Blade's Decision

Down in the lab, the heroes were reviewing data on the mermaids and their Limited Biocodes.

"Although they were incomplete, the Limited Biocodes within Lucia and the others are constantly evolving," Tony said.

"Evolving?" Lucia asked.

"Living beings adapt to their surroundings to deal with harsh conditions," Tony explained. "By going through those battles by our side, the Biocodes installed in your DNA have grown stronger."

"So you're saying it's gotten strong enough to fend off vampire attacks?" Blade asked.

"Most likely. I'd say it's the Biocode reacting to protect the host. It's amazing, really!" Tony said.

"So our Biocodes protected us…" Caren said.

"I'm glad to hear that our partners have been growing stronger alongside us through our battles," Thor said.

"Lucia, Caren. Your Biocodes aren't limited versions anymore. They've evolved. So… let's say Evolution Biocodes, a new power you can apply," Tony said.

"Evolution Biocodes?" Lucia asked.

"Yeah," Tony said.

"So… what's 'evolution' again?" Lucia asked, causing Tony to nearly face fault.

"Like we said, it means 'to adapt.' Weren't you listening?" Pepper explained.

Then suddenly, the alarm rang.

"They're here," Blade said.

"Baron Blood?" Tony guessed.

"No, it's not. Baron Blood doesn't like getting his hands dirty. He'd rather play tactician with his men," Blade said.

Outside the base, there were many vampires ready to swarm the building at given notice.

"He wouldn't appear before us that easily. More likely, he's watching from a safe distance."

Sure enough, that's exactly what Baron Blood was doing, along with Jubei.

"Go forth, my minions!" Baron Blood ordered.

"Mighty Thor! Iron Man!"

"D-Smash!"

"For the glory of Asgard!"

"It's pest control time!"

Thor and Iron Man then rushed out, armed with silver swords.

The teens, Hippo, Pepper, and Jocasta went to the window to see the fight, when a vampire suddenly latched onto the window, followed by countless others, trying to get inside.

Then, Iron Man and Thor each cut down a vampire, leading to the others trying to jump on them, only to be cut down by Blade's shuriken.

Iron Man and Thor flew through more swarms slashing any vampires they could.

Then, Iron Man got ganged up by several vampires like before, only this time things were different.

"Not this time!" Iron Man used his sword to slash the swarm all at once.

Thor switched weapons back to Mjolnir to strike the vampires with lightning to paralyze them, before cutting them down with the silver sword.

"Blade, my old nemesis… This is only the opening act. Your night of torment is just beginning!" Baron Blood said as he laughed.

Back at the base, Blade slayed the last remaining vampires.

"That was the last of them," Thor said.

"Well, that takes care of that," Iron Man said.

"No. Not quite," Blade said, and he looked up to the roof, where the hypnotized mermaids made their way up.

"Hey, we talked about this! It's just brainwashing! Get back inside for the time being," Iron Man said as he and Thor were sent back to their DISKs, and Blade complied.

From outside, the five hypnotized mermaids banged on the window trying to get in.

Lucia and Caren tried using their singing to undo the hypnosis, but it had no effect on them.

"Lucia, Caren… let us in," Coco demanded.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Hanon said.

"C'mon, join us," Seira said.

"Can't you hear us out here?!" Rina demanded.

"Caren… my dear little sister…" Noel pleaded.

"This is how vampires… how Baron Blood operates," Blade said as he watched the scene.

"Blade, can't we do something?" Caren asked.

"When the night ends and the sun rises… All vampires turn to ash," Blade said.

"But the girls have only been brainwashed into thinking they're vampires!" Pepper said.

"The nocebo effect… The strong hypnotism they're under affects their bodies severely," Blade said. "When sunlight hits them, they may not burn, but it could still be dangerous."

"Oh no! We need to gather them and take them somewhere safe!" Pepper said.

"You mean lock them in a dark room?" Blade asked.

"If that's what it takes," Pepper said.

"They'll just scream and claw at the walls with no rest, withering away without eating or drinking. Baron Blood won't reveal himself until they're almost gone," Blade explained.

"That's a lot of assumptions! Tell us a way to save the girls then!" Pepper said. "I thought you were a professional with this thing!"

"Exactly. And that is why I have to tell you this won't end well," Blade said, to everyone's shock. "Whether he actually sucked their blood or not… the mermaids are…"

However, before he could finish, Lucia and Caren interrupted him.

"No! They're all our precious friends who have been with us through tough times together!" Lucia said.

"Blade, don't you understand a person's heart? You feel it in your heart, don't you? Sorrow for your mother?" Caren asked. "We're the same, aren't we?!"

"Caren, that's enough," Thor said.

"Iron Man, Thor. Think practically," Blade said.

"We are," Tony said, and he looked outside at the other Avengers' DISKs. "Blade, tell us about Baron Blood's M.O."

Blade stared at Tony and pondered before making his decision. "Alright, I'll tell you."

Meanwhile, Baron Blood and Jubei continued watching from their vantage point when they spotted Blade coming out by himself.

"Oh, Blade's come out alone. What is he planning?" Jubei wondered.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter now! Unless he can defeat me, nothing can break my spell!" Baron Blood dismissed.

Then, he exerted his influence over the mermaids. "Attack!"

The girls obeyed and charged at Blade, ready to attack.

"My minions, tear him to pieces!"

"What will you do now, Blade?"

As the five girls growled menacingly, Blade drew his sword, pointing at them.

Back with Lucia, Caren, and Pepper, they were inside, hiding as they watched.

"Have faith in my plan… and Blade's humanity," Tony said.

"Perfect! When dealing with vampires, he shows no hesitation, no regret, and no mercy! That's Blade, my ever-predictable nemesis!" Baron Blade boasted at seemingly knowing his archnemesis all too well.

"These vampires… their evil goes far beyond any scum I've worked with in the criminal underworld," Jubei said, somewhat unnerved by Baron Blood's evil.

"While it would be easy, it would be a shame to end this splendid show so quickly. Let's take this to the next stage! Slaves, time to D-Smash!" Baron Blood ordered while mimicking the action.

"What?!" Jubei asked.

Following their orders, the five mermaids D-Smashed their partners.

"Huh, just as expected," Tony said.

"And the next part will depend on them," Thor said.

Back outside, Captain America, Wasp, Captain Marvel, Hulk, and Vision turned to see their partners.

"What's going on?" Captain America asked.

"Hanon!" Captain Marvel said.

"That's right… we were ambushed at the museum and a vampire cast a spell on them…" Wasp recalled. "Coco, snap out of it!"

"Forget it. There's no way to save them now," Blade said, drawing attention to himself.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Captain Marvel asked.

"The sword that slays a vampire in one swing… Blade!"

The five Avengers got ready to fight when…

"Cap…"

Cap turned to see Noel, who was seemingly struggling. "It hurts… help…"

"Noel!"

"Wasp…"

"Vision…"

Concerned for the mermaids' safety, the Avengers put up their guard.

"Put that weapon away, Blade!" Captain America demanded.

"We won't let you hurt Rina and the others!" Hulk said.

Behind them, their partners grinned evilly that the Avengers bought their ruse.

"Move. If you stand in my way, I'll cut you down too," Blade threatened.

Meanwhile, the villains were pleased by this development.

"Mutual destruction, huh?" Jubei said.

"Wonderful! Has there ever been such a night of malice in history? I think not!"

Back with the Avengers, they made their move.

"Shield Throw!" Captain America threw his shield at Blade, who managed to catch it and threw it back.

Then, Blade came down from above with his sword, which was blocked by Captain America's shield. Blade then whispered, "Hold down the girls," to Cap's surprise.

Blade then engaged Hulk and Vision. Blade parried Vision's laser and dodged his densified punch. Then as Hulk swung his right arm, Blade jumped and landed on it and avoided the swing of Hulk's other arm.

"Trigger a Biocode Synchro."

Moving on, next were Wasp and Captain Marvel. Blade parried Wasp's Wasp Sting attacks and then used the back of his sword to block Captain Marvel's Blast Punch attack.

"This is Iron Man's plan!"

As the Avengers regrouped, they noticed Lucia and Caren inside, who nodded, confirming Blade's words. Now that they were in the know, they knew exactly what they had to do.

Meanwhile, Baron Blood watched in anticipation of the results. "Now then, who will fall first? Blade? The Avengers? The mermaids? It's all the same to me!"

Then, Jubei noticed something off.

"What's wrong?" Baron Blood asked.

Back with the Avengers, they were now restraining their hypnotized partners.

"Tch. What a dull development," Baron Blood said, disappointed. "Oh well. Those girls will break down eventually."

"Do a Biocode Reverse Synchro!" Iron Man instructed, as Lucia and Caren, both transformed, ran out of the building.

"Do what?!" Baron Blood asked.

"Reverse Synchro?" Captain America asked.

"Think back! All those times the girls have shared their energy with us! This time try doing the reverse!" Iron Man said. "Pour your strength into them and trigger their Biocodes!"

"Is that even possible?!" Hulk asked.

"It's the same as when I saved Caren from the influence of the Dimension Sphere!" Thor said.

"You can! I'm sure of it!" Caren said.

"The Biocodes connect us… right to our very souls!"

Hearing the encouraging words, the Avengers became determined to do it.

"How futile! As long as I stand, nothing can break their mind control!" Baron Blood said, but he was soon taken aback by the next development.

"Noel, take my power. You can do it," Captain America said.

"You guys are strong. Hang in there!" Hulk said.

"You gave us power. When it all seemed lost, you were the ones who gave us hope," Wasp said.

"You fought alongside us of your own free will, asking for nothing in return," Vision said.

"So let us return that favor now!" Captain Marvel said.

The reverse sync of the Biocodes radiated an intense light that blinded Baron Blood. "No, my eyes!"

"I can feel my power draining!" Hulk said.

"No, not draining. It's our power flowing into them!" Captain America said. "Keep it up, Avengers!"

"Your evolved Biocodes can fight this evil brainwashing! Keep going!" Iron Man cheered.

"Don't let up! You can do it!" Thor cheered.

"C'mon, Biocodes! Help us!" Lucia said.

"Lucia, let's sing again!" Caren said. "This time, it should work!"

"Yeah!" Lucia said.

Caren and Lucia sang together, and combined with the Biocode Synchro, it radiated an even more intense light that harmed Baron Blood where he stood.

"What's going on?!" Jubei asked as he shielded his eyes

"NO! This light… it burns just like the sun!" Baron Blood was severely weakened by the light, causing his dark power to be released from his body.

Back at the Avengers base, it was noticed by the heroes.

"There he is! Baron Blood!" Blade said.

Then, as the Avengers were recalled back to their DISKs, Baron Blood's control was purged from the mermaids, leaving them groggy.

"Ugh, what happened?" Hanon asked.

"Hanon, D-Smash Nova! Hurry!" Caren said.

"What?"

"No time, hurry!"

Despite the lack of explanations, she did as she was told. "Nova, D-Smash!"

"Whew, I'm lean, green, and on the scene! It's so good to be out!" Nova said.

"Nova!" Lucia passed Nova an empty DISK.

"Go with Blade to that rooftop!" Iron Man ordered.

"Wait, who? A new Avenger?" Nova asked.

"Do it now!" Iron Man and Blade yelled.

"Okay, okay… your wish is my command," Nova said as he picked up Blade and flew to the roof.

"Go!" Lucia cheered.

"Okay, so what did we miss?" Rina asked.

"So here's what happened…" Caren said.

On the roof, Blade engaged in battle against Baron Blood with assistance from Nova.

Blade rapidly slashed at Baron Blood, with the evil vampire managing to avoid the sword. Then, Blade kicked Baron Blood, knocking him back.

As Baron Blood got back on his feet, he dodged a laser blast from Nova.

"Love this vantage point!" Nova said as he fired another light blast at Baron Blood.

"Blade, you have succeeded in nothing! There are vampires scattered all over the globe! Defeating me will not end your fight by a longshot!" Baron Blade said.

"Then I'll keep fighting until this sword in my hand breaks. I am Blade… and cutting is what I do!"

Then, Baron Blood got on all fours and charged.

"Nova Blast!" Nova fired light blasts at Baron Blood, forcing him to stop his charge to dodge.

Then, Nova's time expired. "Time's up. The rest is up to you!" Nova was then recalled to the DISK.

Then, Blade with his sword drawn, charged at Baron Blood, who did the same, eventually clashing.

After a dramatic pause, Blade struck a winning pose while Baron Blood collapsed on the ground.

"D-Secure." Blade D-Secured Baron Blood, with the DISK classifying him as Fight Class.

Jubei, who was watching, chose the moment to flee, teleporting away.

The next day, the teens, Hippo, Pepper, and Blade were down in the lab.

Blade took a look at Baron Blood's DISK before putting it away.

"You have our gratitude, Blade," Thor said.

"Just doing the same job as always, hunting down vampires," Blade said.

"Exactly. And if I recall correctly, when you thought you were vampires, he was gonna-" Tony said, but was interrupted by Lucia before he could finish.

"The power of the sun… it's warm and its bright rays give life. Vampires and other creatures of darkness fear its radiance," Blade said. "Lucia, I see that same light like the sun in the Evolution Biocodes flowing inside you and your friends. Thank you." He then held out a hand for her to shake. "You're a kind soul." He said while smiling.

"Thank you," Lucia said as she shook Blade's hand.

"The vampire clans. I myself have battled Baron Blood several times before. He's a rough adversary," Cap said. "Once our battle with Imperious is done, we'd be glad to assist you. Until then, good luck to you."

Everyone then noticed Blade looking at the Dimensional Wormhole Generator.

"Is something troubling you?" Cap asked.

"That machine…" Blade said.

"It's the Dimensional Wormhole Generator," Seira replied.

"Mr. Stark built this to rescue Dr. Akatsuki. He's trapped somewhere in the Dark Dimension," Noel added.

"Thanks to that vampire fiasco, we didn't have much time… but isn't it about time to test this thing?" Kaito asked, and Noel nodded.

"Ah, that's right. Sorry, Blade. We've got an experiment to do," Tony said.

"Since you're here, why not stick around and see it work?" Coco suggested.

"Yeah, check it out!" Lucia said.

"My advice, don't turn it on," Blade said, to the surprise of everyone.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"The Dark Dimension… From my job, you hear about that place too often. A place where countless evil entities roam," Blade said. "Others say that it's a total vacuum devoid of even the tiniest sound of life. There's no one alive to confirm its nature. If you go messing around in there…" Then Blade held out a flask of holy water towards the portal, and the water turned putrid green and started bubbling. "You'd regret it."

"What should we do?" Lucia asked Tony.

"Let's postpone this for now," Tony said, and everyone remained silent as the gravity of their situation became apparent.

Later that evening, Blade went on his way, and down in the lab, Lucia was taking a nap when she woke up and prepared to head up.

"Help me…" A voice that sounded like Dr. Akatsuki's was heard.

Lucia tried looking around for the source of the voice. "Was it my imagination?"

"Someone… Please help me… Anyone!" Dr. Akatsuki's voice was heard again.

"Dr. Akatsuki?!" Lucia asked.

Upstairs, everyone else was in the living room when they heard a sound coming from the lab.

"What was that sound?" Noel wondered.

"Don't tell me…" Hippo said. "Miss Lucia!"

Back in the lab, the generator had opened a wormhole, but the one that stepped out didn't seem to be Dr. Akatsuki. He wore a black bodysuit with yellow trims and a mask. There was also a katana at his hip fastened with a yellow sash.

"Who… are you?" Lucia asked.

The intruder simply made his way to the machine containing the Dimension Sphere and reached out his hand, causing the Sphere to emit black electricity and shatter the glass, allowing the masked man to take it.

"Iron Man, D-Smash!"

"What's going on here?" Iron Man asked as he materialized. "Who're you?!"

The masked man did not respond, simply tossing the Dimension Sphere in his hands.

"Why you…! Repulsor!" Iron Man fired several Repulsors, but the masked man simply blocked the shots with his katana.

Iron Man then flew at the man to get the Dimension Sphere back, but the swordsman kept him at bay with his sword.

Iron Man did eventually manage to grab the Sphere, but it let out a burst of negative energy that sent Iron Man flying into the wormhole generator, damaging it.

"Iron Man!" Lucia shouted.

The generator then stopped working and shut down as the Dimension Sphere energy lingered in Iron Man's hand before disappearing.

"Give that back! We need it to save Dr. Akatsuki from the Dark Dimension!" Lucia demanded, but the masked man ignored her. She then tried to get the Sphere back herself, but she was easily knocked aside.

"Who are you?!" Lucia asked.

"The name's Ronin," Ronin introduced himself before using the Dimension Sphere's power to blast a hole in the wall to make his escape.

"Lucia!" Kaito shouted as he and his friends ran into the lab, only to see the aftermath of Ronin's arrival.

"What have I done…?" Lucia somberly said.