Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!



-----

Lucifer was taken aback the moment he saw the monstrous Zombie Dragon stopping its movements. The Miasma controlling her was finally gone, yet her darkest instincts as a Miasmic Monster, which was the composition of her very Miasmic Phantasm, were still there… Through sheer will, she managed to stop attacking her beloved, but the resistance she had to put into her body… it was too much.

"GRAAAAAARRGGGH!!! ROOOOAARRRR!"

She get groaning furiously, her mind constantly warping endlessly… she tried to fight it, but soon after, her berserk-like state came back, the glimpse of consciousness within her gone.

"Crystal!"

Suddenly, the voice of Maria emerged from atop the ceiling. The Zombie Dragon stopped its tracks once more, hearing that name made it sometimes flinch.

FLAAASH!

Maria emerged before everyone, quickly blocking the Zombie Dragon's path from reaching the weakened Lucifer, Brunhild, and Partner.

"That's enough…" She said, looking into the hollow eyes of the beast.

"GGRRRRRHHHH…"

However, it seemed that the Undead was unable to concentrate, it continued roaring furiously, without stopping… It suddenly leaped from the ground, reaching Maria!

"RAAAAAAAHHH!"

"[Swarm Body]!"

BBBBBZZZZZZ!

Maria's entire body suddenly turned into a gigantic and multiplying swarm of flies, which quickly captured the Bone Zombie, pushing it away as they surrounded her body tightly.

"ROOOOAARRRRR!"

The beast continued struggling, as Maria gave it one last chance, trying to insert her soul into Crystal's mind… or whatever that remained within.

FLAAASH!

However, each time she tried to get in, she saw endless darkness, and the cries of agony of Crystal.

She tried many times to take away the Miasma, to find the soul fragment… but the soul fragment itself wasn't there at all.

It had melted altogether with the Miasma composing her Phantom, what remained were merely lingering emotions, and memories… of endless agony.

But despite that, there was still a small piece of her left from here, even when the rest of her soul had gone to Helheim or perhaps Valhalla.

However, amidst each time she submerged her mind into hers, and always failed to save her, she heard her voice…

"Please… End this…"

"I don't want to hurt him anymore…"

"I don't want… to hurt anybody…"

"Please…"

"Maria…"

Maria heard her own name by Crystal's voice.

"Are you sure? I could… Maybe if I do something I could…!"

"It's… fine…"

"But!"

"Please… I'm begging you…"

No matter how hard Maria tried, without an actual complete soul to save, she was unable to do a single thing. With Crystal begging her to end this… she decided to do as she asked her.

"Emeraldine!"

Maria called upon Emeraldine, as a massive cannon made of wood she had made with the twins was readying itself. Large quantities of Mana and Spiritual Energy started gathering from within it, flashing brightly.

"Maria, get away from there!" Emeraldine called.

"Maria!!!" Lucifer roared.

"If you stay there you'll get shot as well!" Cried Partner.

"Maria… what is she trying to do?" Sighed Brunhild.

Amidst everyone's confusion, Maria reassured Emeraldine.

"Trust me… Shoot it!"

Emeraldine gritted her teeth, as branches and roots grew from her very skin, connecting to the giant Yggdrasil Cannon. Takeshi and Laura looked at the scene and seemed to doubt as well, but ultimately decided to trust their adoptive mother.

"Let's trust mama!" Said Takeshi.

"Yeah, let's trust her, auntie Emeraldine!" Laura said.

"Okay… I'll trust her… Whatever she's thinking of doing, I hope it's good!" Emeraldine said, charging her Mana into the Cannon.

"Gyuh! Let's trust master!" Root was also there, as he had completely merged with Emeraldine's Technique to ensure its power.

FLAAASH!

The Cannon flourished with flowers all over, as the tip of it bloomed a beautiful pink and golden flower, with long petals.

"[Yggdrasil's Spiritual Cannon]!!!"

FLAAAAAASSSHHHH!!!

An enormous beam of light emerged from within the flower, reaching Maria and Crystal at the same time, engulfing them completely into the light…

BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!

The enormous explosion was so strong it quickly forced everyone to move to the corners of the enormous Boss Room, protected by barriers Emeraldine created. However, even then, the light engulfed everyone else.

FLASH!

For a moment, it felt as if everything had changed… Everyone found themselves within a completely white space. They were all confused, just what was happening now? Maria looked around, finding everyone at her side, Lucifer, Brunhild, Partner, Emeraldine, Takeshi, Laura, Root, and Nyx.

"Mama? Ah, papa!" Nyx flew towards her mama and then her papa, confused.

"Nyx…" Lucifer hugged his daughter, and then Maria. "What… is going on now?"

"We are… in something I was able to make in the very last moment." Maria sighed. "Once Crystal's soul was purified by Emeraldine's attack, I was able to grab her soul and create this pseudo–Soul Scape… It is already beginning to disintegrate but…"

Maria looked into the distance, finding a beautiful crystal-scaled dragoness at the distance.

"It was all thanks to the Items I got… I was able to create the Sunshine Orb, which enchanted purification abilities. The Forbidden Watch helped me stop this area's time for a few seconds, perhaps a minute. And then… the Void Gazing Eye helped me gaze through the void of Crystal's soul, dragging away and reassembling the last bits of her consciousness. Yet even now, I can't do anymore than this, her very being is slowly being purified… We don't have much time." Maria explained what she utilized.

It seemed as if the Swamp Dungeon's Core had predicted the very future, all the items it gifted to Maria were usable for this very moment… all only to create a minute and a few more seconds so they could talk with Crystal.

"Maria…" Lucifer cried.

"Come on now, everyone, let's go meet her… We cannot waste a single second." Maria said, leading everyone towards the beautiful crystal scaled dragon in front of them.

Crystal seemed as if she was a sculpture made of beautiful blue jewels. Her beautiful blue eyes curiously glanced everywhere, as she felt just as confused as everyone else about why she was here… and what had happened just now.

"Where… where am I?"

-----