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

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The Void Bubble that Maria had created to send reinforcements into the city successfully passed the barrier, reaching the city's center, where the group of young dream warriors landed. They suddenly found themselves surrounded by hundreds of Nightmare Monsters.

These were not the Nightmares everyone knew, nor were they Nightmare Beasts. Nightmare Monsters were a new breed of creatures, born from corrupted objects twisted into monstrous forms, hence their name.

They roared ferociously, most shaped like cars with people still inside them. Others resembled walking buildings, streetlights, shops, or machines like computers, fused into aberrant, twisted golems.

"What the hell are these damn things?! And they're everywhere!" Emily complained, kicking a Truck Nightmare Monster and sending it flying with an explosion of lightning.

BOOOM!

The truck crashed into the nearby streets, its gas tank exploded and blowing several other Nightmare Monsters to smithereens.

"Save me! Someone save meeee!"

"It hurts, please save me!"

"Uuaaaggh!"

They could hear the screams of agony from people "trapped" inside the cars or other vehicles, their arms and legs fused into the machinery.

"There are people who need our help!" Alma said. "We have to go help them! Emily, be careful. You could've killed someone!"

Alma rushed toward one of the cars, stopping it with her ice magic and then opening the door as the person inside screamed.

"Aaaahhh! Save me!"

"Don't worry, I'm here to help!"

The girl tried to grab the person and pull them out, only to feel a sharp pain in her hands.

"Ouch! W-What the…?!"

Her eyes widened as the person inside the car twisted in agony, crying tears of blood as his arms transformed, sprouting sharp fangs.

His mouth opened wide, revealing countless tongues…

"Save… Save meee…? Save… save me?"

"A mimic?!"

"Alma, watch out!"

Nyx swooped down in her draconic form, crushing the car with her sheer weight before it could harm Alma further. She grabbed Alma just as the car's engine exploded.

BOOOM!

Another explosion erupted, consuming nearby Nightmare Monsters in flames as the people inside screamed in agony.

"What was that, Nyx?! Was that an illusion?" Alma asked in desperation.

"No, they're real people! But we can't save them anymore. They've fused with the Nightmare Monsters…!" Nyx muttered.

In fact, Nyx, Celes, and Arthur knew there was another way. Maria could technically separate the humans from the monsters, as she had done with Arthur and the others who had been part of the monstrous being he was transformed into.

However, they also knew Maria was too busy to be asked for such a task, and it was unrealistic to restrain these monsters while they rampaged the city or attacked people trying to escape to the airport.

Moreover, they were after the Soul Fragments of the Original Nightmare Curse. They had no time to waste.

"B-But there's nothing we can do?" Alma asked as Nyx set her down. Her ice magic pierced through the monsters one by one.

"They already told you we can't, Alma!" Sofia roared angrily, clad in her summoned Valkyrie armor, wielding and firing glowing spears of gold and white light. "It's better if we ensure these people rest in peace instead of being used by these monsters…! Even if it's harsh, that's how things are now!"

"Aahh…" Alma muttered, disturbed by the thought. She closed her eyes as her Aura surged unexpectedly, resembling swirling oceanic water. She noticed a small hand touching her arm. "Huh?"

"Calm down, Alma. It's going to be okay!" Celes smiled. "You know souls are real, right? By taking down these monsters, we'll free these people's souls! Once that's done, their souls can rest in peace or even, someday, reincarnate."

"C-Celes?" Alma was surprised the young boy spoke to her, but she realized he wasn't wrong. "You're right…! Ah, is this your power?"

"Yeah, shall we team up? I know you're Nyx's friend, and I'm also her friend, so if we're both her friends, can't we be friends too?" the boy asked.

"Heheh, of course!" Alma nodded cutely as their Auras combined. "Our powers are quite compatible with each other!"

"Yeah, let's work together and end this. We have to find the other big baddies, after all!" Celes nodded.

Alma nodded back. She and Celes merged their Magic Power, Celes' Divine Spiritual power surging from his Soul, along with his Dream Trident Weapon, and Alma's Dream Weapon and its Spirit… alongside, of course, Celes' three other spirits!

FLUOSH!

A massive surge of water swirled together, gaining immense pressure to become deadlier, then shaping into dozens of sea serpents, roaring and hissing ferociously.

"{Dream Weapon Fusion Technique}: {Spiritual Sea Serpent's Wrathful Rampage}!"

SPLAAASH!

The gigantic tsunami crashed down, sweeping away the monsters as giant serpents of water coiled around their bodies and crushed them to smithereens. Even nearby buildings weren't spared, collapsing one after another.

"Wow, that was amazing, Celes! Thank you!"

"No problem, hehe!"

As they cleared a path to advance, Arthur charged forward, leading the group through the city. He sensed the presence of something massive nearby.

"Over there!"

They rushed to the left, leaping over cars and Nightmare Monsters, slaying them with magic or Dream Weapons.

"Don't take another step!"

Arthur roared, infusing his Ki, Mana, and Dream Energy into his Dream Weapon, the Spear of Yin and Yang, and hurling it forward.

BOOOM!

The spear pierced the paved street, unleashing an explosion of light and darkness that halted a giant's advance, just as Arthur had commanded.

"There you are!"

Arthur and his companions reached the scene, facing not one but two giants made of shadows and glowing purple and black crystals, their forms resembling vaguely humanoid golems.

"You damned humans…! Learn your place!"

"Do you truly believe you can face both of us at once?!"

The two Fragments of the Original Nightmare Curse interrupted mid-fusion, reacted as Arthur's spear landed where they were about to meet.

"Well, yeah, we wouldn't be here if we didn't think we stood a chance!" Martina said, gripping her giant hammer.

"Hmph, then try to stop us, pathetic vermin!"

The roar of the Original Nightmare Curse echoed through both of its bodies as they rapidly transformed and charged forward.

One became a dinosaur-like creature, an aberrant mix of multiple dinosaurs with three tyrannosaur heads, sharp armored scales and horns, and over six massive arms with razor-sharp claws.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

It roared ferociously, rampaging through the city as it reached Arthur. Its claws tore through the paved floor, ripping up boulders while Arthur deftly evaded.

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