Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 760: My First Real Win

“Come on then, little pup!”

His presence sharpened again.

“It’s your turn now.”

Nikolai glanced towards Ivan, who remained sprawled across the floor with one hand pressed against his aching chest.

His father noticed the look immediately.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that look.”

Nikolai’s lips curled upwards as he tried to suppress his laughter. “You look pretty comfortable down there.”

Ivan’s eyes narrowed before he slowly raised one hand and pointed towards Viktor. “Father, break his legs.”

“Hahaha!”

The old Patriarch’s laughter echoed throughout the chamber as Nikolai stepped towards the weapon rack and examined the various training weapons.

He normally relied upon his claws, the Obsidian Tide and the strange black blades formed around his forearms, so most of the weapons felt unfamiliar in his hands. A longsword didn’t suit the way he fought, while the spears and heavier axes would only force him to change too much of his natural style.

After a few moments, Nikolai wrapped his fingers around two shorter wooden blades and tested their weight.

‘These should work.’

They weren’t perfect, but the shorter length felt similar enough to the weapons he normally created with his blood.

Viktor still hadn’t lowered his sword when he noticed his grandson’s choice.

“Hmph…!”

The old man’s previous laughter had already faded, replaced by the same calm expression he wore while fighting Ivan.

“Ready?”

Nikolai stepped onto the arena and adjusted his grip.

“Mhm.”

The moment he answered, Viktor disappeared.

There was no countdown or warning before the old Patriarch rushed across the arena and brought his wooden sword down towards Nikolai’s shoulder.

‘Shit!’

Nikolai raised both weapons.

CLACK!

The impact numbed his right wrist, but before he could adjust properly, Viktor changed the angle of his sword and swept towards his ribs.

Nikolai twisted backwards, allowing the wooden tip to scrape across his shirt before immediately attacking with his left hand.

The short blade travelled towards Viktor’s neck.

His grandfather ducked.

Nikolai expected it.

His right hand was already moving towards the place Viktor’s head should have been.

‘Got you!’

Whoosh!

The wooden blade cut through empty air.

Viktor had already stepped backwards, slipping outside the attack before Nikolai even realised his position had changed.

“Huh?”

That moment of hesitation was enough for him.

Thud!

The wooden sword slammed into Nikolai’s stomach and forced him backwards several steps before he managed to regain his balance.

“Too greedy,” Viktor said while rolling his shoulder.

Nikolai tightened his stomach where the weapon had struck. “It would’ve worked if you hadn’t moved.”

Viktor stared at him in silence for several seconds.

“…What kind of stupid fucking excuse is that?”

Ivan burst into laughter behind them.

“Hahaha!”

Nikolai immediately turned towards him. “Shut up. You were lying on your back less than a minute ago.”

Ivan’s laughter vanished as his expression darkened.

“…Father.”

“Hm?”

“Hit him again.”

Viktor’s smile returned. “My pleasure.”

‘These two bastards…’

Nikolai rushed forward before Viktor could take the initiative again.

This time, rather than committing both weapons at once, he kept one closer to his body while attacking with the other. Viktor blocked the first strike, forcing Nikolai to change direction and sweep the second blade towards his ribs.

Another block came immediately.

Nikolai attacked towards his shoulder, but Viktor twisted aside once more.

His instincts screamed at him to follow.

Instead, he stopped.

‘Don’t chase him.’

Nikolai stepped backwards and reset his stance.

For the first time, Viktor’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Oh?”

Nikolai smirked. “I’m not falling for that twice.”

“Good.”

Viktor stepped forward and raised the wooden sword again. “Then show me what you learned.”

The two collided once more.

Nikolai focused less on landing a decisive blow and more upon the old man’s shoulders, hips and feet. There was something in every movement, even if Viktor tried to hide it beneath years of experience.

His left shoulder shifted.

Nikolai raised one blade before the attack arrived.

Clack!

He felt the impact and immediately swept the second weapon towards Viktor’s waist, forcing the old Patriarch to jump backwards.

Nikolai followed with only a single step before stopping himself again.

‘Better.’

A strange excitement slowly grew inside his chest.

This was completely different from the battles he’d fought recently, where every mistake might result in someone dying. There were no monsters rushing towards his wives, no blood walls separating him from his family, and no enemy trying to tear out his throat.

For once, he could actually watch and think while fighting.

Viktor rushed forward again.

Nikolai avoided the sword and suddenly drove his foot towards his grandfather’s stomach.

“What?!”

Viktor crossed one arm in front of himself.

Thud!

The kick forced him backwards.

“Who said I had to use the swords?” Nikolai said with a shit-eating grin, much like his father earlier.

“Hahaha! Good, you little bastard! Get here right now!”

Viktor’s eyes brightened as he lowered his stance.

“Again!”

Nikolai rushed towards him, attacking high with one blade before sweeping his leg low.

Viktor avoided both attacks, but Nikolai continued moving and drove his shoulder into the old man’s chest.

Bang!

This time Viktor genuinely stumbled.

Enough for Nikolai to feel a sense of an opening; his father’s normal solid atmosphere cracked for a moment!

‘There!’

His body rotated as the wooden blade swept towards Viktor’s exposed side.

Before it could land, another weapon appeared between them.

CLACK!

Nikolai froze.

Ivan stood beside his father.

“…What?”

Nikolai half expected his dad to help him, but to see his stern face… that slightly upturned grin. ‘Dad? Is Dad excited?!’ He’d never seen that face directed at himself, but to his mother or Dimitri when sparring…

His father pushed Nikolai’s weapon away and shook his head.

“Nikolai, you’re too focused on your weapon. You shouldn’t let your guard down or forget that a werewolf’s true weapon is his body… the same goes for those strange blades you can create with blood. Summon them!”

“Eh?” Nikolai cocked his head, looking around the room. “Here?”

“Where else?”

Ivan stepped backwards and raised his wooden sword again.

“You’re not allowed to use their powers. No aura, no tricks, no strengthening your body with that immense aura you keep stowed away. Just summon the blades and fight with what you already have.”

Nikolai glanced towards Viktor.

His grandfather simply smiled and rotated his weapon once.

“You heard your father.”

‘Fine…’

As he exhaled, the muscles across his arms tightened as black blood crawled beneath his skin, and a moment later, the familiar blades tore free along his forearms.

Shhhk!

The curved weapons extended several inches beyond his fists, glossy and dark, following the natural line of his arms rather than sitting awkwardly inside his hands.

The difference was immediate.

‘Much better.’

Nikolai dropped both wooden blades. If someone had a hidden camera at this moment, it would be the rarest of pictures, with all three generations of the Volkov Royal family grinning at each other like complete maniacs.

“There he is.”

Viktor attacked first.

Nikolai stepped inside the strike.

Instead of blocking with the edge of his blood blade, he twisted his forearm and allowed the wooden sword to slide harmlessly along the flat surface before driving his shoulder forward.

Thud!

Viktor staggered, but Nikolai didn’t take the bait.

‘What?!’

This strange feeling that screamed for him to stop shocked him.

His body wanted to continue, but he remembered how quickly greed had cost him before and shifted sideways instead.

Ivan entered from the right.

Nikolai saw the movement from the corner of his eye and turned just enough to avoid the wooden sword passing beside his cheek.

Then he kicked.

Ivan raised his thigh to absorb the blow.

Bang!

The impact forced both of them apart.

‘He’s expecting me to attack with the blades.’

Nikolai suddenly understood what his father wanted him to learn.

The weapons weren’t the centre of his style.

They were part of him.

His elbows, knees, shoulders, claws and feet all remained available.

The moment he stopped treating the blades like swords, his movements became smoother.

Viktor attacked again.

Nikolai parried with his left forearm, slipped beneath the old man’s shoulder and struck his ribs with the back of his fist.

Thud!

Viktor grunted while Ivan immediately tried to catch him from behind, but Nikolai turned with the motion and drove his heel towards his father’s stomach.

Though Ivan blocked the blow, Nikolai’s lips curved upward.

He knew he’d block it.

His muscles tightened as he swung.

The flat side of the blood blade struck Ivan’s wrist and knocked the wooden sword away.

Clack!

‘One.’

Before Ivan could recover, Viktor rushed in from the side.

Nikolai ducked beneath the sword and stepped past his grandfather rather than attacking him directly. His shoulder brushed Viktor’s back as he moved, forcing the old man to turn.

That tiny adjustment gave Nikolai exactly what he wanted.

“That was quite good, little wolf.”

Ivan slowly reached for his fallen weapon, a smug grin on his lips, and yet he didn’t frown. His eyes burned with pride while staring at Nikolai.

Viktor moved towards Nikolai.

Their positions crossed.

‘Now.’

Nikolai suddenly changed direction.

He drove his shoulder into Viktor first.

Bang!

The old Patriarch stumbled forward directly into Ivan.

“What the—”

Ivan caught him instinctively, but there wasn’t enough to stop Nikolai completely.

His right blood blade stopped against Viktor’s neck while his left forearm pressed across Ivan’s chest.

Nikolai’s breathing was heavy, with beads of sweat rolling down his jaw, and his arms trembled faintly from exertion.

Yet the blades remained exactly where he wanted them.

Viktor slowly glanced towards the black edge resting beside his throat, while Ivan looked down towards the second blade pressing against his sternum. Then both men looked at Nikolai.

He smiled back at them before withdrawing his blades.

“…Dead.”

“Very dead, you cheating little shit.”

Despite Ivan’s slightly grimacing expression, Viktor suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

Ivan clicked his tongue and shoved his father away before stepping back.

“Tsk… lucky bastard.”

Without another word, his father stepped out of the arena before grabbing a large flask from the old, wooden shelves and two large towels from the box beside it.

“Here, wipe the sweat from your face and get a drink. It’s a long night, and we’ve got more to discuss.”

Nikolai caught the towel and wiped the sweat from his face before looking back towards the arena with a faint smile.

‘My first real win against both of them…’

He took the flask from Ivan and followed the two older wolves out.