Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 780: Three Hundred Werewolves

The moment Nikolai spoke, the faces of all three men changed, all sense of humour and joking around vanished in the place of cold, hard stares and stiff expressions. Even Vernan, who normally found some way to turn everything into a joke, slowly straightened his huge body and glanced towards the training grounds below.

It wasn’t difficult to understand why.

Until now they’d been avoiding this confrontation, knowing their forces might be inferior due to the unmatched legacy of the Nosferatu.

But with Nikolai’s command, everything changed.

‘There was no going back.’

Alexei rubbed his beard before answering first.

“Current count inside the compound is four thousand, three hundred and twelve.”

“…That many?”

“Mhm.”

Nikolai turned back towards the battlement. A bitter cold wind blew across his cheeks, revealing the arrival of winter that would soon transform the land.

Thousands of people stood below in neat formations, but hearing the exact number felt completely different.

“That includes the smaller families?”

“Everyone who responded to the emergency mobilisation.” Alexei folded his arms. “Volkov blood, affiliated clans, mercenaries who signed permanent contracts, several independent hunters and the security units transferred from the northern districts.”

“But that doesn’t mean we’ve got four thousand people we can throw onto Nosferatu,” Ryan spoke hurriedly.

‘Ah…’

“I know, Ryan. Don’t be so nervous.”

Nikolai didn’t need the explanation, some were too weak or lacked the needed talents to join them, and many were more suited to other roles: Medics, engineers and logistics.

These people would become a liability once someone placed a sword at their throat or threatened their families.

How could he order them to charge an ancient vampire’s fortress?

Then there was the biggest problem, other than Alucard and Franz. The city itself. With the huge blood moon looming over them, once a sight of wonder and beauty. Now nothing more than an executioner’s blade.

Even if Lucianna was strong enough to make Nikolai feel comfortable leaving, relying entirely upon one woman would be stupid.

‘What happens if Franz has something capable of interfering with her?’

Or if several emergencies happened simultaneously?

Nikolai didn’t want some ridiculous situation where Lucianna was fighting on the western wall while the residential district collapsed on the opposite side.

“So how many are actually combat-ready?”

“About thirty-six hundred.”

Nikolai closed his eyes after observing each of his brothers’ faces for a few seconds.

“That’s enough to keep this place safe, without any of us worrying.”

“Eh…? Then what about forces to join us…?”

“Vernan, from the start we weren’t going to be taking a huge force…” Alexei patted the bear’s shoulder with a grin. It wasn’t the first time Alexei took the role of middleman. But Nikolai truly appreciated his support.

“That’s right, Ryan, Vernan. We’re only going to take a small team of the strongest and most flexible people with us to the island. Although we might bring a backup team, those people won’t be the main combat force.”

“I’m not taking a third of our actual fighting strength onto an island when we don’t know what this fucking moon is going to do.”

“Brother, isn’t that a bit too small a force…?”

Vernan and Alexei’s eyes shone slightly at Ryan’s question, but Nikolai shook his head.

He pointed towards the city, then the moon above.

“If everything goes wrong while we’re gone, we’re not getting back here quickly. Even if Nosferatu doesn’t move, what if the blood moon activates earlier than we presume… our families cannot be put at risk.”

“…”

Only silence remained after that.

The three men clearly accepted Nikolai’s logic.

They weren’t invading some neighbouring territory where retreat meant driving home, because once they boarded those stolen vessels and followed the route. They would be isolated.

‘Which is exactly what Alucard wants.’

The more Nikolai thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became.

Nosferatu was Alucard’s territory and sword. An island that nobody could locate unless its owners allowed them to approach, defended by generations of vampires and whatever disgusting creations Franz had hidden inside his laboratories.

Taking thousands of people would only make them a slower, more vulnerable target.

‘We’re walking into an obvious death trap.’

Nikolai exhaled through his nose before turning around and leaning against the stone battlement.

“Three hundred.”

Ryan blinked with his mouth open wide. “W-What?”

“We’ll take three hundred people and leave them at the southern coast as support, whether they leave on the boats with us depends on the situation.”

Alexei wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. “Patriarch, that is…”

“It’s a smaller force than you imagined?” Nikolai smiled at the nervous Alexei.

“Yeah…”

Nikolai then raised three fingers, wearing a cheeky grin. “The actual assault team will be even smaller. Maybe fifty to a hundred, depending on the people who choose to come with us on this death march.”

“What about the others?”

“Those people will be our support, the ones who create a path for us to retreat, Vernan.”

“…Ok.” He let out a large sigh before frowning. “If you were planning something crazy, I might’ve chosen to opt out of this mission, sorry, Brother.”

“True, but could we even do that after all Nikolai’s done for us?”

“Oh? For a human, you’re quite the good guy, haha.” Alexei elbowed Ryan’s cheek, while the shorter human struggled against his sheer power.

“Alright boys, enough… If you have any worries or have an issue with my plan. I will not blame or stop you from leaving now. Protecting the bast is just as important to me as my wives and children are here.”

“…”

“…”

“…are you retarded?”

“Ryan?!” Nikolai gasped at his best friend’s outburst.

However, Ryan didn’t wait for Nikolai to continue and stepped forward. “Look, I know we’re not strong enough to actually fight Alucard, at most, we can handle a few clones…” He placed both hands on Nikolai’s shoulders before spitting on the ground. “Ptuui! But fuck, man, did you really think we’d abandon you now, at this moment?!”

It was strange to see Ryan with such a look.

There wasn’t any teasing in his eyes, no sarcasm or stupid joke waiting behind his lips. Just the same stubborn expression Nikolai remembered from years ago, long before bloodlines, vampires and monsters invaded their lives.

“…No.”

“Then stop talking shit.”

Ryan released his shoulders before punching him lightly in the chest. “If you die, I want to be there so I can tell everyone it was because you did something fucking stupid.”

“You bastard.”

“Hahaha!”

Alexei finally stopped bullying Ryan and stepped beside them, his huge palm falling against Nikolai’s opposite shoulder. “Boss, I already decided a long time ago. Until this mess is finished, wherever you go, I go… Have you forgotten how you helped me save my sister… and how you’ve given her a smile I haven’t seen since before Mother passed away?”

Vernan scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Well… fuck, I don’t have a beautiful story about this. I just admired your father… and then, when you fought me and fucked me up in the arena, I also felt the same feeling for you. When you offered me a place, it saved me from those boring death matches…”

“Wow, even Vernan’s being a soppy bitch.”

“Brother?!”

Nikolai laughed so hard he held his stomach.

Vernan’s lips twitched before his expression hardened. “But I agree. If we lose here, then nowhere is safe anyway. My family, your family, everyone down there… eventually the Nosferatu or that moon would reach them.”

He glanced towards the enormous city beyond the walls.

“So I’d rather fight beside you now.”

“…”

Nikolai didn’t know what to say to these fools, maybe that was why he always did things alone in the past. He didn’t take notice of the people supporting him like this, willing to carry the burden with him.

He has so much support.

His wives, family, children, friends, comrades and the Volkov clan followed his will.

‘I’m really fucking lucky.’

Nikolai lowered his head briefly before suddenly extending his fist.

Ryan stared at it.

“…Seriously?”

“What?”

“This is incredibly cheesy.”

“Fuck off. Put your hand in.”

Alexei laughed first before placing his enormous fist against Nikolai’s.

Vernan followed, trying to hide his trembling lips.

Ryan glanced at the two, but followed with a dramatic sigh. “Fine…”

When the four men pressed their fists together, each a different size, there was no chant or strange oath that bound them together.

Nikolai just looked at each of them with a solemn expression.

“I won’t ask anything grand, just please don’t die on me.”

The silence that lingered was almost deafening before Ryan, and the others all glanced at each other and, in complete synchronisation, responded.

“Same to you, you crazy bastard.”

Nikolai pulled his hand away and slapped Ryan across the back of his head.

“Ow! What the fuck?!”

“That’s for calling me retarded.”

“You deserved it!”

“Hahaha!”

Their laughter carried across the rooftop, mixing with the bitter winter wind.

Nikolai no longer disliked this strange chill, he watched the surroundings in silence: the thousands of warriors, his three brothers and the distant mansions.

He couldn’t share the truth with most, but most people understood that this wasn’t some glorious battle to prove themselves. It was a battle for survival, to stop the birth of a monster that would swallow them all.

‘Franz…’

‘Alucard.’

The faint smile faded from his lips as he snapped up the collar of his coat.

“Alright, with everything decided… shall we get started, boys?”

Nikolai stepped towards the lift again, taking one last look towards the city before he faced forward and stepped into the open doors.

[Greetings, Lord Commander!]

The elevator doors slowly closed with the annoyingly familiar voice.

“This time, we decide everything in a single battle.”