Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 763: Before the Moon Reaches Zero

A few hours after he left, Nikolai returned to the laboratory to hear what his aunt and Sasha had to say about the moon’s changes. To his surprise, there weren’t any arguments or shouting, but the atmosphere had changed completely.

Sasha remained hunched over one of the terminals with several monitors surrounding her, while Anastasia had pulled records from the first night of the Blood Moon and spread them across the main display. Even Marianne had stopped working with her blood samples and sat quietly nearby, helping organise whatever information the two researchers requested.

Nikolai didn’t interrupt her.

He could already tell from their expressions that they had found something.

Anastasia eventually leaned back from the monitor and rubbed both eyes.

“Oh… Nikolai.”

He held up a large basket holding several flasks and snacks, since Sasha had mentioned that eating human food and coffee helped her concentrate.

So he brought enough for six people.

“Aunt… you look horrible. Here, have some coffee and a snack. How bad is it?”

“Ah? That…..” Though she answered, Anastasia didn’t continue and instead motioned towards Sasha, who rolled off her desk with a groan.

Sasha brought another display forward. It contained several overlapping graphs, one recorded during the first night and another taken less than an hour earlier.

At first, Nikolai couldn’t understand what he was looking at.

“The amount of energy hasn’t decreased,” Sasha explained. “That’s where we were wrong. We assumed the phenomenon had weakened because the behavioural effects disappeared.”

“How so?”

“Well… rather than decreasing, it’s more like it’s storing it…”

Sasha enlarged one section.

“The first night was violent and unstable. Whatever energy came from the moon affected almost everything exposed to it, especially humans, animals and weaker supernatural beings.”

“Weak… but even I…”

“Y-Yes, that’s right, it did have an effect on those above the Elder level, but… it wasn’t enough to completely dominate their mind.”

Even supernatural beings had become more aggressive and unstable.

“Then everyone adapted to it over time?”

“No…” Anastasia finally spoke, shaking her head as she devoured the chicken and bacon sandwich. “That’s exactly what we thought! But… we were fucking wrong. Tsk! Those bastards really did something nasty.”

“We didn’t adapt.”

She moved several older readings beside the newest results.

“The effect simply stopped stimulating the same response.”

Nikolai stared at the screen.

“What’s the difference?”

“A large one.”

Anastasia crossed her arms beneath her chest, her eyes remaining on the data.

“If the human body had adapted, we would expect resistance to increase gradually. Instead, the behavioural disturbances disappeared almost simultaneously across every population we monitored.”

Sasha nodded.

“Humans stopped becoming violent. Animals calmed down. Lesser vampires, werewolves and other supernatural races stabilised at almost the same time.”

Nikolai slowly understood where they were going.

“So the moon’s energy itself changed?”

“Exactly, they managed to return the moon to normal somehow…”

Anastasia enlarged another graph.

A thin red line continued climbing despite several fluctuations.

“The energy remained present, but its interaction with living organisms became increasingly dormant. At first, we thought that was good.”

Her fingers tightened against the edge of the table.

“Now I’m not so sure.”

Nikolai stepped closer.

“What do you think it’s doing?”

Sasha hesitated before answering.

“Accumulating.”

The word settled heavily inside the laboratory.

Nikolai looked from her towards Anastasia.

“Explain.”

“We don’t know the purpose,” Anastasia said. “And I’m not going to pretend that we do. But if these measurements are correct, the Blood Moon hasn’t been fading.” She pointed towards the rising line.

“It’s been building towards something.”

Nikolai had hoped that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen; what more could he do to secure his family before the final battle? The thought of the moon activating at the moment they were in the midst of their attack…

‘A catastrophe…’

“Would they cause another outbreak…?”

“Possibly.”

“How strong?”

“We can’t calculate that yet.”

Anastasia paused before adding something far less comforting.

“But stronger than the first.”

Nikolai remained silent.

Marianne had been listening from the other side of the table, her earlier nervousness completely gone.

“What would happen?”

Sasha looked towards her.

“We don’t know.”

“Guess.”

Nikolai’s voice made both researchers glance towards him.

“I don’t need certainty right now. If the first event happened again at a greater intensity, what would you expect?”

Anastasia took several seconds before answering.

“Humans would suffer first. Confusion, aggression, loss of inhibition, and eventually complete behavioural collapse. The people who barely reacted during the first night could become dangerous during the second.”

“And supernatural beings?”

“The stronger ones should resist longer.”

“Should?”

Anastasia ignored the interruption.

“Weaker vampires, werewolves and other races would likely experience similar effects to humans. Possibly worse, depending upon how strongly their instincts respond.” Sasha lowered her voice.

“They wouldn’t necessarily become mindless… but instinct would surpass reason, and that becomes extremely dangerous for pregnant women or… mothers.”

Nobody spoke for several moments.

Nikolai imagined S-City.

Millions of people all waiting… Families locked inside homes together. Soldiers standing beside armed supernatural warriors. Humans who already feared vampires and werewolves suddenly losing whatever restraint remained.

Then he thought about their army.

The people who would remain behind when he attacked the island.

‘Fuck.’

If the Blood Moon activated while most of their strongest fighters were away, S-City wouldn’t need Alucard to destroy it.

It would destroy itself.

“How long?”

Anastasia shook her head.

“I can’t give you an exact answer.”

Sasha finally turned one of the projections towards him.

“We need more data before saying anything confidently, but the fluctuations are becoming closer together.”

“Meaning?”

Anastasia answered this time.

“Whatever is happening is accelerating.”

Nikolai stared at the crimson line.

“Days?”

“That’s the safest assumption.”

His thoughts immediately returned to the island.

They had been preparing carefully because rushing against Alucard would get people killed. His father and grandfather had spent an entire night forcing that lesson into his skull.

‘Those bastards will be able to activate that thing in a few days…’

Yet suddenly waiting carried its own price.

Marianne quietly approached him.

“Nikolai…”

He looked towards her.

She seemed hesitant, but there was something firm beneath the softness of her expression.

“If something like that happens, will you still attack the island?”

Nikolai didn’t answer immediately; he rubbed his face with both palms before shaking his head, unable to give a positive answer.

“I don’t know.”

It was the truth.

He couldn’t abandon S-City during a catastrophe. But leaving Alucard alone while the entire world descended into madness sounded just as dangerous.

Marianne lowered her gaze.

“Then my blood might become more important.”

“Hmm… Why?”

“If people start hurting each other…” She looked towards the vials resting behind her. “There will be a lot of wounded, so my blood should be able to help them recover faster… right?”

Though the logic was sound, he remembered how effective Marianne’s blood was in reviving his mother and saving his life. “W-What about you?”

Marianne wasn’t thinking about fighting or comforting him. She was thinking about everyone who wouldn’t be strong enough to protect themselves. For a moment, he remembered the broken girl he’d carried away from the Nosferatu laboratory.

She really had changed.

“As long as I can help… that’s all I need.”

‘This girl… she’s just like her brother.’

No wonder Alexei treasured her despite their awkward relationship.

He turned to face her and placed both hands on her shoulders… though they shared a slightly ambiguous moment in the past. She wasn’t quite one of his wives, but neither was she a woman he could ignore. “Promise me that you won’t hurt yourself trying to save everyone.”

Her wine-red eyes remained on him, widening before narrowing into thin, curved slits as she giggled softly.

“…You should remember that too.”

Nikolai couldn’t bring himself to answer, especially after the conversation he’d had with Ivan and Viktor only hours earlier. There was no guarantee he would survive or be forced to sacrifice something to win.

“….I’ll try.”

“!!!”

He finally turned back towards Anastasia as if to avoid Marianne’s questioning glare at his answer. “I want everything you learn sent directly to me. Even if you think it’s insignificant. There’s no time to hesitate.”

“Mhm.”

“And start preparing whatever countermeasures you can think of. Sedatives, isolation rooms, anything that might reduce the damage if people lose control.”

“What about the island?” Anastasia called out to his back.

Nikolai glanced towards the monitor displaying the crimson moon hanging above S-City. In his original plan, he would finish evaluating the strike force before deciding when they moved, but that luxury vanished.

“Move the evaluations forward… and anyone below Great Elder should be isolated underground safely.”

“Nikolai!” She called his name; the stress and pressure almost tangible as he walked out of the room with a powerful sway in his long stride.

But he didn’t look back.

His thumb moved across the screen until Alexei’s name appeared.

“If that thing really is counting down, I want the people going to that island chosen before we find out what happens when it reaches zero.”

The phone only rang twice before a gruff voice sounded from the other end.

“Patriarch?”

“Alex, prepare everyone for tonight. We’re going to complete the preliminary attack and steal us some boats.”

“…are you sure?”

“Mhm… I’ll explain it to you soon, but… we’ve lost the chance to enjoy a break. Spend the day with your wife… if you want, bring her to our underground vaults and keep her and your kids safe…”

The two spoke briefly, but their voices were so deep and sullen that anyone might think a funeral might be going on.

No… maybe that’s exactly what they were preparing for.

“Boss, I’ll follow your orders.”

“Don’t forget Vernan and Ryan… I’ll be at the meeting point at nine.”