Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Meanwhile, Nikolai began to search for a way to save his mother. Another sought help to meet with him to save her clan's future.

Kumiko, who came to this distant land to meet Nikolai, sat on the soft cushion inside Nikita's room. Because she felt irritated, her long golden tails with white tips slapped the floor while she sipped her tea.

'Why does this woman act so arrogant towards me? I have never spoken badly to her.'

Nikita, who was next to her, looked at Kumiko, who was the same age but acted with the mannerisms of a princess and felt a sense of inferiority.

'When we first met, her attitude was so soft and kind, but it's changed. And suddenly!' Kumiko thought while sipping the sour yet delicious tea, her body feeling cold from the aggressive look of Nikita beside her.

"You... you came to meet Nikolai, right?" Nikita's eyes narrowed, her fangs visible as she almost snarled through her words. "What do you think you'll gain from him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean... What do I have to gain?"

Kumiko's eyes widened, and her head tilted before she looked at Nikita, whose face was full of fury.

"Stop acting stupid, little girl. I know it's all an act."

"This is how I was brought up and taught, I shall not be rude just because you are. Lady Nikita."

Kumiko placed her cup down, her tails flicking with irritation at the accusations from this woman. "I came here to seek help from him. My family has ties to your mother, but is an extremely small clan, but I am their only hope. They have no way to save themselves, so I came here to ask for help at the guidance of Ivan Volkov, his father."

"What do you need help with?"

"That does not concern you. I can't trust someone so quick to assume the worst about people." Kumiko sighed, her head tilting to the side.

"But if you are so concerned, then I am looking for help in saving my clan from those who wish to use us. To do so, I need to form a union of blood with the young lord Nikolai." Kumiko's gaze went towards the door, hoping she could leave this prison soon.

"It is not like I wish to be married or anything like that, we will just be tied by our blood as we have done with other clans. So there is nothing for you to worry about."

"Lies!"

Nikita's eyes narrowed, and her body jumped up as her tail fluffed up. She felt it, this child with her elegant aura and those golden eyes that felt like they could swallow a man's soul. 'Nikolai will be tricked by this fox, then forget me!'

Kumiko's body flinched, and her ears flattened. She felt a sense of anger as her tails thumped the ground louder. It was the first time Kumiko was called a liar and treated like she was a snake trying to trick someone.

"I have never told a lie in my life, and you call me one? I don't care for your jealousy. You are an unrefined woman. I will not waste my time with someone like you."

Even though she accepted Nikita as Nikolai's spouse, Kumiko did not act rudely or unbecomingly. She knew it was unfair of her to seek his help, but her heart felt tight, a sense of despair.

'How can I explain... that our sacred blood is the reason, not a physical attraction or desire to take him from her?!'

In reality, it was Ivan who sought Kumiko... not the other way around. Ivan had heard of the nine-tailed fox of the southern lands and knew she had the purest of blood. So he had sent a letter to her father in the past to bring her here so that Nikolai would have a true companion.

So, in the distant past, Kumiko came here because she was told Nikolai would become someone important to the clan, yet on that night eighteen years ago. She endured the massacre of her clan. Kumiko watched them killed by humans wielding monster-slaying weapons that almost took her life.

"If I am a liar, then I will accept any punishment from you, Lady Nikita." A proud and arrogant voice echoed in the room.

Kumiko's hand raised the sleeve of her kimono, exposing her pale neck and wrist with light scars from that night. "But if I speak the truth and have not lied to you, then you shall accept the same punishment. Do you accept?"

Nikita looked at the exposed skin of a woman with an arrogant and prideful attitude. At first, she hated Kumiko, but when she heard her words, she couldn't help but admire her.

Kumiko's head raised as if to challenge her to a fight that Nikita would gladly accept. "Fine, I accept! But I will not lose, and you will leave this house and never meet with Nikolai ever again."

"Understood, Lady Nikita I never came here to upset or break your love. I admire how deep your affection for him is. Forgive me for being unable to seek anyone else for aid."

"Nikita..."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Nikita... you don't need to be so stiff and serious. I am fine with informal speech, Kumi."

"By chance... is Kumi... my nickname?"

"Yes."

"Fufufu!" Kumiko covered her face using the large sleeves of her kimono while narrowing her soft gaze at Nikita; she realised something from this exchange.

'After all, Lady Nikita isn't a horrible person—she was just insecure and jealous.'

"Why are you laughing?!"

"That's my first nickname! Then, please call me as you will, Nikita."

"Hmph! Then... I am going to get some food, because that idiot isn't coming tonight.... so..."

"Hmmm?" Kumiko tilted her head, question marks in her eyes.

"What do you want to eat!" Nikita blushed, turning away as her tail slapped the ground—it was rare for her. Someone who didn't just say yes to follow her words.

Different from Selene, Nikita felt Kumi was the closest thing to a friend she could have. "I like to eat meat... especially fried chicken, but, we can have fish if you want." A voice that sounded bright at first then became low and mumbled.

Once she finished speaking, Nikita looked at Kumiko, her eyes half-hidden by her arms.

'What just happened?' Kumiko felt bewildered at the sudden change of attitude, yet her heart felt a little more at ease. 'She's like a kitten that has been hurt, but wants affection, just not understanding how to accept it. How cute!'

"I'm fine with fried chicken."

"REALLY?! Ah... ahem... I mean, really." Nikita's bright face was so obvious that this was something she longed for, as her tail swayed rapidly. The fierce wolf was now like a little cat as she skipped towards the door.

"Good, then stay here and wait. I will order from the best place and get lots of juicy chicken!"

Kumiko watched her leave and couldn't help but feel a weight drop from her shoulders. After all, it was the first time she had met another woman like herself, so she was excited to try this fried chicken Nikita looked so excited about.

'I wonder what he will think... if I tell him that I became friends with Lady Nikita?'

'Lord Nikolai, I will need your help, but after meeting her... I have no desire to make her cry.'

"I hope Uncle Ivan doesn't feel disappointed in me," Kumiko said as she sat on the cushions, looking around the room that was simple yet filled with comfort and energy like Nikita.

"Lord Nikolai, how will you react when we meet?" She shook her head, her ears flattening as she tried not to think too far ahead.

Yet the small kindling of excitement already began to grow inside her chest.

***

Meanwhile, Nikolai sat in the passenger seat of a sports class M10 Negation car. The sleek, sporty design and powerful hybrid M10 engine caused the booming echo of a fuel engine without damage to the environment. It was the latest in the company's designs, and this car alone cost over seven digits.

"How is the care, Nikolai?" The beautiful corpse bride smirked at his slightly pale yet excited face.

Mikaela wasn't an ally, but somehow, because of her similarity to his mother, Nikolai didn't feel the need to put up his guard. Of course, this only meant his external guard, not his interior.

[Haha, Mika always loved fast cars.]

Each time his mother's voice came, she would be quiet for a while.

Now that his mother could gather soul power, she could recover herself, but it would take longer than if he had done it. Yet Nikolai could understand his mother's desire to become stronger and gain her self-sufficiency.

"Did she speak again? How interesting."

Not long after, they left the coffee shop and boarded the sleek, dark red sports car.

Mikaela spoke honestly to Nikolai and told him she knew that the voice must have been related to his pendant and mother due to the energy and slight vibration in the air.

Nikolai's hand gripped the soft leather seats, but he was surprised at how relaxed he felt. He knew that the corpse bride beside him had no intention of harming him at the moment.

'How long will that last, I wonder?'

'Will Alucard be the same...'

These were things Nikolai could only wonder as the car burst down the empty night streets at a speed of over 120mph. The speed of the car forced Nikolai back into his seat.

'It's like riding in a jet fighter!'

"Interesting, your heart didn't even beat faster." Mikaela smiled softly and kept driving until the car slowed down to the city limits. "You know, for the undead... it's hard to feel alive, so we need to search for activities that make us 'feel' something."

"So, you like fast cars?"

"Yes, and men." Her eyes turned to look at Nikolai's face, her smile widening. "Especially when a man's blood is pumping so hard, and he's fighting for his life." She sighed as if she was in heat, causing Nikolai to shake his head and look away. This atmosphere soon passed as she chuckled at his reaction.

"It is the fate of a bride who marries into the Nosferatu house, that's why they choose lesser noble houses instead of royal ones. I am not sure of the details, but it seems to be a curse placed on their bloodline." Mikaela seemed to want Nikolai to understand her husband Alucard and not misjudge that it was his choice to transform her. Stay connected via m-v l|e'm,p| y- r

"I think I understand." Nikolai's head looked at the city lights as they passed. "But if you are happy, then why does it matter? I don't think others can judge your life for you."

Mikaela's eyes narrowed, and her fangs seemed to show from her lips. "How mature, I wonder if that will change when you see the real me, Nikolai."

Nikolai's head moved away from the window, his eyes staring at the side of her face, and his lips pulled up into a half-smile. "What difference could it be, other than maybe eating the flesh of the living? Hunting them like prey, monsters do that anyway. A vampire is no different from a zombie in my eyes."

Nikolai didn't categorise the monsters. Instead, he accepted they were all the same because of his human mind.

However, he didn't know how this made actual monsters feel.

Vampires and other races shunned the undead and treated them as inferior and lesser. "I have yet to hear these words from someone born from a royal and imperial bloodline." It made Mikaela smile.

Nikolai sighed and shook his head, his hands rubbing his temples. "I am sorry; I was just thinking, and my words came out. It wasn't meant to sound like I was insulting them or your people. I'm sure they have their own culture and way of life."

"No, your words reassured me it's fine to take you to meet my husband. Thank you for not considering me lesser or judging me because I am an undead."

"I am so happy—I wonder if I could have had a child, would they have become like you?" Mikaela's voice sounded honest and genuine, which made Nikolai smile.

He looked back at the window, and his ears felt hot. It felt like a strange compliment for Nikolai, who had sought his mother desperately for decades.

It was a great honour.

"Just like your mother..." Mikaela whispered as she tapped the steering wheel and sped up the car further.

[I am your mommy, Nikolai! Don't let Mika trick you... when I get a new body, I will beat her up and make you see how cool your mother is!]

A red flash of light zoomed down the highway before reaching a dark and mysterious city filled with gloom.