Blade stared at Jason in disbelief. "You're not coming with me?"
Jason shook his head and motioned for Blade to look behind him.
A woman in white had just entered the chamber. Though she appeared young—roughly Blade's age—the resemblance between them was unmistakable. This was Blade's mother.
She had been bitten by a vampire while pregnant, subsequently delivering her half-human, half-vampire son before supposedly perishing. But the truth was far more complicated: she hadn't died—she had become Frost's lover.
Jason could see Blade's worldview crumbling before his eyes. Poor guy's probably wondering if he needs to call Frost 'stepdaddy' now.
Jason patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "You're in no condition to handle this. I'll take care of her—you deal with Frost."
After a moment's hesitation, Blade turned and left the chamber.
Only two remained in the secret room. Jason regarded the woman in white with a calculated smile. "Madam, why not surrender? After all, you wouldn't want to see your son—"
Before he could finish his threat, she lunged at him with unexpected ferocity.
Jason's smile never faltered. "Tsk, tsk. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but..."
The moment she made contact with him, a powerful electric current surged through her body. She instantly went rigid, her muscles locked in paralysis.
Jason had no intention of prolonging this confrontation. Every second he wasted meant Blade was clearing out more minions—potential rewards slipping through his fingers. After a quick assessment, he retrieved a vial of powerful sedative from his belt—another "borrowed" item from Karen's hospital—and injected it into the woman's arm.
He then placed her unconscious form in the same stone coffin that had imprisoned Blade moments earlier. The massive stone doors sealed shut, trapping her securely inside.
I won't kill her. That's a decision Blade should make for himself.
When Jason arrived at the battlefield below, Blade had already dispatched numerous enemies.
Dammit, he's stealing all my kills! Jason thought with dismay as he drew his pistols and fired rapidly into the crowd, claiming several targets.
"Leave these fodder to me!" he shouted. "You deal with Frost!"
Blade didn't hesitate, immediately breaking away toward the ritual chamber.
Jason surveyed the approaching waves of enemies with predatory satisfaction. Frost had committed his entire force to protect the sacrifice—vampire lieutenants, human mercenaries, and assorted minions.
With his infrared vision and master-level pistol skills, they might as well have been practice targets on a firing range.
He dispatched them methodically, without remorse, while keeping a watchful eye on the battle between Blade and Frost. Despite his preoccupation with the minions, Jason still intended to claim Frost himself if possible.
Unfortunately, reality was proving less straightforward than the movie version. Frost, empowered by the La Magra, was displaying overwhelming strength. He was systematically dismantling Blade's defenses. If not for the daywalker's extraordinary constitution, he would have fallen long ago.
Blade exhaled slowly, his eyes hardening with resolve. His sword flashed with lethal precision as he executed a complex series of maneuvers. Frost, overconfident in his newfound godhood, attacked with reckless abandon, leaving countless openings.
With two lightning-fast strikes, Blade severed Frost's hand, then his head.
But Frost didn't attempt to dodge—he didn't need to. This dance had already played out several times.
The severed appendages didn't even hit the ground before torrents of blood erupted from the wounds, reconnecting and regenerating the tissue within seconds. Even Wolverine's healing factor paled in comparison.
"Hehehehe!" Frost's laughter echoed through the chamber. "You still think you can kill me? I am a god now—the God of Vampires!"
As the final word left his lips, Jason darted in front of him, dispersing a cloud of fine silver powder directly into Frost's face.
Frost stepped back reflexively, then realized the futility of the attack. "Ha! Too late for such primitive tactics. Sunlight, garlic, silver—none of these can harm me anymore!"
He fixed his gaze on Jason. "So you're the famous Iron Man? Kneel before me, and perhaps I'll consider letting you live."
Having dispatched the last of Frost's minions, Jason shook his head derisively. "In your dreams."
He turned to Blade with exasperation. "Are you going to use what I gave you, or are you two just playing house? Stab him already!"
Blade's eyes widened with sudden realization. "Shit, I forgot!"
You useless black idiot!
The two allies continued their exchange as if Frost weren't even present. Enraged at being ignored, the vampire lord snarled, "You arrogant fucks! You're both dead!"
In a blur of motion, he launched himself at them. Two devastating blows sent Jason flying across the chamber. Only then did Jason fully appreciate how Blade had managed to survive this long.
Frost's speed transcended human limits—his movements leaving only afterimages.
Jason gritted his teeth, activating Dragon Chi: Burst. His physical attributes doubled instantly, allowing him to barely track Frost's trajectory.
"Interesting," Frost remarked, noticing the change. "What kind of ability is that?"
Curiosity piqued, he advanced to examine Jason more closely. As he approached, Jason dispersed another cloud of silver powder.
Though harmless to him now, Frost's ingrained revulsion made him dodge instinctively.
That momentary distraction was all Jason needed.
A blinding flash erupted as electricity surged from Jason's body. The powerful current instantly paralyzed Frost, locking his muscles rigid.
The airborne silver powder melted in the intense heat, dripping onto Frost's face like molten metal.
Jason followed with a second and third discharge in rapid succession.
Frost, temporarily immobilized, howled in fury as the liquefied silver seared his skin. Though it couldn't kill him, the pain was excruciating.
Jason had hoped Blade would capitalize on this opportunity, but to his dismay, the daywalker was still on the ground, clutching his chest in pain.
Are you kidding me?
By the time Frost regained control of his body, his eyes blazed with murderous intent. He charged forward, delivering a punishing blow that Jason barely managed to block. Even with his arms crossed defensively, the impact forced him several steps backward.
Internally, Jason cursed Blade's incompetence. Such a perfect opening wasted! Why are you nursing your bruises when you could have ended this already? If you'd just stabbed him with the anticoagulant while he was paralyzed, we'd be done!
Frost's assault intensified to a relentless barrage, pushing Jason to his limits.
Fucking movies are all lies. Blade isn't nearly as badass as they portray him! I get that you're injured, but surely you can still move faster than this!
Finally, Blade seized an opportunity to strike. He executed his signature three-hit combo, but Frost evaded effortlessly. What Frost failed to anticipate, however, was that the sword strikes were merely a distraction. Blade spat directly into his face.
For a moment, Frost stood in stunned disbelief. Blade, the stoic warrior whose expression had remained frozen for millennia, broke into an unexpected grin. "Hey, asshole!"
Such disrespect was intolerable. Frost's rage exploded. He lunged at Blade, disarming him with several savage blows, driving a fist into his liver, then hoisting him by the throat like a trophy.
"Blade, today is the day you die!" Frost declared triumphantly. "Witness my ascension! I will rule not just vampires, but all of humanity!"
He punctuated his speech by spitting in Blade's face.
Suddenly, Frost felt a slight sting in his chest. Looking down, he discovered a syringe embedded in his torso.
He examined it with puzzled amusement, then laughed contemptuously. "Allium? Have you forgotten I'm immune to such trivial weakness?"
"Who said it contains Allium?" Jason's voice came from behind him.
Deacon Frost sensed something was wrong. Strange sensations rippled through his body, as if his blood were beginning to simmer beneath his skin.
Simultaneously, he noticed Blade preparing to stab him again. With a violent gesture, he hurled Blade across the room, but the daywalker managed to throw another syringe mid-flight.
Frost endured the growing discomfort and dodged sideways—directly into Jason's ambush.
Pushing his enhanced perception to its limit, Jason intercepted the airborne syringe and immediately redirected it.
"Pfft!"
Frost turned, eyes widening as he looked down at the wobbling syringe protruding from his buttock.
His expression of shocked indignation was almost comical. What the hell are you doing?