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

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Percival, a very tall knight clad in silver and white armor decorated with angelic wings, rushed toward the monster and thrust his powerful spear, unleashing explosive strikes that released explosions resembling small exploding stars. He constantly aimed for the weak points of the Original Nightmare Curse's posture and stance.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

"That's…!"

Meanwhile, two more joined Percival. Kay, a knight wearing steel armor and a helmet shaped like a wolf while holding a two-handed sword, and Gaheris, a slender knight with light brown armor, holding two short swords, whose helmet resembled a falcon.

The two reached the Knightmare from the left and right, attacking him with rapid thrusting blows, slashing attacks, and barrages of destructive techniques. Kay specialized in strong charges with powerful vertical swings, while Gaheris specialized in horizontal slashes to accumulate damage over time.

BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!

"Ngaaah! Damn it! What's this!?"

These were the same strategies that Artorias had used against Jonathan. Unlike the Hero from Yggdrasil, the Original Nightmare Curse lacked proper experience. His battle style was stolen from the fears and nightmares of ancient swordsmen, not his true experiences.

"Don't think this is enough!"

The Original Nightmare Curse fueled himself with more energy, unleashing a shockwave of nightmare flames and swinging his demonic sword, pushing the knights away.

Only for four very distinct knights to step forward, jumping toward him. They were the largest and strongest of them all, instantly attacking the Original Nightmare Curse's Knightmare Avatar from every angle possible.

Tristan, a slender knight wearing red armor, pointed his longbow at him and fired a barrage of powerful magical arrows first, bombarding him with crimson explosions of light.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Stop!"

The Nightmare Curse screamed angrily as he manifested several nightmare blades and fired them at Tristan, generating many explosions. However, he had no time to rest. Bedivere stepped in, a knight wearing light silver armor and a normal-looking helmet.

He swung down a completely white sword made of light, unleashing a blinding attack that slashed through the Knightmare's armor.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

"Uuuggh?! Why is he so damn quick?!"

Each attack released shockwaves that constantly pushed the monster back, although they didn't deal the most damage possible. The annoying part wasn't just that. Bedivere was the fastest of the knights, moving from one place to another, rapidly avoiding being caught.

As the Original Nightmare Curse's Avatar tried to catch him, Lancelot emerged from above, a huge man wearing purple armor, swinging down a large sword of gold and white, which glowed brightly with the dream essence of Artorias within.

SLAAASH!

A massive attack reached the Knightmare, overwhelming him and pushing him down. The ground below the monster shattered into pieces, and an explosion of light divided into countless rays erupted from beneath him!

CRAAASH!

"H-How is this possible?! I'm on the floor?! This cannot be happening…!"

Unlike Jonathan, who was able to overcome all knights at once, the Nightmare Curse was a complete novice, unable to overcome a battle against them.

But it wasn't just because they were good at fighting.

"You're much stronger than I remember…! Artorias, where… where did you get this power?! How is this possible?!"

He realized that Artorias was indeed much stronger than in the previous loops. Not just a bit stronger, but more than thrice as powerful.

The point where everything changed for this young man was when he fought Jonathan, something that never truly happened like it did in this loop.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Artorias stood from his throne as his knights kept the Knightmare pinned to the floor using all their strength. "But yes, I have grown stronger… since my fight against Jonathan, my resolve has been strengthened. There hasn't been a single hour I have not been meditating or training, polishing my abilities and making my knights fight one another to polish their own techniques, which I can also inherit."

"T-That's…! Jonathan?! That bastard…! He changed the timeline…! He made you stronger?!"

"I've heard that Dream Hearts grow powerful as our resolves and dreams become more defined… before my battle against him, I didn't even know what I truly wanted with my life… I was selfish and ignorant. But he let me see the light. I will aim to not only surpass him, but I will become an even better knight than he is, and I will become a hero… This is my goal, and… I believe it's my fate."

"What?! DON'T BULLSHIT ME!!!"

The Original Nightmare Curse grew furious, screaming monstrously as his body rapidly erupted with immense quantities of nightmare darkness and miasma, pushing the knights away and sending them flying.

TRUUUM!

Suddenly, more and more tendrils appeared, fusing with him and injecting more Nightmare Essence from the Nightmare Dimension, making him a giant, black-armored knight with larger, more robust arms and two blades.

"GRAAAAHHHH!"

"At the end, you were nothing but a faker, weren't you?! Attempting to fight me like a swordsman when you're nothing but a monster!"

Artorias grew furious as his new resolve and dreams fueled his power. His Spirits rushed toward him, fusing with his armor and weapon, encompassing him in a powerful golden and white mechanical armor.

"{Knights of the Round Table Fusion: True Lion King of the Radiant Blade}"

FLUOOOSH!

The Knight Spirits fused into Artorias's body, armor, and sword, constantly giving him a boost in power.

Artorias's armor transformed, becoming larger and shining with golden light, covering him entirely and resembling a machine with circuits and powerful mechanical parts, boosting his strength.

At the same time, his sword became enormous, three times as large as before, overflowing with golden light, with a decoration in the shape of a roaring lion on its handle and several red and green jewels.

He gained a lion-shaped helmet with blazing gold and red flames as the mane, letting out a mighty roar. His armor was alive. The lion's eyes were made of glowing rubies.

Then a cape made of these flames surged behind him, overflowing with great power and intimidating might.

Above his head, something else appeared too.

A crown.

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