From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

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.

"Your world lies in the Demon King's universe," Erebos explained. "These worlds lie in what is called the mortal realm and are meant to be the feeding grounds of the angelic race as they won the last war."

King Griswald's eyes widened as he took in the magnitude of what Erebos was saying. The screens showed countless battles and invasions, each more devastating than the last. The weight of the task ahead pressed heavily on his shoulders, but with his newfound strength and clarity, he felt a renewed sense of purpose.

"And where do you place yourself in all of this?" King Griswald asked, his curiosity piqued. Stay connected through empire

Erebos leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, I have spent much time researching and studying each of the twelve universes and a lot of time with the Angelics. The whole idea of the mortal realm being a feeding ground is not just a surface idea. Most Angelics operate under the complex notion that they are doing good, right, and just acts.

They see themselves as mediators among the eleven other universes, giving humanity a chance to progress without the intervention of magic."

King Griswald furrowed his brow. "You will have to forgive me, Erebos, but most of this is a bit confusing. So you mean to tell me a small sect of this universe called the Angelics are poaching these 'humans' while the rest lie oblivious to it all?"

"That's exactly it," Erebos replied. "Just like you yourself combined and consumed the two souls I gave you, the Angelics view the same method as a means to becoming stronger and staying on top. However, the righteous ones only do so after someone dies and collects their soul.

If they lived a good life, they have the opportunity to join the ranks of the Angelics; otherwise, they become feed for them."

Erebos's eyes darkened as he continued, "However, a few of the Angelics have become restless with the Human Realm reaching new heights—increasing normal life spans, some even conquering the stars, and almost obtaining immortality.

Due to this, they have underhandedly partnered with the Vale universe to bring these human worlds to their knees and initiate a restart where the Angelics repopulate the human worlds."

King Griswald felt a chill run down his spine as he absorbed this information. "So, these Angelics are threatened by human progress and seek to control it by any means necessary," he murmured, more to himself than to Erebos.

"In a sense, yes," Erebos replied. "But the mortal realm is actually much larger than any of the twelve standing universes, so it's vaster than you could ever imagine. Some human worlds have fully conquered space and even found other 'Earths,' not that they knew it as such. But most of those now lie in ruin."

"But ten planets still stand tall right now, and I am most interested in two or three of them. One being an advanced world that has managed to fight back. Not only have they fought back, but they have turned the enemy into bio-suits and weapons. So even without magic or otherworldly abilities, they fight on.

Then there is a human world that has learned how to sever the tie with the crystal to unlock their innate abilities. They have been fighting the invasion for a long while, mixed with tech."

"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 –----------