"Do you love me?"
Natasha wanted to ask the question. It burned in her throat.
But she couldn't say it.
When Vincent walked out the door, she made her decision.
End the game. Break the deal. Be Black Widow again. If she didn't, she would lose herself completely. She would fall in love with a demon.
Natasha wiped her tears. She didn't call Nick Fury. Instead, she picked up her fork and ate the breakfast Vincent had made.
It might be the last meal he ever cooked for her.
The Skies Over America.
Vincent didn't return to his villa.
He was a streak of fire cutting through the clouds.
[Mera Mera no Mi: Rocket Flight]
Technique Log: Continuous propulsion using flame jets from the legs. Speed: Mach 2.
Portgas D. Ace would be proud—or jealous—of how Vincent was abusing the fruit's potential.
Vincent was tracking his prey. He had placed a Hydro-Kinesis marker on Frank's blood. He could sense the water in the agent's body moving across the continent.
He flew over New Mexico.
Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning slammed into the desert below, followed by a shockwave that rattled his teeth.
Vincent looked down. A crater. A hammer. And a blonde man screaming at the sky.
"Thor," Vincent noted. "The plot is advancing."
But he didn't stop. He had no time for Asgardian family drama. He had a coffin to burn.
He bypassed the Bifrost's impact zone and headed for a hidden location in the mountains.
Dutchess County. Or rather, the Vlad Estate.
A fortress built atop a perpetually fog-shrouded peak.
Vlad Castle.
Task Force X arrived with the cargo.
The castle was ancient, gothic, and cold. Even these hardened mercenaries felt a chill in their bones.
"Stay alert," Agent X whispered to his team. "This place feels wrong."
"Relax," Frank laughed, his tension finally melting away. "This is Vlad Castle. It's the safest place in America."
Frank felt safe because he believed the Vatican couldn't reach them here. He knew the Church would retaliate for the Ice Demon's attack. The new Pope would summon every Exorcist and Paladin on Earth.
It was going to be a war. A holy war.
And the only way to stop it was to kill Vincent Hall.
Loffy Vlad, the patriarch, walked out of the castle. He was old, dressed in a black suit, his white hair slicked back.
He circled the Blood Coffin, his eyes gleaming.
"Excellent," Loffy said. "This is it. The legacy."
He nodded to his butler. Within seconds, millions of dollars were wired to the mercenaries' offshore accounts.
"You should stay," Frank offered. "Rest here. Wait for the heat to die down."
Agent X looked at his team. They nodded. They wanted answers.
"I want to know what really happened in Rome," Sandi said, eyeing Loffy. "And who the hell is that Chinese kid?"
"Vincent Hall," Loffy sighed. "The Ice Demon. The entity that froze the Vatican. He is a monster."
"The Ice Demon?" Inez frowned. "Wait. Deadpool mentioned him. He said the Ice Demon killed Kingpin."
"We need to keep our involvement secret," Sandi warned.
Loffy smiled mysteriously.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
The eternal fog around the mountain began to swirl.
Thousands of bats erupted from the abyss below, swarming the castle like a living storm cloud.
"Enemy attack!!" Loffy screamed.
Vampires—hundreds of them—burst from the crypts, launching themselves into the sky to defend their master.
BOOM.
A beam of fire tore through the clouds, incinerating the bats. Sunlight pierced the gloom.
The vampires screamed as they burned to ash in the UV rays.
A figure descended from the heavens, wreathed in flame.
Vincent Hall landed on top of the Blood Coffin. He looked down at the castle with infinite contempt.
"I assume you are the Vlad family," Vincent's voice boomed like thunder.
The bats swarmed again, blocking the sun. The remaining vampires encircled him.
"Mr. Hall," Loffy said, composing himself. "Welcome to my home."
"I don't see any welcome mat," Vincent sneered. "Just a lot of dead things."
"The Vatican incident was a misunderstanding," Loffy lied smoothly. "Frank made a mistake."
"Frank made a mistake. You made a choice." Vincent looked at the mercenaries. "And you... you idiots. You're still here? I'm surprised Loffy hasn't fed you to the worms yet."
"Ice Demon!" Loffy's facade cracked. "We are partners! Are you declaring war on the Vlad family?"
"I know who you are," Vincent said cold. "And you annoy me."
"Kill him!" Loffy shouted. "Alex! Kill him and I'll give you a billion dollars!"
The vampires lunged.
"Run!!" Agent X shoved Inez away.
He drew his dual pistols and opened fire on Vincent. His telepathy screamed at him: FLEE. DEATH IS HERE.
Vincent's eyes glowed red.
[Mera Mera no Mi: Heat Vision]
Two concentrated beams of superheated plasma shot from his eyes, sweeping across the courtyard.
The vampires were vaporized instantly.
Agent X's bullets passed through Vincent's flame body.
Task Force X opened fire with everything they had. Grenades, high-caliber rounds, energy blasts.
Vincent raised a finger.
"Fire Gun."
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bullets made of fire shot from his fingertips, countering every incoming round and exploding the mercenaries' weapons.
"You brought this on yourselves," Vincent said.
He raised his left hand.
"Fire Snake Bind."
A massive serpent of flame materialized, roaring as it coiled around the remaining vampire horde, turning them into ash.
Vincent dissolved into fire and reappeared behind Agent X.
He formed a blade of concentrated plasma.
Slash.
Agent X, the man with the healing factor, was cut in half at the waist. The intense heat cauterized the wound instantly, preventing regeneration.
Vincent pointed a finger at Mary Zero, who was trying to cast a hex.
Pfft.
A bullet of compressed water shot through her skull. She dropped dead.
Taskmaster charged, wielding a sword and shield.
Vincent summoned an ice sword in one hand and a fire sword in the other.
Clang. Clang. SHINK.
Three moves.
Vincent disarmed the legendary mimic and cleaved him in two.
"I expected more," Vincent said, standing over the bodies. "All physical enhancements. Boring."
He turned to the two remaining women.
Sandi Brandenberg dropped to her knees, bowing her head.
"I submit, Master."
She had seen the Vatican news. She had seen him slaughter an army of vampires. She had seen him kill three elite mercenaries in ten seconds.
He was not a man. He was a god of death.
"Oh?" Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Submit?"
Inez—Outlaw—was trembling. She looked at Agent X's bisected body. He was still alive, crawling, trying to put himself back together.
"You bastard!!" Inez screamed.
She threw away her prized elephant gun. She ripped off her jacket, revealing her muscular physique.
"Fight me! Man to man! No powers!" Inez roared, her eyes wild with grief.
"Inez Temple," Vincent mused. "Stronger than Jessica Jones. A Weapon Master. But why should I fight you? You are already dead."
"Beat me in hand-to-hand combat, and I submit!" Inez challenged.
"As you wish."
Vincent deactivated his powers.
Inez charged like a rhino, cracking the stone pavement with every step. She grabbed Vincent's arm, attempting a judo throw.
Vincent didn't budge. He reversed the grip, used her momentum, and slammed her into the ground.
CRACK.
Inez gasped, rolling to her feet. She charged again.
Vincent caught her wrists, twisted, and threw her ten meters away like a ragdoll.
"Is that it?" Vincent asked, bored.
"Again! I'll kill you!"
"Enough, Inez!" Sandi tackled her friend, pinning her down. "We submit! Please! Master, spare us!"
Inez stopped struggling. She sobbed into the dirt.
Vincent turned his back on them.
The Blood Coffin began to pulse.
A red mist seeped from the lid. The blood of the fallen mercenaries—Agent X and Taskmaster—was being absorbed into the wood.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
A heartbeat echoed through the castle.
Suddenly, a beam of holy light pierced the sky, illuminating the courtyard.
An angelic figure descended, wings spreading wide.
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