Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 69: The First Battle - A Viscious Hound

Nikolai and Selene were oblivious to the old man who watched them leaving. He turned to the clerk and gave a sharp glare before smirking.

"You are a very lucky man; if that princess acted like usual, you would have been dead already."

"E-Eh? Owner... surely you are joking, right? She seemed gentle and kind."

The old man was not just a member of staff, as Nikolai had believed. He was the owner of the entire arena, not just in this world but all the Nexus arenas. He looked at the back of the pair, now holding hands, and shook his head, a knowing glint in his eye.

"To think you don't know of that lady. Do our staff not learn about the top six races and their dominating families anymore?"

"I did but there wasn't anyone in the vampire family that seemed that dangerous..."

"That's strange. Have you never heard of that lady? Selene Aria Tepes is known for killing all enemies she has fought in the arena since first appearing. She is a cold-blooded killer and is known as the Scarlet Princess who bathes in the blood of her enemies."

This time, the employee began to tremble uncontrollably, his eyes widening in fear, a cold sweat dripping down his back as he gazed towards the two looking at the league board.

"N-No way... is that her? I... I was rude to her and her fiancé and called him a servant?!"

"Hohoho, don't worry. It seems the boy beside her is more valuable than our sources and database stated. I don't know why it said their pairing was false... It is clear that the young lady is smitten with the boy."

"I will do my best to study more!"

***

Meanwhile, Nikolai and Selene stood together, choosing an opponent—the machine was like a train ticket or ATM. You placed your card inside, and then it would show you a list of leagues you could fight in and the opponents that were within your level. Those weaker than you were green, and those too strong were red.

'Wow, there are quite a lot of red names, even in the lowest tier. I am glad that with each battle, I grow stronger.'

"What are you thinking about Kai?" Selene's atmosphere changed after meeting the clerk. She began to stare and peek at Nikolai while refusing to release his hand. Though he didn't mind, sometimes Nikolai wished for an affection meter to see how she felt.

[Don't be so stupid, you wish!]

"Haha, just thinking that you look extra beautiful today."

*Squeeze*

Selene's hand almost crushed his when he said those words. Her eyes opened wide for a moment before sharpening into narrow slits, her lips trembling slightly, but she didn't speak.

'Haha... well, I know how Nikita feels, but Selene is strange—when we drink each other's blood, it feels like her affection and desire are even greater than Nikita's, but normally, she feels cold like a frozen tower.'

[I think she's just an awkward girl]

"What are you really thinking? Idiot..."

"I was being serious, though, but maybe I'll fight this monster that's close to a wolf."

Nikolai pointed to the entry labelled Dark Hound. It was a monster with an average physical power of 70-80, but the mental was below 10. Selene looked at the monster entry on her screen and began to investigate its weaknesses and known strengths using her money.

'Well, I guess the Arena knows how to make money—you pay Nexus coins in order to discover the enemy's traits. I should hold back in my matches until later on.'

He decided since he registered under the guise of Selene's fiancé and as a werewolf, then he would only use the Volkov bloodline in the rookie section. For blood arts, he would use the aura but not the Tepes style of offensive blood art he learned.

"I think you can win, although you are a little weaker overall. Your aura needs to fight monsters like this to refine itself. Because you are my partner, I will bet 1000 coins for you to win, and any profit I make will be deposited into your account." Selene's lips curled into a rare smile as she stroked Nikolai's cheek.

Selene seemed strange from the moment he agreed to visit the Nexus with her. Yet Nikolai liked this side of her and wondered if he could eventually become closer to Selene.

"Then I will do the same for your matches, Selene." Nikolai looked at her with a sly grin, his eyes sharp. Yet when they met each other, it was Selene who turned away and placed a hand on her chest before speaking with a slightly aggressive tone.

"Hmph... you should hurry to the teleporter. Your fight is soon... Stupid..."

[This girl is so cute... I can't take it anymore!]

'...'

"Whatever, I'll make sure to win fast for you. How about you reward me with a kiss instead of coins when I win?"

Nikolai didn't wait for her to respond and stepped into the teleportation device with a wide grin on his cheeks, watching Selene, who looked stunning with her beautiful porcelain cheeks turning red while her lips parted, staring at his vanishing figure.

[I hope you never act this way with any other women apart from Nikita and Selene... or one day you might get stabbed.]

'Shh! I need to focus."

[Little shit!]

The teleportation only lasted a few moments. A warm blue light which felt like the nexus, cool and refreshing, like swimming in a pool of water.

Nikolai's eyes flickered as he adjusted to his current position. In the opposite gate was the dark hound, a monster the size of a large dog, similar to a wolf, but its eyes were red, and spikes grew from its spine.

'So this monster is weak to attacks to its abdomen and underneath its ribs. Though the bite from its jaw will be almost impossible to break.'

"Good afternoon, everybody! This match is a rookie - Monster Battle! How exciting to have a brand new fighter today! A werewolf by the name of Kai will tackle the deadly Dark Hound with four victories to its name!"

"Wooah!"

"Kill him!"

"Dog on Dog!"

'He's good at his job.'

Despite being a rookie match, the monster nobles and normal people enjoyed watching all levels of competition.

Maybe it was because of the death rate of rookies being more than triple the intermediate value. Monsters probably like violence and blood—also, seeing the rookie occasionally win might be enjoyable.

"Our lovely audience, I hear your voices! If you haven't already, it's betting time! You have one minute to choose your bets and prepare for this rookie's first match! Can Kai overcome the deadly dog? Or will he be torn apart like a mutt in the rain!"

'He's a bit too dramatic, though it works for a commentator.'

"Oh my god! Someone spent 10,000 coins for the rookie's victory! While everyone else seems to vote for the Hound! How exciting! This lady Lena, is she a fool or the rookie lover?!"

"Ha... haha... how nice. To think a woman would go so far for me. Selene... I can't die yet...

not when I have met someone as cute as you." Nikolai whispered to himself as both arms began to deform, becoming longer and more muscular before beautiful silver fur covered them. His hands grew about one size larger, with sharp silver claws and tough hide covering them.

'I will crush this dog and hand you the victory.'

The moment the clock hit zero, the gates began to tremble, loud metal rattling, and the sound of gears turning echoed in the ears of Nikolai before they were opened completely.

With a masterful pace, each step measured and calculated his muscles perfectly. Listening to his every desire, Nikolai sprinted towards the dark hound, his body leaning forward, feeling the pressure lower, his hands low, ready to attack the dog that rushed towards him with an identical idea.

As their bodies clashed with the sand below, Nikolai felt his shoulders shudder. He used half of his strength, but even then, he couldn't fully overcome the physical force of this dog. 'This guy is no ordinary dog...'

Forced to twist his body to avoid the fangs of the dark hound, Nikolai's blood art allows him to evade with a hair's breadth to avoid the deadly wound from its teeth, the cold wind brushing past his neck while he moved.

'This bastard!'

Nikolai's eyes were drawn towards its tail, which was striking out behind him, attempting to strike his vulnerable spine. His hips pivoted, sending his leg forward and lunging at the monster while gathering the pure blue aura within his left arm focused upon his claw, which flashed across the air and grabbed the hound's tail.

"Awoooo!!"

It let out a pained howl the moment its tail was clutched. Without a shred of mercy, Nikolai swung his arm, twisting the beast in the air and swirling himself like a professional hammer thrower, his body twisting over and over with seventeen rotations before throwing it across the arena, sending it crashing into the stone wall.

'Haa... haa... this monster's physical power is insane, but its movement and fighting skills are lacking especially its instincts. Did the Nexus create this thing?'

Despite using 70% of his physical power, the dark hound remained conscious, shaking its head before standing up, its legs trembling while it staggered in place, though blood and swelling on its head and body were visible to the vampire Nikolai, who could view all damage thanks to his blood aura showing colours where bruising, bleeding and broken bones appeared.

"Ahhh... what an explosive start to the battle! I can't believe the rookie is dominating the hound! This is a close fight, but Kai has the upper hand!"

'If only he were right.'

The monster growled with its head lowered, and its black and red eyes glared at Nikolai. A moment after, the hound swelled in size, the special skill of demonisation causing its muscles and body to increase now with a physical level of 110.

'Demonisation, huh? Looks like this dog has some brains.'

The crowd became silent.

"Can you do something against that? Kai!" The announcer sounded worried, building more excitement before the dog vanished from sight.

"Hahaha, this is great... Selene... I'll defeat this dog no matter what."

*Woosh!*

A sharp claw tore through the air where Nikolai's head lingered a moment before, his blood art allowing him to sense the danger as he leaned back, with his fist filled with celestial aura flying straight at the creature.

Crack!

Its bones shattered beneath his punch, though its body was still whole. Blood dripped from its snout, the hound's muscles so thick that it was held in the air by the punch of Nikolai, yet the damage felt minimal.

'Shit. What should I do?!'

Before Nikolai could understand the situation, another attack struck him in the stomach, tearing a hole in his shirt as blood poured from his chest—rolling backwards.

He took a deep breath, trying to endure the pain. It felt like the dark hound's claws did more than just cut his flesh because the wound started to sizzle... like acid was stopping him from regenerating.

'I'll be screwed if it hits me in the head or neck...'

"Haa....haa...."

"Fucking Dog! I'll make you into cheap-ass cat food!" Nikolai shouted out as Nikita would in their native language of the R-dialect.

"Grrr!"

The two of them stood opposite, both injured, yet the ferocity and fear of pain didn't exist for the dark hound. Yet the crowd were going insane for this opening battle; already, many were voting to spare the life of the rookie this time, a rare occurrence!

Selene, on the other hand, placed a hand over her lips because she didn't buy the most expensive information about this skill... her cheeks swelling as her eyes looked soft and filled with worry.

"You have to win..." She muttered, drowned out by the shouting crowd.