Chapter 560: A New Ghost Empress

*Dong!*

The bells tolled across the sky, causing all the sprites to look skyward. This was the first time such a thing happened in the realm of the dead. An image of a young girl appeared in the sky. Her closed eyes slowly opened as she looked down at everyone. Her eyes were glowing with a ghostly green hue. As her gaze swept over the realm, the souls couldn't help but shudder in fear. They began to kneel one after the other. Even those who were still on the shores of the river of reincarnation also kneeled. They knew their chance of becoming the Ghost Empress was over. The girl who could walk on top of the river of reincarnation was the same girl now appearing in the sky.

It was on this day that the souls of the realm of the dead welcomed their new Empress. A new reign was about to begin, and a new era had finally begun. In the palace, Angelica looked down at the floor that was now showing the entirety of the realm of the dead in awe. She never expected something like this to happen. Her bare feet could still feel the floor under her, but now it was as if she was standing in the sky. She watched as the souls knelt to the ground or floated to the ground under her gaze. 

She knew from her memories that if she were to speak now, all of the souls of the realm of the dead would be able to hear her. She also knew it was best to at least say something at a time like this. She took a deep breath before parting her lips. "As you can see from the crown on my head, I have passed the trial of the Ghost Empress and now have become the new Empress. I do not ask for much. The realm of the dead should be a place of peace for the souls who have died. They can either continue out their days as souls or try their luck to be reincarnated. 

"But I will not allow anyone to ruin the peace of others. The consumption of spirits is something that will also stop. You can see those large monsters roaming the lands. Those are what you will become when you start consuming other souls. For now..." Angelica raised her hand and pointed towards the ground, and said: "Split!" Her voice rumbled across the land, and all the souls who had consumed other souls suddenly broke apart, releasing all the consumed souls. Even the monster souls that had their heads in the sky were broken down. 

"From now on, if one is caught consuming souls, they will have their souls dispersed and will not have a chance to reincarnate. I will only give this one warning. I hope as souls you can help one another allow souls to live the remainder of their time free of worry. If you see lost children's souls, try to help them out. Give them some guidance, so they know what choices they have. Start an orphanage if there isn't one already. We can make this realm of the dead a peaceful place for all souls." Angelica finally smiled as she continued: "So I hope everyone can work with me and make this place a proper resting place for all."

"As your new Empress, I will do what I can as well. So I hope everyone can work with me. That is all I have to say." Angelica waved her hand, and the floor underfoot returned to normal, and her image disappeared from the sky. Her words were left resonating through every soul of the realm of the dead. 

"The Empress is right. If we truly wish to have peaceful lives, we need to work together and create a better environment for all! We would no longer have to worry about our souls being consumed by monster souls if we are able to help those who truly need it!"

"I will build an orphanage for all the children who have died."

"I will start an information center for those who are lost, young and old!"

"I will help keep the peace throughout the land!"

More and more people began to chime in all over the realm of the dead. The tides began to turn from only caring about themselves to finally caring about all. Angelica did not believe everyone would follow her words, but she knew there would be some who would. As long as there are a few who do as she asked, the realm of the dead can become a peaceful place for all. She would prefer not to have to use force to get people to come together and help those in need. 

Back inside the palace, Angelica's eyes glowed a greenish light as she sat down on the ghostly chair behind the desk in the office of the Ghost Empress. She propped her elbows up on the table and flooded her hands together in front of her face as she smiled. "My next task is to kill the Goddess of Life."

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Inside Kana's ship, a lone egg sat on top of a soft bed. Next to it, Lysarith watched over it closely with warm, gentle eyes. She would sometimes use a damp towel to wipe the egg off, and other times she would even wrap it in a warm blanket. She cared not if her actions were useless. She only cared that her precious daughter was undergoing an important evolution. Something she had waited many years to accomplish. How long it would take, no one knew, but every day the egg seemed to grow slightly in size. 

"Grandma..." Bella walked into the room. She had taken to calling Lysairth grandma. 

"Hmm?" Lysarith lifted her head and looked into the worried eyes of her granddaughter, and smiled. "Everything is fine. In our world, when someone evolves, it can take days, months, or years before they are able to finally complete their evolution. Some of the more powerful ones can take decades. As your mama is very powerful as it is, it may take many, many years. We can only sit and wait." 

"Mmm… I just hope it doesn't take too long..." Bella said as she walked over to the egg and placed her hand on it. It was warm to the touch and she felt like she could feel the heartbeat coming from within. Whether it was her own or the one from inside the egg she did not know. She only knew that she hopped when her mama hatched she would be very powerful.