Duncan gazed at Gunther's pale face, a smirk playing across his lips. "Quite impressive, that ability of yours. Shadows..." he mused, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity. With a sickening squelch, he withdrew his hand from Gunther's chest, allowing the knight's lifeless body to crumple to the ground.
Holding out his hand, Duncan examined it with clinical interest. A black, inky substance clung to his skin, slowly sinking into his flesh. He cast a final glance at Gunther's corpse. "What a shame. You would have made an excellent disciple."
At the edge of the rooftop, Randal and Reggie stood frozen, their shock rapidly giving way to unbridled fury. Their eyes bled red, fangs elongating as rage consumed them. 'Gunther... our brother... gone?' The thought echoed in their minds, fueling their wrath.
With a primal roar, they launched themselves forward, the concrete beneath their feet shattering from the force of their takeoff. Their shadows writhed and twisted, forming deadly weapons as they closed in on Duncan.
The ancient vampire regarded their approach with an almost bored expression. As Randal and Reggie swung at him simultaneously, Duncan saw their fists approaching in near slow-motion. With a casual sidestep that defied human perception, he sent both knights tumbling past him.
'Impossible!' Reggie thought, his mind reeling at Duncan's inhuman speed.
But a more immediate threat was unfolding. Blake, kneeling beside Gunther's body, was spiraling into a berserker state. His body trembled, bordering on hysteria. "No, no, no," he muttered, his voice cracking.
Memories flashed through Blake's mind. Gunther insisting on coming along, saying Blake would need all the help he could get against Elena and Damien. 'If only I'd made him stay behind. If only I'd been more aware, more cautious. If only...'
Blake's thoughts suddenly crystallized into a single, burning desire. 'If only I'd stop crying and kill this monster in front of me!'
His eyes began to bleed red, tears evaporating before they could fall. Veins bulged beneath his skin, pulsing an angry red as unimaginable power surged through him.
Before Randal and Reggie could fully recover, Blake exploded into motion, charging at Duncan with murderous intent.
"You'll pay for this!" Blake roared, his blood coalescing into a massive, serrated blade. He swung it at Duncan's neck with enough force to level a building.
Duncan merely raised an eyebrow, catching the blood blade between two fingers. "Impressive," he said, his voice maddeningly calm. With a flick of his wrist, he shattered Blake's construct, sending him stumbling backward.
Duncan merely smiled. As the shadow net closed around him, he disappeared in a blur of motion. Suddenly, he was behind all three of them. "An admirable effort," he said, "but futile."
In a series of movements too fast for the eye to follow, Duncan unleashed a barrage of strikes. Blake felt ribs shatter, Reggie's arm snapped like a twig, and Randal's face caved in under the onslaught.
All three of them were sent flying, crashing into various parts of the rooftop. They lay there, broken and battered, their bodies struggling to heal from the devastating damage.
Duncan stood in the center of the carnage, not a hair out of place. "Is this truly the best you can offer?" he asked, his voice dripping with disappointment.
But even as he spoke, Blake was pushing himself up, blood oozing from countless wounds. 'I can't give up,' he thought, his determination burning brighter than ever. 'Gunther didn't die for nothing!'
Reggie and Randal were rising too, their bodies battered but their spirits unbroken. 'For Gunther,' they thought in unison, 'we fight!'
As one, they charged at Duncan again, unleashing everything they had left. Blake's blood formed into a massive, roaring dragon. Reggie and Randal's shadows merged into a colossal warrior, its fists raised to strike.
Duncan watched their approach, a small smile playing on his lips. "Perhaps there's hope for you yet," he murmured, as he prepared to meet their assault head-on.
The rooftop shook with the force of their clash, the very air seeming to tremble in the face of such overwhelming power. But even as they gave their all, pushing themselves beyond their limits, the outcome was never in doubt.
Duncan moved like a force of nature, untouchable and unstoppable. He shattered Blake's blood dragon with a single punch, dispersed the shadow warrior with a wave of his hand, and sent all three of his opponents crashing to the ground once more.
As they lay there, broken and bleeding, Duncan stood over them, his expression a mixture of disappointment and intrigue. "You have potential, all of you," he said. "But you're not ready. Not yet."
Blake, Reggie, and Randal struggled to move, their bodies pushed far beyond their limits. But in their eyes burned an unquenchable fire, a promise that this fight was far from over.
The night had taken an unexpected turn, revealing the true depths of Duncan's power and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood against him. As the rain continued to fall, washing away the blood and shadows, one thing was clear - this was only the beginning of a much larger war.