Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Nikolai leaned back against the wall, watching the heavy rain washing out the noise of people and cars, the swish of water almost relaxing. Leona and Anya scolded him about his relationship with Clara, and he knew that Selene and Nikita might skin him alive.

"So he didn't come here because they already have him..."

Sulley was Kumiko's family, even if not blood-related, which put pressure on Nikolai to save him and avoid his suffering as much as possible.

Madoka's scent vanished from the city, washed away by the smell of wet dog.

"Darling, are you leaving soon?" Leona stepped onto the balcony, holding a small plate of sandwiches. "I thought you might be a little peckish..."

"What would I do without you, my lovely wife?"

Despite his attempt to be charming, her lips just twitched. Leona leaned closer before she gently licked his ear. "Wouldn't you just spend all the time sleeping with younger women?" Snap! Her teeth bit his ear, sinking just enough to make deep red marks, as blood dribbled across her lips.

"Ah!" Nikolai grasped his ear, the pleasant feeling of her licking the wound ticklish as Leona grinned at him with a playful hum.

"Be a good boy this time, or I might just flip out."

Her warning wasn't a joke—the cute smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

The sandwiches tasted great, a light tuna and mayonnaise with crunchy lettuce, something that wouldn't cause any issues later tonight while fighting. Nikolai watched Leona's figure from the corner of his eye and smiled. Even though Leo was angry with him, she still couldn't stop herself from being affectionate.

"You have to win, you know?"

"I do."

"....and you can't get hurt. Promise me!"

"I promise."

She stepped closer, sneaky like a stray cat, before stepping onto her tiptoes and kissing his cheek, the warmth of her sticky lip gloss lingering after she pulled back and skipped away humming a strange tune.

"I married a lovely woman..."

***

Nikolai soon left the apartment. His Supra GTX sat in the parking lot humming gently as he let the heating warm his body. Despite the weather lady saying it would clear up, the sky remained dark grey, and rain hammered down.

The strange emotions in his chest and frustration faded; instead, a feeling of power swirled.

Thankfully, after absorbing the essence from the SSS members, he sensed a wall, something blocking him from growing further, like punching a soft wall. Nikolai could feel the boundary leading to the Elder level.

Just a little more and I will be strong enough...

He understood why his father told him to come here, not just the SSS members, but fighting in the arena tempered his body and mind with each fight and grew closer to his father's level.

Vrooom!

A low howl filled the parking lot as he put down his foot, letting his engine roar.

Madoka, Big Bear and the Silver clan, this trip to Britannia might just be the best thing he has done after marrying all his Lunas.

The car shot out of the underground parking like a shooting star, the rain and neon lights forming a beautiful trail that followed his supercar.

Londis at night was quite different.

Although still a little dirty and grey, the night signs and people who went out to drink despite the weather brought a smile to one's face. Nikolai gripped his steering wheel, enjoying the cool air conditioning that kept him fresh.

"Ryan is meeting that Lamia again tonight..."

Nikolai pulled into the backstreets where the arena hid itself from the spotlight while thinking back to Ryan's anger. He leaned back into his seat as the Supra purred, the neon skyline reflected across the windshield in jagged ribbons. The rain beat harder, coating the roads and painting every puddle into a mirror.

"Ryan…" he muttered, lips curling into something between a sigh and a smile. He could still see his friend's face when Clara's name came up after their clash. Barely able to hold back his fury and frustration at the fact.

Maybe I deserved that fist; it was a wake-up call.

Nikolai shifted gears, the engine growling like a caged beast beneath him.

Ryan's existence grew larger after he learned the truth, more than an old friend or a drinking partner. More than a brother-in-arms. He had fought beside him, suffered because of Nikolai's choices and trusted him even when knowing it could be dangerous.

However, Nikolai couldn't forget her face while beneath him, the soft moans and cute purrs...

Her blood was dangerous... it still pulsed in his chest, sang inside his veins, a sweet yet lethal poison pulling his thoughts back to her smile, her trembling body as she desperately tried to resist the pleasure yet still opening her arms to welcome him.

"Tsk!"

He bit the end of his tongue to break the mysterious hold she had over him.

"This is bad, the danger wasn't what I thought."

"I'll handle it. One way or another," he growled to the empty car.

The roads narrowed, street lamps fading as the Supra threaded through tight lanes. The city's beating heart gave way to the underbelly—cracked concrete, shuttered shops, alleys that stank of mould and wet trash—a perfect mask for what Londis hid.

By the time the Arena's outline came into view, the rain had eased, thinning into a mist that clung to the air like smoke.

The entrance wasn't marked by signs or guards, but by the people. Huddled groups of men and women leaned against walls, some whispering, some shouting, all waiting. Their eyes glittered, restless with the hunger to see violence. To see blood.

When Nikolai pulled into the side lot, their chatter dimmed. Even without his wolf stirred, the black aura seeping faintly from him turned heads. Some flinched, some whispered, and one man spat on the ground before looking away.

He killed the engine, shoved the door open, and stepped out. The crowd parted with the awe of prey recognising a predator, and then their voices muttered his name, his nickname... Nikolai wasn't just some rookie fighter anymore.

His boots splashed filthy water on his way to the gate. A pair of guards in leather coats blocked the way, weapons holstered but ready. One, a tall man with a scar dragging from temple to jaw, looked him over before speaking into a radio.

"Volkov."

"If it isn't the little black wolf!"

The two sneered at him, but it wasn't offensive, and instead, Nikolai enjoyed the pair that remained the same each night.

"Good luck tonight." The tall bouncer chuckled, a betting ticket in his hand. "You'll need it."

Nikolai scanned the guards and lowered his shoulders, hands in pockets, with a sly smile. He understood that the Silver Clan wouldn't go easy on him anymore; the enemies would likely be Elder level at worst.

Once he stepped inside, the words and voices of excited people echoed louder than the rain, even louder than his engine when it screamed.

Am I getting addicted to this atmosphere?

Was Dad the same?

His father's shadow fell over his shoulders once again, once icy, suffocating and inescapable, but recently, Nikolai enjoyed that pressure and weight. He pictured his father when seeing the photos and posters on the wall; indifferent, dangerous, with a cigarette in his mouth.

A version of his father that Nikolai only got to see here.

Nikola clicked his tongue and stepped towards the basement door.

The gate hissed as it opened, the dark tunnel beyond smelling of oil, sweat, and fresh paint.

Inside, the crowd's roar vibrated the walls.

"This is bigger than usual..." Nikolai muttered before he noticed a familiar figure and understood why the excitement was so high.

Big Bear wore his combat outfit.

The enormous black beast nodded at Nikolai before stepping into his private dressing room. All the other fighters sat on cheap wooden benches or punched the training dummies. This atmosphere caused the blood in Nikolai's veins to throb.

"Calling, Nikolai Volkov! It's your time to fight!"

He didn't know if he would earn fruit tonight to spoil Leona and the girls. Nikolai just wanted to fight to release this raging fire inside him in the cage, hoping for a stronger enemy.

The vague voice of the crowd chanting reached Nikolai's ears.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of voices all merging into one beast, one demand: fight, kill, bleed.

Every step down the tunnel only sharpened his emotions. The aches, the hunger, the madness boiling since the graveyard—all of it twisted into a weapon, coiling tighter with each heartbeat like a dagger.

At the end of the tunnel, the Arena floor gleamed under floodlights.

A circle of steel and stone, wide as a battlefield, waiting.

This was the place Nikolai could forget human rules, human laws and just unleash the beast inside.

And at the far side, he saw them.

Today's opponent.

A tall beast, similar to the Black bear, with hair tufts along its arms and chest, it must have been at least seven feet tall.

"Well, this looks fun."

Nikolai muttered as his steps became faster.