what if I'm an undead! then so what?-Chapter 40: solstice spring underground event (1) Phorcion vs Lycan

Chapter 40: solstice spring underground event (1) Phorcion vs Lycan

"Welcome to the Annual Solstice Spring Underground Event, ladies and gentlemen—and also, our graceful abominations!" the commentator’s voice thundered through the massive underground dome, his tone laced with theatrical flair. "This year’s spectacle is hosted by none other than the prestigious Tsukigami Family! And with it, not only is there a grand prize of one million dollars—or one hundred and fifty-five million yen—but also... the chance to win an artifact from the family head himself! I wonder who the lucky winner would be expecially the fact that this year event is featuring various rare life forms"

A synchronized gasp swept through the audience like a wave. Whispers followed, thick with awe and anticipation.

To most present, a million dollars was barely enough to turn heads, especially in a place where wealth and power intertwined like lovers. But an artifact—a Tsukigami family artifact—was something different entirely. Artifacts were boundless in function and mysterious in origin. Legends told of even the weakest of humans becoming godlike terrors upon wielding one.

"And now," the commentator continued, drawing out his words to let the tension build, "for the first match of the evening!"

Cheers erupted.

"In this corner, we have a being of rare descent... a species said to have emerged from a cursed Greek god—a Gorgon! The kind whispered about in myths, said to turn anything that meets their gaze to stone. Tonight, we discover whether that legend is fact... or fiction!"

From one end of the arena, a rusted iron door groaned open. Fog billowed out from the shadows within. A slender figure stepped forward. The boy wore a simple white hoodie that draped over his form like a shroud. But it was his hood that drew attention—it shifted. The fabric rippled, twisting as though serpents squirmed beneath it, hungry and alive.

Dark shades hid his eyes, concealing the truth behind his lineage. Aside from that, he gave off no oppressive aura, no indication of strength. Just silence. Calm. Mystery.

"And facing him... from a distant savage land... a brute of blood and claw. A Lycan! Big, mean, and certainly not someone to underestimate!"

Another door opened across the ring. A towering bald man stepped out, thick with muscle and the scent of raw dominance. Each of his footsteps shook the ground. Veins bulged across his chest and arms like coiled serpents. His eyes glowed amber, and his growl echoed like thunder rumbling in a canyon.

"And with this, the first round of the Solstice Spring Underground Event begins!" the announcer cried, inciting a frenzy of cheers, laughter, and the clink of coins and bills at the betting stalls.

The odds leaned toward the Gorgon—oddly enough. Perhaps due to his lineage, or the myth that surrounded his kind. Still, many skeptics shifted their bets after the Lycan appeared. He was enormous—13 feet tall after his transformation—and his already bulging frame began to morph even further.

My name is Phorcion Vasthera, from the single noble lineage of Gorgons, stand high knowing your path is set in stones!" The boy said with a low voice as he walked close to the man who was already beginning to transform.

The crowd fell into an awed hush as the Lycan howled, his body beginning to convulse and reshape.

His spine arched backward with a crack, muscles doubling in mass, skin splitting slightly as thick grey fur erupted across his back and chest. His face elongated, the human nose sinking into a bestial snout. Fangs grew from his maw, yellow and jagged. Claws—like black iron blades—sprouted from his fingers as he let out another thunderous howl, shaking the walls of the arena.

His eyes turned completely golden now, glowing with primal fury.

Veins burst through his skin like roots, pumping raw energy through a form forged for war. Saliva dripped from his mouth in ropes, and a savage hunger danced behind his wild stare.

From the betting booth, people were scrambling to change their bets.

Meanwhile, the Gorgon stood motionless, still calm.

From the stands, Eve leaned over. "Who do you think’s gonna win?" she asked Hinata and Akane, clearly betting on the Lycan.

Akane remained silent, her eyes narrowed.

Hinata shrugged. "You see you’re only thinking this way because you’ve been forced to by the display of power the Lycan showed, however something smaller could have equal strength, like Masaru. Masaru still retaining the normal build of a human has the strength that equals the beast. And why the beast has massive strength because of its size it’s speed would fall short compare to it’s strength so, perhaps the Gorgon also has equal strength or a little bit lesser strength, then it’s advantage is gone! So let’s just seat back and see what happens firsthand!" Hinata said her eyes fixated in the Gorgon which still remained calm.

Back in the arena, the Lycan chuckled darkly. "Phorcia, or whatever the hell your name is—hope you’re ready to die!"

With a bone-rattling roar, the Lycan lunged forward.

The ground cracked beneath each of his footfalls. He was fast. Much faster than expected. In just under two seconds, he closed the distance with terrifying precision, his arm already cocked for a swing.

SLASH!

The air was split. The Gorgon was cleaved clean in half from shoulder to hip. Blood exploded from the wound in a violent spray, painting the ground red. The upper half of his body slid off, collapsing to the ground with a wet thud.

The crowd gasped. Then came the roar of cheers. Screams of joy from those who had changed their bets.

"As I said," the Lycan growled, raising his bloodied claws to the air, "being rare doesn’t mean being strong! Never underestimate a—"

"Don’t be so quick to make decisions."

The voice came from behind him.

The Lycan froze. His eyes widened. Slowly, he turned.

There stood Phorcion Vasthera—completely intact, upper body bare, hoodie shredded. His torso gleamed pale under the arena lights, and from his exposed scalp writhed a nest of snakes. Tubular, scaled serpents of white, with one red, one green, and one black among them. Each one hissed in unison, their eyes glowing faintly with cursed light.

The Lycan instinctively lunged again, but it was too late.

"I told you," Phorcion said, eyes glowing behind his shades now removed, "your path is already set in stone."

Suddenly, the Lycan’s legs stiffened. A crack echoed as his flesh began to pale, harden, and fracture—turning to stone. His howl was one of pure panic as he tried to lift a leg and flee. The moment it broke free, it shattered.

He collapsed.

His arms clawed the floor in vain as the petrification spread up his torso and across his chest. He roared defiantly, reaching toward Phorcion... but his arm solidified mid-swing. His face was the last to go—frozen in horror.

In a few moments, a perfect stone statue stood where the savage beast once roared.

The arena fell into stunned silence.

Victory was clear.

"In the Solstice Spring Underground Event," the commentator recovered, "a match can be won by death, knockout, or surrender. And while we don’t know if the Lycan is dead or simply frozen in terror, what we do know... is that Phorcion Vasthera is the victor!"

Cheers erupted again—this time, mixed with admiration and awe.

Phorcion stepped forward, putting his shades back on with a casual grace.

"Now that was an unexpected twist of events, just as Mr Phorcion Vasthera said, the reason he won is because his strength and weakness are unknown, nobody would expect after an attack like that their foe would just bounce off it unscathed, truly fascinating.

Mr Phorcion do you have anything to say about how you regenerated instantly why a rare species of life form like your self came here?" The commentator asked pointing the Mike towards Phorcion while avoiding eye contact as he doesn’t want to be turned into a stone statue by mistake.

"How I came back to life is not something I can easily disclose, while I win this tournament I’ll do everything I can to win without showing too much, and secondly calling Gorgons a rare species of life form is an insult to our noble lineage, we’re descendants of Greek gods, we’re mythical creatures anything other than that is unacceptable. Why I came here is simply of amusement, I want to engage in the activities of earthly mortals for a while, that is all!" Phorcion said with a smile picking up his dark shades and placing them over his eyes as he left back through where he came from.

"And there you have it folks, Mr Gorgon said he’s not a specie of life form but simply descendants of Greek gods, or a mythical creature how true that is is unknown! Now moving on the the next fight!"

The doors parted once more.

From the left came an old man in white robes. His eyes were covered with a white blindfold, and in his hand he carried a long, sheathed katana. His movements were graceful. Measured.

"Now for his opponeent, it’s something special this time around, a Wendigo, cursed cannibalistic creatures with Type 1 and type 3 immortality making them extremely difficult to kill, it’s a matter of elegance and precision against pure violence and horror!" The commentator said as the right side door of the arena opened revealing a creature devoid of emotion with ashen grey skin and bald head and bare skin completely naked, it had a leach on its neck, also possessing long skinny hands and legs twice the height of the swordsman, it had an hollow eyes of emptiness and had a fowl stench around it almost suffocating.

"Now I thought these creatures were devoid of intelligence, so who on earth brought this abomination to this place?" The blinds swordsman asked obviously irritated by the sight before him.

"Well it’s allowed as far as it’s tamed and its master would carry responsibilities for the creatures actions! Even familiars are allowed so with this I announce!"

"The second fight of the Solstice Spring Underground Event... has officially begun!"

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A/N:Still no response on the Auxiliary Chapter, so I’ll take it as it’s not needed, you can discern information yourselves....hope you know what type 1 and 3 type of immortality is(⁠●⁠´⁠⌓⁠`⁠●⁠)