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

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Before Maria could catch her breath, Alma, Partner, and Emeraldine rushed toward her, enveloping her in a tight embrace, holding on as if they'd never let go. If Maria's strength were any less formidable, their enthusiastic hug might have crushed her bones.

"Maria! Are you okay?! We were so worried! A-And we're back? Is everything okay now?" Emeraldine asked, her voice trembling with concern.

"I could feel it. That battle was so intense! W-What the hell was that?!" Partner asked desperately, her eyes wide with urgency.

"Maria…!" Alma cried, clinging to Maria tightly. "Don't do anything reckless like that again…!"

"I-I'm sorry… I'm alright now," Maria said with a warm smile, gently caressing their heads and kissing each one softly. "A lot happened, yeah… But I've grown so much stronger as a result of it all. So it was totally worth it!"

"You think so?! We almost died from worry!" Sofia scolded, stepping to Maria's side with a stern expression.

"Whoa, does this make you the strongest Dream Warrior in the world now?" Emily asked, her voice brimming with awe. "Damn, get ready for all the fame you're going to earn from that."

"You're going to become a celebrity for sure, Maria…!" Martina said with a delighted giggle.

"Mamaaaaa!"

"Mama!"

There was no time for Maria to rest, as Nyx and Arachne dashed to her side. Her daughter and adoptive daughter enveloped her in hugs, playfully nudging aside the others to claim their space.

"Hahaha! I see you were worried too?" Maria giggled, her heart warmed by the affection of her adorable daughters.

"Yeah… It made me wish I could help, mama…" Nyx sighed, her small voice tinged with determination. "Next time, for sure, I'll grow so strong I'll be able to help you with anything!"

"I also wanted to help…" Arachne sighed, her eyes downcast.

"You two have done more than enough," Maria said with a gentle smile, patting their heads affectionately. "Thank you for all your help so far. You've been incredible."

"Looks like you did it…" Lucifer said, crossing his arms with a proud smile. "I helped quite a bit myself, but I figured I'd let you take on the big guy. Otherwise, I might have stolen all the spotlight, heh."

"Hahaha! I can't blame you. You were pretty strong out there, Lucifer," Jonathan laughed, giving the dragon's arm a friendly pat, much to Lucifer's annoyance.

"You two have evolved, haven't you?" Emeraldine asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You're so powerful now… We need to catch up and evolve too…"

"I can't evolve yet, though," Partner groaned, slumping her shoulders. "We need to grind for more EXP… Well! Now that we're done with this world, we could finally move on to the next and grind more, right?"

"Done with this world?" Alma asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"What… does she mean?" Sofia wondered, tilting her head.

"Huh?" Emily said, clearly puzzled.

"You're leaving already?" Martina asked, concern creeping into her voice.

"No… I… ugh, Partner, did you have to say that out loud?!" Maria exclaimed, her tone a mix of frustration and exasperation. "Well, a lot has happened, but you already know a bit about us, right? We… came from another world to save this one. You see, there's something called the Tower that connects a hundred worlds. The world we came from is Yggdrasil, one of many realms. This world isn't connected yet, but we were fighting to link it to the Tower… so it could be protected, I suppose. Though, now I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do."

"Eh? Huh? What?" Alma, Emily, Sofia, and Martina said in unison, their faces showing they didn't quite grasp the explanation.

Maria sighed deeply. She knew this would take time to explain fully, so she decided to focus first on aiding the people here and addressing the immediate crises, leaving the cosmic details for later.

"We can talk more about it later, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere," Maria reassured them. "For now, we need to quickly address some urgent issues on this planet, and I'll need all of your help… Nia, Celes, Alma, and Emeraldine, your skills are especially crucial."

"Huh? Sure!" Nia nodded enthusiastically. "I'm so glad you survived, Maria… I was really worried, but I didn't step in because everyone else was already there…"

"It's okay, don't be shy about these things," Maria said with a giggle, gently caressing Nia's face. "Little Celes, will you help me out? There are three dangerous tsunamis affecting three regions of the world. It would be wonderful if we could stop them."

"I can help!" Celes nodded eagerly. "I'll do my best to calm the oceans!"

"Me too!" Alma said, her voice was firm despite trembling slightly. "I-I might as well help, if I can… This is what my parents would have wanted, for sure."

"Thank you," Maria said, exhaling with relief. "And Emeraldine?"

"I'll help as well, of course," Emeraldine said with a determined nod. "What do you need me to do?

"Some meteors fell in several areas. They destroyed vast swathes of vegetation, forests, and even a few cities. We need to urgently assist the people there and more…" Maria explained. "Actually, I might need everyone's help. I can transport you to any location instantly, so the only question is whether you're willing to lend a hand… I know some of you may not care about what happens to countries other than your own, but—"

"I'm in!" Cheng Xie stepped forward, gripping his long staff confidently. "Please, Maria, do you even need to ask? Haha, this is what we do! We're heroes. No matter what my country's people might say, I'm here to help everyone in need, regardless of nationality or background. This power would be meaningless otherwise."

"I agree with everything he said," Artorias said with a firm nod. "And I'm sure Jonathan feels the same, right?"

"Heh, you've changed a lot, Artorias," Jonathan laughed heartily. "Of course, I'm here to help. My magic can heal people, and it's evolved significantly, so leave the injured to me, Maria."

"I can heal as well!"

"Me too!"

"Please, if there's anything I can do…"

"Just ask us!"

More students and teachers stepped forward, their voices filled with resolve. Maria quickly gathered a large squad of helpers, deploying them across the world. Their priority was saving lives in the aftermath of the massive, cataclysmic battle.

Although they longed to celebrate the end of the Nightmare, with both the Original Nightmare Curse and the Nightmare Dimension finally defeated and eradicated from this world, there were still countless tasks ahead and many people in need of aid.

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