Chapter 133: The body snatching plan
Aside from Dr. Rice and Donald, Wolverine didn't know who else Roy had acted against.
However, he could see the figures condensed from white light falling one by one, then completely vanishing.
In the past, seeing Roy slaughtering these ordinary people like a Carnage might have made him think Roywas a bit bloodthirsty.
Now, knowing that the American Government planned to restart the Sentinel Robot project, he didn't think Roywas bloodthirsty; instead, he felt Roy was being a bit too merciful.
If it were him, he would be like Beast, using his Adamantium Claws to hack everyone involved with the Sentinel Robots into fragmented remains.
He had witnessed the scenes of Sentinel Robots slaughtering Mutants in the future and knew exactly what their existence meant for Mutants.
After killing the targets he had found one by one, Roystopped using Telepathy. The white light inside the cerebro room quickly vanished as if it had never appeared.
"Is everything handled?"
Just as Roy took off the cerebro helmet, Wolverine's voice rang out.
"Everything is handled."
"However, you and I still need to make a trip to destroy the relevant data on the Sentinel Robots and those eight prototypes."
Roy placed the cerebro helmet on the console and turned to speak to Wolverine.
"Good!"
Wolverine replied immediately without any hesitation.
Upon hearing his answer, Roy took the Tesseract out of the system space and created a portal to The Pentagon.
As soon as the portal, surrounded by pitch-black "thunderclouds" and silver-white "lightning," formed, Wolverine took the lead and stepped inside.
Although he didn't know where the portal's exit was, he wasn't at all worried about an enemy ambush.
After spending some time with Roy, he found that Roywas much more reliable than he appeared.
From his appearance, Roy was just a young man in his early twenties.
But compared to others his age, he was clearly much more mature and steady.
If nothing else, one could tell just by looking at what Royhad done since finding them.
Bringing them back to the Mutant School, threatening the President to cancel the wanted posters and return their property, bringing the fugitive X-23 and others to the school, repairing the cerebro, inviting Brady, Connor, and others to join the school, and eliminating enemies like Dr. Rice and Donald.
Every single thing Roy did moved the Mutant Schooltoward a better situation.
Not only that, these actions of his also improved the current situation of Mutants being discriminated against and oppressed to a certain extent.
The reporters and protesters at the school gates were a perfect example.
If not for fearing his power, those reporters and protesters wouldn't have gathered at the school gates at all.
Only after Wolverine stepped through the portal and vanished from his sight did Roy unhurriedly walk in.
Time flew by.
More than half an hour later.
Mutant School.
The Headmaster's Office.
At this moment, Professor X sat behind his desk, thinking about how to refine the teaching plan for the Mutant School.
Although he had rich teaching experience, X-23 and the others were completely different from the students he had taught before.
X-23 and the others had grown up inside research institutes since they were young, raised as living weapons.
In other words, lacking normal life experiences, they all had some degree of psychological issues.
Take X-23, for example.
X-23 angered easily; even the smallest thing could trigger an intense rage in her.
Additionally, she had certain self-harming tendencies and a disregard for life.
More importantly, all the young Mutants, including X-23, were very poor at interpersonal social skills, and their social experience was effectively zero.
Just as Professor X was considering how to repair X-23and the others' psychological problems, the portal created by the Tesseract appeared in his sight.
In the next second, Roy and Wolverine stepped through the portal and appeared before him.
When Roy closed the portal behind him, Professor Ximmediately asked, "What happened?"
"You explain it to the Professor."
Roy turned and spoke to Wolverine.
Wolverine nodded, walked straight to the desk, and habitually took a cigar out of his jacket pocket.
Just as he was about to light the cigar, Professor X shook his head at him.
Uh... Wolverine shrugged, put the cigar and lighter back in his pocket, and began his narration.
He first briefly mentioned how Roy used the cerebro to find and kill Dr. Rice, Donald, and others, as well as the official preparations to restart the Sentinel Robot project.
After saying this, he told Professor X the specific details of how he and Roy recovered the Sentinel Robotprototypes and data.
When he first heard that Roy used the cerebro to kill people, a displeased expression appeared on Professor X's face.
However, after hearing that the government intended to restart the Sentinel Robot project, the displeasure on his face vanished.
In its place was a solemn expression.
Although he hadn't personally experienced the future where Mutants were nearly exterminated by Sentinel Robots.
When Shadowcat sent Wolverine's consciousness back to 1973, he learned of that tragic future from Wolverine's mouth.
After Wolverine finished his narration, Professor X said with a serious face, "You both did very well."
"If the government were really allowed to restart the Sentinel Robot project and complete the upgrades, the consequences would be unimaginable..."
At this point, Professor X paused for a few seconds, then asked Roy, "What do you plan to do next?"
"It's simple. I'll take another trip to The White House next to have a good chat with the President."
"As for the recovered Sentinel Robots, they'll stay at the school as teaching props."
Roy said with a calm face.
He remembered very clearly that at the end of the movie X-Men: Apocalypse, Professor X used modified first-generation Sentinel Robots as teaching props for practical combat classes to train Phoenix, Storm, Cyclops, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, and others.
He had originally thought those Sentinel Robots were the prototypes built by Bolivar Trask.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case.
The Sentinel Robots used to train Phoenix, Storm, and the others were built by Professor X based on data.
And the prototypes built by Bolivar Trask had been sealed away by the government.
"I'll go with you to see the President,"
Professor X said to Roy.
"No need, I can go alone."
"I've already found all the companies that cooperated with Zander Rice to perform gene therapy using genetically modified food, and I've taken out the management of these companies."
"But they won't immediately stop producing and selling genetically modified food."
"After seeing the President, I'll stop by the factories of these companies to prevent them from continuing to produce genetically modified food with gene therapy effects."
Roy rejected Professor X's proposal to go to The White House together and spoke to him.
After hearing his response, Professor X fell silent and thought quickly.
Then, he said slowly, "Try not to hurt the ordinary people in the factories; they are unaware and are just trying to support their families."
Roy nodded.
Even if Professor X hadn't said it, he wouldn't have gone on a slaughter spree against ordinary people in the factories.
Every debt has its debtor!
There was no need to make things difficult for these workers!
Under the gaze of Professor X and Wolverine, Roy took out the Tesseract and created a portal to The White House... Evening.
Mutant School Dining Hall.
After threatening the President and destroying the factories of Canwood Beverage Company and other companies, Roy returned to the school.
Just as he was about to return to his room to rest, passing the dining hall, he saw Wolverine and the little wolf girl, Laura.
Laura still had that cold, 'do not approach' look on her face, sitting by the dining table with a tub of vanilla ice cream in front of her, eating it in large mouthfuls.
Wolverine sat opposite her, holding a bottle of chilled sparkling water, watching Laura without saying a word.
Seeing them, Roy abandoned the idea of returning to his room to rest immediately and entered the dining hall.
Wolverine and Laura, with their Beast-like keen hearing, immediately heard his footsteps and turned toward the dining hall door.
"Is everything handled?"
Wolverine put down the chilled sparkling water in his hand and asked Roy.
"Handled."
Roy answered while walking to the refrigerator and opening the door.
He glanced at the contents, took a bottle of sparkling water, and sat down at the dining table.
As soon as he sat down, Wolverine asked with a serious face, "When do you plan to deal with X-24?"
"Are you in a hurry?"
Roy asked Wolverine back.
"Of course!"
"According to Gabriela, X-24 only obeys Zander Rice's orders."
"You've already killed Zander Rice. If X-24 isn't dealt with as soon as possible, he's very likely to go out of control."
Wolverine said quickly.
Although he hadn't seen X-24, he knew exactly how dangerous X-24, who was essentially a younger version of himself, could be.
If X-24 went out of control, there would definitely be heavy casualties.
After hearing Wolverine's answer, Roy didn't respond immediately but thought for a moment.
After a few seconds, he said to Wolverine, "I don't plan on killing him anymore."
What?
Wolverine looked at Roy with a face full of surprise.
Not just him, Laura also showed a puzzled expression.
"Why?"
Wolverine asked immediately without any hesitation.
"Killing him directly would be a bit of a waste."
"I have a new plan."
Roy said unhurriedly.
"What do you plan to keep him for?"
Wolverine asked, frowning.
Roy took a sip of the chilled sparkling water and said slowly, "Remember I mentioned before that I would arrange a treatment plan for you?"
"I remember."
Wolverine nodded.
"I had originally planned to invite professional scientists and Doctors to deal with your poisoning issue and restore you to a healthy state."
"But I've thought about it carefully over the last few days and decided to change the treatment plan."
"Or rather, I'm going to give X-24's healthy body to you!"
"I will erase his consciousness and then, with the help of the cerebro, transfer your consciousness into his body."
"He is your clone, and a newborn who's less than a year old. Transferring your consciousness over will allow you to obtain a body in its peak state."
"The body snatching plan!"
"That's the new plan I've prepared!"
Roy looked at Wolverine seriously and briefly explained the body snatching plan.
As he had guessed, Wolverine immediately frowned.
After thinking for nearly half a minute, Wolverine said slowly, "Are you sure you can transfer my consciousness into his body?"
"If I weren't sure, I wouldn't be telling you this now."
Roy replied.
Wolverine glanced at Laura and then said to Roy, "When do you plan to start?"
"It's already very late; tomorrow then!"
"Tomorrow after lunch, I'll bring him to the school and transfer your consciousness over."
Roy said calmly.
"Good!"
Wolverine nodded.
He agreed to Roy's body snatching plan so quickly not because he feared death, but because he hoped to have more time to accompany Laura.
Although Laura was created by Dr. Rice using his genes, her appearance still gave him the feeling of being someone's father.
Not only did he want to see Laura grow up with his own eyes, but he also wanted to see her marry, have children, and build a family.
He had wandered everywhere with Sabretooth since he was young, living a life without a fixed home.
He didn't want Laura to be alone and without support like he had been.
The next day at noon.
After finishing lunch at the school, Roy used teleportation to leave the school and arrived at the New York Branch of the Alkali Lake Gene Modification Research Institute.
Without much effort, he found the sleeping X-24 deep in the underground of the research institute.
He didn't wake X-24 but instead directly used Telepathyto erase X-24's consciousness.
After turning X-24 into a brain-dead vegetable, he manipulated the magnetic field to dig out all the monitoring devices Dr. Rice had implanted in X-24's body.
Despite having lost consciousness, X-24's body still healed the wounds driven by instinct.
In just two or three short seconds, the wounds on X-24's body completely vanished.
After doing this, Roy grabbed X-24's shoulder and used teleportation once again.
Soon, he brought X-24 back to the underground Base of the Mutant School.
To be precise, back to the medical room inside the Base.
Wolverine and Professor X had arrived at the medical room early. Seeing him return with X-24, their expressions both turned solemn.
In the morning, Roy and Wolverine had told Professor Xabout the body snatching plan.
On the surface, doing this seemed somewhat inhumane.
But Professor X didn't stop them.
X-24 wasn't a normally born Mutant to begin with; he was a clone created from Wolverine's genes.
More importantly, in the original timeline, Professor Xalso had the experience of transferring his consciousness into someone else.
In the movie X-Men: The Last Stand, Professor X, whose body was completely destroyed by the Dark Phoenix, "resurrected" by transferring his consciousness into his brain-dead brother's body.
Roy first placed X-24's body on a hospital bed and then said to Wolverine, "Have you thought about how to handle your current body?"
Wolverine nodded and said slowly, "I've thought it through. After the consciousness transfer, I'll bury this current body."
"You lie down too; the consciousness transfer will be over very soon."
Roy said, pointing to the other hospital bed.
Wolverine didn't hesitate and immediately lay down on the adjacent hospital bed.
Under their gaze, Roy left the medical room and walked toward the cerebro room.
Not long after Roy left the cerebro room, Wolverine, lying on the hospital bed, fell into a deep coma.
He didn't stay unconscious for long.
In less than three minutes, he regained consciousness and opened his eyes once more.
The moment he regained consciousness, Wolverine knew Roy's body snatching plan had succeeded.
Having possessed X-24's body, he experienced a long-lost feeling of health; his entire body was full of vitality, without any discomfort...
Chapter 134 - Progenitor of the Vampires
A look of uncontrollable satisfaction immediately surfaced on Wolverine's face.
Before Roy explained the body snatching plan to him, he never imagined he would see the day he returned to his peak.
Although this body wasn't the one he'd been born with, to him it was no different from the original.
Without the slightest hesitation, Wolverine got off the hospital bed and began moving his limbs under Professor X's watchful gaze.
He raised his hands, assumed a boxing stance, and started throwing rapid punches.
Jabs, crosses, hooks, heavy shots, uppercuts, one-two combinations... slips, weaves, pendulum dodges, leans, ducks, U-feints... Though Wolverine was proficient in many fighting styles, boxing remained his strongest and most-used.
To be precise, it was boxing fused with Adamantium Claws and Beast-like instinct.
Sweet!
After a satisfying workout, Wolverine silently exclaimed.
For him in his younger days this level of exertion wouldn't even count as a warm-up.
Yet once the healing factor that slowed aging had been suppressed, he'd never felt this kind of exhilaration again.
Moments after he stopped, Roy returned to the infirmary.
Seeing him, Wolverine stepped forward and said gravely, 'Thank you.'
'You're welcome.'
Roy replied.
After a brief chat they left the infirmary and returned to the main school building above ground.
Unsurprisingly, everyone except X-23—Caliban, Gabriela, and the young Mutants—showed astonishment at the sight of a rejuvenated Wolverine.
Unaware of the body snatching plan, they assumed Royhad somehow restored him to his prime.
They didn't know how Roy had done it, but they were certain of one thing: the school's strength was growing.
Wolverine was a legendary X-Men veteran with vast combat experience and an almost unkillable healing factor.
In other words, even alone he could put considerable pressure on the American Government.
Late at night.
The lawn behind the main school building.
Roy and Wolverine sat on a bench, each nursing a bottle of whiskey, chatting idly.
'Planning to leave?'
Wolverine asked after a long swig.
'Yeah.'
Roy nodded.
He took out the Adamantium bullet from system spaceand handed it to Wolverine.
Studying the bullet, Wolverine said after a moment, 'I don't have anything to give you. Let this be my gift.'
'Deal.'
Roy accepted without refusal and tucked the bullet back into system space.
Neither spoke for a while.
Finishing his whiskey, Roy stood and glanced at the bright moon overhead.
'I'm off.'
'If I ever gain the power to travel freely between Universes, I'll come back. Hope the school is still here.'
Roy said.
'As long as I'm alive, the school will stand.'
'Safe travels.'
Wolverine rose and extended his right hand.
Roy shook it firmly.
Then he teleported and vanished from Wolverine's sight.
He could have opened a multiverse portal right there, but chose not to.
After teleporting to an empty forest a few kilometers away, he opened the system panel and summoned the portal.
A mirror-thin disk of inky black appeared before him.
Without hesitation Roy stepped through.
The moment he entered, weightlessness seized him and he rocketed toward the exit.
Moments later he emerged from the tunnel-like portal back into the original Marvel Universe.
Antarctica.
The dark gate disappeared the instant it delivered him, as though it had never existed.
Without pause Roy took out the Tesseract; black'storm clouds' and silver 'lightning' engulfed him.
In an instant he was transported from the heart of Antarctica to the study of the Skyscraper in Manhattan.
He sat at the desk, booted up the computer, pulled a black flash drive from system space, and inserted it.
The drive held data on cerebro and the Sentinel Robot.
Besides the Professor X card, these were his greatest gains from the X-Men film Universe.
After uploading the files to his private server, he pocketed the drive, shut down the computer, and left the study.
The moment he stepped out, Daisy appeared.
'You're back?'
Surprise flashed across her face before she pressed close and gave him an enthusiastic hug.
'Yeah, I'm back.'
Roy answered calmly.
Though he'd been gone over ten days, he hadn't worried that the American Government would move against Daisy or Mary Jane in his absence.
Unless they'd found a way to deal with him, they could only endure his existence no matter how much it irked them.
Without prompting, Daisy briefed him on recent events.
Vought Company continued its commercialization of superheroes, expanding both their heroes' influence and the company's business empire.
In the past ten-plus days, Osborn Group and Hammer Industries had been absorbed into Vought as subsidiaries.
The American Government turned a blind eye to Vought's expansion.
The Star Cross Knights, meanwhile, remained unchanged.
However, the Military was growing increasingly interested in them—or rather, in the physical enhancement serum they used.
Especially after learning the serum had originally been developed by Osborn Group for the Military.
The Military had approached Harry, now CEO of Osborn Group, with generous terms.
Harry not only refused to sell the serum but also immediately informed Daisy.
After hearing her out, Roy said calmly, 'Tell Harry to ignore them.'
Neither the physical enhancement serum nor the Green Goblin glider will be sold to the public.
Daisy nodded at once.
Just as she was about to take out her phone to call Harry, Roy swept her up in his arms.
Teleportation!
Without the slightest hesitation, Roy brought Daisystraight to the master bedroom.
Though he didn't say a word, Daisy instantly guessed his intention and looked at him with a shy, blushing face.
As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Soon the master bedroom echoed with the sound of an adults-only, intense "card game"… Time flew by.
Before they knew it, a week had passed.
The royal palace in the capital of Wakanda.
Roy came alone to the cerebro chamber built underground beneath the palace according to Norman's specifications.
Unlike the cerebro chamber at the Mutant School, this one beneath the palace used vast amounts of Vibranium.
To be precise, wherever Vibranium could be used, it was used.
With Vibranium incorporated, the performance of cerebroimproved dramatically.
Roy walked straight to the console and sat down in the Vibranium chair.
Then he donned the cerebro helmet and activated the machine.
White light immediately flooded the chamber, coalescing into one silhouette after another.
Roy ignored the white silhouettes and adjusted the frequency of the mental signal.
In an instant the dense white silhouettes vanished without a trace.
They were replaced by red silhouettes.
There were no Mutants in this Universe, so Roy had modified cerebro accordingly.
The red silhouettes represented not Mutants, but Superhumans with extraordinary abilities.
Daisy, Gwen, Hulk, Abomination, Norman, Harry, and Allen all appeared.
Besides them, Roy also sensed Jia Ying, Gordon, Daredevil, Iron Fist Danny Rand, Luke Cage, Blade, Moon Knight, and the Vampire Morbius.
Neither Daisy and Gwen's group nor Daredevil and Iron Fist's group realized Roy had locked onto them.
Even if they had known, they would have had no way to break free of his lock.
Although he had never met Blade or Moon Knight in person, he had long been aware of their existence and felt no surprise.
After sensing them, Roy didn't read their memories; instead he expanded his perception's range.
Soon his awareness covered the entire globe.
Then he frowned slightly.
Since when did Europe have so many Superhumans?
When his perception blanketed the world, Roy discovered far more Superhumans in Europe than he had imagined.
Without hesitation he locked onto several of them and read their memories.
It took little effort to figure out what was going on.
The people he sensed in Europe were indeed Superhumans.
However, they weren't superheroes or villains from the Marvel Universe; they were Werewolves and Vampires.
To be exact, they were the Lycans and Vampires from the Underworld films.
At the moment he had locked onto two Vampires and three Lycans.
In their memories he saw two familiar faces.
One was Selene, the heroine of Underworld and now a member of the Death Dealers.
The other was Lucien, the Lycan leader who had ruled the werewolves for six centuries.
After confirming that the vast majority of Superhumans he sensed in Europe were Lycans and Vampires from the Underworld films, Roy's expression turned complicated.
He had assumed this was a Marvel Universe that blended in the Spider-Man movies.
Now it seemed things weren't as simple as he'd thought.
Although the Underworld series was far less famous than the Marvel films, it still spanned five movies.
Put differently, the Underworld franchise could be considered a complete cinematic Universe.
Surprising as it was, Roy didn't dwell on it.
So what if they were Lycans and Vampires from Underworld? No big deal.
The Marvel Universe already had werewolves and Vampires.
Blade himself was half-Vampire, a Vampire hunter who specialized in slaying Vampires.
As for the Vampire Morbius—
Morbius had no Vampire bloodline.
His real name was Michael Morbius; he had suffered from a rare blood disease since childhood and was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist.
In comics and films, the way he became a "Vampire" differed.
In the comics he experimented on himself with bats and electric shocks.
In the film he injected himself with a serum that transplanted Vampire-bat DNA into his body.
Though the methods differed, both turned him into a "Vampire" who needed to drink blood to survive.
From then on he called himself the Vampire Morbius.
In the Marvel Universe the most famous Vampire was Dracula.
Speaking of Dracula, one had to mention the origin of Marvel's Vampires.
Unlike the progenitor of the Vampires in Underworld,
Marvel's first Vampire, Varnae, was not transformed by a bat bite but by magic from the Darkhold.
Varnae was a great sorcerer of Atlantis.
After obtaining the Darkhold left behind by the Elder God Chthon, he used its spells to transform himself from human to Vampire, becoming the first Vampire in the Marvel Universe.
Varnae's underling, the Gypsy sorcerer Lianda, turned the wounded Dracula into a Vampire.
Dracula became the mightiest Vampire in the Marvel Universe because he drank Varnae's life-blood, gaining the full power of the Vampire progenitor and becoming the new primordial Vampire.
Compared with other Vampires, Dracula with the progenitor's power was far stronger.
Super strength, speed, stamina, regeneration, immortality, mist-form, lightning-summoning, shape-shifting into bats, wolves, werewolves—all were trivial.
In the comics even Death, one of the five cosmic entities, couldn't kill him.
Though he couldn't be slain, Thor, Blade, and Captain America all managed to temporarily destroy him in the comics.
After recalling Dracula's information, Roy began using cerebro to search for his whereabouts.
He wasn't sure he could find Dracula, but there was no harm in trying.
As for the Lycans and Vampires from the Underworldfilms, he wasn't particularly interested for the moment.
Chapter 135: Blade
Time trickled away.
Ten minutes passed without anyone noticing.
Roy stopped using Telepathy, pulled off the cerebrohelmet, and sighed in resignation.
During those ten minutes he had locked onto many Vampires and sifted through their memories.
He could now be certain.
The Vampires in this Universe were split into two main factions.
The ones active in Europe were essentially the Vampires from Underworld.
Those scattered across the rest of the World were the native Vampires of the Marvel Universe.
Although their progenitors differed, their abilities and strength were about the same.
Roy's primary goal was to find Dracula.
But while searching for Dracula he had also taken the opportunity to look for Marcus, the Vampire progenitor of the Underworld Universe.
He located the slumbering Marcus without much effort and quietly read the Vampire's memories.
Just as Roy knew would be the case, Marcus and his twin William had been bitten by a bat and a wolf respectively, becoming the first Vampire and the first Werewolf in the Underworld Universe.
Their transformation into the original Vampire and Werewolf was inseparable from their father, Alexander Corvinus.
Alexander Corvinus had been a sixth-century Hungarian warrior.
He survived a plague that altered his genes and granted him immortality.
Although Marcus and William were his biological sons, they had not inherited his immortality.
Still, the brothers' genes were far from ordinary.
It was precisely because they carried those unusual genes that being bitten by a bat and a wolf turned them into the first Vampire and the first Werewolf.
Roy found Marcus, the Vampire progenitor of the Underworld Universe, with ease and read his memories.
Yet he discovered no trace whatsoever of Dracula.
From the Vampires' memories he did extract information related to Dracula.
None of them, however, knew Dracula's current whereabouts.
Although he had failed to locate Dracula, Roy was not particularly disappointed.
Telepathy was undeniably useful.
But Telepathy was not omnipotent.
The Marvel Universe contained plenty of ways to block Telepathic perception.
These included, but were not limited to, Superhumanabilities, magic, special metals, and more.
Besides, even if he found Dracula, Roy currently had no means of killing him.
Not even Death, one of the five Cosmic Entities, could completely erase Dracula's existence; Roy certainly could not do so now.
Even if Dracula's body and soul were destroyed,
his undying nature would allow Dracula to resurrect.
After removing the helmet, Roy teleported out of the cerebro chamber to the palace study and skimmed the latest report Norman had submitted.
Once Norman finished building the Vibranium cerebro, Roy had given him a new assignment:
Upgrade the Sentinel Robots!
Although this Universe had no Mutants, Roy still instructed Norman to upgrade the Sentinel Robots as much as possible.
Even if Norman could not push them to the level of future Sentinels, a Vibranium-forged Sentinel Robot would still be a formidable war machine.
Roy quickly finished reading Norman's report.
Inside it Norman outlined three different upgrade plans.
Roy didn't hesitate; he decided to implement all three at once.
Only children have to choose; adults, of course, want everything!
With that decision made, Roy sent Norman his reply.
Afterward he took out the Tesseract.
In the next instant, pitch-black "storm clouds" and silver-white "lightning" swallowed him completely.
In a flash he traveled from the Wakandan palace study back to the Skyscraper study in Manhattan... late at night.
The sewers of Queens, New York.
Clad in a black trench coat, sunglasses, and a silver longsword strapped to his back, Blade raced down the street on a customized bike, heading for an abandoned factory.
The derelict plant was not his hideout; it was a nest of Vampires.
Though Vampires enjoyed far longer lives than humans, not all of them were wealthy.
To be precise, the vast majority had little money.
Only a small fraction managed to amass huge fortunes over their endless years.
Had it been daytime, Blade—riding a modified bike and carrying a sword—would have drawn every eye.
But now he attracted no attention.
It was past one in the morning, and stray cats outnumbered pedestrians.
After riding for a little over ten minutes, Blade reached tonight's destination:
a remote, long-abandoned furniture mill.
Instead of driving straight in, he parked the bike on the street outside.
Then, silent and grim-faced, he walked toward the plant.
After Danny Rand became the new Captain of the Howling Commandos, Blade, Luke Cage, and the others had gone on an extended leave.
Or rather, they had returned to their previous lives, as if they had never joined the Howling Commandos.
Though they had not abandoned the idea of dealing with Roy, they would not act until they found a way to counter him.
For them there would be only one chance to strike.
If they failed to take Roy down in one go, death would be the only outcome.
Soon Blade, who loved long black trench coats as much as Motherf…er Nick Fury, arrived at the factory gate.
Instead of forcing the door, he bent his knees slightly and leapt, clearing the three-meter-high metal gate in a single bound, then strode unflinching toward the main building.
As a Vampire hunter, Blade had his own information network.
Intel indicated that several days earlier a group of unidentified Vampires had arrived in Queens and set up base in this abandoned plant.
He did not know exactly where they came from or what they were plotting.
Still, Blade decided to eliminate them as soon as possible.
On the roof of a building a kilometer away, Roy stood at the edge, using the raptor vision granted by his angel card to calmly watch Blade walk toward the factory.
He had come here not to ask Blade about Dracula.
Shortly after returning to New York from Wakanda, Royhad used Telepathy to lock onto Blade and read his memories.
Judging by appearance, Blade looked exactly like his movie counterpart.
But after reading his memories Roy realized this Universe's Blade had not experienced the events shown in the films.
Moreover, this Blade had never achieved the comic-book feat of "killing" the Vampire king Dracula.
Though slaying Dracula remained Blade's dream, so far he had not even seen the Vampire lord, let alone killed him.
At first, Roy only wanted to see if Blade knew Dracula's whereabouts.
But after reading the man's memories, he unexpectedly discovered that Blade was a member of the Howling Commandos.
Not only that, he also found the other members of the Howling Commandos inside Blade's memories.
Iron Fist, Moon Knight, the Vampire Morbius, Luke Cage!
Seeing that the Howling Commandos Captain Americahad put together were small-timers like Blade and Iron Fist, Roy realized he'd overestimated the good Captain.
You want to take me on with these scrubs?
Isn't that a bit wishful?
If Captain America were still alive, Roy would've loved to ask him what on earth he'd been thinking.
Back to business.
He'd come here in the dead of night, skipping sleep, mainly to watch Blade fight Vampires.
Blade had no idea what kind of Vampires were inside the factory.
But Roy knew perfectly well.
The Vampires hiding in the abandoned plant weren't native to the Marvel Universe; they were UnderworldVampires from Europe.
As for why they'd trekked all the way from Europe to New York—
the reason was simple. Failures in Europe, bottom-rung of their clans, they hoped to build something big in New York and found their own family.
Having that dream was perfectly normal.
Yet they'd overlooked one important fact: America isn't any easier than Europe.
Although no Vampire clan famous in the Underworld has emerged here, that doesn't mean Vampires don't exist in America.
More importantly, the most renowned Vampire hunter in the Marvel Universe—Blade—is currently in America.
Unlike other Vampire hunters,
Blade is half-Vampire, giving him strength, speed, senses, stamina, and healing far beyond normal humans.
He can't turn into a bat, doesn't know black magic, and can't empower himself by drinking blood, but he's still an outright elite compared with other hunters.
His human blood also lets him walk freely under the sun.
Before long, Blade entered the factory building and vanished from Roy's sight.
Though he couldn't see Blade with his eyes, that wasn't a problem.
Water Molecule Perception!
Instead of using Telepathy to lock onto Blade and the Vampires, Roy deployed his self-created Water Molecule Perception.
It couldn't invade their minds, but it was enough to watch their battle.
Water molecules under Roy's control acted like surveillance cameras, feeding the factory's situation straight into his brain.
Moments after Blade stepped inside, the Vampires sensed his arrival.
Every Vampire possesses Superhuman senses—sight, hearing, smell—all dramatically enhanced.
They'd spotted him so quickly also because Blade had made no attempt at stealth.
The instant the Vampires saw Blade, he saw them.
Without hesitation, both sides drew their weapons.
Blade pulled the silver longsword from his back.
The vampines drew their pistols.
Vampires of the Marvel Universe and those of Underworld don't differ much in raw ability.
But the Underworld kind are clearly more up-to-date.
Just look at their weapons.
Marvel Vampires mostly rely on melee brawling.
Underworld Vampires, with werewolves as their nemesis, have developed specialized anti-werewolf weaponry.
Silver-nitrate bullets, for example.
Compared with plain silver bullets, silver nitrate is far deadlier to werewolves.
Once hit, the silver nitrate spreads through the body like mercury, making it impossible for the werewolf to dig the slug out.
The Vampires in the factory had never met Blade before,
but they knew exactly who he was.
Although Vampires in this Universe have two separate origins, that doesn't mean they're ignorant of each other.
When Roy had used cerebro to read the Underworldprogenitor Marcus's memories, he learned Marcus not only knew Dracula but had fought him.
The outcome was obvious.
Dracula had crushed Marcus.
Drawing their pistols, the Underworld Vampires wasted no time pulling the triggers.
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG—intense gunfire thundered through the factory, shattering the night's silence.
They weren't using silver or silver-nitrate rounds—just regular bullets.
Still, before leaving Europe they'd packed some silver bullets,
because who knew if some werewolf might get the same bright idea of making it big in America.
The moment the Vampires aimed at him, Blade burst forward with inhuman speed and agility, a black shadow rushing toward them.
Relying on that speed and agility, silver sword in hand, he charged through the hail of bullets to stand before one Vampire.
SHNK!
The silver Blade flashed, piercing the Vampire's chest.
Yet Blade's face turned grim.
Whether Underworld or Marvel Vampires, silver weapons suppress their healing.
But the effect differs.
Underworld Vampires are merely wounded by silver; no extra harm.
Marvel Vampires, once struck by silver, burst into flames and ash.
In short, Underworld Vampires are more resistant to silver.
Blade had expected the pierced Vampire to combust.
He was wrong.
Not only did the Vampire survive, he endured the agony, raising his pistol.
Startled but not frozen, Blade yanked a silver Daggerfrom his belt.
SHNK!
Before the Vampire could fire, the Dagger plunged through his right eye, ending his life.
Chapter 136 – Khonshu's Curse
When the Vampire in front of him didn't instantly burn to ash, Blade knew these bloodsuckers had come from Europe.
He'd never hunted Vampires there himself, but other slayers had warned him: European Vampires are a lot trickier.
After dropping the creature with a silver Dagger, Bladekicked the corpse away and yanked free his silver longsword and Dagger.
The remaining Vampires didn't flinch at their comrade's death; they sighted on Blade and started blazing away.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—bullets swept toward him like a storm.
Their aim wasn't half-bad, but Blade was no pushover.
Moving with superhuman speed and reflexes, he darted behind a massive concrete pillar.
Slugs chewed chunk after chunk out of the column.
Calmly holstering his Dagger, Blade pulled several silver throwing darts from a tactical-style belt.
He didn't hurl them yet—he waited for the Vampires to reload.
Click… click… click—he heard the dry metal snaps of empty magazines.
The gunfire thinned to a sporadic rattle.
Now!
Without hesitation Blade stepped out and flung the darts one after another.
If the Vampires shot like street punks,
Blade's marksmanship—and throwing—were expert level.
In the comics he'd been a Howling Commando, a Level-Ten S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent.
Besides swords and hand-to-hand, he was a weapons specialist, a crack shot with any firearm.
The silver darts arced through the air and punched into the Vampires as they swapped mags.
Blade exploded forward, longsword in hand, closing the distance in a sprint.
Shhk—shhk—shhk… the silver Blade flashed across throats.
Realising they were European, he shifted tactics.
Against native bloodsuckers he'd never bother with decapitation;
a silver wound anywhere is fatal.
But Underworld Vampires only die if silver pierces a true vital spot—
heart, brain, or a severed neck.
Otherwise they can be riddled with silver and still keep coming.
Blade, one of Marvel's finest swordsmen,
reaped lives with every sweep of his silver Blade.
Four… five… six… twelve… thirteen… fourteen!
Once the fight went hand-to-hand their fate was sealed.
In his black trench coat Blade tore through them like a wolf among sheep.
In under three minutes every last Vampire lay scattered across the floor.
Done.
Blade glanced over the corpses and sheathed his sword.
As he pulled out his phone to call the clean-up crew, slow applause echoed through the empty factory.
Instantly he spun toward the sound,
drawing a silver-loaded semi-auto.
The abandoned plant had no lights;
only the moon kept the place from total blackness.
Even in the gloom Blade recognised the clapper—and his already dark face darkened further.
Roy!
The applauder was none other than Roy.
Roy had only meant to watch the fight,
but learning Blade was a Howling Commando changed his mind.
He'd still enjoy the show—
then send Blade straight to hell.
"Nice work. Under three minutes for fourteen Vampires."
Roy stopped five or six metres away, voice calm.
"You're here for them too?"
Blade asked, eyes hard.
He really wanted to know if Roy had brought the coven to New York.
Europe breeds plenty of Vampires and clans,
but they rarely leave the continent.
"Not interested in them,"
Roy replied.
Blade's stance snapped to full alert.
Not for the Vampires—then for him.
He knows I'm a Howling Commando?
How—did Danny Rand or Luke Cage talk?
The questions flashed through Blade's mind.
He said nothing, but his face said plenty.
Roy didn't explain; he simply unleashed Freeze.
In an instant a metre-long crystal-clear ice sword shimmered into his grip.
"You handle a Blade well."
"I'll give you a chance: I'll fight you sword to sword."
"Last sixty seconds and you walk."
He twirled the ice sword and levelled the tip at Blade.
Roy had never formally studied fencing,
and no card granted him master swordplay,
but he doubted he'd need more than a minute.
With any weapon, the wielder's raw stats decide the fight;
technique only matters when the stats are close.
With his overwhelming edge, brute force would suffice.
Blade eyed the crystalline Blade, said nothing, and drew his silver longsword.
He didn't know how Roy had found him, but refusal meant instant death by super-power.
He took a defensive stance, eyes locked on Roy.
He'd never fought Roy before,
but he knew the man's stats left his in the dust.
His only hope: survive the minute by counter-attacking.
Roy read the plan at a glance.
Without a word he strolled forward.
At first he moved at an ordinary walk,
then burst into superhuman speed, blinking straight to Blade.
His ice sword slashed lightning-fast toward Blade's throat.
Roy was fast.
But Blade wasn't slow to react either.
The crystal-like ice sword never reached Blade's neck; the silver longsword in his hand knocked it aside.
Clang!
A crisp ring of steel rang out instantly.
Even though he'd blocked the blow, Blade's face was still grim.
The instant the Blades met he realized Roy's strength was greater than he'd imagined—so great it had nearly sent his own sword flying.
I'm in trouble!
Blade cursed inwardly.
His counter-attacking plan depended on certain conditions.
For instance, Roy's strength and speed couldn't outstrip his own by too wide a margin.
Otherwise his guard-and-counter would turn into a one-sided beating.
Ignoring the ache pulsing through his palms, Bladeswitched tactics and decided to risk everything on one strike.
With a twist of his wrist he whipped the silver longsword toward Roy like lightning.
Blade's riposte was decisive.
Yet it would accomplish nothing.
Roy could see every minute motion of the wrist that brought the silver Blade arcing upward.
Clang!
The clear clash sounded again.
Effortlessly, Roy—still wielding the ice sword with one hand—parried the rising slash.
Though Blade possessed strength far beyond an ordinary man, beside Roy he might as well have been mortal.
The next second the ice sword stabbed straight for Blade's heart.
Blade, after all, was one of the Marvel Universe's most renowned swordsmen.
Even though his physical stats were far inferior to Roy's, he still managed to avoid the heart-seeking thrust.
More precisely, he only partly avoided it.
Schlick!
Instead of skewering his heart as Roy had expected, the ice Blade merely raked across Blade's left arm, carving a vivid gash.
The wound wasn't fatal, but for Roy landing any strike meant the clock on Blade's life had started ticking.
Without a moment's pause he swept the ice sword out again.
Clang-clang-clang… schlick-schlick-schlick… the crisp ring of clashing steel and the hiss of ice slicing flesh blended into a macabre symphony of death.
Roy at that moment was the orchestra's conductor, using the ice sword as his baton to set the tempo of that deathly music at will.
Once he'd seized complete control of the rhythm, Bladelasted barely ten seconds before Roy took his head with a single clean cut.
Blade's head sailed skyward like a basketball lofted for a shot; blood fountained from the severed neck, falling in a light crimson rain.
Roy let none of it touch him; the instant the head flew he teleported dozens of meters away.
Only after the head hit the ground and rolled a few times did the headless corpse topple with a thud.
Ignoring the body, Roy let the blood-stained ice sword dissolve into vapor and vanish.
Then he teleported again and left the factory building.
He didn't head straight for the luxury suite in Skyscraperto rest; instead he jumped straight to the estate where Iron Fist Danny Rand lived.
He hadn't known before which recruits Captain Americahad signed up for the Howling Commandos.
Now that he did, he wasn't about to let Iron Fist or the others go on breathing.
Though they posed no real threat to his life, enemies were enemies.
Knowing exactly who your enemies were yet leaving them alive to plot against you wasn't something he could stomach.
Half an hour later.
After dealing with Iron Fist Danny Rand, the VampireMorbius, Luke Cage, and Moon Knight, Roy returned to the Skyscraper penthouse.
Apart from Moon Knight—bolstered by divine lunar power—the other three were dead before they could even react.
As for Moon Knight.
He lasted a little longer, but only half a minute or so.
In the newest comics Moon Knight possesses immortality, resurrected three times by Khonshu.
He also has a brain altered by Khonshu that can fatally burn any telepath who tries to enter his mind.
For instance, instantly annihilating a telepath's consciousness.
Yet in this Universe Moon Knight more closely resembled the older comic version.
When Roy slew him he sensed Khonshu's presence.
To be exact, without Khonshu constantly pouring more divine power into him, Moon Knight would have fallen as quickly as the other three.
Roy had assumed that after killing his avatar an enraged Khonshu would appear and strike at him directly.
As it turned out, he'd overestimated Khonshu.
The moon god was indeed furious that his mortal Agenthad been slain.
But Khonshu did not show himself; he only cursed Roywith divine power.
What exactly the curse entailed Roy didn't know.
After the curse was laid he felt no different.
Though ignorant of its specifics, he didn't worry much about it.
Khonshu was a real moon god, true.
But clearly he couldn't manifest directly against Roy at the moment.
Otherwise he would have done far worse than curse him.
The next day at noon.
After enjoying the lunch Daisy and Mary Jane had cooked, Roy called Daisy into the study.
'Tell Harry to acquire Rand Corporation.'
Roy said to her.
'Acquire Rand Corporation?'
Daisy looked at him in puzzlement, unable to fathom why he'd suddenly want to buy it.
She didn't dwell on it and simply asked, 'Rand Corporation isn't some small firm; why do you want it?'
'Danny Rand was recruited into the Howling Commandosby Captain America.'
'I paid the Rand estate a visit in the early hours and eliminated him.'
Roy answered calmly.
Understanding dawned on Daisy's face; she quickly said, 'Got it. I'll inform Harry right away.'
'Good. That's all; you can go.'
Roy added.
Daisy nodded and left the study.
Watching her go, Roy sighed in resignation.
When Khonshu first cursed him he hadn't known what the curse was.
Now he finally did.
Khonshu had condemned him to never again know a peaceful night's sleep.
The skeletal bird-headed god, moon-rod in hand, had haunted his mind all night.
The instant he felt drowsy Khonshu's image would appear, hurling invective at him.
Though it couldn't kill him, the curse was undeniably obnoxious.
Roy tried to use his super-powers to keep Khonshu out of his head.
Every attempt failed.
Divine power and super-powers were two entirely different systems.
At present he had no way to dispel Khonshu's curse.
Yet being unable to break the curse didn't mean he couldn't solve the problem.
If possible Roy preferred not to ask for help.
But now he had no choice; he needed a 'professional.'
Without hesitation he took the Tesseract from his system space.
The next instant, pitch-black 'storm clouds' and silver-white 'lightning' swallowed him whole…
Chapter 137 – king of the night
New York Sanctum.
Among the people Roy knew, only two professionals could handle a divine curse.
One was Odin, the All-Father.
The other was the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One.
In terms of energy nature, Odin was more suitable than the Ancient One.
After weighing the options, Roy still decided to seek out the Ancient One.
It wasn't because Asgard was farther from Earth.
With the Tesseract in his possession, traveling to Asgardwas no different from traveling to the New York Sanctum.
He chose the Ancient One mainly because her status was more appropriate.
Besides, compared with Odin, the Ancient One was easier to talk to.
In an instant, Roy teleported from the Skyscraper study to the front door of the New York Sanctum.
Although he could have teleported directly inside, he didn't.
A certain level of courtesy was still necessary!
Roy first stored the Tesseract back into the system space, then stepped up to the Sanctum's door and knocked gently.
Knock, knock, knock!
The moment the knocks ended, the heavy wooden door swung open like an automatic gate, revealing the Sanctum's vestibule.
At the same time, the Ancient One's voice sounded out of thin air, as if she were standing right in front of him: "Come in; I'm in the parlor."
"Alright, thank you!"
Although the Ancient One had used magic to transmit her voice and hadn't appeared in person, Roy still replied politely.
With that, he entered the vestibule and headed toward the parlor, the door closing slowly behind him.
This wasn't his first visit to the Sanctum.
After bringing the twelve Frost Giants with decent potential to Earth, he had received an invitation from the Ancient One and come here once to meet her.
Before long, Roy arrived at the parlor.
Just like last time, the Ancient One, clad in bright-yellow robes, sat behind a tea table; her folding fan lay beside her as she brewed tea with a calm expression.
Roy stepped up to the table, nodded to the Ancient One, and sat down slowly.
The moment he sat, the Ancient One spoke.
"I thought you'd come in a few days; I didn't expect you today."
She set down the teapot and looked at Roy.
"Sooner or later I had to come; better early than late,"
Roy replied.
He hadn't said why he had come, but there was no need—she had already guessed.
Leaving aside how Khonshu had kept channeling divine power into Moon Knight last night,
a single glance at the curse Khonshu had left on him was enough to know why he was here.
Ordinary people couldn't see Khonshu's curse, but the Ancient One certainly could.
Or rather, if the Sorcerer Supreme couldn't even detect Khonshu's curse, she'd be pretty lousy at her job.
"Khonshu's curse isn't as simple as you think."
"Although He didn't appear in person to deliver it, He is still a god."
The Ancient One lifted a freshly brewed cup of hot tea and placed it before Roy.
Roy picked it up, blew gently, took a sip, and said calmly, "Nice tea."
He set the cup down and continued, "I'm mentally prepared. Tell me—what do I need to pay for you to remove Khonshu's curse?"
"A promise."
The Ancient One looked at him gravely.
"What promise?"
Roy asked.
"When the Sorcerer Supreme needs your help, I want you to step in once, just as I'm lifting Khonshu's curse for you today."
She spoke slowly.
Though she didn't specify, Roy knew exactly which Sorcerer Supreme she meant.
Doctor Strange.
The Sorcerer Supreme she'd just referred to was none other than the famous neurosurgeon Stephen Strange—who hadn't yet crashed and become Doctor Strange.
"No problem; that's a fair deal."
Roy answered without hesitation.
From the start, he'd never expected the Ancient One to help for free.
She wasn't his enemy, but their relationship wasn't close enough for mutual free favors.
Perhaps she had already used the Time Stone to view the future; her expression was utterly calm, as if she'd known he would agree.
Hearing his reply, the Ancient One picked up her fan, opened it, and waved it gently.
The gesture looked ordinary, but Roy sensed the subtle trick.
On the surface, nothing seemed special.
But while waving the fan, she quietly cast a mental spell that would draw others' attention to the fan without their noticing.
Before obtaining Professor X's card, Roy would only have sensed something amiss, unable to pinpoint what.
Now, however, the moment the mental magic took effect, he perceived it sharply.
"You don't need to cast mental magic on me just to remove Khonshu's curse, do you?"
Roy frowned.
"No, I just wanted to confirm whether you've truly awakened mental or psychic abilities recently."
Exposed, the Ancient One remained unruffled.
"No need to test me; I have awakened powers related to mind and spirit."
Roy said slowly.
He wasn't surprised she wanted to probe.
Although she didn't possess Telepathy, as the Sorcerer Supreme she could sense psychic energy and telepathic activity.
"Come with me."
She closed her fan, stood, and spoke.
Roy nodded and followed her out of the parlor into a quiet chamber nearby.
"Sit anywhere; I'll remove Khonshu's curse now."
The Ancient One told him.
"Alright."
Roy sat on a cushion inside the chamber.
Under his gaze, the Ancient One used her fan like a brush, drawing a magic circle in the air.
As the fan swept through space, golden lines appeared, forming an intricate circular array.
Roy didn't know what spell she was about to cast, but he was certain she could lift Khonshu's curse.
In just two or three seconds, she completed the array.
The five-layered circle, packed with runes, glowed gold and spun like a pinwheel.
As it rotated, Roy felt a faint pulling force.
Drawn by the array, several finger-thick wisps of black-purple smoke emerged around him and drifted toward the circle.
Though he'd never seen such smoke before, he knew it had to be the manifested form of Khonshu's curse.
In barely ten seconds, every trace of the black-purple smoke around Roy had been absorbed by the gleaming array.
"It's done."
"You can sleep peacefully from now on."
The Ancient One dismissed the floating array and told him.
"Great—thank you."
Roy stood up and thanked the Ancient One.
"You're welcome."
the Ancient One replied.
After dealing with Khonshu's curse, Roy left the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Once outside, he wasted no time casting a teleportation spell to return to the Skyscraper... Time flew by.
Before he knew it, another week had passed.
During that week, Roy lived as usual—cultivating his abilities while enjoying the decadent life of a capitalist society.
The deaths of Iron Fist Danny Rand, Luke Cage, and Blade caused no public uproar.
Luke Cage and Blade, to begin with, were hardly known to ordinary people.
As for Iron Fist Danny Rand—
though he had been murdered, the news reported it as an accidental death from illness at home.
Three days after the announcement, Osborn Group and Rand Corporation issued a joint acquisition statement.
Given any other option, Harold Meachum, now CEO of Rand Corporation, would never have allowed the takeover.
Unfortunately, he had no other choice.
Accepting the acquisition would still bring a decent payoff.
Refuse, and he'd likely "die of illness" at home, just like Iron Fist Danny Rand.
Although the takeover had been Roy's idea, he paid it little mind.
Compared to acquiring Rand Corporation, he was now more interested in the Vampires and werewolves of Europe.
In terms of strength, these creatures weren't particularly formidable.
Even an ordinary human could eliminate them with modern weapons.
Roy's interest stemmed mainly from having nothing more urgent on his plate.
He had only seven normal draws saved up; it would be another three months before he could attempt an advanced draw.
As for developing and training his abilities, progress was steady but slow, with no major breakthroughs in sight.
Top-floor apartment, Skyscraper.
Roy sat in his study, skimming reports submitted by Norman, Harry, Allen, Daisy, and the others.
Though he didn't micromanage day-to-day operations, the hands-off boss still carved out time to read their updates.
Being a figurehead didn't mean staying completely in the dark.
At the very least, he needed to know whether Vought Company, Osborn Group, and the rest were turning a profit.
Time trickled by.
After finishing the reports from Norman and Daisy, Royrose and walked to the study's floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the view outside.
After a moment's thought, he decided to head to Europe and make contact with the Vampires and werewolves from the Underworld Universe.
If conditions were right, he wouldn't mind turning them into his subordinates.
You can never have too many underlings—just like money.
The instant he made the decision, the system issued a card fusion mission.
[card fusion mission: Conquer Europe's Vampires and werewolves as the king of the night.]
[Reward: Card fusion attempts ×3]
[Time limit: 3 months]
[Progress: Incomplete]
Roy frowned slightly at the quest panel.
The system had issued card fusion missions before, but he hadn't expected one right now—conquering Europe's Vampires and werewolves.
Moreover, the requirements and rewards differed from what he'd anticipated.
First, the requirement to act "as the king of the night."
Though the system offered no further explanation, it clearly wanted him to conceal his true identity.
Second, the reward.
With his current strength, subjugating Europe's Vampires and werewolves would be easy.
Yet the system was offering three card fusion attempts.
Could it be that card fusions were also split into normal and advanced tiers?
Seeing the same reward as the previous mission, the thought surfaced unbidden in his mind.
Ten normal draws could be exchanged for one advanced draw.
So ten normal fusions for one advanced fusion wouldn't be strange at all.
Closing the quest panel visible only to him, Roy left the study.
He found Daisy and Mary Jane and gave them brief instructions.
Then he took the Tesseract from the system space and opened a portal to the cerebro chamber.
Without looking back, he stepped through and vanished before their eyes.
Arriving in the underground cerebro chamber beneath the Wakandan royal palace, Roy didn't activate the machine immediately; instead he mentally reviewed the plot of the Underworld films.
In moments, he recalled all five installments.
The last time he'd used cerebro to track Dracula, he'd learned that Michael Corvin, the protagonist of the first two films, had not yet become the Vampire-werewolf hybrid.
If Michael were already hybridized, Roy could have sensed him effortlessly.
In short, aside from the events of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, none of the other movie plots had begun.
After reviewing the five films, Roy stepped to the console, donned the helmet, and activated cerebro.
Effortlessly, he sensed the mental signatures of Selene, Kraven, Lucien, Marcus, Viktor, and others.
Without alerting them, he read their memories and compared them to the film canon.
Though this wasn't a pure Underworld Universe, their experiences so far matched the movies perfectly.
More importantly, Roy now understood why the system had issued the mission at this moment.
Having ruled out other members of the Corvinus line, Lucien had finally set his sights on Michael and planned to abduct him for testing.
In other words, the plot of the first Underworld film was about to begin.
After scanning their memories, Roy searched for Michael.
Time passed.
Nearly three minutes later, he located Michael working at a hospital.
Locking on, Roy immediately began reading his memories.
Like Selene and the others, Michael's life so far matched what Roy knew.
Finished, Roy ceased his Telepathy, removed the helmet, and once more took out the Tesseract to open a portal to Budapest, capital of Hungary...
Chapter 138 – Immortal Body
When he first obtained the Tesseract, Roy took Daisy and Mary Jane on a sightseeing trip to several countries, Hungary among them.
Stepping through the spatial gate, Roy arrived in Budapest.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention, he'd opened the exit ten thousand meters above the city.
Below him lay Matthias Church, one of Budapest's most famous landmarks.
He didn't linger over the sight; dispersing the portal behind him, he teleported to the roof of a bell-tower beside the church.
Though he was in Budapest, he didn't seek out Seleneand Michael right away.
Before making contact, there was a small problem to solve.
He needed to change his face.
Compared with the past, he'd kept a far lower profile, rarely appearing in public.
Still, he remained undeniably famous.
If he showed his real face to Selene and Michael, they'd recognize him instantly.
In other words, unless he disguised himself, conquering Europe's Vampires and Lycans would be judged a failure by the system.
The mission was explicit: complete it as the king of the night, not as the blood angel.
Without hesitation, Roy took out a paper-thin disguise mask forged from Vibranium tech.
After seizing Wakanda's capital, he'd told Norman to craft a few toys with Vibranium; the mask was one of them.
The mask he now produced was similar to those used by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent 33, only superior in performance.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s version looked futuristic, but its tech level still lagged behind Vibranium.
Roy slipped the mask on.
In two or three seconds his features shifted from distinctly Asian to a Hollywood-leading-man Euro look.
Once the Vibranium settled, he pulled a mirror from system space and inspected the result.
Nice—he had eighty or ninety percent of young DiCaprio's charm.
He nodded, satisfied.
The mask's illusion was flawless.
Its only drawback was that it remained an external object.
Still, without Mystique's power and with his Magnetic Field Rotation Power not yet strong enough to reshape flesh, it was the best option available.
He tossed the mirror back and teleported away from the bell-tower.
It wasn't evening yet; before visiting the Vampire manor he would pay a call on the Lycan leader, Lucien.
After Lucien, he meant to see Alexander Corvinus, father of the Vampire progenitor Marcus and the Lycan progenitor William.
Though Alexander Corvinus possessed no great combat strength—only an immortal body and endless life—he was the origin of everything.
Had he not survived the plague and gained its mutagenic immortality, the Underworld Universe would hold neither Vampires nor Lycans.
Beyond meeting him, Roy intended to collect something: blood.
He would extract a sample for Norman and Banner to study; if all went well, they could synthesize a serum or drug that granted eternal youth.
Several teleports later Roy left the bell-tower near Matthias Church and arrived at Lucien's secret base.
The hideout was an abandoned factory on the outskirts.
Inside one room the Lycan scientist Singe was drawing blood from a human chained to a chair—a member of the Corvinus line, one of Michael's relatives.
Singe emptied the syringe into a prepared solution, watched it change color, and sighed.
He'd expected failure, but the confirmation still stung.
He peeled off his gloves and left for Lucien's chamber.
He entered without knocking. "Still no good. We'll have to bring Michael back—"
The words died as he stared at Lucien, drenched in blood, slumped motionless in a chair.
Before him stood a handsome young stranger.
The stranger was Roy, who had just teleported in.
He'd taken Lucien down bare-handed in under ten seconds, using only Magnetic Field Rotation Power.
At ninety-thousand-plus animals it was more than enough; every Lycan in the factory could charge at once and still lose.
To avoid revealing his identity he'd refrained from any power that might link him to the blood angel—no Freeze, no Adamantium Claws, no optic blast.
Singe's first instinct was to shout for reinforcements, but Lucien weakly shook his head.
Ignoring the scientist, Roy spoke calmly. "I've stated my terms."
"Accept, and I'll let you kill Viktor with your own hands."
"Refuse, and I kill you now."
"You have one minute."
Lucien's reply came instantly. "If you want my allegiance, I should at least know your name."
"Sephiroth," Roy answered, having decided on the alias beforehand.
Though he looked nothing like the silver-haired swordsman, the name would do.
Lucien frowned; the name meant nothing to him.
All he knew was that this Sephiroth had crippled him in seconds.
After a silent pause Lucien met Roy's gaze. "I'll serve you—if you let me slaughter Viktor myself."
"Tomorrow night you'll have your chance."
"And stop hunting the Corvinus bloodline. I have no liking for a hybrid of Vampire and Lycan."
Stronger though such hybrids were, their transformed shape was, in Roy's opinion, hideous.
Hearing this, both Lucien and Singe stared in astonishment.
Although they had already sent many people to capture descendants of the Corvinus family, very few knew about the plan to create Hybrids.
Apart from the two of them, only Lucien's trusted aide, Raze, was aware.
Yet now, Roy had casually revealed their most secret plan.
'How did you find out we're creating Hybrids?'
Lucien asked, frowning.
'Whether it's you or the Vampires, nothing is hidden from me!'
With that, Roy instantly used teleportation and vanished from Lucien and Sanger's sight.
After he left, Sanger quickly stepped up to Lucien.
'Do you really intend to serve under him?'
Sanger asked Lucien.
Lucien said nothing, only nodded.
If he could choose, he wouldn't want to be Roy's subordinate either.
But unfortunately, he had no other option.
If he dared refuse, Roy would kill him on the spot.
Compared with other Lycans, Lucien was indeed stronger, but not so strong that Roy couldn't bear to kill him.
A single Lycan—kill him and be done with it, no big deal.
After leaving Lucien's stronghold, Roy didn't go anywhere else; he teleported straight to the ship where Alexander Corvinus was staying.
Just as in his memory, Alexander Corvinus had silver hair and wore an exquisite hand-tailored suit, giving off the air of an old-school English noble.
Appearing before Alexander Corvinus via teleportation, Roy didn't hesitate; he immediately used Telepathy to immobilize everyone else on the ship.
'Who are you?'
Alexander Corvinus asked calmly, studying Roy.
Though he didn't recognize Roy, he was certain of one thing: Roy bore no hostile intent.
His own combat strength was nothing special—merely that of an ordinary man.
But after living for more than a thousand years, he could tell at a glance whether someone meant him harm.
'Who I am isn't important.'
'I've come to take something from you.'
Roy sat down opposite Alexander Corvinus and said calmly.
'You want my blood?'
Alexander Corvinus instantly guessed what Roy desired and spoke up.
'Yes.'
Roy replied.
'How much do you need?'
Alexander Corvinus continued.
'About 1,500 milliliters.'
Roy sized up Alexander Corvinus's build and answered.
Losing between 1,200 and 1,700 milliliters of blood causes moderate hemorrhagic shock.
Though it carried a risk of death, 1,500 milliliters wouldn't be fatal to Alexander Corvinus, who could receive immediate treatment.
Alexander Corvinus didn't ponder long; he said to Roy, 'Very well.'
Ten minutes later.
After obtaining the 1,500 milliliters of blood, Royreleased his Telepathy and teleported away without delay.
He could have drained Alexander Corvinus dry, but after consideration he abandoned the idea.
Alexander Corvinus wasn't some irredeemable villain.
True, he had inadvertently given rise to Vampires and Lycans, but that had been beyond his control.
Besides, he now did everything possible to keep ordinary humans from discovering the existence of Vampires and Lycans.
Once he teleported off the ship, Roy took out the Tesseract and created a portal back to the VibraniumResearch Institute in Wakanda.
The moment he stepped through, Norman—wearing a white lab coat—approached respectfully and bowed.
Roy tossed him the blood bag and said, 'This is the blood of an immortal Superhuman. Study it and see if you can develop a serum that extends life and preserves youth.'
'If you can't manage alone, contact Alan and have him send Banner back.'
'Yes, Master!'
Norman didn't ask where the blood had come from and quickly replied.
After instructing Norman, Roy stepped through another portal and returned to Budapest.
Outskirts.
A vast, historic manor stood alone near the forest.
On the surface it looked no different from any other estate.
In truth, it was the Vampires' headquarters.
In a second-floor room of the manor.
Selene, black-haired, blue-eyed, finely featured and beautifully figured, sat at her desk.
She wore a black leather catsuit that showed off every curve; two pistols rested beside the desk as she studied the files on her laptop.
More precisely, she was reviewing the latest intelligence on Lycans gathered by her clan.
Unlike other Vampires in the manor who lived debauched, decadent lives, she devoted all her energy to hunting Lycans.
According to the reports, many Lycans had recently appeared in the city.
She didn't know what they were plotting, but she was certain of one thing: every last one had to be eliminated.
Soon she finished reading and frowned, sensing the situation was more complicated than it seemed.
The war between Vampires and Lycans had raged for centuries, with the Vampires holding the upper hand.
Though they had never wiped the Lycans out, after the death of their leader Lucien the Lycans had vanished in numbers, hiding like rats in the sewers.
After a moment's thought Selene stood, holstered her pistols, and left the room with icy resolve.
She quickly found Kraven, who was managing the manor in Elder Viktor's stead.
'Lycans are active in the city; tonight I'll take some Death Dealers in and eliminate them.'
Selene stated without hesitation.
'It's only a few Lycans—let Sauron handle it.'
'Amelia's progeny will arrive at the manor early tonight; stay for the welcome banquet with me.'
'I've already had Erika pick out a gown for you.'
Kraven said slowly.
'I have no interest in banquets; if you need a companion, take Erika.'
Without waiting for an answer she turned and left Kraven's office.
Once, she had thought well of him.
Back then Kraven had been a Death Dealer like her—one of the best.
But after Viktor began favoring him and he started managing the manor, she liked him less and less.
In her eyes, power had corrupted him; he was no longer the Death Dealer who had slain Lucien.
Watching Selene walk away, Kraven's expression darkened.
He was now the highest-ranking, most powerful leader in the manor.
Elders Viktor and Marcus still slumbered.
The only waking Elder, Amelia, lived abroad and never stayed at the manor.
Yet even so, Selene never showed him the slightest courtesy.
If he didn't love her, he would have long since punished her for repeatedly defying orders...