Marvel - The Blood God

"The dragon bone is in the city—I can take you to it."

Mrs. Gao said helplessly, "As for the Hand's assets, I can also get them for you, but only those in North America. I can't touch the ones in Japan."

"It's in the city? Let's get it right away."

Maverick couldn't wait. He turned to Mercury and said, "Wrap things up here. Freeze what needs freezing; burn what needs burning. Don't bother with the police."

Mercury nodded. "Yes, Blood God. Leave it to me."

"Everyone, tonight we eliminated the evil Hand and achieved a great victory. This calls for a celebration. I've decided we'll have a banquet tomorrow night."

"Also, everyone here gets an extra three months' salary as a bonus."

"Long live the Blood God."

Cheers erupted, and even Frank cracked a smile. He was planning to move soon and needed the extra cash.

In the United States, class distinctions are very pronounced. The neighborhoods you can afford depend on your income, and communities of different classes vary greatly in public safety, resources, education, healthcare, and more. They're practically two separate worlds.

"Is this the dragon bone?"

Maverick took the piece of white bone Mrs. Gao handed him. It was only ten centimeters long. He frowned. "Why is it just a fragment? So small?"

"We only have this much left. If it weren't for searching for the Black Sky, we wouldn't have kept even this. It's equivalent to our lifeline."

Mrs. Gao sighed. "Don't underestimate this small piece. It's enough to resurrect two people and can be fused at least five times. The dragon bone is quite potent; otherwise, the Hand wouldn't have lasted this long."

"Really?"

Maverick enveloped the bone with his blood and found it becoming very active, eager to absorb the dragon bone.

"Just as I thought."

He was overjoyed but didn't absorb it. He needed it to break the Iron Fist's seal.

Maverick put away the dragon bone and said, "Let's head back. After I receive the Hand's inheritance, I'll freeze you like the others."

"I expected as much."

Mrs. Gao didn't plead; she calmly accepted her fate. She glanced toward Kunlun and sighed inwardly. She would never return there.

The five fingers of the Hand had different dreams. Mrs. Gao's dream was to return to Kunlun, but sadly, Kunlun would never accept her again.

Thanks to Maverick's generous compensation, the tenants of the long-term rental apartment moved out in just three days. A big word, "Demolition," was written on the wall, and it would be torn down in a few days—that word was written by Maverick himself, in Chinese.

Under the moonlight, Maverick led Mrs. Gao silently to the building's first floor. Wasting no time, he asked her to keep watch. Then he turned into blood and seeped into the ground, heading toward the location of the Iron Fist's seal.

"The power of the Blood God is really something."

Mrs. Gao was astonished. If it were up to them, they'd need a construction crew to dig down—very troublesome. But for the Blood God, it was silent and effortless.

Reaching the seal, Maverick expanded the space around him, restored the shrunken dragon bone fragment to its normal size, and controlled it to touch the glass-like energy shield of the Iron Fist's seal.

"This has to work; otherwise, I'll have to drag that silly Iron Fist here."

Under Maverick's watchful eyes, the dragon bone and the seal began to meld, like a red-hot iron rod plunging into snow.

"It's working."

He was thrilled. Increasing his power, the dragon bone moved forward. As it gradually vanished, the part of the seal it touched also dissipated.

When the dragon bone was used up, the resistance vanished, and the seal opened. Though it was just a small hole, thinner than a chopstick, it was enough for Maverick.

Excitedly, he slipped through the hole into the sealed chamber. It wasn't dark at all; a complete dragon skeleton emitted a faint red glow. It was like a dream—truly magical.

Yes, a complete dragon skeleton, and it was enormous. Even in human form, Maverick wasn't as tall as one of its ribs.

"A glowing, complete dragon bone? This is a jackpot."

He laughed. Such a treasure would not only boost his own strength but also allow him to train a legion of warriors.

In the Marvel world, you can never have too much power.

"From now on, you'll help me conquer the world."

Maverick walked up to the dragon's skull, patted its sharp teeth, and grinned.

But as the saying goes, pride comes before a fall. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he found himself in a world engulfed in flames. In the sky, a hundred-meter-long Eastern dragon with wings soared majestically. Its overwhelming presence filled the world, demanding awe.

"What the heck? Isn't this dragon supposed to be dead?"

Maverick was shocked. The dragon flew toward him, its scarlet eyes—larger than a person—staring intently as if he were prey.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Maverick asked, "Who are you?"

The dragon opened its mouth, its voice thunderous. "Human, food, servant."

The dragon let out a roar that shook the space. A powerful force sent Maverick flying, rolling over a hundred meters before he stopped.

"Impressive roar, but didn't humans defeat you?"

Undeterred, Maverick shouted back. He recalled the magnificent sword light of the Ancient One that could fill the entire world. A mere dragon thinking humans are food? Did it consider the Sorcerer Supreme?

As he thought of that sword light, a colossal, multicolored beam appeared, carrying the power to split the world, slashing toward the dragon.

"This is impossible. How can a human possess such power?" the dragon exclaimed in disbelief.

In the next moment, the dragon and the entire world were cleaved in two by the sword light, and everything collapsed into nothingness.

Maverick's consciousness blurred. He seemed to become the dragon: born, playing, hunting, invading... Memories flashed like a movie reel.

These memories were hazy, like a dream. In reality, the red glow from the dragon's skeleton was seeping into Maverick's body through its teeth, causing him to emit a radiant light.

This red glow was the remnant of the dragon's soul. After its death, it lingered on the bones. When Maverick touched it, it pulled him into its spiritual world.

The dragon soul had planned to destroy Maverick's spirit through intimidation and take over his body. But Maverick wasn't scared; Rather, he coincidently manifested as the strongest attack he knew—the Ancient One's sacred sword, shattering the dragon soul's residual consciousness.

After all, it was just a lingering thought. If Maverick hadn't come, it would've dissipated in a few years.

With the dragon soul's consciousness gone, it naturally merged into Maverick's body. That's what happened earlier.

Who knows how much time passed, but Maverick slowly opened his eyes. They weren't human eyes anymore but fiery red dragon pupils. Simultaneously, the red light on his body gathered behind him, forming a massive fiery dragon phantom—lifelike and real.

Feeling a surge of power, Maverick and the dragon phantom both opened their mouths and let out a thunderous roar. The entire Manhattan Island shook. Countless windows shattered, and car alarms blared everywhere.

But it didn't stop there. The brightly lit Manhattan suddenly plunged into darkness—the power grid failed. The city that never sleeps was enveloped in shadow.

"Was that... an earthquake?"

People on the island were stunned and panicked. Some saw the darkness as an opportunity for mischief. Chaos began to spread across Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Gao sensed the powerful energy from the apartment. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Iron Fist."

Maverick, now possessing the dragon soul, was fully qualified to bear that title.

Just to clarify, although the earthquake was caused by Maverick, it doesn't mean he's powerful enough to cause one on his own.

The quake happened because Maverick resonated with the dragon's power in the earth—the skeleton had been buried under Manhattan for thousands of years, its energy integrated into the island itself.

Simply put, Manhattan Island is now Maverick's home turf. Here, his accessible power is greater than anywhere else.

Maverick slowly closed his mouth. His eyes returned to normal, and the dragon phantom behind him merged back into his body.

Unaware he had caused an earthquake, Maverick reflected on what had happened. He removed his shirt, revealing a fiery red dragon with wings emblazoned on his chest—the symbol of the Iron Fist.

"I've actually become Iron Fist? This world is full of surprises. An Iron Fist Blood God—interesting."

He chuckled to himself. With a thought, the dragon tattoo vanished—he wasn't a fan of tattoos, and explaining it every time he met someone wasn't appealing.

Then he focused, and his body emitted a red glow—the power of the dragon's soul. It wasn't very strong yet; he hadn't cultivated or channeled his chi.

But that wasn't a problem. After all, he had an entire dragon skeleton before him.

With the dragon soul, he was still the Blood God Maverick, and the dragon bone he could refine far surpassed others.

"Maybe I'll be the strongest Iron Fist."

Maverick smiled. He then put away the dragon's soul's power, donned his shirt, leaped onto the dragon's skeleton, and removed its skull. After some thought, he took a rib as well.

"I'll refine the skull myself, break the rib into pieces, and fuse them for others."

Using Pym particles, he shrank the skull and rib, then exited through the hole he'd made earlier.

He didn't take everything because it would cause another earthquake, and he wasn't worried about theft. Even if Iron Fist could break the seal, accessing the chamber would require extensive digging, and that land now belonged to Maverick. It would become the headquarters of the Council of Blood.

Who could excavate on his property without his permission?

Back on the surface, Maverick returned to human form. Seeing the darkness and hearing distant commotion, he asked Mrs. Gao in surprise, "What happened?"

She looked at him with complex emotions. "There was an earthquake just now."

"I see."

Mrs. Gao didn't care about the earthquake. With a hint of hope, she asked, "Blood God, have you become Iron Fist?"

He raised his hand, and his fist glowed faintly red. Mrs. Gao's excitement was palpable. Yes, that was the dragon soul's energy—She set down her cane, knelt before Maverick, and said, "Blood God, I am willing to serve you, as long as you promise to take me back to Kunlun someday."

Through the influence of the Purple Man virus, Maverick knew she was sincere and unafraid of being frozen. He asked, puzzled, "Why do you want to return to Kunlun so badly? Aren't you a traitor?"

"Because Kunlun is my home. Ever since I defected, I've wanted to go back. The longer I live, the more I yearn for it. Even if they don't accept me, just being buried there would satisfy me."

Maverick retracted his Iron Fist and said calmly, "I've stolen the dragon bone, making me an enemy of Kunlun. If I want to enter, I'd have to force my way in."

"It's okay. I just want to return. Everyone I knew there is long gone. In Kunlun, using dragon bones to extend life is forbidden. The only one who can live for hundreds of years is Shou-Lao—the dragon of Kunlun."

Maverick was taken aback. "Kunlun has a dragon?"

"Yes, but it never appears before people. The Iron Fist's dragon soul comes from Shou-Lao."

"A real dragon grants its soul to a human?"

He frowned slightly. "How much do you know about Shou-Lao?"

"Very little. Only the Iron Fist knows Shou-Lao, as the dragon soul's inheritance is conducted by the dragon itself."

"I see."

Maverick pondered. 

Mrs. Gao waited nervously for his decision. This was her closest chance to return to Kunlun. Maverick had become Iron Fist, and a confrontation with Kunlun was inevitable.

Sensing this, Maverick turned to Mrs. Gao and said, "Alright, I can take you back to Kunlun."

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