what if I'm an undead! then so what?-Chapter 46: solstice Spring underground event (7): it’s just the rain!........My cells are an extension of my power

Chapter 46: solstice Spring underground event (7): it’s just the rain!........My cells are an extension of my power

Vaelion stood motionless, his eyes narrowed with silent fury as his clenched fist began to tremble. Slowly, almost ceremoniously, his skin began to shift—scales emerging across his body like molten armor, glowing faintly before settling into a hardened, crimson hue. Within seconds, his form was no longer that of a man but something more: a regal, humanoid dragon. The transformation was breathtaking. His muscles expanded beneath the gleaming red scales, while his eyes flared into radiant gold with narrow black slits for pupils, radiating sheer dominance. His horns lengthened, curving with elegance and menace, now too large to ignore. Fingers elongated into talons, sharp and deadly, while from his back, a massive pair of wings unfurled, casting a formidable shadow over the arena. His tail swayed behind him, slow and poised, like a serpent waiting to strike.

Rather than invoke fear, his new form inspired awe—a vision of power clad in beauty. He did not resemble a beast nor a monster but a mythical knight, sculpted in divine wrath and majesty.

"It seems Vaelion is no longer restraining himself," the commentator exclaimed, his voice laced with exhilaration. "With the swordsman and the vampire both incapacitated, he’s finally chosen to reveal the full extent of his might. But... will that be enough to end this?"

Vaelion raised his head, golden eyes locking onto the towering monstrosity before him. "To think... you’d push me this far," he growled, voice deeper and more guttural, carrying a sharp edge of pride. "But now... know this—your doom has arrived!"

His roar shook the very heavens. The skies responded, darkening into a hellish crimson. No longer did lightning tear through the clouds. Instead, rivers of flame bled across the sky, converging before raining down upon the arena with explosive force. Each stream of fire struck with the intensity of a comet, erupting into violent infernos that consumed the beast within.

The chimera wailed in agony, its grotesque form reduced to scorched chunks of flesh and bone. Yet, even as it burned, it stubbornly regenerated, drawing fire around itself in a desperate act of defense. Immobilized, its focus was wholly turned to survival—a window of vulnerability that could end the battle once and for all.

"Now’s your chance! Destroy the core!" Shougo bellowed from the ground as the fire had became visible, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.

But Vaelion remained suspended above the blaze, arms folded, his expression calm and composed. "don’t tell me what to do human!" he said coldly. "I’ll crush it with my own hands and at my own pace."

He hovered high above, the intense heat curling around him like ribbons. Below, the flaming deluge continued to ravage the chimera, its body barely able to keep up with the unrelenting destruction.

The beast’s cries were music to his ears. A cruel smile spread across his face. "Why are you in pain?" he asked mockingly, pointing a single clawed finger toward the monster’s core. "It’s just the rain."He said with a mocking tone.

A crimson light began to build at the tip of his finger, forming a concentrated sphere of condensed destruction. But before he could unleash it, the regenerating creature’s core twisted grotesquely. A new head rapidly formed—jaw unhinging to release a blast of black energy directly at him.

"A clash of raw force? You’ve got to be joking!" Vaelion laughed, his smile widening as he fired his red beam to meet the oncoming darkness.

The two forces collided with a deafening impact, creating a swirling orb of opposing energy in midair. Red clashed with black, each force vying for dominance, the air around them warping from the sheer pressure. Vaelion’s crimson beam pushed the dark energy back at first, but the chimera’s strength surged as its body reformed. Bit by bit, the tide shifted. The black energy began to encroach, devouring the red light.

"This... can’t be!" Vaelion hissed. He swapped from his finger to his full palm, then brought both hands to bear. Yet still, he was overwhelmed.

The black energy surged forward, engulfing his attack before swallowing him whole. The beam exploded in a thunderous shockwave, and when the smoke cleared, Vaelion lay motionless on the ground—his draconic form vanished, now returned to a fragile human state, unconscious and defeated.

"It appears the beast has claimed victory... or so it seemed," the commentator said, voice tightening with anticipation. "But wait—look there! The vampire... he’s not done yet."

All eyes turned to Masaru, standing shakily with his arms extended toward the monster. His body trembled, his hands glowing with a piercing blue light.

"I’ve poured every drop of Aether I have left into this..." Masaru whispered. His voice rose. "Let this be your end—Tensho Sometsu: Heaven-Piercing Annihilation!"

A beam of pure Aether erupted from his palms, aimed precisely at the creature’s core. The chimera retaliated immediately, opening its jaws to release another torrent of black energy. The attacks collided violently in midair, and slowly but surely, the Aether blast began to falter.

"A Rank-3 technique... even with all my Aether, it’s not enough," Masaru thought grimly. His breath grew shallow. "Damn it... I’m going to die here, aren’t I?"

But as the wave of despair threatened to consume him, something within him surged. He thought of the others—of Vaelion, the swordsman, everyone who fought with everything they had. He couldn’t fall now. Not like this.

"No... I won’t fall here!" he shouted, his scream filled with desperation and defiance.

A flicker of red energy shimmered around his hand—then merged with the Aether, forming a luminous purple blaze. The newly transformed energy roared down the battlefield, cutting through the black beam as if it didn’t exist. It carved through space unhindered, obliterating the chimera’s head and annihilating the core hidden within. The destructive force continued skyward, vanishing into the heavens, its trail a reminder of its absolute power.

Silence fell.

Then, an explosion of cheers.

"Unbelievable!" the commentator shouted. "A stunning reversal! The vampire didn’t just assist—he finished the battle alone! Outstanding!"

Masaru remained still, a faint smile on his face. He raised one trembling hand, signaling victory—before collapsing to his knees. His body gave out, eyes shut, hands twitching with exhaustion.

"And with that... the tournament concludes," the commentator announced. "Regretfully, I’ve just received word that all remaining events have been cancelled. But I doubt anyone here will complain. What a climax!"

Surprisingly, there were no boos, no protests. Only applause. Perhaps the crowd, too, wished for this moment to stand as the crescendo.

Yet, as the celebration roared on, whispers stirred.

"Who is Masaru really?" came one murmur. "A vampire who wields both blood energy and Aether? That’s... unheard of."

"The Mikazuki clan would never train a hybrid," another voice argued. "So what’s the truth?"

Kenji Tsukigami turned to the others, his tone curious. "Did any of you recognize that last energy he used?"

The others shook their heads.

"Maybe," Kenji continued, "in the end, the most mysterious wasn’t the Gorgon... but the vampire."

Ryouji Daiki chuckled. "If the Gorgon were here, this would’ve gone much smoother. Don’t you think?"

He stood, brushing dust from his clothes.

"Where are you off to?" Takeshi asked, a note of suspicion in his voice.

"Relax. I’m just meeting a childhood friend," Ryouji replied with a smirk. "She must be dying to see me."

Michael bristled. Kenji grinned, teasing, "Ah yes. The two boys in love with the same girl—how romantic."

Michael stood abruptly. "I’ll take my leave as well."

Now only Kenji and Takeshi remained.

Kenji turned, eyes narrowing. "You’re hiding something, aren’t you?"

Takeshi hesitated. "Not much. Just... the kid. I can smell it. He bears the scent of our priestess."

"Oh? You mean your lover? The one who bore you a child?" Kenji asked, raising a brow. "Masaru should be about the same age as your son, right? Perhaps they’ll get along. Honestly, I feel like I’m being drawn to that vampire. Like fate’s tying us together."

He watched silently as medics wheeled the three fallen fighters away on stretchers.

"I could say the same," Takeshi murmured.

---

Meanwhile...

At the research facility in Akihabara, tension rippled like wildfire. Panic gripped the upper ranks.

They had lost. That alone spelled catastrophe.

"If word reaches the Blight Sovereign..." someone whispered, voice trembling.

"I’ll meet you at the airport!" the facility manager snapped, rushing to the exit. "Every second here is suicide!"

But the professor stopped him.

"Wait... I... feel strange..." the professor muttered, stumbling, one hand bracing against the wall.

"What’re you talking about?! We need to—" the manager began, but froze mid-sentence.

The professor’s face—half of it—was decaying. Blackened. Mutating. Dark tendrils slithered from his mouth, twisting like worms. A grotesque transformation overtook his body, shadows pulsing around him.

Then came the voice.

A voice that did not belong to the professor.

A voice they feared above all.

"Did you truly think I wouldn’t notice you were using my cells to birth your pathetic experiments?" the professor spoke—but it was no longer him.

"If your creations had proven worthy, I might have turned a blind eye. I might have gifted you more. But now... things have gone south. And you think you can escape?"

Terror paralyzed the manager.

"This... this can’t be real! How are you doing this?!"

"My cells are not mere tissue," the Blight Sovereign growled. "They are an extension of my will. With a single fragment, I can spread decay across cities. And now... you and your research facility will be erased."

The professor’s body glowed with a horrific dark light—

And then came the end.

The entire research facility was wiped of the face of the earth.