Vincent Hall recognized the woman now.
Inez Temple. The Outlaw.
In a potential future, she would become a mutant mercenary, work with the X-Men, and even have a chaotic relationship with Deadpool. But here, her future had been rewritten.
The woman who had driven a wedge between Inez and Agent X was Sandi Brandenberg, her "best friend." Vincent remembered reading her file—she was mercenary through and through, loyal only to money and power.
"Sandi, step back," Vincent commanded, his voice devoid of warmth. "I don't want my new maid killed by the shockwave."
Inez and Sandi were both meta-humans. If they submitted, they would become reliable sources of Desire Points. More importantly, they were useful tools while Natasha was... processing her grief.
Vincent knew Natasha would come back. She was a survivor of the Red Room. She understood the darkness of the world better than anyone. But until then, he had other options.
"Yes, Master." Sandi bowed deeply. She had no issue serving a demon. Proximity to power was its own reward.
"I will protect her," Inez whispered, her voice broken but obedient.
Vlad Castle Courtyard.
The red mist around the Blood Coffin retracted.
The holy light intensified. An angelic projection descended upon the withered patriarch of the Vlad family.
He was the son of Dracula, but he had spent his life serving God in secret, praying for his father's soul. Now, in the family's darkest hour, God had answered.
Or rather, the Church had sent a divine weapon to purge the Ice Demon.
The old man, revitalized by the angelic energy, stood tall. His cancer vanished. His muscles swelled with holy power.
"It is a pity Lilith is not here," he sighed. "But she knows better than to face this monster."
The Blood Coffin fell silent, suppressed by the divine aura.
Vincent wasn't impressed.
"You think a little light show will save you?"
Vincent raised his right hand.
"Great Flame Commandment: FLAME EMPEROR."
A miniature sun materialized in his palm.
The heat was instantaneous and overwhelming. Sandi and Inez felt their skin blistering before Vincent erected an ice wall to shield them.
This was Portgas D. Ace's ultimate technique. But in Vincent's hands—fueled by 200 million Desire Points and Tier 2 Awakening—it was apocalyptically stronger.
The fireball condensed.
Vincent used his Awakened Control to compress the energy. The sphere shrank from 100 meters to the size of a basketball.
The color shifted. Orange. Gold. White. Blue.
Purple.
The temperature soared past 7,000°C—hotter than the surface of the sun. The air shivered and warped. The stone beneath Vincent's feet turned to magma.
"Burn."
Vincent flicked his wrist. The purple lotus of flame drifted down onto the Blood Coffin.
The silver cross melted instantly.
The ancient wood, soaked in centuries of dark magic, ignited with a scream. It wasn't just burning; it was being erased.
The "Blood Worms"—the parasites of the Blood Ancestor—shrieked as they were vaporized. The soil of Transylvania turned into glass.
The heat didn't stop. It burned through the coffin, through the stone floor, and began melting the mountain itself.
"Run!!" Inez grabbed Sandi and sprinted toward the cliff edge.
Vincent stepped forward.
The Awakened Flame Domain expanded.
The entire mountain peak became a furnace. The air ignited. The ancient stone castle turned into a river of lava.
The vampires hiding in the shadows didn't even have time to scream; they simply ceased to exist.
Even the Angelic projection flickered and died, consumed by the sheer intensity of the fire.
The Vlad patriarch, the son of Dracula, looked at the inferno approaching him. He clutched his chest, his holy power evaporating like water on a hot skillet.
Two hundred years of history. Gone in seconds.
"I kept my promise," Vincent smiled through the flames. "I delivered the Coffin."
"You... you monster!" Loffy Vlad screamed as the heat blistered his skin. "I gave you Tesla Lighting! I gave you billions! And you destroy us?!"
"You betrayed me," Vincent said calmly. "You sent me into a trap at the Vatican. And you ask why I am angry?"
He stomped his foot.
"Fire Pillar."
Ten massive columns of fire erupted from the ground, twisting into dragons that swallowed the Angel, the Patriarch, and the castle ruins.
Silence fell. Only the crackling of fire remained.
The Sky Above.
Helicopters from Commonwealth Bank hovered at a safe distance.
Mr. Smith watched the mountain burn. He saw Vincent walking on the air, stepping on invisible platforms of heat.
"Mr. Smith," Vincent's voice projected clearly over the roar of the fire. "Are you going to betray me too?"
Smith smiled, though sweat poured down his face.
"No, Mr. Hall. I have always been on your side. The Vlad family was... a liability. You have cleansed the board."
"Good answer," Vincent said. "There is a seat for you at my table."
He turned and walked away across the sky.
A Highway Diner, New Mexico.
Sandi drove the getaway car like a maniac, her adrenaline spiking.
"Inez... we're going to be famous," she whispered. "We serve the strongest being on Earth."
"Are we going to survive?" Inez asked, trembling in the back seat.
A chill filled the car. Frost formed on the windows.
Vincent materialized in the back seat next to Inez.
"Keep driving," he ordered.
"Yes, Master!" Sandi floored the gas.
Vincent looked at Inez. The tough Texas mercenary was broken, terrified.
"Inez," Vincent said softly, his voice hypnotic. "You fear me? That's not like you. You're the Outlaw."
"I... I'm not afraid, Master," Inez lied, her voice shaking.
Vincent patted the seat.
Sandi watched in the rearview mirror, biting her lip in jealousy, as Inez crawled into Vincent's lap, seeking comfort in the very monster she feared.
[System Alert]
[Mission Complete: Destroy the Blood Coffin]
[Reward: Purple Blind Box (Stored)]
[Mission Update: A Fragrant Marsh]
Target Acquired: Inez Temple (Outlaw).
Reward Stacked: Purple Blind Box.
Vincent smiled. Two Purple Boxes. He would open them later.
The car slowed down as they approached a small town called Puente Antiguo.
Vincent stepped out. He looked fresh, calm, as if he hadn't just incinerated a castle.
He walked into a KFC.
Inside, a blonde giant was smashing a coffee mug on the floor and demanding another drink.
Thor Odinson.
Sitting across from him were two women.
Jane Foster.
Darcy Lewis.
Vincent grinned. The plot was thick here.
Sandi and Inez walked in behind him, causing a stir. A woman in red leather and a cowgirl with a gun tended to draw attention.
Darcy's eyes widened. "Whoa. Check out the hotties."
Vincent sat at the table next to Thor.
"Order some food," Vincent told Sandi. "After we eat, I'm taking you to see a tourist attraction."
"A tourist attraction?" Sandi pouted. "In this dump?"
"There's a crater outside of town," Vincent said, eyeing Mjolnir's location in the distance. "A hammer fell from the sky. They say no one can lift it. Not even with a pickup truck."
Thor's ears perked up. He stopped chewing his Pop-Tart.
"A hammer?" Thor boomed. "Where is this hammer?!"
Vincent turned to the fallen god.
"Finish your lunch, Goldilocks. Maybe I'll show you."
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