Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 401: Finding Marianne Baldon

The moment Nikolai shouted, footsteps echoed, dozens approaching the hidden room.

”What’s happening?”

”...”

The Scientist seemed confused, but Amphitrite remained in her strange, distant state, not speaking but looking quietly at the body in the cylinder.

Nikolai couldn’t stop thinking, his mind falling into dark depths. ’If they planned for us to meet, then... was my grandfather being here a lie? Is it that Alaric has betrayed me again, or... Alucard has lied to Alaric because he cannot trust him anymore?’ The difference between the two made all the difference.

The sound of metal gears grinding and rumbling shook through the room; he looked at Amphitrite as she turned to the Scientist with a sad look. ”You must escape, Nikolai, take her and let’s leave,” Amphitrite stated to the blonde-haired woman, who looked around confusedly.

”How can I trust you both?”

”... We don’t have time for this!” Nikolai reached for her lab coat and yanked the female towards him, but the moment he touched the blonde’s arm, she shimmered and became intangible, slipping away. ”If you stay here, those bastards will kill you.”

”W-What? Why, they need me to complete this research!”

’She’s delusional... they’ve already gotten what they needed. Even without her, they can create a hybrid, knowing what they need, they’ll just use her womb to produce more mermaid tears.’

Nikolai’s goal was to meet with his Aunt, who was hidden safely by his father, and then speak with the Djinn he met months ago with Selene, wanting to learn more about their soul arts.

If everything was linked together, and he just hadn’t realised it. That female Djinn should be able to tell him something about souls. ’If I am a part of their plan to create life through a hybrid and a mermaid’s tear... did she know, or... is there more I don’t understand?’

He chose to open his mind, to stop doubting people...

To bring his mother back to life, and to avoid the plot of the Nosferatu, which seemed to be a plan created hundreds, if not thousands, of years before he existed.

’When I needed Grandfather’s guidance...’

The irony was that he was here to save his grandfather but found more issues and questions rather than the answers he expected, ”Come on, follow me and I will let you create a real hybrid... no, this kind of monstrous failure.”

The female’s face brightened at the word real.

”I will come only if I can use your blood, handsome.”

’What is it with monsters... and being obsessed with blood?’

”Amphitrite, bring her... we need to leave, they are getting closer.”

”I do have a name, you know! Sasha!” She pouted, but Nikolai felt no amusement.

He looked over at Amphitrite, whose eyes were dull, but she nodded and stepped away from the tube of the dead creature inside.

”Do you know if they kept a female vampire from the Baldon near here?” Because he didn’t know Alexei’s progress, Asmodeus asked her now to avoid any horrific news. ’If Alexei’s sister died here...’

The blonde scientist shook her head, ”No... only commoners and humans entered since the first batch, which failed horribly. They are currently being recycled before being disposed of... we cannot allow the humans to find them, after all.”

”What about my grandfather? A werewolf?”

”...there is no chance a high-level target like Viktor Volkov would be brought here, the Nosferatu don’t trust House Everen.” Her voice sounded dull as she turned to her notes and tapped on a small screen.

Amphihitrite grabbed the female and pulled her ahead. Sasha then turned the pad and showed Nikolai a massive list; the names he mentioned were on it.

Viktor Volkov - Threat Level S - Currently Contained in Secret Location

Marianne Baldon - Threat Level F - Currently Contained in Drevnos, House Everen.

On the list were countless names, some with deceased or failure marked beside them, the number caused Nikolai’s stomach to sink, because some of the people taken dated back hundreds of years.

’This is beyond what I imagined...’

”Sasha, Amphi... let’s go!”

Nikolai could have spent hours learning more, taking everything, but there were other targets today. He couldn’t linger here and betray his friend’s trust and expectation.

The trio sprinted towards the west, the location of Lunaria and Alexei’s beacon. It also helped that the scientist, Sasha, knew the layout perfectly. ”The tunnels are all connected, take the first left, then alternate between left, right and forward. That should lead us to the place where useful prisoners are kept.”

”Useful?”

”The blood of vampires can help activate the imperfect tear from a vampire for a few moments. That is how we made those failures...”

Nikolai’s face darkened. He didn’t like this truth, but knew that there wasn’t any other way... with the knowledge of this woman, and his plan to meet Madame Zara. There was a good chance that he could finally achieve his first goal and plan after becoming a supernatural.

’I’ve sidetracked too far...’

”Forget it, let’s hurry!”

***

”How close are they?”

Amphitrite seemed to have returned to normal after leaving the large room filled with tubes.

The low grumble of boots hitting the ground and the jingle of guns were much different from the earlier werewolves; these were organised hunters who were here with only a single aim.

To capture or kill them.

”Too close!”

Nikolai’s arms ached from carrying the unfit scientist, Sasha’s body strangely heavy despite her thin form.

The passages looked the same, with no labels, arrows, or even directions on where to go, so they could only follow the guidance of their senses and Sasha, who seemed unaffected by the twists, turns and strange doors they passed by.

”Take the right, and then straight!” She pointed to the right, and Nikolai didn’t stop.

Sweat poured from his brow, and the stinging sensation of something sharp kept touching the surface of his mind.

***

Meanwhile, in the direction they were rushing... a pair of women leaned against each other back to back, the beautiful woman with silver eyes, white hair and werewolf features panted. ”Did you know how many people are looking for you?”

”R-Really? Big brother is looking for me?” The black haired vampire, with cuts and scars along her arms, looked up, tears dripping from her eyes. ”I’m so happy.” Her dull red eye lacked the vibrance of most vampires, but the wine-red was quite charming in this faint light. The corpses of five werewolves lay around the two women.

”Then... will he be coming soon?” Marianna asked.

”Haa, well, it seems he’s far away right now. But someone is coming to help us.” Lunaria’s hand trembled, the revolver now empty, smoke still swirling from the tip after she unloaded on the beasts. ”He has to come soon.” She spoke as if chanting and convincing herself.

”I’m sure he’ll be coming, so don’t cry, okay?” Lunaria smiled at the girl. ’What kind of vampire smiles when they are about to die?’

Luna gripped her hand tightly, and she felt the woman squeeze back, her lips trembling. ”We can’t die here, just wait a little longer.” Though she wanted to be more active, the truth was that Luna was exhausted, her abdomen bruised, and a few gunshot wounds dripped with streaks of dark blood, pooling beneath her.

The pair held out in a room with two doors, one blocked and the other facing Lunaria.

”Miss...” Marianna looked up at her. ”I know we’ve just met, but can I ask you a question?”

”Sure.”

”Do you think we can escape? A wounded, husk of a vampire and a beaten, injured werewolf?”

Luna laughed. It was the first time she felt happy in a while. ”Hah, yeah, I can’t wait to return home.” She spoke with a sad smile, looking up at Marianna with her warm expression, lips shaking as she tried to talk but couldn’t.

Click!

Before they could adjust, the door handle started to move, rattling and bending under the person’s strength on the other side.

The Next moment, the door smashed open with a bang.

***

Nikolai could smell Lunaria’s scent, the sweet flavour of her blood mixed with silver from the harsh situation he had put her through. His chest felt like it would explode, gnashing his teeth in irritation at the sitaution.

”Rush...!”

The next corridor brought him face to face with a thick metal door, but Nikolai didn’t hesitate to rush forward and use his body like a battering ram to smash it open and send the large door hurtling through the air.

”UWAAHH!”

”NOOOO!”

Crash.

Two cries rang out, and two figures flew through the air, the door almost smashing into them, as it hit the blocked door on the other side and exploded. Metal and debris were scattered across the room, cutting Nikolai’s cheeks and nose.

”Amphi, Sasha!” He pushed the two girls behind him. ”Get inside!” Something in his chest burned, filling his mind with a strange, cold sensation.

The hairs on his neck stood up as he acted.

Danger.