Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1865: What’s Happening?!
-----
"I knew something was happening here... But I had no idea it was this bad... Did Odin do this?"
A tall, beautiful woman with pale white skin and faint stitch-like scars across her body stared into the distance. Her long hair—red streaked with black—waved in the wind. She wore tight, battle-ready clothes that clung to her strong, muscular frame.
Beside her stood a large black wolf radiating an aura of shadows, and a girl with fluffy hair and goat-like horns. A mysterious crystal glowed in the girl’s chest as she gazed ahead.
"It’s like the air is heavier or something..." the girl said, her eyes distant and enigmatic. "Where’s Fabian and the rest? Are they okay?"
"We’ll have to find out...!" the woman replied firmly. "Let’s go, Silva. Stay close to me."
She advanced with the girl and the wolf, cautiously approaching the strange barrier that enclosed the entire region.
Inside, space itself appeared distorted, forming a dome that contained an entirely different world.
"This is so strange. Just what is this place?" she murmured, stepping forward. "Hm?!"
The moment she crossed the threshold; no resistance met her. She was instantly pulled inside.
And there it was!
A vast, breathtaking world of lush greenery and breathtaking beauty, countless mountains, colorful clouds, and floating islands stretching into the horizon.
"W-What...! What is...! What is this?!"
The girl and her wolf followed closely, staring in the same stunned disbelief.
"Woah! Big sis! Big sis! This is amazing! What is this place?! It looks like I’m inside a fairy tale!"
"...I have no idea."
"Woof!"
Suddenly the wolf barked and bolted toward the forest.
"Ah! Where are you going?!"
The girl chased after him, and the woman quickly followed.
Eventually they found the wolf standing still, gazing downward into the distance.
Below lay a grand arena surrounded by hundreds of spectators. Four warriors clashed fiercely within it.
"What the hell?! What is this place?!"
The woman stared in astonishment as the four fighters battled.
Two were dragons in their Dragonoid forms—both female.
She recognized them instantly.
The one with red scales unleashed flames shaped like dragon claws, jaws, tails, and wings. The one with crystalline purple scales released a poisonous purple aura that took similar draconic shapes.
They fought unarmed, relying solely on their bodies, unleashing potent and mysterious techniques she had never witnessed. Strange energies fused with Mana and Draconic Force, creating truly awe-inspiring displays.
Explosions of alien power erupted, yet the other two fighters weren’t being overwhelmed as much as she expected...
"They’re fighting dragons and holding their own?! Wait... isn’t that the young demon prince and his male retainer?"
The opponents were the last people she expected to see: a demon prince and his loyal, rock-covered retainer who resembled a golem.
Not long ago they had been freed from a powerful freezing curse. After months of recovery and who-knows-what training, they now radiated mysterious, formidable auras and fought dragons without faltering.
The once-frail demon prince had grown noticeably taller and more mature, his slim frame now well-toned with muscle.
He wielded a demonic sword of ethereal energy while executing powerful martial arts from another world. His strikes cut through dragon techniques and magic with terrifying force.
His bulky retainer fought bare-fisted. His rocky exterior had transformed into pure metal, granting even greater resistance as he unleashed barrages of devastating punches.
"What’s going on...?!?"
As the two demons began pushing the dragons back, the dragons nodded to each other and summoned mysterious powers from their very hearts.
The red-scaled dragon conjured a blazing shield adorned with colorful jewels and shaped like a roaring dragon. The purple-scaled dragon summoned a long, needle-like spear of purple and silver, coiled with poisonous serpent-like dragons.
They clashed with the demons. The bulky retainer summoned a massive creature resembling a mass of metallic ores, merged with it, and gained immense power and a new armored form. He roared, vowing to protect the prince at all costs, tanking blows from both dragons.
The prince fused with his blade, transforming into an armored demon knight. He unleashed a rain of demonic swords wreathed in dark red flames.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rocked the arena as the over-the-top sparring match raged on. When the smoke finally cleared, the victors stood revealed.
"Truly, what my sister-in-law brought from the tower is incredible," the red-scaled dragon said, looking down at the defeated demons. "Violet, are you alright?"
"Ugh... that damn kid really knows how to pack a punch! And he said he wasn’t even good at fighting before?!" The purple-scaled dragon slowly rose, covered in bleeding wounds. "Do you really believe him, Brunhild?"
"I do. I knew him for a while. When Maria left, I helped him train with several others," Brunhild replied. "Quite honestly, I’m proud of what he has become..."
As the match concluded, a petite young woman with an adorable face descended from the sky. She raised her hand. Her long black hair waved in the wind, and her emerald eyes shone brightly.
"The third match of today is over! Although Hermes and Gustaf have shown incredible talent and strength, they have once more been bested by the golden dragon duo!" she announced with a bright smile, healing all parties with radiant light from her hands. "However, you’ve shown significant growth! Keep going. You’ve all earned yourselves some rewards."
She snapped her fingers. Bubbles of mana descended, carrying special materials, elixirs, and scrolls of spells and martial arts.
"Thank you, Lady Maria!" Hermes said happily.
"We owe you more than you can imagine, oh great lady," his retainer added.
"Thank you, sister-in-law," Brunhild smiled.
"Oho! Now these are some winning rewards! With this we can raise our cultivation a little bit more, Brun!" Violet grinned widely.
"Martial Arts? Cultivation? W-What is all of this?! Wait... did they say Maria?! She’s Maria?! Where’s the white hair and the red eyes...! And she was definitely taller than that midget! Oi...! What the hell is happening in here?!"
She stepped forward angrily, interrupting the competition. Hundreds of eyes turned toward her.
Instantly...
TRUUUM!
"Ugh?!"
She felt the crushing pressure of many Immortals gazing into her soul! She had never experienced such overwhelming force—not even from the highest vampires. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Her hands trembled as she struggled to look up at the shadow blocking the sunlight.
It was her...
"Maria...?"
-----
