Lucas moved in a blur, cutting down three vampires in one clean sweep.
As Skye vaulted over the wall behind him, the trio regrouped and began working their way through the manor grounds toward the looming stone tower. Any vampire that crossed their path didn't live long enough to regret it. Above them, Frank and Whistler's gunfire provided perfect cover, their timing impeccable.
When the three reached the far side of the estate, the tower finally came into full view—an ancient structure built entirely from rough-hewn stone, centuries old, now bathed in the eerie glow of floodlights.
"Where are you guys?" Lucas murmured through his comms.
"We're in position," came Natasha's calm voice. "Surrounding the perimeter. No one gets out alive."
"Copy that," Lucas replied. "Wait for my signal."
He raised his gaze toward the distant ridge and flashed a hand sign.
Frank, peering through his sniper scope, caught the signal and shifted his aim toward one of the mansion's upper windows.
Pfft—!
The silenced rifle spat fire. The windowpane shattered with a sharp crack that echoed through the quiet estate.
In an instant, a dozen vampires darted toward the noise, converging on the shattered glass.
Before they could even peer inside— thup thup thup!—several more suppressed shots followed. The vampires burst into ash mid-stride.
"Enemy attack!!" one of them roared, his voice booming across the entire manor.
"Damn it!" Lucas swore under his breath. "What kind of vampire is this? Since when did they learn Shaolin Lion's Roar?! What's next—Iron Head Kung Fu? Diamond Leg Strike?!"
The ambush had failed. Subtlety was over.
"Guess we're doing this loud," he growled, gripping his sword tighter.
"I told you this infiltration plan was garbage," Natasha's teasing voice crackled through the comms. "Whose bright idea was this again? It's got more holes than Swiss cheese."
Silence filled the channel. Everyone knew exactly who'd come up with the plan.
Lucas.
Back when they'd planned it, he'd been so confident—so convincing—that he'd even promised, "If this fails, I'll do a handstand and play basketball."
"Hey," Frank's gravelly voice came through, "who wants front-row seats to a handstand dunk?"
"I do," Natasha said immediately, her tone full of mock delight. "Basketball's my favorite sport."
"This isn't the time for jokes!" Lucas barked, his pride taking a hit. "Blade's still inside!"
He could already hear the smirks through the comm line. Of all the times to prove them wrong—this was not it.
"I knew agreeing to this was a mistake," Matt muttered, then leapt forward into the fray.
Gunfire erupted— bang bang bang!—as Frank and Whistler abandoned stealth and charged through the manor gates. Once the element of surprise was gone, there was no point hiding.
Skye took cover behind a stone archway. She couldn't match the vampires' speed, so she waited, building up her energy.
Vrrrrrmm—!
The shockwave burst outward like a thunderclap. Every vampire within range was instantly torn apart, their bodies scattering into dust and ash.
Still, she had no way to go on the offensive. Natasha's training had sharpened her reflexes—her eyes could now track vampire movements—but her body simply wasn't fast enough to follow through. By the time she reacted, they were already on top of her.
Lucas stayed close but didn't intervene much. She had chosen to fight, and she needed to learn to survive on her own. The world they lived in offered no mercy.
Bang!
The blue glow of the Judicator flared from his gun barrel—three vampires' heads exploded in sequence.
A perfect triple shot.
---
Meanwhile, inside the tower, a far darker scene was unfolding.
Deacon Frost stood at the center of a massive ritual platform, surrounded by ten chained vampire elders. Silver bindings dug into their flesh, burning through their pale skin as they struggled weakly.
Below the dais stood a black stone coffin, upright and ancient. From the cracks in its surface seeped rivulets of fresh blood.
"At long last!" Frost's voice boomed through the chamber. "The rot of the old order ends tonight! A new era will rise from this blood! I will become the Vampire King—no… the Vampire God! Blood God, descend upon me!"
He threw his arms wide, laughing maniacally as the crowd of vampires howled and shrieked like wild beasts.
The air itself began to thrum as the ritual drew closer to its climax—the moment the moon reached its zenith.
---
Outside, Lucas and the others pushed toward the tower, cutting their way through wave after wave of vampires.
But no matter how many they killed, more poured in from every direction. Even Frank's ammunition was running low.
When his last magazine clicked empty, he tossed the rifle aside and drew a pair of silver-edged combat knives. "Lucas! You got any magic left?" he shouted, slashing a vampire across the neck.
Lucas called out to the onion-like familiar fighting beside him, vaulted onto its back, and shot into the air.
"Clear the area!" he roared.
The others dove for cover. Lucas braced himself midair, his coat whipping in the wind.
"—Sin of the Fallen!—"
He pulled both triggers.
Before him, a burning blue hexagram flared into existence. Bullets poured through it like a torrential storm, raining down in sheets of silver fire.
Ratatatatatatata—!
In the blink of an eye, the courtyard was blanketed in lead and light. Every vampire caught in the downpour was shredded to ash before they could scream.
Then came the final surge—Lucas fired once more into the sigil.
BOOM!
The glowing hexagram slammed into the ground, detonating in a massive explosion that shook the entire manor. When the dust cleared, a ten-meter-wide crater blazed with a smoking blue pentagram, every vampire inside it completely vaporized.
This was Sin of the Fallen in its full form—the version he hadn't been able to unleash back at the museum.
The ground around them was littered with smoking ashes, but more vampires were already closing in.
Lucas's team was exhausted, backs to the wall—
When suddenly, a blinding light flared overhead, washing the entire estate in white.
Ratatatatatatatata—!
Gunfire thundered as waves of black-clad agents stormed the manor grounds, rifles blazing.
S.H.I.E.L.D. reinforcements had arrived.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~