Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1862: A Talk With Hel After So Long

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Now that Maria had grown so powerful, she could finally gauge Hel's true strength.

And she was…

"Ridiculously strong!"

Every previous foe she had faced paled in comparison. Not even the Heavenly Emperor, the Vampire Family Heads, Zeus and the Olympians, the Egyptian Gods, or the Archdemons came close.

Hel remained above them all as a Supreme Goddess of Death and Souls—perhaps the only god in all of Yggdrasil who could truly oppose Odin to this degree.

Yet Maria smiled with unshakable confidence.

Her journey had not been in vain.

She had fully awakened as an Outer Goddess and was now grasping something even further beyond.

Her power had grown vastly superior to what she once possessed.

Still, compared to Hel, she could not be certain whether they were equals.

Yggdrasil was truly a mysterious world, teeming with beings of unimaginable strength, far more so than the realms beneath it.

Despite her overwhelming might, Hel had one glaring weakness Odin did not share: she was confined to the Underworld and could not step into the living world.

The power she could exert beyond its borders remained severely limited, which was why she relied so heavily on Maria, her Saintess.

"It's really you…" Hel said. "Maria! Welcome back! But what about that living body you're wearing? Is it someone you're possessing?"

"It's my body," Maria replied.

"…What?" Hel looked utterly confused.

"It's the living body from my first life on Earth," Maria explained. "It was kept alive in a hospital using Earth technology, without a soul."

Hel's eyes widened; her mouth fell open in shock.

The watching skeletons mirrored her reaction—their lower jaws dropping, some clattering to the ground. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Y-You mean…! You mean you're alive now?! How are you not decaying into a rotten pile of meat in here?"

"Ah, that's because I willed it," Maria answered. "My powers simply allow it. I could explain it as a barrier or an aura, but they all require conscious thought. I don't need any thought for this… though I suppose it's something similar."

"Well, alright," Hel nodded slowly. "You seem so much stronger though… You've become a true monster! Good! Just as we discussed back then, you've traveled the tower and grown powerful… You're ready now, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Maria said with a confident smile. "When is it all happening?"

"The Great Continental Conference in the Empire of Light takes place in two months," Hel replied. "So you still have a little time to train your friends and prepare. Once the moment arrives, you'll infiltrate, right? With your friend, the duchess of the Albraun Kingdom—which is allied with the Empire of Light."

"Ah, right! Julia Memendin Albraun! Yes, I remember her!" Maria nodded. "I have to visit her too. I remember she had two elven maids as well… We did agree to that, so I'll go see her once I'm done here."

"Good," Hel said. "Maria… how was it? Your journey? Was it fun? I've never traveled the tower myself. I was born here and have stayed here my entire life, but… Maybe this is selfish, but…"

"Nah, I don't mind," Maria said. She walked over and sat on the edge of the throne. "Here, eat some of the food too."

"I can't—everything will decay… wait, why isn't this decaying?" Hel asked, surprised.

"Heh, never underestimate the dangerous preservatives in Earth's junk food!" Maria laughed. "Nah, but really, I used a spell to prevent decay. Eat up and don't worry."

"…Maria," Hel said softly, a light smile forming. "Heh, when you left you were still kind of unreliable… but now everything has changed so much. Now tell me everything! I want to hear it all!"

Hel sat down and listened intently as Maria recounted her journey through the mourning realms. As the story unfolded, the bond between the two women grew even stronger—especially when Hel saw Myconidas again and happily let him rest in her lap.

"Wow…! I can't believe you wrecked Olympus completely! You're insane! Hahahaha!" Hel laughed heartily. "So you can now summon such a massive army?! An alliance between worlds! Not even I thought of something so ridiculous before!"

"Yeah, they will help us fight Odin and his gods," Maria nodded. "He's more than dead by now."

"Heh! I can't wait!" Hel laughed, genuinely excited.

"So how have your siblings been? And your father?" Maria asked.

"They're preparing for the war," Hel replied. "Fenrir and Jormungandr are sharpening their skills, claws, and fangs for what's coming. As for Father, he's been training his magic and mastery over chaos. Though… lately, he's been acting a little strange."

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"He frequents the Yggdrasil Tree far too often," Hel said. "I can't find anything unusual happening there, but still… I'm not sure what's going on."

"Hm," Maria nodded. "Maybe I should investigate?"

"And then make him realize I told you? No way…" Hel sighed. "For now, let's keep a low profile and watch. I love him and trust him, so let's hope for the best."

"Alright," Maria agreed. "But… Hm."

Maria remembered something about Farbauti, the Titan of Strength and War she had met long ago. That powerful Ice Jotun had warned her in the Titan Records to beware of Loki, his son.

But she wasn't sure if telling Hel was the right thing to do—she didn't want to worry her more.

"What?" Hel asked.

"No, nothing. Don't worry," Maria said, pulling Hel into a hug. "I love you, Hel."

"…Eh?!" Hel gasped, flustered. "W-What are you doing?!"

"I just wanted to tell you I love you as family," Maria said. "I… well, I wanted to hug you. You're kind of cute, haha."

"Ugh…" Hel groaned grumpily. "Don't do that again. I'm NOT used to touching people."

"Okaaay, sorry," Maria apologized. "Anyway, I gotta go for now. Lots to do…"

"Yeah, go," Hel said. "Prepare well for what's to come."

"I will," Maria replied, vanishing from Helheim.

"This girl…" Hel sighed, crossing her legs. "Ugh, she left me a ton of snacks and these weird items from Earth… TV? Video Games? What is this all about… Ah, it's an electricity generator? What? Oh, so you connect it and this… aha! I'm a genius."

Hel soon grew addicted to playing video games to pass the time, happily snacking on the pile Maria had given her.

She even told Maria she could replenish them anytime!

"Wow, I never imagined it could be so nice to live in this wretched place…" Hel thought. "But I shouldn't hog all the fun, right guys? Fenrir! Jormungandr! Heeeey!"

Hel ended up inviting her siblings to join her. They took humanoid forms and quickly became just as addicted to the food and the games.

"Alright, with that said and done, I guess we should prepare for what's to come… Let's quickly start setting things up."

Maria nodded after returning home. She regrouped with her family and began preparations for their Dream Heart Awakening.

After breakfast, she called everyone in the village—prioritizing the strongest first, but ultimately deciding to grant a Dream Heart to everyone.

A new, terrifying power had arrived on Yggdrasil—one that would change its destiny forevermore.

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