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

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My previous species, [Shub-Niggurath, Void-Born Mistress of Tenebrous Stars], was already impressive.

But this time, it was something much more personal, much deeper.

And at the same time, much stronger…

It channeled the depths of my Fear, my Traumas, my Horrors.

What made me a Ghost to begin with was amplified.

Black stars aligned together, and screaming horrors weaved themselves around my body.

As I gained a long black dress composed of screaming monstrosities and stars shining ever so brightly, they exploded and disappeared into the eternal abyss.

My tears never stopped falling from my crimson eyes, which always remained closed, while my third eye stayed open, not crying, glowing bright red.

My hair grew countless black and dark blue tentacles, waving around with crimson eyes of their own.

They all cried as well, forming a sea of abyssal black tears that melted stars and warped the void around me.

This sea, this ocean of tears, became a starless, deep, dark liquid void, swirling around me endlessly.

I couldn't stop crying, but it felt nice.

I was like this, this was me.

It was my true self.

[You have successfully ascended beyond the boundaries of an L+ Ranked Entity…]

[You have evolved into [Shub-Eryndra, Abyssal Mourner of the Starless Deep]…]

[Your Rank has increased from L+ to X.]

[Your Level Cap has increased from 300 to 500!]

[Your Existence has been elevated even further; you have become a {Lesser Primordial}!]

[Your [Divinity]: [Divine Flame: Void & Death / Ying & Yang (Tier 2: Rank 6)] has Evolved into [Primordial Flame: Starless Deep & Void Death / Yin & Yang (Tier 5: Rank 1)]!]

[Your [Physique]: [Void-Forged Mistress of Death Physique (Tier 2: Rank 6)] has Evolved into [Abyssal Mourner of the Starless Deep Death Physique (Tier 5: Rank 1)]!]

[Your [Spiritual Heart]: [Demonic Chaotic Spiritual Nature Seas Heart (Tier 1: Rank 8)] has Evolved into [Abyssal Starless Void Deep Chaotic Heart (Tier 5: Rank 1)]!]

[Your [HP] has increased by +50,000,000.]

[Your [MP] has increased by +100,000,000.]

[Your [KI] has increased by +20,000,000.]

[Your [Nether] has increased by +30,000,000.]

[Your [Spirit] has increased by +20,000,000.]

[Your [Attack] has increased by +30,000,000.]

[Your [Defense] has increased by +20,000,000.]

[Your [Magic] has increased by +30,000,000.]

[Your [Agility] has increased by +30,000,000.]

[Your [Aether] has increased by +20,000,000.]

[Your [Divine Power] has increased by +30,000,000.]

[Your [Nightmare Power] has increased by +100,000,000.]

[You learned the Racial Skill: [Void Tears of the Starless Deep: Lv1].]

[You learned the Racial Skill: [Starlit Isolation: Lv1].]

[You learned the Racial Skill: [Abyssal Dreamwave Dominion: Lv1].]

[Your [Class]: [Immortal Void Venerable: ★★★★ (Legendary Grade)] has Ranked Up to [Void Sovereign of Eternal Lament: ★★★★★ (Divine Grade)]!]

[You learned the Class Skill: [Starless Apotheosis: Lv1]!]

[Your [Subclass]: [Cosmic Void Architect: ★★★★ (Legendary Grade)] has Ranked Up to [Eternal Void Dreamforge Sculptor: ★★★★★ (Divine Grade)]!]

[You learned the Subclass Skill: [Abyssal Dreamforge: Lv1]!]

[You acquired the Title: [Empress of the Tear-Born Void: Lv1]!]

[You acquired the Title: [Shub-Eryndra Embodiment: Lv1]!]

[You acquired the Title: [Primordial Divinity Beyond Boundaries: Lv1]!]

It was done.

I looked into the stars beyond the Tower and then at countless other silhouettes facing me.

"It has worked, you have finally, truly hatched from your egg."

"The seed we planted long ago has finally germinated."

"Oh, and she has blossomed so beautifully…"

The figures spoke with warped, aberrant voices that I shouldn't even be able to understand.

And yet I could.

Their forms were enormous and monstrous, and I could barely see them even with all my eyes.

But I knew who they were.

The Council of Outer Gods.

And among them, there was a boundless gray void, a single crimson eye glancing at me.

"Maria… no, Shub-Eryndra! You have ascended to the pinnacle, and now, you stand among us. Join our Council and let us destroy the Tower together."

"…"

He offered me his "hand," or rather, a warped mass of pure gray void.

So he wanted me to join them…

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline… I have too many people left behind I must see and protect before I join you."

"But what do they matter in the great scheme of things?"

"None of them are as precious as you are."

"None will ever be as strong as you are."

"And none of them will ever compare to you, nor live eternally and boundlessly like you."

"I know, but even then, my evolution would never have been possible without their help… And as someone who is afraid of being alone, I cannot leave them behind."

Their eyes of countless forms and shapes started shapeshifting in anger, as shockwaves spread through the cosmos.

"Ingrate! Is this how you repay our favors?!"

"It was us who made you into the perfect seed of the void!"

"We gambled it all on you, and now you reject us?!"

"You're the only one that can do it! You must not abandon the mission!"

"…Silence."

However, as they angrily screamed at me, Ginnungagap spoke, and they quickly fell silent.

"She is not wrong. Without them, she would not have been able to reach this far, and she would not have been able to embody her Fear of Loneliness to the point that her powers blossomed through Nightmares. And I also know she doesn't intend to abandon us either. Despite everything, our goals align. Is that not right, Maria?"

"Yes… they do, Ginnungagap. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. For now, I must defeat the monster born from that world."

"The Living Nightmare Void Dimension… you could say he is like us, but not quite. We decided to make him your trial, to see how far you could grow. He's not like us; he's rogue and non-cooperative. We prefer him dead before he becomes a problem in the future."

"I couldn't agree more with those words… Then, I'll be going."

I opened my eyes, as I found myself within space, above the Azure Star, the Earth-like planet where I had spent seven days.

My body had now changed alongside everything else about me.

The monster before me, a giant star of darkness, widened its single crimson eye as it faced my true, evolved self.

"Let's end this, shall we?"

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