"Thud!" Moon Knight never anticipated that Marius, already suppressed by moonlight and having his blood and power absorbed by the Crescent Dart, would still have the strength to counterattack. This miscalculation, underestimating Marius's hatred and the desperation of a dying warrior, led to Moon Knight's heart being instantly shattered.
After all, Moon Knight's strength was significantly lower than Marius's. Even with the moonlight's suppression, Moon Knight was not as strong as Nel. Despite Marius being weakened, the fundamental difference in their power was vast. Moreover, with the Crescent Dart still embedded in Marius, it couldn't assist Moon Knight.
As for why the Crescent Dart didn't return to protect Moon Knight, it was simple. The dart had never absorbed such powerful blood before. The spell left by the moon god Khonshu made the dart instinctively intoxicated by this power, forgetting its duty to protect Moon Knight.
"Damn..." Moon Knight muttered as he looked at his pierced chest, and then his body fell lifelessly to the ground.
"Dead? Finally avenged my people. Now, even if I die, there's no regret..." Marius said, seeing Moon Knight fall lifeless. His consciousness began to fade, and his breathing became increasingly weak.
"Dead?" The Avengers were stunned, seeing Moon Knight lying on the ground. Despite defending against numerous vampires and werewolves, Moon Knight lost his one-on-one battle.
The Avengers had clearly observed that Moon Knight had the ability to suppress Marius. With caution, he could have killed Marius without injury. Instead, he recklessly allowed Marius a chance for a fatal counterattack.
"With such poor combat experience, he dared to face so many werewolves and vampires? Was it really his strategy that led to the vampires and werewolves fighting each other?" Barry Allen murmured, looking at Moon Knight's body. "This doesn't match up with my expectations..."
"Dead! Great! Now let's go down fighting!" The werewolves and vampires, seeing Moon Knight's death, felt some relief from their hatred. However, they then turned their decisive gazes towards the Avengers.
Knowing they would die, these vampires and werewolves wouldn't beg for mercy, especially from humans, whom they viewed as a different species. Better to die with dignity than beg for a futile reprieve.
"Be careful! They're going all out! Protect yourselves, at least don't die on the spot, or we can't save you!" Tony Stark warned as the werewolves and vampires prepared to fight to the death. He resumed fighting, ignoring Moon Knight's death.
They had only briefly met, and helping Moon Knight fend off so many enemies was already generous. Since Moon Knight's death seemed self-inflicted, Stark thought they'd just bury him after the battle.
Tony Stark was unaware of Moon Knight's ability to resurrect. The footage from Robert mainly focused on Blade's side of the battle, not capturing Moon Knight's resurrection. Even Blade, who didn't clearly see Moon Knight's earlier resurrection, assumed he had just recovered from severe injuries. Seeing Moon Knight in a pool of blood, Blade sighed and continued slaying nearby vampires.
"Dead? Good! Now it's your turn. I don't know which vampire lineage you're from, but for joining humans against us, I'll make sure your essence is damaged!" The vampire lord glared at Mobius after Moon Knight's death.
The vampire lord had encountered vampires of different origins before, not just from America but also from Europe. However, he believed that regardless of their origin, vampires should not side with humans against their kind. Vampires of different origins shared a common identity, unlike humans.
When aliens attack Earth, any human siding with aliens would be a traitor, and the vampire lord felt a similar anger towards Mobius.
"Essence?" Mobius was puzzled. Unlike other vampires, his powers differed, leading him to believe he wasn't like them. Even Robert couldn't determine if Mobius was an experiment gone wrong or the result of a mysterious dimension's plot.
Hearing the vampire lord mention essence intrigued Mobius. He wanted to understand more about his origin and how the vampire lord intended to damage his essence.
"Buzz!" The vampire lord's black aura surged, becoming increasingly mysterious. Mobius felt discomfort in his body. Not only Mobius but also nearby vampires and Blade felt a sense of oppression, while the werewolves and Avengers were unaffected.
"Is this the essence of this vampire's power?" The Martian Manhunter, forced to watch the battle, observed the vampire lord intently. He recognized the essence of the vampire lord's power as a life-for-power exchange, elevating his bloodline to suppress weaker ones.
Such suppression usually occurred within a single vampire lineage, but the vampire lord managed to elevate his power to the essence level of various vampire origins, suppressing any weaker vampires, regardless of their bloodline.
Even Mobius, who lacked typical vampire weaknesses, and Blade, a daywalker half-vampire, felt the suppression, indicating their vampire powers also originated from the same mysterious dimension.
As the battle continued, Mobius felt his power destabilize. The Martian Manhunter and Mobius both realized the implications.
"It seems that even though I claim to be a scientific vampire, my power source isn't much different from theirs..." Mobius thought as he was thrown back, spitting blood and feeling weaker.
"I'll take over the fight!" The Martian Manhunter intercepted the vampire lord, ready to show his power. Continuing to fight, Mobius would only weaken himself further.
"Who are you?" The vampire lord snarled, his eyes flashing with anger as he saw the Martian Manhunter blocking him. His face briefly paled before he composed himself.
Seeing the blood Mobius spat, the vampire lord vanished.
"Boom!" The vampire lord was intercepted again, thrown back by the Martian Manhunter. Looking at him in surprise, the vampire lord realized he was at a disadvantage.
"Damn! Die!" The vampire lord's eyes gleamed with malice as he solidified his black aura into an energy blast aimed at the Martian Manhunter.
"Sizzle!" The Martian Manhunter countered with a heat vision similar to Clark's, clashing with the energy blast, nullifying each other.
While the Martian Manhunter's expression remained unchanged, the vampire lord's face grew paler, showing his struggle.
Clearly outmatched, the vampire lord cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected the Avengers to have such a powerful member, leaving no chance for a final counterattack.
As the vampire lord and the Martian Manhunter stalemated, unnoticed, the Crescent Dart returned to Moon Knight, beginning to revive him. Marius, too weak to move, lay still, seemingly dead.
"Pant! Pant! Pant!" Suddenly, Moon Knight sat up abruptly, gasping for air like a drowning person saved.
"Whoa?! Is he a zombie?!"
"Oh my God?! Did he turn?!" The nearby Avengers exclaimed in surprise...
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