Everyone in the room wore serious expressions. Clearly, this Dragon Ball battle would be anything but simple.
John Wick thought to himself, Kōji was right. The world is heading for chaos.
At that moment, Smith Dole smiled and said:
"Of course, if any of you have a wish you truly want to realize, you may also participate in the upcoming Dragon Ball battle."
Hearing this, everyone shook their heads.
Some had no personal wishes. Others recognized how dangerous and complicated this Dragon Ball war was becoming. Why risk their lives when they could remain as neutral judges?
The man known as Cross asked:
"How do we track the Dragon Balls and their holders?"
Smith Dole took out the Dragon Radar developed by Bulma and pressed a button. On the screen, a radar appeared with a blinking center point—himself—and several glowing dots indicating the locations of nearby Dragon Balls.
Everyone noticed one of the glowing dots was close by—right at Tony's oceanfront villa in Los Angeles.
(Note: This radar can detect Earth Dragon Balls, Namekian Dragon Balls, GT's red Dragon Balls, and even Super Dragon Balls.)
"This is the Dragon Radar, a device created by Bulma to track the Dragon Balls."
Everyone looked at Bulma with awe.
Thanks to her invention of the Power Level Detector, Bulma had already become the financial lifeblood of the Assassin's League, not to mention her status as a scientific genius.
With the Dragon Radar, even the rest of the League's members could locate the holders themselves instead of relying on Smith's briefings.
Now that people were aware of the Dragon Balls' powers, any current holder would surely keep theirs close, meaning the orbs would constantly be on the move.
"Since none of you wish to participate directly in the tournament, let's take control of it and guide how the battle plays out!"
…
Elsewhere.
In a vampire castle in London, a grand gathering was underway. Numerous vampires filled the great hall.
One sharply dressed male vampire raised a wineglass filled with blood and made a toast:
"Our noble houses may be separated by oceans, but we remain united in preserving our bloodline."
"Once Amelia arrives and awakens Marcus—within the next couple of days—we will once again be united."
"For now, let us thank our host for their generous hospitality!"
Khan Clavin, seated at one side of the banquet, watched silently as the man spoke. Just then, Erika walked over and whispered in his ear:
"Go upstairs. I think Selene left with a team of Death Dealers."
Clavin didn't hesitate. He followed Erika upstairs and opened the door to Selene's room, finding it empty.
The only thing left was her still-glowing laptop.
Downstairs, he heard a noise. Looking out the window, he spotted three vehicles driving away from the castle—one of them was unmistakably Selene's.
Clavin scowled. Though he was furious, he couldn't do anything about it. As acting head for the evening, he had to return to the banquet.
Selene's attention was no longer on the sudden appearance of werewolves.
She was after the Dragon Balls—objects capable of granting wishes.
But she couldn't mobilize the full might of the bloodline, even as Viktor's adopted daughter.
And the truth was, the Dragon Balls were too tempting. Selene had no intention of sharing their secret with the rest of the vampires. She could only lead her most trusted inner circle to search for them.
Selene brought a full team of twelve Death Dealers to a hidden base in London.
The base was well-equipped, with an armory stocked with advanced weaponry.
Facing her elite squad, Selene addressed them:
"My friends, I've found a new path—a road for our kind to emerge from the shadows into the light."
Her words caused a stir. Into the light—did she mean what they thought she meant?
"Selene, are you saying… the light?"
"You mean eliminating our sunlight weakness—or stepping into the public like God or Iron Man?"
Selene nodded.
"Yes. I mean no longer being vulnerable to sunlight. And from there, stepping into the open wouldn't be impossible."
"Our bloodline will be reborn in glory."
Her squad lit up with excitement.
"What's the method?"
"Selene, have you discovered something?"
For centuries, vampires had feared sunlight and UV radiation. Scientists had worked endlessly to overcome this flaw, but nothing had worked.
As night-dwellers, they had never once produced a "daywalker." Sunlight remained a fatal threat.
Selene pulled out her Three-Star Ball.
"I need this artifact. It's called a Dragon Ball."
"There are seven in total, each marked with one to seven stars. Mine is the Three-Star Ball."
Because only the first person to touch a Dragon Ball is granted knowledge of its true powers, Selene had no reason to hide it from her inner circle.
"I must gather all seven. When I do, our bloodline will undergo a new evolution—this is the vision passed down from the Ancients."
"Mobilize every resource we have. I want all information on the remaining Dragon Balls."
"If any of you find a lead, report it to me immediately."
The team nodded at once. They took photos of the Dragon Ball and began pulling on their various contacts and networks.
…
Elsewhere.
Soren's team, who were investigating the werewolf activity, reviewed surveillance footage from the subway.
From it, they discovered the real target of the werewolves.
"Why would they be after this random human?"
A team member spoke up:
"Captain, doesn't matter why. If we can find him before they do, we can use him as bait to trap the werewolves."
Soren nodded. He snapped a photo and sent it to Selene.
Selene—this is the werewolves' true target. I'll let you know their motive once we catch him and get some intel.
Back at the secret base, Selene watched her Death Dealers move into action as she received Soren's message.
Looking at the man in the photo, she frowned slightly.
Compared to the werewolves—or the human caught in the crossfire—her priority was still the Dragon Balls.
If she could make a wish and eliminate the sunlight weakness, werewolves would never again pose a threat.
She replied:
Soren, leave the werewolf situation to your team. As for the human, he might still be the key to something bigger.
…
(End of Chapter)
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