Marvel: Death Knight

On a bustling street, a Black man in a long black coat agilely leaped between moving cars, drawing angry curses from the drivers.

With each flash of his gleaming silver sword, another vampire was reduced to ash.

But one figure remained intact, lying on the ground and clutching his abdomen where the blade had struck.

"You're as clueless as ever. I'm not a vampire." The man spat blood as he spoke. Blade's sword had impaled him, but he hadn't disintegrated like the others.

"I'm human," the man added, removing a set of fake fangs from his mouth. Despite his pain, his face betrayed a mix of anguish and amusement. "You fell for it—ha!"

"Damn it!" Blade muttered, irritated.

He instinctively glanced over his shoulder, spotting a woman on a nearby rooftop holding a camera, pointed directly at him. A sense of foreboding washed over him.

It was a trap.

The next day, Blade's actions were all over the news:

"Gunfight erupts as cloaked man goes on a killing spree, leaving four dead…"

While he watched the report, a faint noise outside caught his attention.

Blade moved to the window and saw heavily armed forces advancing stealthily toward his hideout.

They were fast, too fast. This was no coincidence—it was meticulously planned.

Smoke grenades were lobbed into the building, shrouding the entire area in a dense, suffocating haze.

It was a knockout gas.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion Headquarters

Nick Fury stared at the news footage, his perpetually grim expression betraying no emotion.

Three city blocks blocked off. Ten vampires dead. Four civilians killed. Over a dozen vehicles destroyed.

Blade's latest incident was colossal in scale.

Previously, Blade had only hunted vampires, leaving no evidence behind. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assistance in covering up his actions, the authorities had been kept in the dark. But this time, the deaths of several civilians and the leaked footage had drawn the FBI's attention. Fury knew they wouldn't let this go.

The FBI had always been a thorn in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side, with overlapping jurisdictions leading to frequent tension. But Fury couldn't afford to lose Blade. Half-human, half-vampire, Blade was a formidable ally—and the Avengers needed his strength.

Fury picked up the phone and dialed.

"Director Buck, I understand you've detained someone called Blade," Fury began.

On the other end, FBI Director Buck had just seen Blade escorted into an interrogation room when his phone rang.

"Well, Fury, you're as well-informed as ever," Buck sneered. "But this time, we beat you to it. S.H.I.E.L.D. is as useless as ever."

It wasn't often Buck got the upper hand against Fury, and he wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

"I'm not here to argue. I want Blade transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody," Fury said, cutting to the chase.

Before Fury could finish, Buck interrupted with a roar. "Not a chance! He's our key detainee now!"

"Fine. I'll call the President. Let's see if you can hold your ground," Fury replied, nonchalant, and promptly hung up.

Buck, seething with rage, hurled his phone across the room.

Fury wasted no time, placing another call—this time to the President of the United States.

"Mr. President, I need the FBI to release someone to S.H.I.E.L.D."

President Donald, newly inaugurated, was well aware of the friction between the two agencies. Curious about Fury's request, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Blade."

The President paused, trying to recall the name. "Wait, do you mean the vigilante who killed four innocent people on that overpass yesterday?"

Fury quickly explained the situation. After some deliberation, the President relented.

"I'll have Director Buck release him to you. But you must ensure Blade doesn't cause another public incident like this."

After securing the President's approval, Fury summoned Agent Phil Coulson.

"Coulson, get in touch with Tony Stark, Johnny Blaze, and recall Parker and Hawkeye from their missions."

Coulson raised an eyebrow, instantly grasping Fury's intent. "You're assembling the Avengers again, aren't you?"

"Exactly," Fury confirmed.

Later, Fury made another call—to Garus.

"Garus," Fury said when the line connected.

The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment before recognizing him. "Director Fury. It's been a while."

"It has," Fury replied. "I need to talk to you."

At that moment, Garus was inspecting the Blood God Crystal he had recently acquired. The sheer power contained within the artifact was staggering. He was debating whether to use it to create a powerful Sanguine or to enhance Abomination's strength further.

"What is it this time?" Garus asked, setting the crystal aside.

"That massive creature that appeared over New York—was that your doing?" Fury pressed.

"And if it was?" Garus asked casually, though he knew the implications were serious. He had been anticipating this conversation since the incident.

"I'll cut to the chase. Given recent events, I want you to join S.H.I.E.L.D. as a security consultant. I know recruiting you for the Avengers is a long shot."

Without hesitation, Garus replied, "Sure."

Fury paused, momentarily stunned by the unexpected agreement.

Garus explained, "I'll act as a consultant. That means I reserve the right to refuse any assignments. But I'll offer advice and assistance when I see fit."

For Garus, who had spent 13 years navigating the worlds of Azeroth and Marvel, Earth had become his third home. He wasn't about to let it be destroyed, even if he could survive the chaos.

"Fair enough," Fury said. "We'll send someone to your company headquarters to pick you up. By the way, we've recently captured a Kree operative. During interrogation, they revealed critical information: Thanos is planning to send the Chitauri to invade Earth."

Though Fury offered no further details about Thanos, he suspected Garus already knew more than he let on.

"We're gathering the Avengers. I'd like you to meet them."

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