The rooftop erupted into chaos as Blake and Damien collided. Their initial clash sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, momentarily drowning out the sounds of combat around them. Rain poured down in sheets, turning the concrete into a treacherous arena.
Blake's blood scythe met Damien's ice-covered fist with a resounding crack. Crimson droplets and ice shards exploded outward, glittering in the dim light. Their faces were inches apart, contorted with effort and rage.
"Is that all you've got, old man?" Blake taunted, his eyes blazing. He pushed harder, feeling the ice around Damien's fist begin to crack.
Damien's lips curled into a sneer. "I'm just getting started, boy." With a sudden burst of strength, he shoved Blake back, following up with a barrage of icy projectiles.
Blake's mind raced as he assessed the incoming attack. 'Too many to dodge. Time to get creative.' His blood scythe dissolved, reforming into a massive shield. The ice shards embedded themselves in the crimson barrier with dull thuds.
'Predictable,' Damien thought, already moving. He slid across the wet rooftop on a path of ice, circling behind Blake with inhuman speed.
But Blake had anticipated this. As Damien closed in, Blake's shield exploded outward, transforming into a writhing mass of tendrils. They lashed out, seeking to ensnare the ice vampire.
Damien's eyes widened in surprise. 'Clever trick.' He created an ice slide, launching himself skyward to avoid the blood tendrils. From his elevated position, he formed a massive icicle, hurling it down at Blake like a javelin.
Blake's battle IQ kicked into overdrive. 'Too big to dodge, too dense to block.' Instead of evading, he extended his hand. The blood tendrils coalesced, forming a giant crimson hand that caught the icicle mid-air.
"You're not the only one with an imagination, Blake," Damien sneered. "Let's see how your parlor tricks fare against true power!"
The hydra heads struck out, engaging Damien's ice warriors in a frenzied battle. Each collision sent sprays of blood and ice across the rooftop. The concrete beneath their feet began to crack and splinter from the force of their combat.
Blake and Damien circled each other, their creations battling around them. Rain continued to pour, turning the rooftop into a slick, treacherous battlefield.
"You know, Damien," Blake called out, his voice dripping with disdain, "I always wondered what Rose saw in you. Now I see it was nothing but a sad, pathetic old man clinging to power he doesn't deserve."
Damien's face contorted with fury. "You dare speak her name?" He thrust his hands forward, sending a barrage of ice spears hurtling towards Blake. "You, who corrupted her, who turned her against her own kind!"
Blake's blood hydra intervened, one of its heads taking the brunt of the attack. "Corrupted her?" Blake scoffed, launching a counterattack of his own. Blood daggers materialized in the air around him, streaking towards Damien. "I loved her, you delusional bastard. Something you could never understand!"
Damien's ice warriors formed a protective wall, sacrificing themselves to block the blood daggers. "Love?" he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "What do you know of love? You, barely more than a child, thinking you could comprehend the bond between true immortals?"
As they traded blows and insults, both vampires were acutely aware of their surroundings. The rooftop had become a war zone, pockmarked with craters and slick with a mixture of water, blood, and melting ice. Neither had gained a clear advantage, their attacks either dodged or neutralized with frustrating efficiency.
Blake's mind raced as he formulated his next move. 'He's tough, I'll give him that. But he's also arrogant. Maybe I can use that against him.' Aloud, he taunted, "For someone so ancient and powerful, you're not doing too well against a 'child', are you, Damien?"
Damien's eyes flashed dangerously. "You want to see power, boy? I'll show you power!!" He raised his arms, and the very moisture in the air began to freeze. The raindrops transformed into a swirling vortex of ice shards, surrounding Damien like a frozen tornado.