Flash finished off the last vampire with a shot to the back of the head and instantly appeared beside the group.
His face was smeared with blood, both his own and others'. He looked at Ethan, and for a second, genuine worry flashed in his eyes.
"Get him further back," he ordered.
"Susie, hold the barrier until the end. We're not losing him here."
Ethan groaned weakly as they laid him behind the containers. His eyes cleared for a moment. He looked at Susie, then at Flash.
"Gerard…" he rasped.
"Did he… leave?"
Flash shook his head, gripping his revolver tightly.
"Leave? No. He's still here. Now shut up and hold on. You've done enough."
Susie dropped to her knees beside Ethan. Her hands finally fell, and the barrier vanished. With trembling fingers, she touched his face.
"Don't close your eyes…" she whispered through tears.
"Please, Ethan… don't close them."
Ethan gave her a weak, bloodied smile and whispered almost soundlessly:
"I'm… trying…"
But Gerard was not defeated yet.
Even while bleeding black blood, with scorched flesh and fury in his eyes, he raised his hand toward the ceiling and growled through his teeth:
"To me!"
The air in the warehouse trembled. Shadows swirled into vortices, and from them, as if torn from the darkness itself, three figures appeared.
Elizabeth materialized first, wearing a red dress. She instantly raised her hands, and a protective barrier of dark violet energy flared around Gerard.
Michael appeared right after her, with a predatory smile and a bloodied cleaver in his hand. He stepped forward like a predator that had smelled blood.
Then the space tore open for the third time.
A young vampire emerged straight out of thin air a meter from Gerard. Tall, slender, with short red hair and eyes pulsing with dark light. His unique Luft gift allowed him to teleport instantly, almost without preparation. He appeared in a swirl of black smoke and immediately moved to Gerard's side.
"My lord!" Rudy shouted.
A powerful wave of darkness burst from his palms, striking everyone at once. Flash was hurled back like a rag doll. Gideon and Bruno, who were trying to shield Ethan, were thrown against the wall.
"Get them away from me!" Gerard roared, his voice shaking with rage and pain.
"All of them!"
Rudy didn't hesitate. He vanished in a black vortex and reappeared behind Flash. A powerful kick to the back sent Flash flying across the warehouse. He slammed into a metal beam and crashed heavily to the floor, coughing blood.
"Flash!" Gideon shouted, trying to get up.
Michael laughed and charged forward, his cleaver flashing.
"Finally, we can play for real!"
Elizabeth stood slightly aside. She didn't rush into battle immediately. Instead, she wove a spell, strengthening Gerard. Dark energy flowed toward him, closing his wounds and restoring his power.
Gerard slowly rose. His eyes burned with insane fire.
"You dared…" he whispered, looking at the fallen Ethan.
"You dared to touch what belongs to me."
Rudy teleported again, this time directly in front of Ethan. He raised his hand to strike, but Susie, gathering her last strength, pushed him back with a weak spell. Rudy flew back a couple of meters, but instantly vanished and reappeared elsewhere.
Flash, slowly getting up, spat blood and growled:
"Don't you touch him, you bastards…"
But the forces were now unequal. Gerard's reinforcements had completely turned the tide of the battle.
Gerard stood in the center, surrounded by his loyal followers, Elizabeth, Michael, and Rudy. He now looked much stronger than he had just minutes ago. His wounds were visibly healing.
"Now," he said coldly, "we end this."
Ethan lay against the cold concrete wall as life slowly drained from him with every drop of blood. The wound in his chest was deep and ragged, the mark of Gerard's strike.
Black blood mixed with red, flowing down his ribs and dripping onto the floor in heavy, thick drops. His face had turned ash-gray, his lips blue. His eyes were half-closed, his breathing barely noticeable.
Susie fell to her knees beside him, not feeling the sharp concrete shards digging into her skin. Her hands trembled so violently she could barely touch his face.
"Ethan… no… no, please…" her voice broke into a sob. "Don't close your eyes… look at me… look at me! Grandma told me to protect you!"
She pressed her palms to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding, but her fingers instantly became wet. The stake lying nearby began to vibrate.
The souls inside it sensed their master's weakness. They stirred, whispering, pressing against the wood from within, as if trying to break free.
Susie felt it. Her eyes widened in horror.
"No…" she whispered. "If they break out, they'll kill him and devour him from the inside…"
She knew what she had to do. Grandma had warned her about this price.
Susie closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away. With her left hand, she firmly grabbed Ethan's wrist. With her right, she took the black stake and pressed it to her own chest.
"I… I won't let you die," she whispered in a trembling voice.
"Do you hear me? I won't allow it."
The magical contract ignited instantly. The air around them crackled. A blue glow enveloped her left hand. Susie bit her lip until it bled and began whispering the ancient words her grandmother had taught her only for the most desperate situations.
"I offer a part of myself, with the five fingers of my left hand, I seal the souls, bind them with blood and pain, let them remain inside…"