Just as the last of the vampires turned to ash, a towering figure with wild, tangled hair burst out of the shadows—charging straight toward Skye's unguarded back. She hadn't even noticed the danger.
"Skye! Behind you!" Lucas shouted.
A surge of green energy flared from his palm—an ethereal eagle's claw ripped through the air, seizing the lunging vampire mid-pounce. Before the creature could sink its fangs into her neck, it was yanked backward with irresistible force, dragged directly toward Lucas.
Slash!
The Ultimate Weapon cleaved down in a silver-blue arc.
The vampire was sliced neatly in two—the cut so smooth it didn't even bleed, like a mirror reflecting its own end.
Skye spun around, eyes wide, her heart pounding in her chest. One more second, and that thing would've torn her apart.
That close call sharpened her instincts instantly. She knew she couldn't afford to lose awareness again. Eyes open. Ears sharp. Control your power.
The combat drills Natasha had drilled into her flashed through her mind, each movement replaying with crystal clarity. And for the first time—Skye truly understood them.
Theory became instinct. Fear became focus.
Lucas spun, cutting down another vampire with a single stroke—when he noticed something strange. There was someone else fighting the vampires now.
A tall man, fast, precise, utterly lethal. His body moved like a weapon honed to perfection, and on his back gleamed a single long blade.
Lucas's eyes narrowed. He recognized that figure immediately.
Blade—the Vampire Hunter.
Frank and Matt had seen him too. The stranger was cutting through vampires faster than any of them, his strikes clean and practiced, his equipment clearly specialized for the job.
Then—suddenly—Blade drew one of his pistols and aimed it straight at Lucas.
Lucas didn't hesitate. The Judicator appeared in his hand, barrel leveled at Blade's head.
Two gunmen, facing off in the chaos—like a mirrored duel frozen in time.
"Wait—!" Skye cried, throwing out a hand.
But her shout came too late.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out—one silver, one shimmering blue.
Both men sidestepped at the last instant. The bullets zipped past their faces… and struck the vampires sneaking up behind them instead.
Frank stopped dead, mid-charge. He had been about to tackle Blade, thinking the man was an enemy.
Both hunters glanced back at their kills—then turned toward each other.
Lucas gave a crooked grin.
Blade's lips twitched.
Without another word, they went back to slaughtering vampires side by side.
Frank let out the breath he'd been holding. If Blade had actually meant to attack Lucas, he would've been too late to stop it.
Now, with Judicator in one hand and the Ultimate Weapon in the other, Lucas became death incarnate.
Each pull of the trigger obliterated a vampire—bursting their torsos apart, ripping limbs from bone.
The pistol's blue-white energy rounds hit harder than even Frank's shotgun shells, punching clean through one vampire and blowing another in half behind it.
Lucas had never tested the weapon before tonight—and even he was stunned by its destructive power.
"Guess I'm never going back to close-quarters again," he muttered with a grin.
But of course, that didn't stop him from using both. Sword in one hand, pistol in the other, he carved through the enemy like a storm of light and steel.
Every nearby vampire fell in seconds.
And with the gun's sleek design and that satisfying metallic ring each time he fired, Lucas felt like some futuristic warlord—Marshal Kuros Marian, reporting for duty.
All he was missing was the uniform and a half-mask.
When the last vampire exploded under Skye's shockwave punch, the nightclub finally fell silent.
Ash drifted in the air.
The dance floor was a graveyard—blood pooled on the tiles, bodies gone, only dust and the smell of death remaining.
Frank holstered his weapon and gave Lucas a nod.
"Kid, where'd you find her? That little girl's got my kind of style."
Skye, standing amid the carnage, looked both exhilarated and slightly dazed.
Lucas quickly waved his hands. "No, no, don't get any ideas. She's not usually like this. Probably just… first-mission adrenaline. And maybe her powers make her fight that way."
Frank chuckled darkly. "Vibration powers, huh? Raw, but damn effective. With the right training, she could level a building."
Lucas smirked. "Try a mountain. Give her enough time, maybe even a planet."
Across the room, Blade was busy interrogating the last survivor—a vampire pinned to the wall by a silver stake.
Smoke hissed from the creature's wounds as he writhed and screamed.
Lucas and the others walked over.
"Quinn," Blade growled. "Where's Deacon Frost?"
He drove a silver dagger deep into Quinn's thigh.
"AAAH! Damn you, Daywalker! I'll never tell you anything!"
Blade didn't flinch. He twisted the knife, then rammed another into the vampire's chest. The sizzling sound of burning flesh filled the air.
"I'll ask one last time," Blade said coldly, leaning close. "Where is Deacon Frost?"
Quinn spat a mouthful of blood into his face, grinning through the pain.
"You'll never get anything from me! Tch—!"
Blade wiped the blood away with calm disgust.
"Then you're useless."
He turned, grabbed a gas can from a supply crate, and poured it over the screaming vampire.
Then he tossed a lighter.
WHOOOM!
Flames roared to life, engulfing Quinn completely. His shrieks echoed for only a few seconds before silence returned.
Blade didn't even look back. He turned to face Lucas and his team instead, his eyes wary.
"Who are you people?" he asked flatly.
His tone wasn't hostile—but it wasn't friendly either. Hunters didn't survive long by trusting strangers, especially ones strong enough to slaughter an entire nest.
Frank stepped forward. "We're hunting vampires too. You're…?"
"I'm a vampire hunter," Blade said simply. "People call me… Blade."
He extended a hand.
Frank hesitated for a moment, then gripped it firmly. "Frank Castle."
Before they could say more—
WEE-OO, WEE-OO!
Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Blade frowned. "Damn. Cops are faster than usual tonight."
Frank scowled too. "I didn't call for backup. So who the hell tipped them off?"
Matt's voice cut through the rising noise. "Now's not the time to find out. We need to move before they see this mess."
Blade nodded. "Follow me."
He turned and led them toward a dark corner of the club. There, he pulled open a vent cover in the wall.
"Through here."
One by one, Lucas, Skye, Frank, and Matt climbed in behind him—
and disappeared into the shadows.
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