Chapter Ten: The Dust Settles

When Lynn stepped out of the elevator, the razor-sharp blade swiftly struck Deacon. That blessed weapon could effectively pierce through the dark magic shield, hitting Deacon’s body.

However, the effect was not immediately obvious. Deacon’s body now displayed an unnatural pallor.

At the same time, all his body hair vanished, and his ears stretched to an extraordinary length, making him look more like a vampire from folklore—beastly, brutal, and bloodthirsty.

Yet, despite the animalistic rage, Deacon’s mind remained clear and unpolluted; his actions did not devolve into bestial fury.

On the contrary, bolstered by his power, he firmly suppressed Blade.

Lynn did not immediately join the fight. He sensed from Deacon a life energy on a completely different level—not even comparable to the vampire he had once killed with a single strike.

“He calls this form the Blood God, but it looks more like a kind of atavistic vampire... His form is more primal, filled with violence and savagery, and he wields dark magic with greater skill.

Yet strangely, neither speed nor strength seem to suppress Blade’s; in fact, Blade’s speed and strength remain absolutely superior, even among vampires.

A hybrid advantage?” Lynn watched curiously from a distance, choosing not to intervene for now. After all, Blade hadn’t asked for his help to kill the Blood God.

Lynn was content to observe.

Both Deacon and Blade naturally noticed Lynn’s presence.

Blade appreciated that Lynn hadn’t interfered with his fight, but Deacon could not ignore Lynn at all.

Like Maria, he sensed a danger emanating from Lynn, but compared to Maria, Deacon’s perception was sharper—after all, his power was greater.

This prevented him from fully focusing on Blade.

Blade wielded the refined silver blade at impossible angles, unleashing nearly double its usual power through the half-vampire warrior.

He left wounds on Deacon’s body.

However, those wounds quickly healed under the influence of black magic within Deacon, whose stamina seemed inexhaustible.

Still, Blade showed no fear and struck again.

Deacon clearly did not regard Blade as a formidable opponent—perhaps he was enjoying this battle like a cat playing with a mouse. He wasn’t even holding a weapon.

The bright silver blade sliced across Deacon’s arm once more, emitting a sizzling sound against the dark magic shield.

Deacon swung another claw mockingly, but Blade used his sword as a pivot and leaped up.

With an almost ghostly agility, he flipped behind Deacon, instantly producing five or six vials of serum crafted by Lynn.

This serum was even more effective than the anti-blood agent Whistler had made for him. Garlic and silver could suppress vampires, but Lynn’s special serum was stronger.

Blade swiftly injected the serum into Deacon’s body.

After the toxins, lethal to ordinary vampires, entered Deacon’s arm, one of his arms visibly withered.

Yet, he did not lose his ability to act.

That instant was enough for Blade to sever Deacon’s arm.

Amid the swirling blades, Deacon unleashed a furious roar in his true crimson gargoyle form. His blood-red arm was sliced off by Blade’s weapon as if cutting through butter.

The dark magic rooted within did not protect Deacon this time; he howled, clutching his severed limb.

Moreover, the withering did not cease with the loss of his arm. The ritual from the dark tome had not improved his immunity.

Lynn’s specially formulated serum outperformed Whistler’s crude remedy.

“This is impossible—what kind of sorcery is this?!” Deacon exclaimed in shock at his once-immortal flesh succumbing to these seemingly trivial mortal poisons.

Blade, a ruthless and taciturn half-vampire, did not miss this opportunity.

He swung his sword relentlessly. The dark magic, once a shield, was now disrupted under the influence of the enhanced anti-vampire serum.

The dark magic that once blocked Blade’s attacks now only emitted black smoke from Deacon’s body, unable to coalesce.

Watching from the side, Lynn noted that Blade was indeed unlike ordinary vampires; his agility and reflexes far surpassed those of his kin.

“He really wasn’t imagining things when he said he could single-handedly break in here,” Lynn thought, raising his estimation of Blade.

However, Blade was clearly still lacking in special operations skills—after all, vampire hunters were not professional special forces.

Lynn imagined that if it were Captain America leading an organized team, clearing the entire building would be no problem—only these two transforming vampires might cause trouble.

As Lynn’s thoughts wandered, Blade’s battle finally concluded. Deacon’s body was riddled with wounds.

Blood poured from the injuries; his proud regenerative ability seemed severely damaged and ineffective.

This ritual was far less powerful than Deacon had imagined.

With a final roar, Blade severed Deacon’s head, and the body collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Lynn emerged from the shadows behind a pillar, applauding.

“I guess your revenge is over. Is there anything else I can help with?”

Blade sheathed his sword and caught his breath, easing the fatigue from the intense fight.

“We’re even. What happens in this building no longer concerns me.”

“Then, until we meet again.”

“Hopefully never again…”

Without looking back, Blade walked away. Lynn guessed what Blade intended—when he arrived, he sensed other survivors who had likely finished their tasks.

He shook his head and glanced at Deacon’s still-present corpse.

“Normally, these bodies should vanish into smoke once deprived of life. Why hasn’t yours?”

“Do you want to preserve this body, Doctor?”

“Send a few people to handle it. Also, arrange for the battle traces to be cleaned up as much as possible.”

“Maria is already on it. These simple tasks don’t require your concern. I’ll arrange for her to recover the corpse.”

“Good. Come with me; there should be other things inside.”

Blade’s killing of Deacon likely destroyed some of his collection of evil artifacts. His comrades certainly weren’t there just to scavenge, but Lynn was not particularly interested in those magical trinkets.

He entered Deacon’s lavishly built underground chamber.

Passing yellow marble pillars adorned with various cuneiform carvings and bluestone slabs, Lynn studied the basement’s layout.

“If I’m right, the energy source of this ritual should be located here...”

Lynn placed his hands on a smoothly polished semicircular stone pillar and gently removed a layer of obsidian covering.

Inside lay a page of parchment.

“Doctor, what is this?”

“A page from the Dark Grimoire.”

Perhaps this was the greatest find: among the magical systems of this world, the most esteemed dark magic knowledge was contained within this single page of the Dark Grimoire.

Even as a fragment, it was enough for Lynn to glean much valuable information.

“This is the key Saan used to link this world with his dimension. Even one page can unlock knowledge from another realm.”

This world possessed magic, Lynn knew well, but those powers were held by gods and lords of other dimensions. Ordinary people found it nearly impossible to access such knowledge unless chosen by these beings or possessing extraordinary wisdom and resources.

Otherwise, finding the path to magic was a daunting task for anyone unconnected.

But for now, this page from the Dark Grimoire was a key.

Although Lynn did not intend to use it immediately, it was necessary to keep it safe.

He reached out to take the page and soon heard faint whispering.

Lynn paid no mind, quickly using his abilities to counteract the grimoire’s influence. After all, it was only a fragment, and considering the knowledge Deacon had gained, its power was not overwhelming.

Not enough to draw more attention from Saan.

Putting aside this extra page, Lynn still needed to find a way to control the building and Deacon Frost’s remaining assets.

Following Kara, Lynn took the elevator to the upper floors. He saw the blond vampire directing subordinates to clear clutter, while vampire guards were dispatched to various floors to oversee the work.

After the battle’s end, Maria had gathered cleaners specialized in tidying up vampire nightclubs and illicit bars.

“Is the building rented out to other companies, except for the top floor?”

“Yes. It’s leased to some food companies and insurance firms as their offices. I can provide you with a list.”

Even as a high-ranking vampire, Maria was not immune to Kara’s control; her body was linked by Kara’s parasitic influence, allowing Lynn to seize control of her body at will.

“Then what about Deacon’s private basement and the top floor? What are their uses?”

“Nothing much—just a leisure hall and entertainment space for the elders…”

That was convenient, making remodeling easier. Lynn turned to Kara.

“You’ll stay here for the next couple of days. Manage this building, get familiar with its layout, and handle Deacon’s assets. I’ll think over renovation plans.”

“Understood, Doctor.”

“No rush. Transforming and absorbing Deacon’s remaining assets will take time. Also, arrange to move my lab here; have her speed that up.”

Ignoring Maria’s expression, Lynn methodically assigned tasks to Kara. He had no intention of doing these personally—he had other matters to attend to.

Besides, suddenly moving from a fried chicken shop to this building felt inappropriate; delegating through Kara was safer.

Lynn preferred to take control of the building when the time was right.

“If anything happens, contact me through the psychic link. For now, follow my instructions. We’ll handle the rest later.”

With that, Lynn left the top floor. Jacutor was downstairs, getting dressed; though seriously injured, he was recovering quickly.

As for Tom, Lynn left him in the building; his injuries were more severe, and once Kara finished the lab, Lynn planned to make further adjustments.

After arranging everything, Jacutor selected a car from the underground garage to drive Lynn away.

Blade watched Lynn leave the Frost Building from a nearby structure, lost in thought. Ultimately, he did nothing further and vanished into the night.

New York had more vampire leaders than just Deacon. Blade had other matters to attend to.

If Lynn had stayed, he would have noticed a subtle transformation within Blade—an indescribable change.

Meanwhile, at an Osborne Industrial office, Dr. Conners was berating a staff member, but after a few light remarks from the other party, he slumped into a chair, staring blankly at the lab.

Finally, he picked up an unfinished reagent and a syringe, seemingly having made a firm decision.

Lynn had arranged numerous tasks for Kara, including removing unnecessary facilities, gradually terminating rental contracts, consolidating funds, downsizing operations, closing the hunting grounds, and transferring them to other clans.

Lynn did not worry about Kara’s competence. Beside her, a flustered blonde woman frantically recorded Lynn’s every instruction, hardly resting.

This process continued until dawn.

During this time, Lynn discovered Deacon’s assets were considerable—roughly estimated at nearly five billion dollars—and an intriguing fact.

“Deacon was actually a pauper? All his assets were securely under your control?”

“He was my lord; I could not defy him. Besides, he never cared about business matters…”

Being a hands-off manager had its downsides. For example, after Deacon’s sudden death, Lynn wouldn’t even need Maria to handle inheritance issues. Officially, Deacon might not even exist in New York’s records.

“Kara, make sure everything I arranged gets done.”

“Rest assured, Doctor.”

Only after Lynn left did Maria speak up.

“Who are you? Why was there no prior information about this?”

“Didn’t you hear Dr. Sidis’ instructions?” Kara retorted sharply.

Maria felt the foreign presence within her stir, her thoughts slowing. An invisible force gnawed at her mind and body.

After a brief struggle, her lips twitched unnaturally, and she could not reveal her true form.

“…I will do it immediately.”

She bowed, wearing a servile expression, her voice soft and deferential—more respectful than when she had spoken to Deacon.