Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 751: For Now, Just Another Five Minutes…

Several hours later…

For the first time in what felt like several days, Nikolai had absolutely nothing to do.

No enemies were trying to tear his throat out.

Nobody was screaming his name across a battlefield, there weren’t any alarms blaring through the underground facility, and most importantly, none of his wives were currently giving birth.

‘Haa…’

Nikolai sank deeper into the large leather chair positioned between two hospital beds and slowly rubbed both palms across his face.

‘Is this what peace feels like?’

He’d almost forgotten.

The shared VIP recovery room was several times larger than the one Kumiko originally occupied, designed specifically for members of the Volkov family who might remain underground for several days. There were two enormous beds, a private bathroom, a small kitchen area and even several couches arranged near the reinforced observation window.

Yet none of those things held Nikolai’s attention.

Hikari occupied the leftmost one.

His little golden fox lay completely wrapped inside a pale blanket, leaving only her head, tiny ears and silver-tipped hair visible. Warm mist occasionally passed across the inside of the pod while several magical crystals embedded beneath the mattress maintained her temperature and gently supplied mana to her growing body.

The pods weren’t necessary because the children were sick.

Miranda had explained that supernatural newborns sometimes struggled to regulate their body temperature, mana and bloodline energy during their first days, especially hybrids carrying multiple powerful bloodlines.

So Nikolai insisted all three children use them.

‘Better safe than sorry.’

Hikari’s little tail suddenly escaped from beneath her blanket.

Pat.

It slapped against the transparent wall.

Nikolai immediately sat forward.

“What’s wrong?”

Nothing happened.

The little fox continued sleeping.

“…”

He slowly relaxed again.

From the bed behind him came a tired snort.

“Honey…”

Nikolai glanced over his shoulder.

Rika lay buried beneath several blankets, her messy black hair spread across the pillows while her two tails hung lazily over the side of the bed. Her eyes remained closed, but the faint curl of her lips told him she was awake.

“What?”

“They’re sleeping.”

“I know.”

“You’ve checked them about thirty times.”

However, she covered her face and sniffled. “I didn’t mean to say those things before… please don’t be angry or hate me…”

Maybe it was because they hadn’t named the boys, due to her fainting and needing medical treatment after she finished giving birth. But Rika’s condition worsened, and she couldn’t stop crying from the moment she woke up.

Rika opened one emerald eye.

“You’ve checked Hikari eleven times, our first boy nine times and the other one twelve.”

“Don’t be so silly; why are you trying to compete with your little gaming buddy? I can’t believe you counted the number of times I looked…”

“Hmph… I know you fucked Kumiko more times than me on the day you visited…”

“…”

He didn’t have a good answer, because it was true. But not because he loved Kumiko or their daughter more. The truth was that, like now, Rika’s small body suffered greatly during pregnancy, though she was proud of the breasts she’d gained… When Nikolai spoke with the doctors and learned how much it really affected her.

‘This dumb cat… doesn’t she know how much I love her?’

Nikolai clicked his tongue before turning back towards the pods.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but lament his inability to keep it in his pants, to stop himself at just one or two women. Yet, in the next thought, he denied that weak-willed approach; since he accepted them, he should take responsibility for everything.

‘I cannot become weak-minded or pathetic.’

He was their rock, their support.

His gaze moved towards the two pods beside Hikari.

Rika’s sons were similar enough that an ordinary person might confuse them at first glance, both possessing dark hair, small feline ears and the unmistakable pair of tails marking them as Nekomata.

However, Nikolai could already tell them apart.

One had inherited her wind element and the other, her spirit element.

“Hello, my handsome boys.”

The slightly larger boy slept peacefully on his back, barely moving apart from the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

His younger brother was the opposite.

Despite being carefully wrapped by the nurses less than twenty minutes ago, one arm had already escaped his blanket while both tails twitched beneath the fabric.

‘That one definitely takes more after Rika.’

Nikolai narrowed his eyes.

The troublesome little bastard had somehow rotated himself almost sideways inside the pod.

“This is the fourth time…” He reached inside, gently cupping his son’s little head and shifting his body, letting the cool blanket and pillow keep him completely safe and secure. “Don’t keep messing around, or I’ll spank your bottom.” He mused, just like he might threaten Rika when she misbehaved.

The contrast still felt ridiculous.

His palm nearly covered the child’s entire body.

“Come here, little troublemaker.”

The boy released a faint noise.

“Mew…”

Nikolai froze at the sudden cute sound… watching his son’s feline ears twitch before he relaxed.

“H-Honey…?!”

In the past, Nikolai preferred daughters, but thanks to Leonid, and now these two lovely twins, he realised it didn’t matter which sex. All that he needed was for them to be the children of his beloved wives.

‘Even if they were normal humans… or sick, I would adore them.’

This thought slipped through his mind when watching Kumiko suffering… even if the children were sick or had any issues.

He swore to dedicate himself to them, for life.

Nikolai glanced up at the big golden clock above the observation windows before closing his eyes and rubbing his temples in slow circles. “Damn.”

‘I’m going to be late… Grandfather finally recovered enough to speak, and Dad wanted us to meet to decide how we will deal with Nosferatu before it’s too late.’

“Honey, why do you keep bothering… he likes to have one leg in and one leg out, just like his mother… see?”

Rika demonstrated with her long, lean legs. One hid beneath the quilt, while the other slipped out from the warmth and rested on the cold metal frame of the bed.

“Tsk…”

“You’ve fought Ancestor Vampires with less concern than you’re showing three sleeping babies.”

“Ancestors can’t suddenly stop breathing because they rolled over.”

His eyes slowly softened.

‘Everyone’s here.’

That thought alone seemed to remove a weight from his chest that he hadn’t realised remained.

Kumiko rested on the second bed beside Rika.

She hadn’t spoken since being transferred into the shared room, apart from several sleepy murmurs whenever Nikolai checked her condition.

Unlike Rika, who seemed exhausted but otherwise healthy, Kumiko’s body still carried the aftermath of what happened during Hikari’s birth.

Even in sleep, the dark markings could be seen extending along her exposed right hand before disappearing beneath the sleeve of her gown.

Nikolai’s gaze lingered upon them.

If Rika’s issue was internal and natural, then Kumiko’s was purely supernatural, given those strange markings and the fact that he could now sense changes in her golden blood. It was strange… though he thought she might lose her delicious scent.

The new scent lingering on her body could drive him mad if he let down his guard.

‘Maybe the biggest surprise is she’s somehow become an Ancestor…’

Miranda checked them three times since the transfer and assured him Kumiko remained stable. But he would likely speak with his mother, father and the numerous fathers-and mothers-in-law he had to make sure.

“Forget what I am doing and just rest, Rika.”

Though he wanted to smother her in love and his affection, if he lost control, then the damage might be irreparable.

So Nikolai held back his desires and returned to his chair. Only this time, instead of staring at the children, he leaned back and let his head rest against the cushion.

His entire body hurt.

The wounds Rika carved across his arm had already healed into faint pink lines, but deeper injuries from the previous battle remained. His muscles felt heavy, his chest ached with every deep breath, and the lack of proper sleep made his thoughts feel strangely slow.

‘Battle… Alucard… the outpost… Kumi… Hikari… Rika… two more sons…’

Nikolai rubbed his forehead.

‘What a fucking two days.’

“Mmm…”

Though he heard the moan of Kumiko, he remained calm, instead covering his face with his hand, desperate to adjust his emotions that hadn’t settled since seeing the vision of Selene and Nikita dying.

No, it wasn’t just them… he’d been hallucinating the deaths of all his beloved women since the battle against Alucard.

‘Right now I cannot win… without losses.’

“Nikolai…”

“Honey…”

Both voices reached him almost at the same time.

He slowly lowered his hand.

Rika lay on her side, one emerald eye peeking over the blanket, while Kumiko had finally opened hers properly and watched him with a tired, knowing expression.

“What?”

“Come here,” Rika mumbled.

Kumiko lifted her marked hand slightly. “Mhm… stop sitting over there by yourself.”

Nikolai stared between them and shook his head. Their beds sat side by side, with barely enough space for a person to walk through.

“…Where exactly?”

Rika pointed towards the narrow gap.

“Bring your chair.”

“You want me wedged between both beds?”

“Yes.”

Kumiko smiled faintly. “Then we can both reach you.”

Nikolai sighed, but there wasn’t any strength behind it.

He stood, grabbed the heavy leather chair by its back and dragged it across the floor.

Scrrrape!

Once he squeezed it between their beds, Rika immediately caught his left hand while Kumiko took his right.

Neither woman said anything else. Rika rested his hand against her cheek while Kumiko intertwined their fingers and closed her eyes again.

Nikolai looked from one wife to the other, then leaned back between them.

‘…Maybe I can stay for another five minutes.’