Chapter 398: Old vs New
The rooftop erupted into chaos as Blake and Damien collided. Their initial clash sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, momentarily drowning out the sounds of combat around them. Rain poured down in sheets, turning the concrete into a treacherous arena.
Blake's blood scythe met Damien's ice-covered fist with a resounding crack. Crimson droplets and ice shards exploded outward, glittering in the dim light. Their faces were inches apart, contorted with effort and rage.
"Is that all you've got, old man?" Blake taunted, his eyes blazing. He pushed harder, feeling the ice around Damien's fist begin to crack.
Damien's lips curled into a sneer. "I'm just getting started, boy." With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved Blake back, following up with a barrage of icy projectiles.
Blake's mind raced as he assessed the incoming attack. 'Too many to dodge. Time to get creative.' His blood scythe dissolved, reforming into a massive shield. The ice shards embedded themselves in the crimson barrier with dull thuds.
'Predictable,' Damien thought, already moving. He slid across the wet rooftop on a path of ice, circling behind Blake with inhuman speed.
But Blake had anticipated this. As Damien closed in, Blake's shield exploded outward, transforming into a writhing mass of tendrils. They lashed out, seeking to ensnare the ice vampire.
Damien's eyes widened in surprise. 'Clever trick.' He created an ice slide, launching himself skyward to avoid the blood tendrils. From his elevated position, he formed a massive icicle, hurling it down at Blake like a javelin.
Blake's battle IQ kicked into overdrive. 'Too big to dodge, too dense to block.' Instead of evading, he extended his hand. The blood tendrils coalesced, forming a giant crimson hand that caught the icicle mid-air.
"Thanks for the ammunition," Blake grinned, his eyes glowing with malicious glee. The blood hand crushed the icicle, absorbing the fragments. In an instant, Blake launched a barrage of blood-ice hybrid projectiles back at Damien.
Damien growled in frustration, creating an intricate ice shield to deflect the attacks. Each impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. "You think you're so clever, don't you?" he snarled. "Using my own element against me?"
"What can I say?" Blake shot back, pressing his advantage. "I'm a quick study." He formed twin blood whips, lashing out at Damien from multiple angles.
Damien's ice armor thickened, spikes erupting from its surface to deflect the whips. "Study this!" he roared. The ice beneath his feet surged forward, creating a massive wave that threatened to engulf Blake.
Blake's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. 'Can't outrun it, can't block it. Time to go up.' His blood whips retracted, instead forming a springboard beneath his feet. He launched himself high into the air, somersaulting over the ice wave.
From his elevated position, Blake unleashed his next attack. His blood formed into hundreds of razor-sharp needles, raining down on Damien in a deadly crimson shower.
Damien's face contorted with effort as he raised his arms, creating a dome of ice around himself. The blood needles peppered the surface, creating a cacophony of impacts. 'He's not giving me a moment to breathe,' Damien thought, gritting his teeth.
As Blake landed, he pressed his palms to the rooftop. The blood from his previous attacks began to flow towards him, coalescing into a massive, pulsating sphere. "Let's see how you handle this, you frozen fossil!"
The blood sphere erupted, transforming into a colossal, hydra-like construct. Multiple serpentine heads roared silently, their maws filled with razor-sharp blood fangs.
Damien's eyes widened at the sight. 'Impressive, but two can play at that game.' He stomped his foot, sending a wave of frost across the rooftop. From the ice rose an army of frozen warriors, their features as sharp and cold as their creator's heart.
"You're not the only one with an imagination, Blake," Damien sneered. "Let's see how your parlor tricks fare against true power!"
The hydra heads struck out, engaging Damien's ice warriors in a frenzied battle. Each collision sent sprays of blood and ice across the rooftop. The concrete beneath their feet began to crack and splinter from the force of their combat.
Blake and Damien circled each other, their creations battling around them. Rain continued to pour, turning the rooftop into a slick, treacherous battlefield.
"You know, Damien," Blake called out, his voice dripping with disdain, "I always wondered what Rose saw in you. Now I see it was nothing but a sad, pathetic old man clinging to power he doesn't deserve."
Damien's face contorted with fury. "You dare speak her name?" He thrust his hands forward, sending a barrage of ice spears hurtling towards Blake. "You, who corrupted her, who turned her against her own kind!"
Blake's blood hydra intervened, one of its heads taking the brunt of the attack. "Corrupted her?" Blake scoffed, launching a counterattack of his own. Blood daggers materialized in the air around him, streaking towards Damien. "I loved her, you delusional bastard. Something you could never understand!"
Damien's ice warriors formed a protective wall, sacrificing themselves to block the blood daggers. "Love?" he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "What do you know of love? You, barely more than a child, thinking you could comprehend the bond between true immortals?"
As they traded blows and insults, both vampires were acutely aware of their surroundings. The rooftop had become a war zone, pockmarked with craters and slick with a mixture of water, blood, and melting ice. Neither had gained a clear advantage, their attacks either dodged or neutralized with frustrating efficiency.
Blake's mind raced as he formulated his next move. 'He's tough, I'll give him that. But he's also arrogant. Maybe I can use that against him.' Aloud, he taunted, "For someone so ancient and powerful, you're not doing too well against a 'child', are you, Damien?"
Damien's eyes flashed dangerously. "You want to see power, boy? I'll show you power!!" He raised his arms, and the very moisture in the air began to freeze. The raindrops transformed into a swirling vortex of ice shards, surrounding Damien like a frozen tornado.