"???"
Everyone stared in confusion.
So…
they caught the wrong person?
"You're the monster hunter Blade mentioned?"
Frank finally pieced the situation together.
"You're the Punisher? The guy Blade told me to meet?"
The woman blinked, equally stunned.
Frank nodded, then looked back at the team.
"She's the expert Blade called in to help us deal with the vampires. She's one of ours."
A collective wave of embarrassment washed over the room.
Great—everyone had just spent the night beating up an ally.
Tony snapped his fingers; the vibranium restraints flew off the woman and returned to him. Those things weren't cheap—he wasn't planning on leaving them behind.
"Let's start over. I'm Elsa. Elsa Bloodstone."
She rubbed her wrists.
Aside from Lucas's final shots, she had come out of the whole battle without even a scratch.
"Elsa Bloodstone?!"
Lucas's composure snapped.
He knew that name.
A monster hunter as famous as Blade—
except Blade specialized in vampires, while Elsa hunted everything.
And the gemstone on her neck—the Bloodstone—
a legendary artifact that naturally weakened all monsters and amplified the wearer's strength, healing, and even regenerative abilities.
The Bloodstone originally belonged to her father, Ulysses Bloodstone, passed down through their lineage.
Back then it wasn't a necklace—it was embedded directly into Ulysses's chest.
Because of its influence, Elsa had been born monstrously strong, fast-healing, and nearly indestructible.
Her father's "training" was brutal—
he literally threw young Elsa into dens of monsters to fight her way out.
Her mother, horrified, had attempted to flee with her, only to be thrown into an asylum by the deranged Ulysses.
Elsa eventually severed ties and escaped with half of the Bloodstone—
the half she now wore around her neck.
Elsa glanced at Lucas, puzzled.
They'd never met, yet he seemed familiar with her.
"You know me?"
"I've heard of you. You're a famous monster hunter. Didn't expect Blade to send you."
Lucas was honestly impressed.
Elsa's capabilities rivaled Blade's—
and thanks to the Bloodstone, she was arguably even stronger.
After the massive misunderstanding, the group returned to Lucas's office to resume searching for the real vampire's trail.
Elsa studied the victim photos carefully.
"You see something?"
Frank noticed the flicker in her eyes.
"A bit. But I'll need to see the body before I can tell for sure."
She set the photos down.
"If I'm right, this vampire isn't human-shaped. It's from another dimension.
They look more like classic horror monsters—part human, part bat."
Everyone instantly imagined the terrifying, bat-faced kind with wings and no nose.
"You can tell that just from the bite marks? And how are you certain it's from another dimension?"
Coulson asked, latching onto the details.
"Because I've killed them before.
They came through a dimensional gate once—ten of them.
I killed nine. One slipped away."
Her tone was calm, but the room went silent.
Hunting nine extradimensional creatures alone was terrifying and impressive.
But one detail hit everyone even harder:
Dimensional gate.
"You mean… an actual dimensional gate?" Coulson pressed.
As an official S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he was obligated to investigate such anomalies.
Anything powerful must be secured—or kept out of enemy hands.
Elsa gave him a look full of disdain.
"You're S.H.I.E.L.D., right?
Forget the gate. Don't even think about it.
Even if you sent your entire organization, you wouldn't be enough to fill the creatures' stomachs on the other side.
Drop the unrealistic ideas."
Her meaning was clear:
Governments always had the same problems—greed, curiosity, and the tendency to make catastrophically stupid decisions.
If a dimensional gate was discovered, military forces would definitely send people through—
best case: they die quietly.
Worst case: they trigger an invasion that wipes out the planet before anyone can react.
Every government played with fire like that.
And when everything exploded, innocent civilians paid the price.
Coulson understood her perfectly and shut his mouth.
She wasn't wrong.
"Then this vampire—there's only one?" Frank asked.
"How do we lure it out?"
"I need to see the body first. Photos aren't enough to confirm."
"Fine. The body's at the Hell's Kitchen precinct. Matt can take you in the morning," Frank said.
Matt nodded.
"Tomorrow morning works."
The meeting wrapped up.
Everyone headed home.
Elsa, new to New York and without a place to stay, found S.H.I.E.L.D. "thoughtfully" arranging lodging for her.
Their intent was obvious.
But Elsa didn't seem to mind—
they had no idea what they were dealing with anyway.
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