Chapter 788: Nosferatu’s Counterattack!

BOOOOM!

An enormous explosion shook the entire armour.

In the middle of battle, Nikolai’s head snapped towards the docks, where a cloud of black smoke erupted from the road connecting the defensive platforms to the inner island. His pupils instantly shrank at the sight.

’What the fuck!?’

Before he could understand what happened, and whether anyone was alright, another explosion followed. The noise was deeper, with a more concentrated explosion, as if whatever struck sank deep into the earth’s crust.

BAAAAAANG!

This time, the reinforced walkway beneath the upper defensive positions collapsed, sending several tonnes of concrete crashing towards the water.

Nikolai narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the smoke.

Something wasn’t right.

They’d already destroyed several defensive positions and killed most of the soldiers guarding this section of the island. Yet rather than attempting to retake the damaged bunkers, the remaining Nosferatu troops seemed to be withdrawing.

’They’re abandoning their positions?’

He couldn’t believe that one bit, not when they were managing to hold back most of the small assault force already.

Only he who made it this far through brute strength.

[Nikolai!]

Alexei’s voice erupted through the communication device.

[Boss! Something’s happening near the upper road!]

"What?!"

[The soldiers are retreating towards the inner gates, but they’re leaving their weapons behind!]

"..."

His face scrunched up, frowning.

’Leaving their weapons?’

Why would trained soldiers abandon expensive military equipment unless someone ordered them to?

He glanced towards the enormous gate separating the harbour from the rest of the island. Then his eyes widened as something moved.

"Alexei! GET EVERYONE AWAY FROM THE ROAD!"

[Boss?!]

"NOW!"

Unfortunately, his warning came too late.

KRRRRRRR!

A tremendous metallic noise echoed from the cliffs.

Several enormous shutters began sliding apart along the reinforced walls, revealing rows of heavy machine guns and several larger cannons.

At the same time, the gates leading towards the inner island opened.

And behind them...

Hundreds of soldiers stood waiting.

"...Fuck."

Nikolai stared at the enormous formation while clenching his oversized claws.

Most were vampires wearing black military uniforms, but several carried equipment resembling the weapons used by the SSS. Some even wore enormous suits of reinforced mech armour.

’Those bastards were waiting for us to land!’

Suddenly, a familiar voice erupted from the island’s enormous speakers.

[Attention, unidentified intruders.]

Nikolai raised his head.

[You have entered the sovereign territory of the Nosferatu Royal Clan. All unauthorised personnel are ordered to surrender immediately.]

"..."

He couldn’t help but stare blankly into the air, blinking at the voice, before breaking out in deep, guttural laughter.

"Hahaha! Surrender?!"

[Failure to comply will result in immediate termination.]

Nikolai’s smile widened.

"THEN COME AND FUCKING TRY!"

A few moments of painful silence followed before the guns finally opened fire, a flash of gold shone through the sky as all one hundred troops, along with their mounted defenses, opened fire without mercy.

DADADADADADADA!

"GET DOWN!" Nikolai’s roar echoed through the radio, and yet the harbor beneath gave no response as it disappeared beneath a storm of bullets and explosions.

Several warriors were struck before they could react, their bodies collapsing against the bloodstained concrete while others scrambled behind the destroyed bunkers.

"ARGHH!"

"MEDIC!"

"FALL BACK!"

Nikolai’s expression darkened.

’Fuck!’

He’d been so focused on destroying the outer defences that he’d failed to consider how many weapons the Nosferatu might have concealed within their own territory.

And unlike the earlier artillery barrage, these weapons weren’t firing from kilometres away.

They were practically on top of them.

"Ryan!"

[Brother, it’s bad!]

"GET THOSE FUCKING SHIPS AWAY FROM THE PIER!"

[WHAT?!]

"THEY’RE TARGETING THE HARBOUR!"

Though it was a mistake, meaning Nikolai would be left almost stranded alone, Ryan had already found a secondary landing point, but it was too far to support him. Despite this, he could only accept the situation.

[UNDERSTOOD!]

Nikolai watched the enormous transports begin reversing away from the concrete docks.

However, the movement immediately attracted the attention of several enemy gunners.

One of the larger weapons rotated towards the leading transport.

’Not again!’

Nikolai raised his right arm.

Black flames erupted along his forearm, spreading across the enormous blade formed from his blood. He pumped all his aura into his legs, their muscles bulging with power as he squatted.

"Come on...!"

Yet as the power gathered, another shot fired.

BOOOOOOM!

A huge brown figure crashed into the gun emplacement.

"...Vernan?!"

The enormous bear stood atop the damaged platform, his muscular arms wrapped around the cannon’s barrel.

"HAHAHA! BROTHER!"

With a terrifying roar, Vernan twisted his body.

KRAAAAAANG!

The weapon’s mounting snapped beneath his strength, sending the enormous cannon crashing against the soldiers operating it.

"LEAVE THESE LITTLE BASTARDS TO ME!"

Nikolai couldn’t help but curl his lips, grinning at his brother. However, before he could respond, another explosion erupted behind Vernan.

A reinforced section of the wall collapsed.

Several armed vampires rushed from the opening, surrounding the enormous bear.

"VERNAN!"

"HAHAHA! DON’T WORRY!"

The bear swung his enormous arm.

BANG!

Two soldiers disappeared beneath the impact, their bodies crashing against the concrete.

Yet several more immediately replaced them.

’There are too many...’

Nikolai glanced towards the inner gate.

The enemy formation hadn’t even begun advancing.

Instead, the soldiers remained behind their defensive positions while the heavy weapons continued slaughtering anyone foolish enough to move through the exposed harbour.

’They’re forcing us to stay here.’

Nikolai ground his teeth together, filled with an intense heat.

"Alexei!"

[Boss!]

"Where are you?!"

[Near the upper road! I’m trying to reach Vernan!]

"Good! Take the right-hand loading road! I want you to secure those gun emplacements!"

[Understood!]

"And bring Ryan with you once the ships are safe!"

[Ryan?!]

"He’s already done his fucking job! We need someone who can deal with their equipment! We’re useless with guns, but he’s a fucking pro!"

[Got it, Boss!]

Nikolai turned towards the transports, eyeing two familiar faces. "SELENE! NIKITA!" Both women appeared near the forward gangway, their bodies already surrounded by powerful auras. Luckily, Selene seemed to have recovered from using her blood art to protect the ships, both shouted back to him.

"Darling!"

"Babe!"

Nikolai pointed towards the elevated defensive positions on the opposite side of the harbour.

"Forget me, see those guns?!"

The women followed his gaze.

Several heavy machine guns continued firing from the upper walkway, preventing the wounded soldiers from reaching the medical personnel aboard the transports.

Nikita’s golden eyes narrowed.

"...Mhm."

"Destroy them! Selene, protect our wounded while Nikita handles the soldiers!"

"Understood, darling!"

"Hehe! Leave it to me!"

"AND DON’T GET SEPARATED!"

Nikita grinned.

"Don’t worry, babe!"

Selene merely nodded before grabbing the werewolf’s arm.

"Come along, stupid dog!"

"H-Hey!"

Both women disappeared towards the upper walkway, slowly fading from his vision.

Nikolai watched them for a moment before turning his attention back to the enormous gate.

’Now...’

He slowly transformed.

His muscles expanded beneath his damaged clothing while black fur spread across his body. Enormous claws emerged from his fingers, and his already imposing frame grew until he stood nearly three metres tall.

The black fur covering his body thickened, along with a faintly black aura that condensed into something similar to mist until his eye turned completely black.

’Let’s see how long those fuckers can keep firing.’

BANG!

Nikolai kicked against the ground.

His enormous body shot towards the inner gate.

***

An explosion erupted along the elevated walkway.

Nikita stumbled backwards, her boots scraping against the concrete while several fragments of shattered stone struck her shoulders.

"Fuck!"

"Watch yourself!"

Selene immediately raised her hand.

A wall of frozen blood formed between them and the approaching soldiers.

DADADADADA!

Bullets hammered against the crimson ice.

However, unlike the earlier weapons, these projectiles began penetrating the barrier after only a few seconds.

Selene’s expression changed.

"...What?!"

Several bullets tore through the ice, narrowly missing her face.

Nikita grabbed her collar.

"GET DOWN!"

BANG!

Both women crashed behind a reinforced pillar moments before the remaining projectiles tore through their previous position.

Selene stared at the damaged barrier.

’Those bullets...’

They weren’t ordinary ammunition.

Several tiny fragments remained embedded within her frozen blood, releasing a strange burning sensation that interfered with her control.

"Anti-vampire ammunition?"

Nikita glanced towards her.

"Hm?"

"Those weapons are specifically designed to disrupt our blood arts."

"...Seriously?"

Selene nodded.

"And judging by how quickly they penetrated my barrier, they’re rather powerful."

Nikita clicked her tongue.

"Fucking cowards."

"It’s war, what do you expect..."

The two women exchanged glances, though they would normally fight over this, both of them just curled their lips and chuckled. They’d spent months training together, learning each other’s abilities and weaknesses.

And finally, they could face an opponent that made this training worthwhile.

Nikita grinned.

"Hehe, this might actually be fun!"

Selene sighed.

"Try not to get yourself killed, stupid dog."

"Hmph! Same to you!"

Nikita lowered her body.

A brilliant golden aura spread across her arms, while several thin streams of blood gathered around her fingertips. Selene watched for a moment before shaking her head.

"To think that our clan’s proud blood arts are being used by a dog like her..."

One stream became crimson flames.

The other froze into a sharp crystalline claw, this repeated several times as Selene raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Are you using both mine and Nikolai’s powers?"

Nikita smiled and flexed the five claws before showing a sneaky grin. "Your blood arts are pretty useful, you know?"

"Those are still considerably weaker than mine."

"Then watch this!"

Nikita leapt from the spot and suddenly disappeared.

BANG!

The reinforced concrete shattered beneath her boots.

Her golden figure rushed through the incoming gunfire, twisting between the projectiles before reaching the closest defensive position.

However, rather than attacking the enormous weapon directly, she slammed her flaming blood against the ammunition feeding mechanism.

BOOOOOOM!

Several rounds exploded.

The machine gun stopped firing.

"Hahaha!"

Nikita landed beside the damaged emplacement, her golden eyes shining with excitement.

"ONE DOWN!"

Unfortunately, the remaining Nosferatu soldiers weren’t ordinary guards.

Several immediately rushed towards her.

And among them...

A tall female vampire stepped forward, her long silver hair tied behind her head while a pair of crimson blades rested in her hands. She watched Nikita with an expression of complete indifference.

"A Fenrir?"

"...Hm?"

Nikita turned.

The woman smiled.

"Nothing but a mangy dog, although a rather unusual one still a mutt."

Nikita’s grin gradually disappeared.

’This bitch...’

The vampire’s aura was far stronger than that of the soldiers she’d just killed, and unlike the others, there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her movements or fluctuations in her aura.

’How is she so focused?!’

"Be careful, Nikita! This woman is strange!" Selene shouted.

"You’re not one of those weaklings, are you?"

The vampire raised her blades, crossing them in front of her face, leaving only her eyes and lips in view. "Heh, why don’t you find out?"

CLAAAAANG!

Their weapons collided in a burst of light.

Nikita’s eyes widened as a violent shock travelled through her arms.

’Strong!’

The vampire twisted her body and struck again with a flurry of blows, and Nikita barely managed to avoid the blade passing beneath her chin. A slow, thin line of blood spread across her cheek as it dribbled down her face.

"...Oh?"

Her golden eyes narrowed.

’Darling told me to be careful, but I just can’t... this slut.... ah.... I want to fight!’

Nikita’s lips curled upward, sneering at her opponent.

Her fangs grew longer, veins bulged from her head as her body began to transform.

Unlike the bulky transformation of Nikolai, this was the female’s change: her muscles became more defined, her tail grew longer and bushier, and two large, fluffy ears grew atop her head as she faced her enemy in a half-werewolf form.

With her long nails now claws of blood, she growled at the vampire.

"Let’sfight!"