From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 455 Erebos Speaks

King Griswald grabbed Erebos's hand in a firm handshake as the two souls swirled around his arm, detaching from Erebos and crashing into Griswald's chest. He stumbled back, buckling to one knee, gripping his chest.

"What is this surge? It... it feels like my heart is about to explode," he gasped.

Erebos smirked. "You are simply ascending. In a sense, it is almost like you are experiencing death for the first time and severing your connection with an innate crystal."

Moments later, King Griswald buckled to both knees, his hands gripping the ground beneath him. Flames began to circle around his body, burning his flesh off as he screamed out in pain. The searing heat was unbearable, his skin blistering and charring as the flames consumed him.

Internally, he heard a voice echo in his mind, "You who I blend my soul with, stand up and be strong!"

King Griswald felt himself transforming, a solid orb of energy within him colliding and merging. As the black orb crashed into him, his eyes snapped open. He looked around, his vision sharper and clearer than ever before. Colors seemed more vivid, and he could see details he had never noticed.

"What... what is this feeling?" King Griswald stood up, and to his surprise, he sprung up almost lifting himself off the ground.

Staring straight past Erebos, he now saw lines of soldiers clearly, even in the darkness. He could make out their faces, each uniquely different. Turning his attention to Erebos, he felt a newfound clarity.

"My faith in you was not ill-placed," Erebos said, observing Griswald's transformation. "If you weren't worthy, you would have been burnt to a crisp, leaving nothing but your soul."

Erebos put his hand behind his back and continued, "We have much to prepare for. Right now, we need to monitor the last ten human worlds and see how they handle the invasions."

"Human worlds? What does that mean? I have humans on my own world," King Griswald questioned, confusion evident in his voice.

Erebos shook his head and clapped his hands, commanding, "Room 4."

The area around Erebos and King Griswald began to spin before they found themselves in a massive room lined with hundreds of LED screens. Each screen displayed different scenes of chaos and struggle.

"And the third?" King Griswald inquired, intrigued.

"Well, I will mention that another time," Erebos said, leaving an air of mystery.

"And why do we just watch?" Griswald asked, frustration seeping into his voice.

"There is little we can do at the moment until we have the needed resources. However, I am keenly waiting for someone from the human worlds to spawn a system user."

"A what?" King Griswald asked, confused.

"It's a bit hard to explain," Erebos admitted. "But my discussions with the locked-away Devil King described it as users with a higher plane that has gifted them insight into the workings of the world. In a way, they hack everything, but they have to meet goals to unlock future strengths. Once I have located this person, I will ensure he joins our cause in our final plan.

For now, we will oversee these planets as they fight on and prepare to recruit and gain strength."

Erebos continued, "For you, I need you to head to the training grounds and start working on your power. You will notice yourself slowly becoming younger. The crystals you ingested will leave you permanently about 20-30 years younger unless you get killed."

"I see. So does this make me immortal now?" King Griswald asked.

"No, you can be killed and erased from existence. It's as simple as your soul being ripped apart. Your flesh, however, won't progress much at all but will age at a much slower rate. I would say your body will likely fall apart over the next one or two thousand years."

Erebos putting his hands behind his back as the room morphed once more as he stood in a small room looking at a chamber with a body floating in it.

Soon. All will be restored soon.

----------------End Arc 12 –----------