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

Chapter 852 Celes' Power

-----

"Mom! Are you okay?!"

Little Celes ran towards his mother, asking if she was alright.

"I-I'm fine, dear… D-Don't worry about me."

Nia quickly hugged her son, tightly, as she protected him from the Paladins that had savagely barged inside her house.

The kept looking for Maria and her group, but they were nowhere to be seen! Not even the large group of kids they were tagging along with were here.

It was as if they had been swallowed by the air…

"Nobody's here…"

"I could swear we heard something!"

"Hey, you guys outside, did you hear something? Is there anybody outside running away?"

"N-No captain… there's nobody."

The Paladins, wearing brilliant blue armor, kept looking. However, after lifting everything in the small house, they gave up, the captain and the other Paladins glared at Nia and Celes with furious expressions, mixed with disgust.

"T-They're not here.. S-See?"

Nia and her son were trembling on the floor, she probably felt relieved Maria and her allies were nowhere to be seen. However, they weren't going to let her go so easily.

Of course they weren't.

"We sensed their presences though."

"They were here just seconds ago…"

"It's weird, did they use some magic to escape instantly? To where?"

"Answer, where did they go." The Captain of the Paladins walked towards Nia.

"W-Wait…! T-This is…!" Nia cried. "I have no idea! I already told you, if they aren't here…"

"If they aren't here, you've hidden them somewhere, you filthy woman!"

The Captain furiously grabbed Nia by the neck, lifting her off the ground as he gritted his teeth in fury and disgust, his eyes filled with hate.

"Uuurgh…! Aaaggh…!"

"Mamaaaa! Let mama go!"

Celes started crying as he saw the Paladin grasp her as if she were a ragdoll, his strength was completely inhumane. If he wanted, he could had already killed both of them with just a punch in their faces…

Yet he couldn't just kill them, he needed to get as much information out of them as he could. He couldn't simply go back to the Saintess empty-handed.

"Tell me WHERE they went!" He roared.

"Uurgh…! Agh…! I-I… don't know…!" Nia cried, her eyes beginning to become red as she was lacking oxygen.

"Mamaaa!" Meanwhile, Celes kept crying.

"You're a strong woman, to say that in front of us…" Smiled the captain, letting her go and throwing her into the floor. "You know I could kill you with just my fists, right?"

"Please spare us…" Nia cried. "Please, we haven't done anything…!"

However, the captain quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed at Nina, while asking the other Paladins to hold her tightly, spreading her limbs into the ground.

"W-What are you doing?! Unhand me! S-Someone… Someone help!"

The Paladins held her tightly as the Captain started cleaning his sword with a handkerchief.

"So this how things are going to go now, ma'am." He said. "We're going to cut your limbs, starting from your arms. Until you answer our questions."

"W-What…?! How can you call yourselves Paladins of the goddess?! T-Those are acts of criminals, of thugs… Of monsters!" Nia cried.

"Mamaaa!" Celes cried, but was being held by another Paladin.

"Monsters you say?" The Captain asked. "We're no monsters here, you're the only filthy beasts that suck up to our wealth and resources. All of you commoners should die already! We couldn't bear giving you more of our goddess' blessings, always intended to be for US! Do you understand? Killing you is like killing another beast out in the wilds… It's not something that will ever torment our minds. If anything… it will help us feel more relieved."

"N-No, wait…!" Nia cried, as she saw the sword nearing her left arm.

"We're going to ask you again after we cut your arm, you better answer if you don't want to lose both." The Captain smiled. "Got it? Now ma'am… grit your teeth. I'll make it swift."

The captain raised his sword and then, swiftly moved it down, shaping it an arc!

SLASH!

"MAMAAAAA!"

With an agonizing, and furious scream, Celes suddenly sent out a powerful shockwave of magical energy from his body. 

TRUUUUMMM…!

"W-Wha…?!"

The Paladin holding him was sent flying as he hit the walls and made them collapse over his entire body.

CRAAASH!

Meanwhile, the captain lost his balance and ended falling into the ground, failing to slice Nia's arm. The other Paladins were all sent away by his scream, as the boy's eyes started glowing bright blue.

"C-Celes…?!"

Nia was surprised as the boy kept crying, his body suddenly beginning to generate a strong, blue colored aura, with hints of spiritual energy and even the brightness of a bit of divinity within…

"W-What…?!" The captain slowly stood back up, glancing at the boy. "T-That power… Spiritual Energy?!" Suddenly, the Captain recalled something Saintess Emilia had told him before.

"The Reincarnation of the one that betrayed our Divine Mother is roaming in this city." She said. "If you ever see someone wielding water magic, immediately send them to me. They must be executed instantly! Anybody could be her… Anybody!"

Because of this, any person with water attribute magic was swiftly kidnaped and executed, but none had ever wielded this power like the young Celes did…

"T-The Reincarnation… could it be this boy?!" The Captain gritted his teeth. "Men! Stand up!"

Something deep within the boy's soul had awakened in his most perilous of moments. The water of his tears suddenly condensed into his hands, shaping like spears…

"Leave mama alone!!!"

Celes ran towards his mother, putting himself in front of her as his tears turned into sharp spears, firing themselves towards the Paladins.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! 

However, the explosions were nothing really strong, their armors protected them from the magical damage easily, as the Paladins slowly started advancing.

"You're too weak yet! I bet you're just Level 1!" The Captain smiled maliciously. "Your efforts will be in vain! We'll execute both you and your mother, you stupid child!!!"

He charged forwards, easily tanking the boy's magic as his sword was raised, and then swung vertically, unleashing a gigantic wave of slicing blue aura!

SLAAASH!

-----