Finding ourselves in the city of Athens the next morning, Virgo had brought us to their arena, "This here is the Battle grounds or as I like to call it 'betting grounds', for two types of popular sports mostly violent.
"The first is Pugilatus where it's a form of unrestricted boxing, where weight classes are absent, there is no time limit, and the boxer could hit his opponent even if he was on the floor."
"The only violations are gouging, biting and hitting square in the crotch, of course the use of sigil magics are banned as well. Other than that, everything is on the table.
"The second sport is the most popular one in all of Athens, it is called Pale, basically Greek Wrestling. I'm sure I don't need to explain that one."
"We watched as several men wrapped their knuckles as protection with leather, some gloves had spikes while some others were straight up metal knuckles and blades. All practicing and training on sandbags filled with sand, flour, or millet for different hardness."
"I'll grab us some seats at the counter first..."
While Sagi and I waited for her to return, we grabbed some grilled lamb on a rotating skewer, wrapped in fresh flat bread and doused with yogurt and spice.
Alright I'm back... Let's go grab those seats, it's about to begin I've also placed some heavy bets on number 18 and 30.
Sitting on the cool stone surface of an audience stand, we watched as 29 men walk into the arena. The crowd cheering loudly, as the men begin to pair up and then a group of muscular men lifted me up and brought me to the center stage as well.
"Eh... Virgo! What's going on, I'm fighting now!?"
Shouting her voice, "I forgot to tell you I enrolled you as well, you're number 30!"
Annoyed, if I'm going to participate, I might as well bet on myself, a sure win strategy! Handing over 20,000 Gold to the counter.
Pairing us all off in twos, the judge addresses us, "the last one standing wins, only move on to another opponent only after your previous one has been incapacitated."
At the sound of a horn all the brawlers ripped their clothes off.
I was stunned, Virgo shouting again to me, "Did I forget to mention that they fight naked."
"You perverted Idol fanatic!" Clearly, she set this up on purpose.
Embarrassed initially, I looked around, hairy sweaty naked men with testicles and dicks the size of grapes started bashing each other. While my opponent is waiting for me to remove my own clothes to start.
Well at least I can confirm one thing... that this is going to be violent and also the goddess Aranyani was right I possess an Excalibur in my pants as compared to these penknives.
Removing all of my clothes fully, I let it hang and bask in absolute glory, surely an envy for all men in this world. Waiting and watching for the all so sweet sounds of "Awws and Ohhs" something I definitely would not have gotten in my previous life.
As expected, the magnificence of the long sword has garnered the attention of all, from the audience to the fighters, who simply stopped just to gawk directly at it and then stared back at me.
"That's right you peasants, you are in the presence of a true king! FOR I HOLD THE MIGHTY EXCALIBER!"
They started smiling, then chuckling and full on laughing while rolling on the sand.
Unexpectedly confused at their reaction, "Er... What's going on?"
The crowd pointing at it, for I am very sure they are body shaming me. A philosopher dressed in a beautifully colored cobalt blue robes, with laurels on his head stood up addressing the crowd. "That is hideous and awfully barbaric! Look at its form so misshapen and swollen like a bruise! Simply not beautiful!"
My opponent a fellow brawler who has a slightly bigger penis than the rest, softly explained to me, "Sir if you're not familiar with the customs, having a small, flaccid penis shows power while, big penises were vulgar and outside the cultural norm, something sported by the barbarians of the world."
Whispering close to my ear, "I too have been long shamed for my slightly larger appendage."
Fuck me... I can't win in any world...
The laughing went on for 20 minutes straight before I sighed at the cruelty of it all and signaled to my opponent to continue before proceeding to deliver a light tap of the fist onto his jaw sending him flying into the stands with multiple broken bones.
With my damage output at 20,500 I should be careful so that I don't dust everyone in a bloody mist, although Virgo did say killing isn't a violation but even encouraged to show your prowess.
But I had to show respect to the man who was kind enough to explain to me the customs and also suffers from success like I do, so I showed him some mercy.
Waiting impatiently sitting in the corner in depression, I watched the brawlers fight, pummeling with their metal knuckles knocking their opponents' teeth out, some practice fast jabs with bladed fists, making multiple lacerations to bleed their larger opponents out instead of a brute forcing in a strength contest.
Enthralled in their fights, as it involved skills and critical thinking to overcome stronger opponents twice their size.
Number 20 went straight for the legs, tackling number 9 into the sandpit and pin his entire weight on his chest using his knee, unleashing a flurry of blows quickly disfiguring his opponent. Without even a chance to block.
My eyes then fell on number 18 the one Virgo bet on, although he's the biggest guy here his movements are so sluggish, and his punches are just wild swings. His face staring blankly into the stands glassy eyed.
Fuck I'm sure it's a freshly dead undead that she somehow found and reanimated. Based on his size and build, I'm sure she went digging around the graves of the Olympic athletes and managed to resurrect some random weightlifter!
This pitiful excuse of a control and movement, I'm sure she's just putting on an act, so that the others would underestimate him.
Look his opponent has spiked gloves and already punctured his chest several times, but he's obviously unfazed and won't be taken down by some minor flesh wound.
Then the first one to finish his fight number 19 lunged at me from behind, in an attempt to pin me down.
But I was like an unmovable rock, and immovable object and he's clearly not an unstoppable force.
Weary from trying to lift me or push me, he punches at my head. 10 hits! Damage... (0)
Stopping to rest, he looked at his fists, shaking and blue, absolutely swollen. Before yelling in pain, as if he's been barehandedly punching against a reinforced concrete wall.
I let him drag out as no one else could bother me since I already have an opponent.
Eyes darting to the dwindling opponents, bruised and battered on the ground.
After more intense brawling only 6 of us remained, in that time number 18 had been picking up speed and dexterity. Uppercutting opponents so hard they bit their tongue off.
Seeing only so few of us left, I stood up to casually stretch, knocking my fist into number 19's face causing him to backflip hard and land on his head, snapping his neck.
"Oops shouldn't have stood so close then." Number 10 rushes towards me, a clear veteran fighter, trying to get a rile out of me starts taunting me dick size.
All I felt was compliment, until he went back behind me and decided to spit on my face. A universal sign of disrespect and the worst way to antagonize someone.
Turning around to catch his quick blows with my palms, I held them firmly in place trapping him like an animal. As he struggles helplessly, fear and worry creep onto his face. Feeling his delicious fear, I crushed both of his fist in my hands, like scrunching up an aluminum ball, the metal knuckle pressed deep into his flesh, shaping his hands into meatballs with broken pieces of blades jutting out.
Desperate in pain and agony, screaming wildly he threw his limp flesh towards my eyes, I easily out maneuvered him, before getting up and spit in his eyes blinding him.
Circling around him, stomping down at his ankles at an angle, breaking it with a sickening crunch, causing him to fall on his knees.
As he begs for mercy... I laughed coldly in his face for I had none to give...
Winding my hand, I delivered a hard back handed slap across his face, turning his head 360 degrees snapping his head off his shoulders like a spinning top.
With that done, I realized it was just me, the undead Virgo reanimated and Number 1 an ancient sigil brawler who uses a thin transparent layer of air magic to cheat by boosting his physique.