Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1785: The Essence of Imagination

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As the battle erupted, Darky unleashed relentless shockwaves from his Psychic Spoon, forcing Nyx backward.

"Nngh! Hey, this isn’t bad at all, heheh!" Nyx giggled, her voice laced with excitement.

"Hahah! Keep pretending, kid!" Darky grinned. "My Psychic Spoon gathers my power and releases it like magic! No one who faces my shockwaves can even lay a hand on me!"

"Is that so? Well, let’s test that claim!" Nyx declared, stepping forward.

RUMBLE!

She pushed through the barrage, distorting and shattering the shockwaves as she advanced steadily, closing the distance with fierce determination.

"W-What?!"

Panic flashed in Darky’s eyes. Nyx reached him in an instant, her fists igniting with phantasmal energies.

"{Phantasmal Fist}!"

BOOOM!

She unleashed her mother’s devastating martial art.

"GUUHHH?!"

The teddy bear groaned in agony, his face twisting in pain as the blow hurled him skyward like a meteor. He crashed through the ceiling, shattering it, and vanished from the arena.

"..."

"..."

"..." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Silence gripped the arena. Everyone stared in stunned disbelief, even Snugglion III struggling to process what he had witnessed.

"WOOOOHHH!"

Then the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers, celebrating the thrilling upset. Snugglion III regained his composure and sighed deeply.

"W-Well, Nyx is the winner of the second battle...!"

With lingering shock on his face, Snugglion watched Maria step forward. The final knight, a brown teddy bear named Cuddly, advanced while gripping a fork, his invisible aura crackling with lightning.

"I see. I think I understand their powers a little better now," Maria murmured, nodding.

She had observed the fights intently, studying the Toykin auras, and discovered a profound truth. With every attack, fleeting visions appeared.

Images. Memories. Emotions.

They were echoes of the children who once cherished these toys. Each child’s personality shaped the unique effects of their imagination aura.

"The final battle! Maria against Cuddly! Begin!"

Cuddly charged without a word, lightning bursting from his steps as he closed the gap in a heartbeat.

Once more, Maria saw the visions.

Memories of Cuddly’s owner—a reckless, energetic boy who loved running everywhere.

"I see. It’s truly beautiful."

A quiet enlightenment touched Maria’s heart. She realized how dreams sprang from memories, love, and bonds, fueling the powers these toys wielded. In many ways, it mirrored how she had forged her own martial arts and cultivation method.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

Fork strikes flashed like lightning, but Maria blocked each one with her bare hands.

"Not bad. You’re fast."

"Hmph!"

Cuddly leaped high and plunged downward, his fork erupting with invisible bolts.

CRAAASH!

The strike met Maria’s rising palm. A surge of powerful Void Aura exploded outward.

BOOOM!

The fork shattered under the pressure, fragments scattering as Cuddly was hurled backward. He hit the floor hard, groaning in defeat.

"Uuugh..."

He struggled to rise, but Maria’s sword pointed steadily at him. With a heavy sigh, he bowed his head.

"M-Maria wins..." Snugglion muttered softly.

"WOOOOOOHHH!"

The crowd roared with approval. Maria smiled gently, turning to the massive lion plushie.

"Do you trust our strength now?"

"...I do."

Swallowing his pride, Snugglion chose to place his faith in Maria and her family for this vital mission.

Soon, he rejoined them, with Bobby and his friends arriving as well. Fully trusting them now, Snugglion revealed everything he knew about the invaders and the scouts he had sent.

"They arrived as Players, just like anyone who enters through the Toy Tower," Snugglion explained. "But they carried strange powers and incredibly advanced devices. Within weeks, they brought reinforcements and massive flying pyramids. These pyramids abduct any Toykin that passes nearby. If we resist, they descend and attack. It never ends well."

"They?" Maria asked.

"Those people," Snugglion continued. "They resemble Owners—humans—but smaller. They have warm brown skin, black hair, and eyes of blue, gold, or red. Black ears sit atop their heads. They wear flowing white silk and golden accessories. They claim to serve their ’God’ and are offering his divine statue vast amounts of Imagination Power to awaken him from slumber..."

"They’re almost certainly from Thebes," Maria nodded, sighing. "I’ve never encountered them before, so this will be a first."

"Several communities in this region have already vanished," Snugglion added heavily. "The one nearest the tower entrance is now under their control."

"They don’t harm Players like us..." Ferleen murmured.

"But I never imagined they’d be so brutal toward the locals," Melianna said, her voice trembling with anger.

"How many of your people have been captured... or lost?" Jonathan asked quietly.

"I don’t know exactly. Hundreds by now," Snugglion groaned, his face etched with deep sorrow. "It’s only a matter of time before they discover this place."

"They haven’t found it yet? How did they reach here from the tower?" Maria wondered.

"This world has multiple Toy Towers," Snugglion explained. "I don’t know about other floors, but here there are many entrances. The towers are indestructible and immovable. They always appear inside abandoned houses, near Toykin communities."

"How strange..." Maria said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Do you have a map of the region?"

"We secured one from what the Owners call ’Seattle.’ The pyramids patrol these areas. I recommend moving at night, when Owners are resting," Snugglion advised. "Pyramids and foreign Players are invisible to Owners. No matter what happens, Owners cannot harm them—an unseen force protects them. You won’t need to worry about that, but if you bring Toykin along, night is safest."

"I understand," Maria nodded. "It’s already growing dark. Let’s wait a couple of hours before we depart."

She studied the map, noting sketches of three pyramids scattered across the neighborhood. Two were smaller collectors, while the largest supposedly housed the "God" they were feeding.

These vessels used some form of radar to detect Toykin, systematically hunting and capturing entire communities without mercy. Broken toys sometimes appeared in the streets. The Toykin tried to recover them for proper burials, but Owners usually discarded them as trash.

It was heartbreaking to see this unique world ravaged by such greed. The cruelty stirred a quiet fury in Maria, deepening her resolve to confront these invaders from Thebes.

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