Following the North American deity's desperate command, the remaining angels executed precise geometric repositioning, forming a protective circle with their leader at its center.
"Join me immediately!" the ponytailed god shouted at the European goddess, panic bleeding through his normally confident demeanor. "Cooperate or face certain annihilation!"
The two celestial entities positioned themselves at opposite poles within the formation. Divine energy emanated from their forms as they began incanting ancient formulas. Several elite guardian-class angels surrounded them, channeling additional power into the developing ritual.
A thin pillar of golden light gradually appeared between the deities, extending skyward with increasing intensity.
This developing dimensional gateway seemed to trigger primal recognition among the vampire horde. Their assault intensified dramatically, as if understanding the celestial escape mechanism required immediate disruption.
Waves of enhanced vampire predators launched suicidal charges against the angelic defensive perimeter.
Inside the secure command center, Jason and Shuri watched the tactical displays, tension rising with every passing second.
Shuri shot him a quick look. "The interdimensional portal's almost at activation threshold. I can't shut it down—not at this scale. And the vampires? Too far out to do anything meaningful. Do you have a Plan B?"
Jason's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "That's all your vampire squad's got? I expected more. Dig deeper—throw everything you've got at it."
Shuri didn't respond right away. She just stared at him, eyes sharp, clearly running the numbers in her head.
The battlefield dynamic transformed without warning.
From the western approach, ominous rumbling like distant artillery fire preceded a massive dust cloud. The reverberations intensified, transitioning from earthquake-like tremors to thunderous percussion.
Several sentinel angels ascended for aerial reconnaissance.
What they witnessed defied conventional combat parameters—more than three thousand vampire bulls charging toward their position. Each monstrous creature stood five meters tall, sporting meter-long horns lowered into battering-ram formation. Their massive forms could effortlessly demolish reinforced vehicles upon impact.
These behemoths crashed into the angelic formation with devastating effect. Most shocking was their apparent armor reinforcement—standard angelic weapons produced minimal damage despite direct hits.
One particularly massive bull showed horrific efficiency, its elongated horns impaling three angels simultaneously, their divine bodies strung along the keratin spears like macabre ornaments.
Lacking specialized countermeasures against such biological tanks, the angelic perimeter developed critical vulnerabilities. Ordinary vampires immediately exploited these breaches, pouring through defensive gaps.
The bovine assault represented merely the initial wave. Additional vampire-transformed creatures joined the attack—packs of enhanced canines, swarms of feral felines, and countless other mutated predators.
At Shuri's mental command, the aerial bat squadrons executed coordinated diving attacks against the increasingly broken angelic formation.
Casualties mounted exponentially among the celestial defenders. Within minutes, thousands of angels had fallen—their immortal essences extinguished through systematic execution.
The North American deity observed the deteriorating tactical situation with mounting horror. He intensified power output, desperately attempting to accelerate portal formation, yet encountered unexpected resistance within the dimensional fabric itself.
Despite combined efforts with the European goddess and elite guardian angels, the portal remained frustratingly incomplete—a situation that defied established celestial principles.
Uneasiness transformed to dread as he observed the vampire bulls systematically dismantling his defensive formations. Though the creatures' numbers had diminished significantly, they had eliminated nearly a thousand angels in the process.
The surrounding vampire forces remained overwhelming. Despite destroying hundreds of thousands in the initial engagement, millions more converged on their position.
Strategic assessment yielded inescapable conclusion: immediate tactical adjustment required.
"Portal generation failed!" the North American deity announced, abandoning the ritual. "We can't hold this spot—evacuation now!"
"How?" the European goddess questioned.
Their Manhattan location presented fundamental geographical limitations—island terrain surrounded by water. The European goddess's earlier water evacuation attempt had shown the catastrophic outcome of that approach.
After momentary calculation, the North American deity announced: "We go back the way we came!"
He issued battlefield commands, reorganizing remaining forces to push back along their original approach path.
From their secure vantage point, Jason watched the chaos unfold with a smirk. "Amazing. They already watched this evacuation route fail spectacularly… and now they're trying the exact same thing. Heaven's strategy team really knows how to think outside the box."
"They probably believe they are the box," Shuri said coolly. "Entities like that tend to think they are fate."
Jason nodded in agreement. The battle's outcome had been effectively determined the moment he disrupted the North American deity's portal attempt.
The remaining twenty thousand angels could not possibly overcome the vampire encirclement. The North American god's critical error—entering New York without confirming coordination with their vampire-embedded operative—showed profound tactical incompetence.
Centuries of heavenly peace had apparently weakened their strategic capabilities. The divine conspiracy's childish simplicity reflected this fundamental deterioration.
As the North American deity led his forces in desperate counterattack along their entry corridor, Jason turned toward Shuri.
"Let's talk priorities," Jason said, his tone cool and direct. "Start by giving me a headcount. How many vampires do you still control?"
Shuri paused, briefly tapping into her network. "Roughly twenty-four million."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "That many? I thought New York had the bulk of them."
"It did," she replied. "But the celestial conflict wiped out a large portion. Cities like L.A., San Francisco, and Philly probably have higher concentrations now."
Jason leaned forward slightly. "Any chance of turning them back?"
Shuri gave a small nod. "Technically, yes. But it takes a ridiculous amount of resources—too much for large-scale use. Reversing twenty million is out of the question."
Jason let that sit for a moment before pressing on. "So what's your plan? Keep aiming them at human targets?"
Her gaze sharpened. "I think I see what you're really after. Secure Wakanda's safety, and I'll make sure the vampires stay in check. No more feeding on civilians."
Jason slowly shook his head. "That's not sustainable. You're sitting on a time bomb, Shuri. You might hold the line for now, but eventually… they'll break. You can't cage a predator forever without blood spilling out."
He paused meaningfully. "Humanity will never accept coexistence with vampire populations. Escalating conflicts become inevitable, regardless of your intervention."
"What exactly are you suggesting?" Shuri asked, eyes narrowing.
Jason didn't miss a beat. "Simple. Relocate them off-world."
"What?" The sharp edge in her voice gave way to genuine confusion.
Even T'Challa looked thrown. "You mean… another dimension? Or exile to Hell's territory? You'll have to be more specific."
Jason let out a quiet sigh, clearly unimpressed. "No. I mean exactly what I said. Another planet. I've got access to a portal network that connects to a habitable but undeveloped world. Empty for now, but with the right push—and a few million vampire laborers—it could be turned into something real."
His voice stayed flat, matter-of-fact. "You'd have full control. A world of your own."
Shuri's expression twisted into disbelief. "You want to dump us on a dead rock and let us eat each other? We need human blood, Jason. You're just dressing up slow-motion genocide."
Jason held up a finger. "That's the common misunderstanding. Vampires don't need blood, per se—they need certain biochemical components found in blood. I can synthesize those. With my tech, the predatory instinct becomes obsolete."
Shuri went silent, but the look in her eyes shifted—no longer outright rejection, but something closer to wary calculation.
She was listening now.