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

-----

Artorias proved to be an incredible sleeping lion himself!

Not only was he a master of swordsmanship capable of going toe to toe against Jonathan for a brief moment, but his Dream Weapon didn't stop surprising everyone.

The power of that sword was capable of even summoning a domain, which also invoked several knights, the Knights of the Rond Table, inspired by King Arthur's Legend.

Each of these Knights possessed their own abilities, which alone weren't too much, but together, were rapidly overwhelming Jonathan.

And yet Jonathan…

"{Heavenly Ascension}"

He swung his divine sword upwards, as a massive beam of holy light was released, blowing away all the knights attacking him from every angle.

BOOOMMM!!!

He attacked them all at the same time, proving to be the strongest swordsman anyways. A simple upward swing was all it took for him to split the heavens above and destroy Artorias' summons.

"A-Ahhh… As I thought, you are indeed incredible, Jonathan." Artorias smiled. "You haven't changed one bit either… Always the same."

"Huh?" Jonathan realized Artorias was talking about him as if he knew him. "Does he know the character I am replacing within this world? Not good! I can't recall anything from their memories… Should I pretend to be his friend?"

"But I guess you don't remember me anymore, don't you?" Asked Artorias. "I wouldn't blame you; we haven't seen each other for years since we left the Swordsmanship Academy. After you humiliated me back then… After I learned that I simply couldn't surpass you, I ran away. I tried to change my life, to escape from the sword."

"I-I'm really sorry for not remembering you, Artorias," said Jonathan. "I really wish to remember you, so if we could just talk this out and-"

"Talk this out? Haha… yeah, that's a lot like you," nodded Artorias. "But my sword… it craves blood. You know why I came back to this academy? You know why I've been sharpening my skills this entire time? All to defeat you."

"W-Wha… Why?" Jonathan wondered. "What's so important about defeating me?"

"So you don't even remember our friendship and our rivalry?" wondered Artorias. "The years we spent together… I guess now that you've lived such a good life, you've simply forgotten everything about me… But the sword, it never forgot about me."

"The sword?" Jonathan wondered, squinting his eyes.

"I wanted to abandon it, I wanted to forget my dream," said Artorias. "I wanted to move on and do something else but… It was always there. My Dream Weapon is nothing but a sword, and so is my soul, and so is my mind, and so is my… thirst, sharp as a blade, it desires blood. Your blood, Jonathan."

As Artorias spoke, his face continued being completely expressionless, he wasn't smiling like some psycho or something, his eyes, if anything, were completely lightless.

Jonathan gave a step forward.

"This is enough, Artorias," he said. "I know you have a grudge against me, and I understand your resentment. But if you push yourself any further, you're going to end up dying…"

"No, I cannot die," said Artorias. "Not yet… Now look. This is what I've accomplished after coming back to the sword I abandoned. After training so intensively, for so many years. This is my power. Please watch carefully."

"Huh?" Jonathan grasped his sword tightly, as he saw Artorias unleash his power once more.

"{Illusory Domain: Knights of the Round Table}"

"Again with the same technique? Can he summon these things endlessly?"

"Echo."

Artorias eyes glowed bright gold, as Jonathan suddenly noticed something, bright specters made of light, shaped as the knights he had taken down, flew towards Artorias.

"{Knights of the Round Table Fusion: True Lion King of the Radiant Blade}"

FLUOOOSH!

The specters fused into Artorias body, armor, and even his sword, constantly giving him more and more of a boost in power.

His armor transformed, becoming larger and shining with golden color, covering him entirely, and resembling almost a machine, with circuits and powerful mechanical parts, boosting his strength.

At the same time, his sword became enormous, three times as big as before, overflowing with golden light, and with a decoration in the shape of a roaring lion on its handle.

He gained a lion-shaped helmet, with blazing golden and red flames as the mane.

And then a cape made of these flames surged behind him.

Artorias had changed completely, overwhelmingly growing in power, and embodying the true "Dream" of King Arthur's Legend.

"This is my pinnacle." Artorias said. "This is… the power I've found to defeat you, Jonathan."

"…" Jonathan remained in silence, admiring his foe's radiance. "Amazing…"

Artorias felt slightly annoyed, Jonathan wasn't afraid.

"I'm going to win." He said.

"Let's see if your new strength can hold on," Jonathan nodded.

FLASH!

Both young men stepped forwards, reaching one another. Their swords were swung, clashing against each other, as huge explosions of light erupted.

CLAAASH! CLAAASH! CLAAASH!

Their attacks were not just lightning fast, but incredibly strong as their swords were immense and very heavy. The sound of metal hitting each other made most people annoyed as they glanced, feeling pain in their ears.

"You've become stronger…!" Jonathan noticed the changes instantly.

Artorias, who seemed ultimately weak before, had now changed completely, he had become several times stronger out of nowhere.

His speed and attack power had become almost unparalleled!

However, that wasn't everything.

His defenses as well…

CLAAANK!

"Huh?!"

His armor didn't even gain a single crack after Jonathan swung his blade against it, unleashing a strong downward cutting attack.

"Hmm… It seems it works well."

Artorias didn't slice Jonathan, swinging his fists and punching him in the face, sending him flying away, as Jonathan fell to the ground.

BAAAM!

"Hah, ouch, a punch to the face, hm?" Jonathan laughed. "I suppose we're not doing pure swordsmanship now?"

"My body is my weapon," Artorias responded, rushing down towards Jonathan with tremendous strength.

CRASH!

His blade pierced the ground, countless cracks surged, as golden light emerged from the cracks, generating a massive explosion.

BOOOM!

-----