Suddenly, a shrill voice cut through the tension. It was Madam Gao, approaching from behind.
"I know you've fallen in love with a woman recently, Kingpin. I hope she won't make you weak!"
Upon hearing this, Kingpin's heart instantly filled with cold rage.
He turned around, his face an expressionless mask, eyes dead and vacant. "Nothing can make me weak. I am now stronger than ever."
Madam Gao observed his eyes, chuckled softly, and shifted her attention to Daredevil. "For someone like you, falling in love is a grave mistake. To make matters worse, you fell for a female assassin. You have no future together. You may provide them with money, status, and affection, but you can never give them the sense of security that women need most. The wisest course is to sever ties early, before tragedy inevitably strikes."
These words silenced both Daredevil and Kingpin.
After a moment's hesitation, Daredevil looked at Kingpin. "You also have—"
"Shut up!" Kingpin glared at him venomously.
He turned to Madam Gao. "I didn't come here for your cryptic psychological insights. You mentioned on the phone that you wanted to revive... the Beast?"
Madam Gao smiled, with a hint of reverence in her tone. "To be precise, we intend to channel the power of this ancient demon god into our world. Daredevil remains alive because he is the perfect vessel for the Beast."
Daredevil's eyes widened in horror. He had certainly heard of the Beast before and immediately shouted, "Are you insane? You'll plunge all of New York into irreversible catastrophe!"
Kingpin picked up the discarded mask from the floor, approached Daredevil, and smiled coldly. "I have no alternative. That Hell's Butcher has become too formidable a threat. For the future of New York's underworld, this is our only recourse. Blame him if you must."
With that, he stuffed the mask into Daredevil's mouth, muffling his protests to unintelligible sounds.
Kingpin turned back to Madam Gao. "So, what must we do to summon this... 'Beast'?"
...
Before Alessa could finish her account, Jason sat bolt upright, shock evident on his face.
Damn it. The Hand actually plans to summon the Beast?
He wondered if the Ancient One knew about this threat. He had asked for her help to return home, but she had ignored his requests. Perhaps she was visiting another dimension?
Deep in thought, he beckoned to Alessa, who obediently lay down. Once again, he bit into her neck.
What he injected this time was his unique Daywalker blood.
After becoming a vampire, Alessa's physical capabilities had been greatly enhanced, but her weaknesses were obvious and easily exploited. After receiving Jason's Daywalker's Blood, not only did her three major vulnerabilities disappear, but her physical prowess increased further, and her blood thirst diminished significantly.
Combined with her poison skills, her combat effectiveness had increased exponentially. Even if she returned to the Hand, few could match her in battle.
After she departed, Jason continued strategizing.
For a threat of this magnitude, he needed to contact SHIELD. They couldn't simply stand idle while claiming to maintain world peace!
He woke David and instructed him to call the number from their previous contact.
The call connected quickly, and Coulson's voice came through. "Hello?"
"Are Hawkeye and Black Widow currently in New York? Tell them to postpone the search for Dreykov—there's a potential catastrophe brewing in the city. Have them both ready to mobilize at my signal. Additionally, SHIELD must prepare evacuation protocols for civilians and be ready to follow my command when the time comes."
Click.
The line went dead.
Coulson, jarred from his sleep, listened to the dial tone with bewilderment written across his face.
Was that call from Hell's Butcher or from Director Fury?
You issued orders with such authority and efficiency—what clearance level are you operating at?
I'm level eight, and nobody except the Director speaks to me that way!
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Coulson nonetheless knew the work had to be done. He retrieved his phone, located Fury's number, and dialed.
"Hey?"
"Sir, I need to inform you that this Hell's Butcher character is overstepping his boundaries..."
...
The following morning, a familiar face arrived at the church.
Wesley was a novice assassin who had recently completed the martial arts training of the Fraternity.
The system didn't register him as target, indicating he hadn't yet carried out any missions. This was precisely why Wesley had sought out Jason.
The previous day, he had received his first assassination assignment but had hesitated.
He couldn't bring himself to kill a stranger.
Moreover, he recalled Jason's earlier advice to consult him before executing his first kill mission.
Wesley explained his situation, and Jason nodded with satisfaction.
"You're fortunate you followed my instructions. Otherwise, I would have killed you myself."
Wesley froze, wondering if he had misheard.
How could the priest—once so compassionate and gentle during their counseling sessions—utter such a threat?
Seeing his incredulous expression, Jason smiled and extended his finger like a blade. "Come, try to stop me."
His arm left a blur of motion as his finger stopped mere millimeters from Wesley's eye.
Wesley stumbled backward, shock evident on his face.
The Fraternity had many capable members, but none possessed such terrifying speed and precision!
His heart pounded as though he were facing an ancient predator.
Jason advanced slowly. "I said, stop me!"
Everything around Wesley became a blur, and again came the shadow of the finger.
Wesley pushed his abilities to their absolute limit.
Adrenaline surged through his system, and his perception of time slowed—everything except that relentless finger!
He backpedaled clumsily, like a toddler learning to walk.
The third attempt.
Once again, the finger stopped with precision just short of his eye.
Jason slowly withdrew his hand and stood with arms clasped behind his back.
Wesley's shirt clung to his sweat-soaked back as he gasped for air, like a drowning man who had just broken the surface.
"Father... who are you?"
"I am... a knight of God!"
Wesley remained bewildered. "What... what does that mean?"
"I am a knight sent by the divine to punish evil... This world will either be purified by my hand or destroyed by it!"
"I... I don't understand..."
Jason had succeeded in his first conversion attempt—not because of any particular improvement in his technique, but because Wesley was exceptionally naive.
After all, in the original timeline, this man had been easily manipulated by the Fraternity into killing his own father.
Jason had provided spiritual counseling to Wesley many times before and had already established credibility with him.
This outcome was almost inevitable.
In the church's backyard, Jason revealed the true nature of the Brotherhood to Wesley.
Wesley was stunned into silence.
"You mean the Fraternity trained me to kill my own father?"
"Yes."
Jason nodded solemnly. "Fraternity leader Sloan betrayed the organization for financial gain. He forged assassination lists and ordered the deaths of innocent people according to his whims. Every murder carried out by the Fraternity was orchestrated by his corruption! Your father discovered this treachery and left to stop Sloan."
Wesley suddenly connected the pieces. "Then Fox..."
"She was a true believer, but unfortunately... the Loom of Fate couldn't save her."
Wesley collapsed into a nearby chair, devastated.
He could scarcely comprehend that Sloan—a man of eloquent speech and refined manners—would betray everything the Fraternity supposedly stood for.
Damn, that manipulative old man is terrifying!
"What should I do now?"
"First, find your biological father. Then, the Fraternity requires a thorough purification!"
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