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

Chapter 1225: Strange Creatures



"SSSHHHHH!!!"

The sound of the creeping shadows continued growing closer and closer as we moved through the labyrinth, following Beatriz guidance. We moved very quickly, yet the shadows followed just as quickly.

They didn't attack though, they only watched, they were creeps that liked to stalk... Therefore, their name was simple, Stalking Shadows.

"There's more and more of those things approaching us, Maria," Beatriz said. "Be careful, they're only watching for a reason, they might ambush us once we reach a dead end!"

"I hope you don't bring us there then!" I told her.

As we talked through telepathy, I noticed that Emily and Alma looked weird, Myconidas patted my shoulder, noticing it as well.

"Master, what's wrong with them? They look paler." He said.

"Wait... Emily, Alma? Are you ok?" I asked the two.

"Ugh... I feel strange and groggy," groaned Emily.

"Hahh... Hahhh... I can't breathe well," Alma sighed.

"Alright, hop into my shadows, I'll carry you," I nodded.

I should have done this from the beginning, but they insisted they wanted to move on their own and exercise, especially Alma who kept insisting she wanted to lose weight and walking a lot was the perfect way.

But right now, I wasn't going to go by their selfish reasons anymore.

I grabbed them with my shadow tentacles and carried them by my side, but their states didn't improve, they looked even weaker.

"Ugh, my head..."

"Hahh... Hahh... so tired..."

"This is not good," I said. "{Paladin's Life Sacrifice}"

Activating the Paladin's Life Sacrifice Skill at Level 3, I donated part of my Health to them, rapidly refilling their entire Health in that moment. They immediately felt better as they gasped for air.

It was a very useful skill to have around!

[Paladin's Life Sacrifice: Lv1]

As a Paladin, you sometimes must put the life of others before yours, sacrificing your life for those in need should come as something natural to do as a selfless knight that serves the righteous deities.

When activating this skill, you can sacrifice a specified % of your own Health Points to instantly heal a target or many. This heal will be Absolute and Instant, even being capable of restoring lost limbs, internal organs, and also healing most basic diseases, curses, and other status ailments.

The healed targets will additionally receive a [Holy Blessing of Protection] for 1 Minute, that will increase their Health Points Regeneration Speed and their Defenses by +100%, with an additional +20% with each Skill Level.

Meanwhile, once you heal a target or many, you will receive a buff to all your Stats based on 50% of the target's Stats for 1 Minute, with an additional +5% with each Skill Level. You also gain the ability to use one of their abilities at random.

Once used, your Health Points cannot be recovered for the next Minute, so be careful.

Not only did they restore their health, but they gained some Holy Blessing of Protection on them, it only lasted a bit, but it ensured their safety.

The thing is, for its duration I can't heal myself, but that didn't matter that much to me anyways!

"Aahh! W-What happened? I felt so weird!" Emily groaned.

"Huh? I'm fine now? I tried healing myself, but it didn't work... how did you do this, Maria?" Alma wondered.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I used an ability that sacrifices some of my health," I explained. "For now though, I think I've figured out what has happened... to you two."

I glanced behind us, as we suddenly stopped moving, the Lurking Shadows hid from us, but I could still sense their presences behind the walls, their silent echoes resonating.

"Sshhh..."

"Shhhhhh..."

"Sssshhhh..."

These damn things were somehow sucking the life out of Emily and Alma, it didn't work on me or anybody else, so I didn't realize at first.

It must be part of their ability to "Creep" and "Lurk", I had thought they were waiting for an ambush, but that's not how they operate.

Their intention is to never attack you directly, they only creep and lurk, slowly draining your life while they chase after you.

Silent, lurking killers that don't even touch you...

"Reveal yourselves!" I roared.

"{Divine Purifying Sunlight}!"

I unleashed my Skill, channeling the powers of Sunlight I took from Baldr, a flash of bright sunlight emanated from my entire body, quickly illuminating all surroundings.

The shadows lurking and hiding screamed in agony as they suddenly showed up, crying loudly and moving their heads and faces in horror.

"GRYYAAAEEEGGHH!"

The shadows screamed in agony, emerging and showing us their true appearances, they resembled women, the distorted bodies of an adult woman slightly similar to Sofia, but that wasn't really her representation.

Perhaps her mother?

Their skin was charcoal black, covered on cracks as if they were made of stone or charcoal, actually. Their hair was long and black, messy. And they only had a single arm coming from their chest, in between two saggy breasts.

Their face, distorted with a furious expression, showed something constantly hushing people, as if they were obsessed with making us shut up.

"SSSHHHH! SHHHHH!!!"

Their single hand was in front of their face, constantly doing in this position, with the index finger upward and the palm closed into a fist.

"SSSHHHH!!!"

I knew Nightmares take into grotesque forms that even surpass the Undead Monstrosities and Chimeras I've seen in Yggdrasil by far.

But this is really quite something... even more because it represents one of Sofia's traumas.

Did she have an abusive mother? Or a family?

I know her father is cold, but this is... too much.

"What the hell are those things?!" Emily asked in disbelief.

"Uwaah! They're really disgusting-looking...!" Alma covered her face.

"Just Nightmares," I said. "Skeletons! Myconidas! Beatriz, kill them all!"

Like that, we charged against the Lurking Shadows, who were left stunned with my Skill

channeling the power of Sunlight.

I swung my sword and my giant axe, cutting through their stone-like bodies and making them explode into black clouds of dust one after another.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Though, some of them were so tough they didn't die right away...

They were left constantly groaning.

And I could swear I was able to hear words...

"Shut up, shut up... Sssshhhh... Bad girl... bad girl! Bad girl... shut up, shut up! Shut up! I am

tired... so tired... I don't want to hear you! Stop talking... shut up... SSSHHHHH!!!" Just what did Sofia went through for this thing to be born from her Traumas?