Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1896: What Are You Willing To Do For Them?
-----
"I must say, Sir Lucifer, I am rather impressed by your incredible endurance!"
Sirius Dracul clashed fiercely with Lucifer. Explosions of energy erupted everywhere—light, darkness, and blood aura painting the sky in chaotic streaks.
Lucifer clenched his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into the fight. His Martial Arts fused with the power of his Dream Weapon.
His "ultimate form"—a perfect balance of light, darkness, life, and death—was formidable, yet he had barely begun to master it.
All his training had led to this stage, but he had only a few days to practice. He relied heavily on the raw strength and endurance boosts it granted.
Sirius, with his profound mastery over his own body, remained superior. The Vampire King possessed astonishing toughness, endurance, magic, and martial skill.
"Is there even a single flaw or weakness in this bastard?!"
Lucifer couldn't stop asking himself that question. Throughout his life and his journey in the tower, he had never faced anyone with such absolute, overwhelming power.
Perhaps only the Heavenly Demon could compare, but he had chosen not to join this war, viewing it as "Maria's personal matter." Maria hadn't pressed him to participate.
Though she had saved his life and his world—and he should have returned the favor by aiding her in hers—it seemed he had sensed her true feelings.
She didn't want to ask for help.
"Damn brat, I'll show you the true power of Yggdrasil's Dragon King! I will not let you disrespect me any longer!"
Covered in massive wounds, with several bones, horns, and fangs broken, Lucifer roared. He enveloped himself in armor of white and black flames and charged straight at Sirius.
RUMBLE!
The sky behind him tore apart as clouds scattered in all directions. Lucifer condensed his Aura, Dream Weapon, and Dragon Power into his fists, which blazed so fiercely they warped space itself.
"{Dragon King's Dual Flame Fist Style}: {First Form – Infernal Claw}!"
He forced both flames to clash and destroy one another while compressing them in place, generating an explosive surge of power that he channeled into his claws.
"HAAAAHHH!"
"Hmph!"
Sirius met the assault head-on, swiftly blocking Lucifer's giant claws. Explosions of black and white flames erupted around and over him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Oh!"
Sirius quickly noticed something unusual. These dual-flame strikes seeped into his body, disrupting the flow of his internal energies and even corrupting his own techniques, slowing him down.
"Most impressive! But it seems you are not there yet!"
"What?! Not there yet?!"
"You have yet to ascend, huh?"
"…?!"
"I mean this."
Sirius swung both arms forward. Though his clothes were shredded, his skin showed barely any scratches.
TRUUUM!
A shockwave of potent energy surged, slamming into Lucifer and hurling him backward.
Then Lucifer saw it.
Sirius' power compressed and pierced through the boundary of reality, reaching a higher state of existence.
That same power flowed into his fists, glowing with mysterious, multi-dimensional radiance.
"This is the evolution of 'Flow' that my son also achieved a few years ago," Sirius explained. "Martial Unity."
"…?!"
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
"Gaaack?!"
In an instant, Lucifer felt Sirius appear behind him. His body was suddenly riddled with fist-shaped holes, as though he had been struck a dozen times in less than a second.
"T-Too fast! How did he…?!"
As Lucifer prepared to counter, he realized Sirius was standing right on his nose…
"…!"
He froze as the proud Vampire King glared down at him.
"This is Martial Unity. By merging with your Martial Soul and Martial Intent, then further evolving 'Flow' with it…" Sirius said. "I suppose you were revived only recently. Hm, perhaps with more time, you could have grasped the principles."
"What…! What sort of nonsense…! SCREW OFF!" Lucifer roared, transforming into a colossal monster of white and black flames. He bellowed monstrously as dozens of heads sprouted from his body, snapping and lunging at Sirius.
"Hmph, have you become desperate? Well, let's wrap this up! Your own martial arts seem underdeveloped!" Sirius smiled, revealing sharp teeth beneath his mustache. His Aura exploded as his Martial Souls merged fully into his body, granting him an absurd level of power. "Goodbye!"
His fists ignited with crimson blood energy. He blitzed forward, almost teleporting, punching Lucifer relentlessly while using "Flow" to leave no opening, no chance to breathe.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"NGRAAAAHHH!"
Lucifer roared in fury, desperately holding on with everything he had, but the attacks kept piling up across his body…
In that moment, Lucifer felt utterly humiliated.
No—hadn't he always been this way?
When he was defeated and killed. When his own family was slaughtered.
When he rotted away until enough miasma formed to create a dungeon around him, trapping him as its boss.
When the gods, the heroes, and the world itself looked down on him…
And when Maria appeared and enslaved him—though that humiliation ultimately led to understanding, as they learned from each other.
Indeed, Maria became the mother to his last surviving daughter and someone who genuinely loved him.
For that reason…
For his Maria.
For his Nyx.
"Nnnggh…!"
The Dragon King refused to yield.
He would not die.
He would not lose.
Not here!
"RAAAAHHHH!"
Channeling all his explosive, volcanic rage, Lucifer devoured his own Martial Soul and forced every drop of his Martial Intent into his Dream Heart.
He compressed and absorbed everything—imitating Sirius!
"What?!"
But that wasn't all. Sirius felt something strange stirring within Lucifer's heart…
RUMBLE!
An explosion of countless black tentacles erupted from Lucifer's chest as it burst open.
From within that once-pink heart emerged a massive black crystal heart.
With a pair of sharp, dragon-like eyes.
"GEHEHE…! YOU WERE SAYING SOMETHING, FUCKASS?!"
"…?!"
Sirius' eyes widened in shock. Lucifer had changed completely.
No longer did he radiate the same tranquility.
A monstrous "demon" now dwelled within him!
One he had suppressed for so long.
But now he had finally released it.
And more than that…
He had allowed it to merge with his body willingly.
Lucifer's…
"I AM THIS IDIOT'S NIGHTMARE, PLEASED TO MEET YOU!"
Lucifer's form transformed entirely.
The heads that had once been part of his aura now became his true body.
His shape grew even more monstrous and feral, sprouting six giant, muscular arms ending in sword-like claws.
His wings sprouted countless eyes.
His head split into nine roaring maws, each unleashing black lightning and white flames.
Lucifer had willingly embraced a "Nightmare" transformation through a phenomenon known in Azure Star.
By concentrating and compressing all his rage, frustration, and humiliation inside his Dream Heart…
He achieved a willing nightmare transformation!
One that did not overtake his mind but allowed him to control it—or even fight alongside it.
-----
