquid fiery inferno. But the jet of blaze was a tiny bit too slow as the dhampir dodged and backed away from the two Jaegers of SIGIL.
"A dhampir, huh? That's to be expected." Damien muttered under his breath. He had researched the potential adversaries he would confront in the mission, understanding their weaknesses and strengths.
The dhampirs were former humans transformed by the blood of noble vampires. They were known as day walkers, primary infiltrators of the cryptid vampires. The difference in their appearances was solely the fangs.
Besides the elongated fangs, there wasn't that much difference between dhampirs and normal humans. It was for this reason that these bastards could easily creep into human fortified cities.
Fortunately, it was only a dhampir. Otherwise, Damien wouldn't have bothered fighting and escaped instead. Of course, at his current state, he didn't need to do so. After all...
'Dhampirs lacked special abilities that high-ranking vampires possessed. These special abilities even rival the Brands of humanity.' He pondered the information presented on the Federal Web.
The only thing intriguing about these creatures was their enhanced physical abilities. They were far stronger than an ordinary human. Even a bit better than the metahumans.
"Jaegers..." The dhampir squinted his eyes, glaring at the two black-suited young men in front of him. He wasn't angered by the discovery of his criminal operations in Brooklyn. But to think SIGIL would send rookies after him.
Nonetheless, he didn't dare to underestimate the puny humans before him. These so-called metahumans were gifted with Brands and were capable of manipulating aether to fuel this. He must be cautious.
All of a sudden, a gargantuan black hand descended from above, intending to crush him once again. Without hesitation or delay, he dodged with calculating ease.
However, as he swerved, a torrent of flames emerged beside the creature of the night. It was a surprise attack, which troubled him.
Flexing his body and shifting it to impossible proportions, he barely dodged the incoming outburst, his abdomen scarred in black. Generally, such damage would have been fatal, but vampires differed from the usual.
Their immortal bodies have the capabilities to regenerate from the most fatal of attacks as long as they consume blood. It was overpowered, and it was for this reason that the vampires dominated the entirety of the south.
Not wanting to be pressured, the dhampir decided to counterattack. The man rushed towards Damien, realizing his physique was no less different from that of a normal human. Jason also discerned the thoughts of the dhampir and made a move.
Pointing his finger towards the charging bastard, he condensed his liquid blaze and propelled it with the assistance of his gaseous flames. It pierced through the air, puncturing the chest of the dhampir.
"Good job, Jason." Damien smiled, unbothered by the fake human in front. Even if his collaborative partner didn't assist him, Eclipse was already hovering from above, aiming to ambush the dhampir.
Nonetheless, all assistance was appreciated. With the opportunity unveiled by Jason, Damien promptly sent a command to his summoned monster. Instead of crushing the dhampir immediately, seize the bastard and squash him.
As the dhampir staggered from the unexpected and scorching attack of Jason, the massive black hand plummeted and grasped his body. He tried to break free, cursing and roaring, but Eclipse's hold was unyielding.
"Don't you dare!!!" The dhampir continued to resist, but it was too weak against the giant black hand. Jason observed the former arrogant man and sighed to himself. Those cornered will feel nothing but terror.
Never did he realize that it was within the intentions of his collaborative partner, Damien. For terror fueled the Monster Gacha System.
For the first time, Damien opened the notification window and saw information flowing through the digitized text. It was beautiful, to say the least.
| +2 Terror Points |
| +3 Terror Points |
| +1 Terror Points |
| +3 Terror Points |
...
'I didn't bother opening the notification window unless it was of great importance. It seems that I was impeded from gazing upon such a sight.' Damien focused his gaze, but returned his attention to the dhampir.
Eclipse steadily used its black thumbs and pressed the head of the captured man. His angered expression gradually altered into pure terror and dread. For the first time since becoming a vampire, the dhampir felt fear.
"No! No! Don't!" The dhampir begged and cried, fear embedding itself onto his face. Regardless of his howls, however. Damien didn't pay him any heed and watched with a nonchalant expression.
Jason looked at the handsome blonde man. To think his first dhampir would be easily and quickly defeated. It was the advantage of having a partner, an Aberrant at that.
The massive black hand crushed the head of the dhampir, his blood and brain matter splattering all over Eclipse. It didn't even end there. The summoned monster squashed the body, not leaving room for regeneration.
Damien's emotion was muted, so he remained unbothered by the mangled remains of the dhampir. Jason also didn't seem to care about the corpse of the blonde man.
"That should be it for this operation." He glanced at his rigid collaborative partner, who nodded in agreement. Their first mission was a success, and that was what mattered the most.
As if organized, several black vans appeared out of nowhere and parked in front of the abandoned warehouse. They were the cleanup crew of SIGIL, the ones who would ensure that no further contamination appeared.
---
In the distance was a small cafe where customers enjoyed their free time sipping coffee or tea. Amongst the vibrant crowd was a black-suited young man wearing a fedora. Drinking his coffee, he muttered.
"As expected of Psychic Operation... It's the most versatile ability in my arsenal." It was none other than Damien, the third member of Block 7.
Since the beginning, he had utilized his second summoned monster's ability to handle the collaborative mission between the two Blocks. It was for this reason that he was confident against the dhampir.
After all, even if the dhampir fatally wounded him, only Silhouette would take damage. In any case, his experimentation was a success. He discovered the limits of Psychic Operation and the weaknesses he must mend.
"Did you like my performance, Francine?" Noticing a gorgeous lady standing in front of him, Damien smiled and turned his sable-tinted eyes upward. He didn't plan on hiding his abilities. It was only a matter of time, after all.
He'd rather be on good terms with his superiors. Especially with the Paragon of Block 7, his boss, Miss Alastair.