In a ruined ancient castle outside the Queens, Deacon led the Vampires and Half-Vampire to occupy the place.
These rat-like beings, usually hidden, now gathered in a dense number approaching ten thousand.
This was precisely Deacon's confidence in his ability to rule New York.
Meanwhile, in the circular plaza at the center of the castle complex, twelve giant stone pillars stood surrounding a central human-shaped stone coffin.
And along the paths from the stone coffin to each pillar, there were many wedge-shaped grooves, forming mysterious symbols that looked incredibly evil.
This place was precisely where Deacon had prepared the venue for summoning La Magra.
...
As the sun completely rose above the horizon, to the roar of a giant motorcycle, the ancient castle welcomed its first "guest" of the day.
Blade, who had been focused on his mother's revenge the entire way, had his killing intent condensed to its peak upon arriving at the castle.
At this moment, he was devoid of all emotion.
"Blade! You actually dared to come..." The Half-Vampire members on guard at the castle entrance showed a provocative expression after recognizing the newcomer.
Today was the Vampires' home ground, and the presence of numerous "companions" behind them made the gatekeepers of the Half-Vampire mistakenly believe they had the advantage.
Ten thousand to one, how could they lose?
However, Blade's heart was like steel now, and he had no intention of wasting words with anyone.
As the circular throwing stars were flung out, the provocative expressions on the faces of the few Half-Vampire members at the entrance had not yet faded before their lives were reaped.
With trickling blood, the Half-Vampire members clutched their necks and slowly fell, not understanding what had happened until their deaths.
Blade, on his part, didn't even spare these small fry another glance. Putting away his throwing stars, two rapid-fire pistols immediately appeared in his hands.
With his trench coat billowing, Eric strode into the ancient castle.
Not long after, intense gunshots echoed within the castle, clearly indicating that Blade's battle had begun.
While Blade was fighting, an old pickup truck arrived outside the castle.
Whistler, getting out of the car with a shotgun, immediately noticed the Half-Vampire members lying in pools of blood at the castle entrance.
"Eric has already started fighting the Vampires, we need to quickly follow and support him..." After pinpointing the direction of the gunshots inside the castle, Whistler planned his next move.
Dr. Karen, the female doctor who got out of the pickup truck behind him, also saw the Half-Vampire members lying dead with open eyes at the castle entrance.
At this moment, stimulated by the blood, she truly realized the danger of this operation.
But remembering her previous promise, she immediately suppressed the fear in her heart and stood closely behind Whistler.
Speaking of Blade, the enemies he encountered on the outskirts of the castle were mostly ordinary Half-Vampire members or Blood Servants.
Their low status within the Vampire hierarchy meant that these two cannon fodder-like groups were not strong in combat.
In this situation, with his already formidable combat power and surging killing intent, Blade moved freely across the battlefield, driving the enemies into continuous retreat.
However, an army of ants can kill an elephant.
As countless Blood Servants and Half-Vampire members arrived, Blade realized that fighting only cannon fodder on the periphery was not a long-term solution.
So, after repelling the enemies once more, he quickly changed his route, avoided the cannon fodder, and advanced deeper into the castle.
Ultimately, with incredibly good luck, he discovered Deacon hidden behind the numerous cannon fodder.
In a meticulously arranged room, Deacon sat like a monarch on a spacious "throne," with his direct bloodline gathered below him.
It was evident that those allowed to be in the room were the elites of the Vampire gang.
Then, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, Blade burst through the window in a frenzy, powerfully appearing before Deacon.
"Deacon! Your time has come!"
Amidst his showy shout, Blade took the initiative, quickly charging towards the Vampire leader on the "throne."
"Seize him!"
Facing the sudden intruder, Deacon showed no panic, a faint smile even playing on his lips.
As long as he captured the Daywalker, all the conditions required for La Magra summoning ritual would be met.
"Da da... da..."
Upon hearing the command, the bloodline members pulled out their weapons and opened fire on Blade.
Yes, the combat power of these elite bloodline members was not that strong themselves; their unarmed combat ability simply couldn't compare to the power of large-caliber firearms.
For them, their advantage might lie in their tenacious survival ability and extremely fast recovery ability.
And firearms, invented by humans, were equally effective against them.
"Bang bang... bang..."
Amidst spitting flames and flying bullets, many bullets struck Blade's chest, producing crisp sounds, then sparking and ricocheting away.
It proved that although Eric liked to put on a show, he still had the necessary protective measures.
Under his cool trench coat, he actually wore a vest filled with thick steel plates to protect vital areas like his chest and back.
"F***, man—"
After being hit by bullets on the steel plate on his chest, Blade, whose eyes had initially only been on Deacon, patted the bullet marks on his chest and finally turned his gaze to the miscellaneous Vampires around him.
He realized one thing: he wouldn't be able to reach the main target without dealing with these bloodline members first.
Immediately, gunshots rang out again, and this time Blade redirected his muzzle.
More agile movements, plus superior combat training...
Before long, Eric alone suppressed the firepower of over a dozen Vampire elites in the room.
Here, it's worth mentioning the internal power hierarchy of Vampires: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron.
There are five levels from highest to lowest, as for Lord, Elder, Prince, etc., these are merely titles of status and do not directly indicate strength.
Also, the Blood Servant race is not actually recognized by the Vampires.
Regarding the two factions in the room, the Vampire leader Deacon's rank should be at the peak of Viscount, just short of reaching the Count level.
And the bloodline members he transformed are at most Baron level, with physical qualities only slightly better than ordinary warriors.
As for Blade, because he possesses both Vampire and human bloodlines, his overall strength after integration is roughly within the Viscount range.
And because he is not afraid of sunlight, his true strength is not much worse than Deacon's.
With the main target not yet engaged, Blade fighting a group of Baron-level Vampires by himself naturally resulted in an overwhelming display of power.
Not long after, Deacon's group of bloodline members were all struck by silver bullets and fell to the ground, wailing.
Watching Blade approach, Deacon on the "throne" pulled a black female Vampire into his arms and mockingly said, "Blade, look closely at who she is... This is a surprise I specially prepared for you—"
Eric naturally wouldn't forget that his purpose for coming today was to find the murderer who had harmed his mother.
At this moment, looking at the female Vampire not far away, he suddenly had a bad premonition.
With his pupils rapidly contracting, after a long while, Blade hesitantly tried to call out, "M... mom, how could you still be alive—"
Yes, the female Vampire's appearance was exactly that of his mother from the depths of Eric's memory.
More than twenty years had passed, and the other party hadn't changed at all.
"It was you who turned her into a Vampire!" Blade, quickly realizing what had happened, looked at Deacon with violent eyes.
If looks could kill, Deacon would probably be reduced to dust by now.
But obviously, they couldn't.
On the "throne," Deacon was very pleased with Blade's reaction, laughing heartily, "How is it? Are you satisfied with this surprise?"
Deacon had been waiting for this moment for a long time, facing the Daywalker who had constantly caused trouble for the Vampires.
Just imagine, Blade, the nemesis of Vampires, now knowing that his own mother is also a Vampire.
There could be no more interesting scene than this.