The moment his fist crashed into the wall, its foundation shook. His punch created a deep crater, which formed cracks like a spider’s web. Spread out in multiple craters as the wall collapsed, sending stone and glass blasting at Valan’s father.

Boom!

Ivan’s mouth dropped, watching the stones rip the man apart before his body rolled across the ground and stopped moving.

He turned to his son’s figure with a sense of amazement.

“You’ve grown so fast…” He muttered.

Nikolai’s hand looked deformed, several fingers broken after the punch, which caused a throbbing ache to spread through his hand. A sharp, burning pain pulsed as if he dipped his hand into a pan of searing hot oil.

“Damn it, I couldn’t control my emotions.”

“That’s an understatement, your arm looks horrible. We should hurry up and head to the dock.”

“Why would you do something like that?!”

A soft yet struggling voice escaped her lips, interrupting the father and son.

Lunaria gazed at Nikolai with sharp blue eyes as if scolding him.

Her pale lips dripped with blood, as the injection his father had given her a few minutes before helped stabilise and heal her wounded abdomen.

At least she wouldn’t die.

But Nikolai just clicked his tongue and turned away.

“Wait a minute, you bastard!”

Ivan grabbed Nikolai’s shoulder and spun Nikolai around to face the girl and then pointed at his son.

“Help her, you’ve not heard the truth and reason for everything. Carry her.”

“Uncle Ivan… it’s okay, I can walk—ahh!”

Not wanting to hear her words, Nikolai lifted the wounded woman off the ground, though he didn’t want to do this. Hi anger towards her faded, knowing that she couldn’t have chosen this path.

‘Also, if Selene was truly the one who died, why did Lunaria leave the healthy body. Her own body, instead.’

He thought to himself with a bitter smile. Then, he gazed at Lunaria, her tired eyes and a small pout on her face. Nikolai couldn’t help but remember the two different girls he had met when younger—each day, the memories became more vibrant. That’s why he suddenly noticed that whenever he met Luna, she wore heavy clothes that covered her body.

‘Even back then she was using these fake bodies, then why did she return to Selene’s body, in that strange form.’

What scared him was how it resembled his mother’s current state. This similarity made his judgemental thoughts about Lunaria complex. He wanted to ask her why she did that and went to the Nosferatu side instead of trying to find an answer together with him.

“What’s wrong?” Lunaria’s soft voice sounded weaker than usual.

“N-nothing.”

“Stop being weird, let’s go. Our ride cannot wait all night.”

With Ivan’s low growl, they rushed towards the southern pier.

Nikolai gazed at the people running, their figures like shadows.

The shadows were people from Nosferatu, desperate to stop them from escaping, but the moment they approached, a sudden screech filled the air before something shot into the sky from ahead, and Nikolai finally saw their escape vehicle.

A black submarine…

He gazed up, watching as it slowly ascended from the sea.

‘Wait, those flashes of light are missiles!?’

Ivan grabbed his son’s waist and gritted his teeth, transforming only his legs before he jumped into the air and dived towards the submarine, landing inside a small opening hatch.

The people in pursuit became distracted by the missiles, and it was then that Nikolai noticed the rockets were not explosive but created a flash of light to blind and disorientate the vampires.

“I haven’t seen these since the war in the east.” Ivan muttered.

The next moment, those bright lights suddenly expanded with a low rumbling pop and flames spread across the entire garden and port.

The three of them watched in awe as people screamed out and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.

“Military grade napalm…”

“Dad, isn’t this banned in most conventional warfare now?”

“Hah! Why do we have to abide by human laws?”

“…”

Lunaria’s eyes slowly closed.

The group listened to the shouts of the Nosferatu as the black doors closed and the floor lowered them into the submarine. Nikolai wondered what would happen from here on out.

With such a huge clash, would the SSS and other monster clans remain silent?

***

Not long after entering the submarine, Ivan headed to the bridge while he and Lunaria remained in the medical room, thanks to it being a supernatural submarine. It was well-equipped to help Nikolai and Lunaria and their current injuries.

“You should avoid intense movements for a few days, your hand will feel a little numb for the next six hours.”

“What about Lunaria?”

“The girl, well… she needs a few hours rest. I’ve stopped the bleeding and given her something to help with the pain.”

Nikolai sighed, feeling somewhat guilty for causing this situation.

“But for a full recovery, she will probably need to feed on blood and then it’s up to her.”

The doctor

“Her body is strange.”

“I know, but I don’t have a clue how or why she’s in this state. But something seems to be restricting her vampiric powers. That’s why she still has scars on her body, normally these would heal almost instantly.”

Nikolai gazed at Lunaria, sleeping peacefully.

Her chest slowly rose and deflated with her breathing.

“I didn’t mean…”

“No it’s fine, I can take it from here.”

The doctor looked at Nikolai suspiciously before she walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Lunaria. The moment she was left alone, Lunaria’s hand twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes to find that Nikolai remained, and her face twisted.

“I thought you would leave to find the others right away…”

“Foolish girl, when you have all the answers I need.” Nikolai tapped her cheek with his fingertip, causing a throbbing pain.

“Huhu, did you just use your broken hand, idiot.”

“You’re the idiot.”

Lunaria tried to turn away but struggled as she gasped in agony, her face contorting.

“Ngh!?”

“And you called me an idiot?” Nikolai mocked her as he grabbed one of the medical scalpels and unwrapped it from its packaging.

“What are you doing?” Lunaria’s voice filled with suspicion.

“We need to talk, so let’s feed you.”

“W-Wait…”

Lunaria gasped, putting her hands against his wrists, suddenly noticing how much bigger his hands were than hers.

“What?”

“You’re blood is like crystal meth to women, what if I die!?”

“Then die!”

Her face became pale from Nikolai’s joke—he sliced across his palm and leaned his palm to her mouth. Lunaria tried to turn her head to the side, but Nikolai grabbed her neck, making sure her mouth stayed open.

“Drink.”

“N-no… I can’t… ugh, this is too much for me!”

A thin trail of red liquid seeped into her mouth as she gasped, her body shivering at the sudden taste.

Her pupils visibly dilated the moment it touched her tongue; she trembled, unable to stop the delight and joy flowing through her body as she started to suck on his hand with a sense of desperation.

‘Her face is priceless…’

Nikolai just gazed at her as she continued to drink his blood until she let out a muffled whimper, and her eyes narrowed in a delighted and euphoric state.

She closed her eyes, savouring the flavour as she pulled her mouth back, licking her lips.

“This is delicious, but it tastes strange, it’s not the same as before,” She muttered.

“Oh, do you not want any more, then?”

“Eh!? No… it’s better… sweeter and more appealing!”

Lunaria grabbed his arm and placed her soft lips against the cut, brushing her tongue along his healing wound. While gazing up at him, she sank her fangs into his wrist.

“Hmm, don’t you think your enjoying this too much.”

Nikolai looked at the girl with an annoyed expression as she gripped his arm tightly, her body trembling, before she let out a low moan.

‘Is my blood really that good?’

He wondered as he watched the girl in front of him lose all sense of decency and become enthralled by his blood.

A few minutes later, she looked different, her pale face now filled with colour, vivid blue eyes that almost sparkled and what surprised Nikolai was that her scars and wounds had vanished. She even looked younger.

“Hah… I’m sorry… your blood is like a drug.”

Lunaria covered her face in embarrassment, realising just how depraved she acted, sucking on Nikolai’s wound and still flicking her tongue along the two holes where she bit him.

“So… can you tell me everything now? The reason you let Selene take your body, and are willing to die?”

“How?”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him, stunned and confused.

‘Ah so she didn’t think I could figure it out.’

“Luna, when we were kids, I realised you weren’t the same as me when we first met. You were always like an ethereal fairy.”

He sat at the edge of her bed with the low creak echoing. “But your promises and requests were always about having a future… as if you knew something and the way the adults looked at you wasn’t normal.”

She looked surprised before laughing with a bitter tone, looking into his eyes.

“Hah, I thought I kept my distance after learning what would happen, and yet you figured it out. I just didn’t want Selene to feel the burden I have for the past twenty years.”

“Did the Nosferatu do something?” Nikolai asked.

“Yeah… rather it feels more like they caused everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well simple, how did they managed to keep Selene’s soul safe, if they learned of my sisters death after it happened?”

Suddenly, Nikolai’s mind lit up at her words.

‘That’s true, if she died before they knew… her soul wouldn’t exist. Mother performed a ritual before she died.’

“So the question is different, Nikolai. I believe that not only did the Nosferatu kill my sister in the womb, they also did so for this reason, to keep father from striking back, always worried they might cancel the spell.”

“Can it be fixed, is there a way to save you?”

Nikolai never expected an answer because it was such a delicate situation, but when it came, he found himself dazed and confused.

“I need to find a body that can hold my soul…

That isn’t Selene’s. Then we will both become free, even dad would become free…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep