"You want me to kill someone who commands strange creatures? My services don't come cheap."
Kaecilius regarded the vampires before him with a disdainful gaze, his subordinates standing behind him.
The disdain was well-earned. Those dark circles under his eyes were the price of practicing dark magic. To those in the know, it was obvious. To outsiders, it simply looked like these sorcerers were all chronic insomniacs who hadn't slept in days.
In truth, Kaecilius hadn't slept in a very long time. Being an "insomniac" was just one of the minor costs of using dark magic.
Other costs included offering one's mind, body, and lifespan to the various gods who granted him power. Borrowing magic meant eventually repaying the debt.
Under that piercing stare, some of the weaker vampires instinctively looked away. A few of the more aristocratic ones forced themselves to meet his eyes.
"We honestly don't know how we offended him, but he's already destroyed seven of our strongholds in just two days! Hundreds of our people are dead or missing!" one elegantly dressed vampire elder said.
"Be honest with yourselves... missing means dead. The lucky ones become food for that human. The unlucky ones become hosts for the Xenomorphs."
Kaecilius was a professional. Though he looked down on vampires, once he accepted a job, he made sure to learn what he could about Adam.
"I'll send one of my dark sorcerers to kill him," Kaecilius said.
"One? We were hoping you would handle it personally," one of the vampires frowned.
"Foolish. My primary target is Kamar-Taj. I won't waste significant power on a minor player!" Kaecilius shook his head, his elegant ponytail swinging. It was quite eye-catching.
At least the vampires present couldn't help stealing extra glances.
"But he's not a minor player…"
"In my eyes, he is. You sewer bats have never witnessed true greatness. Even my master, the Sorcerer Supreme, must borrow power from that being!"
Kaecilius sneered as he looked over the vampires. "Even you lot only exist because of him. Without dark magic, where would you bloodsuckers come from?"
The vampires looked confused.
But Kaecilius had learned from Dormammu that vampires originated from dark magic.
Since Dormammu was the god who commanded dark magic, Kaecilius naturally viewed vampires as inferior byproducts the great being had casually created... completely insignificant.
One elder was deeply dissatisfied and muttered under his breath, "We shouldn't have hired these dark sorcerers! Paying money to deal with Adam feels unreliable. We'd be better off going to the Blood Baron…"
He was quickly silenced by sharp rebuke. "Watch your tongue! Our clan has its own ways!"
Crash!
A window shattered as Blade burst in, followed closely by a swarm of Xenomorphs.
"Looks like we had the same idea and both came here. But it seems the vampire you're looking for isn't present."
Adam's voice carried over.
Blade drew his twin blades. "My goals differ from yours. I don't leave survivors. Even if they're human, anyone standing with the vampires dies."
As he spoke, Blade's red eyes behind his shades fixed directly on Kaecilius.
Kaecilius's lips curled into a mocking smile. He shifted his gaze to Adam, who was surrounded by several powerful-looking Xenomorphs.
"Those dark circles… a dark sorcerer? An unexpected bonus. Though I have to say, teaming up with vampires really lowers your standards," Adam remarked.
Dark sorcerers were easy to identify. Across the entire planet, only those who followed Dormammu had this distinctive appearance.
"Hmph. I feel the same. At least we agree on one thing: vampires make excellent expendable material."
Kaecilius grinned savagely as he unleashed dark magic. Thick black mist spread outward, engulfing everyone present. The vampires closest to it were swallowed instantly.
After a chorus of screams, their bodies dissolved into countless black particles that flowed like water into some unknown realm before vanishing completely.
Kaecilius's expression improved slightly.
"Kaecilius!! What are you doing? We're allies!" a vampire elder shouted.
"Allies? You defective products think you're worthy of being my allies? Did you really believe I was after your money? You only deserve to become sacrifices that please Lord Dormammu!"
The vampires wanted to kill Adam. Kaecilius had different plans... he wanted to kill them all.
Every person on Earth would eventually belong to the great Dormammu.
"This guy's not right in the head. Take him down," Adam said.
Blade said nothing. He simply charged at Kaecilius with blades drawn.
Adam took a different approach. He knew how troublesome Kamar-Taj's spatial magic could be. Those golden portals could be used for transport or closed instantly to "slice" through targets.
So from the start, Adam focused on the other dark sorcerers.
Whoosh!
A strangely shaped Xenomorph with fleshy tendrils crept toward one of the sorcerers, but the man was already prepared.
"Lowly creature, witness the power of a true professional sorcerer!!"
The dark sorcerer grinned viciously, flicked his sleeve to catch a falling staff, and charged the Xenomorph with agile steps.
"My weapon is made of vibranium! It won't fear your blood!!"
Impressive. A rare dark sorcerer who hadn't had his brain completely hollowed out by Dormammu. He even knew to use vibranium to counter the Xenomorphs' highly corrosive acid blood.
But apparently not that much brain.
Adam's expression shifted slightly. Though he had mentally prepared himself for the combat style of these sorcerers, seeing it in person still felt a bit absurd.
Their physical defense was barely better than an ordinary person's, yet they loved charging into melee with staves and blades... especially against Xenomorphs, creatures that excelled at close-quarters killing.
This was why Doctor Strange stood out. Whenever he fought, he unleashed powerful spells without restraint... crimson bands of Cyttorak, the Sword of Vishanti, the might of Hoggoth's ancient form.
What a luxurious lineup of mystical heavyweights. Cyttorak, the Vishanti, Hoggoth... all multiversal gods. Every spell Strange cast borrowed power from beings of that caliber.
Notably, Hoggoth was one of the three who formed the Vishanti.
"I get the feeling local sorcerers aren't quite what I imagined. Are you worried about running up too much debt? Your patron really isn't a generous one."
When magic ran short, fists would have to do.
Adam couldn't help thinking these people were simply too poor... or that Dormammu had grown stingy... leaving them unable to use magic freely. Using dark magic came with far higher costs than white magic.
They couldn't compare to Doctor Strange, who had the full backing of Kamar-Taj. No wonder they eventually got beaten by him.
"Hmph. You know magic?" Kaecilius raised his hand, forming the Rings of Raggadorr. A golden disc appeared in his palm, easily slicing a charging Drone Xenomorph in half.
When the corrosive blood sprayed toward him, Kaecilius lifted his other hand and summoned a small portal to deflect it all away.
"If I want, I can send all of you to the bottom of the ocean," Kaecilius said confidently.
He assumed Adam was targeting him, but Adam knew how difficult it would be to kill this master of escape. From the beginning, he had focused on the other dark sorcerers.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, one melee-obsessed sorcerer was already tackled by a Xenomorph and dragged, screaming, before Adam.
Adam skillfully picked up a Xenomorph egg from the back of one of his creatures and pressed it against the dark sorcerer's face for implantation.
He needed to verify something critical... and he held high hopes for the outcome.
Sure enough, the instant the parasitism succeeded, a powerful surge of magical energy erupted from the sorcerer's body. Dark matter began to spread slowly across his form.
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