Using the cover of the night, Bruce, with Batman's agility, swiftly circled the entire cathedral. He zeroed in on a young member of the Blood Clan, the zealous figure striding away.
The youth had just argued with his companions over a piece of prey that was scarcely enough to feed three vampires. In the quarrel, the frail victim had been killed. By the time Bruce arrived, the other two vampires were tag-teaming to drive away this unlucky fellow, refusing to share the meager food supply.
Blood Queen Mary had decreed that ordinary humans should not be exploited excessively, so food was not abundant. Unfortunately, these vampires, whose blood purity was subpar, required a great amount of food to sustain their strength. Once starved, their appetite and bloodlust, hundreds of times stronger than that of humans, would drive them crazy.
Bruce was aware of this, so he quietly descended from the balcony high above, landing right in front of this vampire. The young vampire, hungry and dizzy, didn't give Bruce a second glance before lunging at him.
The vampire was fast, but Bruce was not slow. He had observed the terrain while patrolling the roofs, hence he began a mad dash, leading the starved vampire back to the entrance of the prayer room.
He swiftly shut the door and held onto the lock. The starved young vampire, in his desperation, clawed at the lock. With a sharp crack, the metal lock fell and the doorboard was scratched into pieces.
"Aaahhhhhh!!"
The screams of the youth echoed in the cathedral. Moments later, Bruce lay pale-faced on the chair in the prayer room, his chest bearing a long wound. Cain's icy eyes teemed with murder as he eyed Blood Queen Mary, who was prone on the floor.
"Who gave you the right to harm my prey?!" His furious tone was unmistakable. Mary replied in terror, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I failed to keep my descendants in check. They're still young and don't know the rules. I really didn't know..."
Her explanation did nothing to quench Cain's fury. He reached out, a shapeless force hoisting Mary into the air. He clenched his hand, causing her eyes to bulge instantly. Her throat was nearly snapped.
Following this, torrents of blood spewed from her mouth, nose, and eyes onto Cain's hand. When Mary fell to the ground, she was panting heavily on the brink of death, too weak to stand.
Cain had stripped her of eighty percent of her power, leaving her no different from the lowest vampires. He coldly glanced at her, saying, "Do you think you're that important to me? I am the progenitor of all vampires. Upon my return, regardless of the Esoteric Sect or the Demon Sect, all will unite. Your stupid plans will only slow me down."
"Get out!" Cain turned around to order her mercilessly.
With a loud bang, he closed the door to the prayer room. Lifting his hand, he channelled a surge of healing energy into Bruce's body, which promptly knit the wounds shut.
"I didn't let him bite my neck because I thought it might upset you," Bruce mumbled, head bowed. "But it was really terrible. Is it going to hurt this much when you bite me?"
Cain paused at his words, taken aback. Still, he shook his head and said, "No, you won't feel a thing."
"So, I have to lie in that damn coffin for seven days, unable to see you?"
Cain paused again. As Bruce's blue eyes stared into his, he instinctively refrained from speaking the truth at the tip of his tongue.
Hence, his words took a roundabout turn: "The longer you lie there, the greater your power will become."
"But I don't need such immense power."
The implication in those words couldn't be more obvious. As Cain gazed into Bruce's eyes, he found himself at a loss for words.
"The sooner it starts, the sooner it will end," Cain managed to say, but Bruce kept staring blankly at him. He had to add, "And you can see me even sooner."
"What the hell are you doing?!!" Beelzebub almost screamed, "I know you humans don't differentiate between the sacred and profane, but...don't tell me you are... you can't be serious?!!"
Bruce paid him no heed and kept his eyes on Cain. After a long while, a hint of vulnerability broke through his stoic demeanor. The expression in his icy blue eyes seemed to have melted.
"Let's do it now." Bruce rose, walked towards Cain arriving only steps away, physically, and stared straight into his eyes. "Grant me the strength to protect myself and prevent anything as terrifying from happening again."
Cain looked at the fear in his eyes. There was no sense of accomplishment as before but an unnoticeable sadness and anger he didn't realize he possessed.
The next second, Cain pulled Bruce's upper body into an embrace. Tilting Bruce's head to one side, his fangs were pressed to the nape of his neck.
"Pff Mrn..."
His sharp fangs pierced the blood vessels. The taste of the delightful blood filled his mouth. However, instead of immense power, he felt a terrifying insanity rooted deep within the world, one so unresisting.
Cain's eyes widened slowly. He huffed rapidly, his heart pounded like never before. He struggled as if something had ensnared him.
The moment his fangs were pulled out, flecks of blood sprayed out, revealing Bruce's icy expression.
Cain darted backward, released his fangs, and clutched his neck. He then retreated weakly and quickly, suppressing his expression. His power surged, but it did nothing to alleviate his pain as if he had downed a poison which had no cure.
Short, rapid breaths escaped his throat, as if something was at the brink of being ejected from his larynx.
Suddenly, he froze and lowered his head, standing there like a statue. After a while, he began to shrug his shoulders.
When a low, almost inaudible chuckle filled the cathedral, Bruce, his neck and shoulders soaked in blood, calmly spoke.
"Be it who I hate or love, who hurt or was hurt by me, who fought with me and drank my blood, who tries to hurt or save me, there will only be one in the end - the Joker."
The crazy scene had Beelzebub rooted. He bellowed in Bruce's mind, "For heaven's sake! What have you done to Cain?!"
Then he asked in an almost crumbling tone, "Batman! What are you doing?! Why are you doing this???"
Bruce's calm voice sounded again.
"Nothing much, Joker's addiction's just kicking in."