Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1718: Nyx And Jonathan’s Power

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BOOOM!

Both martial artists were hurled backward by the overwhelming force of Nyx’s dragon breath. They struggled to regain footing until the attack finally faded.

"Agh!"

They struck again, unleashing a storm of punches against her long neck, chest, and shoulders. Her scales cracked and shattered under the barrage.

"NGRAAAH!"

Nyx snapped her jaws, biting off one man’s arms, yet he kept fighting, hammering her with fists wrapped in raw Aura. The second disciple kicked the back of her head, then gathered energy in his palms and fired a concentrated beam of pure Ki.

The more she fought, the more stress built inside her.

And then...

Crack!

"There?!"

Nyx’s eyes widened. She felt a tiny fracture form somewhere deep within her body.

With every blow she took, the crack spread further.

She didn’t want to ask them to hit her, and she found pain irritating rather than thrilling.

So Nyx chose another path. She pushed herself beyond her limits, forcing stress through sheer exertion in battle. Pain was not the only way.

Until...

CRASH!

Something inside her shattered completely.

Cracks raced across her entire form. Her massive body crumbled, and from the fissures poured blinding red light. In an instant, she shrank to half her previous size.

Her new body glowed with intense crimson radiance, sleek and delicate, carved from pure ruby.

It was as if her entire being had overheated, then been forged and crystallized by the power of Demise itself.

"Get ready!"

RUMBLE!

With a single explosive burst, Nyx shot forward, becoming a red streak across the sky.

She struck both martial artists at once. They countered fiercely.

Yet they quickly realized their fists never landed.

She was simply too fast.

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

She zigzagged through the air, a blur of crimson light. No matter how they swung, their attacks found only empty space.

And then...

"Phantasmal Fist... Demise Power... like this!"

Her fists darkened to deep red and black, pulsing with phantasmal energy.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dozens of blows rained down in the span of a heartbeat. Where they managed one strike, she landed ten.

The onslaught continued until...

"G-Gaaahh...!"

"Ugh..."

Both disciples, battered and bleeding, plummeted from the sky.

Nyx looked down and grinned with triumphant pride.

"Nice! It worked! I did it! I did it!"

While she celebrated her victory, Jonathan faced the Elder of the Poison Sect, still trying to reason with him about his life choices.

The Elder, of course, refused to listen.

"Foolish man! You think I would ever fall for such nonsense?! You’re a naïve imbecile, and I will enjoy tearing you apart limb from limb! {Seven Poison Dragons}!"

His Martial Aura exploded outward as seven dragons formed from different poisonous clouds materialized around him.

Jonathan sighed, realizing he had wasted his breath on a complete madman. He decided to end the conversation.

With his sword.

"Very well. I suppose not everyone is as reasonable as that young man. No matter."

His radiant blade flashed relentlessly while clouds of poisonous fog surged from every direction.

His martial arts?

Jonathan had learned them long ago, all the way from Yggdrasil.

If anything, he could be considered one of the few true Martial Artists of that world.

A man who had honed his swordsmanship for decades.

To the point that his sword had become an extension of his soul and body.

"Impossible! W-What is this?!"

"I’m still wondering that myself..."

The Poison Sect Elder screamed in disbelief as his seven dragons were swiftly beheaded and his needles and daggers shattered into pieces.

All because Jonathan’s Aura had condensed into a colossal sword of pure light. As he charged, everything in his path was pierced and sliced apart.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"N-No...! NO!"

The Elder shrieked, his body erupting in countless slashing wounds. Blood sprayed everywhere.

His vampiric regeneration proved useless; the holy light Jonathan wielded burned it away.

And then...

FLAAASH!

"A-Are you kidding me?!"

Jonathan appeared above him just as the Elder barely parried with a dragon-tooth dagger.

The hero’s radiant soul surged from his body, taking the unmistakable shape of an enormous great sword.

"I’ll call this..."

Jonathan closed his eyes as his soul blade swung downward.

He offered a small, calm smile.

"{Divine Blade Soul}"

It was not a blade infused with soul power.

It was a soul shaped like a blade.

SLAAASH!

"Aaaagh!"

The Elder screamed in agony. A massive diagonal wound split him from head to toe. Blood splattered as he lost consciousness and fell from the sky.

A glowing Golden Rune appeared on his forehead slowly healed the worst of the damage, keeping him alive while chains of light bound him, sealing his movement and power.

"It’s done..." Jonathan exhaled in relief.

Meanwhile, the last two members of the Poison Sect met Arachne, a true mistress of venom. She covered them in bites until even their poison resistance failed, leaving them in a vegetative state.

Watching everything unfold, Vesperine trembled.

"W-Wha...?! How?! Everyone...! No, my army is still...!"

"Surprised? That’s my family. I made sure everyone would be as strong as possible."

Maria’s calm voice sounded directly behind her. Vesperine felt a gentle hand rest on her head.

"Sup."

"Aaaahhhhh!"

The Vampire Duchess screamed in terror, stunned that she had failed to sense Maria’s approach yet again.

"Just what are you?! A damn ghost?!"

Vesperine shot away, but Maria followed effortlessly followed, floating in place while space itself bent and warped around her.

"Well, kind of." Maria shrugged. "Shall we fight?"

Rather than moving, she simply willed the fabric of space to carry her forward without a single motion.

She was controlling space itself.

"Were you pretending to get hit?! Pretending to be damaged...?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Cold sweat poured down Vesperine’s face. An unnatural chill crawled up her spine.

"I got hit. It was a strong attack, but... well, not enough."

Whatever Maria truly was, her mere gaze made Vesperine’s body shake with instinctive fear.

"Nngh... Fine! Witness my true power!"

RUMBLE!

Vesperine unleashed everything at once. Millions of Blood Soul Specters compressed around her, multiplying the strength of her Blood Aura hundreds of times over.

The aura hardened into crimson armor adorned with roses, thorny vines, and sharp red-steel decorations.

"Oooh, scary."

Despite the casual tone, Maria knew better than to underestimate her opponent.

Vampire Dukes, after all, were the real deal.

"Come."

Maria opened one palm and beckoned with her fingers, inviting the attack.

A blatant show of disrespect that enraged the proud Duchess who was used to having her boots licked clean.

"I will not tolerate another second of your insolence! Know your place!"

CLAAASH!

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