Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 663: Werewolf Vs Djinn (Undead)

”Die...” Nikolai rolled his neck, cracking his bones, then snapped his gaze back down to the shorter Djinn with a smirk. ”Me?”

Marduk’s flaming green eyes billowed.

”Don’t get smart, child. You might have bested my previous form, but now... now I am unstoppable!” A dense black mist poured from Marduke’s body, creating an atmosphere around him.

”Hahaha, so using that filthy power makes you unstoppable, does it?”

Nikolai transformed into a werewolf.

He explosively grew into a massive beast with long, black fur, sharp, deformed claws resembling blades and golden eyes.

”Oh, so this is the power of a werewolf. How barbaric, now you truly resemble a dog!”

”Marduke!”

”Don’t be so hasty, child.”

Marduke Balthazar raised his right set of arms.

Three of his subordinates instantly rushed towards the destroyed buildings where Nikolai sent his thralls and Brunhilde.

”Wait!”

Woosh!

He tried to rush after them, only for two sharp blades to block his path.

”Maruke!!!!” Nikolai shouted, swiping at the man.

Vwoosh!

The wind howled through his claws as they cut through the wind. Marduke’s body vanished from the spot he stood, leaving nothing but a trail of mist.

”Huh?!”

Nikolai’s eyes widened as he traced the mist.

Shing!

Before he could turn, a sharp pain jolted through his back, as the sound of steel slicing flesh echoed in his ears. The pain burned hot while a dull ache throbbed along his spine. He spun, kicking the ground to make distance.

”This bastard—!”

Marduke rushed at him from behind, his blades already lowering to finish the job.

Clang!

Unstable on his feet, Nikolai blocked the two blades with his forearms, the sharp steel biting into his flesh like a ravenous beast. He gritted his teeth, enduring the sizzling hiss as the metal reacted to his flesh.

”S-Shit... Is this blade...?!”

”That’s Right. It’s the so-called ’Silver’ all you wolves fear.” Marduke leaned into his strike, his face close enough that Nikolai felt his foul breath on his cheeks.

”Ngh... this doesn’t work on me!—Haa!”

Nikolai pushed the blades away, forcing Marduke back, but the Djinn merely staggered back and remained fresh. While his back still screamed, unable to regenerate due to the accursed blades.

”Really?” Marduke pressed his pale face against the silver blade, smirking back at Nikolai. ”But what about those bitches... You know, the ones you seem to love collecting?” He stepped forward, casually twirling his blades between his six hands. ”However, can you save them in this situation?”

”Of course I can!”

Marduke shook his head before taking a stance, his posture and footing firm.

”Come on then, prove it to me!”

There was a moment of silence.

Nikolai also gathered himself. He lowered his waist, remembering the stance that Alexei taught him. He began to bounce lightly off his feet, eyes gauging the distance between him and Marduke.

”That’s more like it, boy!”

Marduke flew at him like a bolt of lightning, his steps nothing like a middle-aged man. It took him less than a second to clear three metres. The moment they entered each other’s range of influence, they attacked.

The Djinn thrusting with both blades, one aimed at the lower abdomen, the second at the throat.

Nikolai rushed forward, left foot first, his right arm swiped down, aiming to deflect the first blade, while his left arm swung vertically up from his waist.

Clang!

Clang!

Slash!

Nikolai clawed the first blade to the side with vibrant sparks; he barely missed the second as it sank into his left shoulder with another agonising blaze of heat. Biting his tongue, he followed through and sliced off Marduke’s cheek.

The men backed off, one bleeding from his shoulder, the other missing half his face.

”Tsk... this body is too stiff,” Marduke complained, glancing at the missing parts of his jaw lying on the sandy floor.

’I can’t win this without using my advantages...’

Though stronger, Nikolai struggled to grasp the explosive speed of Marduke, unlike in the arena, where speed could be dealt with. In the open, it wasn’t so simple to narrow the distance and avoid his blades.

”Haa... well, it seems you’ve gotten a nice weapon. Let’s show you mine.”

He flicked his wrist, and the pure silver heavenly slaying spear formed in his palm. Nikolai gripped it tightly and spun it.

The heavy shaft created a low humming before it stopped.

”Shall we try again, old man?”

”Heh, cocky little brat!”

Nikolai couldn’t understand why, after gaining a new life, Marduke stood facing him one-on-one like this. If he’d ganged up on him with all his men before Nikolai realised their strength, he might’ve taken a mortal blow.

Somehow.

It almost felt like an old man training a younger warrior...

’Am I just imagining things?’

He recalled reading an old book with his father.

Inside it, he found a fable that the dead cannot lie; some believed this also meant they cannot deceive and remain true to their inborn nature.

But the pair felt this idea was too far-fetched.

’Were we wrong?’

However, there wasn’t any chance to think as Marduke assaulted Nikolai with a series of slashes that grew faster with each one he deflected.

Clang!

Nikolai gripped his spear with both hands, desperate to deflect and counter, but the weight of Marduke’s blades grew to the point he slid back through the sand.

The pair fought for several minutes, with the disadvantage of multiple arms slowly pushing Nikolai back several metres.

That’s when he spotted an opening and thrust.

”Tsk!”

Nikolai’s spear missed Marduke’s throat by a hair, followed by the chuckling voice of Marduke, who immediately slashed Nikolai’s chest.

”Sometimes an opening isn’t really an opening, child.”

”Ngh!”

Blood dripped from his wounds, the special metal stopping his regenerative capabilities, though it wasn’t for long. The wound on his back already felt itchy from healing.

’About three minutes, that’s how long he can delay my healing.’

Nikolai rushed at him with a powerful sweep.

Marduke raised both his blades, but grunted as Nikolai’s blade tore through the metal of his blade. Nikolai attacked with enough force to distort and destroy the sword; the metal crunched before shattering.

Pang!

The silver blade sliced Marduke’s forehead as it flew into the distance, his eyes shaken.

Yet the old man smiled at Nikolai.

”Yes, that’s it. Although you have immense strength, without technique and the right movements, it is nothing but second-rate power!”

”Shut up!” Nikolai yelled, sick of his bullshit.

”COME!”

Their blades collided multiple times, Nikolai shifted his feet, used every trick he’d learned from the arena, from his father and Alexei over the year. He avoided several fatal blows by the skin of his teeth, while slowly whittling down Marduke’s force.

.

.

.

Woosh!

Nikolai removed two of Marduke’s arms with a brutal vertical slash, from abdomen to upper right shoulder; he cleaved half the old man’s body.

”....!” Marduke didn’t make sounds as he slid back across the ground, his left hands pressed against the sands to balance him.

He slowly lifted himself, swaying with the loss of his left side. ”Good, this infernal state...” A whisper left his lips before becoming vague mumbles.

”You, Child.”

Marduke stood with a single broken blade pointed at Nikolai’s throat.

”Was the marriage between you and that girl all false, or true?”

”Why would I tell you?!” Nikolai shouted. ”You’re the one who killed her parents!”

His eyes widened, then he glanced at his blade.

A true look of confusion.

”Y-Yes... yes, I did, that’s what I did.”

Nikolai couldn’t understand.

The words he spoke seemed like someone telling themselves they did it, like some sort of reminder or mantra.

’If the undead cannot lie...’

He wanted to test it before he killed him.

”Oi, Old man!”

”....” The undead, still in a daze after his comment, slowly lifted his gaze. His fiery green flames became murky with most of their brilliance and faded.

”Why did you kill your own sister and brother-in-law?”

Marduke froze, locking his gaze with Nikolai.

Time passed with the sound of the distant conflict fading.

Finally, Marduke’s eyes regained a flicker of light and rushed at Nikolai while yelling. ”They were killed because they were foolish and refused to ally with the Nosferatu.”

He drove his blade at Nikolai’s throat.

Nikolai stepped back, avoiding the broken blade’s tip and spun clockwise, holding his spear tightly as it ripped through Marduke’s chest.

”Ugh...!”

He heard something fall behind him and quickly turned to see Marduke kneeling, his arms drooping at his side as several mismatched organs fell from his broken cadaver. There wasn’t any dramatic speech or ending for him.

Marduke’s eyes faded almost instantly.

Any secrets he held were taken to the grave without an answer.

”Haa... this is.... probably for the best...”

A little out of breath, Nikolai squatted while returning to his human form. He brushed his hair back using his palm while pondering about the things Marduke said and the fact that he seemed different to the living Marduke.

’Zara might not get the truth, but I hope that with Marduke gone, she can rest knowing her parents’ killer is gone...’

Though maybe this was a foolish thought.

Because he stole her chance at revenge twice.