Behind him, Madame Hydra remained kneeling on one knee, not out of fear, but respect—reserved only for one man.
"I've been working to eliminate them, my lord," she said smoothly, her voice poised and calm. "But they're scattered. Street dealers are just pawns. The real leader? Not exactly human."
Michael glanced over his shoulder. "Not human?"
"A vampire," she replied, her tone almost amused. "And not just that—he's allied himself with a few mutants. Sloppy creatures, but dangerous in the right numbers. I've seen the feeding sites. It's… messy."
Michael scoffed quietly. "So I get to meet my first vampire. Wonderful."
Without another word, he stepped off the ledge. Golden-red energy exploded around him as he surged upward into the sky, streaking northwest like a comet.
Madame Hydra stood slowly, brushing imaginary dust from her coat. Her expression was cool, lips curled in a faint smile.
But soon, it vanished as Michael was no longer visible.
Madame Hydra kept her gaze on where he'd stood moments ago, her expression unreadable.
Why did he spare me… if he doesn't even give me some of his attention? she murmured under her breath, lowering her head as she stood up and turned back toward the building.
***
The wind howled as Michael soared over the city, a golden trail of energy splitting the sky. In minutes, he descended upon the old nightclub that had become the Crimson Talons' fortress — a gutted, graffiti-ridden structure pulsing with synthetic lights and repurposed tech. The building was loud, vulgar, and alive with movement.
Michael hovered above the rooftop silently, his eyes glowing faint silver as they scanned every level — counting bodies, reading heat signatures, and mapping exits.
"Thirty-two armed," he muttered. "Three mutants. One… vampire."
He landed without a sound. The moment his boots touched the roof, alarms began blaring inside. A crimson flare lit the night sky from the rooftop corners — a signal flare. They knew he was here.
Good. Let them come.
The first wave came fast—four Talon grunts armed with stun guns and gauntlets enhanced with stolen tech. They burst through the stairway door and charged.
Michael didn't move.
In a blur of motion, he ducked the first swing, caught the second thug by the wrist, and drove him through the concrete. Two others tried flanking him—he stepped aside, grabbed one by the throat, and flung him off the rooftop with bone-crunching force. The fourth hesitated.
Michael raised his hand—golden light surged, and the man flew backward, skidding unconscious across the gravel.
He walked forward, boots crunching glass and ash.
Inside, the base exploded into chaos. Dozens of gang members scrambled, shouting orders, arming weapons. In the main chamber, beneath flickering neon and thumping music, the remaining elite gathered.
A tall man stepped out from the shadows—pale skin, crimson eyes, fanged grin. He wore a blood-red coat and carried himself like royalty.
"You're the one who's been tearing through our suppliers," the vampire said with a voice like velvet and rot. "You don't look like much."
Michael's gaze locked on him. "And you reek of recycled fear and bad cologne."
Snarling, the vampire dashed forward with blinding speed—but Michael was faster. He caught the monster mid-lunge, planted a boot into his chest, and blasted him across the room with a golden pulse that shattered lights and knocked the music dead.
Mutants leapt at him next—one with razor-sharp claws, another warping the air with magnetic pulses, and a third who could phase through matter.
It didn't matter.
Michael moved through them like a ghost. A shield of golden light formed around him as claws scraped harmlessly off it. The magnetism fizzled. The phaser tried to strike from behind—only to be grabbed mid-phase and slammed into a wall with earthshaking force.
Within seconds, the room was wrecked. Smoke rose. Bodies groaned or didn't move at all.
Only the vampire stood, blood running from his split lip, fury now twisting his elegant features.
"You... you're not human. What are you?" the vampire rasped, blood dripping from his cracked lips.
Michael looked at him calmly, almost bored. "I am human. Very much so," he said with a shrug.
As he spoke, a golden construct—shaped like a hand—formed from the shimmering aura around him. It grabbed the vampire by the neck and lifted him effortlessly off the ground until they were eye level. Michael sat casually on the edge of the nightclub's ruined rooftop, legs dangling as if he were relaxing at a park.
"I don't have any personal vendetta against you," Michael continued, eyes steady as the vampire clawed helplessly at the glowing grip tightening around his throat. "You just... how do they say it? hmm, Ahh yes....You were unfortunate."
The vampire coughed blood, his shirt soaked in crimson. "Wh... what do you mean...?"
Michael smiled faintly, voice soft. "I'm cleaning up the last of Kingpin's filth. You were just next on the list."
The vampire's eyes flared red, wind and ash swirling around them as he hissed, "You... you'll lose. Someone will stop you..."
Michael tilted his head. "You can hope."
With a simple flex of his fingers, the aura-hand tightened like a vice. The vampire's body convulsed—and then the neck was crushed entirely, his head and upper chest pulverized in a moment. What remained turned to ash, scattered by the cold rooftop breeze.
Michael stood, brushing dust from his coat as he walked toward the building's interior.
"Now let's see what secrets you left behind," he muttered, stepping through the wrecked doors into the Crimson Talons' base, heading straight for their files and tech.
Inside the Crimson Talons' base, the scent of blood, burnt metal, and synthetic drugs clung to the air like rot. The interior had once been a nightclub, but it now pulsed with makeshift labs, stacked crates, and flickering screens. Neon lights still clung to parts of the ceiling, casting a sickly red glow across the floor.
Michael walked through it all, undisturbed. The few remaining gang members—those not already unconscious or fled—were hiding. None dared face him.
*******
Like it?
Read More at :- patreon.com/be_king