《The Legendary Ghost Hunter》 Chapter Authors Foreword Author''s Foreword Before you start reading, just a brief heads-up of what this novel will contain: ¨C Nomonly-used tropes/cliches ¨C Unique power system and ability stealing powers¡­ ¨C Dungeons, video game-like mechanisms, and a deeper secret to the world yet to be unveiled¡­ ¨C Fleshed out characters like you¡¯ve never seen before (short stories about their pasts, immersive world, does not constantly revolve around MC, etc.) ¨C Dark scenes (people under 18 shouldn¡¯t be reading this anyway due to the smut chapters) ¨C Cold and ruthless MC who makes LOGICAL, thoroughly thought out decisions ¨C 18+ smut scenes (insert Lenny face) ¨C SSS+ Tier Waifus (angel subus, different-eye-color beauty, cold yet cute vampire waifu, and more!) ¨C You will get addicted to reading this If you can handle all that, then you¡¯re a hero. Be my guest and witness the journey of the Legendary Ghost Hunter, Finn Thresher, better known as Ace. Enjoy the novel, Hunters. ***** Notes: 1. Chapter 1 is a very short prologue. 2. Chapter 2 talks about events before introducing the main character to give you all a glimpse of the background of the world and also pique your interest¡­ I mean, Angelicas? Phantoms? What are those? They will all be exined in future chapters, so sit tight and brace yourself for this one hell of a journey. P.S. If you like this novel, make sure you vote! I will release bonus chapters at the end of every week depending on how many stones we get! Chapter Glossary Glossary [Note: This glossary contains mild spoilers regarding conceptster introduced in the story. Read at your own risk.] ***** ¨C A ¨C Angelicas ¨C Angelicas are special, supernatural powers bestowed upon chosen humans after the First Expungement. They are a paracausal force capable of interacting and damaging Ghosts ¡ª they are humanity¡¯s weapons. ***** ¨C B ¨C ***** ¨C C ¨C ***** ¨C D ¨C ***** ¨C E ¨C Eidolon¡¯s Bane ¨C One of the five major guilds of the Ghost Hunter Organization. Responsible for taking care of Ghosts of the Eidolon archetype. Teams are called Fireteams. ***** ¨C F ¨C ***** ¨C G ¨C Ghosts ¨C The collective term for paracausal, hostile inhuman species who enter the world through portals during events known as Outbreaks. Ghost Hunters ¨C The collective term for anyone fighting back against Ghosts and the paracausal to protect the rest of humanity. Ghost Hunter Organization ¨C GHO for short, this is the overall name of the governing force of Ghost Hunters. They work with governments and media tforms to ensure nothing about the paracausal gets out to the public. ***** ¨C H ¨C House of Spectra ¨C One of the five major guilds of the Ghost Hunter Organization. Responsible for taking care of Ghosts of the Specter archetype. Teams are called Divisions. ***** ¨C I ¨C ***** ¨C J ¨C ***** ¨C K ¨C ***** ¨C L ¨C ***** ¨C M ¨C ***** ¨C N ¨C Night¡¯s Conflux ¨C One of the five major guilds of the Ghost Hunter Organization. Responsible for taking care of Ghosts of the Revenant archetype. Teams are called Families. ***** ¨C O ¨C Ouroboros ¨C The name of the world in this novel. The meaning of it is unknown. Outbreaks ¨C urs when portals to the Paracausal Realm open up, and Ghosts flow out of it into the real world. The portals that open will always be in an isted location without any life around, but the Ghosts that spawn out of it will search for life to hunt down. This provides Ghost Hunters with an opportunity to get to the scene in time and deal with the Outbreak before the Ghosts run wild. ***** ¨C P ¨C Phantoms ¨C An archetype of Ghosts that are identified by their ghastly glowing white bodies and signature horrifying sgow smiles. Most also have long tentacles that sprout out of their back. Phantom yer Corps ¨C One of the five major guilds of the Ghost Hunter Organization. Responsible for taking care of Ghosts of the Phantom archetype. Teams are called Squadrons. ***** ¨C Q ¨C ***** ¨C R ¨C ***** ¨C S ¨C ***** ¨C T ¨C Theocracy of Light ¨C One of the five major guilds of the Ghost Hunter Organization. Responsible for taking care of Ghosts of the Wraith archetype. Teams are called Regiments. ***** ¨C U ¨C ***** ¨C V ¨C ***** ¨C W ¨C ***** ¨C X ¨C ***** ¨C Y ¨C ***** ¨C Z ¨C Chapter Auxiliary I: The World Auxiliary Chapter I: The World [Disimer: This chapter is not a Jojo¡¯s reference.] Because I just can¡¯t find a good ce to toss in a description of the world in the story without ruining the flow, I¡¯ll just put one here. Bear with me. The reality ne of LGH (this novel) is one massive ind. If you¡¯ve read my other novel, Ascension: Online, then it¡¯s simr to Ascentia¡­ except instead of 8 continents, there are 26 ¡®Districts¡¯. For rity¡¯s sake, every District in this novel is justbeled from A-Z. Okay, that¡¯s a lie, it¡¯s just because I suck ating up with names. Don¡¯t worry though, with all the context provided, it won¡¯t be confusing which District is which. I guarantee that. In the center of the ind, where District A, B, C, and D meet, the GHO (Ghost Hunter Organization) Headquarters lies. However, it is hidden from the public. In fact, it¡¯s actually way high up in the sky, above the clouds, and enhanced with invisibility and radar detection-prevention. The Districts¡¯ names go in alphabetical order from there, spiraling in a clock-wise direction outwards to the edges of the ind. District A, B, C, and D are a bit special in terms ofyout, however. Each of the four is their own mini-ind, far away from one another. Together, they are connected via long bridges hovering over the ocean below, and said bridges form a square around the dead center of the big ind (each of the four Districts being a vertex). The other Districts are all interconnected normally via roads, and connect to Districts A, B, C, and D via simrly-designed bridges. Overall, the Districts closest to the center of the ind have urban cities, while the Districts furthest away have pure nature. The ruralization is gradual throughout. As for the totalnd size of this novel¡¯s world, the area of the ind is roughly the entire surface area of Earth (oceans and all). The ind is surrounded by water on all sides, and it¡¯s the onlyndmass on the¡­ or is it? One more thing. ¡®Eastern¡¯ in this novel refers to Ancient Chinese/Japanese style. Although the terms Chinese/Japanese don¡¯t exist here in this novel, the races still do, and they tend to live in the eastern districts on the ind. Simrly, western refers to the western districts on the ind, of course, but also means American/UK style stuff. All in all, just remember this: The different human races from Earth do exist in this world and live in separate geographical locations, but they aren¡¯t distincted from one another using words like Asian or American. In addition, everyone speaks the samenguage, English. If you have any questions regarding the world of this novel, just leave ament and I will answer you to the best of my abilities without spoiling anything. That¡¯s all, now go read the first chapter and get addicted to this story! Oh, and the world¡¯s name? Ouroboros. Chapter Auxiliary II: Angelicas Auxiliary Chapter II: Angelicas Angelicas are special powers bestowed upon chosen humans after the First Expungement. They are a paracausal force capable of interacting and damaging Ghosts ¡ª they are humanity¡¯s weapons. (WARNING: Mild spoilers below) ***** Angelicas revealed in the story so far (chronological order): Stormbringer ¨C Power to conjure storms, thunder, lightning, and rain. It is one of the Four Elemental Angelicas, able to control electricity and arc energy. The Four Elemental Angelicas are allmonly found, with Stormbringer being the mostmon. Oculus ¨C Power of eyes, from seeing through walls to detecting hostiles on a radar within the user¡¯s mind. There are four main branches of this Angelica: Eye of Omnipotence (seeing through walls, invisible entities and clues, etc.), Eye of Twilight (enhances eyesight range, rity, focus, etc.), Eye of Paracausa (detecting other Angelicas), and the lost Eye of Epitaph (???). cksmith ¨C Power to enchant normal weapons with paracausal energy, allowing them to injure Ghosts. Wielders of this Angelica also usually have higher physical strength than the norm, due to spending a lot of time performing tedious,borious tasks with heavy tools and machinery. Daredevil ¨C Power of pushing human physical limits, mainly in speed and agility but not strength. Wielders of this Angelica are usually¡­ well, daredevils. Starsinger ¨C Power of the stars. Highly destructive and difficult to control. Despite being a rare Angelica already, only a select few of its wielders are able to use this power properly and even fewer are able to use it to its maximum potential. Requires innate talent and lots, lots of practice. Also, highly RNG-based. Shapeshifter ¨C Exactly what the name suggests, users of this Angelica can morph themselves into any object they can see and feel. More skilled users can morph without there having to be the object right in front of them. Shapeshifters can shift into other living beings like animals, people, and even Ghosts, but will only gain their appearance, not their powers due to the extremeplexity of the process. Finn, for example, cannot gain eyesight by morphing into someone else because he himself does not possess the ability to see. Chapter 1: Prologue Chapter 1: Prologue ¡°Live by the shadows. Protect the light.¡± ¨C The Hunters¡¯ Creed ***** Dear Hunter, In your hands hold the tale of a fabled man. A legend. He has in thousands of Ghosts, exorcised countless evil entities. Everywhere he went, he left a river of blood in his wake. Many have tried to kill him. All of them had failed. He was an existence like no other. A man colder than the coldest of arctic seas and darker than the darkest of midnights. The scourge of all Ghosts, and the embodiment of Death itself. He wielded tremendous and insurmountable power, driven by the murderous fury in his vengeance-forged heart. They took everything away from him. Now, it was time for him to do the same thing back to them. Perhaps, by reading this long and gruesome story, you may too be a legend one day. Brace yourself, Hunter. This is the story of Finn Thresher. This is the story of the Legendary Ghost Hunter ¡ª Ace, Bane of Phantoms. Chapter 2: Outbreak Perfected Chapter 2: Outbreak Perfected ¡°Commander! Outbreak detected in District C!¡± Commander Lionel narrowed his eyes as he red at the massive screen before him where a map was disyed. A single pulsating red dot steadily expanded on the map, growing bigger and bigger as the clock continued ticking. ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s the biggest one I¡¯ve seen yet¡­¡± ¡°What should we do, Commander?¡± A woman wearing sses standing beside Lionel asked. ¡°What¡¯s the Ghosts¡¯ archetype?!¡± He asked in a hurry, ignoring the woman¡¯s question. ¡°E-Energy signatures are showing all five archetypes!¡± A panicked soldier cried out. ¡°What?!¡± Lionel mmed his fists onto the white table before him, splitting it slightly. ¡°All five at the same time, from the same location¡­ in other words¡­ it¡¯s a Perfect Outbreak¡­?¡± ¡°A-A Perfect Outbreak?!¡± another soldier shrieked. ¡°Thest time that happened, humanity was nearly wiped out!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Lionel roared, but his voice was quivering. ¡°That was then, this is now! We¡¯re a lot stronger now, with better weapons and better technology. And most importantly¡­ we have the power of Angelicas on our side, this time.¡± Turning to the woman beside him, themander gave his orders. ¡°Alert the higher-ups and contact all five guilds immediately ¡ª this is an emergency!¡± ***** ¨C The Phantom yers Corps Headquarters ¨C ¡°Guildmaster, we just received a call from the Ghost Hunter Organization,¡± a young girl in a maid outfit said, bowing down. ¡°Oh¡­? What was it about?¡± The guildmaster ¡ª a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her twenties ¡ª murmured airily, voice light and soft. ¡°Apparently¡­ another Perfect Outbreak has urred. This time, in District C.¡± At this, the woman stopped fiddling with the apple in her left hand and sat up straight, a sinister smile on her face. ¡°My, my¡­ a Perfect Outbreak, hm? Looks like I¡¯ll have to pay District C a visit myself.¡± ***** ¨C House of Spectra Headquarters ¨C ¡°What did you say? A Perfect Outbreak?¡± A handsome young man dressed in full white narrowed his eyes and stood up from his luxurious chair. A man who looked to be a few years younger than him closed his eyes and bowed. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. The message came from the GHO themselves. It cannot be wrong.¡± ¡°¡­¡± the young monarch turned his head and stared out the windows of his royal pce, eyes filled with determination¡­ and perhaps a hint of fear. ¡°Could it be¡­? A second Expungement¡­¡± ¡°What do you wish to do, Your Majesty? Shall I gather all of our strongest warriors?¡± Spinning back around, the king sliced through the air with his hand. ¡°Yes¡­ but I will also be going.¡± ¡°W-What?! But Your Majest-¡° ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. Prepare the teleportation device.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± the servant appeared conflicted, but eventually sighed and gave in. ¡°Understood, Your Majesty.¡± ***** ¨C Theocracy of Light Headquarters ¨C ¡°It is here¡­ after thousands of years¡­ the second Era of Darkness¡­ is finallying.¡± ¡°Pope¡­¡± a nun bit her lip, a nervous expression on her face. ¡°I know, I know¡­ we cannot afford to sumb to the Darkness once more,¡± the old man who had spoken the previous words clenched the staff in his hands tightly. ¡°This time, we shall fight ¡ª with the powers bestowed upon us by the Almighty One. I refuse to let history repeat itself!¡± ¡°I will alert our Guardians.¡± ¡°Good, good¡­¡± the Pope activated his Angelica as two ming wings shot out of his back, fiery determination burning in his eyes. ¡°In the meantime¡­ I shall head there first myself.¡± The nun nodded and bowed deeply. ¡°Be careful, Pope Verdict.¡± ***** ¨C Night¡¯s Conflux Headquarters ¨C ¡°Yamikishi-dono, you have a message from the Ghost Hunter Organization.¡± A lean middle-aged man calmly took the scroll from the rectangr container his servant held and tore off the ribbon that kept it rolled up. But upon reading the letter¡¯s contents, any calmness he hadpletely disappeared, as quickly as the shadows when night falls. ¡°This¡­¡± his hands trembled as he read the scroll, eyes opened wide in shock. ¡°Y-Yamikishi-dono?¡± the servant asked worriedly, slightly confused. His words snapped Yamikishi out of his trauma fit and regain hisposure. ¡°A-Ahem¡­ tell all our forces to head to District C, as soon as possible.¡± ¡°W-What¡­? ALL?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Yamikishi roared. ¡°Do I need to say it again?!¡± ¡°N-No, Yamikishi-dono!¡± the servant quickly shook his head and scurried away like a frightened insect, while Yamikishi summoned his de and headed for the teleportation device. As he walked, a white glow surrounded him, ck mes encasing that glow. He sheathed his katana into the scabbard on his back and narrowed his eyes, dark hatred burning within them. ¡°¡­ Perhaps this time¡­ I may finally be able to y the demon who killed my ancestors.¡± ***** ¨C Eidolon¡¯s Bane Headquarters ¨C ¡°Matriarch Tian. The situation is urgent ¡ª District C requires your assistance immediately.¡± ¡°District C¡­ that¡¯s right next to us,¡± Tian Xiaoyue, the matriarch of Eidolon¡¯s Bane, murmured quietly to the phone she held in her hands. ¡°Indeed,¡± the female voice over the phone said calmly. ¡°A Perfect Outbreak has taken ce. We¡¯re afraid¡­ a second Expungement ising, if we do not subdue the threat now.¡± ¡°A second Expungement¡­ that cannot be allowed to happen. Last time, humanity managed to rebuild itself through luck, thanks to the awakening of Angelicas, but this time, those devils will be more thorough in their purge. If we allow them to seed¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. The other four guilds are dispatching their forces here as we speak.¡± Tian Xiaoyue took a deep breath. ¡°I understand. Eidolon¡¯s Bane will put their utmost into this fight.¡± ¡°Much appreciated. ording to estimates, the Ghosts should be arriving in roughly fifteen minutes.¡± ¡°Fifteen minutes¡­ that¡¯s more than enough.¡± With that, she hung up, before picking up a token of some sort from her desk and yelling into it. ¡°Attention, all disciples of Eidolon¡¯s Bane! Everyone is to immediately head to District C to assist the impending threat there! The more you y, the better the rewards you will receive!¡± From outside, she could hear the rowdy disciples¡¯ cheering as they immediately took off for District C. Sighing, the matriarch slipped on herbat clothes, a stunning white dress with deep purple decorations that matched her eyes. She then activated her Angelica, a light purple aura surrounding her, as she disappeared into the void. ***** Before long, all five leaders of their respective guilds had gathered at District C. All the citizens had already retreated indoors due to the warning the government sent out under the guise of a heavy thunderstorm, as requested by the Ghost Hunter Organization. To make it seem realistic, they even had someone proficient with the Thunder Angelica conjure a massive storm that soon swallowed the district whole, also surrounding it with fog so no one could see outside their windows. The five leaders stood on the ground at the center of the city, staring up into the sky as more and more Ghost Hunters from their respective guilds began showing up. ¡°A second Perfect Outbreak¡­ my, my. How interesting,¡± the guildmaster of the Phantom yers said with a wry smile, touching her own lips. ¡°Interesting?!¡± Yamikishi of Night¡¯s Conflux suddenly roared. ¡°Our ancestors were in horribly in thest Outbreak¡­ and you have the guts to call this ¡®interesting¡¯?!¡± ¡°As much as I hate to say it¡­¡± Pope Verdict stepped up, staff in hand. ¡°¡­ I agree with Yamikishi on this one. Those vile demons¡­ they do not deserve to exist.¡± ¡°The GHO said 15 minutes, right?¡± The monarch of the House of Spectra asked around, looking at the others. ¡°How long do we have lef-¡° Suddenly, a thunderbolt crashed down directly in front of the five leaders, and their eyes collectively widened as a massive ck and red portal opened up in the sky. ¡°¡­ They¡¯re here.¡± The five leaders all invoked their respective Angelicas, ready to take on whatever was going toe climbing out of that hellhole. But what finally did¡­ was a horror far more terrifying than they could ever have imagined. An enormous demonic face the size of a small ind emerged from the chaotic portal, a wide and sinister smile on its pitch-ck face, marked with red outlines. It had two smiling eyes that seemed to hold the meaning of darkness within them, along with no nose whatsoever. ¡°W-What the hell¡­ is that¡­¡± the young monarch from the House of Spectra trembled in fear, voice quivering. ¡°HEEHEEHEE¡­¡± the demon shrieked as its two wed hands pried the portal evenrger than it already was, tearing it as wide as it could possibly go. By the time it was done, the red and ck gate was nearly as big as the size of District C. Millions of Ghosts poured out of the portal, squealing in delight at the sight of a whole new world to ravage. Meanwhile, the massive red demon, wide smile not once leaving its horrible face, reached down with its two massive hands and smashed them into the ground, demolishing streets and buildings alike as if they were nothing but tofu. The entire earth shook in fear as the demon let his whole ck and red body out into the world, trampling everything it passed through. As it got up to its feet, leavingrge chunks of buildings and dust in its wake, it twisted its head and slowly began taking steps towards the five leaders as the Ghost Hunters nearby desperately tried to deal with the countless Ghosts that had been spawned by this Outbreak. With every step the demon took, thousands died. Apartments copsed, and roads fractured. District C waspletely annihted. The demon got closer and closer to the five leaders, who were frozen in ce. Once within range, it leaned down its massive head towards them, hysterical smile still stered over its face. Then, to all the Ghost Hunters¡¯ shock and utter terror, the demon spoke, mouth moving like an animated creepy sketch. ¡°THIS¡­ IS MY WORLD¡­ NOW.¡± As if taunting them, the enormous fiend suddenly shrunk in size to no more than an average human despite all the devastating damage it caused with just a few steps of his feet. Although it shrunk, however, it still retained that same pitch-ck body of his, outlined by glowing red lines, and on its face was that same creepy smile. ¡°WANT IT¡­ BACK? HEEHEEHEE!¡± It then created another ck and red portal, smaller in size this time, as the one up in the sky closed. And right before it stepped through, it turned around and left behind one final challenge. ¡°THE GAME¡­ HAS BEGUN. I¡¯LL BE WAITING¡­ HUNTERS.¡± As the demon¡¯s terrifying aura disappeared, the portal closing after him, the five leaders were finally able to move. ¡°What¡­ what just happened¡­¡± the young monarch clutched his head and fell to the floor on his knees, shaking it in disbelief. ¡°T-That was a dream, right? Please tell me that was a dream¡­¡± Tian Xiaoyue gulped in fear. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ it¡¯s not.¡± Pope Verdict stumbled backwards, his old age unable to withstand the fright. ¡°Pope!¡± Yamikishi hurriedly caught him right before he hit the floor, eyes still in a daze. ¡°The end¡­ is near¡­¡± The staff fell out of his hand and ttered to the rain-soaked ground as the pope¡¯s eyelids closed, leaving behind that final message. ¡°OLD GEEZER!¡± ¡°¡­ Many Ghosts have already escaped, but it is still not toote,¡± the Phantom yers¡¯ Guildmaster said, the only one to calmly analyze this situation. ¡°For now, just seal the district. We can work out what to do next at a proper meeting. And as for the rest of the world¡­¡± She turned to survey the destruction all around them. District C, once flourishing with technology and science, nowy in smoke in fire. ¡°¡­ Just tell them a nuclear station exploded.¡± ***** This day marked the beginning of a timer ¡ª the countdown before the world ends. The first Expungement was already bad enough, but humanity was able to recover. This time, however¡­ was not a mere ¡®expungement¡¯. This¡­ was extirpation on a global level. Humans would be forever erased from the surface of thisnd, never to be seen again. The world would be that of Ghosts, roaming freely and devouring everything they could find. Preventing this cmity, however, was notpletely impossible ¡ª just nearly. All it took was an emotionless soul, an unbreakable will, and cold hard skills to match. A challenge awaits. Who will be the challenger? Chapter 3: There Shall Be Blood Chapter 3: There Shall Be Blood ¡°Hey, Finn. Do you believe in ghosts?¡± ¡°The hell? Ghosts? Hah, as if,¡± Finn chuckled as if it were the stupidest thing ever, before turning his attention back to the stacked pile of paper known as homework. ¡°Hmph, why are you so quick to deny everything?¡± his neighbor, Leonardo Castovich ¡ª the one who had asked this seemingly dumb question ¡ª sighed, kicking his feet up onto his desk. ¡°The only thing I believe in is science. If you can prove ghosts exist to me using science, then I¡¯ll dly ept everything you say.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? Well, you heard about what happened to District Cst night, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°The huge explosion that destroyed most of the city?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah. It was all over the news this morning. A nuclear station malfunction or something, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ at least that¡¯s what the news tells us.¡± Leo grinned mischievously. ¡°But you know, I¡¯ve been seeing some strange rumors on the Intetely¡­ apparently, citizens of neighboring districts are saying they¡¯ve been seeing white monster-like things and hearing creepy voices when no one else is nearby. Sounds pretty paranormal and ghost-like to me, don¡¯t you think?¡± Finn snorted. ¡°Stuff like that goes around on the Inte all the time. You really think it¡¯s reliable information?¡± At this, Leo sighed in disappointment. ¡°What a downer¡­ man, you¡¯re no fun, you know that?¡± ¡°Oh look, Mr. Sojin is back.¡± ¡°H-Huh?! Where?!¡± Leo cried, quickly adjusting his pose to that of a proper student and looking around frantically. ¡°Heh,¡± Finn snickered, shaking his head and doing his best to ignore his pathetic friend. ¡°T-Tch¡­ bastard,¡± Leo spat in annoyance, before starting to flip open his own textbooks as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you pay for that soon.¡± Finn raised an eyebrow and smirked like a devil. ¡°Is that so? Guess I¡¯ll be keeping my homework to myself, then¡­¡± Leo¡¯s eyes widened as he immediately got to the floor in a kneeling position. ¡°I am sorry, Lord Finn, for I have sinned. Please forgive my mistake and continue to grace me with your answe- I mean, your honorable presence.¡± ¡°Get up,¡± Finn rolled his eyes. ¡°Are you a man or not, kneeling so casually?¡± Leo grinned and sat back down in his chair. ¡°I am a man, but a man¡¯s gotta do what he¡¯s gotta do to live, y¡¯know?¡± Finn sighed. ¡°Whatever. There¡¯s still about half an hour until ss ends, so I suggest getting started on your homework already. We¡¯ve got a shit ton today ¡ª that¡¯s why Mr. Sojin gave us this independent work period.¡± ¡°My ass¡­ he just wanted an excuse to go out and smoke cigarettes on the roof,¡± Leo snorted. ¡°This university doesn¡¯t require us students to be supervised 24/7, so he can do whatever the hell he wants after he¡¯s taught the lesson.¡± ¡°Either way. Unless you want to fail this course as well, you should probably turn in homework and assignments on-time.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ work, h h h¡­ anyway, want to hang out after ss ends? I already booked a room at the karaoke right down the street from her-¡° ¡°Nah. I¡¯m going to head to the library after this to finish all this shit. Hit me up on the weekend though, for sure.¡± ¡°Alright man, whatever. Just be careful on your way back hometer, yeah? You never know when a ghost might jump out at ya,¡± Leoughed heartily. Finn looked out the window at the pouring rain outside, apanied by a dark gloomy sky and devastating shes of lightning despite it only being early afternoon. ¡°Ghosts¡­ don¡¯t exist. They just don¡¯t.¡± Finn spoke those words with full confidence. But little did he know, in the dark corners of an alleyway near his own home, a monster was born, ready to feed. Soon, the very things he deemed non-existent would forever change his life ¡ª and not for the better. ***** ¨C A Few Hours Later ¨C ¡°Agh, finally done,¡± Finn muttered, mming his textbooks shut and standing up. Letting out a deep breath, he began stretching his arms and back. ¡°Mm¡­ man, that feels nice. Now, what time is it¡­¡± He pulled out his phone from his pocket and turned it on to check the time. And when he did, his eyes widened in shock. ¡°The hell? 7 PM already? Damn, I lost track of time¡­¡± Quickly packing up all his belongings, Finn left the campus library after making sure he didn¡¯t identally leave anything behind. Outside, the weather had not gotten any betterpared to this afternoon. ¡°Still raining¡­?¡± he sighed, before taking out his umbre from his backpack and opening it. ¡°There¡¯s been way too many long storms like this recently¡­ and all the deaths happening across the country too¡­¡± Murmuring these words amidst the heavy fog and pouring thunderstorm, Finn began the long walk home. His family was poor, and the schrship he worked so hard to earn was only enough to cover the tuition fees for the university he attended, nothing more. Luckily, his home with his parents and little sister was still within walking distance from the school, so he just stayed there every night. Quite frankly, it was a bit embarrassing for a university student to still be living in his parents¡¯ house, but this was the only option. Finn had tried applying for a bursary, but his application was rejected because he was still able to live just fine without it. It was just a bit¡­ troublesome. While within walking distance, the road between the university and his home was by no means short. With a total of about four kilometers, it usually took Finn around 40 minutes to travel between the two locations. However, because of the rain today, the estimated time would be closer to 50. Strangely, as Finn walked, there seemed to be no other pedestrians. He judged it was just because of the heavy rain, but for some reason, he could not shake the ufortable feeling in his stomach. The howling thunderstorm, the dense fog, walking alone at night¡­ all three of these were major gs in horror novels and movies, but Finn was not frightened whatsoever. Paranormal things like zombies, vampires, or ghosts¡­ to him, they weren¡¯t real. He strongly rejected anything that could not be proven by science or logic, from baseless assumptions to the possible existence of aliens. Ever since a young age, he¡¯s been like that. And he has not changed, even now. But perhaps, today, he would find out that his whole life has been a lie. Everything he believed in, everything he originally thought was the final answer, would all be shattered today. As Finn walked, he suddenly heard the sound of a high-pitched scream, followed by a demonic growl that sounded suspiciously like maniacalughter. He immediately stopped in his tracks, letting the pleasant sound of rain wash down around him. ¡°A hallucination¡­?¡± he murmured to himself uncertainly. Indeed, it wouldn¡¯t be weird to mishear things amidst this loud rain. But then, the demonic voice came again. This time, it was a roar of triumph, of satisfaction and pleasure. Finn tightened his hand on his umbre¡¯s handle and began walking once more. Both the scream and the growls came from right up ahead ¡ª not far from where he was. ¡®Do I go investigate?¡¯ he thought, hesitant. Either way, he would have to continue walking this way to reach his house ¡ª there was no other road leading in. He decided that he might as well check the situation out. No, that was a lie. Nothing more but a facade to cover up his true intentions. The reality was, Finn was curious and nervous at the same time. He wanted to see what was going on¡­ but clearly, those growls did not belong to any human or animal. He didn¡¯t want to believe it, but he had to find out. Find out if science is not truly almighty after all. Tightening his grip on his umbre once more, Finn picked up his pace and began heading for the location where the voices had came from. ***** ¡°Grr¡­ grah¡­ grawl¡­.¡± Finn was close. He pressed his back against the wet white wall, right before an intersection. His heart was pumping loudly, though even he didn¡¯t know why. The low-pitched demon-like growls were right beyond this turn. If he just peeked around the corner here¡­ he would be able to see the situation. But suddenly, he felt a gush of wind whiz past him. It was quick, and left as fast as it came. At first, he thought someone ¡ª or something ¡ª had dashed past him just now. However, due to his science-abiding nature, he decided it was just part of the howling storm, nothing more. That is, until he turned the corner. There, within the dark alleyway,y a mutted human body. It appeared to be a young woman, though the corpse was far too disfigured to be sure. Her hair was disheveled, her skin torn to pieces. In fact, most of the body had been pricked clean of meat, leaving nothing but bones behind. However, some parts, like the head and feet, remained intact, adding to the horror factor. Blood was syed everywhere on the corpse and around. Bitten off limbs and fingersy surrounding the main body, disjointed and deformed. The scene was so gruesome that Finn immediately turned away, feeling the urge to vomit. Whoever did this, one thing was clear ¡ª they were certainly not human. No human would be able to mutte a body to this state in the short span of time between the scream earlier and now. And the gush of wind that just shot by Finn¡­ it was no mere stormy breeze either. He could feel it. There shall be blood spilt today ¡ª and he would be unable to stop it. Whatever that thing was, it either shed into Finn, or it went the other direction, continuing down this narrow road. Since he felt no impact, there was only one possible way the creature could¡¯ve gone: The way leading to Finn¡¯s house. Chapter 4: Shattered Mind Chapter 4: Shattered Mind ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Finn panted heavily as he ran amidst the pouring rain. His fist tightened as he sprinted as fast as he could in this race against time. He didn¡¯t care about sshing water everywhere. He didn¡¯t care about stepping straight into puddles and getting his shoes soaked. At that moment, he simply did not give two shits about anything else. His mind and heart were both set on one thing and one thing only: making sure his beloved family was safe. Safe¡­ from whatever the hell that thing was. But Finn¡¯s hopes were soon shattered. As he desperately ran, trying to catch up with the mysterious and terrifying entity that had mutted a human to such a gruesome state, he heard a scream. One that was just as high-pitched as the one he heard earlier, but with one major difference: He recognized the voice. ¡°Mother¡­¡± Voice quivering and body trembling, Finn shook his head and kept on running, clenching his fists tightly enough to draw blood. ¡®It can¡¯t be,¡¯ he thought. ¡®It must be just an illusion,¡¯ he lied to himself. But as much as he wanted to deny it¡­ as much as he wanted to live in his false fantasy forever¡­ reality would soon leave its mark. It always did. ***** ¨C ??? (A Few Minutes Earlier) ¨C ¡°Storm. Multiple Morpher-ss Phantoms located in District A,¡± a young male voice said quietly, drowned out by the sounds of all the holograms and technologiesid out around him. ¡°On it,¡± a deeper male voice replied via radio. Then, after a short silence, he continued. ¡°Rain¡¯s up, Fanatic. Heading out.¡± ¡°Copy. Reaper, Octane, and Archon. You with him?¡± ¡°Way ahead of ya, little guy,¡± a third voice, excited-sounding, chuckled. [Present.] A robot chimed in, voice cold and emotionless. ¡°Sweet. Seems like everyone is in position,¡± the voice of a thirty-year old man muttered. ¡°Alright, boys, listen to me. Let¡¯s get this shit done quickly, in and out, while Storm¡¯s cover is up. Got that?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡± [Instruction: Received.] Archon ¡ª the thirty year old man and the leader of the four ¡ª chuckled. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go show them real hell, my friends. Operation Deathbringer has begun.¡± ***** ¨C District A (Present) ¨C Finn slowed down as he reached his house atst, panting heavily and dripping with both rain and sweat. His home was quite isted ¡ª despite being in the same neighborhood, the neighbors closest to him were still about a hundred meters away. As he continued to walk closer, he could ¡ª despite the dense fog that made it incredibly hard to see ¡ª tell that the door to his house was shut tightly. Letting out a sigh of relief, he quickly lumbered over closer to the door, forcing his legs to keep moving despite them feeling like they were on fire, weak and painful. With one hand, he rang the doorbell, still holding his umbre in the other as there was no overhead ledge to block the rain. No one answered. Anxiety building up in his heart, he decided to try again. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­¡± Once again, his hopes were neglected. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Gritting his teeth, he leaned in closer to the door, pressing his ear against it to listen for any sign of somebody being inside. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t hear anything, but through the hazy stained ss windows on the door, he could see a blur of white of some kind, hovering over the ground. Confused and scared, Finn was at a loss for what to do. Keep running away from reality, or face it like a man? He chose thetter. Hesitantly, he ced his trembling hand on the doorknob and gave it a good clockwise twist. It was unlocked. Finn gulped in fear. He could hear the pounding of his own heart against his chest, threatening to leap straight out. He didn¡¯t dare budge an inch, anxious about what he was going to see the moment he pushed open this door. The truth was, he already knew. He knew full well what that blur of white was. Back then, at the intersection, he had seen it rush past him too ¡ª he just didn¡¯t want to believe it. At the time, his mind, deceived by the concept known as mon sense¡¯, convinced himself that it was nothing. Nothing at all. But now, he was left no choice but to think outside the box and prepare to have his sanity ¡ª and perhaps his life as well ¡ª stripped away from him. His hand was already on the knob. All it took was one final push. Finn took a deep breath, bracing for the worst, and slowly opened the door. In an instant, he inhaled sharply, dropping his umbre. It ttered to the wet concrete floor as Finn stood, frozen in shock and terror. His eyes widened in fear, body seized of all movement. Before him, a humanoid abomination sat beside a human body that had its face eaten straight out. There was blood all over the carpet and walls around it, still dripping down to the floor ¡ª it had not dried yet, signaling that this happened not long ago. The monster¡¯s body was pure white, with no descriptive features apart from eight long tentacles sticking out of its back. They squirmed in pleasure as the creature fed, chomping down at the corpseying by it with bloodthirsty relish. But then, the monster stopped, slowly twisting its petrifying head around at the sound of Finn¡¯s umbre dropping to the ground. It was then that Finn knew true horror. All the thriller movies he had seen in the past, all the creepypasta he had read before on the Inte, and all those scary games he had yed back in the day¡­ none of thempared to this. The creature had two small, empty white eyes, depicted by ck outlines. It had no nose, but instead a creepy wide sgow smile that reached all the way to where its ears should¡¯ve been. Because of this, a permanent, terrifying smile was carved onto its face, stered like glue. ¡°A-Ah¡­ AHH!¡± Finn screamed, before turning tail and running away into the raging storm. He should¡¯ve been angry. Infuriated with the creature for killing his family members. But s, simple fear drowned all of those emotions out. As Finn stared into those empty sockets of the creature¡¯s eyes, he had felt nothing but utter horror and the inexplicable urge to flee. Humans were born natural cowards; pathetically weak. The moment they sensed danger, the moment their own lives were on the line, they forgot about everything else. Finn, being an average university student with little more than a good head on his shoulders, was no different. He ran away with every ounce of energy he had left, screaming and shaking his head wildly in the process. ¡°What the hell IS that thing?!¡± Wanting to escape. ¡°N-No¡­ NO!¡± Wanting to deny the reality. Finn heard the scraping sound of feet on the ground behind him, closing in at a rapid pace. He continued running, as fast as his legs would take him. He wanted to look back. He wanted to see if that monster was really chasing him. But quite impressively, he resisted that urge and merely continued to sprint down the sidewalk amidst the pouring rain, having lost all sense of direction. The scraping be louder and louder until finally- ¡°SSSSSSS!¡± Finn heard a loud hiss, as if beckoning him to turn around and give in to his fear. So he did. And there, he stared straight into the ugly, nose-less face of the monster, right as its ws swiped down at his eyes. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± Everything went to ck. And at that moment, all Finn could feel was pain. Pain, pain, pain. Agony like Finn had never felt before. He stumbled backwards, falling onto the wet, dirty floor. He wed at his own eyes, trying desperately to get them to open again, to be able to see again ¡ª but no matter how hard he tried, it did not work, and instead only served to amplify the torment. ¡°Skreee!¡± he could hear the creature shriek in delight as he continued rolling around on the ground in painstaking suffering. But then, suddenly, amidst the torture and imminent death, a female voice spoke to him, quiet yet harsh [Enough fleeing, Finn Thresher.] It was as if time had stopped for Finn. The voice, although not ear-splittingly loud, drowned out all else. The pain, the panic, the fear ¡ª in that instant, all of it went away. [Are you really such a coward to just run away in the face of the creature who murdered your family?] Now, without the distraction of anything else, Finn was able to think clearly. No longer bothered by the utter terror imnted in his heart, he was finally able to calm down and discover the other emotion that had been drowned out by the fear: Hatred. Hatred for killing his family. The body that had beenying on the ground next to the creature in the house ¡ª that was his mother¡¯s. He recognized it from the hair, which had not been eaten unlike the rest of her head. Undoubtedly, the creature had also mutted the other members of Finn¡¯s household, saving his mother forst. He just didn¡¯t hear the screams because he was too far away. ¡®How dare it¡­ how dare it kill my mother¡­?!¡¯ Finn, within this alternate dimension of his where all time in the real world was stopped, began trembling once more ¡ª but not from fear. No¡­ this time, it was pure, raw anger. The longing to kill. The thirst for revenge. [Do you see now? The cry for vengeance in your heart?] The voice asked once again, pleading for an answer. [Do you wish to erase the Ghosts from this savage, paracausal world?] ¡®Ghosts?¡¯ Finn thought darkly. ¡®Was that what these damn things were called?¡¯ But¡­ it didn¡¯t really matter, did it? No matter their name¡­ all he had to do was get rid of them like pests. Keep on ying them one by one until all of them were gone, never to walk the face of this earth again. ¡°¡­ I do,¡± Finn said quietly, in response to the mysterious voice¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ll kill every single one of them until none are left.¡± [I see. In that case¡­ I shall grant you a chance.] Finn had no idea who this voice belonged to. He had no idea whether it really even existed or if it was just his false hope whispering to himself that everything was going to be okay. But he was desperate. And in the face of desperation, humans tended to cling onto whatever hope they could find ¡ª even if said hope was false. He was craving for power, for his own survival, and his journey of revenge. Even if it was false hope, even if it made no sense whatsoever ording to the ¡®science¡¯ he has always believed in¡­ ¡®Fuck all that,¡¯ Finn thought. That¡¯s why¡­ regarding the mysterious female voice whispering to him inside his head, one thing was for certain: He believed her words. [Take this power, Finn Thresher¡­ and embrace the darkness within.] Chapter 5: Imminent Death Chapter 5: Imminent Death ¨C Elsewhere in District A ¨C A male teenager cheered excitedly as he ran through a narrow alleyway, ncing behind him asionally to check on his persecutors ¡ª a group of white, humanoid monsters, sharp triangr teeth revealed and tentacles at the ready. They were hairless and noseless, with a permanent creepy smile carved onto their faces. Despite being hunted down by these surreal abominations, however, the young man showed no fear. In fact¡­ quite the opposite. He suddenly stopped, still frozen in a running position, and wore a sly grin he looked backwards. It was almost as if he was baiting the creatures toe closer. And so, they did¡­pletely unbeknownst to the fact that they were heading straight into a death trap. ¡°Heh.¡± The teen smirked as a green aura enveloped him. Time seemed to slow down as the monsters swiped down, preparing to tear him apart, but right before they could, he dashed away ¡ª at near-hypersonic speeds, as time resumed to its normal flow once more. ¡°WOOHOO!¡± he shouted excitedly at this rush of adrenaline, dashing straight through the long alleyway, continuing to lead his persecutors towards where he wanted them. ¡°SCREEE!¡± the abominations screamed as they continued to ignorantly chase after their prey. Until atst, they were in perfect position, right in the dead center of the alleyway. The young man spun around to face them and grinned. ¡°Now, Storm!¡± he yelled. ¡°¡­ No need to tell me.¡± Up on the roof of one of the two buildings forming this alleyway, a lone, slim figure stood. He had deep ck hair and wore a cloak as dark as midnight, one that came paired with a fabric mask of the same color, covering his face up to the highest point of his nose. ¡°Come, chaotic levin, I hereby release thy seal.¡± The figure slowly and calmly raised one gloved hand, in stark contrast to his ally¡¯s reckless, speedy movements. Bright blue electricity began sparking all around him and his deep blue eyes lit up with a bright arcane glow. ¡°Cleanse this world of evil and turn all enemies mine into nothing but ash. Be my de, Divine Lightning ¡ª Cage!¡± He swung his hand down, cutting through the air. Immediately, multiple blinding shes of blue lightning struck down on the ground, sealing the two entrances of the alleyway shut and trapping the ghastly white abominations inside. ¡°Archon, your turn!¡± Storm yelled, before gritting his teeth in pain and clutching his chest as he fell backwards onto the roof. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± a grown, thirty-year old man shouted from the sky. He floated in mid-air, huge statureplimented by the enormous warhammer in his hand. ¡°Alright, you little shits¡­¡± he spat, every word dripping with venom. ¡°It¡¯s time to go back where you came from ¡ª hell.¡± Saying this, he lifted his hammer up into the air with both hands, then zoomed downwards with all of his strength, bringing the weapon down with him. ¡°DIE!¡± Collectively, the monsters looked up as they were swallowed by the massive shadow of Archon and his hammer, but it was far toote to escape. BOOM! The massive weapon smashed into the concrete ground, crushing all the abominations underneath. Smoke rose from beneath the hammer, rising into the air and being swallowed by the fog. Slowly, Archon stood back up, lifting his hammer once more. ¡°Alright¡­ is that all of them, Fanatic?¡± he asked through the earpiece he wore, ncing down at the crater in the ground where the creatures had been just moments earlier. They had been utterly ttened on a molecr level, never to see the light of day ever again. ¡°That is all of th¡­ wait, no, there¡¯s one more,¡± the voice of a middle-schooler came back through thems. Archon narrowed his eyes. ¡°One more¡­? I thought we took care of them all already from this Outbreak. Did we miss one?¡± ¡°This one¡­ I believe it¡¯s the leader of the pack, judging by the energy signatures it¡¯s giving off. It used the other Phantoms to camouge its own energy signature and draw us away from it¡­ how sneaky.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ where is it now?¡± ¡°About two kilometers from your current location, Archon. Northeast.¡± Immediately, Archon checked hispass and flew back up into the air. ¡°Are there any humans near it?¡± he asked, looking around. ¡°This¡­¡± Fanatic paused, as if surprised. ¡°T-There is. Right next to it, in fact. But¡­ he¡¯s still alive, somehow.¡± Archon froze. ¡°What¡­?¡± At that moment, Reaper the robot decided it was a good time to butt in to the conversation. [Analysis: Subject will not remain in that state for that long, if left unattended. Advising immediate rescue.] ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. I¡¯m on my wa-¡° [Proposal: Reaper execute this operation instead. Rationale: Reaper is superior in speed.] A fair point. Since Octane was out of energy, Reaper was the second-fastest of the group. Archon gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­ Alright, proposal: approved. You go on first, the rest of us will catch up as soon as we can. There¡¯s no time to waste ¡ª go, now!¡± [Instruction: Received.] ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Elsewhere in District A ¨C [Embrace the darkness within.] As the mysterious female voice said those words, Finn immediately felt strength surge through his veins. The energy pulsed in his veins and arteries, as if a different, powerful force had awoken in his body ¡ª one humming with endless potential. As he returned to the real world and time began flowing once more, he wasn¡¯t scared anymore. Freed from the tyrannic control of fear, he could now fight back using this newfound strength. ¡°SCREE!¡± The monster screamed and swiped down at Finn¡¯s body with its sharp ws, thinking he was unconscious. But right before it could pierce his heart, Finn¡¯s hand shot upwards and grabbed its arm. ¡°Gawr¡­?¡± the monster let out in a confused tone, but before it could react, Finn immediately used all of his strength to swing it onto the ground beside him, smashing the appendages on its back painfully against the concrete floor. ¡°SKREEE!¡± It squealed once more, but this time from agony rather than delight. ¡®Oh? So the tentacles are their weakness?¡¯ Finn thought, then immediately rolled to his left to straddle the monster, their positions now reversed. He couldn¡¯t see due to his injured eyes, but he could roughly guess where the Ghost¡¯s face was. Without any hesitation, he sank his fist into it, seething with anger. ¡°How dare you¡­ kill innocents¡­¡± ¡°SKREE!¡± the Ghost shrieked in pain. Rearing his fist back, he immediately unleashed another devastating punch with all of his strength, straight into the Ghost¡¯s ugly head. It screamed once more, the unnaturally high-pitched voice drowned out by the sound of rain and thunder all around them. ¡°How dare you¡­ kill my family¡­?!¡± Finn roared in dark fury as he continued pummeling the Ghost, mind filled with one emotion and one emotion alone: hatred. He wanted to continue beating this Ghost, over and over again, until he felt satisfied. When that would be, he had no idea, but he needed something to vent out his hatred on ¡ª this creature just served as the perfect punching bag. But as he continued, Finn slowly felt his arms start to get weak. The Ghost still kept on screaming every time he hit it, signaling it was still not dead despite taking such a beating. Finn, however, was slowly running out of energy. He may have awakened to some sort of new power, but he was still human ¡ª and all humans had limited stamina. And finally, on his 124th punch, Finn¡¯s arm fell limply by his side, unable to unleash another swing. He tried switching to his other hand to continue the beating, but this brief time span gave the Ghost the opportunity it needed to escape this predicament. In an instant, it stabbed forward with its ws. Finn, being blind, was unable to react. ¡°K-Kuh¡­¡± he gasped as he felt something pierce through his chest, and felt a hot liquid surge up his throat. Against his own volition, he spat the liquid out. He didn¡¯t need to be able to see to know what it was ¡ª blood. It dripped down the corners of his mouth, matching his closed eyelids that also had blood flowing out of them. ¡®Even with this new power¡­ I can¡¯t live¡­?¡¯ Finn thought, ashamed of himself. ¡®How pitiful¡­ how irritating¡­¡¯ The Ghost pushed Finn backward onto the ground, freeing its tentacles atst. Then, it twisted its hand inside Finn¡¯s chest to add on to the agony. ¡°Gah!¡± Finn yelled in twisted suffering, coughing out blood. ¡®It¡¯s over¡­ it¡¯s all over¡­¡¯ The mysterious entity who granted him this power realized she had to say something. Or else, all the energy and effort she spent on this boy would be lost. [Giving up that easily?] She taunted within Finn¡¯s head. [What happened to your revenge? What happened to killing every single one of them until none are left?] ¡°Shut¡­ the fuck¡­ UP!¡± Finn gritted his bloodstained teeth, spurred on by the adrenaline in his veins and the proactive words of the entity, then made a daring move. He suddenly took a step forward, causing the creature¡¯s hand to pierce through his body. It hurt like vinegar was being sshed all over his wound, but he endured it. ¡°Gawr?¡± the creature was once again confused, and quickly tried to retract its hand, but¡­ ¡­ It did not work. Its hand had caught onto one of Finn¡¯s ribs,pletely stuck. Finn took another step closer, body shaking. He was aiming to grab the creature¡¯s throat and choke it to death, but the creature still had another limb. ¡°Grrr¡­ GAWR!¡± The monster growled and went for Finn¡¯s throat first with its free hand. Unfortunately, Finn couldn¡¯t see this attack. He waspletely done for. He may have survived an impaled chest, lived for more than 5 seconds around a Ghost, but once his head was severed, there was nothing left to say. The story was over before it even began. ¡­ Or was it? [Subject AC3 located. Hostile detected. Initializing rescue operation.] A ck scythe suddenly flew down from the sky, cleanly cutting the monster¡¯s arm in half. ¡°SKREEE!¡± It shrieked in pain as ck blood splurt out of the stump of its severed arm, and quickly tried to pull away with all its strength. However, its other hand was still stuck in Finn¡¯s body, so it was unable to do so. ¡°Gah!¡± Finn cried out at the sudden force, his ribcage threatening to shatter. He had no idea what was going on outside the pitch-ck world of his, and could only judge by sound. He heard the sound of wind beside his right ear, as if someone had flown down next to him. Then, the sound of something metal being pulled out of the concrete ground¡­ and finally, thest, dying scream of the Ghost. Finn felt the ws lodged in his chest fade away, and he immediately copsed to the ground, breathing softly. He had been relying on the monster¡¯s arm to remain standing; once it was gone, he no longer had any energy to stay on his feet. He heard the metal nking of a robot marching towards him, then the mechanical sounds of it twisting its head to look down. And after a few seconds, its monotone, emotionless voice spoke. [Subject AC3 ¡ª scanplete. Status: Imminent Death. Injuries: Fatal. Chance of Recovery: 0%. Estimated Lifeforce Remaining: 0 minutes, 34 seconds.] In his mind, Finn chuckled self-depreciatingly. ¡®So much for killing all of them¡­¡¯ And just like that, his consciousness faded away. Chapter 6: Zelestria Chapter 6: Zelestria When Finn woke up from his long slumber, he felt a gentle weight over his chest and the rest of his body. It felt suspiciously like a warm nket. He could feel bandages wrapped around his eyes and body, mainly around the right side of his chest where that¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ had stabbed him. Finn soon realized he was lying in a bed, despite being unable to see. But the problem was¡­ where? Thest thing he remembered was the voice of the mysterious robot that had performed some sort of scan on him. Something about imminent death and zero chance of survival¡­ Yet here he was, perfectly fine. Sure, his body ached a bit all around, but he was still alive, by some miracle. Finn tried to sit up on the bed, but his arms suddenly gave out as he did so, causing him to copse back into his pillow. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± he groaned in pain. [I wouldn¡¯t rmend doing that.] ¡°Huh¡­?¡± [I may have been able to save you from the brink of death, but your body is still extremely weak. Any strength I gave you from before is now all lost, and my own power is also low due to using it all up to keep you alive.] ¡°You¡¯re that female voice that talked to me in my head¡­¡± Finn murmured to himself. ¡°If you really did save me, I owe you one, but before that¡­ who ¡ª or should I say, what ¡ª even are you?¡± In an instant, Finn¡¯s world turned from pure ck into a vaporwave sunset style dimension of some sort, filled with turquoise, purple, and pinks. In this world, he could see ¡ª not lost to the eternal nightmare of blindness. ¡°Wee to a Reality Rift.¡± Finn immediately spun around to see where the voice came from, and there, he saw a lone girl in the sky. Judging from appearances alone, she seemed to be the same age as him or around it, but there was just one quality about her that made her almost seem¡­ inhuman. She was too perfect. She had long pink hair and white skin as pure as snowkes, paired with two beautiful, starry eyes that shone a crystal-like gradient orange, to yellow, to pink. There were no visible ws or blemishes whatsoever on her perfectly proportioned body, and she wore a faint smile on her face. But the most attractive and attention-drawing feature of her was exactly what made her inhuman. Two massive white wings sprouted out of her back, feathery and pure. They were like that of an angel, luminous and magnificent. They pped gently as she hovered in the air like a graceful divine existence, looking down at Finn. She wore an elegant white robe thatplimented her wings and showed off her curves, especially her ample and round breasts. Truly, she was the embodiment of perfection. Rather than entrance Finn, however, this wless appearance of hers only served to make him more suspicious. ¡°A reality rift? What¡¯s that?¡± he asked, confused at what the voice had said. ¡°A reality rift is a gap in space-time ¡ª a false, paradoxical concept that cannot exist in the real world. That¡¯s why you are able to see in here, despite being blind.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t exist¡­ then why and how am I here?¡± ¡°Think of this as a dream, Finn. A dream that can affect the real you.¡± ¡°¡­ I see,¡± Finn said, narrowing his eyes. He wasn¡¯t at all surprised that this girl knew his name already, given how she was able to speak in his head. The girl paused and blinked in surprise. ¡°Ara~ you epted it that easily?¡± Finn sighed and looked away at the vaporwave-style scenery beyond the horizon in the distance. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I used to think anything not scientifically proven was false. Anything that could not be logically justified withmon sense was just bullshit.¡± After a brief, dramatic pause, he continued. ¡°But after seeing those¡­ Ghosts, murder humans with my own two eyes¡­ it would be difficult to still blindly believe in science, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Saying this, he nced down and observed the bandages on his naked chest. ¡°This wound¡­ it taught me a lesson. And the scar it will leave behind¡­ will serve as a painful memory to remind me never to forget that.¡± Hearing this, the girl grinned. ¡°Well, that saves me a lot of trouble. I was expecting to have to do some magic tricks or something to convince you, but you are better than I originally thought. Fufufu¡­ I knew you were interesting ¡ª looks like my judgment wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± Finn snorted. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my original question. Who are you, and how are you able to bring me into reality rifts like this?¡± ¡°My official name is Artificial Reality Xenobiotic Apparatus, A.R.X.A. for short. But I don¡¯t really like that name, due to¡­ certain reasons. So, you may call me Zelestria instead. That was my old name, before I¡­ ¡° Finn was confused at what she was about to say, but Zelestria shook her head and just trailed off. ¡°Why did you give me that power? Why me?¡± He asked, wanting to figure out this girl¡¯s motives. ¡°Are you just exceptionally kind? An angel?¡± ¡°Not really. I¡¯m not helping you for no reason, as there is something I need you to do. As for why you in particr¡­ fufu, it¡¯s because I could see a determination ¡ª or perhaps, stubbornness ¡ª in you I¡¯ve never seen in anyone else. You fit the criteria for the type of person I am looking for, and you just so happened to be on the verge of death. I figured, why not?¡± ¡°So¡­ let me get this straight. You roped me into a deal with you forcefully, without even talking to me about this beforehand, and now you¡¯re telling me I have to do something in return.¡± ¡°I did save your life,¡± she said, chuckling evilly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Finn wanted to argue, but eventually just gave up. ¡°Well. That¡¯s a fair point. So, mind telling me the specifics of our deal now? What ¡®thing¡¯ do you need me to do?¡± ¡°You want to take revenge against the Ghosts, no? I will give you the power to do that, despite you not being born with the talent for it. For now, you don¡¯t need to know what the task I need you to do is, since you¡¯re nowhere close to being strong enough for it. But when the timees¡­¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Finn interjected. ¡°How am I supposed to ept this deal when you¡¯re not even telling me what your conditions are?¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t. As in, you already epted it the moment you answered my question yesterday.¡± ¡°Your question¡­¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, you know I¡¯m talking about~ ¡®Do you seek vengeance, all that. I sounded really professional, didn¡¯t I?¡± Zelestria cackled like a devil as Finn clenched his fists. ¡°¡­ Tch. I don¡¯t like you, but as I said, I owe you one for saving my life. I¡¯ll put the matter of your conditions aside for now. Instead¡­ tell me more about the ¡®powers¡¯ you gave me. As long as I can erase those pests from this world, I¡¯m willing to sacrifice anything.¡± By that, he meant he would even sacrifice Zelestria, the person he had a debt to, if that¡¯s what it took to achieve his goals. He was not human anymore¡­ he was a monster,cking all morality and virtues. The girl smiled suggestively. ¡°Good¡­ very good.¡± ¡°You also mentioned something about ¡®talent¡¯, which I didn¡¯t have¡­¡± Finn continued. ¡°Oh, and the true nature of Ghosts too. What even are they, really?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± ¡°What? Wai-¡° But Zelestria just smiled seductively and snapped her fingers. ¡°¡­!¡± Finn wanted to fight back, but his surroundings suddenly went ck once more as he was returned to the real world. ***** ¡°Damn her¡­¡± Finn muttered as he sat up in his bed, slowly this time. [I can hear you, you know~] Zelestria¡¯s unmistakable voice whispered in his head as he clutched his head in pain, struck by a sudden headache. ¡°Ugh¡­ stop¡­!¡± [Fufu¡­ how cute~] Suddenly, Finn heard the sound of a door being kicked open, and the difort went away. ¡°Woah, woah, woah, what¡¯s with all the screaming in her- oh, you¡¯re alive,¡± a boy interrupted. Finn instinctively turned in the direction of the voice, but he was still blind and therefore couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Wow¡­ to think ya really survived. That¡¯s the first time Reaper¡¯s analysis was wrong, ya know. Heh,¡± the boy chuckled. ¡®Reaper¡­?¡¯ Finn thought. [The robot that technically saved your life. Well, it was me who did most of the work, but he helped too¡­ kind of.] Zelestria helpfully exined in Finn¡¯s head. ¡°Who are you¡­? And where am I?¡± Finn asked the boy, hoping to get some answers. ¡°Hell yeah, the ssic lines of an amnesiac protagonist!¡± The boyughed. ¡°Hold on, amigo. I¡¯m not the best at exining stuff, so I¡¯ll go get my boss. He¡¯ll tell ya everything.¡± Finn heard the sound of footsteps leaving the room. Then, after some talk that seemed to being from downstairs ¡ª though it was too far away for Finn to hear clearly ¡ª the footsteps returned. This time, however, they were heavier, and there seemed to be multiple sets of them. A chair was dragged across the floor, and a man sat down on it, close to Finn¡¯s bed. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± The man asked out of concern, with a low male voice that sounded like he was in his thirties. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡± ¡°He says while being wrapped in bandages like a mummy,¡± the boy from earlierughed hysterically. [Subject-AC3 analysispleted. Lie detected. Condition: Severely Injured. Recovery in progress.] A familiar robot ¡ª though Finn couldn¡¯t be sure if it was the same one since all robots had the same monotone voice ¡ª exposed his tough demeanor. ¡°Alright, alright, you two¡­ settle down,¡± the thirty-year-old man sighed, as if he was used to dealing with the two of them. ¡°Our friend here must be very confused, huh? But before that¡­ I would like you to tell me something. This is very important, so I¡¯d like you to answer me truthfully.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Finn asked, gripping the nket tightly. Everyone fell quiet as the man spoke. Immediately, silent tension filled the air, making Finn feel slightly ufortable. ¡°The Phantoms¡­ did you see them?¡± Chapter 7: A New Life Chapter 7: A New Life ¡°¡­ Phantoms?¡± Finn whispered softy, confused. ¡°Yes,¡± Archon replied. ¡°They look likepletely white humanoid entities and have no hair. If you have seen one, it¡¯s impossible to forget what they look like or not know what I¡¯m talking about. That¡¯s how disgusting and repulsive they are.¡± Finn could hear the venom in Archon¡¯s voice as he spoke about these ¡®Phantoms¡¯, though he was still a bit lost. ¡®White humanoid entities¡­ of course I know what he¡¯s talking about,¡¯ Finn thought. ¡®But¡­ aren¡¯t they called Ghosts?¡¯ He was hoping for an answer from Zelestria, but received none even after several seconds. Sighing, he decided to just tell these strangers the truth. ¡°I did see them¡­ but I won¡¯t be able to anymore.¡± Finn clenched his fists tightly as he was once again reminded of the fact that he was now blind, unable to open his eyes at all. ¡°¡­ Easy, kid. You feel a burning desire for revenge, huh? Don¡¯t worry¡­ we¡¯ve all been there. Everyone here right now has had something taken away from them by those bastards in the past. Wee to the club,¡± Archon said, patting Finn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve already seen one of them¡­ so there¡¯s no going back. Now, I¡¯m going to leave you with two choices.¡± ¡°What?¡± Finn asked, tilting his head towards the direction of Archon¡¯s voice. Even though he couldn¡¯t really see them, he still did this by instinct. ¡°One, I give you an amnestic, and you return to being a normal human¡­ just blind. But this solution is not ideal, as one day, you may remember again ¡ª the cause of your blindness. When that happens, you¡¯ll most likely go crazy from the shock. That¡¯s why there is never truly escape.¡± ¡°¡­ And two?¡± The man, after a brief silence, opened Finn¡¯s palm and ced what felt like a knife¡¯s handle into it. ¡°You join us, getting revenge with your own hands.¡± ¡°W-Wha- Boss!¡± the hyper boy cried in shock. [Calcting advantages to disadvantages ratio of epting Subject AC3 into our organization. Results: 1:27.] ¡°¡­ Archon. Are you sure about this?¡± a third voice that Finn had not heard before added. It was quiet and soft, but Finn could tell it belonged to a male. ¡°I am, Storm,¡± the man named Archon replied darkly and firmly. ¡°As for Octane and Reaper¡­ I have already made up my mind. No matter what you say, my proposal will not change.¡± ¡°B-But¡­!¡± the boy ¡ª Octane ¡ª protested. ¡°No ¡®buts¡¯. Have you forgotten? When I epted you six years ago, you were in a state not that much better than his. Back then, I had seen a fire in your eyes. One that burned for revenge. Now, I can¡¯t see this young friend¡¯s eyes, but¡­¡± Archon turned to Finn and grinned. ¡°¡­ I can feel the thirst to kill in his heart. Risking his own life to take down the Phantom with him like you told me, Reaper¡­ that¡¯s not something just anyone can do. The dark hatred this boy holds¡­ it runs deeper than any river; the lust for blood in his mind greater than any Phantom. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s blind. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s weak. For as long as he keeps that ck me of determination burning in his heart, he will eventually get strong, one day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent and gripped the dagger tightly. He wasn¡¯t thinking about whether or not he should get revenge. No¡­ that was already set in stone. He had sworn to purge all Ghosts from existence, and he would live up to that promise. But the question was¡­ could he trust these mysterious strangers? Who were they? What did they do? And why would they help him? Finn had no answers for any of these questions, and it¡¯s not like he was going to get any answers until he answered their question first. Life was a game. Gambles needed to be taken. Choices needed to be made. Finn twirled the knife around in his hand and tightened his hold on the handle, before turning his head slightly to face Archon. ¡°¡­ When can I start?¡± ***** The group of them left soon after that, insisting Finn get some rest. He had wanted to learn more about their group and why they called Ghosts ¡®Phantoms¡¯, but he couldn¡¯t really argue back against recovering, especially given the state he was currently in. Finn drifted off to sleep¡­ and found himself inside a neon, vaporwave-style reality rift two minutester. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s you again,¡± Finn muttered, staring at the wless figure of Zelestria. ¡°What, unhappy to see me?¡± She smiled seductively, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out. ¡°Not really. More like¡­ annoyed? I was nning on going to sleep, but you prevented me from doing that.¡± ¡°Your real body¡¯s still getting the rest it needs. You are only here in spirit form, since I figured it was about time I briefed you properly on the power you hold ¡ª the power I gave you. Take a look.¡± She swiped her arm through the air, conjuring a screen of some sort in front of me. On the hologram disyed the anatomy of a human body. But there was¡­ something off ¡ª quite obviously, too. ¡°This is a visual representation of your body,¡± Zelestria exined, folding her arms. ¡°Now¡­ do you notice anything unusual?¡± ¡°The blood¡­ it¡¯s ck.¡± ¡°Mhm. Look closer.¡± Finn did as told, narrowing his eyes ¡ª and it was then that he saw. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ faint strands of red in it still¡­?¡± Zelestria smiled. ¡°Indeed. Want to know why?¡± ¡°Cut the pointless questions,¡± Finn interrupted harshly, but Zelestria didn¡¯t seem fazed at all. ¡°Oh my~ so cold¡­ fine, fine. The red strands you see are the faint traces of your human blood still remaining, and the ck fluid¡­ is Ghost blood.¡± Finn froze. ¡°¡­ And why, exactly, is there Ghost blood flowing within me?¡± Zelestria sighed. ¡°This was the only way I could save you. You were about to die of blood loss, so I drained the blood of the Ghost you killed and infused it with your body, allowing you to live. It was quite tiresome, especially since I only had a short window of time to do it and had to hide it from that robot, but it worked, I suppose.¡± Finn nced down at his hands, opening and closing them. ¡°¡­ How ironic. You gave me this power to y Ghosts, but in the process, turned me into one.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like you¡¯vepletely turned into a Ghost. If I had to say¡­ you¡¯re a half-Ghost right now, something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. On the surface, you¡¯ll still seem like a normal human, but if blood spills out of your body, it will be a mixture of ck and red.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried. If to kill other Ghosts, I have to be one myself, then so be it.¡± At this, Zelestria fell silent, observing Finn curiously. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing¡­¡± She smiled mysteriously. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I like that philosophy of yours, Finn. Don¡¯t ever change it, mkay~?¡± ¡°¡­ Sure?¡± Finn was confused, but didn¡¯t pry about the matter. ¡°But that aside, what powers does Ghost blood give me?¡± ¡°Fufufu,¡± Zelestria giggled softly. ¡°I said I would brief you, that¡¯s it. If I told you everything now, where would be the thrill of finding out yourself? Just think about this, Finn¡­¡± She closed up the screen and descended down onto the ground, throwing her arms around Finn¡¯s neck and pulling herself closer to stare him straight in the eyes. Finn didn¡¯t show any reaction, but he could feel her ample chest pressed against him and himself being drawn into her beautiful and starry gradient eyes. The faint scent of flowers tickled Finn¡¯s nose, and her skin felt warm on his neck. ¡°Life and death, light and darkness, are just two sides of the same coin. Humans depict surging life and energy, while Ghosts depict eternal hunger and thirst. Whenbined¡­ what do you get?¡± Leaving this cryptic message behind, Zelestria smiled seductively and backed away, snapping her fingers. ¡°Everything shall be revealed in due time, Finn. For now, the people around you are enough to help you get stronger. Until that happens¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± She gave a flirty wink as Finn¡¯s surroundings were enveloped by darkness once more, plunged into dreand. Once he was gone, Zelestria turned to stare out at the neon sunset, something she loved doing when she was on her own. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Finn¡­ I can¡¯t just tell you everything right now. I need you to get stronger on your own first. Then, and only then, will you be able to avoid relying on this power and stand a chance against that entity.¡± Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and smiled faintly, recalling Finn¡¯s words from earlier. ¡°¡®Then so be it,¡¯ huh?¡± Chapter 8: Awakening Chapter 8: Awakening When Finn woke up again, it seemed like hours had passed. He had no idea what time it currently was, since he couldn¡¯t see. In a way, he was thankful to Zelestria. Not just for saving his life, but because every time she pulled him into the reality rift, he was able to see properly again. It was almost like a distant dream¡­ a fantasy he could escape to to unravel when the reality of being blind bes too harsh to cope with. Of course, he would never tell Zelestria that, being the man of few words he was. He didn¡¯t use to be like this ¡ª but after yesterday¡¯s incident, all that changed. Funny how a mere few minutes was enough to change someone forever. Finn sat up on his bed and touched his chest. Strangely, it didn¡¯t hurt anymore after just a few hours of rest, despite the fatal wound he received yesterday. He figured this may have something to do with the Ghost blood in his body. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± a voice suddenly said in his head. ¡°¡­ Zelestria?¡± ¡°Mhm. Mind talking for a bit?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ sure. That reminds me, I have a question for you too,¡± Finn said thoughtfully. ¡°I tried asking itst time, but you kicked me out before I could. The true nature of Ghosts¡­ what are they?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find the answer to that soon enough. The people you are staying with right now will fill you in on everything Ghost-rted ¡ª but they call them Phantoms, so don¡¯t be confused about that. They know about this matter better than I do anyway, since I¡¯m not omnipotent like some of my friends,¡± Zelestria chuckled self-depreciatingly. ¡°Anyway¡­ my turn now, right?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s about my existence and powers,¡± she said with a soft sigh. ¡°I think you know this already, but don¡¯t tell anyone about me.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m fine with that. But¡­ why?¡± ¡°Just like how you used to not know about Ghosts, everyone else in this world does not know about me. Think about what would happen if word of my existence got out: an entity able to save someone from certain death and monitor the entire reality ne ¡ª or rather, world ¡ª simultaneously.¡± ¡°People would start looking for you¡­¡± ¡°Exactly. There is enough chaos in this world as it is; making any more would only be troublesome for you.¡± Finn nodded in understanding. ¡°I see. Is that all?¡± ¡°Mhm. I¡¯ll be watching you, so don¡¯t go back on your word~¡± ¡°I don¡¯t break promises.¡± ¡®Most of the time, anyway,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. Zelestriaughed in response. ¡°By the way¡­ I can read what you¡¯re thinking too.¡± ***** Their conversation ended shortly after, having established an agreement. Finn got out of his bed, still wrapped in bandages. However, he was able to move perfectly fine. Moving in the right direction, however, was a different story. ¡°Ah-¡± He stumbled straight into the wall as he walked forward, bumping his head against the cold wood. Even though he had been careful and moved really slowly, using his hands to feel in front of him, he still somehow crashed into something. Being blind was truly¡­ a disaster. Luckily, the noise alerted someone in the house, so they quickly came upstairs to check what was going on. There, they found Finn trying to feel around him 360 degrees, still covered in bandages. ¡°Pfft¡­!¡± the boy couldn¡¯t help but stifle hisughter. Finn, hearing this, slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice. He didn¡¯t speak, but the action was threatening enough that the boy frantically exined himself. ¡°A-Ahem, sorry, I couldn¡¯t help it. I guess being blind means you¡¯re unable to see, eh? Must suck a lot.¡± ¡°No shit,¡± Finn muttered under his breath as the boy stepped forward and turned around so that his back was to Finn. ¡°Here. Grab my shoulders.¡± In all honesty, Finn didn¡¯t want the help of someone who had beenughing at him just moments earlier, but he realized the boy did not hold any bad intentions. Besides, if he didn¡¯t ept his help here, there was no telling how long it would take him and how many injuries he would suffer before finally finding the right path. ¡°My clothes¡­ where are they?¡± Finn asked quietly as he ced a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Your old ones? Burnt. Those things got Phantom blood spilled over them ¡ª not a very good idea to wear them again.¡± ¡°So what do I wear?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ for now, just like this is fine. There aren¡¯t any girls here anyway. Well, there is one, but she¡¯s always locked up in her own room, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I see. But there¡¯s one more problem ¡ª in the future, who will help me? As you can tell¡­ I¡¯mpletely blind. Whether it¡¯s fighting or simply getting around, just relying on my other four senses will be useless.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The boy fell into thought, then made up his mind after several seconds. ¡°Oh, I know! I¡¯ll lead you to Archon. He¡¯s our boss, and also the guy who invited you to join us in the first ce. Obviously, he¡¯s got a n in mind!¡± Saying this, he dashed out of the room, dragging Finn behind him. Luckily, Finn was already fully recovered thanks to Zelestria, otherwise he may have died there from the sudden movement. ***** After nearly tripping over on what seemed to be a descending staircase, Finn and the boy who led him arrived at their destination, where Archon and a few others were. Finn was told to just sit down by the boy, so he did. ¡°Uh¡­ recovered already?¡± Archon raised an eyebrow and asked, slightly skeptical. [Subject AC3 analysisplete. Status: Pristine.] ¡°You sure, Reaper?¡± The boy leading Finn scratched his head. ¡°He¡¯s only been resting for a couple of hours. There¡¯s no chance in hell he¡¯s already fully healed, after those injuries he got.¡± [Initializing confirmation procedure. Results: True.] A deep yet young male voice scoffed. ¡°He managed to survive your sprint down the stairs, Octane. I believe that is more than enough proof he has recovered.¡± ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a good point,¡± the boy ¡ª Octane ¡ª rubbed his chin, showing no sign of apologizing to Finn. ¡°Well, whatever. Our buddy here was wondering what you¡¯re nning to do about his blindness, Archon. Tell us about your n!¡± ¡°n? What n?¡± Archon asked, confused. The room immediately fell silent. ¡°W-Wha-? H-Haha, c¡¯mon now, boss, don¡¯t joke with me like that!¡± Octaneughed awkwardly. ¡°You definitely have a n, right? RIGHT?!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m being serious. I haven¡¯t the slightest clue what you are talking about.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°S-So, wait, let me get this straight,¡± Octane cleared his throat atst after an awkward period of just staring at each other. ¡°You invited this guy into the organization, without even figuring out what to do about his blindness beforehand?! He¡¯s going to be useless!¡± Finn wanted to say ¡®I¡¯m right here, you know,¡¯ but refrained from doing so. ¡°Rx, Octane,¡± Archon sighed, furrowing his brows and rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°I don¡¯t have an exact n that is guaranteed to work, but I do have some ideas.¡± Octane cackled and pped his hands ¡°Hah! I knew you could do it, boss! So, so? What kind of ideas?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Archon fell into thought, then turned to Finn. ¡°Hey, kid. Your only problem is not being able to see, correct? You can use your arms and legs just fine?¡± Finn was blind, but he could tell the man was speaking to him without needing to be able to see. ¡°Yes,¡± he replied with a nod. ¡°Though that doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? What good is a powerful punch without knowing where to throw it?¡± ¡°Oh¡­? But what if you did know where to throw it?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Archon smirked like an old rascal as an idea formted in his mind. Chapter 9: Past Shadow Chapter 9: Past Shadow Finn was utterly perplexed at Archon¡¯s words. ¡°¡­ How am I supposed to know where to punch without being able to see?¡± Sure, he could use his ears to try and detect which direction the enemies areing from, but that wouldn¡¯t work all the time ¡ª especially when he was surrounded. But Archon merelyughed. ¡°Kid. Ever y a shooter video game?¡± Finn frowned from beneath the bandages covering his eyes. ¡°Uh¡­ yes? But what does that have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Then you must know thatmunication is key in battles,¡± Archon replied. ¡°Your teammates will let you know various pieces of information through voice chat, no? And the most key point of them all¡­ is where the enemies are.¡± When Archon put it like this, Finn understood immediately. He was to be given a partner, who will tell him where the hostiles are so he can attack them urately. The deep male voice from earlier chuckled darkly. ¡°You want to give him a ¡®teammate¡¯, huh?¡± ¡°For the time being, yes. He¡¯s not strong enough to work with us yet, so he¡¯ll need to train with someone else for now.¡± ¡°H-Hold on, but who¡¯s gonna be his partner? Please don¡¯t say me,¡± Octane interrupted, then turned to Finn sitting beside him and whispered. ¡°Hey, no offense. It¡¯s nothing personal.¡± ¡°Octane, Reaper, me, and you, Archon¡­¡± The dark male voice ¡ª Storm ¡ª muttered. ¡°There¡¯s no one else. It has to be one of us¡­ though I must say, I¡¯m not exactly keen to start working with a newbie either.¡± [Request: I do not wish to be his training aplice.] Reaper beeped, signaling his disapproval. Archon sighed. ¡°You all are forgetting someone who just joined us recently as well, no?¡± At this, Octane¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­ her?!¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, isn¡¯t it? Her legs may be crippled, but she has incredible vision. The Oculus Angelica, remember?¡± ¡°That is true, but¡­¡± Storm nced away ufortably. ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°At least, it¡¯s worth a try,¡± Archon shrugged. ¡°None of us have ever gotten close to her before, but maybe¡­ he can.¡± As all three pairs of eyes (and a sensor) focused on Finn, he was still lost in his thoughts. ¡®Zelestria. Is there a way to restore my vision?¡¯ He asked,pletely ignorant of what was happening on the outside. ¡®If you can help me restore my power, yes.¡¯ ¡®How long will doing that take?¡¯ ¡®Hm¡­ hard to say. If you¡¯re quick, a few months. If you¡¯re slow, a year or even more.¡¯ ¡®So I have no choice but to work together with someone else for the time being, huh?¡¯ Finn sighed in his mind, slightly disappointed. He¡¯s never been much of a group worker. That was true even before the events of yesterday ¡ª hence why he was reluctant to ept Archon¡¯s idea of giving him a teammate to work with. Still, he recognized that he was still extremely weak right now. Killing Ghosts solo in his current condition was just unrealistic and suicidal. That¡¯s why¡­ ¡°¡­ I understand. I¡¯ll give it a shot,¡± Finn replied briskly to Archon¡¯s words. ***** Finn was led upstairs once more by the group, to a room that seemed to be right next to his own. He knew this since he counted the steps it took him to get downstairs earlier and saved the directions to memory. Archon walked up to the locked door and gently knocked on it three times. ¡°Hey. I know you¡¯re there. It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re too shy or just don¡¯t want to talk to us, but¡­ there¡¯s someone I¡¯d like you to meet.¡± Archon nudged Finn in the ribs, signaling for him to say something. ¡°Uh¡­ hi.¡± ¡®Fufu¡­ cute,¡¯ Zelestria giggled unhelpfully from within Finn¡¯s head. Finn ignored her jab, even though it was somewhat annoying. Still, his words received no response from whoever was inside, if they were even there at all. Archon patted Finn on the shoulder and whispered into his ear. ¡°Whether you can get her to open the door¡­ it¡¯s up to you now.¡± Octane shed Finn a thumbs-up he couldn¡¯t see, and Storm nced at him once curiously before following the others back downstairs. Finn was left alone with the mysterious person beyond this door, separated by nothing except a thin screen of wood. He sat down on the cold floor, leaning his back against the door. And¡­ nothing. He just sat there silently, waiting patiently for the door to be opened. On the other side, a lone girl sitting in a bed looked towards the door in uneasiness. She didn¡¯t want to open it. She didn¡¯t want to meet this person that man wanted her to meet. She just wanted to forever cower behind her nket, living isted from the world. But when minutes turned into hours, and she still heard no sign of movement from the door, she began to get curious. ¡®Was the person¡­ still there?¡¯ She wondered. Perhaps it would¡¯ve been a wiser decision to just forget about the whole matter and go to sleep. Perhaps¡­ it was better for her to not meet the boy known as Finn Thresher at all. But eventually, curiosity got the better of her, as it does to the best of us. Who was this person, who had not moved a single inch from their spot, even after a few hours had passed? Were they that stubborn? Were they that eager to meet her? Even the people downstairs, who had saved her life and brought her back here to live¡­ none of them had the patience to sit behind a door doing nothing for such a long time. The girl crawled onto her wheelchair with extreme difficulty and rowed it towards the door. For some reason, her heart was beating rapidly, in both nervousness and anticipation. She ced her hand on the doorknob, unlocked it, and after a deep breath, gave it a good twist. A boy with ck hair, chest wrapped in white bandages, sat behind it. Slowly, he turned his head around. Despite the fact that he had simr bandages covering his eyes, it was as if their gazes met. And from that moment on, both of their lives began to change ¡ª forever. ***** Finn twisted his head around after hearing the clicking sound of the door behind him being opened, forgetting that this action was useless since he was blind. He couldn¡¯t see anyone, but there obviously was someone standing there ¡ª the girl who had opened the door. Hesitantly, Finn stood up. He reached forward with his hands, trying to feel the air in front of him, and hit something hard and wooden ¡ª the door. Grabbing it, he opened it wider so that he could slip into the room. He smelled the faint fragrance of lilies inside, signifying purity. Whether it came from real flowers or the girl, he did not know. Feeling the air in front of him, unafraid of beingughed at, Finn managed to find a chair in the room after bumping into several tables and bookshelves. All the while, the mysterious girl watched on silently, speechless. After a while, Finn heard the sound of the door being closed once more. But weirdly enough, there were no sounds of footsteps that followed. Instead, he heard the rolling of¡­ wheels? ¡°¡­ Is that a wheelchair?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask, voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. Naturally, the girl heard it. She stopped in her tracks and turned to Finn, eyes still wrapped in bandages. ¡°¡­¡± She bit her lip, unsure of what to say or what to do. This boy¡­ had just intruded into her room. Strangely, however, she was at a loss of whether to kick him out or let him stay. It may be because¡­ he was also disabled. The girl¡¯s legs may be crippled, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. Finn¡¯s movements showed he was blind, no matter how you looked at it. The bandages around his eyes practically had ¡®blind¡¯ written all over them as well. Because of this¡­ it was like the two shared some sort of unspoken connection. Both were here because they knew about Ghosts ¡ª and both of them shared simr scars. ¡°¡­ How did you know?¡± the girl mustered out atst. The first words she¡¯s spoken to someone in months. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m blind?¡± Finn finished her sentence for her. ¡°Yes¡­ I am. But I still have my other senses. Namely, my ears.¡± ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± The girl blurted out before she could help herself. Finn was unfazed. ¡°Finn Thresher. You can call me Finn.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girl fell silent once more, but in her head, she repeated that name over and over again. ¡°And you?¡± Finn asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. ¡°I¡­¡± She trailed off, unsure of whether or not she could trust him. She hadn¡¯t even told her saviors her real name yet¡­ was it really okay to be telling this to the boy she¡¯s meeting for the first time? ¡°I already told you my name. Don¡¯t you think you should tell me yours, to make it fair?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡­¡± The girl clenched her fists on her wheelchair, frustrated with the dilemmaid out before her. Her name¡­ it was somewhat special. She had a hidden identity, one that she hated yet could not abandon. She considered giving Finn a fake one, but that¡¯s what she had done all her life. She was tired of hiding. Tired of being someone she was not. When she looked at this boy, she saw something deep inside his heart resonating with her own. Perhaps this was her special power at work ¡ª the Oculus Angelica. It had a myriad of other uses, but among them was the ability to read one¡¯s soul. Yet when she read Finn¡¯s soul, she could find nothing but a ck mist of hatred for Ghosts. One that was as dense as her own. Of course, she had read the souls of the people downstairs as well. They too shared deep anger towards those disgusting creatures, but they still had other emotions. Somewhere within the mist of darkness shrouding their hearts, a rainbowy. Finn, however, was different. His heart was pitch ck, through and through. He had already lost all other emotions¡­ just like this girl herself once had. That hatred was too strong, too pure to have ulterior motives. Finn only cared about killing Ghosts, and he wouldn¡¯t betray this girl for no reason. She knew that. In all the years she¡¯s had this ability, not once has she seen someone else with the same darkness in their heart. Not once has she met someone who was emotionless enough topete with her past self. But Finn¡­ he could. Perhaps that was why she decided to open up to him ¡ª she saw a shadow of herself in this man, and wanted to slowly steer him back onto the right course¡­ just like her guardian had once done for her. Hesitantly, after scanning the room for any hidden surveince equipment with her Oculus Angelica, the girl spoke. ¡°My name is Iris¡­ Iris Sylvoir.¡± Chapter 10: The Beginning of Something New Chapter 10: The Beginning of Something New ¡°¡­ I see,¡± Finn said briskly, not showing any reaction despite hearing her name. Iris blinked. ¡°T-That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°What?¡± Finn questioned confusedly. ¡°How else am I supposed to respond?¡± ¡°A-Ah, no¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ never mind,¡± she turned away on her wheelchair, and silence befell the two of them once more. After a while, however, Iris was unable to stand it and finally decided to break the tranquility. ¡°¡­ Do you know about the Sylvoir family?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°What¡­ how are you part of the Phantom yers if you don¡¯t know about them¡­ wait, do you even have an Angelica?¡± Once again, Finn shook his head. ¡°No. What are those?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Iris waspletely stunned at hisck of knowledge. She couldn¡¯t believe that Archon took this guy in without exining anything to him beforehand. There was the chance that Finn had been severely injured when he was taken in, hence why there was no opportunity to exin anything to him, but¡­ no, there aren¡¯t any visible wounds on his body despite the bandages the Oculus Angelica did not lie. ¡®Well, he¡¯s here already¡­ I might as well exin everything to him,¡¯ she thought to herself. Clearing her throat, Iris spoke. ¡°First off¡­ you know what Phantoms are, correct?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°White, humanoid entities with tentacles growing out of their back.¡± ¡°That is one ss of them, called Morphers. There are other types of Phantoms as well¡­ but that¡¯s not important right now. Next-¡° ¡°Before you continue,¡± Finn interrupted. ¡°What is the difference between Phantoms and Ghosts? Are they both terms for the same thing?¡± This was a question on his mind for a while now, one he wanted to get the answer to as soon as possible. ¡°Ghosts¡­ that is the collective term to all of these paranormal entities. Phantoms, Wraiths, Specters, Revenants¡­ these are all different archetypes of Ghosts. Each has their own method of dealing with them.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so they cannot be used interchangeably,¡± Finn noted to himself. ¡°That¡¯s right. For example, the organization that saved both of us, the one that man downstairs is part of, is called the Phantom yers. Just as the name suggests¡­ they specialize in taking down Phantoms and only Phantoms. Other types of Ghosts are outside their field of expertise.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I understand now. But there are only¡­ what, five people here, excluding you and me? They are responsible for taking down all Phantoms that spawn? That seems somewhat¡­ unrealistic.¡± Iris shook her head. ¡°No. There are five different guilds across the world, each responsible for one category of Ghosts ¨C The Phantom yers, The House of Spectra, The Theocracy of Light, Night¡¯s Conflux, and Eidolons¡¯ Bane. They are responsible for Phantoms, Specters, Wraiths, Revenants, and Eidolons respectively. Together, they form the pirs of the GHO ¡ª the Ghost Hunter Organization.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Finn murmured. ¡°So this is a mere branch of The Phantom yers.¡± ¡°That is the most logical conclusion, but¡­ usually, a branch would have more people than just five. I could be wrong though.¡± ¡®Who is this girl, and how does she know this much¡­?¡¯ Finn thought, slightly curious and suspicious. ¡°Hm. Well, that¡¯s not too important anyway¡­ what about those ¡®Angelicas¡¯ you mentioned earlier?¡± Iris fell silent and stared out the blinds of her window, swaying gently and ttering against one another from the wind. ¡°Angelicas¡­ they are humanity¡¯s weapon against these Ghosts.¡± Finn frowned from beneath the bandages covering his eyes. ¡°Weapons?¡± ¡°You see, normal knives and bullets don¡¯t work on Ghosts. They are paranormal, an ¡®outside¡¯ existence, meaning anything from this ne of reality cannot harm them.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then howe they can harm us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the mystery all Ghost Hunters are trying to find out,¡± Iris smiled sadly. ¡°But until we find an answer to that question¡­ we just need to keep protecting humanity from these Ghosts, subduing them whenever they appear ¡ª using the power of Angelicas.¡± ¡°So¡­ Angelicas are from the same ne of reality Ghosts are, hence why they can harm them?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Iris replied, folding her arms. ¡°Yes, but more urately, they are born from one¡¯s soul. Angelicas will only be awakened after an encounter with another paranormal, paracausal entity ¡ª either another Angelica, or Ghosts.¡± ¡°About half the world¡¯s poption has Angelicas, but most just never activate them due to them not knowing about the Ghosts and the paracausal,¡± she continued expertly. ¡°Ghost Hunters, however, are people who have awakened this power and are now using it to fight back against the Ghosts.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s why Zelestria said I didn¡¯t have the talent for Ghost Hunting¡­¡¯ ¡°You said ¡®half the world¡¯s poption¡¯¡­ in other words, there are still many people out there without any Angelicas. That means they¡¯re powerless against Ghosts, huh?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Iris corrected, to Finn¡¯s surprise. ¡°There are plenty of Ghost Hunters who don¡¯t have Angelicas, but can still fight back against the paranormal using specially-enchanted weapons ¡ª swords, guns, bows, and such. These can be crafted by anyone with the rare cksmith Angelica.¡± ¡°So¡­ multiple people can have the same Angelica.¡± ¡°Yes ¡ª but no one can have multiple Angelicas.¡± ¡°Do you have an Angelica?¡± Finn asked, the first thing that came to mind. ¡°I¡­ yes ¡ª the Oculus Angelica. Really, it just empowers my eyes, allowing me to see certain things normal people can¡¯t. It¡¯s not a very useful one at all for a Ghost Hunter, but¡­ even if I did have a strong Angelica, my body makes it difficult to actually be of any help in a fight.¡± ¡°Oh? I think your Angelica is quite useful though.¡± Iris blinked. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°I want to take revenge on the Ghosts who ughtered my family,¡± Finn exined. ¡°I want to purge their very existence from this world, but¡­¡± He stood up and ripped the bandages covering his eyes and surrounding his head, revealing two horribly scarred eyelids underneath. w marks were evident over them, and although the blood was gone, one could imagine how much it hurt at the time. ¡°¡­ As you can see, I am blind. As much as I hate it, I¡¯ll only be food for them if I try fighting one right now.¡± ¡°So¡­ you want my help?¡± Iris asked hesitantly, faint and almost inaudible. Although scarred, Finn was still ruggedly handsome. His unkept obsidian-ck hair draped bangs over his forehead, with thin lips and a small nose. His features made him seem younger than he really was, as he didn¡¯t have a mustache or beard either. Those were Iris¡¯s thoughts as she nced at Finn¡¯s face, but she didn¡¯t dare admit them. ¡°You hate them too, don¡¯t you?¡± Finn suddenly asked back. ¡°The Ghosts? Of course¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡®But¡­ not all of them.¡¯ That¡¯s what she wanted to say, but refrained from doing so. After all¡­ she had just met Finn. Yes, she had already made up her mind earlier to tell him her true identity and see if he would ept her for who she was, but it seems he didn¡¯t even know about her lineage. She originally wanted to try and help him, prevent him from being consumed by his own dark emotions, but after seeing just how deep his hatred for Ghosts ran, Iris wasn¡¯t sure if she could tell him everything anymore. Her family¡­ her identity. What exactly she was¡­ and what her bloodline was. If Finn ever found out about the truth¡­ she would be ughtered on the spot. ¡°I know we are still practically strangers, but¡­ the enemy of my enemy is my friend,¡± Finn said, holding out his hand. ¡°I propose¡­ we form a partnership. You can be my eyes, and I will be your legs. That way, both of our weaknesses are covered by the other person.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Iris fell silent, contemting this deal. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will take time to get used to one another. Our coordination will definitely need to be trained before going into actualbat. But I believe¡­ this can work.¡± Deep down, Finn didn¡¯t really care all that much about this partnership, but he needed someone to be his eyes until he could get his own back through Zelestria. Meanwhile, Iris was still genuinely thinking of how to save Finn¡­ save him from drowning himself in hatred. Feeling angry towards someone was fine. But if you let that anger consume you¡­ you could end up destroying yourself first instead of your enemy. Iris knew that all too well ¡ª which was why she wanted to prevent anyone else from going down the same path as her, even if Finn was a danger that could take her life once he found out about her true identity. Slowly, Iris took a deep breath and made her decision. ¡°I ept.¡± Finn nodded firmly, hand still outreached as he waited for her to shake his hand, sealing the deal. ¡°Sweet. I look forward to working together with you¡­ Iris.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± she replied. ¡°Er¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re facing the wrong way.¡± Finn froze for a brief moment, before awkwardly turning his body 180 degrees around to face the right direction. ¡°Sorry.¡± For the first time in a long while, Iris smiled genuinely. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ my job is to tell you when something like that happens, no?¡± She took Finn¡¯s outreached hand and shook it firmly, determination in her eyes. Chapter 11: Angelicas Wake Chapter 11: Angelica''s Wake ¡°WOO! He did it! He really did it!¡± Octane yelled at the top of his lungs as he zoomed down the stairs into the main living quarters of the Phantom yers¡¯ headquarters. ¡°Quiet, idiot!¡± Archon whispered sharply as he grabbed Octane¡¯s ear and pulled him closer. ¡°O-Ow, boss! Chill, boss!¡± ¡°What are you going to do if they hear you?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Archon groaned and let go of him. ¡°Agh, whatever. You said¡­ he did it?¡± Octane hurriedly nodded about five times in the span of a second. ¡°I heard it loud and clear, boss. I dunno about what they talked about before, but I just heard the girl ept the guy¡¯s deal.¡± ¡°Did you manage to catch the girl¡¯s name?¡± Archon asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat back down on the couch. Octane nodded. ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s called Ivis. I dunno about thest name.¡± ¡°Ivis¡­ I feel like that¡¯s simr to a name I¡¯ve seen somewhere else before¡­¡± Archon murmured to himself as he tried to search his thirty year old memory. ¡°Man¡­ this line of work really wears out your body¡­ I¡¯m not even 40 yet, and my memory¡¯s already this bad¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Ivis, huh?¡± Storm murmured quietly from a short distance away, a faint smile on his face. ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­ Storm, don¡¯t tell me¡­ you in love with that girl?!¡± Octane eximed, clutching his head in shock. Storm immediately narrowed his eyes, all hints of there ever being a smile on his face, gone. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°I-I mean¡­ you never smile¡­¡± Octane whimpered weakly, scratching his head. ¡°Oh? So if I smile, it means I am in love with someone?¡± ¡°N-No, but¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Archon pressed the air with his hands, motioning for the two of them to settle down. ¡°Octane, what is our new friend and Ivis currently doing?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I dunno. Want me to check?¡± Archon nodded. ¡°Remember, stay quiet this time.¡± ¡°Heheh,¡± Octane rubbed his nose, then pointed at his own chest triumphantly. ¡°On it, boss!¡± ***** ¨C Inside the Room ¨C ¡°¡­ They heard our conversation, it seems,¡± Finn noted after hearing Octane¡¯s loud cheer as he ran down the stairs. ¡°Only the end of it,¡± Iris replied. ¡°And, it¡¯s a modified version of it too.¡± ¡°Modified?¡± ¡°Yes. To them, my name sounds like ¡®Ivis¡¯ ¡ª a fake alias, obviously. I knew he was eavesdropping already thanks to my Oculus Angelica, so I purposely enchanted the door with a special Enchantment that made whoever was on the other side here a slightly different version of what was really said.¡± ¡°You can do that?¡± Finn asked curiously. ¡°Yes, anyone can use enchantments, so long as they know how. It¡¯s a pretty advanced technique though¡­ I¡¯ll teach you sometime in the future, once we both get stronger.¡± ¡°Sure, having an extra skill couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not going to question why I wanted to hide my name from them?¡± Iris suddenly asked. ¡°Hm,¡± Finn turned away and sat back down on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have your own reasons for not wanting them to find out about your real name, so I won¡¯t pry.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡± ¡°By the way¡­ is there any way I can tell what Angelica I have?¡± Finn asked, voice quiet as usual. ¡°No, but¡­¡± Iris snickered and rolled her wheelchair over closer to him. ¡°¡­ I can.¡± ¡°Come again¡­?¡± Iris cupped Finn¡¯s face with her two hands, forcing him to turn his head to her even though he could not see. To Finn, it felt nice and warm. ¡°Usually, an Angelica is awakened in a dire encounter with a Ghost,¡± Iris exined. ¡°However, because not everyone who joins the Ghost Hunter world goes through dangerous scenarios like that, there are certain people who are chosen to help someone forcefully awaken their Angelica. And this, just happens to be one of the misceneous abilities of the Oculus Angelica I possess. ¡°Of course, many people are just naturally born without Angelicas, and won¡¯t awaken one no matter what. But they still hold the hopes that they do have one, which is why a job like this exists only for Oculus Angelica users ¡ª though I much prefer being on the frontlines myself, so I¡¯ve never actually done it before.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see,¡± Finn murmured, letting Iris have her way. ¡°Alright¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ Eye of Knowledge ¡ª Soulread!¡± Iris opened her eyes wide as she activated her Angelica, her irises turning bright golden. Luckily, Finn was already blind, otherwise, he would¡¯ve ended up blinded by the dazzling ray of light emitted by Iris¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hm? This is¡­¡± Iris frowned, concentrating even harder. Finn flinched a little from her applying more pressure on his cheeks, but he didn¡¯t resist. ¡°What kind of Angelica is this¡­? I¡¯ve never seen such a thing before¡­¡± she murmured to herself, narrowing her eyes further. Normally, Angelicas took on physical forms that only appeared when the user activated them ¡ª but those with the Oculus Angelica could see the Angelicas regardless of whether or not they are being used. In addition, every Angelica had their own ¡®insignia¡¯ of sorts. For example, the Stormbringer Angelica Storm took on the shape of a white lightning bolt, shrouded by dark thunderclouds sparking with blue electricity, and the Daredevil Angelica Octane had was symbolized by a glowing light green syringe. However¡­ the energy signature Iris sawing from Finn didn¡¯t have a definite shape. Instead, it was a concentrated ck mist, simr to the dark hatred that clouded him. It pulsed and beat like a human heart, as if ready to change shape and morph into anything else at a moment¡¯s notice. Iris attempted to delve deeper, using her Oculus Angelica to unravel the mysteries behind this unknown new entity, but suddenly, she froze as a frightening force overtook her body. Her eyes widened in shock, falling forward, and gasped for air. Finn quickly caught her in his arms. ¡°Are you¡­ alright?¡± His voice was cold and emotionless, simr to the dark, empty force that seemed to be swallowing Iris whole. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± she trembled in pain as her muscles refused to listen to her. As Iris nced down at her body, however, fear overtook her. The dark ck mist surrounding Finn had expanded, working its way up her own body, threatening to consume her whole. Finn, meanwhile, had no idea any of this was happening, since he was blind. Iris wanted to cry out for help, to beg someone for rescue, but her vocal cords seemed to have been frozen still. Finn held her in his arms, confused at why she wasn¡¯t responding, and Iris could only watch on in fear as the dark entropy swallowed herpletely. ***** ¨C An Hour Later ¨C ¡°Mmn¡­¡± Iris moaned, slowly opening her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± The first thing she saw was Finn¡¯s face, and it was then that she realized she was lying on hisp. She quickly got to her feet in a flustered panic, only to awkwardly fall back down since she was crippled. Finn caught her once more, and she awkwardly nced upwards at him. ¡°U-Um¡­ could you¡­ take me back to my wheelchair, perhaps?¡± Finn nodded and stood up, carrying her in his arms as he awaited further instructions. ¡°It¡¯s directly in front of you, 5 steps,¡± Irismanded. Finn obediently did as told, before gently setting Iris down in her wheelchair. ¡°Thank you¡­ but anyway¡­ what happened earlier?¡± ¡°I should be asking you that question,¡± Finn scoffed, sitting back down on the ground. ¡°You randomly copsed on me, while in the middle of checking what kind of Angelica I have. Is that normal?¡± ¡°O-Oh¡­¡± Iris fell into thought, cing a hand to her forehead as she slowly remembered the events that had transpired earlier. ¡°No, that¡¯s definitely not normal¡­¡± ¡°Then why did you fall over?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± she admitted, stumped. ¡°It might just be because this is my first time checking someone¡¯s Angelica, but still, this shouldn¡¯t have happened. All I remember is being submerged in some kind of ck mist¡­ I forgot how or why¡­¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Finn¡¯s reply was brisk, but that¡¯s because a certain someone had spoken in his head. [Fufu, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to get one this early, but this works too.] ¡®What?¡¯ Finn thought in his head, confused. [The Oculus Angelica, Finn.] Zelestria exined. [You just obtained it from that girl.] ¡®How¡­? Was it from just holding her¡­?¡¯ Zelestria paused briefly, then made her decision. [I¡¯ll exin more the next time we meet in the reality rift. Your friend here seems to want to talk, so I¡¯ll leave you be.] ¡®I would much rather find out more about this power, though¡­¡¯ ¡°A-Anyway,¡± Iris cleared her throat, interrupting Finn¡¯s thoughts. ¡°We never determined what kind of Angelica you had in the end, did we? Let¡¯s try again.¡± Deciding to keep the whole matter with him acquiring her Angelica a secret for now, Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­ You sure?¡± ¡°It would be pretty irresponsible of me if I didn¡¯t finish the job I promised to do, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I suppose¡­ that¡¯s fair.¡± In all honesty, Finn didn¡¯t really care about this anymore since he just found out from Zelestria that he had obtained the Oculus Angelica that easily, but for appearance¡¯s sake, he still went along with what Iris wanted. He leaned in and let Iris cup his face once more. She activated her Angelica, eyes turning golden and shining as bright as the sun, and concentrated her gaze. ¡°Eye of Knowledge ¡ª Soulread!¡± ¡®Is that how to use an Angelica¡­? Calling out the move¡¯s name out loud? Isn¡¯t that just telling your opponents what you¡¯re going to do next,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. [The ¡®moves¡¯ are called Abilities.] Zelestria interrupted despite just saying she would leave them be. [It¡¯s not necessary to chant an Ability¡¯s name out loud to use it, but it conserves a bit of your Angelica¡¯s energy, otherwise known as mana. That¡¯s why when no enemies are around, Angelica users tend to just chant the Ability¡¯s name out loud.] ¡®Huh, I see¡­¡¯ Meanwhile, from Iris¡¯s perspective, she could see that around Finn was a bright yellow aura, one that was simr to her own. Above his head hovered a glowing golden eye, radiating energy. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Iris closed her eyes and deactivated her Angelica, leaning back on her wheelchair. ¡°It seems you have the same Angelica as me.¡± ¡°The Oculus one?¡± Finn asked, just to keep up the act. Iris nodded. ¡°Yes. Though¡­ I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be of much use at all, since you are blind. The few Abilities this Angelica has that don¡¯t require your physical eyesight are all advanced ones, meaning you can¡¯t use them until you¡¯ve gained experience using the basic Abilities of this Angelica.¡± Taking a deep breath, she sighed. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Finn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± Iris appeared genuinely concerned, but in Finn¡¯s mind, he wasn¡¯t worried at all. So what if he had a useless Angelica? It¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t fight against Ghosts using the enchanted weapons Iris mentioned earlier. And besides¡­ ¡­ If he really could obtain other people¡¯s Angelicas this easily¡­ all the most powerful ones in the world will soon belong to him. ***** ¡°Hehe,¡± Zelestria giggled as she watched this scene unfold before her, unbeknownst to Finn. ¡°Useless Angelica? Fufu. To think one of the most powerful, divine Angelicas to exist would deteriorate to the state it¡¯s in today. How pitiful.¡± She smiled sinisterly as she hovered within the reality rift that was her domain, waiting to see what would happen next. ¡°Finn¡­ the power within you is far greater than you can imagine. Should I give him another hint, perhaps? I do think what I said was a bit vague¡­¡± She then suddenly frowned in thought as she realized something, then nced up at the pink and purple sky. ¡°369¡¯s already begun making her move, huh? Hm, indeed, she chose a good seed that is progressing quite quickly. Still, I believe mine ¡ª Finn ¡ª will be able to match hers, eventually.¡± Zelestria turned her head to gaze at the beautiful neon-themed sunset over the horizon, infinite and majestic. ¡°The only problem is¡­ the final fight that will determine the fate of all reality nes¡­ it¡¯s nearing. Will he make it in time?¡± Chapter 12: Acquiring Weapons Chapter 12: Acquiring Weapons Shortly after their conversation ended, Finn and Iris prepared to head downstairs to ry the news to Archon, who had set up their meeting. Iris was originally against this idea, since she was bad at lying. She didn¡¯t want the Phantom yers to know about her true name, so she always just avoided interaction with them by shutting herself in her room and hoping they don¡¯t barge in. They never did, thankfully, but now¡­ she was forced to meet with them face-to-face. After Finn said he would do all the talking, however, Iris reluctantly agreed. Unfortunately, as soon as they opened the door¡­ they ended up catching a little eavesdropper red-handed. ¡°¡­ What are you doing?¡± Iris asked, an unamused expression on her face. Octane, however, was too busy staring into Iris¡¯s beautiful different-colored eyes to even react. One was a beautiful green-turquoise gradient, while the other was a starry blue-purple. ¡°Man¡­ Storm, I see why you love her now,¡± he murmured quietly to himself, still not realizing Finn and Iris could hear everything. ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s happening?¡± Finn asked, confused. He was responsible for pushing Iris¡¯s wheelchair along, while Iris told him where to go. ¡°Oh, nothing. Just a little¡­ eavesdropper.¡± Iris narrowed her eyes, and it was then that Octane finally realized the trouble he¡¯s gotten himself in. ¡°I already noticed you the first time¡­ to think you came back. How long have you been here for?¡± ¡°I-I just came upstairs! Really!¡± he cried, raising his hands up into the air in surrender. ¡°That¡¯s a lie,¡± Iris stated calmly, using her Oculus Angelica to detect deception. ¡°O-Okay, fine! I was here since 5 minutes ago!¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph,¡± Iris snorted, then pointed down the stairs. ¡°Hurry up and go. Lead us to Archon.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Octane immediately dashed down the stairs at Mach 1, leaving behind nothing but the sound of wind whizzing past us. Iris had said ¡®lead us to Archon¡¯, but it¡¯s not like they were about to keep up with this speed demon. ¡°Well. Not a bad cold demeanor you have there,¡± Finn remarked, having heard the whole conversation. ¡°S-Shush,¡± Iris blushed from embarrassment. ¡°You¡¯re doing the talking from here on out, just as we agreed on.¡± ¡°Fine by me.¡± ***** Thankfully, there was an elevator installed in the house they were in, specifically made for Iris¡¯s wheelchair, which was nice. If there hadn¡¯t been one, Finn would¡¯ve had to carry it while Iris rode on his back. Right after exiting the elevator, Iris instructed Finn to head directly forward. The spacious living room, where the Phantom yers of this branch had gathered, was right in front of them. ¡°Looks like you two have settled on a deal,¡± Archon remarked, seeing Finn gently pushing Iris on her wheelchair. ¡°Yes,¡± Finn replied with a firm nod. ¡°She will be my eyes, and I will be her legs.¡± ¡°I see. Where¡¯s my ¡®thank you¡¯, boy? I came up with this idea,¡± Archon rubbed his nose proudly, folding his arms. ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°That sounded so emotionless, but whatever, I guess¡­ Ivis, did you already test for his Angelica?¡± He wasn¡¯t afraid to use Ivis since Octane already got caught eavesdropping anyway. Ivis (Iris) nodded. ¡°He has the same one as me¡­ Oculus.¡± ¡°Oculus, huh¡­ that¡¯s unfortunate.¡± ¡°You got the short end of the stick, buddy,¡± Octane added, kicking his feet up. ¡°Since your blind, you essentially have no Angelica. Feels bad.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t be discouraged,¡± Archon stood up and walked over to Finn, patting his shoulders with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of people out there who fight against Ghosts without Angelicas. All you need is a special weapon crafted by someone with the cksmith Angelica. And luckily for you¡­¡± A ferocious orange aura suddenly enveloped Archon as he stepped back and activated his Angelica, a glowing hammer and chisel appearing above his head. ¡°¡­ I am that someone.¡± After a short period of awkward silence and staring, Archon standing as still as a statue, Octane raised his hand. ¡°Hey boss, that¡¯s, like, cool and all, but you realize he can¡¯t see you, right?¡± An awkward silence suddenly fell between the group, none of them wanting to say anything. Archon blinked, and quickly canceled the aura around him, bringing his fist to his mouth and clearing his throat in an attempt to clear away the awkwardness. ¡°A-Ahem¡­ yes, anyway. Follow me, friend.¡± As he turned around and began walking away down the corridor, Iris told Finn where to go. ¡°Directly ahead, not too fast.¡± Finn did as told, but then Archon suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait!¡± Iris whispered sharply, gripping her armrests in a panic before they crashed into the man. Finn skidded to a stop just in time as Archon turned around. ¡°Oh yeah, now that I think about it¡­ I never found out about your name, huh?¡± ¡°¡­ Finn Thresher,¡± Finn said. ¡°That¡¯s my name.¡± However, Archon seemed to have been expecting something else as he shook his head. ¡°No no no, not that. We don¡¯t do real names around here. Once you¡¯re part of us, your old identity doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I¡¯m talking about your new name ¡ª your alias. Have you thought of one yet?¡± Finn slowly shook his head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t know yet,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°For now, we¡¯ll just call you Finn. But when you do get an idea for an alias¡­ just let us know. Using your real name in this world isn¡¯t a very good idea, since any enemies you make may drag your friends and family into this.¡±¡® Finn nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± But he had none left. ***** Soon after, Archon led Iris and Finn to what seemed like a cksmith¡¯s forge. Iris insisted shee along since apparently, she wanted a weapon as well. Mainly built from cobblestone unlike the rest of the house, the room had a somewhat medieval feel to it. Arge furnace sat directly across from the entrance of the room, and two torches were set all around on the walls to provide light. The temperature inside was quite humid, even though the furnace was off. Finn could feel sweat crawling up his neck. ¡°Wee to my workshop,¡± Archon said, a sly grin on his face. To him, this was home. He then walked over to a nearby table and sat down on the wooden stool in front of it. ¡°Now then, Finn. Do you have any specific weapon you would like to use?¡± ¡°What about the dagger you gave me?¡± Finn asked, recalling their first conversation. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not enchanted. It¡¯s just a symbol of this Squadron. If you look closely, you can see ¡®154¡¯ etched into the de¡­ oh, wait. A-Ahem, anyway, have you used a weapon before?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°Never touched a weapon in my life. Apart from¡­ well, kitchen knives, scissors, screwdrivers, things of the sort.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, let¡¯s figure out the best kind of weapon for you, then,¡± Archon said, taking off his outer coat and tossing it on the clothing pole in the corner of the room to reveal well-built, ripped arm muscles underneath. ¡°To start off, would you rather have a close-range weapon or a long-range one?¡± ¡°Close-range,¡± Finn replied without any hesitation. ¡°Any long-range enemies will be left to Ivis.¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s a good strategy,¡± Archon remarked, nodding in satisfaction as Iris silently agreed. ¡°Are youfortable wielding two weapons or just one?¡± ¡°For now, one hand. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to use two at the same time, given my inexperience.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair. Next¡­ which do you prefer ¡ª spear or sword?¡± ¡°Sword. Spears require more precision, which would be difficult for me.¡± ¡°Mhm, logical,¡± Archon nodded slowly as he analyzed all the information he¡¯s gotten so far. ¡°So you want something that has arge hitbox and doesn¡¯t require much uracy, eh?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Sounds about right.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ I think using a warhammer will be your best bet.¡± Archon grinned. ¡°It¡¯s also the weapon I use.¡± ¡°A warhammer¡­¡± Finn echoed, trailing off. ¡°That is not a bad choice, and I think I can wield it. But¡­ are there any weapons that involve using my fists? For example, gauntlets, things of the sort. I used to take some boxing lessons when I was younger, and was pretty good at it, so¡­¡± Archonughed. ¡°Man, say that sooner next time! I gotcha.¡± ¡°You¡­ can really do it?¡± ¡°Ha! Who are you doubting?¡± ¡°¡­ Forgive me, I just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I know what to do for you. You¡¯ll like it, I¡¯m sure,¡± Archon waved off Finn¡¯s apology with ease, then turned to Iris. ¡°Now then, Miss Ivis, what kind of weapon would you like? Bow? Gun?¡± ¡°Gun. Sniper would be best,¡± Iris replied briskly. ¡°Sniper, eh? Got it. I¡¯ll throw you in a handgun as well, in case you run out of bullets.¡± Iris closed her beautiful eyes and nodded in thanks. ¡°I¡¯m grateful.¡± ¡°Now, get out of here, you two. I can¡¯t work with people in my forge,¡± Archon snorted, standing up and pressing a hidden button that spun the wall around, revealing tons of raw materials neatly organized in a grid-style bookshelf. ¡°What should we do while you work on our weapons?¡± Finn asked. Archon sighed. ¡°Have you taken a look in the mirror? Oh, wait¡­ agh, my bad. Uh¡­ basically, you need some new clothes. Just ask Octane to take you to the store, since Ivis here probably doesn¡¯t know where it is.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it.¡± Finn ced his hands on Iris¡¯s wheelchair and made a full 180 degree turn, pushing her out the door they just came in moments before. But as they left the forge behind, Archon¡¯s roar echoed through the long corridor and reverberated in their ears. ¡°Goddamn it, kid! You didn¡¯t close the door on your way out!¡± Chapter 13: Kasfields Outfitters Chapter 13: Kasfield''s Outfitters ¡°Can Ie?¡± Iris asked softly on their way back to the main living room of the group. ¡°To¡­ buy clothing?¡± Finn tilted his head. ¡°You already have clothes though, no? I felt them when holding you earlier.¡± ¡°The clothing they¡¯ve bought me and the clothing Archon was talking about just now are two different things,¡± she exined. ¡°What I¡¯m wearing right now are normal clothes. The clothes Archon wants you to get is armor.¡± ¡°Hm, I see. That makes more sense. Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡± Soon after, the two of them reached where the other Phantom yers were. Since Finn memorized the route by counting his own footsteps, there was no need for Iris to give him any instructions. She was quite impressed, and honestly, Finn himself was too. It seemed that the Ghost blood in his body not only had incredible regenerative properties, it also boosted his memory skills by quite a lot, seeing as how he wasn¡¯t having any trouble memorizing the footsteps count and directions. Naturally, there were the physical enhancements as well, which Finn could feel in his body. He also had no doubt his reaction speeds had greatly improved thanks to the blood too. Finn walked up to where he visualized the couches were. ¡°Octane, was it? Archon asked you to take us to purchase some clothes.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, sure.¡± He leaped off his chair and did some arm circles. ¡°Follow me! This will be quick with me here. Everything¡¯s quick with me here.¡± ¡°Octane.¡± Storm red at him dangerously from a short distance away, a hidden threat implied in his voice. ¡°O-Okay, okay, fine. I¡¯ll take them to the proper store.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you,¡± Finn said quietly as Octane casually strolled towards the front entrance of the house. ¡°Hold on,¡± Iris interrupted, then took off her outer jacket before handing it to Finn. ¡°Take this and drape it around yourself. No one wants to see your bandaged body.¡± ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s too small.¡± ¡°Too bad. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to get you some proper clothes now. It¡¯ll be armor, but it can serve.¡± ¡°¡­ Right.¡± Finn sighed and did as told. He didn¡¯t like it, but he was still reliant on Iris as of right now. Besides, she was doing this for his own good. Once Finn was finished, he looked like an adult wearing a teenager¡¯s shirt, arms extending too far out of the sleeves, but that was besides the point. ¡°Hehe,¡± Iris giggled. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn couldn¡¯t see what he looked like right now, but he had no doubt it was hrious from an outsider¡¯s perspective. If anything, he probably would¡¯ve gotten fewer stares if he just remained bandaged. Still, he didn¡¯t really care all that much. Together, the three of them set off. ***** ¨C September 15th, 2051 [11 AM] ¨C As the three of them walked through the streets, Finn received many weird gazes ¡ª not that he knew. Iris, meanwhile, was enjoying the show, discretely giggling at the blissful ignorance of her partner. ¡°Octane, about earlier¡­¡± Finn began,pletely oblivious to the stares he was receiving. ¡°Hm? Wussup?¡± Octane nced back, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You mentioned you would take us to the ¡®proper store¡¯. Is there an ¡®improper¡¯ store somewhere¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, that. Yeah, there is. It¡¯s a lot closer and the prices are cheaper, but¡­ I don¡¯t rmend that ce for newbies, since the people who go there are kind of sketchy.¡± ¡®And you aren¡¯t¡­?¡¯ Finn thought in his mind, but he decided to just end the conversation there. The three of them agreed beforehand to refrain from discussing anything Ghost or Angelica rted, since they were in the public world right now where people passing by could hear what they were talking about. If word of the paranormal being real got out, chaos would ensue ¡ª hence why the Phantom yers (and the entire Ghost Hunter world) operated in the shadows. Those who came into contact with a Ghost either joined the Ghost Hunter world or were given amnestics. Most, however, chose the former, out of revenge. After an encounter with one of those abominations, there was no going back. Ever. Collectively, all Ghost Hunters worked together to hide Ghost-rted incidents and pass them off as idental deaths. However, if a massacre were to take ce, it would be quite difficult to lie to the public any longer ¡ª hence why the Hunters were dispatched to subdue threats before such a thing could happen. So far, they¡¯ve been sessful. But there was no telling when a day woulde where a Ghost too powerful for them to handle appears. ***** About 15 minutester, Finn, Iris, and Octane arrived at arge shopping mall, with plenty of people going in and about. It definitely did not seem like the ce where a shady shop that worked for the Ghost Hunter world would be set up. ¡°This is where we¡¯re going to buy the clothing¡­?¡± Finn asked, confused. ¡°I hear a lot of people.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just follow me,¡± Octane chuckled. Shortly after, the trio found themselves in front of arge store with dimly lit green lights and¡­ no customers inside. It was strange since there were plenty of people in the mall, but no one even bothered taking a look at this enormous store. Above the open entrance was a wooden sign with the words ¡®Kasfield¡¯s Outfitters¡¯ over it. ¡°This is the ce,¡± Octane said, before strolling in nonchntly. At the counter of the store further inside sat a single man ¡ª the store owner and the only employee. He had deep green hair, a bright green left eye, and wore a crooked grin, chewing on a cigarette. The right side of his face waspletely ruined, a deep scar running from his forehead through his right eye. ¡°Wussup, Kas!¡± Octane greeted and hopped up to the counter as if the two of them were close friends. However, Kasfield ¡ª or rather, Kas ¡ª merely nced at the ADHD teen coldly. ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± His voice was coarse and heavily ented, giving it a hostile feeling even if he didn¡¯t mean toe off like that. ¡°W-What? Come on, dude! It¡¯s me, Octane! Your good buddy!¡± Kas snorted and closed his eyes, taking out the cigarette from his mouth and slowly blowing out. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know any ¡®Octane¡¯.¡± ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re no fun,¡± Octane rolled his eyes, then checked outside to make sure no one was listening in. After turning back to Kas, he took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°Lightning and thunder.¡± ¡°Cleave and sunder,¡± Kas replied, a smile tugging at his lips. ¡°The wings of rebellion.¡± ¡°Release your hellion.¡± ¡°Twilight¡¯s wake.¡± ¡°Annihte.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very handsome.¡± Kas opened his left eye in skepticism, then sighed. ¡°y all the Phantoms.¡± ¡°Aha! You still went along with it!¡± Octane cheered, a triumphant smirk on his face. ¡°I¡¯m just going to pretend that never happened¡­¡± Kas shook his head and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a bookshelf ced against the right wall slid away, revealing a stone path lit by torches behind. ¡°Hurry up.¡± ¡°Yessir!¡± Octane licked his lips and dashed straight down the corridor,pletely forgetting about the two of us. ¡°Um¡­ turn right,¡± Iris instructed Finn, who did as told. ¡°Okay, now go.¡± As Finn and Iris followed Octane out of sight, Kas stroked his aged chin. ¡°Hm¡­ a blind boy and a crippled girl, is it? What an interesting duo.¡± He snapped his fingers again as the bookshelf slid back in ce, and any sign of there ever being three people here was gone. ***** ¡°Man, you guys are so slow!¡± Octane cried as he waited before a round turn. ¡°No, I think you are just too fast,¡± Finn said, brutally honest. ¡°H-Huh? This is already slow for me though. See how nice I¡¯m being? Waiting here for you and all. Anyway.¡± He nced down the spiral staircase. ¡°I keep telling them to implement an elevator, but they won¡¯t since that could get tracked due to the use of electricity, so we have to go down these stairs. Obviously, pushing the wheelchair down won¡¯t work, so here¡¯s how we¡¯re going to do it.¡± Clearing his throat, he shamelessly continued: ¡°I¡¯ll carry Miss Ivis and go down first, then you can bring the wheelchair, Finn.¡± ¡°¡­ And who will guide me?¡± Finn asked in a quiet,pletely serious voice. ¡°Uh¡­ okay, then you go down first with the wheelchair, and Miss Ivis and I wille after you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°How does that help in any way?¡± Iris sighed in frustration. ¡°Finn will carry me, that¡¯s easiest. You are holding the wheelchair.¡± ¡°Huh? You sure? He can¡¯t see, you know. He might end up bumping into walls and stuff, this staircase is narro-¡° ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll be here to guide him,¡± Iris facepalmed and shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Uh, but¡­¡± ¡°Just go already,¡± Finn interjected, getting impatient. ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Octane sighed and took hold of the wheelchair¡¯s handle as Iris climbed onto Finn¡¯s back and held him firmly. [Fufu, it seems that girl has taken quite a liking to you.] Zelestria snickered suggestively inside Finn¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t bother responding, as he didn¡¯t feel the need to. ¡°I was really hoping I would get to carry her¡­¡± Octane murmured as he took a couple of steps back, rolling the wheelchair with him. ¡°Whatever¡­ heheh, speed is my only love in life! Here¡­ we¡­ GO!¡± And at that moment, Iris¡¯s jaw dropped wide open. Octane sprinted towards the staircase, wheelchair and all, before suddenly jumping into the seat as he tumbled downwards. ¡°WOOHO- OW! AH! OOF! Ow, I¡¯m sor- AH!¡± CRASH! Finn didn¡¯t need to see to figure out what had happened. ¡°Uh¡­ is he¡­ dead?¡± ¡°Dead? Probably not, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± Iris sighed and drooped her head down in exhaustion. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going to need a new wheelchair.¡± Chapter 14: Ace of Spades Chapter 14: Ace of Spades Once Finn and Iris arrived at the bottom of the stairs atst, they found Octane trapped beneath the wheelchair. ¡°N-Ngh¡­ I got it¡­ c¡¯mon¡­ THERE!¡± he shoved the wheelchair off of his body with all of his might, before leaping back up to his feet and letting out a deep breath of triumph. ¡°Whew!¡± The wheelchair¡¯s wheels spun around rapidly before slowlying to a stop. Still, the entire right side of it was busted ¡ª definitely not suitable to be sat on anymore. ¡°¡­¡± Iris and Finn both decided to refrain frommenting, and Octane nced at them apologetically, scratching his head. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry. Looks like you¡¯re going to have to keep carrying Iris for a bit,¡± he bit his lip and scratched the back of his head. Then, an idea struck him as he straightened his body up. ¡°Or, alternatively, I would be 200% willing to carry her in your stead in order to atone for my sins!¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Iris immediately denied. ¡°I will carry her,¡± Finn interjected calmly, much to Iris¡¯s surprise. She blushed a bit out of embarrassment, without realizing Finn¡¯s intentions in doing this were nowhere close to romance. It was simply because he didn¡¯t want to waste time passing her over. ¡°A-Alright then,¡± Octane said hesitantly. ¡°Just let me know whenever you start to get, uh¡­ tired.¡± With those words, he headed down the corridor up ahead, lit by torches. ¡°C¡¯mon. This way.¡± ***** After a bit of walking, the trio stepped through a gate. Outside, however, was a hazy purple sky. ¡°Woah¡­ isn¡¯t this supposed to be underground¡­?¡± Iris murmured faintly. ¡°We did go down that staircase, didn¡¯t we¡­?¡± ¡°It sure is, and we sure did,¡± Octane chuckled deviously. ¡°We ARE underground right now. The sky you see is just a fake one made by someone with the Illusion Angelica.¡± ¡°I see¡­ no wonder it looks pretty yet somewhat artificial. Still, anyone without the Oculus Angelica would without a doubt be fooled.¡± Finn, however, was unable to enjoy this scenery. He just kept quiet and focused on keeping track of how many steps he was taking and storing the directions in his memory. This way, if he ever came back here, he would be able to navigate the ce on his own. He also did this on the way here, so he could technically reach this underground city on his own now if no incidents happened on the way. ¡°There¡¯s a whole new world down here, Miss Ivis,¡± Octaneughed. ¡°There are many different gates to enter down here, but we choose Kas¡¯s ce since he and boss are old buddies. No one else uses this gate though, since Kas won¡¯t let them.¡± ¡°If only Finn could see this too¡­¡± Iris murmured in pity. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Finn replied emotionlessly. ¡°I¡¯ll get used to it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a city right up ahead ¡ª that¡¯s where we¡¯ll get you your armor,¡± Octane smirked. A few minutester, the trio arrived at a bustling town in this underground world. Many people were walking in and out, though Iris noticed someone getting threatened by three others. Fortunately, the three walked away after a while, so there was no need to intervene. ¡°There is evil everywhere, huh?¡± Iris smiled sadly as she clutched onto Finn¡¯s back tightly. ¡°Even amongst Ghost Hunters, who live by the shadows to protect the light, there is still hostility amongst those who are supposed to be fighting for the same side¡­¡± ¡°Well, of course. Some people aren¡¯t here for revenge,¡± Octane exined as if this were amon urrence. ¡°They don¡¯t really care about killing Ghosts, just the money it brings ¡ª like mercenaries, in a way. Oh, we¡¯re here.¡± Octane came to a stop before a store that read ¡®CLOTHING STORE¡¯ in full caps. ¡°Well, that is quite the¡­ generic name,¡± Iris remarked softly. ¡°You get used to it,¡± Octaneughed boldly. ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of restaurants named ¡®Restaurant¡¯ around here.¡± Seeing Finn and Iris staying still, he quickly added, ¡°T-That was a joke, by the way. This is the only one that¡¯s named like this. The owner is¡­ you could say, a pretty unique guy, even more so than Kas.¡± Iris and Finn both sighed in relief and walked into the store after Octane. They were already unfamiliar with these parts, and one of them was blind¡­ if everything was called ¡®Store¡¯, they would be in big trouble. ¡°Wee, wee!¡± A cheery male voice greeted the moment they stepped through the door. ¡°H, amigo!¡± Octane strolled up to the employee and did some sort of secret handshake with him, then bumped fists. ¡°Hell yeah! Where¡¯s Mav?¡± ¡°The boss is in the back,ing up with new clothing designs,¡± the staff member answered, to which Octane rolled his eyes. ¡°Agh, of course he is. That guy, does he ever do anything else?¡± ¡°Apart from counting money? No,¡± the young manughed. ¡°Shall I call him for you?¡± ¡°Yeah, tell him I got two new aspiring customers for him,¡± Octane replied with a smirk. ¡°Roger that!¡± The employee quickly scurried off and retreated to the back of the store as Octane turned back around to Finn and Iris. ¡°You two can just look around for now, see if anything catches your eye. It¡¯ll be another good ten minutes before Mav ¡ª the owner here ¡ª actuallyes out.¡± Iris didn¡¯t bother responding as she was already admiring in awe at all the different armor designs in this massive store, from seemingly flimsy and decorative white dresses for women to full-on knight-like silver armor that encased the entire body in protective metal ting. ¡°Hm¡­ Finn, what kind of armor do you want?¡± Iris asked as she climbed up onto Finn¡¯s shoulders to get a better view, eyes wandering around the room. ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter. Anything that can serve its purpose is fine for me.¡± ¡°Everything here can ¡®serve its purpose¡¯,¡± a man of a clear ent with t vowels and clipped endings dered, interrupting the two¡¯s conversation. Finn spun around in the direction of the voice, forcing Iris to turn with him. Octane¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Quicker than usual today, Mav!¡± ¡°I believe I have told you many times now not to call me that, yes? It is Mavrick. M-a-v-r-i-c-k.¡± Mavrick, a blond man who looked to be in his forties wearing a luxurious tux and a monocle to match the look, walked over to Finn and iris. ¡°Now then, my dear new customers¡­ you are new to the Ghost Hunter world, yes? I can see it in your eyes¡­ you arepletely inexperienced in picking out armor.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have eyes,¡± Finn retorted truthfully, perhaps a bit too honest and serious for his own good. ¡°That¡¯s not the point! I can feel it¡­ your entire body is giving off a newbie smell!¡± ¡°Right. So¡­ about the clothes?¡± Finn continued,pletely disregarding the man¡¯s statement. ¡°Hm, yes¡­ let¡¯s start with you, boy,¡± Mavrick narrowed his eyes and stroked his short beard with his fingers. ¡°ck hair, introverted, cold, quiet¡­ hm, yes, I believe some ck armor will suit you quite well.¡± Then, turning his head to Iris, he continued. ¡°As for you, girl¡­ hm, yes, how about white topliment your lover¡¯s ck?¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s not my lover,¡± Iris hurriedly denied, a blush creeping up her face. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m okay with white.¡± Mavrick pped his hands. ¡°Good, good! Now, boy, do you prefer defense or agility more?¡± ¡°I want both,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°Hm, yes, greedy! But I like that. What about you, girl? Defense or agility?¡± ¡°I think¡­ agility will be useless on me, since my legs are crippled¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Mavrick raised an eyebrow in challenge. ¡°You think I, the great Mavrick of A Thousand Clothes, can¡¯t fix that problem?¡± ¡°¡­ You can cure my legs?¡± Iris frowned. ¡°I hope you know¡­ they¡¯ve been tainted by a Phantom. Even Healer Angelicas couldn¡¯t help ¡ª the most they could do was stop the spread of the blight to the rest of my body.¡± ¡°No, no, no! Heavens, no!¡± Mavrick cried in anguish. ¡°Curing your legs? Hmph! Onlymon, talentless lowlifes would think of that! What I mean to do¡­ is give you new ones.¡± ¡°¡­ You want to turn me into a spider?¡± ¡°No! They are not literal legs, obviously! I mean wings, girl! Wings!¡± He threw his hands up into the air and began pping them as if to demonstrate. Iris tilted her head. ¡°Wings? But I don¡¯t have a Celestial Angelica¡­¡± ¡°So? I can give you fake ones,¡± Mavrick calmed down and snorted. ¡°They won¡¯t work as well as the real deal, but they¡¯ll serve. I¡¯ll ask again ¡ª defense or agility?¡± Iris was dubious, but she decided to just y along. ¡°Well, if I can fly with agility, then¡­ obviously agility is the go-to choice.¡± ¡°Good! Wait one moment, I have just the thing for you!¡± Saying this, Mavrick retreated to the backroom of the store once more. After some crashing noises and the sounds of something falling over, he returned, a bruise on his face. In his hands was an angelic white robe with two beautiful wings attached to its back, feathery and light. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris¡¯s eyes sparkled as she gazed in wonder at the heavenly dress, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to try it on. ¡°Heh,¡± Mavrick chuckled, as if having expected this reaction, then handed Iris the robe. It dangled in front of Finn¡¯s face, tickling his nose a bit. ¡°Concentrate and activate your Angelica while holding the robe tightly,¡± Mavrick instructed. Iris did as told, closing her eyes tightly as she clutched the robe. A golden glow surrounded her body as she activated her Oculus Angelica, and all of a sudden, her body along with the robe turnedpletely white. In an instant, the light died away as soon as it came, and on Iris¡¯s body was the angelic robe. ¡°She¡¯s like a real angel¡­¡± Octane¡¯s jaw dropped in awe, stunned by Iris¡¯s beauty. ¡°Woah¡­¡± she nced down at her own body in amazement, then tried moving the wings on her back. However, Mavrick quickly stopped her. ¡°Not here, girl!¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°It takes a lotta practice to maneuver that thing. Don¡¯t test fly in my goddamn store!¡± Iris blinked and cowered her head behind Finn apologetically. ¡°Erm¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°Hmph! Hm, yes, now, as for you, boy¡­¡± Mavrick stared at Finn for a good while, eyes narrowed, then snapped his fingers as an idea struck him and returned to the backroom. ¡°¡­ Did he leave again?¡± Finn asked, confused as he heard the dying sound of footsteps. ¡°Yeah. In case you were wondering, the armor sets out here are all just for normal customers,¡± Octane replied. ¡°Mavrick, like Kas, is good buddies with our boss, so he gets out the good stuff for us.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see.¡± Shortly after, Mavrick returned with a thick cloak as dark as midnight, also with two wings attached to its back. The only difference was that they were ck, unlike the set Iris got. It had quite the long cor, and seemed toe with pants and boots just like Iris¡¯s set. ¡°Defense and agility ¡ª both are in this set, boy, just as you wanted. Titanium chestte and joint guards, surrounded by hard ck leather. Comfortable to move in while also providing sturdy protection. There are even wings, as a bonus!¡± Finn sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t see, so I will just take your word for it. Do you need to know my measurements?¡± ¡°Hah! Measurements? No,¡± Mavrick chuckled. ¡°All clothes made by me automatically fit the size of their wearer. All you have to do is activate your Angelica while holding it, and boom ¡ª before you know it, you¡¯ll be wearing it. Benefits of the Tailor Angelica.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you,¡± Finn said neutrally, voice without an ounce of warmth in it. ¡°Another satisfied customer,¡± Mavrick grinned to himself and handed the cloak to Finn, who epted it. ¡°Now then, try it on.¡± Finn did as told, clutching the cloak tightly as he activated his Oculus Angelica. As a golden glow enveloped him, his body turned pure white for a brief instant. In the next, he was wearing the ck cloak, Iris still riding on his shoulders. Even his pants and shoes had changed, from his old, worn-out ones to brand new ck ones to match the rest of his attire. ¡°Damn, you look sick, dude!¡± Octane cheered. ¡°Almost like Storm, except you have wings!¡± ¡°Mm¡­ I think it suits you pretty well,¡± Iris agreed. ¡°How is it?¡± Mavrick asked despite already knowing the answer. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Finn replied nonchntly, moving around in this new armor to the best of his abilities while Iris sat on his shoulders. Together, it seemed like an angel was riding on top of a demon, one pure and innocent, the other dark and corrupted. ¡°Wait,¡± Iris suddenly interjected. ¡°I have an idea, after seeing how you look¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Everyone present stopped to listen to what she had to say. ¡°Remember what Archon said about an alias? I have a suggestion for you.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. ¡°Thispletely ck outfit¡­ it kind of reminds me of the ace of spades in a deck of ying cards,¡± Iris exined hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why, but¡­ the Ace of Spades ismonly known as the Card of Death, and this cloak of yours gives me simr vibes.¡± ¡°Ace of Spades? Too long,¡± Octane shot down the idea. ¡°It¡¯s cool, but three words, seriously? Aliases need to be short!¡± ¡°In that case¡­ how about just Ace?¡± Iris suggested with a wry smile. ¡°It usually represents the highest card in a ying deck, used to turn dire situations around. This signifies hidden strength and the ability to determine the course of a battle ¡ª our trump card, essentially.¡± Finn fell into thought. ¡°Ace, huh?¡± On that day, the man named Finn Thresher was forever erased from the annals of history, dered dead and never to be remembered. But left in his ce¡­ was a single, godlike entity: Ace. Chapter 15: The Call of Battle Chapter 15: The Call of Battle ¡°Seems like both of you are happy with your new clothes,¡± Mavrick grinned, stroking his beard. ¡°Now then¡­¡± He turned to Octane, who had an innocent look on his face. ¡°¡­ About the price.¡± At this, Octane froze. ¡°P-Price?¡± ¡°Of course. Just because your boss and I are oldrades, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t charge you. In fact, I should charge you more, no?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ damn, I think my boss is calling, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Saying this, he dashed out of the store at Mach 1, sending a gush of wind blowing past Iris and Finn¡¯s face. ¡°Hey! Get back here, bastard!¡± Mavrick roared in anger and took off after him. ¡°¡­ Um, what now?¡± Iris asked hesitantly. ¡°Follow them, I suppose,¡± Finn replied. ***** After several minutes, Octane arrived at therge watchtower that had brought them down here. He turned around and gazed down the empty road for any sign of his persecutor, and sighed in relief when he saw no one. ¡°Sheesh¡­ that was close¡­ I almost had to go bankrupt.¡± Then, he realized something. ¡°Oh, wait¡­ Finn and Miss Ivis are still back there¡­ goddamn it!¡± He smacked his own head and hurried back to the city, praying he doesn¡¯t run into Mavrick. After a while of searching, he finally found the duo. They weren¡¯t especially hard to locate, given how Iris was riding on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Aha! There they are!¡± Octane chuckled and hurried over to them. ¡°Hey, follow me! Hurry!¡± ¡°What-¡° He grabbed Finn¡¯s hand before he could finish and pulled him through the crowd at the speed of a race car, with Iris clutching on for dear life. Somehow, they managed to get to the watchtower without Mavrick finding them. It seems that he had been so busy chasing down Octane that hepletely forgot about Finn and Iris, who were much easier to find. ¡°Whew¡­ finally,¡± Octane whistled in relief, cing his hands on his hips and ncing down the way they just came from. ¡°¡­ Is this fine?¡± Finn asked quietly, still holding onto Iris¡¯s legs to prevent her from falling off. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Octaneughed. ¡°You can just owe him and pay back your debt whenever you get the money.¡± ¡°That is the problem¡­ where do I get money?¡± ¡°Jobs, amigo. Every time we take down Ghosts, our boss receives rewards from the guild, then distributes it equally among everyone who participated.¡± ¡°Jobs¡­ so how do we get one?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, you just need to-¡° Suddenly, an upbeat song in anguage Finn didn¡¯t know began sting from Octane¡¯s pants, cutting his sentence short. He quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket and answered it, bringing it to his ear. ¡°Yeah? Wussup, boss?¡± ¡°An Outbreak¡¯s been detected in our region, District A. Get your ass over here, now!¡± ¡°Huh? But there was one just two days ago!¡± Octane cried. ¡°Why the hell is there another one so soon? There¡¯s usually at least a week between Outbreaks!¡± ¡°You think I know?!¡± Archon roared through the phone. ¡°Enoughining, just get over here immediately!¡± ¡°U-Uh, sure, but what about Miss Ivis and Finn?¡± ¡°Shit¡­ I forgot you were with them¡­ damn it, there¡¯s no time, just take them along! They got their armor already, right?¡± ¡°Yep, they¡¯re all set!¡± ¡°Perfect, I have their weapons finished already, juste to me! Fanatic¡¯s sent the location to your phone!¡± ¡°On it, boss!¡± Octane replied as Archon hung up, then put down his phone and turned to Finn and Iris. ¡°Welp¡­ looks like you two will be getting your first job right now.¡± ***** Octane raced up the watchtower, Finn and Iris following after him. Thanks to their synergy, Finn managed to avoid crashing into any walls and sessfully made it up to the top. Octane hurriedly smashed on the door at the end of a long, narrow corridor, the one leading to Kasfield¡¯s Outfitters. ¡°Hey, Kas! Open up! Hurry!¡± ¡°What is the hurry¡­¡± the aged man on the other side was confused, but triggered the mechanism anyway and let the trio out. ¡°No time to exin,¡± Octane quickly said. ¡°Can we use your teleporter? It¡¯s an emergency.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re takin¡¯ somethin¡¯ seriously for once, kid, that means it really is serious,¡± Kas sighed and pressed another hidden button, revealing a different room beyond yet another bookshelf. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thanks, I owe you one!¡± Octane dashed into the new room, then spun around. ¡°C¡¯mon, you two! Hurry up!¡± Finn quickly ran as fast as he could down the hallway and into the new room, still carrying Iris. Together, the three stepped onto a tform with four sci-fi-like white and blue pirs surrounding it, a massive blue gem hovering above the middle within threeyers of glowing hollow circles. ¡°Alright, you two, think with me ¡ª District A!¡± Finn and Iris concentrated, willing themselves to be warped to their target location. Several secondster, they were surrounded by a shimmer of light, teleported across space. ***** In a sh, the trio found themselves within an empty alleyway, narrow and noisome from all the garbage littered around. A massive storm had appeared, shrouding the city in fog and rain. Everyone had retreated inside, unable to see a thing from the dense mist. Because this was in the slums, no cars were out and about. Octane pulled out his phone and opened some sort of map app, then panned it around after zooming out. ¡°Okay¡­ got it.¡± Then, he tossed the device over to Iris, who caught it. ¡°Read the map and go to the location on it! I¡¯ll head over first!¡± Saying this, he suddenly pulled out a syringe of some sort from his other pocket and stabbed it into his right thigh, crying out as a ck and green motorcycle suit suddenly materialized on him, helmet and all. His entire body was encased in a brilliant green glow. ¡°Alright¡­ now we¡¯re talkin¡¯,¡± heughed darkly and shattered the syringe in his now-gloved hand, cranking his head both ways as the tiny ss pieces ttered to the floor, forever lost amongst the rest of the garbage in this alleyway. Then, he got into a running position and immediately took off, leaving behind nothing but the sound of wind and a faint green trail. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go too,¡± Finn said, eager to join the fight. Iris nodded as she nced at the map disyed on the phone. It was slightly difficult with all the rain falling down and blocking the screen, but she managed to do it. ¡°Directly ahead, 500 meters, then turn right.¡± Finn nodded in response. ¡°Got it.¡± ***** ¡°50 meters¡­ 25¡­ okay, turn!¡± Iris shouted as Finn skidded to a stop and made a sharp right turn. ¡°Now¡­ should be right up ahead, roughly 300 meters!¡± Finn could hear the sound of battle and the familiar dissonant screaming of the Ghosts by now, and he gritted his teeth in hatred. Driven by the dark anger in his heart, he picked up his pace even further. In that moment, his mind was set on one thing and one thing only ¡ª eradicating all the Ghosts here. ¡°There they are!¡± Iris dered. The voice made Archon, who had a Phantom on top of him, turn his head. ¡°Goddamn it, kid¡­ you¡¯re¡­ finally¡­ RAGH!¡± He gritted his teeth as he struggled to push back against the Phantom over him, trying to bite through his warhammer¡¯s pole like some kind of rabid dog. Then, roaring, his whole body lit up in a bright orange glow as his strength increased, allowing him to hold the Phantom back with one hand for a brief moment. ¡°Here, kid!¡± Archon yelled and tossed a pair of fingerless ck gloves in Finn¡¯s direction, along with a mainly white handgun and two packs of ammunition. ¡°Take that and helped me out a bit!¡± He quickly switched back to using both hands holding his warhammer as the temporary strength boost wore out, yelling in anger as he prepared to meet the Phantom¡¯s attack. Iris immediately picked up the handgun from Finn¡¯s hands and somehow skillfully took aim and fired a bullet with perfect precision, while Finn was still busy putting on the gloves. The bullet struck the Phantom directly in the head, sending it sprawling off Archon¡¯s body and over to one side as ck blood leaked out of its wound. Archon, not wasting any time, hurriedly got off from the floor and smashed his warhammer into the injured Phantom¡¯s head, crushing itpletely. The Phantom spasmed a few times before disappearing into a cloud of ck mist, drowned out by all the fog around them. Iris let out a deep breath and clutched the gun in her hand calmly,pletely unfazed by the recoil or the idea that she just killed a Phantom. ¡°Bloody hell¡­¡± Archon muttered, straightening back up and turning to Finn and Iris. ¡°I owe ya one, girl. Where¡¯d you learn how to shoot like that? Can¡¯t just be a lucky shot, seeing howposed you are.¡± ¡°A-Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Iris stuttered, fumbling the gun out of her hands in nervousness. Finn caught it, luckily, having finished putting on his gloves, as Iris cowered behind his shoulders. ¡°Where are the others?¡± Finn asked, as he heard no sign of Octane, Storm, or Reaper. ¡°They went on ahead, chasing after a big guy,¡± Archon said. ¡°I was left alone, thinking I could handle the remaining Phantoms here, but then¡­ I got caught by surprise. It was a foolish order on my part.¡± Suddenly, a noise came from Archon¡¯s earpiece, and he narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­ What? A Titan-ss?¡± ¡°Yes, boss. This energy signature¡­ without a doubt, it is a Titan-ss Phantom ¡ª the one leading all these Morphers.¡± ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Archon cursed, then turned to Finn and Iris. ¡°Come on, we have a job to do. If there¡¯s really a Titan-ss Phantom here¡­ those three will get obliterated on their own.¡± Chapter 16: The First Kill Chapter 16: The First Kill Archon dashed through the dense rain and fog as fast as he could, Finn carrying Iris and following him. The precipitation was so heavy that if it wasn¡¯t for the storm drains around on the ground, a flood could¡¯ve possibly ensued. Had Finn been a normal human still, there was no doubt running in this storm like this would¡¯ve been difficult for him. But with the mysterious yet incredible physical enhancements of the Ghost blood in his body, this wasn¡¯t much of a challenge at all. ¡°Fanatic!¡± Archon yelled through his earpiece as he continued running through the tight alleyways of these slums. ¡°Octane, Reaper, and Storm have went on ahead, and they aren¡¯t responding to myms. Can you track their location?¡± After a brief static noise, Fanatic¡¯s reply came. ¡°Archon, I cannot get through to Octane and Storm either, but I am just barely picking up on Reaper¡¯s signal ¡ª 500 meters northeast from where you are!¡± ¡°Copy!¡± Archon immediately skidded to a stop and turned right sharply as Iris frantically gave Finn instructions. He could track down Archon¡¯s general direction by the sound of his footsteps sshing in the water, but there was plenty of junk lying around in these slums ¡ª hence why Iris had to help him avoid crashing into anything. Archon quickly turned left at the next intersection, then right again at the next, forming a somewhat diagonal path from where they started. ¡°500 meters¡­ should be right here¡­¡± Archon muttered, panting heavily as he looked around for any sign of hisrades. ¡°Fanatic, what¡¯s going on¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m unsure!¡± Fanatic shouted from the earpiece. ¡°You are right on top of Reaper¡¯s signal from what I can see here¡­¡± ¡°What? Then WHERE ARE THEY?!¡± He roared, losing his temper in a panic. He smashed the building right beside us with all his might, leaving a crater in the solid brick wall. ¡°I¡¯m not about to lose another brethren¡­ NOT AGAIN!¡± ¡°Calm down, Archon,¡± Iris said. ¡°Losing your cool won¡¯t do anything here.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ I-I know¡­¡± He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly, knowing Iris was right. ¡®Fanatic said we were right on top of Reaper¡¯s signal,¡¯ Finn analyzed in his head, recalling all the storm drains he had stepped over on the way here. ¡®If they aren¡¯t anywhere around us, then¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­ Below.¡± ¡°What?¡± Iris and Archon turned to Finn in confusion. ¡°They are underneath us, in the sewers ¡ª that¡¯s the only exnation.¡± The two both widened their eyes in surprise as if not expecting this answer. ¡°I got it¡­ stand aside,¡± Archon narrowed his eyes and said, gripping his warhammer tightly with both hands. Finn, carrying Iris, quickly backed off a short distance. Then, once they were outside of the danger zone, Archon raised his hammer into the air and brought it down with every ounce of strength he had. ¡°RAGH!¡± BOOM! As Finn and Iris covered their faces to avoid being struck by the flying debris, the ground where Archon had struck fell through the earth with a loud crash, revealing a hollowed sewer system beneath. However, Octane, Storm, and Reaper were still yet to be seen. That was probably a good thing, since they could very well have been crushed by the debris just now. Luckily though, no voices were heard. ¡°There really is somethin¡¯ down here¡­ thank god these slums are old and unmaintained. The ground¡¯s weak enough for me to break through,¡± Archon muttered, before immediately jumping down into the gaping hole without any hesitation. Iris quickly switched positions, letting Finn carry her like a princess so that he could jump down easier. Landing beside the pile of debris on the concrete floor, Finn let Iris climb back up to his shoulders. The whole process took less than five seconds, showcasing their seamless teamwork despite being together for less than a day. ¡°Still no sign of them¡­ they¡¯ve got to be further down,¡± Archon said, stomping the floor with his feet. ¡°Unfortunately, this concrete is too hard for me to break through, even if I use all my strength.¡± ¡°If even you can¡¯t break it, then there has to be another way down,¡± Iris said, looking around. ¡°We have no choice but to keep exploring and hope we make it in time.¡± Archon clenched his fists. ¡°We will¡­ we must.¡± ***** The trio ventured through the empty sewers, the eerie silence weighing down on them. The smell inside was quite foul, but none of themined. Their own allies could be on the brink of death right now, after all ¡ª it was hardly the time to be worrying about a little difort. Finn and Iris both owed their lives to Archon and his group, so it was only natural they would help him out here. Besides, it was a good training opportunity for Finn¡­ and also a nice way for him to get some proper battle experience. ¡°Fanatic,¡± Archon said through his earpiece. ¡°Fanatic, can you hear me?¡± ¡ªSTATIC¡ª ¡°¡­ Fuck,¡± he cursed in frustration. ¡°Signal down here¡¯s dead. Did any of you memorize Reaper¡¯s location?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°I did.¡± Since he became blind, he counted every step he took to help him memorize locations and paths to take. Currently, sinceing into the sewer, he was on 328, just walking in a straight line. All he had to do once they found a way down was to retrace the steps he took in the opposite direction. ¡°Good¡­¡± Archon sighed in relief. ¡°Sorry to drag you into such danger on your first mission, kid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Finn replied briskly,pletely devoid of emotion. ¡°You saved my life. I am repaying that deb-¡° ¡°Quiet!¡± Iris suddenly whispered sharply, causing the two men to immediately fall silent and bend down, scanning their surroundings for danger. Iris had her eyes shut tightly, brows furrowed in concentration. ¡°I can see them¡­ two Scout-ss Phantoms, 100 meters to our right.¡± Archon snuck up to the corner, then hesitantly peeked around. Immediately, he turned his head back, then nodded. ¡®They¡¯re there,¡¯ the gesture confirmed. Then, he tapped on Finn¡¯s shoulder and motioned for him to take the lead as they switched positions. Finn gratefully epted the offer, then clenched his fists tightly as he felt three long, sharp metal des extend from the slits between his middle three fingers on both hands, via the ck gloves he was wearing. This surprised him a bit, but he figured that was how these worked. This way, the gauntlets would be unrivaled in melee while also providing a bit of range in case it¡¯s needed. As the two Phantoms got closer, Iris lowered herself on Finn¡¯s back so that she could whisper into his ear, as quietly as possible. ¡°Okay¡­ they¡¯reing, right around the corner. When I say ¡®now¡¯, hook a fist around the wall to hit one square in the face, then immediately use that momentum to swing your entire body around as well so I can get the other one. Understand?¡± Finn nodded briskly, face solemn and cold. ¡°Alright. 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­¡± Finn reared his fist back- ¡°¡­ Now!¡± -And unleashed a devastating left hook with all of his strength 180 degrees around the corner. He felt the des on his left glove sink into something soft, but his job wasn¡¯t over just yet. Taking advantage of his punch¡¯s momentum just like Iris instructed him to, he swung his entire body around the wall as well. Before either Phantom could even react, Iris, who already had her handgun pulled out and ready as she clutched Finn¡¯s neck tightly to hold on, pulled the trigger, letting the bullet fly. The weapon didn¡¯t even make a sound as it struck true, piercing directly through the second Phantom¡¯s forehead. Both monstrosities fell backward onto the ground limply before disintegrating into grey ashes. Iris smiled smugly. ¡°Nice one, Finn.¡± ¡°¡­ You too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some nice teamwork for a duo who just partnered up a few hours ago,¡± Archon chuckled, patting Finn on the shoulder. ¡°Looks like my decision wasn¡¯t wrong.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn rxed his fists, letting the des retract. ¡®I did it,¡¯ he told himself. ¡®My first proper Ghost kill.¡¯ It was easier than he had imagined, but he had no doubt these ¡®Drone-ss¡¯ Phantoms were among the weakest of opponents. ying one was nothing to be proud of, but it was a start. Still, far stronger challengers awaited him in the future, so if he wanted to face them, he would need to get a whole lot stronger. As Archon prepared to continue forward to explore the sewers deeper, Iris interjected. ¡°Hold on. There¡¯s something I want to try.¡± Saying this, she closed her eyes once more as a golden aura surrounded her, signaling that she had activated her Angelica. ¡°The Oculus Angelica has another high-level skill in addition to radar that allows me to see through thin walls. Seeing as how this Titan-ss Phantom chose to hide hisir beneath the ground¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he hid the proper way down within a wall.¡± Snapping her eyes back open, they were shining a bright gold. ¡°Eye of Omnipotence ¡ª Transparence!¡± The trio began moving again as Iris looked around with her upgraded eyes, scanning for any sort of hidden mechanism. And then, her gaze fell upon one wall in particr, shining a bright gold in her eyes and highlighting a hole of some sort on the ground inside. ¡°Found it!¡± She called out and pointed to their left, causing Archon and Finn to both stop. ¡°It¡¯s that one, directly to our left.¡± ¡°The one that looks like a dead-end, huh¡­¡± Archon muttered in disgust. ¡°I see it, but the only problem¡­¡± Iris closed her eyes, activating her radar, and realized what he was talking about. ¡°Yeah¡­ there are over a dozen Phantoms in the way.¡± Chapter 17: Empowered Senses Chapter 17: Empowered Senses ¡°How are we going to deal with them¡­?¡± Iris asked, peeking over the corner at all the slouched Phantoms loitering around as if guarding something. ¡°They are too grouped up for us to deal with them one-by-one.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Archon snorted, spinning his warhammer around in his hand. ¡°You have yet to see me in action, have ya? You guys already got to have fun¡­ it¡¯s my turn now.¡± Iris frowned skeptically, recalling the dire situation he had been in mere minutes earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t want to doubt your power, but¡­ are you sure you can take down all of them in a single strike? If you can¡¯t, all the other Phantom patrols down here will be alerted. We won¡¯t be able to just waltz our way out of here.¡± ¡°Rx, girl. What do you think you two are for?¡± he chuckled, an evil smirk on his face. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen is I¡¯ll jump out there, directly in the middle of them all, and strike downwards with my charged hammer strike. The shockwave can wipe out most of them, but the ones closest to us and furthest to us right now probably won¡¯t get killed.¡± ¡°¡­ So you want us to take care of them,¡± Finn concluded. ¡°I see. I can get the ones closest right now, but the ones furthest away are far out of my range.¡± ¡°I can kill those ones,¡± Iris stated confidently. ¡°But if we want to kill them before they are able to alert their friends, it¡¯ll have to be near-instant¡­ telling you callouts will be difficult, Finn. I can tell you where they are right now, but the shockwave from Archon¡¯s attack might make them move.¡± ¡°But if we want to prevent the other Phantoms from finding out¡­ would crashing down with a massive warhammer really be the best idea?¡± Finn asked quietly. ¡°They don¡¯t have ears,¡± Archon exined. ¡°Theymunicate with one another through a special type of frequency, simr to brain waves but through the air.¡± Finn fell into thought. ¡°Hm, I see. I noticed this earlier, but these Drone-ss Phantoms emit a low-pitched humming noise, correct?¡± Archon and Iris exchanged nces, confused. ¡°Uh¡­ I said they use special brain waves tomunicate, but you can¡¯t hear these waves as they are not sound. At least, not that I know of,¡± Archon said, furrowing his brows. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything myself.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Iris added. ¡°Are you certain, Finn?¡± ¡°Yes. Whatever it is, what I heard was definitely not a hallucination,¡± Finn muttered to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Iris, don¡¯t worry about me, just hit your targets. I¡¯ll be moving around, so keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Finn, I still think it¡¯s better if I tell you their locations beforehan-¡° ¡°Stop doubting the poor kid,¡± Archonughed, patting Finn on the shoulder. ¡°He looks like he¡¯s got a n. I don¡¯t understand it either, but I believe in him ¡ª and you should too. Trust is the first step in building a good rapport between two teammates.¡± ¡°¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Iris said with a sigh. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not used to working together with someone else. Finn¡­ I don¡¯t know what you have in mind, but go for it. I¡¯ll hit my marks ¡ª so you better as well.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Finn said briskly in reply. Archon cracked his knuckles. ¡°Alright¡­ you two ready?¡± Iris and Finn both nodded. He grinned as a fiery orange aura surrounded him and his hammer, then peeked around the corner once more to confirm hisnding location. ¡°Sweet¡­ let¡¯s do this.¡± ***** ¨C A Few Minutes Earlier, Elsewhere in the Sewers ¨C ¡°D-Damn it, Storm, this is all your fault!¡± Octane yelled, kicking frantically at the walls of the invisible cube they were in. ¡°My fault?¡± Storm snarled. ¡°You¡¯re the one who took off after the Titan without even bothering to use your brain, falling straight into its trap. And now it¡¯s my fault?¡± ¡°Yeah? Well if you hadn¡¯t identally spooked it with your lightning, I wouldn¡¯t have had to chase it down!¡± ¡°Tch¡­!¡± ¡°Grr¡­!¡± The third member of the trio with them, Reaper, was unable to stand their bickering any longer, and decided to shut the two up with a single cold string of text. [Rmendation to cease arguing like two feral canines with severe intermittent explosive disorder.] ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Octane and Storm both turned away from the other, realizing Reaper was right. Arguing amongst themselves wasn¡¯t going to help them escape from this weird transparent cube of a cage. They had tried everything ¡ª brute force, Storm¡¯s lightning, and the entirety of Reaper¡¯s arsenal of weapons that did not possess the risk of blowing themselves up. None of them worked against this mysterious material. From a short distance away, the Titan-ss Phantom sat, its huge figure filling up nearly the whole height of the room even when not standing. It could kill the three trapped prisoners before it anytime it wanted, but before that, three unknown intruders had infiltrated hisir. Unlike its minions, this Titan-ss Phantom possessed intelligence¡­ somewhat. At the very least, it knew basic strategies such as using hostages to lure out their allies, which was exactly what it was doing right now. It was clear the three invaders were searching for some people, based on how frantically the old one was yelling earlier. The Phantom knew this, which was why it refrained from killing its prisoners. It was better to eliminate all its possible threats in one go now rather than let theme back for revenge in the future. The Titan-ss tapped itsrge white fingers on the ground lightly, its thick and glowing body pulsating from time to time with bright energy. Patiently, it waited for its prey. ***** ¨C A Floor Above ¨C Archon leaped out of cover and into the air, enormous warhammer burning bright orange with fire and might. ¡°Get a taste of¡­ THIS!¡± He crashed down from mid-air with all his strength, smashing directly into the sewage water and sending the Phantoms surrounding him flying away with a huge water ssh. Immediately, Finn, with Iris on his back, rounded the corner as well. Finn concentrated hard, searching for the same low-frequency sound he heard before when surprise-engaging the two Drone-ss Phantoms from earlier. All other sounds ¡ª the Phantoms¡¯ shrieks, Archon¡¯s roar, and the muffled noise of Iris¡¯s gunshots ¡ª seemed to drown out as Finn attempted to locate what he was looking for. ¡®Hmph¡­ there!¡¯ Finn suddenly activated the des on his gloves by clenching his fists tightly and swung to his right, where he heard an extremely low-frequency sound normally inaudible to the normal human ear. ¡°SKREE!¡± He heard the painful shriek of a Phantom and his gloves¡¯ sharp des sinking into something gooey, signaling that he had sessfully struck his enemy down. However, another sound of the same pitch grew louder and louder, this time from behind him. He quickly swung around, which would¡¯ve thrown Iris¡¯s aim off quite a bit, but luckily, she was already done taking down all the targets far away where Archon did not reach. Finn swung his arm with all his hatred in the direction of the humming noise he was hearing and felt his arm prate through some sort of cold, soft material. His arm came out on the other side as the rest of the matter surrounding it suddenly dissipated into nothingness, apanied by the ear-splitting scream that was second only to that of a banshee from movies. Finn quickly returned to his original position and swung his head around frantically, searching for the next signal. Until¡­ ¡°It¡¯s over, Finn. You can rx now.¡± Iris cupped his face with her soft, gentle hands from above, the warmth erasing all coldness he had felt from the Phantom¡¯s body when he pierced through it with his gauntlet. Finn let out a deep breath and retracted the des on his gloves, rxing his muscles and easing the tension in his heart. ¡°You really pulled it off, kid,¡± Archon chuckled and shook his head in wonder. ¡°¡­ I thought you said you believed in me,¡± Finn replied emotionlessly. ¡°I did, I just¡­¡± ¡°SKREE!¡± Suddenly, a loud scream that clearly belonged to that of a Phantom rang out in the trio¡¯s ears, as hundreds more echoed it before they could even react. ¡°We got spotted, somehow!¡± Iris shouted in a panic. ¡°We have to go!¡± ¡°Ah, shit¡­¡± Archon muttered and gritted his teeth. ¡°Looks like we overstayed our wee. Stand back, you two!¡± As hundreds of Phantoms appeared simultaneously in the sewer tunnels, scaling the walls and dashing wildly through the sewage to get to the trio of invaders, Archon swung his hammer back and charged towards the wall directly ahead of them. ¡°RAGH!¡± BOOM! He smashed his hammer with everything he had left into the wall as it caved in instantly, revealing a gaping hole inside. ¡°Come on!¡± he yelled, before jumping down without a second thought. There was no time to consider whether this was a good decision or not as Finn and Iris followed, just barely escaping the countless Phantoms heading their way. After all, there was nothing ¡®good¡¯ about this situation. It was either bad, or worse. They picked their poison. Chapter 18: The Titan Phantom Chapter 18: The Titan Phantom There was no time for Iris to switch to a princess-carry position, so thending on the ground below was a bit harsh, but Finn managed to stick it nheless. Unfortunately, the Phantoms that had chased them down here followed through the gaping hole in the ceiling, and there was no time to rest. Finn and Iris quickly readjusted themselves and prepared to keep running¡­ but Archon did not. He remained rooted in ce, tightening his grip on his warhammer. ¡°Damn it¡­ this is how it¡¯s going to be, huh?¡± He muttered, much to the surprise of Finn and Iris, who stopped in their tracks. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Iris asked, frowning in confusion. ¡°You guys go forward¡­ I¡¯ll buy you some time. If we just keep running like this, we won¡¯t be able to get anything done. You got this, rookies¡­ bring those three idiots back for me.¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened slightly, but she realized this was the right decision. Nodding firmly and solemnly, she turned away from him. ¡°¡­ On it, Archon.¡± ***** As Archon roared in fury and leaped into battle against the enormous horde of Phantoms, Finn and Iris disappeared into the dark corridors of this floor, dimly lit only by the asional white light on the ceiling. There was no sewage water or any stench down here, which made Iris and Finn wonder who ¡ª or what ¡ª made this, and for what purpose. It couldn¡¯t possibly have been built by a Phantom¡­ could it? ¡°Finn. You still remember the number of steps we took up there?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°To the bone. We shouldn¡¯t be too far.¡± ¡°I see¡­ we¡¯re on a time limit here. There¡¯s no telling how long Archon can hold out for, so we need to hurry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. You don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± The two sprinted through the halls, with Finn adjusting his step count inside his head to match his currentrger stridespared to before. Luckily, theyout down here seemed to be identical to the floor above, making it easy to navigate. That is, except for a single room right in the center of the whole maze. The two reached it after about five minutes of running. Finn still had plenty of energy left thanks to his Ghost blood. ¡°Stop,¡± Iris suddenly called out. ¡°There¡¯s a wall in front of us¡­ looks like a dead end. Finn, did you¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t miscalcte,¡± Finn immediately replied. ¡°They should be right up ahead.¡± Iris stared intently into the wall and took a deep breath. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Closing her eyes tightly, she concentrated and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re right ¡ª I sense four energy signatures beyond this wall. Three belong to humans, while one is hostile. And the hostile one seems¡­ powerful.¡± ¡°That must be the Titan-ss Archon mentioned earlier, then¡­¡± Finn muttered. ¡°But how do we break down this wall, without him here?¡± Right as he said those words, however, a crack suddenly appeared in the wall. ¡°Get back!¡± Iris yelled as Finn quickly leaped backward a short distance, activating his gauntlets¡¯ des and preparing forbat. Arge white hand suddenly tore through the crack and pried the rest of the wall apart, creating a loud rumble that shook the whole ground. And out through the demolished concrete, came an enormous, pure-white figure, with glowing lumps on its back that pulsed grotesquely with energy and that same sgow smile that defined all Phantoms. ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t need to break down the wall after all, huh¡­¡± Iris muttered, gritting her teeth and taking aim with her handgun. She quickly fired off a few bullets towards her target, but it was merely absorbed into the massive creature¡¯s body and served to amplify the pulsing of the various disgusting lumps on its back. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit of a problem.¡± ¡°¡­ I have a n,¡± Finn said quietly as the massive Phantom began taking steps towards them, shaking the very earth every time it did so. ¡°I¡¯ll start running away, while you keep shooting at it. Then, once far enough, I¡¯ll throw you past it and into the room, where you will then find a way to free the other three.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured¡­ fine, but you¡¯re going to owe me a lot more than a wheelchair for this.¡± Finn wanted to argue, saying he wasn¡¯t even the one who broke it, but now was anything but the time. Immediately, he turned around and ran, right as the Titan-ss Phantom smashed the ground where they had just been, sending chunks of the concrete floor flying. Finn ducked down to avoid being hit by the airborne debris, while Iris cleverly lowered herself onto his back to do the same. Quickly regaining hisposure, Finn began sprinting again, calcting his own speed while keeping track of the Phantom¡¯s based on the number of mini-earthquakes he could feel. Once there was a bit of a distance between himself and the Phantom, he purposely slowed down to let it catch up, while pretending to simply be out of energy. He deduced that if this monster was capable of employing strategies such as hostage-taking, it definitely possessed a certain amount of intelligence and wouldn¡¯t be fooled that easily. In order to prevent it from finding out Finn had a tricky n up his sleeve, he had to act this way. Pretending to pant heavily and even going as far as to purposely stumble a bit, Finn managed to sessfully to convince the Phantom with his tricks. And once they were far away enough from the room where the abomination came out from and their allies were, Finn suddenly did an 180 degree turn, holding Iris up like a shot put ball, before utilizing all the momentum he built up through that run tounch her towards the demolished wall. ¡°Use your wings.¡± Iris, faced with this message, gritted her teeth as she soared past the monster. ¡°Ugh¡­ screw you, Finn!¡± She activated her Angelica and poured all the energy she had into her armor, hoping to activate the wings on them, but it wasn¡¯t working. Slowly, she was losing altitude. At this rate, she would crash into the ground before reaching the wall¡­ and all of Finn¡¯s efforts would be made in vain. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ let that¡­ happen¡­!¡± Her eyes began zing a bright golden as she continued to fall, biting her own lip hard enough to draw blood. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­!¡± But s, it still wasn¡¯t working. No matter how hard she tried, the wings on her armor refused to work. Did she get scammed by Mavrick? No¡­ she just merely wasn¡¯t strong enough. Closing her eyes, she epted her fate. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Finn¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Archon¡­¡¯ ¡°To reach for the stars, one must first know the earth. To soar across the skies, one must first understand how to walk. And to achieve victory¡­ one must first taste defeat.¡± As those words were spoken to Iris by a mysterious voice inside her head, right before she hit the ground, a sudden surge of momentum upwards lifted her back up, causing her eyes to snap back open. ¡°Wha¡­!¡± Iris nced behind her to see two beautiful white wings, as pure as angels and glowing a faint gold that matched the color of her Angelica. ¡°It worked¡­ it really worked!¡± She cried to herself, before quickly soaring towards the demolished wall. It wasn¡¯t all that difficult to control, and the movements felt quite natural to Iris despite this being her first time flying. Heading straight through the demolished wall, she came up right in front of Octane, Storm, and Reaper, trapped within some sort of transparent ss cube. ¡°Miss Ivis!¡± Octane yelled, knocking at the wall of the cube. His voice was muffled, but since Iris was so close to them, she could hear it just fine. ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here¡­ now, how do I get you out¡­?¡± ¡°Break open the sacs on the Titan¡¯s back,¡± Storm said calmly. ¡°They are its only weak spot and will reduce its power. Once you destroy enough of them, this cube will naturally disappear.¡± Iris turned back to look at the Titan-ss Phantom to see what Storm was talking about, but her eyes widened when she saw what her partner was trying to do. ¡°Finn¡­ what is he¡­!¡± Immediately forgetting all else, she flew away once more in the direction she came from, gritting her teeth and pulling out her handgun. Taking aim as she hovered in the air, she pointed her gun at the creature¡¯s back, where exactly twelve pulsating sacs of energy were. And on top of its head, Finn held on, trying desperately to bnce himself on top of its head in order to distract the Phantom from going after Iris. ¡°Finn!¡± Quickly letting out a shot, Iris rushed over just as Finn was swiped away by one of the creature¡¯srge arms, and caught him in hers. Meanwhile, the bullet she shot hit the Titan true in the back, right in its upper-right sac. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn groaned. ¡°Iris¡­ did you¡­ get them out?¡± ¡°No, we need to break open the sacs on its back,¡± she said, soaring around and remaining out of the Phantom¡¯s range. ¡°I got one, but that¡¯s not enough¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Got it. I¡¯ll distract it from the front, you circle around to the back and shoot the sacs open.¡± ¡°H-Huh? Wait, you just got injur-¡° ¡°You said it yourself. We¡¯re on a time limit.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ hard to argue there. Okay, let¡¯s do it!¡± Saying this, Iris dropped Finn down gently a short distance away from the Phantom, then flew away to get out of its attention. Finn activated his gloves¡¯ des and lunged towards the direction of the Titan¡¯s loud footsteps, fully prepared for whates next. Chapter 19: Taken Down Chapter 19: Taken Down Finn jumped up onto the Titan-ss Phantom¡¯s head, visualizing the creature in his mind to help him gauge how high he needed to go. He had an idea of how big the creature was based on the amount of noise it was making with every step, and having already climbed up once, the second time wasn¡¯t as difficult. The Phantom tried throwing Finn off, but he could tell when an arm swipe wasing for him from the wind that arrived before the actual strike. Using his quick reactions and taking advantage of the monster¡¯s slow, sluggish movements, Finn was able to dodge all of them ¡ª so far. There was no telling how much longer he could hold on for, as each time the monster swiped at him, he had to jump off briefly before reattaching himself to it using the sharp ws on his gloves to stab into the creature¡¯s soft body. Luckily, the Titan had a huge frame, leaving little room for Finn to actually miss. Still, he couldn¡¯t keep doing this forever, as his stamina was slowly starting to run out. Even with Ghost blood, his energy was limited. Iris realized this, and quickly took aim while hovering in the air behind the massive Phantom. It was a bit difficult since she had not mastered the art of staying perfectly stable in the air yet, but she slowly began to understand the swaying patterns of her wings and skillfully adjusted her own aim to match them. Narrowing her eyes, she pulled the trigger as the reticle of her gun aligned with the top-left nd of energy on the back of the Phantom. The bullet flew out of the chamber silently, like a trained assassin hidden in the cloak of night. ¡°GRAH!¡± The Titan-ss Phantom roared deeply in fury as the nd exploded, sending ck liquid flying everywhere. Iris quickly dodged out of the way to avoid being stained, then immediately let out four consecutive bullets while the creature was stunned, each one hitting another sac on its back. The Phantom shrieked once again, its thunderous cry of anger so powerful that it caused specks of dust to fall down from the ceiling, as if threatening to cave in at any moment. ¡°Are you out yet?!¡± Iris yelled into the room where the three others were. ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s thinning!¡± Octane shouted back. ¡°A little more should do the trick!¡± Iris gritted her teeth as she skillfully unloaded the chamber of her six-shot revolver and reloaded it using the bullets Archon had given her, utilizing skills she had learned before during her dark past. ¡°Finn, just hold on a bit longer¡­!¡± Finn bit his lip and quickly jumped upwards to avoid an arm swipe, before immediately smashing back down and driving his gauntlets¡¯ des into the Phantom¡¯s head. However, it did absolutely no damage ¡ª it was like this creature¡¯s entire body was made of a substance close to water, and only hurting its nds could kill it. Iris swung the chamber back into ce with immense dexterity and took aim once more. But right before she was about to shoot- ¡°Ngh-!¡± Finn groaned as the Titan suddenly flung its head around, throwing him off and sending him crashing into a wall. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris shouted in concern, preparing to fly over to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me¡­ focus on the Phantom¡­!¡± Finn wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly got to his feet, facing the massive abomination. It swiped down at him with one of its massive wed arms, but Finn felt the wind of it raising its arm first and dove to his left to avoid the attack. The smash tore through the concrete floor, sending chunks of debris flying everywhere. Finn got lucky and didn¡¯t have to move, but Iris had to quickly dodge away, throwing her aim off once more. She quickly circled around to the back of the Titan-ss again, but it kept rotating as well since it now knew Iris was there and trying to shoot at its weakness. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Finn, realizing something was up, knew he had to do something. ¡°Iris, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We only need one more sac to be destroyed, but it keeps spinning around ¡ª I can¡¯t get an angle!¡± Finn took a deep breath. ¡°¡­ In that case, I¡¯ll take care of thest nd.¡± ¡°W-What? Do you even know how to shoot- ugh!¡± Iris was blown away by the wind generated from a sweep of the Phantom¡¯s arms, but managed to stabilize herself using her wings before she hit a wall. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t need to,¡± Finn replied coldly, voice dripping with venom, then activated the des on his gauntlets menacingly. Iris¡¯s eyes widened as she realized his n. ¡°Wait, are you trying to destroy the nds at close range? They explode when you destroy them ¡ª you¡¯ll get corrupted by the Phantom blood!¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s now or never.¡± ¡°Engh¡­ fine!¡± Iris agreed after some hesitation and stopped moving to let the Phantom fully catch up with facing her directly. She then circled around to form a straight line between her, the Phantom, and Finn, who was ready whenever he got the signal. Iris swerved to her right to avoid getting hit by a chunk of debris the Titan had picked up and thrown, then made the call out. ¡°Okay, Finn¡­ everything¡¯s in position. The Phantom is roughly 10 meters to your direct front¡­ it¡¯s all up to you now!¡± Finn tightened his fists and adopted a running position. ¡°¡­ Copy.¡± Sprinting exactly eight steps, each step being approximately one meter, he leaped up into the air as high as he could possibly go. The Phantom spun its deranged head around, sensing danger in close proximity, but it was toote. Finn carved the des on his gauntlets deep into the creature¡¯s back, side-by-side as he slid downwards. His two hands each tore down one column of nds, exploding ck liquid out of each one and staining Finn¡¯s facepletely. ¡°GRAHHHHHHH!¡± the Titan-ss Phantom shrieked louder than ever as its sacs werepletely taken down, and it fell forward in defeat. ¡°Gah¡­¡± Finn backed off and fell to his knees in a simr fashion, gritting his teeth as he bore the incredible, sizzling pain of the ck Phantom blood getting on his skin. Steam evaporated from his face as he wed at it in agony. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris quickly rushed over with her wings, flying past the defeated Titan-ss Phantom and crouching by Finn¡¯s side. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it with your hands ¡ª it¡¯ll contaminate them too!¡± Finn did as told, forcing himself to resist the urge to touch his own face as he continued to groan in pain. Meanwhile, the three who had originally been trapped inside hurried out of the room just in time to see the massive Titan-ss Phantom¡¯s body dissipate into grey fog, fading away to nothingness. Their emotions went from one of shock to concern immediately as they spotted Iris crouching near Finn, holding his body up gently. ¡°Finn!¡± Octane rushed over and bent down, furrowing his brows. ¡°Oh, crap¡­ his entire face got hit directly by Phantom blood¡­¡± ¡°¡­ This idiot¡­ he tore open the Titan-ss¡¯s nds at close range¡­ no wonder he was hit directly,¡± Storm muttered, expression unknown, hidden beneath his mask. However, his eyes held signs of worry. ¡°At this rate, he¡¯s going to die.¡± ¡°Thanks, Sherlock,¡± Iris snarled, ring at him. ¡°He ended up like this to break you three out, and you call him an idiot?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ ugh.¡± Storm averted his gaze, unable to bear the weight of Iris¡¯s malicious gaze. And then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, even among all the pain and suffering, Finn managed to spit out a single word. ¡°¡­ Archon.¡± At this, Octane, Storm, and Reaper immediately realized. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ where¡¯s boss?!¡± [Subject-ARCH0N energy signature detected: 541 meters. Status: Severely injured, but alive.] Reaper said monotonely, before turning his single glowing red eye in the direction Iris and Finn hade from, and quickly floating that way. ¡°We¡¯ll be back!¡± Octane yelled, before immediately dashing off as he followed hispanion. Storm did the same. ¡°¡­ Ungrateful bastards,¡± Iris spat in venom as she red at the disappearing figures of the trio, before ncing down at Finn in concern. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s seeped into my skin. I can feel it¡­ flowing through me.¡± At this, Iris froze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Like I said, it¡­¡± But Finn trailed off as the pain suddenly began going away.] ¡°H-Hold on, Finn¡­ you said you can feel it flowing through you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent, too busy trying to figure out what was going on to answer her question. ¡°Answer me, Finn!¡± ¡°H-Huh? Uh, yes¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve gotten¡­ stronger, somehow.¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Iris covered her mouth in shock, as the ck liquid on Finn¡¯s face faded away as if nothing had happened. ¡°D-Do you feel any pain? At all?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°No. At first, yes, but now¡­¡± He slowly got back to his feet on his own and tried to move his body around. It worked perfectly fine, and any sign of the agony he had just suffered was nowhere to be seen. Iris shook her head in wonder. ¡°The blood¡­ it seeped into your skin, rather than burn it. What is going on¡­?¡± Finn knew, of course. This had to do with the existence of Ghost blood in his veins already. He understood now ¡ª what Zelestria had meant when she said Ghosts represent hunger, and humans represent life, or rather, food. When paired together, those two form a single concept: consumption. The blood in his body grants him the ability to consume. Whether that is other people¡¯s Angelicas, more Ghost blood, or something else Finn hasn¡¯t discovered yet, his body could absorb it all and convert it into strength for himself. Still, this wasn¡¯t something he could tell Iris. The effects couldn¡¯t be faked, but he didn¡¯t trust her enough to tell her about the root cause of said effects. Besides, he promised Zelestria he wouldn¡¯t sell her out. Therefore, he responded the way he did. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but¡­¡± Finn sighed, then began walking in the same direction as the other three had gone, preparing to head back to Archon. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just grateful I didn¡¯t die.¡± Chapter 20: Mission Complete Chapter 20: Mission Complete Finn and Iris slowly made it back to where Archon and the other three had gathered. By the time the two arrived, they had just about finished cleaning up all the Phantoms there. And quite evidently, they were extremely surprised to see Finn walking, perfectly fine, with no sign of ck liquid on his face. ¡°You¡­¡± Octane blinked in surprise. ¡°What the hell? How did you recover so fas- wait, how did you even recover at all?!¡± Archon slowly lumbered over to them, using his warhammer as a walking stick. His face and armor had cuts all over them, and he was so bloodstained that it was a miracle he was still alive. ¡°Kid¡­ I was told you got sted by Phantom Blood directly from the back of a Titan-ss. But you seem¡­ perfectly fine.¡± It would be easy to just say Octane, Storm, and Reaper were simply lying, but they had no incentive to do that, making this argumentpletely illogical. So, Finn decided to just use the same excuse he had with Iris, who was now riding on his shoulders once more. After all, flying was quite tiring. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡± Finn said quietly. ¡°I would like to find out how as well, but for now, I¡¯m just relieved I didn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Makes sense¡­ I am too,¡± Archonughed, referring to both himself and Finn. ¡°Still, that was one hell of a feat you aplished right there, rookie. Normally, a Titan-ss Phantom would take an entire team of experienced Hunters to take on, but you two managed to take one down all on your own.¡± ¡°We¡¯re definitely gettin¡¯ a huge reward from the guild for this!¡± Octane cheered. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± ¡°No¡­ we are not getting anything, Octane,¡± Storm snorted, ncing at his friend coldly. ¡°The credit goes all to them. All we did in this operation was drag the rest of them down.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, I know¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad about it, eh?¡± Archonughed despite all the injuries on his body, as if he was used to it. ¡°As long as you learn from your mistakes and no one died, I¡¯d call this mission a sess. Come on, let¡¯s get out of here. After that¡­ I think we all need a little rest.¡± ***** In the end, Reaper pulled the group out of the massive hole one by one, with the exception of Iris who insisted on flying herself. The rain and fog created by Storm was still active outside, providing the perfect cover for the six of them to return to their hideout, which wasn¡¯t all that far from their current location. Once they were back in their manor, the six were eager to just crash and fall asleep immediately, but there were still things to do before that ¡ª especially Archon, even in his battered state. ¡°Alright, folks¡­ Storm and Octane, you can go take your showers in the mens¡¯ bathroom, I¡¯ll go after reporting back to HQ.¡± ¡°Got it, boss!¡± ¡°¡­ Understood.¡± Then, turning to Finn and Iris as the other two headed off, Archon continued. ¡°As for you, Ivis¡­ hm. Hey, kid. Mind taking her to thedies¡¯ bathroom?¡± At this, both Finn and Iris stopped moving. ¡°¡­ Come again?¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± ¡°What?¡± Archon raised an eyebrow. ¡°How else are you going to get to the shower on your own, without your wheelchair? Finn can¡¯t see anyway, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°N-No, but still¡­ it will be embarrassing¡­¡± Iris blushed deeply and buried her face in the back of Finn¡¯s neck, refusing to say another word. Archon sighed. ¡°Well, unless you can think of any better alternatives¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t,¡± Iris admitted after some hesitation. ¡°But¡­ Finn, would you be willing to do this for me?¡± Finn shrugged. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t particrly mind.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ then, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°Ivis knows the way to the bathroom. Just follow her instructions.¡± ***** ¡°S-Sorry,¡± Iris whispered nervously as she clutched onto Finn¡¯s back tightly. ¡°After making you carry me for pretty much the whole day, you still have to do this¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Finn replied emotionlessly. ¡°We already made a deal ¡ª you¡¯ll be my eyes, and I¡¯ll be your legs. I¡¯m merely upholding my side of the agreement.¡± ¡°Still¡­ it must be tiring, no? I-I¡¯m pretty heavy, right?¡± ¡°Not really. At least, you are lighter than my little sister.¡± ¡°You have a little sister¡­?¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened a bit in surprise. ¡°Had,¡± Finn corrected coldly. ¡°Dead now, by the hands of Phantoms.¡± ¡°Ah-¡± Iris gasped slightly, then bit her lip apologetically. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°The past is the past. Let it be. Are we there yet?¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Finn fell into thought as he walked. ¡°¡­ Hm. This squad only has men in it, apart from you¡­ why is there even a female bathroom installed?¡± ¡°I heard there used to be another female member,¡± Iris said. ¡°But¡­ she was killed on a mission.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± After another few minutes of utter silence, the two finally arrived at their destination. ¡°T-This is it,¡± Iris said softly and nervously, stuttering a bit. ¡°Just keep going forward¡­ the lights are automatic.¡± Finn did as told, heading straight through the open doorway leading to the female bathroom. ¡°Alright, take four steps to your front, then set me down on the ledge.¡± Finn followed her instructions once more, gently cing Iris down on the perimeter of the bathtub. ¡°O-Okay, now, turn around.¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t see anyway¡­¡± ¡°J-Just turn around! It makes me feel a bit better¡­¡± Finn sighed, shaking his head, butplied to her request. In his head, he was starting to get impatient, as he wanted to talk to Zelestria as soon as possible about what happened today. Still, he didn¡¯t let this show on his face and kept a neutral expression. After nearly a minute, Iris was finished taking her clothes off and switched the faucet on. The bathtub quickly began to fill with water, and once there was a high-enough elevation, Iris carefully lowered herself in, pulling the blinds across. ¡°Whew¡­¡± she breathed out deeply, both relieved and rxed. ¡°¡­ Do I stay here?¡± Finn asked, confused. ¡°Um¡­ I mean, you don¡¯t have to, but when I¡¯m done, I won¡¯t be able to get out on my own¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I see. I¡¯ll stay, then.¡± ¡°T-Thank you. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Silence filled the air once more, creating an awkward aura between the two of them. Eventually, Iris couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and decided to break the tranquility. ¡°Hey, Finn.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you¡­ not have any questions for me?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like¡­ actually, sorry, never mind.¡± Iris seemed to believe Finn genuinely didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. If that were the case, then it was best things remained that way. She hoped Finn was just clueless enough to not notice her w-filled actions today. Of course, this was not true. Finn knew perfectly well what she was referring to ¡ª the fact that she could wield a gun with such skill and dexterity. Any normal 18 year old would not be able to do that unless they were part of the military or some sort of special training program since a child. Iris did not look or act like a soldier in any way, so only thetter could it be true. But what kind of special training program would teach a child how to use a gun¡­? It was clear that Iris¡¯s background was not simple. How she got crippled was also unknown. There were many mysteries to this girl, but Finn didn¡¯t care about any of them. She was his partner for the time being ¡ª that was all. Until he gained his own eyesight back via Zelestria, he needed her. But after that happens¡­ Around ten minutester of pure silence, neither of the two able to start a conversation, Iris finally spoke. ¡°O-Okay, I¡¯m done. Can you¡­e here for a sec?¡± Finn walked over and faced the blinds once his foot hit the edge of the bathtub. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Iris opened the blinds, covering her body with one hand instinctively. ¡°Now, give me your hand, I¡¯ll show you where to ce them¡­¡± Finn held out his hand and Iris took it, guiding it towards her own waist. Finn could feel the warmth of her wet body as his hands made contact, her skin soft and silky. Iris blushed deeply as she bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning at the touch of Finn¡¯s rough hands. She then took Finn¡¯s other hand and simrly ced it on the other side of her waist, then took a deep breath. ¡°Mmngh¡­ o-okay, you can lift me up, just like this¡­¡± Finn did as told, suddenly lifting Iris upwards by the waist and sliding one of his hands down to her leg. ¡°W-Wha- hey!¡± Immediately after switching to a princess carry position, he set her down gently on the bathtub¡¯s perimeter. ¡°¡­ It was easier to ce you down by doing that,¡± Finn exined. ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± ¡°A-Ah, no, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Iris averted her gaze and covered her body, face as red as a tomato, despite knowing full well Finn couldn¡¯t even see. Her heart thumped loudly, as if about to leap out of her chest, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why this was happening. She felt strangely attached to him despite the short amount of time she¡¯s known him for, almost as if they were just naturallypatible with one another. Perhaps it was because they both had physical disabilities. Perhaps it was because both had dark, tragic pasts. But whatever it was¡­ Iris felt close to Finn. The feeling she felt¡­ it was almost like the warmth of family she once lost. ¡®It can¡¯t be love,¡¯ she told herself. ¡®We only met for the first time just this morning¡­ there¡¯s no way it¡¯s love¡­ it¡¯s more like a close friendship, I suppose?¡¯ Finn then headed out of the room to get Iris¡¯s change of clothes for her, as Iris stared after his disappearing figure. ¡°There¡¯s just¡­ no way.¡± Chapter 21: Ghost Blood Chapter 21: Ghost Blood After delivering the clothes to Iris and carrying her to her room, Finn headed back to the main entrance by retracing his footsteps, where Archon sat in his office. ¡°Oh, Ivis is all done?¡± he raised an eyebrow and asked, cing down the telephone. Finn nodded. ¡°I took her back up to her room.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t try anything with her?¡± Archon teased,ughing boldly. ¡°She¡¯s quite cute, you know. If I was twenty years younger, I might be in love.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see her anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s true. Just now, I asked Phantom yers HQ to send us a new wheelchair for Ivis, and also inquired about your eyes while I was at it to see if they could treat them. There was a method, they said, but even if we pooled all our money together, we wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it¡­ sorry, kid. ¡° ¡°Maybe now. But I will eventually gather enough,¡± Finn replied emotionlessly, despite knowing full well he could just treat it through Zelestria ¡ª which, hopefully, would be much easier. ¡°Yeah¡­ but the good news is, what you did today earned our Squadron quite a bit of money. Apparently, that Titan-ss has been on the guild¡¯s radars for a while now ¡ª it¡¯s just no one managed to find out where it was hiding all this time.¡± ¡°How much in particr?¡± ¡°10 grand,¡± the middle-aged manughed. ¡°And that¡¯s for you and Iris alone. The rest of us will all get 2 grand. In other words¡­ you¡¯re already slowly starting to get there, kid. Won¡¯t be long now. Besides, we¡¯ll all pitch in to help ya.¡± Archon smirked before continuing, patting Finn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You saved those three idiots today¡­ they might not seem like it on the surface, but they ain¡¯t the ungrateful type. They¡¯ll definitely help you heal your eyes.¡± ¡°I heard. You saved Octane in the past, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s here now, repaying his debt, right?¡± ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Archon nced out the window in the distance, where the rain and fog created by Storm had dissipated. ¡°But, that¡¯s a story for another day. For now¡­ let¡¯s get ya cleaned up.¡± ***** After taking a shower in the mens¡¯ bathroom of the manor, Finn headed up to his own room to get some alone time atst. There, he sank into his bed and leaned on the bedboard, adopting a sitting position. In his head, he called for the mysterious ¡®A.R.X.A.¡¯ lifeform, also known as Zelestria. [Seems you¡¯ve grown a bit stronger since thest time we spoke.] She remarked inside Finn¡¯s head. [Why don¡¯t we speak in the reality rift, to make things easier?] Finn did as told, lying down in his bed and pulling the sheets over himself to make it seem like he was sleeping in case anyone walked in uninvited. In an instant, his dark surroundings shifted into the familiar vaporwave-style sunset he was now used to seeing. ¡°Wee back,¡± Zelestria said, hovering in the air with a light and yful grin tugging at her lips. ¡°How was it? Your first Ghost kill.¡± ¡°It was easier than I thought,¡± Finn replied. ¡°Though that is to be expected, given the powerful physical enhancements provided by the Ghost blood in my body. And, of course¡­ the consumption ability it possesses.¡± At this, Zelestria blinked a few times in surprise, then smiled seductively. ¡°Ara ara~ you figured it out, huh?¡± Finn snorted. ¡°I thought you could tell what I was thinking at all times.¡± ¡°I certainly can¡­¡± Zelestria descended from the air and walked closer to Finn, footsteps as light as a feather. ¡°But you know¡­ that¡¯s work, and I dislike work. Nheless, I¡¯m impressed. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to discover the blood¡¯s secret this soon. I¡¯m starting to like you more and more, fufufu¡­¡± Finn ignored her flirty remarks and returned to the topic at hand. ¡°So¡­ consuming other people¡¯s Angelicas grants me that Angelica. But what does consuming the blood of other Ghosts do? Give me their power, or something?¡± Zelestria folded her arms beneath her ample breasts, bouncing them slightly on purpose in an attempt to tease Finn. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work. ¡°Correct,¡± she said with a wink. ¡°For instance, that Titan-ss Phantom you defeated had quite the interesting anatomy. I¡¯m sure you felt it during your fight with it too, did you not?¡± ¡°You mean how the des on my gloves went straight through its head?¡± ¡°Precisely. You ¡®consumed¡¯ that power of its by defeating it. The fact that you didn¡¯t take anysting damage from its blood getting on your skin was just an added bonus ¡ª you are essentially immune to the blood of that Phantom type now, Finn. ¡°Take care though, as you¡¯ll only be able to consume the abilities of Major, Boss, Baron, Emperor, and Overlord level Ghosts. The mostmonly found Minor ones don¡¯t have any special powers, so naturally, you won¡¯t be able to gain anything from them.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but this power seems quite strong. Almost¡­ too strong,¡± Finn narrowed his eyes, frowning in thought. ¡°All attacks just automatically go through me¡­? Or will I have a weak point on my back as well?¡± ¡°No no, that¡¯s not how it works.¡± Zelestria shook her head, then turned around to face the sunset. ¡°Since you are notpletely a Ghost, the consumed abilities won¡¯t be the exact same as the original ones. In this case, normal weapons and physical attacks won¡¯t work on you, but specially-enchanted anti-Ghost weapons made with the cksmith Angelica still can. Simrly, Ghosts and Angelicas can still harm you as well.¡± Finn blinked. ¡°¡­ All of a sudden, this ability feels pretty useless.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is your first one. You shouldn¡¯t have expected it to be very powerful in the first ce. Oh, and also¡­ if someone were to, for example, grab your arm, they would still be able to feel you. This ability will only work against attacks like punches or kicks.¡± Finn sighed. ¡°Is there no way I can¡­ improve this ability, somehow?¡± Zelestria paused briefly, before smiling mysteriously. ¡°There is¡­ but you haven¡¯t reached the requirements just yet. When you do, I¡¯ll exin more.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ how do I reach those requirements?¡± ¡°Just keep doing what you¡¯ve been doing ¡ª ying Ghosts. Every time you take one down, their Soul is consumed by your blood, empowering it further. As this progresses, you should be able to unlock new powers¡­ powers that even I have yet to discover.¡± As she finished this sentence, she suddenly remembered something else. ¡°Oh, and one more thing ¡ª your Ghost Blood also lets you detect Ghosts near you to a certain degree. At your current stage, you have to really focus to be able to do it, but it¡¯s quite helpful.¡± ¡°Is that the low-frequency humming I can hear but no one else can¡­?¡± ¡°Mhm~¡± She nodded airily. ¡°I see¡­ but what about you? How can I help you recover quicker?¡± Finn asked stoically. At this, Zelestria stoped and blinked a few times in surprise, a blush creeping up her face as she stared into Finn¡¯s eyes lovingly, walking closer and cupping his face. ¡°Ara~ what¡¯s this? You care about me this much~?¡± ¡°No,¡± Finn replied without any hesitation. ¡°You said you could heal my eyes once you recovered, so.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ how cold,¡± she pouted slightly, though Finn could tell she wasn¡¯t seriously mad. ¡°Well, luckily for you¡­ collecting Souls will help me recover too. You see, in a way, I tethered myself to you, so¡­¡± ¡°Without my permission?¡± ¡°What~? You don¡¯t want a beautiful and sexy goddess like myself to be bonded together with you?¡± Zelestria teased, pressing her chest against Finn¡¯s. ¡°¡­¡± The two stared into each other¡¯s eyes. At this close distance, Finn could truly admire the divine beauty of Zelestria¡¯s facial features and body. He could feel the sweet and tender softness of her breasts against his chest, but strangely didn¡¯t feel stimted at all. His member did harden in response as a natural bodily reaction, but he felt no lust in his heart. Ever since that fateful day, it was as if he had lost nearly all his emotions. Happiness, sadness, pity¡­ all that was left was a burning desire for revenge and dark anger forged of hatred. Whether this was a side effect of the Ghost blood in him or simply a human¡¯s natural reaction after suffering such trauma, he didn¡¯t know. Perhaps, it was a bit of both. ¡°¡­ I should go,¡± Finn said atst, pushing himself away from Zelestria, who sighed and shrugged in disappointment. ¡°Aw~ too bad¡­ but you¡¯ll be mine one day, Finn.¡± As Finn was pulled out of the reality rift and sent back to the real world, Zelestria giggled wryly. ¡°He¡¯s truly lost all his emotions¡­ everything is going ording to n. Though perhaps, there is some way of getting his lust back¡­ fufufu.¡± As much as she didn¡¯t want to admit it on the surface, Finn¡¯s words just now had struck a chord in her heart. How long has it been since someone has shown care for her? How long has it been since she was forsaken, forced to be¡­ whatever the hell she was now? Even if Finn didn¡¯t hold any actual kindness in his intentions, Zelestria was still enchanted. She had been trying to hide the sadness she held deep within her every time she interacted with Finn, but just now, she had let her true feelings slip a bit with the blush. Twirling her beautiful long pink hair around, she smiled. ¡°One day, Finn¡­ one day.¡± Chapter 22: No Rest Chapter 22: No Rest After exiting the reality rift, Finn flipped open his nket and stood up, then calmly headed for the door. He prepared to walk down the stairs, but then remembered Iris and herck of a wheelchair. Sighing, he went over to her room and gently knocked on the door. ¡°Iris. Are you awake?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Finn heard a soft groaning from inside the room, then knocked again. ¡°¡­ Iris?¡± ¡°Mmngh¡­ yeah¡­ I¡¯m getting up¡­¡± ¡°Are you wearing clothes?¡± ¡°H-Huh? Yeah, I am¡­ is that you, Finn? You cane in.¡± Finn, having received permission, opened the door and walked inside. It¡¯s not like he could see anyway, but it was still polite to ask. ¡°How long has it been¡­?¡± Iris asked, rubbing her eyes cutely. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure either,¡± Finn admitted honestly. ¡°Though¡­ I don¡¯t believe all that much time has passed.¡± He was, of course, judging from how long he spent within the reality rift, but whether time flow inside the rift was the same as the outside, he had no idea. Zelestria had said it was a ¡®gap in space-time¡¯, but the true meaning of that was unknown. It would be most natural to assume time was just stopped in a reality rift, but it could also be elerated, as in time flowed extremely fast across the gap. Iris climbed onto Finn¡¯s back, and the two of them set off to head downstairs. ***** Once the two descended into the living room, they saw everyone else already gathered. However, this time, there was also someone Finn had never met before ¡ª a young boy who appeared to be no older than a middle school student, wearing sses that gave him a bit of a ¡®nerdy¡¯ look. However, the sharp gleam in his eyes signaled that he was no ordinary kid. They were battle-hardened and resolved, despite being so young. The attire he wore was a whiteb coat that seemed far toorge for his stature, but he somehow seemed natural in it, like it was practically made for him other than the size. ¡°Oh, Finn and Ivis,¡± Archonughed. ¡°You¡¯re finally up.¡± ¡°How long were we asleep for¡­?¡± Finn asked, still having no idea about the stranger since he was blind. ¡°5 whole hours,¡± Octane chuckled as if that was a lot. ¡°I¡¯m honestly shocked, how did you not get hungry or thirsty? Then again¡­ you didn¡¯t eat or drink after waking up from a whole day of sleeping back when you were injured too¡­ some special ability? Heh.¡± ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­¡± Finn trailed off, unable to tell them about the reality rift. Still, he got his answer ¡ª time definitely flowed faster in the reality rift than out here, in a roughly 1:60 ratio (1 minute in the rift is equivalent to 1 hour in the real world). ¡°Oh yeah, you haven¡¯t met Fanatic yet, right?¡± Archon finally remembered, ncing to the little boy sitting to his left. ¡°I know you can¡¯t see him, Finn, but just picture a little kid wearin¡¯ ab coat and square sses. That should be a good enough image, right?¡± Finn was definitely confused, but he just epted it and nodded. ¡°¡­ Nice to meet you. You can call me¡­¡± ¡°Ace,¡± Iris whispered sharply into Finn¡¯s ear, reminding him of the alias she hade up with. ¡°¡­ Ace,¡± Finn finished. At this, everyone present raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Nice to meet you as well¡­ Ace,¡± Fanatic responded. ¡°¡­ Is that the alias you¡¯ve chosen for yourself?¡± Archon asked. Finn nodded. ¡°More urately, Ivis picked it for me, but yes.¡± ¡°Oh yeah¡­ they did mention it while trying their armor out¡­¡± Octane murmured, having forgotten all about it due to the sudden call-to-action. ¡°I see¡­ well then,¡± Archon smirked and cleared his throat. ¡°Wee to the 154th Squadron of the Phantom yers Corps, Ace.¡± ¡°d to be here,¡± Finn replied formally, without a hint of emotion in his voice. And as the two shook hands, a voice suddenly interrupted. ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s great and all, but like, can we eat? I¡¯m starving¡­¡± Everyone turned to face Octane as he cowered in fear, ready to be scolded, but instead, they all just sighed and shook their heads. ¡°Well, as much as I hate to admit it¡­ he¡¯s right,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°After a quick nap and a long day, the first thing you need is food.¡± ***** As Archon left for the kitchen, Storm got up as well and followed him. ¡°Where are they going?¡± Finn asked, confused at the sudden silence that had settled in and the sound of people leaving. ¡°Those two take care of all the cooking here,¡± Fanatic exined, pushing his sses up the bridge of his nose as he flipped open his book. ¡°Archon might not look it, but he¡¯s quite the excellent chef.¡± ¡°He¡¯s like a father to all of us here,¡± Octane added. ¡°We all lost our parents to Phantoms¡­ and he lost his wife and son. So, here we are, banding together to form a new family.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Finn, in reality, wanted to know more about everyone here, especially Iris, since knowledge was power, but they weren¡¯t exactly all that close yet. He decided to just give it a bit more time. After about half an hour of Octane rambling on and on about the game he was ying on his phone, Archon returned with several tes of steaming food. He wore an apron, which definitely did not match up with the ferocious image of him in battle. With a wide smile on his face, he set the tes down on the table. Storm followed him, cing down bowls and utensils for everyone. ¡°Now then, sorry for the dy, kids. Let¡¯s dig in.¡± Octane immediately shoved his phone into his pocket and reached for his chopsticks, but was interrupted by Archon, who grabbed his arm. ¡°Go wash your hands first. That goes for everyone else here as well. Yes, even you, Reaper.¡± Octane sighed and stood up, heading for the bathroom. Finn, carrying Iris, followed, as Reaper the robot hovered slowly behind, the dark cloak covering him unable to hide its unsatisfied single red eye ¡ª or rather, sensor. It looked like an eye though. On the way, Finn couldn¡¯t help but think ¡®he¡¯s really like a father¡¯, with regards to Archon. Soon after, they all returned, where the two chefs sat patiently. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Archon said once everyone settled into their chairs. ¡°Now, I know you¡¯ve already been with us for a while, kid, but it¡¯s customary to hold a quick yet formal wee at the neer¡¯s first meal, here at the 154th Squadron. So, without further ado¡­¡± He lifted up the cup of beer in his hands and raised it high up into the air, Octane, Storm, and even Reaper doing the same. Fanatic had apple juice as a substitute. ¡°¡­ Cheers for Ace and Ivis!¡± Finn and Iris both hesitantly picked up their own cups and bumped it against the others¡¯, before taking a sip as everyone else did the same. Reaper poured his cup straight down but couldn¡¯t drink it, ending up spilling it all on the floor. ¡°Damn it, Reaper! I have to clean that up, you know!¡± Octane groaned in annoyance, rolling his eyes. [Apologies, Subject OCTAN3.] ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Ivis, by the way, you¡¯re okay with us calling you that, right?¡± Archon asked. ¡°It sounds like an alias already, which was why we never asked you for one like we did with Ace.¡± ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind,¡± Iris said with a nonchnt shrug. ¡°Good¡­ now that formalities are out of the way, let¡¯s talk about the real stuff.¡± ¡°The real stuff?¡± Finn asked, taking a bite out of his rice. Archon sighed. ¡°Yes¡­ which do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?¡± ¡°Good,¡± Octane immediately said. ¡°Bad,¡± Iris and Finn replied simultaneously. Reaper, Fanatic, and Storm didn¡¯t expression an opinion. ¡°Okay, majority rules, bad it is,¡± Archon chuckled, then took on a serious expression. ¡°When reporting back to HQ today, I was alerted of some¡­ concerning information.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it,¡± Finn said quietly. Archon nodded. ¡°ording to reliable sources, a Perfect Outbreak urred in District C just a few days ago. Itpletely destroyed the city, and the Hunters that were dispatched there didn¡¯t stand a chance. I was told that every District now holds an Emperor-level Ghost, which is why Outbreaks have been so frequenttely.¡± At this, Storm, who took his mask off to eat, narrowed his ocean-blue eyes. ¡°A Perfect Outbreak¡­ that¡¯s an Outbreak where all five Ghost archetypes spawn in, correct?¡± Archon nodded. ¡°They are extremely rare, and the only time it¡¯s happened before was decades ago. And when it did¡­ humanity was nearlypletely destroyed ¡ª otherwise known as the Expungement. However, thanks to the power of Angelicas that were bestowed upon us by some unknown, paracausal source, we managed to rebuild civilization and quell the Ghost tide.¡± He gripped his chopsticks tightly, face solemn as he continued. ¡°But this time¡¯s Perfect Outbreak¡­ it¡¯s even more dangerous than thest, ording to the guild. Even with the power of Angelicas, this time¡­ we may not be able to survive.¡± Chapter 23: Rough Tidings Chapter 23: Rough Tidings ¡°How so?¡± Finn asked, having no idea about any of this. This was the first time he was hearing about ¡®the Expungement¡¯ and whatnot. His history lessons in school never mentioned anything about humanity being nearly wiped out. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡± Archon sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just repeating HQ¡¯s words. They didn¡¯t tell me why, and when I asked, they didn¡¯t answer.¡± ¡°O-Okay, but we can survive, right? I mean, we haven¡¯t been wiped out yet, so¡­¡± Octane trailed off. ¡°That¡¯s because Ghost Hunters are quelling all the Outbreaks happening across the world,¡± Archon exined. ¡°But until we y all the Emperor-level Ghosts that were released from the Perfect Outbreak, one in each of the 26 Districts¡­ they will never stop spawning in. One day, we Ghost Hunters will fail to detect one, leading to countless deaths ¡ª and besides, you know how Ghosts work. The more they kill, the more that spawn.¡± ¡°So¡­ Emperor-level Ghosts create Outbreaks?¡± Finn deduced. ¡°Correct. They are the strongest-level Ghosts, and have entire armies serving them. Not only are they extremely powerful foes, they can also manually create Outbreaks infinitely. Therefore, the sooner we get rid of them, the better ¡ª and there is one hiding right in District A, where we are. It just so happens that the Emperor-level here is a Phantom archetype¡­ also known as our specialty.¡± ¡°FYI, the Ghost leveling system created by the GHO goes from Minor, to Major, to Boss, to Baron, to Emperor,¡± Iris whispered helpfully to Finn from beside him. ¡®Only to Emperor¡­?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®But then¡­ what is the Overlord level Zelestria mentioned?¡¯ He didn¡¯t ask out loud though, deciding to save the question for Zelestria instead. ¡°We¡¯re nowhere near strong enough to take on an Emperor-level with just us alone,¡± Fanatic analyzed. ¡°How are we supposed to fulfill this mission, Archon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t the only Ghost yers in District A. There will be a few other teams helping us,¡± Archon exined. ¡°And besides, we don¡¯t even know where the Emperor-level is right now. However¡­ we do have info on one of its Barons. Once we take out all of the Barons, the Emperor¡¯s energy signature will be exposed, and we will be able to drive it into a corner.¡± Octane sighed in relief. ¡°Well, that makes me a lot more confident. So, when are we raiding the Baron?¡± ¡°Around two weeks from now, give or take,¡± Archon said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°There are still plenty of things I wish to show Ace, starting tomorrow. I told HQ to give us a break for the next week, meaning other Squadrons will take care of any Outbreaks that happen in our area. Of course, you¡¯re wee to go train with them if you want, but Ace and Ivis, you two have toe with me.¡± To be honest, Finn wanted to kill more Ghosts and level up further, but he figured it would be good to gather some more information on the underground world of Ghost Hunters as well. Knowledge is power, after all. ¡°What about the good news though?¡± Octane asked, raising his hand. ¡°You said there were good news too, right?¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± Archon scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s just about Ivis. Your new wheelchair should be arriving tomorrow ¡ª and the expenses were all paid for by the guild, so don¡¯t worry.¡± At this, Octane, who broke her old one, sighed in relief. ¡°Ah, but of course¡­¡± Archon smirked, seeing Octane¡¯s reaction. ¡°¡­ The one who broke yourst wheelchair will still have to pay you ordingly.¡± ¡°G-Guh¡­¡± Octane froze mid-chewing, food still stuffed in his mouth. ***** After they finished eating, Finn and Iris went up to their own rooms with the excuse of ¡®I¡¯m tired¡¯. For Finn, it was because he wanted to speak to Zelestria about the whole Overlord thing, but he didn¡¯t know what Iris was doing this for. Perhaps she was actually tired¡­ but that theory was quickly shot down as she whispered in his ear. ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± Inside, Finn wasn¡¯t too keen on doing it, but at the same time he was curious to see what she wanted to talk to him about. And so, the two entered Iris¡¯s room together. After seeing her down on the bed, Finn sat down in the chair a few meters away. ¡°So? What did you need to speak to me about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about what happened earlier¡­ do you really have no idea what could have caused you to bepletely fine even after getting sshed directly by Phantom blood?¡± At this, Finn was a bit surprised, but kept a neutral expression on the surface. ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± He replied, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. ¡°I only found out about Phantoms and Ghosts recently¡­ what makes you think I know why I¡¯m immune? Besides, why are you insistent on this matter? I¡¯m just happy to be alive¡­ don¡¯t tell me, you were hoping for me to die there?¡± ¡°No!¡± Iris immediately cried. ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ i-it¡¯s just¡­ I was wondering if you were the same as¡­ ugh, never mind.¡± She bit her lip and averted her gaze, clenching her fists tightly. ¡°Please forget I said anything. Sorry to have been a bother.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent, contemting her words. Now didn¡¯t seem like the right time to ask about them, however, so he just stood up and headed for the door. ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Mm¡­ good night.¡± ***** After returning to his own room, Finn settled into his bed and let out a sigh. ¡®Zelestria, pull me.¡¯ ¡®Mkay~¡¯ In an instant, his consciousness was transported into the reality rift, where Zelestria hovered in the air with a seductive smile that didn¡¯t seem to get old no matter how many times he saw it. ¡°Now then, Finn, what would you like today? A shower? A dinner, perhaps? Or¡­ me?¡± ¡°What are the Overlord-level Ghosts you mentioned thest time we spoke?¡± ¡°G-Guh¡­ okay, I¡¯ll admit, that one hurt a bit,¡± Zelestria clutched her stomach and groaned, but quickly recovered the second after. ¡°I knew you were going to ask about this, but it was worth a try.¡± ¡°Get to the point,¡± Finn said coldly, as time was limited. ¡°Yes, yes~¡± She giggled softly. ¡°Right now, as we speak, an Overlord-level Ghosts awaits in District C. It¡¯s just that¡­ the rest of the Ghost Hunter world has been kept hidden from this fact.¡± ¡°District C¡­ that¡¯s where the Perfect Outbreak urred.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Zelestria said with a wry smile. ¡°To the public world, the GHO managed to hide the truth under the cover of a nuclear power station malfunction. But to their own Ghost Hunters, they didn¡¯t exactly tell theplete truth either.¡± ¡°But why would they do that¡­? If such a monstrosity has really appeared, then shouldn¡¯t they be calling all Ghost Hunters to battle it?¡± Zelestriaughed. ¡°You¡¯ll understand if you saw it with your own two eyes. That ¡®thing¡¯¡­ calling it a monstrosity would be far too little of an understatement. In order to prevent Hunters from outright giving up, the Guildmasters of the various guilds have decided to keep silent on the matter.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you sound quite rxed and casual, despite the situation,¡± Finn noted. ¡°Well, even if this world gets destroyed, I won¡¯t. This is but one of the many realities I govern. It is of little concern to me.¡± Zelestria shrugged nonchntly. ¡°That said¡­ if this world ends, you will die, so I will still help you defeat the Overlord.¡± ¡°¡­ Why? You could easily just choose someone else for this¡­ task of yours. Someone from a different one of the worlds you control.¡± ¡°Oh? So you don¡¯t want my help?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°No, I appreciate it. It¡¯s just¡­ I fail to see any benefit for you in doing this, which makes me somewhat skeptical of your intentions. In the off-chance that I fail, even with your help, you¡¯ll be left without someone to fulfill my part of our deal. I don¡¯t see any reason why you should put all your eggs into one basket here.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t fail,¡± Zelestria replied firmly, without an ounce of hesitation. Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re that confident in your own abilities?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m that confident in you, hehe~¡± ¡°¡­¡± After a short silence, Finn sighed atst. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t regret this decision.¡± Zelestria smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll make sure of that, no?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°I know the difference between ally and enemy. If someone were to harm me, I will pay them back a thousandfold, but the same applies to anyone who helps me. Our agreement¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to fulfill it.¡± Chapter 24: Headquarters Chapter 24: Headquarters Finn climbed out of bed and headed for the men¡¯s bathroom to get ready for the day. It was still very early, approximately 6 AM, ording to the counting he did inside his head while in the reality rift. Despite this hour, however, Archon was already up as well. Finn heard his voiceing from the bathroom and instinctively prepared to say good morning, but what Finn never would have expected when he heard his voice, was the contents of his sentences. ¡°Please¡­ just give me a little bit more time¡­ I can do it, I promise¡­¡± A muffled voice came over on the other side of his phone, but Finn couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying ¡ª only the distressed tone of Archon afterwards. ¡°I-I know, you¡¯ve already given me plenty of time, but these guys, they¡¯re still young and inexperienced¡­ they can¡¯t- ¡°Three days,¡± the voice on the other side said, this time clear enough for Finn to hear from outside the door. ¡°You have three days to bring me what I want ¡ª the head of Alpha Lupi¡¯s leader. Or else¡­ it¡¯ll be HER head that I take. Choose wisely¡­ Bakris.¡± As the other end hung up, Archon ¡ª or rather, Bakris ¡ª cursed loudly. ¡°SHIT!¡± Finn heard the sound of something ss being broken ¡ª most likely the mirrors. Before he could digest all the information he just got and analyze their conversation, however, Archon walked out of the bathroom¡­ and ended up running straight into him. ¡°Ah¡­ Ace.¡± ¡°¡­ Good morning,¡± Finn replied stoically, unsure of what else to say. His head was still jumbled with the thoughts of that conversation he overheard just now, so he wasn¡¯t exactly ready for a conversation. ¡°Did you¡­ hear everything?¡± ¡°Only the end,¡± Finn replied truthfully. He saw no reason to lie, especially since Archon appeared convinced he overheard the conversation anyway. ¡°I see¡­¡± the middle-aged man sighed, his aged face appearing even more wrinkled under the veil of darkness. ¡°Well¡­ can I ask you not to tell anything you heard to anyone else?¡± ¡°But¡­ you only have three days left, from what I heard.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Archon clenched his fists tightly. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ so lost. What should I do? Value this family I¡¯ve built up here¡­ or protect the past ties I just can¡¯t seem to break?¡± Seeing an opportunity, Finn stepped closer to Archon and ced a hand on his shoulders. ¡°It may not be my ce to say this as someone who¡¯s only been here for a few days, but¡­ if you think of us as your family, then you should know we¡¯re ready to go through hell with you. You¡¯re the leader of this Squadron, Archon. You decide what we do. Even if we died following your orders¡­ I¡¯m certain none of us will utter a single word ofint or me.¡± ¡°Ace¡­¡± ¡°I could tell from your voice just now. Whoever that ¡®her¡¯ is¡­ she must be extremely important to you. And your friends, are our friends, Archon. I don¡¯t know the context of what happened, but¡­ I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s being held hostage by some person, and said person wants you to do a dangerous job for them¡­ which, by the way, can be good training for our uing fight against a Baron-level Ghost.¡± At this, Archon smiled slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could crack a joke too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not joking. How am I supposed to get stronger without any danger, the best motivation?¡± ¡°¡­ Heh. Thanks, kid.¡± And as Archon¡¯s eyelids suddenly began to feel heavy, Finn let go of his shoulder atst and stopped his heroic facade, allowing the man to copse onto his shoulder. ¡°No¡­ thank you, Archon¡­ for the cksmith Angelica.¡± Since ording to Iris, he couldn¡¯t use the Oculus Angelica until his eyes were cured, this was the only way. He couldn¡¯t keep just using his ded gloves forever, after all. ***** Later that day, Archon woke up in his office¡¯s seat, confused and groggy. ¡°This¡­ did I pass outst night¡­? No, but that bastard called me again this morning, I remember that very clearly¡­ but what happened after?¡± He racked his brains out to try and remember, but in the end, could not. Instead, he just sighed and shook his head, giving up. ¡°Agh, whatever¡­ I still have three days¡­ and I promised Ace I would show him the Phantom yers Headquarters today¡­¡± Slowly getting up from the chair, he headed out of his office and into the living room, where everyone else was already waiting. ¡°Finally up, Archon?¡± Octaneughed as he stuffed a spoonful of soup into his mouth. ¡°Mm, Shtorm, thish ish delishous!¡± ¡°Shut up and eat,¡± Storm muttered irritatedly, ring at his friend in disgust. ¡°Well, I was up a couple hours ago, but then I passed out¡­¡± Archon sighed, careful not to let his distress from the call earlier this morning show. ¡°Anyway, it seems you all already took care of breakfast, so everything¡¯s fine. Ace and Ivis, you two ready to visit the Phantom yers Headquarters today?¡± Finn and Iris both nodded, having finished their food already. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll just grab a bite of this real quick¡­¡± Archon picked up the spoon in the bowl left for him and ced it into his mouth, savoring the soup. ¡°Ooh, Octane¡¯s right on this one. Storm, you¡¯re improvin¡¯.¡± ¡°Still can¡¯tpete with you, Archon,¡± Storm replied, folding his arms. ¡°Haha, you¡¯ll get there,¡± heughed, then turned to Finn and Iris once more. ¡°Alright, follow me, you two.¡± ¡°H-Huh? You only took one sip!¡± Octaneined. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not hungry anyway,¡± Archon replied, waving his concerns off with ease, before leaving the living room. ¡°I leave the house to you, Storm. Be sure to receive Ivis¡¯s wheelchair that should being in sometime today.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± As Archon left, Iris instinctively climbed onto Finn¡¯s back, who then stood up as well and followed after the leader of the 154th Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps. They were soon led into a room they¡¯ve never been before in the house, hidden within a wall. Inside was a teleporter, the exact same model as the one they had used before at Kas¡¯s ce. ¡°The only way to reach the Phantom yers HQ is through a teleporter,¡± Archon exined. ¡°Normal people would never be able to find it.¡± Saying this, he stepped onto the te right as the wall snapped close once again. Iris and Finn followed. ¡°Alright¡­ now, prepare to feast your eyes.¡± ***** A white light enveloped and blinded the three of them, and before they knew it, they were staring at a bright blue sky, with white clouds hovering here and there. The was just one thing ¡®off¡¯ about the whole situation: The clouds were directly in front of them rather than above. It was then that they noticed they weren¡¯t standing on solid ground but instead some kind of puffy,fortable material ¡ª the very same clouds they had just been admiring. ¡°H-Hey, Finn¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Finn asked, still oblivious to the situation. ¡°Uh¡­ I think we¡¯re¡­ on a cloud right now.¡± ¡°Indeed we are!¡± Archonughed from behind the two, causing them to turn around. But the first thing Iris saw was not Archon¡¯s face, but a massive, tall white tower, with rotating tforms floating around the main building and an enormous white orb located at the very top of the tower, floating between four arches. On the orb was the silhouette of a wolf¡¯s head, with a sword slicing through its neck diagonally. ¡°That, my friends, is the insignia of the Phantom yers. The wolf represents wildness and loyalty, while the sword represents killing. And as for the white orb around it¡­ that symbolizes the moon to which the wolves howl.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris gasped in awe, different colored eyes sparkling in wonder. ¡°An enormous tower built in the sky, coated with invisibility from radars and the public¡­ I¡¯ve heard the Phantom yers have the least impressive temple, but even this is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, we don¡¯t put that much effort into lookin¡¯ good,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°The other guilds¡¯ headquarters are even bigger and better than this one. But what¡¯s looking good going to do for you? Keep you alive? Ha!¡± With this heartyughter, Archon strode on into the tower, his frustration and despair from earlier nowhere to be seen. Iris and Finn followed, still having no idea just what this ce held in store for them. Chapter 25: The Phantom Slayer Corps Chapter 25: The Phantom yer Corps After Archon showed the guards at the gates an identification of some sort, the three of them entered the massive tower. The interior of the Phantom yers Headquarters was like a highly-advanced airport with multiple stories, in a way. The inside was painted mostly white to match the exterior and polished pristine, not a single speck of dust to be found anywhere. To the left was a series of elevators with people walking in and out, and the right held various terminals of some sort along with a staircase heading up. It was filled with people, but not crowded. Archon led Iris and Finn directly forward, where a row of receptionists sat, each at their own station, but then, a voice called out to them. ¡°Yo, Archon!¡± Archon nced in the direction of the voice to see a young man walking over to him, a wide grin on his face and several other people following behind him. ¡°¡­ Tempest.¡± ¡°Why that is me indeed!¡± The boy, Tempest, cackled inughter. ¡°How you doin¡¯, old geezer?¡± ¡°Fine, thank you,¡± he replied politely, careful to use a distant tone. It was clear he didn¡¯t want to drag this conversation on. ¡°Fine? Since when were we Phantom yers¡¯ lives ¡®fine¡¯?¡± Tempest chuckled, then finallynded his gaze on Finn and Iris. ¡°Oh¡­? Who are these two? Neers? Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you took in some poor little kids again? Hah¡­ hm? Wait, is that guy blind?! Oh, this is too good! And the girl too ¡ª she¡¯s got a pretty face, but her legs arepletely crippled, HAHA!¡± Between fits ofughter, he pointed at the trio. ¡°Hey, did you go from taking in weak kids topletely useless ones?! I don¡¯t get you, geezer! Why?¡± ¡°THEY¡¯RE NOT USELESS!¡± Archon suddenly roared, draining out all other noise and attracting quite a few awkward stares from passersby. But the younger man was not fazed at all and instead smirked, as if taunting him. ¡°Not useless, eh? Then, how about that drug addict daredevil¡­ or my failure of a little brother who can¡¯t even handle a single Phantom on his own because of his slow-ass casting time?¡± At this, Archon clenched his fists, expression taking a dark turn as he red at Tempest. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to speak of him that way, bastard¡­ and since when was he your little brother? Just because you two share the same Angelica-¡° ¡°Heh¡­ it was just a tease, rx. Sheesh¡­ so quick to get mad. Us Phantom yers use our heads to make decisions ¡ª not our ¡®feelings¡¯. You would do well to remember that, D-ss.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Archon¡¯s eyes widened in shock and rage at being called this and looked like he was ready to start throwing fists, but suddenly, someone else intervened. ¡°Calm down,¡± the neer said, cing a hand on Archon¡¯s shoulder, then nced at Tempest¡¯s group. ¡°You. Leave.¡± Tempest looked like he wanted to y around a bit more, but after a woman from his group whispered something into his ear, he shrugged and began walking away. ¡°Well, well, whatever¡­ if that¡¯s what Senior Brother Lei wants. I have ns after this anyway, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. See you around, Archon¡­ oh, and remember to keep watch over that sorry excuse of a Stormbringer for me.¡± Leaving those provocative words behind, Tempest arrogantly strode out the front entrance of the Phantom yers HQ without sparing a single nce backwards. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Archon spat in annoyance, clenching his fists in anger. ¡°Rx. Don¡¯t let his taunts get the better of you¡­ or do you want a repeat of what happenedst time?¡± Archon sighed and released his frustration, loosening his fists. ¡°¡­ Sorry about that. Every time I see that bastard, I just want to punch him. Thanks for stopping me though, Lei. I owe you one.¡± ¡°No need,¡± the neer, Lei Feng, said, shaking his head. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t cause any more trouble and end up exiled from the guild, that¡¯s the best payment I can ask for.¡± Hearing this exchange, Finn couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were talking about. D-ss? Exiled? Just what happened between Archon and Tempest in the past? Still, now wasn¡¯t exactly the right time to ask, and clearly, this was a memory Archon didn¡¯t want to talk about, so it would take some for him to find out. Lei then nced at Finn and Iris, who were both keeping quiet because of being unfamiliar with this ce, and turned his gaze back to Archon. ¡°Those two¡­ are they¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Archon said firmly. ¡°I brought them here to get them formally registered.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Lei fell silent, observing the two. ¡°Are they the ones who took down the Titan-ss? Kind of unbelievable, if you ask me.¡± ¡°Lei¡­ since when have I lied to the guild? Please.¡± It was rare of Archon to take on such a pleading tone, but from this, Finn now knew this Lei person was of higher standing than Archon, and thetter regarded the former in high respect. After some hesitation, Lei sighed and closed his eyes. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­ but I can¡¯t guarantee they¡¯ll be let in, even with their achievements. I may believe you, but other people won¡¯t. After all¡­ they have disabilities.¡± ¡°And so does Prophet,¡± Archon argued. ¡°He¡¯s also blind, is he not?¡± ¡°He¡­ well, he¡¯s an exception,¡± Lei replied awkwardly, as if this was a sensitive topic. ¡°Either way, follow me, you two. I¡¯ll take you to the guildmaster directly, since you¡¯re a special case.¡± Saying this, he walked off towards an elevator as Finn and Iris followed. Iris looked at Archon in confusion to see if he would follow, but he shook his head. ¡°Go on, follow him. I¡­ I¡¯m not allowed in the guildmaster¡¯s presence.¡± ¡®Archon¡­ just what happened in the past?¡¯ Finn couldn¡¯t help but wonder as he followed Iris¡¯s directions to trail after Lei. ***** The three of them boarded an empty elevator without having to wait at all, as everyone made way for Lei after seeing him. Finn and Iris gathered that he was a famous or high-ranking figure amongst the Phantom yers ¡ª which made sense, considering how he was able to bring people to meet the guildmaster directly. Lei pressed on a button that read ¡¯30¡¯ on the elevator¡¯s panels as the doors closed and the machine began moving. The atmosphere became awkwardly silent, neither party saying a thing. Soon enough, the trio reached the 30th and topmost floor of the tower, signaled by a loud dinging from within the elevator. They stepped out of the lift. Lei turned right immediately after exiting. ¡°This way.¡± Finn and Iris followed obediently, with thetter gazing in wonder all around at the marvelous paintings on the walls and the niche white color coating the entire interior, lit by electronic lights. They werepletely alone in this ce, the sound of their footsteps echoing across the wide marble hallway. This ce had a royal, medieval feeling to it, but also had a retrofuturistic air thanks to the lights on the ceiling. It held an indescribable atmosphere of tranquility in it, quiet yet grand. Soon, they arrived at two massive white doors at the end of the corridor, polished shiny and lined with gold. Beautiful designs were etched on it, along with two long brass handles that allowed us to push it open. Lei walked up and gently knocked on the door. ¡°Greetings, Guildmaster. Do you have time right now?¡± ¡°Hm¡­? Is that you, Lei?¡± A faint, airy voice from inside the room asked dreamily. ¡°Yes. There are two neers who wish to join the guild, but their situation is¡­ somewhat special, hence why I took them here.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m not particrly busy right now. You cane in.¡± ¡°My sincere gratitude.¡± Lei bowed from outside the door, gently pushed it open, then tapped Finn on the back, signaling for him to go in. Once they were all inside, he closed the door tightly behind him and bowed down once more. ¡°Lei Feng greets the Guildmaster. I have two neers today who await your approval to join the guild, as their circumstances are somewhat special.¡± Behind a cluttered desk and on a royal throne, a beautiful young woman sat a short distance away. She had curly deep velvet hair and maroon eyes that seemed to see through everything, despite the easy-going and rxed air to her. Finn tried to bow down as well, but with Iris riding him, it was somewhat difficult. The Guildmaster, seeing this,ughed softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about bowing, you two. What are your names?¡± ¡°Finn,¡± Finn quickly replied. ¡°And this is Ivis.¡± At this, the Guildmaster smiled seductively and twirled the apple in her hand around, resting her cheek on her other hand. ¡°Ivis, eh¡­?¡± ¡°Guildmaster, what do you think?¡± Lei asked, steering the conversation back on course to avoid wasting any more time. ¡°The boy is blind, and the girl¡¯s legs are crippled, but ording to a reliable source of information, they took down a Titan-ss all on their own despite being new to the Ghost Hunter world. Can they¡­¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°They defeated a Titan-ss Phantom, you say? Just the two of them?¡± Lei nodded. ¡°In fact, their other Squadron members had fallen into one of the Titan¡¯s traps, but these two defeated it and rescued their allies. Amendable act, in my humble opinion.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I agree,¡± the Guildmaster murmured quietly with a smirk. ¡°So¡­ I will take that as a yes¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. If even you, who doesn¡¯t usually praise others, speak of their achievements like this, acknowledges these two, there is no reason for me not to ept. The Phantom yers are always looking for new, talented recruits, as long as you have the skills. I don¡¯t care about your starting point, or the process you took ¡ª I only want one thing: results. Since you have clearly shown that to me already¡­ there is no reason for me to deny your application.¡± ¡°Does that mean¡­¡± Finn began, confirming whether or not he really got approved that easily. Lei closed his eyes and patted Finn on the shoulders, a slight smile on his face. ¡°Wee to the Phantom yers Guild, Finn. You¡¯re one of us now.¡± Chapter 26: Alpha Lupi Chapter 26: Alpha Lupi After Finn and Iris were instructed to take the elevator back down to the bottommost floor, they left the Guildmaster¡¯s office, leaving only the woman and Lei Feng behind. Lei prepared to leave as well, but the Guildmaster suddenly stopped him. ¡°Lei.¡± He froze, turning back around to face the woman. ¡°What is it, Guildmaster?¡± ¡°Those two¡­ keep an eye on them for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lei looked like he was confused and wanted to know why, but he also realized it wasn¡¯t his ce to ask. So, instead, he just took a deep breath and bowed. ¡°Understood, Guildmaster.¡± ****** Upon returning to the bottommost floor, Finn and Iris spotted Archon waiting for them a short distance away. They had originally wanted to explore some of the other floors of this massive tower, but figured it wouldn¡¯t be good if they got caught. Disobeying orders right after entering the guild was not a great way to start off as new recruits. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back. Did she¡­ approve?¡± Archon asked once we regrouped with him. Finn nodded. ¡°We were told toe down here and go to the rightmost receptionist to formally get registered.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Archon let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ I thought she would reject you because you are part of my Squadron¡­¡± ¡°Did something¡­ happen between you and her in the past?¡± Iris asked hesitantly, unsure of this was a good topic to pry about. ¡°Yes¡­ and it has something to do with what you heard earlier this morning today as well, Ace,¡± Archon said, turning to Finn. ¡°I¡¯ll exin more once we get back¡­ it¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Iris murmured quietly, even though she really was curious. ¡°Also, what¡¯s this about Finn hearing you earlier this morning¡­?¡± ¡°He just happened to overhear a call I had. No big deal,¡± Archon replied. ¡°And since I¡¯ve made up my mind to drag you into my mess¡­ I should at least give you the context of what happened. It¡¯s the least I can do topensate my selfish desires.¡± After that, the three fell into line behind the rightmost receptionist in the lobby just as instructed. Apparently, this was a special VIP line that only specific people could use. Thus, the line was shorter than most others, which saved time. ¡°By the way, Archon,¡± Finn said while they were waiting. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, kid?¡± ¡°Is there a way I can learn Abilities without being taught directly by someone else? For example, a library or something of the sort?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ there is, but you won¡¯t be able to read with your blindness. And you can¡¯t use your Angelica anyway, so it¡¯s pretty much a lost cause,¡± he said, then suddenly realized something as he scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°A-Ah¡­ sorry, that was a bit harsh.¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Even if I can¡¯t use the Abilities myself, it¡¯s still nice to know about them in case I am faced with an enemy using them or given allies who have them.¡± ¡°And I can apany him,¡± Iris added from above Finn. ¡°He may not be able to see the text inside the books due to his blindness, but I can read it out loud for him. There may be some Abilities for the Oculus Angelica in there I don¡¯t even know yet.¡± At this, Archon sighed in relief and shook his head. ¡°Man¡­ you two are already lookin¡¯ out for each other like this, huh?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a library on the second floor of this tower, open for everyone. I¡¯ll be sure to take you two there next time we¡¯re here. For now though, there are more concerning matters, so let¡¯s just get you formally registered, then head back.¡± Finn and Iris both nodded in response, since they weren¡¯t in too much of a hurry to acquire these Abilities anyway. Soon enough, everyone in line before the three of them had finished their business, leaving them next up. Archon took the lead and stepped forward; the receptionist looked up from her paperwork and greeted them. ¡°How may I help you today, Hunter?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to get these two formally registered,¡± Archon replied, eyeing Finn and Iris. ¡°The Guildmaster already approved of their application, so¡­¡± ¡°Yes, so I¡¯ve been told,¡± the receptionist said with a warm and friendly smile. ¡°Finn and Ivis, correct? One moment.¡± She rummaged through some papers on her desk and pulled out two nk forms of some sort, sliding them through the gap in the ss screen separating the two parties. ¡°I just need you to fill those forms in, one for each of you. Here, you can write with these. Take your time.¡± She ced down a pen beside the sheets of paper. Iris picked it up and without any hesitation, began breezing through her form, filling in all the categories lightning-fast. They were all just normal, basic fields such as name and age. Naturally, Finn was unable to fill this form in due to his blindness, so he had Iris fill it in for him by quietly telling her what to write on his sheet. They were also asked to write down their aliases, to which Finn settled on ¡®Ace¡¯. Iris, after some careful consideration, decided to write down ¡®Ivy¡¯ in her alias slot. Unbeknownst to Finn, Iris also wrote down ¡®Ivis Silverdale¡¯ rather than her real name, Iris Sylvoir. After all¡­ it would be somewhat problematic if her real heritage was revealed. Other fields on the form included Squadron number and Angelica, which Finn all answered truthfully¡­ though, he just told Iris to write Oculus down rather than the cksmith one he obtained from Archon earlier today. Less than a minuteter, both forms were filled in. The receptionist took everything back and looked through them, before inputting their responses into theputer before her. It didn¡¯t take very long for some kind of machine beside her to begin whirring and outputting a card of some sort. The receptionist took it out of the device, then another one began generating immediately. Once both cards were finished being created, she handed them to Finn and Iris. They looked to be of the same archetype as the one Archon had shown the guards at the entrance of the tower. ¡°Here are your Hunter Cards,¡± the receptionist exined. ¡°These things are universal across all the major guilds, so in case you ever leave this one to join a different one, you won¡¯t need to make a new card. Keep them safe, as they are like your new identification documents in the Ghost Hunter world. If you ever lose it, no matter the reason, you should speak to your Squadron leader.¡± ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Archon added helpfully, as if they didn¡¯t know that already. Iris inspected her card. On it was bits of information along with a picture of herself, though she was unsure when or how they got an image of her. [Name: Ivis Silverdale] [Age: 18] [Alias: Ivy] [Angelica: Oculus] [Affiliations: Phantom yers Corps (154th Squadron)] [Rank: D] ¡°D¡­?¡± Iris wondered aloud, confused. Archon scratched his hair awkwardly. ¡°About that¡­ sorry. You started with that rank since you¡¯re in my Squadron, which is¡­ low-tier.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s why Tempest called him a D-ss earlier¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his head, though he couldn¡¯t see his own card. He fell silent, unsure of what to say. He didn¡¯t really mind being D-ss, per se, but if being a higher rank was missing out on good resources to get stronger, he would definitely try and climb the rankings, somehow. Now was not the time for that though. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all!¡± The receptionist pped her hands together happily, bringing the trio¡¯s gaze back to her. ¡°Finn, Ivis ¡ª or should I say, Ace and Ivy ¡ª the two of you have sessfully registered with the Phantom yers. Congrattions!¡± ***** After the procedure was done, Archon took Finn and Iris back to their home using one of the many teleporters stationed right outside the tower. Upon arrival, the trio each took a quick shower. Finn didn¡¯t have to help Iris this time, since her wheelchair arrived. After the three of them all cleaned themselves off, they met up in the living room, where the others were. ¡°Heh, wee back!¡± Octane eximed, crossing one leg over the other andughing. ¡°You two get your Hunter cards? Lemme see what color they are!¡± ¡°Does that matter¡­?¡± Finn murmured, confused. ¡°Haha, no,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just a tradition between Phantom yers. Apparently, ck-background cards are the rarest or something. Don¡¯t quote me on that though.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Finn fished out his Hunter Card and showed it to everyone else, since he couldn¡¯t see it himself. ¡°Wow, speak of the devil¡­ it¡¯s really ck!¡± Octane yelled in shock. ¡°Man, you¡¯re lucky¡­¡± Iris also pulled hers out, and it was a clean white that made almost made it hard to see the text on it. No one paid attention to hers though, since they were all too focused on Finn¡¯s. ¡°Now, now, calm down¡­ I have some news to announce,¡± Archon sighed, taking on a serious expression. ¡°But before that¡­ where¡¯s Reaper?¡± ¡°Scheduled maintenance over at Risa¡¯s. He¡¯ll be back in two days,¡± Storm replied. ¡®Maintenance?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Ah, I guess he is a robot¡­¡¯ ¡°Two days¡­ he won¡¯t be able to make it¡­¡± Archon murmured quietly, then shook his head and changed the topic. ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Finn said, interrupting the conversation. ¡°I meant to say this before, but¡­ there¡¯s no need for you all to call me Ace while we¡¯re not on a mission or anything. Just Finn is fine ¡ª I¡¯m more used to it that way. Now, Archon¡­ the news?¡± ¡°I see¡­ got it.¡± Archon took a deep breath and gazed out the window, eyes holding a slight sadness within them. ¡°It¡¯s about time I tell you about my past ¡ª what happened between me, the Phantom yers guild, and the ouwed band of rogues known as Alpha Lupi.¡± Chapter 27: Scourge of the Past Chapter 27: Scourge of the Past Storm brought out the lunch he had made while Archon, Finn, and Iris were away. Setting therge pot of soup on the table and lifting the lid up, a sweet and rich aroma immediately swarmed the air. ¡°Thank you, Storm,¡± Archon said with a sad smile. ¡°Perhaps this¡­ can help soothe my pain a bit.¡± ¡°Hey, boss¡­ if ya don¡¯t mind me askin¡¯, why are you telling us about this now?¡± Octane asked, scratching his head. ¡°It seems kinda¡­ how do I say it, out of the blue.¡± ¡°I will get to thatter on, but for now¡­ please. Listen to my story. If I just tell you to follow me tomorrow without any context¡­ I would feel far too guilty. I still do, even now, but at least it¡¯s not as bad.¡± As they all fell silent, quietly sipping on their meal, Archon began his tale. ***** ¡°It all started about ten years ago,¡± he said quietly, looking down at nothing in particr. ¡°When I first started chasing after Melvia.¡± At the sound of this name, Fanatic, Storm, and Octane all widened their eyes in surprise. ¡°Melvia¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Do you three remember that day, when I returned home from a mission, saying she was dead?¡± ¡°I remember it very well,¡± Storm replied, closing his eyes. ¡°It was raining¡­ horribly. I recall every crash of thunder, every strike of lightning. That¡­ was the darkest day of my life, even more so than when I was first abandoned by my family.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Octane, who was usually all excited, gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows. ¡°Melvia was like a mom to us, boss¡­ we thought of her as family, and she did the same with us¡­ I was young back then, but I still can¡¯t count the amount of tears I shed that night.¡± ¡°I was only 7 at the time,¡± Fanatic said emotionlessly. ¡°Right after watching my family get ughtered before my very eyes, she was the one tofort me. And despite the short amount of time I knew her for, I¡­ genuinely began to think of her as someone I could trust. Too bad that hope¡­ never came to fruition.¡± ¡°It still can, Fanatic,¡± Archon said firmly, clenching his fists and biting his lip. ¡°I¡¯ve been hiding it from you all this time, but¡­ Melvia is not dead.¡± ¡°¡­ What?!¡± The three young teens dropped their jaws in shock at this news, unable to react any other way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Archon gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tightly as a single tear flowed out of his right eyelid. ¡°At the time, I¡­ I wanted all of you to just forget about her. That¡¯s why I told you she was dead¡­ but perhaps it was for myself as well. I wanted to forget her too ¡ª though clearly, it didn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°But¡­ why?¡± Storm cried, voice hollow from astonishment. ¡°Why would you want us to just forget about her¡­? The same woman who took care of us during our toughest times, the same mother who loved us during our darkest hours¡­ how could we ever forget¡­?¡± ¡°She was captured, Storm¡­ by none other than our own guild ¡ª the Phantom yers.¡± The three nearly fainted from the mixture of emotions swelling up in their hearts, abination of surprise and hatred. ¡°Wha¡­ why would they¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all confused as to why they would do that¡­ which stems from the origin of Melvia,¡± Archon exined, refusing to shed another tear. Taking a deep breath, he continued. ¡°Ten years ago, I was assigned by the guild on a mission ¡ª to track down and exterminate a group of ouws known as Alpha Lupi. They were a band of rogue Angelica users who abused the powers they had for evil. Ghost Hunters don¡¯t just hunt down Ghosts ¡ª they also have to deal with things like this. ¡°Together with four other squadmates, we were given the location of their hideout. It was supposed to be an easy, wless mission. Everything was set in ce ¡ª but the only thing I could not predict¡­ was my heart.¡± ¡®Love, huh?¡¯ Finn thought in his head, already seeing where this was going. ¡°At the time, I was chasing Melvia, who worked as a waitress at a restaurant I visited quite frequently. I was hopelessly in love with her ¡ª she just seemed perfect from every angle, no matter how I looked at her. ¡°She was kind, caring, and always had a passion for caring for kids. No matter the situation, she could always remain positive¡­ and on my saddest, most exhausting nights after work, she would always be there to cheer me up. Before I knew it, I asked her out, andwe began dating.¡± A smile tugged on the corners of Archon¡¯s lips in memory. However, it was not happy, but mncholy. ¡°Of course, I used a fake identity as an office worker,¡± he continued. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell her about the Ghost Hunter and Angelica world¡­ not until we were married. Those were the rules. But what I didn¡¯t know¡­ was that she was using a fake identity too. She was not just some random, innocent waitress. No ¡ª she was the daughter of Alpha Lupi¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°What?! There¡¯s no way,¡± Octane shook his head frantically. ¡°Melvia isn¡¯t that kind of person!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Octane ¡ª she isn¡¯t,¡± Archon replied. ¡°And that¡¯s why I was so surprised to see her there, standing in front of her father, right before I could deliver the final bullet to his head.¡± As everyone at the table fell silent, the story reaching its climax, Archon ced a hand on his forehead like he had a headache. ¡°At the time, my other squadron members were busy keeping attempting to dismantle the various mines ced in the hideout to prevent them from exploding and causing damage to the hideout¡¯s surroundings, as it was in the middle of a city. None of us knew that the mines were actually not just based on time alone, but also on a remote detonator the leader held in his hands. Right before I could shoot the bastard, however, Melvia jumped in front, and¡­ and I hesitated.¡± ¡°Archon¡­¡± Iris bit her lip, unsure of what to say infort. Archon desperately tried to hold the tears in, but the resurfacing memories and pain was too much for him to handle. Between sobs and tears, he continued, clenching his fists tightly. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed him before he got to detonate the mines, but that brief second of hesitation¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± Finn, emotionlessly, ced a hand on the crying man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not your-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s not my fault!¡± Archon suddenly growled deeply, swatting Finn¡¯s hand away and wiping his own tears. ¡°I could¡¯ve prevented myrades from dying. I killed them, Finn. I KILLED THEM¡­ all because of my stupid, lovestruck heart.¡± ¡°Then¡­ what happened after?¡± Octane asked quietly. ¡°How did Melvia end up here, with us¡­?¡± Archon sighed and tried to calm down. ¡°The mines blew up, and Alpha Lupi¡¯s remaining gang members were slowly converging on me. I knew that if I wanted to get out of there alive, I needed to run ¡ª and so I did. I managed to escape unscathed, but the damage dealt to me emotionally could not be reversed. ¡°After, I returned to the same restaurant where I had originally met Melvia¡­ and there she was, once again. When she spotted me, we just stared at each other awkwardly for a few minutes straight, neither of us able to say anything after what happened. She was not evil like her father was ¡ª I was sure of that¡­ which was why I convinced her toe with me instead and join the Ghost Hunters.¡± ¡°If she was not evil, then why protect her father?¡± Finn asked coldly. ¡°Familial bonds,¡± Archon replied stoically. ¡°She wanted to try and persuade her father to change for the better¡­ but eventually, I managed to convince her to just give it up. I lied to the guild, saying the mission was just an unfortunate failure, we werepletely ambushed, and I was the only survivor. I wanted to just leave it all behind¡­ carry the heavy burden of myrades¡¯ lives with me for the rest of my life and not let it affect anyone else. But unfortunately¡­ someone in the guild had other ns.¡± ¡°Did they find out about the truth¡­?¡± Fanatic murmured, despite already knowing the answer deep down. ¡°Yes¡­ his name is Heartbeat. One of my squadmates on that fateful mission was his younger brother. He couldn¡¯t believe the story I told them, so he went and did some investigating on his own. I don¡¯t know how he managed to find out, but¡­ once he did, he attacked me and Melvia on our way home from a mission and captured her, overwhelming us with numbers instantly, and saying that he would kill her for revenge. ¡°After some desperate and shameful pleading, I finally convinced him to not kill her straight away. Instead, he wanted me to bring him the head of Alpha Lupi¡¯s leader myself. If I couldn¡¯t do that, then he would kill Melvia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Storm gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. ¡°Just this morning, he issued me his final warning. I have three days to y the leader of Alpha Lupi and bring him what he wants. If I go beyond this time restriction, Melvia will die without a doubt. So, that brings us to the heart of today¡¯s discussion¡­ are you all willing to do this together with me?¡± Archon nced around at all of us, firm determination in his solid gaze. Octane was the first to respond, mming his fist down on the table and shaking it slightly. ¡°Melvia is part of this family¡­ as long as she¡¯s not already dead, I¡¯ll do anything to bring her back. I¡¯m with ya, boss.¡± Storm was next, folding his arms as dark hatred pooled in his eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t ever forgive Alpha Lupi or Heartbeat. Even if you refuse to bring me along, Archon, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± ¡®Wishful thinking,¡¯ Finn scoffed in his head. ¡®You don¡¯t even have any information right now, how are you going to ¡®do it yourself¡¯? Moreover¡­ ording to what Tempest said earlier today, it was clear the little brother he was referring to was Storm, judging from appearances. If that¡¯s the case, then Storm was ¡®useless¡¯, as he called it.¡¯ Finn didn¡¯t feel guilty thinking this way at all ¡ª he was just being blunt with the truth. Naturally, though, he didn¡¯t say anything out loud. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve already said this, but¡­¡± Fanatic took a deep breath. ¡°Melvia was the one who showed me warmth again for the first time after my family was murdered by Ghosts. I may not have anybat abilities, but I refuse to let my family ripped away from me again. Archon¡­ I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Good¡­ and you two?¡± Archon turned to Finn and Iris hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯spletely alright if you say no¡­ after all, you have no connection with Melvia whatsoever.¡± ¡°That may be true, but this sounds like a good opportunity to get stronger,¡± Finn replied. ¡°And since I¡¯m in this Squadron anyway¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be right for me to sit operations out. I¡¯ll join this revenge crusade.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Iris said, a smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯ve been bored, being the only female in this house¡­ if we can bring Melvia back, I¡¯m sure we would get along just fine.¡± Archon, for the first time since beginning this tale, grinned slightly. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m sure you will.¡± Chapter 28: Operation: Exterminate Chapter 28: Operation: Exterminate By the time Archon was finished his story, the 154th Squadron all realized that none of them had taken a single bite out of our rice. Some of them drank a little of the soup, and that was it. After hearing that tragic tale, they weren¡¯t exactly in the mood to eat either, but Finn still did it anyway since he didn¡¯t particrly have a mood. Right after eating, Archon strode up to the wall and pulled down on chain switch of some sort, dropping down a map that was originally rolled up on a rod hanging from the ceiling. The map showed District A in detail and had various red pen drawings over it ¡ª the marks of previous operations. ¡°ording to Heartbeat, the location of Alpha Lupi¡¯s hideout is here,¡± Archon said, taking a red marker nearby and drawing a circle over a building in some slums in the southeastern part of the city. ¡°Fanatic, does this bring back some memories, by any chance?¡± The short boy who was no older than a middle schooler pushed his square sses up the bridge of his nose and stood up, the bright gleam of the light above them reflecting on his lenses. ¡°Indeed it does¡­ that, is where I used to live.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Archon replied, turning back to the map. ¡°Back then, I found you in this region of the District¡­ which was why I assumed you would know something about it.¡± ¡°I know that area very well,¡± Fanatic said confidently, walking up to the board and taking out a long thin rod from his whiteb coat¡¯s pocket. Pointing at the ce Archon had just circled, he continued. ¡°There is a secret way to infiltrate this building ¡ª from above. When I was younger, I used to y hide and seek with some of the other kids who lived in these slums with me. This was a spot I found by chance.¡± Fanatic¡¯s scientist outfit and sses paired with his academic aura almost made him seem like a professor as he stood up there, exining the n to us. ¡°On the roof of this building, there is a vent entrance. That used to be my prime hiding spot during these hide and seek games ¡ª no one was ever able to find me. Every time I finished using it, I would screw the gate back on slightly so I would be able to use it again next time. In other words, as long as no one else touched it during all these years¡­ we should still be able to sneak into the building from there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how powerful Alpha Lupi is right now, unfortunately,¡± Archon said with a sigh. ¡°Since the strength of the enemy is unknown to us, sneaking in using Fanatic¡¯s n is the best option.¡± ¡°Before that, I have a question.¡± Finn raised his hand. ¡°If someone from the guild really found out about what you did¡­ howe you weren¡¯t kicked out?¡± Archon¡¯s actions were more than enough to earn him an exile sentence from the guild ¡ª it was truly a mystery how he was still here, and even managed to establish his own Squadron, and with Melvia in it as well. ¡°I¡­ nearly was,¡± Archon murmured ufortably. ¡°Almost all of the influential figures of the guild wanted me exiled or even dead to atone for my sins. But the Guildmaster¡­ she vetoed all of their proposals, allowing me to remain in the guild. I was kicked out from my original A-ss Squadron, but I was able to stay as a Phantom yer. Eventually, I formed my own Squadron, but was stuck with thebel of D-ss.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn fell silent. He could see where the Guildmaster wasing from ¡ª Archon was quite powerful on his own, and he also possessed the cksmith Angelica that was quite rare ording to Iris. It made sense that she would want to keep him in the guild as a tool. ¡°That¡¯s why I said earlier today I¡¯m not allowed in her presence,¡± Archonughed self-depreciatingly. ¡°The guilt would be too much for me to bear.¡± ¡®It seems¡­ he doesn¡¯t realize the Guildmaster just wants to keep using him because of his Angelica¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his head, but decided to refrain from saying this out loud. ¡°Hold on,¡± Storm interjected. ¡°Will there be mines in their new hideout as well?¡± ¡°It would be safe to assume so, yes,¡± Fanatic replied. ¡°If they had mines set around at their old base, there¡¯s no reason for them to not do the same in their new one. Thoughts, Archon?¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Archon said with a firm nod. ¡°And knowing those bastards¡­ they probably have even more security measures set in ce after that failed raid we didst time. I would expect things like tripwires and all sorts of traps. Hell, I wouldn¡¯t even rule outsers as a possible defense mechanism.¡± ¡°How big is the vent?¡± Iris asked hesitantly. ¡°This¡­¡± Fanatic trailed off. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that beforehand¡­ you won¡¯t be able to crawl through with your legs, and if you rode Finn, you wouldn¡¯t fit¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Iris murmured disappointedly, a dejected look on her face. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Finn spoke up, sitting in a thoughtful gesture. ¡°Why don¡¯t we hit them with a nk attack?¡± ¡°What?¡± All four pairs of confused eyes converged on Finn, awaiting an exnation. He sighed. ¡°Think of it like this: putting Ivis aside for now, if we were to attack from the vents like what Fanatic suggested, there is still a chance that they could detect and surround us, correct? Since they have more numbers, if that were to happen, we would be done for. However, if Ivis and I sneak in from the front while you guys scurry through the vents¡­¡± At this, Archon¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Ah, I see! That¡¯s clever indeed¡­ essentially, you¡¯re telling us to purposely make as much as noise as possible to attract all of their forces to us without making it seem suspicious, while you strike from behind from the front entrance, where they least expect it¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­ if it¡¯s like this, then we can hit them from both sides, making us the surrounders rather than the surrounded,¡± Storm analyzed. ¡°That could work.¡± ¡°I agree¡­¡± Fanatic murmured. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of splitting up¡­¡± ¡°Good goin¡¯, Finn, thinking of something before prof here!¡± Octane cheered in praise, the shock and despair from earlier reced by newfound vigor and determination. After that, the five discussed the n in more detail and arrived at a solid, precise course of action. ***** ¡°Alright, with that, it¡¯s decided,¡± Archon said once they were finished, cing his hand down on the table with a determined look in his eyes. ¡°We won¡¯t have Reaper with us, but there¡¯s no time. Tomorrow night, we set out. Remember, team ¡ª we only have one try. One tiny screw-up¡­ and we fail. Melvia dies. Are you ready?¡± Octane grinned. ¡°¡®Course. I¡¯m always ready.¡± Storm nodded firmly, hellbent on revenge, and pulled his ck gloves tighter. ¡°I haven¡¯t killed humans before, but¡­ perhaps, it¡¯s finally time to do it ¡ª there¡¯s a first for everything and everyone, after all. This is mine.¡± Fanatic folded his arms and closed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to be the ones doing the actual fighting¡­ how can I say I¡¯m not ready?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all set as well,¡± Iris added, a smirk on her face. ¡°This will be not only a good opportunity to get stronger, but also a chance to hone my teamwork with Finn.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Finn said,st but not least. He fished out the tiny dagger Archon had given him when he first woke up here and stabbed it into the table. ¡°It¡¯s about time¡­ for my first proper mission.¡± After confirming our resolve with his own two ears, Archon smiled and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Alright, Squadron 154¡­ I hereby name this mission ¡ª Operation: Exterminate.¡± Chapter 29: Infiltration Chapter 29: Infiltration The next morning, the 154th Squadron set out for the Alpha Lupi gang¡¯s hideout location. Before executing the actual mission tonight, some reconnaissance was necessary. The six stood atop the roof of a tall building a short distance away from their target and got a good view of the area. Fanatic, who had finished setting up a telescope, peered in the direction of the hideout. ¡°Okay¡­ I can see the second and third floors from here, and the vent too. It seems to be still screwed shut. I don¡¯t know if it got tightened by someone, but¡­¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been touched by anyone in years,¡± Iris suddenly said, sitting on Finn¡¯s shoulders and gazing out in the same direction as Fanatic. Her normally one-purple-one-turquoise eyes now shone a bright golden, signaling that she was using her Angelica. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of umted dust on it, thick enough to be an ancient relic.¡± ¡°You can see from this range¡­?¡± Fanatic blinked in surprise. The distance from where they were standing to the vent was no less than 500 meters. While that wasn¡¯t a lot theoretically speaking, to be able to see tiny details like dust with nothing but the human eye was quite difficult, even with an Oculus Angelica. ¡°I can,¡± Iris replied. ¡°My eyes have always been my strong suit, ever since I was young. Pair that with the Oculus Angelica, and I can see incredibly tiny details like even from this range. Though, it does use up quite a bit of my mana¡­¡± ¡°I see. Well, with this, we can at least confirm the n is a go,¡± Fanatic said, taking down his telescope and pushing his sses up the bridge of his nose. ¡°Next, let¡¯s take a look at the surroundings, see if there are still people living in this ce¡­ probably not, after the Outbreak that happened around here, but¡­¡± He trailed off, before packing all his equipment up wordlessly and rappeled down the building using the same rope they had used to get up here. The others silently followed, keeping quiet since they knew this was a sensitive topic and location for Fanatic. In order to avoid rousing suspicion, Archon didn¡¯te along for this part of the espionage mission. If Alpha Lupi members were roaming about, there was a chance some may still recognize him. Storm took off his mask as well and changed into normal clothes, as did Fanatic. Octane looked pretty normal already since his armor only activated when he activated his Angelica, but Finn and Iris had to take their outer armor off, leaving only the inside which were just normal T-shirts, ck and white respectively. The five were instructed to do their best toe off as a group of friends just casually hanging out on the weekend while exploring these slums. ording to Archon, Alpha Lupi was not the type to target mere normal teenagers but ratherrger corporations such as banks and such, so the five would be safe, even if they ran into any gang members. As they moved through the narrow alleyways of the slums, with Octane cracking a joke here and there, Finn couldn¡¯t help but notice how smoothly Fanatic led them through this maze of abandoned buildings. It made sense since this was his home until he was picked up by Archon, but Finn found it quite impressive how calm he was. Any normal middle-schooler would¡¯ve probably never been able to recover from the trauma of having their family ughtered in front of them, but Fanatic was clearly different from the rest. They walked and walked, but didn¡¯t run into anyone. The slums werepletely deste, deprived of life. With that confirmed and everything set in ce, the five headed back out and returned to theirir to report back to Archon and prepare for tonight¡¯s operation. ***** After eating lunch, Finn spent the rest of that day working out in the mansion¡¯s basement. Push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights ¡ª anything that could help him improve his muscr strength, he did. The whole afternoon had passed before he knew it, and it was already time for dinner, ording to Archon who came downstairs and informed him. This long training session was well worth it ¡ª just because he had the Ghost blood now, didn¡¯t mean working out wasn¡¯t useful anymore. This was, without a doubt, the best and most surefire way to improve his physical strength. Since he had free time anyway, might as well make the most of it. Finn headed upstairs to eat dinner after that, then took a quick shower to clean himself up and clear his thoughts to prepare for the uing mission. And at 11 PM exactly that night, Operation: Exterminatemenced. ***** The six members of the Squadron split up into three teams: one infiltrating from the vent on the roof, one attacks via the front entrance, and one on tactical and sniper duty. Archon, Octane, and Storm were responsible for the infiltration team, while Finn and Iris waited near the front entrance of the hideout on standby. Fanatic, on the roof of the same building they had set the telescope on earlier today, finished setting up his tent and sniper, then activated his earpiece. ¡°I¡¯m all good to go, Archon. Ready whenever you are.¡± ¡°Got it¡­ ¡± Archon received them and gazed out at their target building, then at the zipline hanging in between it and the roof they were currently on. ¡°I¡¯m all ready here as well¡­ what about you, Ace?¡± ¡°Ivy and I are ready,¡± Finn replied, crouched down in the shadows of a tall building nearby with Iris riding on his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone nearby, but it¡¯s still a good idea to use the cover, in my opinion,¡± Iris said, ncing around. ¡°Have you confirmed that they are in there?¡± Archon asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Iris replied, eyes now shining a bright gold, as brilliant as the sun, as she narrowed them at the walls of Alpha Lupi¡¯s hideout. ¡°I can see roughly fifty figures in the building ¡ª a few lesspared to this morning. Their strength levels are unknown.¡± ¡°Copy that,¡± Archon replied firmly, then turned to Storm. ¡°You know what to do.¡± Storm nodded and closed his ocean-blue eyes. Slowly, a dense blue aura began forming around him, along with various simrly colored sparks of electricity. ¡°Come, chaotic levin, I hereby release thy seal. Cleanse this world of evil and turn all enemies mine into nothing but ash. Be my de, Divine Lightning¡­¡± Once the energy had reached its maximum, Storm¡¯s eyes snapped open,pletely white and charged with blue lightning as he muttered the following words: ¡°¡­ Thunderstorm!¡± Sweeping his arms through the air to his left and right, he unleashed the Stormbringer Angelica¡¯s power in arge, powerful blue energy shockwave. Immediately, dark thunderclouds that blocked the pale moonlight gathered above all of District A, plunging it into a world of darkness. Heavy rain began falling down in sheets and torrents, sshing the ground and threatening everyone who wasn¡¯t already to head indoors. A thick, dense fog enveloped the city, making it impossible to see past 5 meters in front of you. With all the camouge ready, Archon grinned like a devil. ¡°Alright, everyone. Operation: Exterminate¡­ begins now.¡± Chapter 30: Rest for the Wicked Chapter 30: Rest for the Wicked Archon gave the signal and went on the zipline first. Chaining his special vest to the tightrope with a hook attached to the back of the chestpiece, he glided across smoothly, performing a deft front roll at the end as he reached the roof of the other building. Like trained assassins, Storm and Octane followed, with thetter not bothering to use any hooks or chains. He simply took a scrap piece of metal he found on the ground and used that as his ¡®hook¡¯, grabbing it with both hands as he slid across. Worthy of a Daredevil Angelica user. Archon looked like he wanted to say something after seeing this reckless move, but refrained from doing so as he quickly climbed up to the vent. It was located beside a staircase leading downwards, but that had been barricaded from the inside ¡ª possibly by Alpha Lupi themselves. Luckily, the vent ¡ª just as Iris had said ¡ª was indeed loose still, even after all these years. Archon carefully removed the lid, purposely letting it tter to the ground and make some noise. Then, after waiting a few seconds, he entered the vent. It was just tall and wide enough to hit a man of his stature in. Naturally, Octane and Storm also fit. The three purposely made their footsteps within the vents loud and clunky, with the hopes of letting the Alpha Lupi gang members hear them. Fanatic had drawn them a map of the vents, using his own memories of crawling in these when he was younger. Their destination was the room in the dead center of the building, on the second story. That was where they anticipated the leader to be. Fighting fifty gang members would be difficult, so the goal of this operation was to get in, capture the leader, then have him detonate all the mines to wipe out the remaining members. Since there was no one still living in this area and these slums were far away from any sign of poption, doing so was safe and easy. Sure, questions would be raised by the public, but the guild can easily cover all of that up. After a few minutes, the trio arrived at a chokepoint in the vents. There was an exit here, and it led to a room on the topmost story, right above their target. However, there being an exit here also meant there was a hole the enemies could see them through, so the three sat back for a moment and reached out to their other two teammates. ¡°Ace, Ivy ¡ª what¡¯s the situation inside looking like?¡± Archon whispered though his earpiece, breathing heavily from the hotness and suffocation in these tight vents. ¡°You¡¯ve sessfully gathered their attention, Archon,¡± Iris replied. ¡°Most of the gang members are heading to the topmost floor to investigate. They¡¯ll most likely try taking apart the vents. Be careful.¡± ¡°Roger that. How many are left down there to guard the entrance?¡± ¡°Four, but their guards seem to be down, judging from their idle postures. It appears they are curious about what¡¯s going on upstairs as well.¡± The enemies were highlighted in red through the wall for Iris, so she could see their gestures and whatnot. She just couldn¡¯t identify who was who or where the leader was, unfortunately. ¡°Got it. Initiate Phase 2.¡± ¡°Copy,¡± Finn replied emotionlessly, and cut thems. He stood up and began heading for the hideout building, Iris riding on top of him. The rain poured down heavily, but they endured it just fine. They would probably end up with colds after this operation, but that was no big deal. The two ced their backs against the door, Iris loading her gun and Finn readying his de-gloves. She then reached down and tapped Finn twice, once on his left cheek and once on his right. This was a code they determined beforehand to signal where to Finn where the enemies were. Finn nodded in understanding, confirming he received the info, then prepared to smash open the door. Iris ced her finger on his head and tapped three times as a countdown. ¡®3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ now!¡¯ Finn shoulder charged the door with all his strength, smashing it open with ease. Immediately, he swiped to his left and right at the same time using the des on his gloves, while Iris took care of the two standing a bit further back. Before the four gang members could even react, they were already dead, the corpses falling simultaneously to the floor with a soft collective thump. Thanks to Iris¡¯s revolver being silent, no one knew what happened here. She also scanned the room for any security cameras or covert listening devices that may have recorded anything, but found none. ¡°Good work,¡± Iris whispered and reloaded her gun skillfully as Finn ran up the stairs. Since Fanatic had been in this building before, he knew theyout of it extremely well. Before this operation began, he had given Finn exact instructions on how to navigate his way to the destination room, where the leader of the gang was thought to be. The reason for this was, of course, this room was the most spacious andfortable one in the building ¡ª the boss of a gang wouldn¡¯t let anyone else but himself enjoy that luxury unless he was either really smart or really stupid. Finn was quite impressed by Fanatic¡¯s incredible memory ¡ª it was almost on par with his own, which had been enhanced by the Ghost blood in his body. Fanatic knew this building down to the core, giving Finn instructions detailed to the point where it had specific step counts. Yes, Iris could¡¯ve just told him where to go, but the less talking in stealth operations like these, the better. In case the duo ended up lost, Fanatic was on the channel too as ast resort to tell them where to go, as he had a 3D representation of this building ready on hisputer and connected it with location-tracking devices imnted on the five going in. The n was wless ¡ª all that was left was to actuallyplete it. Rushing up the stairs, Finn and Iris discretely executed any unsuspecting gang members one by one, using the same strategy they had when first entering, using the fact that there wasn¡¯t any electricity in the building as cover. Before they even knew it, they had massacred every guard on the stairs and reached the third floor. Strangely, despite the fact that he was killing humans, Finn felt no remorse. To him, these gang members might as well have been Ghosts. But what was even stranger was Iris ¡ª she too held nothing back, shooting fellow humans as if they were nothing but brainless Phantoms. Finn had originally thought of her as an innocent girl, gued by Ghosts, but through various interactions and encounters, he now knew she was anything but that. Now was not the time to be worrying about that though, as Archon came in on thems, whispering sharply. ¡°Ace, Ivy, you here yet? They¡¯re starting to pry open the vents!¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Iris replied, cing a finger on her earpiece. ¡°Ready for Phase 3.¡± ¡°Roger. We¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡± Archon quickly cut thems and began climbing back the way they came from, careful to make as much noise as possible. They exited back on the roof again and stretched their bodies. ¡°Oh, god¡­ I¡¯m really getting old¡­¡± Archon muttered, then without wasting any time, used a rope attached to his waist to hook onto the edge of the roof and rappel down. Storm followed, and Octane just jumped off without using the rope,nding solidly on the ground. ¡°Shit, my ankle!¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Archon whispered sharply, shooting his ally a re. Octane immediately shut up and just endured the pain. The three then entered the building from the front, hurriedly rushing up the stairs to rendezvous with Finn and Iris who were already there, waiting beside the door leading to the second floor. They passed by many corpses, but didn¡¯t bother sparing them a second nce. ¡°Alright¡­ we should have about five to ten minutes while they investigate the vents,¡± Archon said once they met up. ¡°Ivy, how many bastards on this floor?¡± ¡°Twelve, excluding the two people in the room in the middle,¡± Iris replied. ¡°They are spread out, but not enough for us to take them out discretely one by one.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ how troublesome,¡± Archon muttered. ¡°I was hoping all the noise we made would get them to send more people to investigate, but¡­¡± ¡°Boss, I can speed past them all, focus their attention on me,¡± Octane suggested. ¡°You guys just go for the leader.¡± ¡°¡­ You sure you can do this?¡± ¡°¡®Course, boss! I may not be able to keep it up for too long, but it should be enough to buy you enough time to get into the room.¡± Archon took a deep breath and ced a hand on Octane¡¯s shoulder, nodding firmly. ¡°Yeah¡­ I was wrong to doubt you. Go for it, champ.¡± Finn pulled open the door for him gently, careful not to make any noise while doing so. Octane smirked and pulled out a syringe from his pocket, before stabbing it into his thigh as a green and ck motorcycle suit materialized on his body. ¡°Oh, baby¡­ watch this, boss. Here¡­ we¡­ GO!¡± Chapter 31: Lupus Chapter 31: Lupus Octane sprinted out of the room far too quickly for the eye to see, leaving behind nothing but a faint green trail and afterimages of his lightning-fast movement. He breezed past the guards, sending a wave of wind in their direction as they spun around, confused. ¡°Hey, who¡¯s that?!¡± A gang member yelled, before quickly chasing after Octane. ¡°Don¡¯t know, he¡¯s too damn fast!¡± Another replied, joining the hunt. ¡°Hurry, block all the exits! We¡¯ll surround him from the other side!¡± Just like that, all the guards were lured away by Octane, who rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. ¡°We should get moving too,¡± Archon said darkly, swiftly heading out of the stairwell and heading directly for the room in the center of the room. Now that all of the guards were chasing after Octane on the other side of this floor, we were able to make it to the door easily. Archon smashed it open with his warhammer and broke in. And sitting in afortable throne-like chair, there he was ¡ª the leader of Alpha Lupi. ¡°You¡­!¡± Archon gritted his teeth as he recognized the man¡¯s face, tightening his grip on his warhammer and preparing to lunge towards him. ¡°Uh-uh,¡± the leader interrupted, holding up something that looked suspiciously like a detonator. ¡°I would think twice before doing that¡­ Archon. Haven¡¯t had enough fromst time, it seems.¡± The man appeared to be quite old, even more so than Archon. He had a white mustache and simrly colored hair to match, along with a monocle that resembled Mavrick from the armor shop. He wore a ck tux and two white gloves, paired with a ck top hat toplete the look of a magician. It seems he had indeed used mines once again¡­ with a remote detonator too. We couldn¡¯t rush in right now, as he would just detonate it and everyone here would die, himself included. Of course, there was the chance that the controller was a fake one, just a bluff, but Finn and the others could not risk it. ¡°Bastard¡­ always using underhanded methods like this¡­ what do you say we have a proper, one-on-one fight?¡± Archon challenged, hoping to taunt him into epting. But the leader of Alpha Lupi merelyughed. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Archon. Good try, but I won¡¯t be so easily provoked by those¡­ childish words of yours.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Archon fell silent, but did not cease his battle posture. ¡°Now now, why don¡¯t we have a little talk?¡± the leader suggested, hand not once leaving the detonator. ¡°It seems you brought a few new friends with you since thest time we met, so perhaps a little self-introduction is necessary.¡± Archon knew they didn¡¯t have the time to be idling around right here, as Octane would quickly run out of energy because of his asthma, but he wasn¡¯t in a position to be making demands. This was the worst possible scenario in the original n, but luckily, they did have a way to deal with it¡­ Octane just needed to hold on for a bit longer while Finn made his move. ¡°My name is Lupus,¡± the leader of the gang said with a warm smile on his face. ¡°I am the leader of Alpha Lupi, a rogue band of ouws who¡­ had a little disagreement with the guild.¡± ¡°A little disagreement?¡± Archon snarled. ¡°Rather than using the power of Angelicas for its original purpose, you are abusing it to do whatever you like in the public world ¡ª and you expect us not toe after you?¡± ¡°Ah, but who is to say the original purpose of Angelicas is to y Ghosts?¡± Lupus said with a wry smile. ¡°We who have awakened our Angelicas are the chosen ones. In this world, only the strong rule. I cannot stand the thought of keeping all this power we have hidden from the public, forever unappreciated and unremembered. Tell me, Archon ¡ª what are we doing all of this for? Killing Ghosts? Protecting the world? Why? What do we get in return?¡± ¡°Do you think we Ghost Hunters do it for fame? For glory?¡± Archon furrowed his brows and drove his warhammer into the ground. ¡°No, Lupus¡­ if that¡¯s what you think, you¡¯re horribly wrong. We do it for revenge. We do it because we want to. We do it because if we don¡¯t, no one else will. The fame, the glory, the money¡­ those are all side bonuses.¡± ¡°Exactly what I¡¯d expect from a once top-tier Hunter, Archon,¡± Lupusughed and pped his hands slowly. ¡°Bravo, bravo¡­ but I wonder, can your strength live up to that integrity? You know, inspirational speeches are nothing but false lies if the sayer does not have experience himself.¡± While they were busy arguing, Finn discretely stepped away just far enough so that they couldn¡¯t hear him whisper, then used the ventriloquist skills his good friend Leo had taught him when they were younger to secretlymunicate with their sixth and final trump card. ¡°Fanatic, n B,¡± Finn whispered without opening his mouth. ¡°Do you have a good angle of our current location?¡± After some static, Fanatic¡¯s voice came through over on the other side. ¡°I do, but the curtains are drawn. I can¡¯t see his exact location. If there¡¯s any way you can¡­¡± ¡°Copy. Be ready to shoot,¡± Finn replied briskly and didn¡¯t say anything further, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Archon narrowed his eyes at Lupus. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I want you to fight one of your friends over there. If you can kill them, I¡¯ll ept that your fortitude is truly strong and let you arrest me without any hesitation. How about it?¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± Archon¡¯s eyes widened in shock at this ridiculous, outright evil demand. But Lupus was unconcerned and merely chuckled softly, as if this was all an amusing game to him. ¡°Come on, Archon¡­ you already did it once before, no? You can do it again.¡± Of course, he was referring to how Archon killed his own squadmates with that moment of hesitation before pulling the trigger. While they were talking, Finn, in his mind, visualized where Lupus was standing based on the direction of his voice. Because he lost his sight, his other senses had drastically improved ¡ª especially his hearing. That was what allowed him to hear those low-frequency sounds emitted by Phantoms that normal people couldn¡¯t hear, and also what allowed him to pinpoint Lupus¡¯s location. Once he had done so, Finn realized it was lined up directly with the sound of the rain outside. The walls of this room were thick enough to be soundproof, ording to the description of the building Fanatic gave, which naturally meant the sound of pouring rain outside would be most evident in front of a window. That was what led to Finn¡¯s conclusion. ¡°¡­!¡± Archon gritted his teeth and clenched his warhammer tightly. His anger was boiling over, but they could not afford to have him lose his cool here. Finn, who had now formted a n in his head, decided to step in. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Archon,¡± he said calmly. ¡°Fight me.¡± ¡°H-Huh¡­?!¡± Iris cried from above him. ¡°What¡­ Ace¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to test my mettle against you,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°Now is the perfect opportunity.¡± ¡°Oh¡­? Your allies fromst time weren¡¯t this proactive,¡± Lupusughed boldly as he watched this scene, still holding the detonator in his hands. Finn furrowed his brows and passed Iris over to Storm, who caught her in a princess carry and stepped away subconsciously, confused at this sudden turn of events. This was definitely not part of the original n, but Ghost Hunters needed to know how to adapt and ovee. In Finn¡¯s eyes, this was a perfect opportunity to steer the operation back on course and let Fanatic get the window he needed. The only piece of the puzzle he was missing¡­ was Archon¡¯s cooperation. ¡°H-Hey, Ace! What are you trying to do¡­!¡± Iris cried, but Storm wouldn¡¯t let her go. Finn, turning back to Archon, adopted a fighting posture and sent out a challenge. ¡°Come.¡± ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Archon shook his head, unable to do this. Finn clenched his fists even tighter, allowing the des to rise up from his gloves. ¡°If you can¡¯t¡­ I will.¡± Saying this, Finn made the first move, dashing towards his caretaker with a punch ready. Archon blocked the swing and grabbed Finn¡¯s forearms, pushing him backwards. ¡°Stop¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡± he continued shaking his head, begging Finn to cease this. But in order for this n to work, he had to keep going. Finn slowly paced around, visualizing the room in his head and recalling Lupus¡¯s location. Since in a weapon-free boxing match like this one, two fighters would normally move around in a circle so that they would always be directly facing each other, Finn took advantage of this fact and moved left so that his opponent would move left as well. Soon, Archon, Lupus, and himself were lined up directly in a straight line. This seemed natural in a fight, so Lupus had no idea this was in fact all part of Finn¡¯s n to take him down. From this position, Finn lunged at Archon once more, this time going for the stomach rather than the head. Archon stopped him using the same strategy and pushed him back once again, practically on the verge of a mental breakdown. ¡°Please¡­ just stop, Finn¡­ I don¡¯t want to have to¡­!¡± Silently, Finn went in for the third time. He wasn¡¯t really trying to take Archon down, just provoking him enough to make him fight back. And that, he did. ¡°I said¡­ STOP!¡± Archon grabbed Finn¡¯s arm and threw him to the ground, before straddling him to prevent him from getting up. Since it was not a strike attack, the Ability Finn received from the Titan-ss Phantom didn¡¯t activate. ¡°Ace¡­ why¡­¡± ¡°Oh ho ho!¡± Lupus pped delightfully. ¡°Now this is entertaining! Finish him, Archon!¡± All the chess pieces were in ce. All that was left was to checkmate the opposing king. With an expression as neutral as ever, Finn suddenly called upon his real strength and made his move. ¡°¡­ Sorry, Archon.¡± Chapter 32: Flawless Execution Chapter 32: wless Execution ¡°¡­ Sorry, Archon.¡± Finn suddenly brought his knee up using all of his strength, knocking Archon straight in the crotch. ¡°Augh-¡± he groaned, but Finn wasn¡¯t done just yet. Taking advantage of his momentary vulnerability, Finn pulled his leg outpletely from underneath Archon and drove it into his stomach, sending him flying backwards¡­ straight into Lupus. ¡°Oof!¡± Therge, bulky man crashed straight into the old geezer, but the impact wasn¡¯t enough to knock the detonator out of his hand. It was, however, enough to send said geezer flying out the window, breaking through the ss. Archon struggled to get back up to his feet, but that was about it. Lupus, however, had bigger problems to be worrying about. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± He gritted his teeth as he began falling to the ground. As time seemed to slow down, Lupus roared in anger and called upon the power of his Angelica. ¡°AGH, YOU ASKED FOR IT! Come, Starsinger!¡± A bright light suddenly enveloped him, glowing white sparkles with blue outlines forming all around his body. He clenched his fists as an enormous white beam of power shot out of his back and pierced the heavens, momentarily dispersing Storm¡¯s thunderclouds. Because he was too busy saving his own life, he didn¡¯t have time to detonate the mines¡­ but not anymore. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ good try, kid, but not enough,¡± Lupusughed maniacally as he floated upwards. Panting heavily, he held the detonator in his hands, ready to press down. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to y my game¡­ GO TO HELL! HAHAHA-¡° Suddenly, a bullet flew out of nowhere and pierced Lupus¡¯s chest right in the heart, cutting his words off short. His eyes widened in shock as blood pooled in his mouth, and the glow around him diminished. His body, along with the detonator, fell to the ground, painting the rainwater a gruesome crimson. And as everyone watched on in shock and bewilderment at what just happened, Finn, expression as neutral as ever, calmly brought his hand up to his ear and pressed on his earpiece. ¡°Good work, Fanatic.¡± ***** ¡°Man, that was¡­ tiring¡­¡± Octane panted as he struggled to walk properly, clutching his esophagus in pain. ¡°Your asthma kick in?¡± Archon asked weakly, cing a hand on Octane¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yeah, but¡­ I think I¡¯ll be fine. What about you? You¡¯re walkin¡¯ like a crab right now, boss¡­¡± ¡°Ah, this is¡­¡± Archon nced at Finn awkwardly. ¡°Psst. He¡¯s looking at you,¡± Iris whispered. She had switched back to sitting on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders, since she was more used to it, apparently. Finn turned in the direction of Archon¡¯s voice and remained neutral. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry.¡± ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine¡­ if you hadn¡¯t done that, we very well could¡¯ve failed the mission. It¡¯s just, agh¡­ goddamn it, this hollow feeling¡­¡± He averted his gaze and looked to be on the verge of tears. ¡°S-Storm¡­ how¡¯s Lupus¡­?¡± ¡°Dead,¡± Storm replied tly, tasked with carrying Lupus¡¯s dead body since Octane and Archon were both injured and Finn had to carry Iris. The five of them dragged Lupus¡¯s body back to their mansion and rendezvoused with Fanatic, who had gotten there before they did. ¡°Good shot, kid,¡± Archon praised and ruffled his hair. ¡°All thanks to Finn,¡± Fanatic said with a slight smile. ¡°No casualties, two light injuries. I¡¯d call that operation a sess.¡± ¡°*Hack* *Cough* I¡¯m dyin¡¯ over here, and you say it¡¯s a light injury?!¡± Octane cried, coughing and taking deep breaths. ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re lucky I haven¡¯t passed out already¡­¡± ¡°It just means you¡¯re getting better at coping with your asthma,¡± Fanatic replied calmly. ¡°Rx.¡± ¡®In a sense, Octane is kind of like me, huh?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®I have the Oculus Angelica but can¡¯t see, and he has the Daredevil Angelica yet is afflicted with asthma¡­ how unfortunate and paradoxical.¡¯ ¡°Where do I put this body¡­?¡± Storm asked, exhausted. The thunderstorm outside has been constantly using his power, and he carried a grown man all the way here. That was perfectly natural. ¡°Just pass him over to me,¡± Archon said, taking Lupus¡¯s corpse from Storm¡¯s shoulders and heaving it onto his own. ¡°My crotch doesn¡¯t hurt that much anymore, so I got it from here. You guys go on, take showers and rest first. I¡¯ll bring the body to Heartbeat.¡± ¡°You sure, Archon?¡± Fanatic asked. ¡°We can wait until tomorrow. There¡¯s still time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve stayed up for multiple nights in a row before. This is nothing,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit, you guys don¡¯t have to wait for me to sleep. I¡¯ll try to keep as quiet as possible when returning.¡± Saying this, he set off towards the teleporter room, leaving only the rest of us remaining. ¡°I¡¯ve got to say, Finn¡­ that was one hell of a strategy you used to let me get a clear shot on him,¡± Fanaticughed slightly. ¡°Anyone ever told you that you¡¯re crazy?¡± ¡°He is. He really is,¡± Iris said with a stern expression, pulling on Finn¡¯s ears. ¡°You had all of us so confused there, Finn. I had no idea what you were trying to do.¡± ¡°It hardly would¡¯ve worked if I said what I was trying to do out loud,¡± Finn rebutted stoically. Iris thought about it for a moment, then sighed. ¡°Well¡­ can¡¯t argue with that one.¡± Finn walked over to Iris¡¯s wheelchair and set her in it, then used his own memory to head to the men¡¯s bathroom by counting steps. He wanted to do some things with the system today, so he wanted every bit of time possible. After all, an hour out here was only a minute inside the reality rift. He wasn¡¯t about to let anyone else shower before him. Now that Iris had her wheelchair back, she could take showers on her own, though with a bit of difficulty. That saved Finn a bit of time. After he finished showering, he headed straight up into his room and shut the door tight, sinking into his bed. ¡®Zelestria ¡ª pull me.¡¯ [Ara ara~ so eager to see me again? Hehe~ I¡¯ll grant you your wish.] Finn let himself be enveloped by the familiar feeling of being transported into the reality rift, and opened his eyes. ¡°Wee back, Finn.¡± Zelestria, hovering in the air as usual, smiled. Her beauty did not waver at all since thest time Finn saw her, but he wasn¡¯t charmed in the least. ¡°Now then¡­ what can I do for you today?¡± Chapter 33: Future Plans Chapter 33: Future ns ¡°Why didn¡¯t youest night?¡± Zelestria asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t have anything to spend or have any questions,¡± Finn said as he scanned over his stats. ¡°What purpose would there have been in meing?¡± ¡°Hm, I suppose that is true. But¡­¡± She licked her lips seductively. ¡°Don¡¯t you just want to see me, even if you don¡¯t have anything to do on the system~? Fufufu¡­¡± ¡°Not particrly,¡± Finn replied coldly, as emotionless as ever. ¡°But I do have something I wish to speak to you about today, hence why I asked to get pulled.¡± Zelestria materialized a swivel chair out of thin air and sat own on it, spinning around to face Finn with a wry smile on her face. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about human kills¡­ do they give me Souls to help me get stronger, or is that Ghosts-only?¡± ¡°Ghosts only, unfortunately. Killing other humans will provide a better training experience than ying mindless Ghosts, most of the time, but they don¡¯t directly enhance your Ghost blood. Naturally, they won¡¯t help me recover either.¡± ¡°In other words¡­ what I did today was all for nothing,¡± Finn muttered in frustration. ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Zelestria replied, to Finn¡¯s surprise. ¡°While the mission you aplished today didn¡¯t help you get any physically stronger, you are starting to get closer to your allies. That will be important in the long run. No matter how strong you are, you will always be even stronger with reliable teammates by your side.¡± ¡°I suppose. But if they find out I¡¯ve just been stealing their Angelicas, any trust I¡¯ve built up with them will be broken in the blink of an eye. With power like mine, it¡¯s best to remain a lone wolf after gathering the Angelicas I need.¡± ¡°Fufu, you underestimate your squadron, Finn.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Archon, Octane, Storm, Fanatic, Iris¡­ every single one of them has been through a lot,parable to yourself. If you think you have it bad, they had it worse. Death¡­ tragedy¡­ betrayal¡­ all five of them were forged out of such things. Most people would¡¯ve just given up if they were tossed into the same past they had to suffer through ¡ª yet they survived. They managed to push through and live on, despite all hope being lost.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent, knowing Zelestria was right. He didn¡¯t know their exact past, but their actions proved it. ying Ghosts was a life-risking job. Only those who had already abandoned survival long ago and epted death for what it was could aplish this. ¡°¡­ They¡¯re strong, Finn. They won¡¯t get worked up over you taking their Angelicas. If anything, they¡¯ll be happy for you. You¡¯re lucky to have found such a great home. I¡¯m almost a bit jealous.¡± Finn took a deep breath. ¡°I still need some time to think about this. But if I do tell them¡­ since I can¡¯t tell them about you, I¡¯ll just say I¡¯m not sure either if they ask why.¡± ¡°Ara~ you remembered your promise.¡± Finn snorted. ¡°Even if I told them, I doubt they¡¯ll believe me anyway.¡± Zelestria giggled. ¡°Fufu, I suppose that¡¯s true. Oh yeah, you obtained the cksmith Angelica from Archon just recently, right? I¡¯d rmend going to the library in the Phantom yers HQ as soon as possible to learn how to use it.¡± ¡°¡­ If only you could just teach them to me directly.¡± ¡°I could, but then the others would be curious as to where you learned them from. Fufu, you can¡¯t say ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ for this one as well, can you~?¡± Finn sighed. ¡°I¡¯m well aware. That¡¯s why I¡¯m nning on leaving this squadron, as soon as I get my eyesight back.¡± ¡°But¡­ you¡¯ll have more strength in numbers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Finn quickly corrected. ¡°I¡¯ll still stay in the Phantom yer Corps ¡ª that yields me good rewards such as money, which is always useful. I will also keep in touch with these allies of mine, but only call on them when I need help. I feel¡­ too constrained when being surrounded by others.¡± ¡°I see¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought of that. If you work best alone, then so be it. I have noints.¡± ¡°Well, even if you hadints, I would¡¯ve done it anyway, but¡­¡± Zelestria giggled. ¡°Fufu~ you¡¯re a bad boy. Though I must say¡­ I like that defiant attitude~¡± With all of his questions answered, Finn prepared to exit the reality rift, but then changed his mind. ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°¡­ Did you interfere with today¡¯s mission at all?¡± At this, Zelestria raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ my strategy shouldn¡¯t have worked. Lupus just happened to be standing directly in front of the window? That seems too lucky to just be a coincidence.¡± ¡°I agree, but I did not interfere in any way. Your path is yours to take alone. I can help, but I won¡¯t directly intervene. Besides, even if I wanted to, I can¡¯t. Thews of fortune and causality are not for me to overwrite, even if I govern this world.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Finn was unconvinced, but Zelestria clearly wasn¡¯t going to tell him anything further. While there certainly was a chance it really was just luck, that was highly unlikely, and Finn never was one to believe in luck. ¡°But while we¡¯re on the topic¡­¡± Zelestria continued with one eye closed suggestively and a wry smile on her face. ¡°The method you used to defeat Lupus was quite interesting, Finn. I never would¡¯ve thought you knew how to do ventriloquism.¡± ¡°Childhood friend of mine taught me,¡± Finn replied briskly. ¡°Speaking of¡­ is he doing fine?¡± ¡°Leonardo Castovich, yes?¡± ¡°Seems like you did some research on my past.¡± ¡°Of course. Fufu, in this world, nothing escapes my eyes¡­ minus the part about you secretly being a ventriloquist,¡± Zelestria bragged. ¡°But unfortunately¡­ your friend is dead. Killed in the Outbreak that nearly killed you as well.¡± Finn¡¯s expression did not change at all at this news, and he merely responded as calmly as ever. ¡°¡­ I see.¡± With that, Zelestria sent him out of the reality rift, staring on as his body dematerialized. ¡°¡­ Sorry, Finn. In order to renew your hatred for Ghosts and prevent you from trying to return to your old self¡­ I can only lie like this.¡± Taking a deep breath, she continued, staring at the neon sunset. ¡°It¡¯s best you forget about everything from your past. After all¡­ you are not Finn Thresher anymore. Actually, you¡¯re barely even human anymore. Now, you have one identity and one identity only: The ultimate Ghost Hunter ¡ª Ace.¡± Chapter 34: A Mysterious Disappearance Chapter 34: A Mysterious Disappearance When Finn opened his eyes again, it was morning the next day. The first thing he did was inspect his two ck gloves that were in fact ded gauntlets, wondering what kind of upgrades he could add to it using the cksmith Angelica he had. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to just use trial and error on the weapon and hope it¡¯s a real Ability,¡± a familiar soft voice suddenly said from behind him, exposing his thoughts. Finn was confused, since he usually heard this voice in his head rather than on the outside. This time, however¡­ ¡°¡­ Zelestria?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my name. Are you surprised, Finn? Fufu~¡± ¡°How and why are you here?¡± ¡°I control this world, Finn. Physically entering it is hardly difficult. As for why¡­ it¡¯s because I haven¡¯t had human food in a while. You¡¯re treating, mkay~?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ do you even need to eat?¡± Finn asked hesitantly. ¡°No, but I can still taste food and distinguish between delicious and disgusting. Since you exited the rift a bit earlier today, everyone else is still sleeping. This is the perfect opportunity for me, y¡¯know~?¡± She set her gentle hands on Finn¡¯s shoulders, then heaved herself up onto them without any warning. Finn nearly fell over on his bed, but managed to grab Zelestria¡¯s legs and stabilize himself before that could happen. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter~? Doesn¡¯t that girl do this all the time with you?¡± Zelestria giggled. ¡°Why can¡¯t I do the same? Perhaps¡­ you like her?¡± ¡°Not in the least, but I carry her only when it¡¯s necessary. Are your legs crippled too?¡± Finn shot back, darkness in his voice. Zelestria leaned down and whispered into Finn¡¯s ear seductively, hot breath tickling his sensitive skin. ¡°What if I said¡­ I just wanted to ride you~?¡± Finn immediately stood up and threw Zelestria onto the bed roughly without any hesitation. ¡°W-Woah!¡± Shended on the sheets with a soft thud, blinking a few times in surprise before finally realizing what happened. ¡°Ara ara~ bad boy¡­¡± she moaned, slightly sticking her tongue out and closing one eye seductively. She purposely pulled down tightly on her robe and posed herself to showcase her voluptuous body, especially her ample breasts and thighs. Quite unfortunately for her, however, Finn couldn¡¯t even see her. He merely turned around and headed out the door,pletely immune to her charm. Zelestria pouted and folded her arms. ¡°Hmph¡­ I thought I actually managed to stimte him, too¡­¡± Getting up from the bed, she followed Finn downstairs into the kitchen. ***** ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Finn asked, exasperated. Since he needed to eat anyway, he figured he might as wellply with Zelestria¡¯s request and make her something as well. ¡°Hm¡­ bacon and eggs, I suppose. But do you even know how to make that¡­?¡± ¡°I do, but look for yourself. Finn pulled open the refrigerator¡¯s door, allowing Zelestria to get a glimpse of what was inside. ¡°Is there any bacon?¡± ¡°Not that I can see.¡± He then switched to the bottompartment and pulled it open once more. ¡°Are there any eggs?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°And there you have it,¡± Finn said, shutting the door tight and folding his arms. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°In that case, fufufu¡­¡± Zelestria giggled like a little subus and rested her chin on her hand as she sat at the table, gazing at Finn¡¯s figure. ¡°You received your reward from ying that Titan-ss Phantom a little while ago, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. My bank ount information was on the guild registration form I filled in, so the money should be there by now.¡± ¡°I see. Then¡­ why don¡¯t you buy me some takeout~?¡± ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Ordering take-out saved some trouble for Finn anyway, so naturally, he didn¡¯t mind. The only problem was¡­ typing on his phone was a bit of a hassle since he was unable to see. So, in the end, he just let Zelestria operate his phone, telling her his bank info for payment. A horrible mistake. ***** ¨C Several Minutes Later ¨C ¡°¡­ Just how much did you order?¡± Finn asked, smelling the air. There were about fifty different scents right now, all of different dishes. ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Zelestriaughed happily. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I had such a meal¡­ thank you, darling~¡± ¡®¡­ Darling?¡¯ He already regretted his decision of letting Zelestria order, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Luckily, taking down Alpha Lupi should earn the Squadron some rewards, so he probably wouldn¡¯t end up broke, but¡­ About half an hourter, the two finished eating. Zelestria ate about 90% of the food, while Finn only ate the remaining 10%. ¡°Fwah¡­ that was delicious¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Do you always eat this much?¡± ¡°No, of course not. Thest time I was able to enjoy human food like this was¡­ about a full year ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t even need to eat.¡± ¡°Well yes, but actually no. Food is delicious, after all. It would be a shame not to taste them just because I don¡¯t need to, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­? What¡¯s going on¡­ Finn¡­?¡± A female voice suddenly interrupted the conversation as the mansion¡¯s elevator doors opened, soft and groggy as if she had just woke up. Zelestria blinked, stuffing onest piece of chicken into her mouth. ¡°Oops~ time for me to go. See you, darling~¡± Finn quickly spun around. ¡°Wai-¡° But she was already gone, vanishing into thin air. The only sign of her ever being here was the fifty empty tes and cartons of foodying around on the table. Awkwardly turning back to the neer, Finn remained as calm as ever as he tried to think of a good excuse. ¡°Uh¡­ good morning, Iris.¡± ¡°Good morning, Finn- wait, how did you eat this much?!¡± ¡°¡­ Great question.¡± That was the only thing Finn could respond with. Luckily, Iris didn¡¯t seem to have seen Zelestria, but this was still quite a troublesome situation. ¡°I¡­ you know what, never mind,¡± Iris sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not really my ce to tell you what to do anyway, and besides, it¡¯s your money. But that aside, have you seen Archon¡­? Finn shook his head. ¡°I assumed he was sleeping in his room¡­¡± ¡°No, the door to his room was open, and he wasn¡¯t in there¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± As a tense silence fell between the two, Iris was the first to break it and address the elephant in the room. ¡°Finn¡­ do you think something may have happened yesterday night, when he went to deliver the body to Heartbeat¡­?¡± ¡°He could just be doing something outside right now, but I highly doubt it,¡± Finn replied, then furrowed his brows in thought. ¡°It seems¡­ we have some more trouble to deal with.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Phantom yer Corps, 7th Squadron Lair ¨C ¡°How does it feel, Archon?¡± A manughed darkly as he sat on a throne, appearance hidden by the shadows in the room. To the naked eye, the man was nothing but a ck silhouette. ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­!¡± Archon growled, pulling on the chains that bound him to a cross. Bloodstains were on the corners of his mouth and his body¡¯s entire top half, which had been stripped clean of clothes to reveal well-built, sturdy muscles underneath. ¡°Hmph. Again.¡± At the man¡¯s order, two servants standing beside Archon¡¯s battered body lifted their whips and swung down with all their might, performing a satisfying snapping sound. ¡°GRAH!¡± Archon yelled in pain. ¡°Do you think this hurts, Archon?¡± The man asked in a low and quiet voice, soft yet menacing. ¡°Do you think this is hell?¡± But despite the agony, Archon managed to put a defiant smile on his face and chuckle. ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯ve been through worse.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ again.¡± On cue, the two servants snapped their whips and struck Archon¡¯s body once more, causing him to cry out in pain. The whips were stained with fresh and old blood alike, as the torture session carried on since several hours ago. ¡°If you think this hurts¡­ then think about what my brother had to endure,¡± the man said coldly. ¡°sted into pieces¡­ body ripped apart by shrapnels¡­ all because of you. You, and that damn bitch.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­ you can hurt me all you want, but don¡¯t you DAREy a hand on Melvia!¡± Archon roared in fury, shaking the chains that bound him violently. At this, the manughed. ¡°Oh¡­? And what makes you think you¡¯re in any position to be making empty threats?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The man stood up from his throne and slowly walked towards Archon, one step at a time. ¡°I¡¯ll make you experience the same suffering I did. How it feels to lose someone most important to you¡­ I¡¯ll make you understand, Archon.¡± Lifting a sharp pocket knife and gently cing it on Archon¡¯s bloodstained, bruised cheeks, he continued. ¡°I¡¯ll carve that woman who you so love dearly into pieces. No¡­ better yet, I¡¯ll make you watch as I have her frantically dismantle a mine¡­ only to detonate it before she can. This whip, this pain¡­ it¡¯s nothingpared to what¡¯sing next. You have yet to know true hell ¡ª but you¡¯ll experience it soon enough.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, but I would. And when I do, Archon¡­ you will bear witness.¡± Chapter 35: Beating Heart Chapter 35: Beating Heart ¨C Phantom yer Corps, 154th Squadron Lair ¨C After Finn and Iris both took showers and brushed their teeth, Storm, Fanatic, and Octane woke up and did the same, then came down to the living room. ¡°Mornin¡¯, Finn, Miss Ivis,¡± Octane waved. ¡°Is Reaper back yet? Oh, and where¡¯s boss? I want to see aunt Melvia again!¡± ¡°About that¡­¡± Iris looked away ufortably. ¡°He still hasn¡¯t returned. We¡¯re worried something may have happenedst night, when Archon delivered Lupus¡¯s body to Heartbeat.¡± ¡°What? Boss still isn¡¯t back?!¡± ¡°That bastard¡­¡± Storm gritted his teeth and began heading in the direction of the teleporter, but Finn cut him off with a few words. ¡°¡­ Where are you going?¡± ¡°To beat that dirtbag down. Where else do you think I¡¯m going?¡± ¡°One, you don¡¯t even know his location, and two, do you think we can just charge in there without a n?¡± ¡°Archon may already be dead by now, and you¡¯re here calmly analyzing the situation?!¡± Storm roared, grabbing Finn by the cor and pulling him out of his chair. ¡°Mhm. And if we go in now, all of us will end up dead. Your point?¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± ¡°Calm down, Storm!¡± Fanatic cut in, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°Did you forget what Archon taught you? Don¡¯t let your emotions get in the way of your rational thinking!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Storm! Rx,¡± Iris interrupted with a stern gaze, which somehow actually managed to make Storm stop his tantrum. ¡°Finn is right. Use your head. Let¡¯s suppose we did know Heartbeat¡¯s location. His squadron would definitely outnumber and overpower us with ease, especially since we don¡¯t have Reaper here with us.¡± And as if on cue, the hidden entrance leading to the teleporter room slid open, revealing a cloaked figure with a single glowing robotic red eye beneath its hood and holding arge, worn-down metal scythe. [R34P3R-44, reporting for duty.] ***** ¡°The first thing should do is head for the guild,¡± Iris said as the six of them discussed on a course of action. ¡°There, they can provide us with info on where Heartbeat¡¯sir is. Archon never told us, so this is the only way.¡± Octane immediately rushed into the teleporter. ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Finn stopped him. ¡°We should all go together.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I doubt the guild would just overlook a squadron capturing the leader of another without permission from higher-ups. If we talk to the Guildmaster, we should be able to resolve this without even needing to fight.¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Fanatic agreed. ¡°We can¡¯t take on Heartbeat¡¯s squadron alone ¡ª we have to rely on the guild for this.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ fine, let¡¯s do it your way,¡± Storm reluctantly agreed. ¡°A shame I can¡¯t punch that bastard with my own two hands, though.¡± The six of them headed into the teleporter together, with Iris still in her wheelchair. With a bright white sh, they were warped to the front entrance of the Phantom yers Headquarters, up high in the clouds. They hurriedly rushed in, receiving numerous awkward gazes from other Phantom yers. That was to be expected, given Iris¡¯s wheelchair state, Finn¡¯s scarred eyes, and Reaper¡¯s existence. Iris nced towards the elevators, but there were far too many people waiting for them. That meant there was only one way to go. ¡°Finn, the stairs ¡ª to your right, twenty meters.¡± ¡°On it.¡± Finn let Iris climb onto his back and immediately headed for the staircase, the four others following him. But after climbing several floors, Octane¡¯s stamina was already out due to his asthma and Fanatic looked like he couldn¡¯t keep going either. Storm began slowing down as well, panting heavily. ¡°¡­ Storm and Reaper, go back down, see if you can find out Heartbeat¡¯s location. Iris and I will take care of this.¡± ¡°What¡­? I can still keep runn-¡° ¡°There¡¯s no point. You four shouldn¡¯t havee with us in the first ce ¡ª only one of us need to go.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ fine. I leave things up to you, then.¡± [Instruction: Received.] Finn nodded firmly, grateful Storm had calmed down a bit from earlier and thus was so obedient, before quickly turning around and continuing to sprint up the stairs. With his enhanced physical capabilities, very soon, he reached the thirtieth and final set of stairs. ¡°This is it, Finn,¡± Iris said firmly. ¡°The door is right in front of you.¡± After some feeling around, Finn found the door handle and attempted to pull it open. But¡­ ¡°¡­ It¡¯s locked.¡± ¡°Damn¡­ I guess this floor is off-limits from the stairs unless we receive special permission¡­¡± But suddenly, the two heard a clicking sound from the door in front of them, signaling that it was open. ¡°What the¡­¡± Iris trailed off. Finn furrowed his brows in thought. ¡°¡­ Seems like someone knows we¡¯re here.¡± ***** The duo soon arrived at therge, exquisite white and gold doors that they had walked through just two days earlier. Finn knocked on the door gently, heart somehow feeling unsettled. Thest time he felt something truly shake him up and make him nervous like this was when he was rushing towards his own home, chasing after the Phantom. But the feeling he felt right now, despite the calm, quiet atmosphere¡­ it was unexinable in words. ¡°Come in,¡± the light, female voice from inside the room said softly. Finn pushed open the doors and entered, Iris still riding on his shoulders. The Guildmaster sat in her royal seat on the other side of the room, resting her head on her hand while leaning to one side. ¡°Why, wee back.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry to disturb you like this,¡± Iris said, opening the conversation. ¡°We just have an urgent matter to speak to you about¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Do you have any idea what I have to deal with every day?¡± The Guildmasterughed mockingly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about the Perfect Outbreak recently. I¡¯ve been getting tons of calls, paperwork, and interviews about it. What makes you think you, members of a mere D-ss squadron, have the importance to demand me intervene in your so-called ¡®urgent¡¯ matters?¡± ¡°¡­ We don¡¯t,¡± Iris replied firmly after a short hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re right ¡ª we¡¯re not important at all,pared to all the matters you have to deal with every day, Guildmaster. But even so¡­ you are the only one who can help us in this situation. Even if we may get ignored, even if we may get rejected, we still have to try ¡ª for the sake of our leader.¡± At this, the Guildmaster¡¯s originally neutral and somewhat scary expression slowly curved up into a smile. ¡°I like the boldness and bravery. I was testing your resolve just now ¡ª if you backed down there and tried looking for an alternative, I wouldn¡¯t have helped you. But someone who recognizes their weakness and turns that into their strength¡­ that is someone worth helping.¡± She sat up straight, cing both elbows on her table and crossing her hands before resting her chin on them. ¡°Now then¡­ I can spare a little bit of time, I suppose. Tell me about Archon.¡± Chapter 36: Rescue Mission Chapter 36: Rescue Mission ¡°Hm¡­ I see. I understand the situation now,¡± the Guildmaster said softly, not panicked at all as she spun her chair around to stare out the window at the bright blue sky. ¡°I recall that incident with Alpha Lupi all those years ago¡­ to think someone still bore a grudge, all this time.¡± ¡°¡­ Will you help us?¡± Iris asked hesitantly, nervous. After a short period of silence, the Guildmaster swung her chair back around to face them, deep maroon eyes shining sharply. ¡°Naturally, a squadron leader capturing another one without permission from higher-ups is forbidden. Normally, I would speak to Heartbeat personally¡­ but I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Why? He¡¯s afraid of you, is he not?¡± The Guildmaster sighed. ¡°He used to be, yes. But Heartbeat¡¯s squadron is now one of the best, highest-performing squadrons of the guild. I know him very well. If he is doing this, he must have already predicted you toe looking for me¡­ and set countermeasures in ce beforehand. Namely¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Revolt,¡± Finn finished quietly. ¡°Correct. With the devastating consequences of the Perfect Outbreak at hand, I cannot afford to dispatch any forces powerful enough to deal with his rebellion. He chose the perfect time to capture Archon ¡ª all this was nned.¡± ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t he revolted already?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Why wait until we force him to?¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ because he doesn¡¯t want to leave the guild unless absolutely necessary, little girl,¡± the Guildmaster giggled lightly, tone somewhat reminding Finn of Zelestria. ¡°The Phantom yer Corps provides a stable source of ie and high-quality resources for them. They gain fame, wealth, and power. Without my backing, while they will still be able to form their own smaller guild and live, they will no longer be able to enjoy the luxuries they once did.¡± ¡°But Heartbeat is still willing to sacrifice all that, just to torture Archon¡­¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Goes to show just how deep his hatred runs.¡± Iris sighed. ¡°So then¡­ what¡¯s the n here?¡± ¡°I did say I know Heartbeat quite well, did I not?¡± The Guildmaster chuckled softly, a dangerous and calcting gleam in her eyes. ¡°I know everything about him ¡ª his base, his Squadron, and most importantly¡­ his weaknesses. Tossing the apple in her hand to her other, she continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little girl. I have a n in mind. All it takes are some fake bodies, brilliant acting, and¡­ a spy.¡± ***** Once she was done exining the general outline, Iris decided to speak up. ¡°It¡¯s a good n, but there are various problems. For one, how will we infiltrate his base, even if we knew the location? It must be heavily guarded, considering it¡¯s an A-ss Squadron. And where will we get the fake corpses?¡± But the Guildmaster merely smiled and stood up from her chair, setting down her apple and walking closer to Finn and Iris. Once she was right in front of them, she silently directed her palm at the ground, channeling her mana. A bright white light with a faint trace of blue surrounded her body, glowing more prominently than anything Iris had ever witnessed before. Even Finn, who couldn¡¯t see, was able to feel the power waves fluctuating through the air. Bright white energy poured out of the Guildmaster¡¯s hand and pooled on the ground between them, slowly taking the shape of a humanoid figure outlined by a faint blue glow. She then took her other hand and did the same motion, forming a second human body right beside the first. As Iris stared in wonder, the two bodies gradually began to take shape into that of a man and a woman. And when the Guildmaster closed her palms atst, letting her Angelica¡¯s power fade away, the glow on the bodies faded away as well, leaving behind two perfect replicas of Archon and Melvia, with blood dripping out of their mouths to depict suicide. ¡°So this is what Melvia looks like¡­¡± Iris gasped in awe. ¡°And the extremely rare Mimic Angelica, able to replicate Abilities and objects alike. To think you would have it, Guildmaster¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it is quite powerful inbat, but its true shine lies in its versatility and utility in situations such as these,¡± the Guildmasterughed softly. ¡°Fufu, I am quite fortunate to have been blessed with this Angelica. It is what allowed me to climb to the position I am in today.¡± Finn, hearing this, couldn¡¯t help but want to steal it for himself, but reaching out to touch the Guildmaster right now was obviously a no-go. He could only hope an opportunity would arise in the future ¡ª and besides, there were more pressing matters to be worried about right now. ¡°Do you two have phones?¡± The Guildmaster suddenly asked, taking her own off the table. ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t, but Finn does, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± Iris replied. ¡°Since he can¡¯t see though, I¡¯ll be doing the actual receiving and responding.¡± Finn nodded and gave his number. ¡°XXX-XXX-XXXX.¡± The Guildmaster typed it into her phone and sent a quick message. Immediately, Finn¡¯s pocket buzzed with a notification. He pulled it out, told Iris the passcode, and let her handle it from there. ¡°Yep, got it,¡± she said, confirming that she had received the message. ¡°Good, good¡­ I will send you the exact location of Heartbeat¡¯s base soon,¡± the Guildmaster said with a seductive smile. ¡°But first¡­¡± She walked back to herfortable leather chair and sat down in it, crossing her legs one over the other. ¡°¡­ Allow me to exin how you¡¯ll be infiltrating it.¡± ***** ¨C Later That Day ¨C Finn, Iris, Reaper, and Fanatic sat in the back of a truck, each holding onto therge crates with them to avoid tumbling over. The ride was quite shaky¡­ mainly because Octane was the one driving. Storm was sitting in the front as well to keep him in check, but he didn¡¯t actually know how to drive. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve driven himself instead of letting this daredevil do it. ¡°Just to confirm, you all know what to do, right?¡± Iris asked, looking around at the three others. Fanatic nodded firmly. ¡°My job is just to hack into their security systems. I¡¯ve done simr things before, no big deal.¡± ¡°You say that, but¡­¡± ¡°Rx. I know what I¡¯m doing. It might take some time, but I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Iris sighed. ¡°Alright. And Reaper¡­?¡± [Mission: Break Subject-ARCH0N and M3LV1A out of captivity. Acknowledged.] ¡°Good¡­ Finn and I will take care of any guards in the way,¡± Iris said. ¡°With the help of this special perfume the Guildmaster gave us, we should be able to sneak past them with rtive ease¡­¡± Finn slipped his hand into his pocket, where the tiny vial of perfume was held. There wasn¡¯t much inside, perhaps enough tost about seven to eight minutes or so. That would be far more than enough time though¡­ hopefully. ¡°Everyone, prepare yourselves,¡± Storm¡¯s voice suddenly buzzed in our specially-made invisible earpieces, as it was the only way to contact us from the front seat. ¡°We¡¯re 500 meters away from the mansion. This is the closest we can get without being seen. Get ready to disembark.¡± The truck skidded to a stop and Octane pushed a button up front to open the back doors, allowing Reaper, Fanatic, Finn, and Iris to move past all the cargo and jump out. It was a bit difficult for Finn, as he carried the two fake corpses in a bag on his back and had to hold Iris on his shoulders as well, but he managed to pull it off since they weren¡¯t all that heavy ¡ª just troublesome to move around with. ¡°We¡¯re good now, you can close the doors,¡± Fanatic said into his earpiece once everyone had gotten off sessfully. ¡°On it, Prof. Good luck,¡± Octane chuckled. ¡°You too.¡± With that short exchange, the two cut theirms for the time being. The truck slowly began moving again, heading up the ramp that led to a mansion atop this hill. That, was where Squadron 7¡¯s headquarters ¡ª Heartbeat¡¯s team ¡ª were located. ¡°Come on,¡± Fanatic said, adjusting his backpack and lowering himself into the tall grass beside the road. ¡°We should hurry.¡± Iris and Finn nodded solemnly and followed, with Reaper hovering behind them to take up the rear. Chapter 37: Cruel Reunion Chapter 37: Cruel Reunion ¨C Inside the Lair ¨C Archon, arms cuffed behind his back and subdued by four strong men, was forced to his feet and weakly walked behind the tall figure of Heartbeat. Because this dungeon beneath the mansion was so dark, all he could see was a silhouette. There were asional torches on the walls, but they were sparse and barely provided any real light. The stench was horrible from all the prisoners and corpses, but that was the least of Archon¡¯s concerns. ¡°You¡­ what are you doing, with a ce like this¡­¡± ¡°Whenever my men disobey me, I send them down here for a little¡­ discipline,¡± Heartbeat said nonchntly, the footsteps and the cries of help from the prisoners nearly drowning out his voice. ¡°¡­ Monster,¡± Archon spat, utterly disgusted by this entire scene. ¡°Perhaps. But that is the difference between an A-ss Squadron and a D-ss one, I suppose.¡± ¡°If this is what it takes to be a A-ss¡­ I would rather remain D.¡± ¡°Well, either way. Trash will remain trash, after all.¡± Heartbeat chuckled softly. ¡°You will be dying soon anyway. That fake honor of yours¡­ is no longer necessary.¡± Soon, they stopped before a shut door at the end of the long and dirty hallway. The other cells all had prison bars, but this one had solid walls for maximum security just in case since the woman contained inside had the Shapeshifter Angelica. ¡°¡­ Open it.¡± One of the four guards holding Archon stepped forward and prepared to unlock it using a key, but suddenly, a cry of despair rang out to their right. ¡°P-PLEASE, LET ME OUT¡­ my father, he¡¯s on his dying breath¡­ I want to see him onest time¡­ please, Patriarch¡­¡± Heartbeat tilted his head up, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply. ¡°¡­ Kill him.¡± ¡°H-Huh?! Wait, Patriar- I¡¯M SORR-¡° ¡°NO-!¡± Archon cried out, but it was toote. The guard who had originally been working on the keys emotionlessly pulled the club on his back out and smashed it into the prisoner¡¯s skull, killing him instantly. However, there was a brief moment of hesitation from the guard ¡ª just far too short for anyone to notice. The man limply dropped to the ground as the guard nonchntly shook his club clean, sttering blood everywhere. The action drove fear into the other prisoners¡¯ hearts, making them submit to Heartbeat without a single thought of rebellion. ¡°No¡­ why¡­ WHY?!¡± Archon demanded in shock and anger. ¡°He should have reflected his wrongdoings in his cell, rather than worry about his father. Once in this Squadron, we are his only family.¡± ¡°RAGH!¡± Archon clenched his fists tightly and tried to break free, wanting to sink a punch into this psychopath¡¯s ugly face, but he couldn¡¯t overpower the three remaining guards chaining him down. ¡°LET¡­ GO OF ME!¡± ¡°Rx, Archon¡­ this is just the appetizer.¡± The doors to the chamber ahead slid open, revealing a lone woman chained up against the wall, clothes battered and dirty. Her long blonde hair, once silky and beautiful, now hung disheveled and messy. Archon¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. ¡°Melvia¡­?¡± Slowly, the woman raised her head, and the two¡¯s eyes met. ¡°Bakris!¡± ¡°Melvia!¡± Archon cried and tugged at the three guards chaining him down, but once again was unable to break free. That is, until Heartbeat gave them the signal to let the poor man go. A yful smile tugged at his lips as he watched his prey¡¯s hands be uncuffed, as if this was all part of the n. Archon immediately tore free from the resistance and stumbled towards his lover, who held tears in her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Bakris¡­ why¡­ why are you here¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t just leave you¡­¡± Archon said hesitantly, pulling Melvia into an embrace. ¡°I tried to forget, like you told me to¡­ I really did. But in the end, I was unable to fulfill that wish of yours.¡± ¡°You idiot¡­ truly¡­¡± ¡°Idiot indeed,¡± Heartbeat interjected, ruining the two¡¯s reunion. ¡°Archon, you are not stupid¡­ most of the time. I have a feeling you half-knew I was never nning on giving your beloved lover back to you in the first ce, yet you still came into my obvious trap. What for? These few final moments I¡¯m granting you out of pity?¡± Archon clenched his fists tightly, slowly standing up and turning around to face him. ¡°Fight me like a man, Heartbeat. One on one. If I win, you let Melvia and I walk out of here unharmed. If I lose¡­ you can do whatever you want to me.¡± ¡°Always the negotiator, I see,¡± Heartbeatughed in amusement. ¡°But unfortunately, I¡¯m more of a¡­ strategist. There is no reason for me to ept your deal whatsoever. Guards ¡ª put him down again.¡± He had let Archon go for a moment just so he had an excuse to watch him get beaten up again ¡ª how cruel. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him!¡± Melvia yelled out, pulling at the four anti-Angelica shackles chaining her to the wall. Archon gritted his teeth and got into a fighting position, even though his entire body was screaming with pain from the long and agonizing torture session from earlier. The four elite guards, equipped with tough armor and the best weapons, slowly advanced on him,pletely dauntless. One of them cleaved forward with his longsword, but Archon used his surprisingly fast movements to duck under and perform a sweeping kick, knocking the guard to the ground. Despite the injuries, Archon was still far stronger and faster than the average person. With no time to waste, he quickly turned to the next guard, who shed down at him from behind. Archon grabbed the soldier¡¯s arms and pushed him back before he could swing, sinking a front kick into his stomach and sending him crashing into the wall for good measure. The third guard met him directly to his front, but just as Archon was about to charge towards his enemy, the fourth guard kicked him right in his blindspot. He was sent sprawling onto the floor and coughing blood. ¡°G-Gah¡­ hah¡­¡± ¡°Bakris!¡± Melvia cried, but there was nothing she could do apart from watch in suffering. The guard put more pressure on his foot, causing Archon to roar in pain with zero chance of escape from this situation. ¡°NGH-!¡± By now, the three other soldiers had recovered. They quickly ced cuffed Archon¡¯s arms and forced him to kneel in front of their patriarch. Heartbeatughed, bending down and pulling a grenade out of his pocket. Then, he lifted it up in front of the defeated man¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s about time for the main course to begin, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°No¡­ NO- AGH!¡± Archon tried tosh out at Heartbeat, but the four guards kept him pinned firmly to the ground, as much as he thrashed and resisted. Heartbeat walked over to Melvia, who wore a dark expression of hate on her face as she red at him. ¡°Now then¡­ let¡¯s y a little game, shall we, madam?¡± Heartbeat said with a wry smile, holding up the frag grenade in his hands. ¡°I will leave this grenade in your hands. You can choose to either hold it yourself, or throw it to Archon here. You will have one minute to make your choice¡­ but if either of you move from your spot, I will detonate the grenade immediately.¡± ¡°You sick bastard¡­¡± Melvia spat with venom, But Heartbeat just ignored her remark andughed. ¡°Let the game beg-¡° ¡°Patriarch! The usual supplies are here, and they need your signature to confirm,¡± a voice suddenly interrupted, freezing Heartbeat¡¯s movements. Slowly and crankily, like a well-oiled robot, he stood up and turned around to see who ruined his fun. ¡°¡­ Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy?¡± ¡°I-I apologize, sir¡­¡± the poor soldier immediately cowered away, dropping his tone. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ they¡¯re from the guild, maybe it¡¯s best we don¡¯t keep them waiting¡­¡± Heartbeat closed his eyes and breathed in deeply just like before, as if that was his way to avoid his anger from overflowing. ¡°¡­ They can wait a minute, no?¡± ¡°That¡­ they seemed pretty urgent since they had other Squadrons to deliver to as well¡­ it would spell trouble for us if they got caught in traffic and another A-ss Squadron¡¯s supplies ended upte because of it¡­¡± Heartbeat fell silent, clenching his fists tightly. The one thing he hated most¡­ was being controlled by others. He wanted to rebel against the guild a long time ago, just never found the perfect opportunity. The Phantom yer Corps provided him with great resources ¡ª as much as he hated having someone above him, the benefits were undeniable. ¡°¡­ Boss,¡± one of the four guards suddenly spoke up, voice deep and coarse. It was the same one who had bashed the prisoner earlier. ¡°There is plenty of time. Why not let these two talk for a bit longer? That way, it will feel even more painful for them when they inevitably die.¡± Heartbeat thought about this proposal for a second, then chuckled. ¡°Hm¡­ you have a point, soldier. Very well.¡± He turned back to Archon and Melvia briefly and smiled, twirling the grenade in his hand. ¡°Enjoy the short extension of your miserable lives, pests. I will be back very soon to personally witness your amusing deaths. Until then¡­ have a good talk.¡± Chapter 38: House of Crimson Moons Chapter 38: House of Crimson Moons ¨C A Short While Earlier ¨C After dropping their four teammates off, Octane continued driving the truck upwards on the slope, heading for the mansion at the very top. Despite the yful tone he used tomunicate with Fanatic just now, his hands were sweaty and trembling as he held the steering wheel. ¡°Nervous?¡± Storm asked from beside him, raising an eyebrow. ¡°H-Huh? No, of course not. What are you talkin¡¯ about?¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Storm turned away and stared out the window. ¡°We¡¯re lucky Heartbeat¡¯s squadron has never met us in person before, since we never go to headquarters¡­ otherwise, this n would be a no-go. The Guildmaster is giving us a chance. We can¡¯t squander it, Octane.¡± ¡°I-I know¡­ we can do this.¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not we can. We WILL do this. We must.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Octane fell silent, unsure of how to respond. Storm reached over and patted his friend¡¯s shoulder gently in reassurance. ¡°If you think what we have to do is tough¡­ just imagine what the other four have to pull off. We have the easy jobs ¡ª all we have to do is put up a believable act and stall as much time for them as possible.¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve never been a good actor. Or liar, for that matter.¡± ¡°¡­ In that case, act mute. As long as you don¡¯t start excessively sweating or appearing too nervous, we should be fine ¡ª just let me do the talking.¡± ¡°Easier said than done, but o-okay. I got it.¡± He pressed on the brakes as the truck neared the mansion¡¯s front gates, tightening his grip on the steering wheel and attempting to swallow his nervousness. There were two guards standing on either side of the entrance, and an officer of some sort who sat in a small stall about a meter away from the road. ¡°Halt,¡± the officer said, even though they already were parked. Stepping out of the stall, he walked up to the truck¡¯s window and knocked on it. Octane closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the window. ¡°What is your business here?¡± The officer asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Do you know that this is the private property of the Tussian Conglomerate¡¯s CEO?¡± ¡®Interesting cover-up story,¡¯ Storm thought with a smirk in his head, but he didn¡¯t let it show on the surface. Octane pointed at his mouth, then made an X-shape with his two arms, signaling that he can¡¯t talk. Storm took over from there. ¡°Crimson moons and starless nights; tranquil waves and endless fights. Beneath the moonlight shall they be born, perhaps forgotten, but never forlorn.¡± After a short silence and looking around to see if anyone else was trying to spy on them, the officer¡¯s expression took on a stricter look as he stared into Storm¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­ Wee to the 7th Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps, the House of Crimson Moons. State your business here.¡± Storm smiled deep down, thinking. ¡®Not that I doubted it in the first ce, but the Guildmaster¡¯s information was really urate¡­ Finn and Ivis did well to acquire her help.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re here to deliver you your weekly supplies,¡± Storm replied calmly. ¡°I see¡­ but I¡¯ve never seen your face before. Where¡¯s the old driver?¡± ¡°He got into¡­ a bit of a scandal. I¡¯m not too sure about the details myself since that¡¯s his private matters, but hey, all I know is that I got sent here to deliver you supplies. People like us, we just follow orders, right?¡± ¡°Damn straight,¡± the officer said with augh. ¡°Head on in, I¡¯ll send someone to alert the patriarch for reception.¡± Octane closed up the window and turned to Storm, who wore a triumphant smirk on his face. ¡°And just like that¡­ we¡¯re in.¡± ***** Several minutester, the quartet arrived at the back entrance of the mansion, circling all the way around the structure via the extremely tall grass surrounding it. From where they were, they could see the truck Octane and Storm drove was already parked deeper inside, signaling that they had made it in sessfully. ¡°Alright¡­ ording to the Guildmaster¡­ the person we were supposed to meet up with should be right here,¡± Iris said, looking around. ¡°I¡¯ll get closer to the mansion to take a look,¡± Fanatic replied, but was stopped by a hand that came seemingly out of nowhere. ¡°No need.¡± ¡°Wha-?!¡± Fanatic leaped back a short distance and pulled out his pistol on instinct, before pointing it at the stranger. Reaper also spun his massive scythe around, ready to sh down at the target. ¡°Woah, woah, easy there, kid.¡± The man raised his two hands up in surrender. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re the ¡®traitor¡¯ we are supposed to meet up with?¡± Iris asked as Fanatic lowered his gun, calming down a bit. Reaper did the same. The man, wearing fully ck knight-like armor, nodded. ¡°I became the Guildmaster¡¯s spy since I¡¯ve wanted to overthrow Heartbeat for a long time now. His way of ¡®physical discipline¡¯ isn¡¯t discipline at all. It¡¯s just in torture ¡ª all for his own amusement, the sadistic bastard.¡± ¡°Given the tone of your voice¡­ it¡¯s a miracle you¡¯ve remained undercover for so long,¡± Fanatic remarked in surprise. ¡°In this line of work, you learn to deceive others as easily as breathing. It¡¯s part of our daily lives ¡ª after all, we cannot reveal to anyone in the public world about the existence of the paracausal.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s¡­ fair,¡± Iris said hesitantly. ¡°But we¡¯re getting off-track, and the clock is ticking. How do we get in?¡± After ncing both ways, the man turned in the direction of the massive mansion. ¡°¡­ Follow me.¡± ***** The five ran up to the tall fences enclosing the manor, careful to use the tall grass as cover for themselves. After checking no one was watching once again, the man began digging the dirt on the floor. ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± Fanatic asked, confused. ¡°There¡¯s a secret tunnel down here that leads into the dungeon below this mansion, where you can find the people you are looking for. They will be in the maximum-security cell, but I¡¯ve prepared a replica key for you already¡­ ah, there.¡± He moved out of the way to let the rest of us get a glimpse of what was below ¡ª a tunnel built out of wooden rapports, lit by torches. Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wow¡­ who built this?¡± ¡°Heartbeat ordered it built as an emergency escape route in case the guild everes down on us,¡± the man exined. ¡°He was prepared a long time ago.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph. Sly,¡± Finn noted quietly. ¡°Indeed,¡± Fanatic agreed, then smirked. ¡°But who knew¡­ this would turn out to work in his enemies¡¯ favor?¡± ¡°I can lure the guards down there away from you,¡± the man said, jumping down into the hole. ¡°They aren¡¯t the main problem, however.¡± Finn, holding Iris, jumped down next, following her instructions. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The other prisoners,¡± the man exined as Reaper jumped inst. ¡°They¡¯ll want to be broken out as well after seeing you rescue your friends, making a lot of noise. As much as I¡¯d like to save them all, it just isn¡¯t realistic given the circumstances.¡± ¡°¡­ Ivy,¡± Finn suddenly said. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How far can that special perfume the Guildmaster gave us reach?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ she said a radius of 50 meters. How big is the dungeon?¡± ¡°The dungeon itself is enormous, but the prisoners ced near your friends are few. The room is about 10 meters by 20 meters at best,¡± the man said after some thought. ¡°If what the Guildmaster said is true, the perfume should be enough to cover them all.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Finn murmured. ¡°Fanatic, are you okay up there?¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it!¡± He shouted back, vigorously typing on aptop. ¡°Reaper helped me hack into their WiFi systems just now¡­ I should be able to use their router to channel into their consoles and override the admin panel soon, thus essing their security cams!¡± ¡°By the time we get there, he should be finished,¡± the man said, turning away. ¡°Let¡¯s go. And stay behind me.¡± Finn and Iris nodded firmly in reply before following him, with Reaper taking up the rear as usual. Chapter 39: Unforeseen Disaster Chapter 39: Unforeseen Disaster ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve gained control over their cameras,¡± Fanatic said via our earpieces right as we stopped before a door that seemed to lead into the dungeon. ¡°He¡¯s gotten control,¡± Iris ryed the information to the man leading us, who nodded in return. ¡°Understood. I will go out first to lure the other guards away, then pretend toe back and walk back and forth as if patrolling the area. Just loop that part of the feed.¡± Finn pressed on his own earpiece. ¡°You catch all that, Fanatic?¡± ¡°Yep, no problem.¡± ¡°Sweet. Seems like it¡¯s a go,¡± Finn said to the man. ¡°Alright, you three wait here. I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± Saying this, he gently pushed open the door just wide enough for him to fit himself through. It also served as a peephole for Reaper, Iris, and Finn to watch what was going on. The three observed nervously as the man walked up to three of his colleagues a short distance away, right across from this door, and began talking about something. A few secondster, the exchange was over, and the three headed into the door across from this one, appearing to go upstairs. The man who was on our side walked back to us, strolled around for a little bit as if on patrol just as he said he would, then swiftly returned to our location by slipping through the gap in the doorway. ¡°Loop¡¯s up and running,¡± Fanatic said through our earpieces. Step one, check. ¡°Alright. You will only have about three minutes to work with here, by the time I¡¯m finished exining,¡± the man said quietly, careful since the door was still open. ¡°I will turn invisible and watch for when the other guardse back ¡ª look for my hand signals, as you¡¯ll still be able to see me even though no one else can.¡± ¡®Invisibility¡­? That¡¯s a nice Ability to have,¡¯ Finn thought. ¡®I wonder if I can¡­ steal it.¡¯ ¡°Here is the key to the cell your friends are kept in,¡± the man said, pushing a key into Iris¡¯s hand, since Finn was blind and responsible for the perfume. ¡°When you go out this door, turn directly left and walk down the corridor all the way to the end.¡± ¡°What if the other guardse back before we can get Archon and Melvia out?¡± Iris asked. ¡°I will notify you when they are returning ¡ª you three, just hide in the cell and close the doors from the inside using a button you can find on the wall. After that, I will find another way to lure the guards away and get you out. That is definitely not ideal though ¡ª many factors could go wrong, so just try and get it done before theye back. Ready?¡± Finn, Iris, and Reaper all nodded. ¡°Alright¡­ out you go.¡± Finn opened up the bottle of perfume he had received from the Guildmaster. Immediately, a heavy, dreamy scent filled the air. Finn, Iris, and the man all blocked their noses to prevent inhaling it themselves. As the trio walked down the corridor just as told, the fragrance of the perfume continued to spread, afflicting every prisoner who inhaled it with temporary amnesia and hypnosis. They couldn¡¯t afford to run, as that would disperse the potency and density of the perfume. They had to walk slowly ¡ª that¡¯s what the Guildmaster told them. Naturally, this wasn¡¯t easy. Sometimes, the prisoners would look straight at them, scaring the living hell out of Iris, but they all eventually turned away as if they didn¡¯t see anything, which caused her to sigh in relief. It was a roller coaster of emotions, this corridor. Finn and Reaper weren¡¯t affected, obviously. After what seemed like eons, the trio finally reached the maximum-security cell at the end of the hallway. Gulping in nervousness, Iris inserted the key the man handed her into the socket. She turned back around and saw that the man wasn¡¯t giving any hand signals yet, which meant the guards hadn¡¯t returned yet. Good. The mission was practically alreadyplete. Iris gave the key a good twist- ¡°It¡¯s not working¡­?!¡± ¡°What?¡± Finn whispered sharply. ¡°The key! It¡¯s not working!¡± ¡®Interesting¡­ did that man betray us? No, we would¡¯ve been caught already if he did¡­¡¯ Finn thought. ¡®Just a mistake then? Not likely either.¡¯ ¡®But then¡­ that leaves only one conclusion.¡¯ ¡°Heartbeat¡­ he modified the lock somehow before leaving,¡± Finn analyzed. ¡°He predicted ¡ª or at least thought it was possible ¡ª that we woulde and try and break Archon and Melvia out¡­¡± ¡°Tch¡­ what¡¯s the n now?¡± Iris asked, sweat forming on her forehead as she continued trying to y around with the key, praying to god it would miraculously work somehow. But then, the third member of their team finally decided to make an input. Heaving his scythe, his singr electronic red eye narrowed as it focused solely on the door¡¯s lock. [Warning: Stand Back.] ¡°Reaper¡­¡± Finn murmured, realizing what he was trying to do. But after some hesitation, he backed away as told, carrying Iris on him. Reaper¡¯s method¡­ it was a huge risk, but it was also the only chance they had left. By doing this, they are basically telling Heartbeat they came in here and broke his favorite prisoners free. The consequences of that are unimaginable. If he were to revolt now, within the chaos of this Perfect Outbreak, no guild would be able to defend against him should he choose to attack, unless they wanted to risk letting the Ghosts roam free. But to Finn¡­ all the better. More enemies meant more training dummies More training dummies meant more strength. And more strength¡­ is the conductor of revenge. Besides, the more Ghosts there were, the faster Finn could gather the Souls needed to help Zelestria recover and grant him his eyesight back. Reaper hovered in the air, locking onto his target, then boosted himself towards the lock with all his energy. The scythe smashed into the metal lock bounding the doors together and cleaved straight through it, sending sharp splinters of steel everywhere. Iris¡¯s eyes widened a bit at the power of Reaper¡¯s weapon. Luckily, the Guildmaster¡¯s perfume was strong enough to prevent the prisoners from waking up from their daze even with thisrge noise, but the man helping them did look at them in shock. However, he quickly returned to watching the staircase for any sign of his colleagues, as that was more important. The doors rolled open, revealing the two people the trio had been searching for. ¡°Archon, we¡¯re here to get you out,¡± Iris immediately said bluntly. ¡°Ivis¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time for questions. Now¡­¡± She turned to Melvia, who was still chained to the wall by the locks on her wrists and ankles. ¡°How do we get those shackles off?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Archon said in defeat. ¡°Other than brute-forcing it, anyway.¡± ¡°¡­ Reaper, do it,¡± Finn said without any hesitation. ¡°W-What?! You can¡¯t, it¡¯s too risk- ugh!¡± Finn held Archon back to prevent him from getting in the way, as that would be problematic. Melvia closed her eyes tightly and braced for impact as Reaper lunged towards her. SLASH. Ding¡­ ding, ding. In an instant, Reaper sliced the air in an X-shape, just barely missing Melvia¡¯s body and hitting the shackles instead. Melvia, now freed, fell to the ground as Archon rushed over to her. ¡°Melvia!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ nearly scared me to death there, but I¡¯m fine¡­¡± she coughed, letting herself get picked up by Archon. Iris helped Finn unpack therge sack he carried on his back, which contained the two fake bodies. After she tossed them into the cell, Finn began to leave, but she called him back. ¡°Wait. It won¡¯t seem believable if Melvia¡¯s not chained up¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The cell door¡¯s already been busted open beyond repair ¡ª Heartbeat will know when hees back. I¡¯m just letting the bodies down because they¡¯re difficult to get around with.¡± They weren¡¯t particrly heavy to Finn, but they were troublesome to maneuver given the size. ¡°Hold on,¡± Melvia interrupted, then looked up at Archon. ¡°You can repair them, no¡­?¡± After a short silence, Archon replied ufortably. ¡°¡­ I could, but it¡¯s going to take a bit of time since I don¡¯t have any tools. How much time do we have left?¡± ¡°The man¡¯s not giving us any hand signals yet, so we should have a bit of time still,¡± Iris said, then turned to Archon. ¡°Hurry!¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Finn pressed on his earpiece. ¡°Octane. Status?¡± ¡°Thank god, Ace! Did you get them? Please tell me you got them, we¡¯re runnin¡¯ out of excuses to keep stalling time over here!¡± ¡°About that¡­ can you stall for a bit longer?¡± ¡°Guh¡­ w-we¡¯ll try. But please, hurry up, Storm¡¯s doing everything he can right now to keep that bastard there!¡± ¡°Understood. Tell us when you can¡¯t hold on any longer.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m countin¡¯ on ya!¡± Finn cut thems, then turned back around to face Archon after weighing the consequences of doing this. ¡°¡­ Go for it.¡± Chapter 40: The Race Against Time Chapter 40: The Race Against Time ¨C Earlier, House of Crimson Moons (1st Floor) ¨C Storm and Octane, after parking their truck, were led into the mansion by a servant. It took everything they had not to marvel at the beauty and luxury of the interior of the structure. Large windows lined the walls, letting the sunlight shine in only to reflect on the massive chandelier hanging in the middle of the front lobby. The two noticed that the carpet was crimson, and most of the furniture was dark velvet. The chandelier was made out of some kind of white crystals, as were the various decorative items all around the house. The walls were painted pure white, pristine of any dust. Up ahead, draping from the overhanging arc-shaped tform, was the banner of the House of Crimson Moons ¡ª a wolf head with a crescent moon behind it, painted on a dark red background. Octane gulped in nervousness as they continued to follow the servant, turning left and entering arge, spacious room with twofortable-looking leather couches in it, ced before a table and a luxurious throne on the other end. ¡°Take a seat,¡± the servant said, motioning to the couches. ¡°I will notify the patriarch.¡± Storm and Octane did as told, rxing themselves onto the couches. They may have been left alone, but there was no doubt the security systems in this mansion could easily pick up on any conversation they tried having, so both kept quiet as they waited for the servant to return. Storm nced at Octane briefly and saw that he was even more unsettled than earlier. To shake these uneasy feelings off, he needed a good run ¡ª something that couldn¡¯t happen right now. Now, if everything went correctly¡­ they should be able to buy the other team, led by Finn, about five minutes of time in total. It wasn¡¯t much, but it should be enough. Storm already thought of various excuses he can use to stall time, but if he used too many, it would cause Heartbeat to be suspicious. Closing his eyes, he patiently waited for his target to arrive. About a minuteter, Heartbeat arrived in the room. He was a tall man and looked to be only a few years older than Storm himself ¡ª impressively young for the leader of an A-ss Squadron. Storm and Octane stood up as a formality, and bowed. ¡°Greetings, Patriarch.¡± Heartbeat waved their manners off. ¡°Save the talk. I¡¯m¡­ busy, so just bring me the paper and pen to sign.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± ¡®Goddamn¡­ he¡¯s relentless,¡¯ Storm thought in his head, then turned to Octane. ¡°Give the form to the patriarch.¡± Octane made an act of reaching into his pocket, then froze and looked at Storm in the eyes. ¡°Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me, you didn¡¯t bring the form?!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Octane opened his mouth and tried to speak, but since he was taking on the role of being mute, no sound came out. ¡®Nice acting,¡¯ Storm praised in his head, then turned back to Heartbeat, who wore an unamused expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Patriarch¡­ my partner here is new to the job, and I wanted to give him his first real delivery experience so he could learn¡­ I never thought he would be this stupid, even after all the training I gave hi-¡° ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Heartbeat growled in annoyance. ¡°Just go fetch the form now. Hurry up.¡± ¡®Tch¡­ I was nning to go on a tangent there to waste some more time¡­ he¡¯s sharp,¡¯ Storm muttered in his mind, then sent Octane an angry look. ¡°What are you waiting for, dumbass?!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Octane hurriedly got up to his feet and began walking out of the room, taking as much time as he could. He even purposely tripped over nothing to buy a few precious extra seconds more of time for the other team, before disappearing from sight. Storm took a deep breath and turned back to Heartbeat. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, once again. My partner¡­ he¡¯s mute, and a bit clumsy.¡± Heartbeat snorted. ¡°I can tell.¡± ¡°By the way, Patriarch, you seem quite young. How were you able to reach such power despite your age?¡± ¡°Desire and ruthlessness. All there is to it.¡± Storm grit his teeth in frustration. He was trying to make conversation with Heartbeat to make him lose track of time and allow Octane to stall for longer, but it clearly wasn¡¯t working. ¡°I see¡­ well then, what do you think of the Perfect Outbreak that urred recently?¡± He continued, taking care to use a casual yet not too casual tone. But then, Heartbeat dropped a bomb that Storm had not been expecting. ¡°Hey¡­ are you really here to just deliver supplies?¡± Sweat began forming on his forehead as thoughts flew lightning-fast in his head. ¡®Did we get exposed? How? This shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­¡¯ In the end, Storm just raised an eyebrow and attempted to remain as calm as possible. ¡°What kind of question is that, patriarch? What else would I do? I¡¯ve never been much of a fighter, but since I don¡¯t want my memories wiped, I was somewhat forced to join the Ghost Hunter world. I don¡¯t want to lose thisfortable job that I only have to do once a week yet pays surprisingly well.¡± Storm gulped in nervousness, scared to see what would happen next. But s, it seemed his worries had been for nothing. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Heartbeat took a sip of the wine that had been ced on the table by the servant from earlier. ¡°I was just wondering, since your question made you seem like some sort of news reporter.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I suppose that is true.¡± ¡°But regarding the Perfect Outbreak¡­ I heard the situation is direr than thest,¡± he continued, gently rolling the wine in his ss. ¡°I wonder¡­ can humanity survive?¡± ¡°I believe we can,¡± Storm said confidently, smug now that Heartbeat had fallen into his trap of conversation. ¡°After all, we have Angelicas this time ¡ª we have the means to fight back.¡± ¡°Is that so? But I¡¯m afraid¡­ we aren¡¯t the only ones who have evolved.¡± At this, Storm stopped. ¡°¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just rumors, but I heard about some¡­ concerning things from Ghost Hunters who had been on-site during the Outbreak,¡± Heartbeat exined, taking another sip of his wine. ¡°They speak of a monster taller than the heavens, able to trample entire cities with every step of its feet. It, was the one who caused the Perfect Outbreak. It, tore open the sky, allowing thousands of Ghosts to escape into our realm. Can you believe it?¡± ¡°¡­ An abomination like that would¡¯ve already destroyed the world by now,¡± Storm muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think something like that exists, Patriarch. ¡°Indeed. Neither do I. But you know¡­¡± Heartbeat set his wine down on the table and crossed his hands, dark red eyes shining ominously. ¡°¡­ Back before the first Expungement happened, no one would¡¯ve thought Ghosts existed either. Yet here we are, hunting them every day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Storm fell silent. He came here to rescue Archon, but had unexpectedly found out some peculiar information. He didn¡¯t know whether or not Heartbeat¡¯s words were true, as he definitely couldn¡¯t be trusted, but on the off-chance that they were¡­ this could very well mean the end of the human race ¡ªpletely, this time. ***** ¨C Outside ¨C ¡°Alright¡­ that should be about three minutes¡­ time to head back- hm?¡± Octane, sitting in the truck, suddenly received am in his earpiece. ¡°Octane. Status?¡± Hearing this, he sighed in relief, thinking it was good news. ¡°Thank god, Ace! Did you get them? Please tell me you got them, we¡¯re runnin¡¯ out of excuses to keep stalling time over here!¡± ¡°About that¡­ can you stall for a bit longer?¡± ¡°Guh¡­¡± Octane groaned, as if he had been hit in the guts. ¡°W-We¡¯ll try. But please, hurry up, Storm¡¯s doing everything he can right now to keep that bastard there!¡± ¡°Understood. Tell us when you can¡¯t hold on any longer.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m countin¡¯ on ya!¡± Finn then cut thems, and Octane rushed out of the truck to head back into the mansion as he had already taken too long. Storm, naturally, heard this conversation as well. This had not been part of the n, but if they needed more time, he would have to buy them more time. Octane soon returned after that, which was good, because Storm was out of things to talk about. He immediately ridiculed his partner, continuing the act. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Octane rummaged his hand through the air, then made a shrugging gesture. Storm facepalmed, immediately realizing what Octane was trying to do and ying along. ¡°It should be in the glovepartment, you dimwit. Go get it, now!¡± Octane, flinching and nodding frantically, quickly rushed out of the mansion again, this time not tripping. That trick wouldn¡¯t work a second time. Storm turned back to Heartbeat, careful to seem as apologetic as possible. ¡°Patriarch, I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry for wasting your time like this. I will be sure to give my partner a good lesson when we get back.¡± Heartbeat handed his ss to the servant for another serving of wine, then closed his eyes. ¡°¡­ I hope so.¡± Storm discretely grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly below the table. ¡®C¡¯mon, Finn¡­ hurry up¡­!¡¯ Chapter 41: Exposed? Chapter 41: Exposed? Octane returned soon after, this time with the forms and everything in hand. He couldn¡¯t take too long, or else he would risk being exposed. In the meantime, Storm was still busy trying to make conversation with Heartbeat to try and stall as much time as possible, but now that Octane had returned, there was no more stalling. ¡°You¡¯re finally back¡­¡± Storm muttered, shooting Octane a sideways nce. ¡°Do you have any idea how much of the Patriarch¡¯s precious time you¡¯ve wasted?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Octane bowed his head apologetically, before handing the form and pen over to Storm, who then passed it to Heartbeat. His actions were purposely quite slow to buy whatever time they could left. Heartbeat took the form and the pen, but strangely, he didn¡¯t sign it and instead smiled sinisterly while ncing into the two¡¯s eyes. ¡°Now that both of you are here¡­ I think it¡¯s time to cease this act.¡± As if on cue, the guards surrounding them immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at the duo¡¯s necks, threatening and demanding. Both Storm and Octane immediately froze, feeling cold sweat trickle down their backs. ¡°W-What do you mean, Patriarch?¡± Storm spoke up, doing his best not to appear shaken. It really wasn¡¯t working. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Heartbeatughed darkly. ¡°I could tell from the very beginning that something was off. You two aren¡¯t real drivers working for the guild at all. They would never let a newbie who doesn¡¯t even know how to bring the form in on a real job. So ¡ª tell me. Who are you, really, and why have you purposely wasted so much of my time?¡± Storm gulped. ¡®This isn¡¯t good¡­ he¡¯s getting closer and closer to the truth, if he hasn¡¯t already made his conclusion already¡­¡¯ In ast-ditch attempt to save this situation, Storm spun the gears in his head at Mach 1 and looked down, sighing deeply. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Patriarch. I had my partner here purposely buy some time to allow me to talk to you more so that I could get closer to you.¡± Heartbeat raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­ Oh?¡± ¡°You see¡­ the usual drivers who do this are actually our fathers,¡± Storm said, taking on a sad, quiet tone. ¡°Recently, however, they were hospitalized due to a car ident on one of their jobs. Since the guild doesn¡¯t cover medical fees for low-ss workers like them, they don¡¯t have any money to support their surgery. We came here today with the hopes of joining your Squadron.¡± At this, Heartbeat narrowed his eyes. ¡°You, mere teenagers, wish to join my Squadron?¡± ¡°I-I realize this is presumptuous of us,¡± Storm quickly added. ¡°But¡­ we really don¡¯t have a choice. Given the time limit we have before our fathers die, only joining an A-ss Squadron will provide us with the money we need to support their surgery costs.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Heartbeat stared at Storm for a moment as if carefully observing him, then closed his eyes atst. Storm discretely let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes in the same manner. ¡°¡­ Very well.¡± At this, both Storm and Octane lifted their heads and blinked at Heartbeat in wonder. ¡°Y-You really ept us?¡± Storm was so surprised that he forgot to use a polite tone, but Heartbeat didn¡¯t seem to mind and rather smiled wryly. ¡°What? You two have spirit. Determination. An iron will to do whatever takes in order to reach your goals ¡ª even if it means stealing your fathers¡¯ truck and driving all the way here, risking everything. I could use a few young wolves like you in my House of Crimson Moons.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Storm and Octane exchanged nces. This had NOT been part of the n. Storm had just blurted this random backstory out as a measure to get rid of Heartbeat¡¯s suspicion of them, but he never expected him to actually ept them into his Squadron with open arms. ¡°Of course, this won¡¯t be immediate,¡± Heartbeat added. ¡°From our encounter today, I can tell you two have the mentality needed to be one of the strong. But mental fortitude is not the only factor in determining a Hunter¡¯s strength ¡ª your physical capabilities, intelligence, and such will all need to grow first. That said, this House is not a training arena, so you will have to get stronger through your own perseverance and will.¡± Crossing his hands and resting his chin on them, Heartbeat continued. ¡°When you feel yourselves ready,e find me. For now¡­ take this for your fathers¡¯ surgeries.¡± He took out a debit card of some sort from his pocket and slid it across the table to Storm, who picked it up hesitantly. ¡°Inside is $100,000. The password is four zeroes. Should be enough, no?¡± The two¡¯s eyes widened after hearing this amount, and they quickly nodded. ¡°Y-Yes, of course. Thank you, patriarch¡­¡± Heartbeat waved off their gratitude as if it was nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about what happened today. When you are ready, the House of Crimson Moons will be waiting for you.¡± ¡°¡­ We understand,¡± Storm said, standing up and bowing deeply. Octane mimicked his gesture. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking our leave now.¡± Heartbeat nodded. ¡°I wish your fathers a sessful surgery.¡± After getting back in the truck, Octane immediately exploded from everything he wanted to say but couldn¡¯t because he had been ying the role of a mute. ¡°STORM! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!¡± ¡°What?¡± Storm frowned in confusion. ¡°Y-YOU JUST TOOK 100,000 DOLLARS FROM HIM!¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t expect him to actually ept us, okay? I was just nning on using this bullshit I came up with on the spot to erase his suspicion of us, but I never thought he would really give us money. He¡¯s nicer than expected¡­ though that still doesn¡¯t change my hatred for him.¡± ¡°O-Oh god, what do we do now¡­¡± Octane trailed off, body shaking slightly. Storm tapped on his invisible earpiece, an ufortable expression on his face. ¡°¡­ Ace. We¡¯ve bought all the time we could. The rest¡­ is up to you.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Back In the Living Room ¨C ¡°¡­ Patriarch,¡± the boy who had originally alerted Heartbeat of Storm and Octane¡¯s presence said. ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Those two have no reason to join the Squadron now that they¡¯ve acquired the money they needed. A-And forgive my bluntness, but did we not just give away $100,000 for free? Sure, that is a meager amountpared to the total wealth we have, but¡­¡± Heartbeat chucked. ¡°This is part of the test.¡± The boy was confused at first, but then widened his eyes at the realization. ¡°You mean¡­ if they don¡¯t return¡­¡± ¡°I can easily say those two stole the card from me after reporting the card number to a bank. They will be charged with theft, arrested, and possibly even executed so long as I wish it. They will beg me to spare them¡­ which I can then take advantage of to force them into my House of Crimson Moons. Of course, once they are here¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to educate them properly.¡± The boy gulped at his master¡¯s cunning n, almost frighteningly so. ¡°I-I see¡­ truly wise, Patriarch.¡± ¡°Naturally, they can also choose to take the easy route and juste back like they said they would. In that case, the education can be spared. But either way¡­ they¡¯re mine.¡± Heartbeat smiled sinisterly, taking a sip of his wine. ¡°But if I may ask¡­¡± The boy continued hesitantly. ¡°Those two didn¡¯t seem particrly strong to me, ording to my Oculus Angelica. Why are you so fixated on them, Patriarch?¡± Heartbeatughed darkly. ¡°Haha! You are far too naive, Sully. They may not be physically strong, but such strength can be made and honed. A person¡¯s mindset and will, however, cannot. Those two¡¯s actions ining here today, willing to risk their whole lives to save their fathers, are quitemendable. I don¡¯t particrly care about their families, but I believe I can reform them to put that same iron will into serving me instead.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°If I am going to revolt against the guild, I will need loyal followers such as them. And those who aren¡¯t loyal, well¡­ I¡¯ll whip them into being loyal.¡± Standing up, he adjusted his dark ck robes and smiled wryly. ¡°Now then ¡ª I will head back down to the dungeon. Don¡¯t want to leave my prey hanging for too long, after all.¡± Chapter 42: Ticking Clock Chapter 42: Ticking Clock ¨C Within Heartbeat¡¯s Basement ¨C Finn, having just received Storm¡¯s message, quickly ryed it to Archon, who was still busy working on replicating the now-shattered shackles using his cksmith Angelica¡¯s raw power. ¡°Archon¡­ there¡¯s not much time left.¡± ¡°Got it¡­ it¡¯s done!¡± He dered, standing back up. The fake Melvia was now chained to the wall, in the exact same position as the real one. Spinning around, he quickly headed over to the door. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to need a little more time for this one-¡° ¡°The guards!¡± Iris suddenly whispered sharply, having received their ally¡¯s signal. Immediately, everyone fell out of sight, hiding behind the wall and praying they don¡¯te any closer to see the broken door. But suddenly, Melvia stepped forward as a grey energy signature surrounded her body. And then¡­ she became a door. The same exact door that Reaper had broken into ¡ª Melvia transformed into an identical object. Iris¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°The Shapeshifter Angelica¡­¡± Their ally, the knight in ck armor, hurriedly went up to his colleagues to stop them from going any further. ¡°Did you finish sweeping the other floors?¡± He asked the other three, who nodded in return. ¡°Nothing suspicious. I don¡¯t mean to doubt you, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that I heard something. Could you three check one more time, just to be sure¡­?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ we just got back though, and there was nothing¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll treat you three to some drinks tonight. As much as you want.¡± At this, the other three guards exchanged nces, then patted the Guildmaster¡¯s spy on the shoulder. ¡°Ha! Now that¡¯s a deal worth doing.¡± With this, the three guards retreated once more, having been ¡®bribed¡¯, in a way. Melvia returned to her human form, letting out a deep breath, as the spy turned back to them with a firm nod then gave the ok-sign for them to keep going. ¡°Alright, hurry, Archon!¡± Iris said, keeping an eye on the amount of perfume they had left as Archon went to work once more. ¡°Finn, the perfume¡­¡± ¡°How much do we have left?¡± Finn asked, furrowing his brows. [Analyzing: 12.46%.] Reaper beeped in response. [Estimated time remaining: 1 minute, 43 seconds.] ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Archon grit his teeth as sweat began falling down from his head as he concentrated even further, orange hue burning like a fire all around his body. He sat on the ground, channeling orange energy towards the broken doorframe. Slowly but surely, metal was being produced out of thin air, morphing and shaping itself to fit the original framework of the door. Melvia wiped the sweat off Archon¡¯s forehead so that he could work better, then backed away silently. [10%.] Reaper announced. Ta. Ta. Ta. Finn, who heard thising from above him, furrowed his brows in concentration. ¡°Footsteps¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± Iris asked, confused. ¡°There¡¯s footsteps. Coming from directly above us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hear¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because my hearing is better than the average person, as I¡¯m blind,¡± Finn quickly exined. ¡°Heartbeat¡­ he¡¯sing.¡± [9%.] ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ almost there¡­!¡± Archon¡¯s hands began trembling as he exerted every ounce of mana he had into this, then finally breathed out. ¡°Okay, everyone, get out, I¡¯ll finish this on the other side!¡± Finn, holding Iris, went out first, followed by Reaper and Melvia. Archon came outst, before continuing to repair the door. [8%.] The spy sent by the Guildmaster, realizing Heartbeat wasing down, quickly headed for the staircase to intercept him before he coulde down here and catch the intruders. ¡°Patriarch.¡± ¡°Yes, Stalker?¡± ¡°One of the prisoners used the bowel recently, and the stench is unbearable. I¡¯m afraid going inside right now is not the best option. Allow me to clean the area first.¡± Heartbeat sighed deeply. ¡°Why do I feel like everything that¡¯s been happening today serves to postpone my fun? Well, whatever, I suppose. This isn¡¯t the first time this has happened. Go on, clean it.¡± The Guildmaster¡¯s spy ¡ª Stalker ¡ª bowed. ¡°Yes, Patriarch.¡± Turning around, he pulled out a spray bottle of some sort from his belt and began pumping the liquid inside into the air, relieving the inexistent odor. This bought Archon a bit more time. [7%.] Reaper warned. [Time remaining: 42 seconds.] ¡°Almost there¡­¡± Archon¡¯s entire body was trembling now, and it was clear the orange aura around him was diminishing. He was almost out of mana. [6%.] ¡°No¡­ c¡¯mon¡­!¡± There was just one final crack in the door, but it was still quite visible. However, Archon waspletely out of mana now. The aura around him had faded away, and nothing wasing out of his hands anymore. ¡°Gah¡­ just a little more¡­ one final crack in the middle¡­!¡± [5%.] ¡°¡­¡± Finn, realizing if he didn¡¯t do something, all would be lost, stepped forward and held up his hand. ¡®Zelestria¡­ how do I do this?¡¯ [Fufu~ just this once, mkay~?] Clearing her throat, she spoke calmly and clearly. [Picture your mana as a fluid in your body, almost like blood. Then, imagine how the door looks like in your mind. And finally¡­ push that fluid out of your body with a single thought.] ¡®What¡­? But I don¡¯t know how the door looks-¡® Zelestria giggled. [You don¡¯t need to.] And then, it hit Finn. Archon had alreadypleted 99% of the object. All he had to do¡­ was fill that 1% remaining. Visualizing a long, rectangr metal beam, Finn activated the cksmith Angelica in his body and channeled his mana out, filling the gap that was needed. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Iris and Archon both widened their eyes in shock, but it was no time to be surprised. [3% remaining.] ¡°The door¡¯splete, let¡¯s go!¡± Iris announced, and everyone quickly turned tail and ran. Because the perfume had already filled the air on the way here, they could afford to run the way back. There wasn¡¯t much left anyway. [2% remaining.] ¡°Stalker, what¡¯s taking so long?¡± Heartbeat¡¯s voice asked, growing impatient. Hearing this, Stalker quickly finished up buying time, realizing he could not afford to do this any longer lest he be questioned. He returned to Heartbeat and hoped for the best. ¡°S-Sorry, Patriarch. As you know, I have OCD, so whenever I clean, I get carried away¡­¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ that has indeed been a long-term problem of yours¡­ one that needs to be fixed.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± [1% remaining.] ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Finn, turn left ¡ª through the door, go!¡± Iris called out, whispering sharply. The five ran as fast as they could, making a sharp left and slipping into the hidden door before shutting it tightly behind them, careful not to m it and make a lot of noise. [0%.] ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Archon panted, before falling onto the dirt inside the underground tunnel and clutching his chest in pain. ¡°Gah¡­¡± ¡°Bakris!¡± Melvia cried, hurriedly catching him to prevent him from hitting his head. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¡°Heartbeat¡­ just how much did he torture you?¡± Melvia asked, weeping tears. Archon, despite his condition, managed to chuckle and reach up to his lover¡¯s face, gently wiping away a tear. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve been through worse. Or rather¡­ we¡¯ve been through worse.¡± Melvia smiled warmly, wiping away the rest of her tears as they turned from ones of sadness into ones of joy. ¡°Yes¡­ we have.¡± After a brief period of tranquil silence, two lovers sharing this warm moment, Iris finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°A-Ahem¡­ this is all very touching and all, and I am genuinely happy for you two, but um¡­ we should probably get out of this tunnel first.¡± Archonughed softly. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m good to walk now, I think. Let¡¯s go.¡± He struggled to his feet, Melvia supporting him. Together, the five headed out, jumping out of the same hole they had used to infiltrate the mansion in the first ce. There, Fanatic was waiting. When he saw the five, he wasn¡¯t even surprised, since he had already seen everything on camera. ¡°Heh¡­ I knew you could do it.¡± ¡°Good to see you again, kid,¡± Archon chuckled lightly. Melvia smiled as well upon seeing him. ¡°Long time no see, Arthur.¡± ¡°Um¡­ again with the heartwarming reunions¡­ can we save that for when we get back?¡± Iris sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­¡± Archonughed. ¡°Now¡­ where are the other two, and where¡¯s our ride home?¡± Finn began walking away, carrying Iris with him as he answered. ¡°In the same ce. Follow me.¡± Chapter 43: A Whole Once More Chapter 43: A Whole Once More After boarding the truck Storm and Octane had driven a short distance away so that they couldn¡¯t be seen by the mansion anymore, the team returned home. ¡°I never thought that n would really work out,¡± Storm scoffed as they were driving. ¡°Yeah? Well, this definitely didn¡¯t go wlessly, but we managed to pull it off,¡± Octane chuckled. ¡°Aunt Melvia, wee back.¡± Melvia smiled and giggled softly. ¡°Yes¡­ d to be back, Max.¡± At this, Octane stiffened up. ¡°I-I told you not to call me by that¡­¡± ¡°Oh my~ you still get embarrassed when I call you by your real name? Hehe.¡± ¡°W-Well, yeah¡­ you¡¯re pretty much the only person who calls me that ever since¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re driving!¡± Storm cut in angrily. ¡°Oh shi-¡° ***** In the end, the eight of them managed to get back to their squadron headquarters safely. After everyone cleaned themselves off with a shower, Archon and Storm headed into the kitchen and began whipping up one hell of a meal to celebrate Melvia¡¯s return. ¡°Just wait until you try my cooking skills, Melvia,¡± Storm chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not the same useless boy as I was back then.¡± ¡°Hehe, well then, I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± Melvia replied with a bright smile as he left. ¡°Hey Auntie Melvia¡­ boss told us about his past, and the whole incident with Alpha Lupi,¡± Octane scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°About your dad¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re worried I¡¯m sad, don¡¯t be,¡± Melvia quickly interrupted. ¡°While he is my family, this is the path he chose for himself. I tried steering him back on course, but he wouldn¡¯t listen, so ¡ª I don¡¯t pity him at all.¡± ¡°O-Okay, good. I thought you were going to get mad at us or something¡­¡± Octane sighed in relief. Melviaughed softly. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ you¡¯re grown up now. When are you going to leave behind that childish mindset of yours?¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it¡­¡± Finn listened in amusement at their exchange. To him, Octane did indeed seem a bit immature, but he always thought it was just his personality. But maybe there was some underlying condition¡­? This was a good opportunity to learn more about the teammates he will be fighting alongside for the time being, so taking advantage of this time was a good idea. And besides¡­ he still needed to think of how to tell everyone he was able to fix that door in Archon¡¯s stead earlier. That was the main problem. He originally didn¡¯t want to reveal his powers like this, but at the time, that was the only possible solution. Since no one else was helping Archon, Finn had figured only the cksmith Angelica could give other cksmith Angelicas mana. That said, it was far easier to just fix it himself, since he was going to reveal his power either way. It was either he did this, or he risked Heartbeat finding out anding back for revenge in the future, which could very possibly result in his death. As much as he hated it, he was still weak right now. When faced against a powerhouse such as the House of Crimson Moons, he was nothing but an ant for them to squash ¡ª for now, anyway. When weighing these two options, revealing his power to his squadron member was obviously the right way to go. In fact, recently, he had been thinking of whether or not to tell them anyway. If he told them the truth (minus Zelestria¡¯s existence, since she probably wouldn¡¯t like that given how quickly she had disappeared when Iris woke up this morning), he could acquire all the Angelicas of the people in this squadron, and also learn Abilities from them. At the same time, however, he was risking them betraying him one day and spreading knowledge of his power everywhere. That would invite tons of unwanted trouble ¡ª people wanting to hire him as mercenaries, scientists who wanted to use him as ab rat to see if they could replicate his power, and just fellow Ghost Hunters who are jealous of his strength. The first one he didn¡¯t really mind, but thetter two would certainly be a hassle to deal with. If he didn¡¯t tell them the truth, however¡­ it would make acquiring Angelicas and Abilities more difficult. Since he couldn¡¯t read himself with his blindness, he had to rely on Iris whenever they go to that library Archon mentioned. He would have to think of various excuses to use in order to get Iris to help him learn Abilities of a different Angelica. Of course, he could always just tell Iris and Iris alone of his powers, but¡­ Well, what was done was done. Finn didn¡¯t know why he was still thinking about all this, as it was already in the past. He would just have to make do with the current situation, and hope his squadron members don¡¯t betray him in the future. Soon after, the food was ready. Storm and Archon carried it over to the table, where everyone else was sitting. Melvia had been telling stories of her past and sharing some of Archon¡¯s embarrassing moments, but he didn¡¯t need to know. ¡°Alright¡­ everyone, cups up!¡± Archon cheered, raising his ss cup filled with beer. Everyone else did the same, except Fanatic was underage so he stuck with apple juice. ¡°Ready? 3, 2, 1¡­¡± The group bumped their cups together, making a loud clinging sound. ¡°Wee Melvia back home!¡± ***** ¡°Fwah¡­ the operation today was so scuffed,¡± Octane sighed, taking a drink of his beer. ¡°What took you guys so long inside, man?¡± ¡°Er¡­ for some reason, the key our spy gave us didn¡¯t work,¡± Iris replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think he betrayed us or anything, but the only other exnation is that Heartbeat changed the lockst-minute. I don¡¯t understand why, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Archon interrupted firmly. ¡°Tell me, what did you feel when you tried inserting the key?¡± ¡°Um¡­ like it didn¡¯t fit?¡± Iris raised an eyebrow, thenughed. ¡°What else could it be?¡± ¡®She seems to be warming up to the other squadron members more¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his head as he listened to this interaction. ¡°He didn¡¯t change the lock,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°Nothing of the sort, actually. It was just a side effect of his Angelica, if I¡¯m guessing correctly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Iris tilted her head in confusion. ¡°You see, Heartbeat possesses the Bloodcaller Angelica. Essentially, it allows him to control ¡ª well, blood ¡ª but the true extents of this Angelica are far beyond just that. For example, from when I tried fighting against him in the past, I know he has an Ability that turns nearby blood into crystals he can morph and use as a weapon.¡± ¡°Today, right beside the door, one of his guards bashed a prisoner¡¯s head straight in, sending blood everywhere.¡± Archon continued. ¡°What could¡¯ve happened was some of the blood crystals that were formed got lodged in the keyhole. He may have done this on purpose as a double security measure. Actually, knowing him, it probably was.¡± ¡°Wait, but if that¡¯s the case¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean we were exposed?¡± Iris asked in shock. ¡°When he gets back, he¡¯ll see that the blood crystals he made weren¡¯t there, and-¡° ¡°Rx. The blood crystals, in the end, are mere liquid temporarily turned solid. After a while, they go back to liquid form and dissipate. Heartbeat won¡¯t find anything wrong with it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Iris breathed out in relief. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Storm sighed. ¡°You guys are lucky thest-ditch excuse I used actually worked, or else we all would¡¯ve been toast.¡± ¡°Oh? What kind ofst-ditch excuse did you use?¡± Archon asked, curious. ¡°Boss! This guy came up with the most unbelievable backstory ever, and Heartbeat actually bought it!¡± Octane quickly interrupted. ¡°Storm said we were two sons, looking to get recruited into his A-ss squadron so that we could get enough money to save our fathers who were in need of surgery. Can you believe it?!¡± ¡°Ha! What happened next?¡± ¡°The worst part is ¡ª HEARTBEAT ACTUALLY GAVE US 100,000 DOLLARS!¡± Octane yelled, pulling out the debit card they had received earlier and showing it to Archon. ¡°So now, we basically are indebted to them!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ this¡­¡± Archon slowly turned his gaze from the card to Storm, who looked away ufortably. ¡°L-Look¡­ I didn¡¯t think it would turn out this way. Heartbeat was already getting suspicious of our motives, so I had toe up with something.¡± Archon sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not mad or anything. It¡¯s just¡­ what are we going to do with this $100,000?¡± ¡°I mean, since we got it, might as well just use it,¡± Octane said with a shrug. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°No,¡± Finn and Iris immediately said at the same time. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Finn, you can go first,¡± Iris whispered softly, suddenly embarrassed for whatever reason. Finn cleared his throat and spoke. ¡°It was a bait. If you spend those 100,000 dors but don¡¯t report back to Heartbeat soon, he can easily go to a bank and tell them you two stole his card. Once that happens, you will be arrested, possibly even killed. The only way to save you then would be if you beg him for mercy, in which case he will take advantage of that and force you into his squadron the hard way.¡± Everyone on scene looked at Finn, stunned ¡ª except for Iris, who had thought of the same thing. ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t even think of that¡­¡± Storm muttered, clenching his fists. ¡°I almost thought Heartbeat wasn¡¯t all that evil for a second¡­ that bastard.¡± ¡°S-So what do we do now?¡± Octane asked frightfully. ¡°Return the money?¡± ¡°No, that obviously won¡¯t work,¡± Finn replied, shaking his head as a brilliant n began formting in his mind. ¡°Instead, since he¡¯s alreadyid out this trap so beautifully for us¡­ we¡¯ll beat him at his own game.¡± Chapter 44: The Truth Told Chapter 44: The Truth Told ¡°Beat him at his own game¡­?¡± Octane tilted his head in confusion. ¡°How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple, really,¡± Finn replied. ¡°First, donate the money he gave you to a hospital, just in case Heartbeat checks the transaction history ¡ª though I doubt he will. Then, report back to him and join their squadron as spies. The more of our own people we have in their ranks, the better when the timees to take them down once and for all.¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t say I¡¯m very fond of serving under him,¡± Storm said hesitantly. ¡°Why do we need to take him down again? We already saved Archon and Melvia.¡± ¡°That may be so, but the root cause of all this is not gone,¡± Iris answered in my stead, having understood my npletely without me even saying anything to her beforehand. ¡°Remember, in Heartbeat¡¯s eyes, Archon and Melvia are already dead. In other words, for as long as Heartbeat is still alive, Archon and Melvia cannot show themselves in public or at the guild.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I can Shapeshift, so that won¡¯t be a problem for me,¡± Melvia said. ¡°I suppose disguises could also work, but it¡¯s better not to risk it ¡ª especially since he¡¯s one of the major powerhouses of this District.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t particrly mind not being able to go out.¡± Archon shrugged. ¡°But there is still always the chance of Heartbeat somehow finding out about us being alive, one way or another. It¡¯s best to get rid of himpletely. Only then can we truly rx.¡± ¡°The Guildmaster has a n to do so, but she is more concerned with other matters at the moment,¡± Iris exined. ¡°But if we can nt two more spies in Heartbeat¡¯s army, that would make it easier to take them down when the Guildmaster finally turns her attention to them.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Storm muttered, narrowing his eyes. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°B-But, I¡¯m horrible at acting¡­¡± Octane whimpered quietly. ¡°Calm down,¡± Storm scoffed at his partner. ¡°Just y mute, remember? You did fine earlier today. Acting a little nervous is no problem, since we¡¯ll be in a new environment. Heartbeat won¡¯t find anything suspicious.¡± Octane sighed and reluctantly agreed. ¡°¡­ Okay then.¡± ¡°Cheer up, Max,¡± Melviaforted warmly, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll do just fine. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Aunt Melvia¡­¡± ¡°But that aside¡­¡± Archon focused his gaze on Finn. ¡°There is just one more thing I¡¯m concerned about.¡± Finn, knowing what wasing, didn¡¯t show any visible change in his expression and merely remained as calm as ever. ¡°Finn¡­ how were you able to use the cksmith Angelica?¡± At this, Storm and Octane, who weren¡¯t there at the time, dropped their jaws in shock. ¡°W-What? Doesn¡¯t he have Oculus¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too, until¡­¡± Archon trailed off, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Is there something you aren¡¯t telling us, Finn?¡± Finn fell silent as all eyes converged on him. Iris had in fact wanted to ask this question a lot sooner, but she realized there was probably a reason why Finn didn¡¯t tell them about this, hence why she didn¡¯t bring the topic up. But now that Archon broke the ice, she wanted to know as well. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t tell you all about this since I wasn¡¯t sure of what was going on myself,¡± Finn replied after some hesitation. ¡°I originally had been nning on discussing this matter with you after figuring out what the origins of my powers were, but I was forced to use the cksmith Angelica earlier today because of the dire situation.¡± ¡°What powers¡­?¡± Iris asked, both confused and concerned. ¡°The power-¡° Finn suddenly reached over the table and ced his hand on Storm¡¯s head, causing him to faint and copse after a few seconds. ¡°-To copy another¡¯s Angelica.¡± As if to demonstrate, he activated the Stormbringer Angelica he had just acquired from Storm. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened as a bright blue hue appeared around his body. ¡°Storm!¡± Octane cried, roughly shaking his friend in a futile attempt to wake him up. ¡°He will be fine,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°He¡¯ll wake up not remembering anything of what just happened.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Archon shook his head in disbelief at Finn¡¯s power. ¡°But¡­ how? I¡¯ve never seen something like this before¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to find out,¡± Finn replied, deactivating his Angelica and sitting back down in his chair. ¡°I kindly ask all of you to keep this power of mine a secret, since word of it getting out could be troublesome for me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Fanatic reassured. ¡°But does this have something to do withst time¡¯s mission, perhaps¡­?¡± ¡°You mean how he waspletely fine, despite being sshed in the face by Phantom blood?¡± Iris asked for confirmation. Fanatic nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel there¡¯s a connection between the two, somehow¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Maybe,¡± Finn said quietly. ¡°But I obtained the Oculus Angelica from Ivis before that even happened, so it¡¯s unlikely.¡± Everyone fell silent once more, trying to ovee the shock and possiblye up with a logical exnation for this, but it was futile. ¡°Well, although I do think figuring out where this power came from and how you got it is quite important, I also believe it¡¯s better not to worry over it too much,¡± Melvia interjected, stretching her arms and smiling widely. ¡°This skill of yours is incredibly powerful, Finn. It reminds me of the advanced Ability certain Mimic Angelica users can use ¡ª temporarily duplicate another¡¯s Angelica and use it as their own.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone use that before¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°Though the Guildmaster could probably pull it off?¡± ¡°Most likely,¡± Melvia responded. ¡°But Finn¡¯s power is even stronger than that. Rather than spend all our time wondering where it came from, I think we should just help Finn embrace it as much as we can, while he¡¯s still here.¡± ¡°Help him embrace it¡­? Melvia, you mean¡­¡± Archon trailed off, realizing what his lover was suggesting. She smiled. ¡°Indeed. Finn,e here.¡± Finn knew what she was going to do, naturally. Seeing no reason to refuse, he did as told, walking in the direction of her voice. ¡°Alright. Now, take my hand. I have the Shapeshifter Angelica ¡ª it may not be the most powerful, but it¡¯s certainly useful, to say to the least. I¡¯m sure it¡¯lle in handy for you, one day.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you.¡± With those brisk words, Finn connected his hand with hers firmly and felt the warm energy flowing into his body. A few secondster, Melvia copsed and fell into Archon¡¯s arms. ¡°She will wake up in an hour or so,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°I see. Octane, what about you?¡± Archon asked, turning to the speed daredevil who was still busy looking after his friend. ¡°Uh, sure,¡± he replied, scratching his hair. ¡°He just needs to touch me to take my Angelica, right? Be careful though, Daredevil¡¯s a bit hard to control.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Finn walked over to him and simrly took his hand as well. After several seconds, Octane fell unconscious and slumped over, just like Storm and Melvia. ¡°That¡¯s all of them,¡± Fanatic said. ¡°Neither Reaper nor I have Angelicas.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. Thanks again, Archon.¡± ¡°Thank Melviater,¡± Archon replied with a chuckle. ¡°But that aside¡­ now that we know about this power of yours, I think some training is necessary. Tomorrow, when you wake up,e find me in my workshop. The cksmith Angelica is a hard one to master, kiddo.¡± Finn nodded gratefully. ¡°Understood.¡± With that, Finn headed upstairs, having finished his food already. Iris, after some hesitation, followed him in search of more answers. Quite coincidentally, he too had some questions for her ¡ª for a while now, actually. He just never got the opportunity to ask them since he wasn¡¯t sure whether she would demand something in return. But now that he had practically confessed his powers to everyone, there was no point holding back anymore. ¡®Iris¡­ just who are you?¡¯ Chapter 45: Iris Sylvoir Chapter 45: Iris Sylvoir After returning to his own room, Finn didn¡¯t bother closing the door behind him. After all, he knew Iris would enter right after he did. Iris realized this and hesitated before stepping inside. ¡°¡­ You knew I wanted to talk to you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly hard to figure out,¡± Finn replied. ¡°I could smell food inside your bowl, yet you still left the table and headed for the elevator right after I began walking up the stairs.¡± ¡°¡­ Hehe, your senses are quite sharp, huh?¡± She giggled softly, but her heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°Juste in.¡± Iris did as told, shutting the door tight as she rolled her wheelchair into Finn¡¯s room. She set up a sound-blocking barrier enchantment around the room so that no one else could hear their conversation inside. ¡°So? What did you want to talk to me about?¡± Finn asked, sitting in his own chair and facing the direction of Iris¡¯s voice. ¡°I was just¡­ somewhat skeptical after hearing your exnation of your powers,¡± she replied after some thought. ¡°For example, how did you find out about this power you had, and how to actually use it?¡± ¡°From when I first obtained the Oculus Angelica from you,¡± Finn exined briskly. ¡°But at the time, you didn¡¯t even know what Angelicas were. For all you knew, you could¡¯ve simply awakened the same Angelica as me by chance¡­ unless you were only pretending to not know anything about the paranormal?¡± At this, Finn fell silent for a brief moment. This girl¡­ she was sharp. He managed to fool everyone else with his lie, but Iris saw the w. Luckily, he had already expected this beforehand and prepared a n B in case someone confronted him about this. ¡°When you first told me I also awakened the Oculus Angelica, I was already skeptical. I never really believed in luck or coincidences, so I found it weird how both of us just happened to have the same Angelica. My theory was confirmed when I patted Archon¡¯s shoulders one day tofort him ¡ª inadvertently gaining his Angelica as well. It was then that I finally figured it out.¡± Iris seemed to still be suspicious, but she couldn¡¯t really argue back against this statement he made. Finn, knowing this, decided that it was finally his turn. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve asked your question¡­ I have some of my own for you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Iris blinked several times in surprise and confusion. ¡°Firstly, you im to have been saved by this squadron in a dire situation, just like me. But if that¡¯s the case¡­ how do you know so much about Angelicas and such already, even to the point where you are able to help someone else awaken theirs?¡± ¡°E-Eh? Well¡­ er, I read a lot of the books in this house. They have a lot about Angelicas and Abilities written in them¡­¡± ¡®Trying to take advantage of my blindness? Nice try,¡¯ Finn thought triumphantly. ¡°Is that so?¡± He tapped his finger on the desk. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ why didn¡¯t Archon say anything about that when I asked him about learning new Abilities?¡± ¡°U-Um¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re a horrible liar, Iris.¡± Sure, Finn was one to talk, but at least he couldn¡¯t get exposed like this. ¡°¡­¡± Iris fell silent, realizing any attempts to cover it up now would only lead to Finn being more suspicious of her. ¡°Back when you first introduced yourself to me, you were surprised when I didn¡¯t recognize your real name. Why is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because my bloodline¡­ it¡¯s somewhat special. I was nning on telling you the truth when we first met, since I saw many simrities between us, but after seeing that your hatred was directed solely towards Ghosts, I changed my mind.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you a Ghost or something?¡± Iris looked away and clutched her wheelchair¡¯s armrests ufortably. ¡°Before I go any further, promise me one thing ¡ª you won¡¯t get mad, no matter what.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a Ghost.¡± ¡°I-I haven¡¯t even said anything yet!¡± ¡°Your response was enough to confirm it,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°But if you¡¯re worried about me trying to kill you, don¡¯t be. You don¡¯t seem the same as the ones I hate.¡± Iris smiled sadly. ¡°I¡¯m grateful. But once you hear my story¡­ I¡¯m not certain you¡¯ll feel the same way.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s test that theory.¡± Rather than being angry, her words only served to make Finn even more curious and intrigued. ¡°Tell me about your past, Iris.¡± ***** (Iris¡¯s POV) My name is Iris Sylvoir. My bloodline was formed of both human and Ghost ¡ª though we were liked by neither side. Thousands of years ago, before the First Expungement, a single intelligent Ghost came forward to our world. She was my ancestor, and had tried to alert humanity of the impending threat ¡ª tried protecting it against the cmity that was toe. Unfortunately, the escape from the paracausal ne to this one had injured her greatly and used up nearly all of her power. She was found washed ashore at a vige, picked up by amon young fisherman. He had never before seen a girl so beautiful, so pure. Her snow-white skin and simrly-colored hair were more than enough to entrance anyone, along with two dazzling turquoise eyes that reflected the ocean in them. The man was utterly charmed. He soon realized the girl was in a dire state and quickly brought her back to the vige doctor to be cured. Unfortunately, she was of no help, and imed that she had no idea what was wrong with the girl. The fisherman was dejected, but he did not give up. He took her back to his home and slowly nursed her back to health. He didn¡¯t know any medical skills, but he did know how to take care of someone. Everyday, he spoonfed the girl food, water, and respectfully had the doctor wash her body and change her clothes rather than doing it himself. Since there was only bed in his humble home, he let the girl sleep on it; himself only sleeping on a rug on the floor. As the weeks gone by with no sign of her recovering, however, everyone else in the vige ¡ª even the doctor ¡ª began to get tired of this. They tried convincing the fisherman that it was of no use, but he didn¡¯t listen and continued treating the girl with utmost care every single day. His heart was kind, devoted ¡ª and that devotion paid off one day. Unbeknownst to everyone in the vige, the Ghost-girl fed on kindness ¡ª not human food. The more dedication the man poured into her, the faster she could recover. And that she did. As the sun rose one day, the girl atst opened her eyes. Her powers hadpletely recovered, and her energy was fully restored. She turned her head and saw the fisherman who had taken care of her for the past few months,ying on the rug while sleeping peacefully. Before she knew it, a tear had streaked out of her eye, falling on the nket and staining it wet. Although she was unconscious, she was well aware of all the kindness she was being fed. Without a doubt, the source of all that was this man. In that instant, the girl fell in love. To think a human could be so kind-hearted to someone of a foreign race¡­ ¡­ But that hope was soon shattered as she realized the fisherman didn¡¯t know she wasn¡¯t human. After the fisherman woke up that day, the two embraced and shared their love. They began strolling around the vige,ughing and having as much fun as one could. But as the Ghost-girl did so, she began hearing stories from the vigers. Stories of the paranormal, used to scare away children. Stories that painted Ghosts as evil creatures who wanted to devour anything and everything. The girl soon realized that if the fisherman ever found out she was a Ghost, their rtionship ¡ª their love ¡ª would be shattered. But if she didn¡¯t reveal she was a Ghost herself, no one would believe her about the nearing apocalypse. Torn between saving humanity and her own love, she was forced to make a decision. But s, she just couldn¡¯t. She tried and tried to tell herself that this selfish love of hers was nothingpared to all the lives that would be lost should the Ghostse through, but every time she made up her mind to tell her husband the truth, that warm, friendly smile of his always made her swallow the words right back down. And before she knew it, the cmity she had tried so hard to warn humanity about was already here. By this time, she was already pregnant with the fisherman¡¯s child. But unfortunately, the child would grow up never knowing his father. The Perfect Outbreak ¡ª the First Expungement ¡ª wiped out the entire in the matter of a few days. But for the vige, it didn¡¯t take that long. After all, they were right where the Outbreak urred. The vigers tried to fight, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the paranormal attributes of the Ghosts and their sheer numbers. Their useless pitchforks and knives couldn¡¯t even hit the Ghosts, much less kill them. The humans were ughtered, one after another. As the Ghost-girl watched her dear friends and family fall, one by one, the realization sank in that this was all her fault. It was as if there was a whisper in her head, speaking horror to her. ¡®This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you just warned them beforehand.¡¯ ¡®As long as they went underground, the Ghosts wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach them.¡¯ ¡®This is all your fault.¡¯ ¡®All¡­ your¡­ fault.¡¯ The girl¡¯s body began to shake. She lost vision of what was happening around her as she sumbed to her dark emotions, leaving her along with the baby vulnerable amidst the chaos. A Ghost, seeing this, leaped towards her with its sharp ws, preparing to tear her apart. But in that moment, a single man jumped out between the two, blocking the attack instead. The creature¡¯s ws sank into the man¡¯s fragile body, piercing through effortlessly. The Ghost-girl¡¯s frightful eyes widened even further as she saw this scene, and all time seemed to stop as the man slowly turned his head around. Despite the blood dripping out the corner of his mouth and his imminent death, he smiled at his wife. ¡°¡­ Live.¡± The Ghost-girl snapped out of her trance and scrambled to her feet, dashing in the opposite direction as she wiped the tears off her face, vanishing into the forest. The fisherman, seeing this, gently closed his eyes and epted his death. Chapter 46: An Eventful Night Chapter 46: An Eventful Night ¨C Present Time ¨C ¡°¡­ And that¡¯s the story,¡± Iris finished, letting out a deep breath. ¡°I see.¡± Hearing Finn¡¯s response, she couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°What? Are you expecting me to start crying?¡± ¡°N-No, it¡¯s just¡­ I thought you would hate me after hearing that.¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because¡­ well, if my ancestor hadn¡¯t been so selfish, many lives could¡¯ve been saved.¡± ¡°And? What next?¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± Finn sighed. ¡°Sure, humanity could¡¯ve been saved ¡ª that is, if they even believe her ¡ª but what next, after retreating underground? Do they just give the surface to the Ghosts and let the roam free?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°You told me yourself. For people who have Angelicas, they are usually awakened in a dire situation when encountering a Ghost. If humanity is protected underground, our Angelicas won¡¯t ever be awakened, and thus we won¡¯t have the world we know today. For all we know, we could still be living like cavemen.¡± ¡°And even if your ancestor was wholly evil¡­ that has nothing to do with you,¡± Finn continued calmly. ¡°Just because I carry a deep hatred for Ghosts, doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t identify between right and wrong. There are tons of humans out there who do far more sickening things than what your ancestor did.¡± ¡°Finn¡­¡± Iris murmured, smiling faintly. ¡°But that aside, what happened after?¡± Iris tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming she was able to escape because she was a powerful Ghost herself, but what about after? How was she able to give birth and whatnot?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that part of the story by my mother, but I¡¯m assuming she eventually located a safecamp of humans somewhere and gave birth there.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn rested his temple on his hand, leaning to one side. ¡°You¡¯ve told me about your ancestors, but not your own past. How did you end up with this squadron?¡± Iris sighed. ¡°I originally wasn¡¯t nning on telling you this part, but I guess there¡¯s no fooling you, huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee not to tell me anything,¡± Finn replied. ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you.¡± ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t want you to lose trust in me. I¡¯ve already decided to start anew, but in order to convince you of that, I suppose telling you of my full past is necessary.¡± Finn fell silent as she continued. ¡°¡­ That said, could you give me some time?¡± ¡°What for¡­?¡± ¡°The special facility I used to be in ced a cursed on me and all the other kids there. Should we leak any details about the ce to any outsider, we would be instantly killed to prevent any important information from slipping out,¡± Iris exined. ¡°It should¡¯ve been destroyed by now, ording to my knowledge, but I want to make sure, just in case¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Special facility, huh?¡± Finn murmured in thought. ¡°That exins why you can use guns with such skill and kill people without a second thought.¡± ¡®And she used the term ¡®destroyed¡¯ too, rather than ¡®shut down¡¯¡­ how peculiar.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± Iris fell silent, unable to confirm nor deny anything. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine for now.¡± Finn stood up and ced his hands on Iris¡¯s wheelchair handle. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. You should sleep.¡± ¡°¡­ Mhm.¡± Finn slowly pushed her wheelchair into her own room, then prepared to return to his own. But right before he left, Iris spoke up. ¡°H-Hey, Finn?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡®Thank you for what?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®For epting you despite your bloodline?¡¯ ¡°¡­ Good night,¡± he said in response. ¡°Mm. Good night.¡± ***** ¨C Inside the Reality Rift ¨C ¡°So, you told them about your powers after all, huh~?¡± Zelestria giggled softly, as if amused. ¡°I was somewhat forced to, but yes,¡± Finn replied. ¡°That aside, why did you call me here? It¡¯s rare for you to ask me toe instead of the other way around.¡± ¡°Oh, I just wanted to tell you about the three new Angelicas you encountered today,¡± she replied. Finn blinked. ¡°Really? How generous of you. But before that, can you tell me about Iris?¡± ¡°Fufu~ I¡¯m feeling nice today, so don¡¯t ruin my mood by talking about another girl, mkay~?¡± She whispered, half-seductively and half-threateningly. ¡°Be sure to take advantage of it, since I won¡¯t do this all the time! Oh, and you can take advantage of my body too, if you want~?¡± ¡°Sorry, not interested, unless I can turn your body into a weapon. Tell me about the Angelicas.¡± ¡°Hmph, no appreciation¡­ any other guy would be thrilled to have me by their side, y¡¯know~?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they would. Now, are you going to tell me about the Angelicas or not?¡± ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± Zelestria rolled her eyes. ¡°But I suppose that neutral, unwavering attitude of yours is why I like you in the first ce, fufu~¡± Finn ignored her words and waited patiently for her to get serious. ¡°Anyway¡­ for starters, that Mimic Angelica is quite rare, but not too important to you right now. So, don¡¯t risk trying to obtain it from the Guildmaster woman. She¡¯s quite dangerous and can see through your motives if you try anything, so be careful around her, mkay~?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. I know my limits.¡± Zelestria nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Mm, good~ she might even try to seduce you, so be prepared for that. I don¡¯t want to have you taken from me-¡° ¡°Can we move on?¡± ¡°Fufu~ yes, of course. As for the Nightstalker Angelica¡­¡± ¡°Hold on. That¡¯s the one the spy had, correct?¡± ¡°Indeed. His alias is Stalker, but his Angelica is actually called Nightstalker. The only useful Ability it has forbat is invisibility, but that can be easily obtained through other means, so I don¡¯t rmend prioritizing this Angelica. Still, I suppose it can be good if you want to be sneaky, for whatever reason~¡± ¡°Through other means¡­ you mean consuming Ghosts?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Mhm~¡± Zelestria closed one eye and nced at him seductively. ¡°It won¡¯t be long until you face a Ghost who possesses that power, at the rate you¡¯re going.¡± ¡°I see. And thest one?¡± ¡°¡­ Right. The Bloodcaller Angelica. This one, you have to get your hands on, no matter what.¡± It was rare of Zelestria to take on a serious tone like this, so Finn automatically knew this was important. ¡°I was told itmands blood, just like the name entails,¡± Finn replied. ¡°That sounds quite versatile and broad, but how strong is the power, really?¡± ¡°For a normal person, this Angelica is already exceptionally strong. Once you reach a certain level, you¡¯ll be able tomand both your own blood and any blood that¡¯s around you, be it from allies or enemies, making you a monster in groupbat. But for you in particr, Finn¡­ this Angelica is like a gift from heaven.¡± ¡°The Ghost blood inside me, huh?¡± Finn muttered, realizing where this was going. Zelestria smirked smugly, seeing that I understood. ¡°Correct. Your blood contains consumption qualities. In other words¡­ as long as you have a little bit of blood to work with, you can use it to consume everything around you, turning it all into more blood you canmand to your will. Pretty overpowered, no? Hehe~¡± ¡°That does sound quite strong. When we put Heartbeat down once and for all, I¡¯ll be sure to take this Angelica from him.¡± ¡°So? How are you going to thank me for all this precious information?¡± Zelestria whispered seductively, circling around and hugging Finn from behind, jumping onto his back and pressing her ample assets against it. ¡°Nothing,¡± Finn replied. ¡°I never asked for this info ¡ª you just told me this because you were feeling nice today.¡± ¡°W-Wha-¡± Zelestria pouted for a second, surprised at this response, then suddenly bit on Finn¡¯s ear. ¡°Ngh-! What are you-¡° ¡°Fufu~ that¡¯s payback~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn sighed and forced Zelestria off of him. ¡°Let me out.¡± Zelestria smiled and ced one finger against her lips in a shushing gesture, before winking flirtatiously. ¡°Only if you let me sleep with you for the rest of tonight~¡± After some hesitation, Finn reluctantly agreed. ¡°¡­ Fine, whatever. Just don¡¯t disturb my sleep. I have to train tomorrow.¡± She licked her lips suggestively before snapping her fingers and opening the portal for Finn to exit the reality rift. He left immediately, Zelestria following him out. Before Finn knew it, her warm body was lying next to him under the bedsheets. Zelestria discretely removed all of her clothes, taking advantage of the fact that Finn couldn¡¯t see, then pressed her soft body against his to test if his lust was trulypletely gone. ¡°Fufu~ let¡¯s see how long you canst, Finn~¡± Chapter 47: Dreams & Reality Chapter 47: Dreams & Reality ¨C ??? ¨C ¡°Wee home, big brother!¡± A short girl with long ck hair ran up to Finn and wrapped her arms around his waist as he opened the door. That was about the tallest she could reach, but it was the thought that counted. Subconsciously, Finn smiled and patted the head of his 6-year-old little sister. ¡°Thanks, Shirley. Where¡¯s mom?¡± ¡°In the kitchen!¡± Shirley replied excitedly, turning around and hollering across the room. ¡°Mom! Big brother¡¯s back from school!¡± ¡°Oh, wee home~¡± Finn¡¯s mother said warmly, ncing behind her from the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m just finishing up here, dinner should be ready in about 5 minutes. Go wash your hands ande eat!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Finn replied, taking off his shoes and heading for the bathroom as his little sister went over to the dinner table to sneakily eat some of the already-prepared dishes. Finn saw this on full disy, but merely chuckled and decided to let his little sister go scot-free. This was his family ¡ª his mother and little sister. His father abandoned them for another woman around the same time his little sister was born, and since then, he pretended as if he had no father in the first ce. His little sister may seem happy and giddy on the surface, but deep down, she carried that same burden. Still, the three were happy. Although they weren¡¯t the richest¡­ although they weren¡¯t the most talented¡­ they were a happy, loving family that couldn¡¯t be separated by anything but death. Finn finished washing his hands and closed the door as he decided to use the bathroom. Once he was finished, he flushed the toilet and rinsed his hands once again, before wiping them dry on a towel and preparing to head out for another delicious dinner handmade by his mother. But as he opened the door- In a single instant, he froze. His body¡¯s muscles contracted, he paused swallowing his saliva, and his eyes remained glued open, unable to blink or look away. Before him, the same familiar scene he had seen once beforey. The same spine-chilling, utterly horrifying scene from that fateful evening. His mother¡¯s dead bodyy mutted on the ground; his little sister¡¯s tiny frame torn cleanly in half. Blood sttered all over the walls and furniture, enveloped by an encroaching darkness that seemed to swallow everything. Bits of ribs stuck out of his little sister¡¯s body¡¯s two halves on the stairs, stained with tiny pieces of flesh and gore. Her eyes, one on each half, stared lifelessly at the crimson ceiling, where drops of blood trickled down. His mother¡¯s face waspletely eaten out on the floor, just as he had remembered. The skull and brain were both half-devoured, leaving behind a heap of flesh that could barely be called a corpse. ¡°No¡­ n-no¡­¡± Finn trembled in fear, body shaking violently as he stumbled backwards and tried to hide himself in the bathroom. But suddenly, an invisible wall appeared behind him and prevented any escape. ¡°TrYiNg To RuN¡­?¡± A faint, eerie whisper spoke directly into Finn¡¯s head. ¡°NO¡­! LET ME GO! PLEASE¡­!¡± ¡°NoT tHiS tImE¡­¡± To Finn¡¯s shock and utter horror, a new face suddenly began emerging on his mother¡¯s corpse ¡ª the face of a Phantom that he knew so well. ¡°Ah¡­ AH¡­!¡± The face contorted and spun on his mother¡¯s body, slowly taking control and bringing it to its feet. ¡°YoU lEfT uS¡­ yOu ShOuLd¡¯Ve StAyEd¡­ DiEd WiTh Us¡­¡± ¡°N-No¡­ STAY AWAY!¡± Finn looked around for any sign of a weapon, but his vision was slowly being clouded over by the darkness. The creature made of his mother¡¯s body and a Phantom¡¯s face slowly lumbered closer, drowning out all other sound with every step it took. ¡°WhY¡­ wHy RuN aWaY¡­?¡± Finn¡¯s body trembled as he tried to push back against the ck wall of scribbles behind him, but to no avail. ¡°Why¡­ WHY-¡° [¡ª¡ªSTATIC¡ª¡ªEMERGENCY PROTOCOL¡ª¡ª¡ªSTATIC¡ª¡ª] ***** Finn shot awake on his bed, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. From downstairs, he could hear an rm that red loud enough to reach every room in the manor. ¡°EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED ¡ª CODE: SUMMON ¡ª EMERGENCY PROTOCOL-¡° Shortly after, Archon¡¯s loud voice could be heard over the alert. ¡°Finn, Ivis, Octane, Storm, Fanatic, and Reaper ¡ª get up, NOW! Get your armor and weapons ready, we¡¯re heading out!¡± With no time to waste, Finn hurriedly felt around for his armor, but felt something like warm balloons instead. ¡°Oh my~ you¡¯re groping that ce~ mmn~¡± ¡°Tch¡­! I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re here, but¡­ it¡¯s really not the time, Zelestria.¡± Finn quickly moved his hand away and tried to look elsewhere for his armor, but his blindness really wasn¡¯t helping. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ your armor¡¯s right here,¡± she said with a sigh, handing the armor set to Finn. ¡°I was nning on testing your limits tonight too¡­ how unfortunate~¡± Finn ignored her remarks and quickly slipped on the armor set and boots, along with his two ck fingerless gloves that were actually ssified as gauntlets, formally speaking. Zelestria returned to the reality rift to spectate what¡¯s toe as Finn finished getting everything ready. Adjusting his cloak one final time and making sure his wings weren¡¯t damaged even though he has never used them, he pushed open the door and headed downstairs, where Archon and the others had already gathered. Iris climbed onto his shoulders as usual the moment she spotted him. ¡°Boss, what¡¯s going on?¡± Octane asked in confusion. ¡°An emergency situation has urred,¡± Archon replied, heading for the door. ¡°Usually, there are day patrol squadrons and night patrol squadrons, but in cases where the night patrols are overwhelmed, us day patrols must be summoned and step in ¡ª that¡¯s what Code: Summon means. Now, follow me!¡± ¡°W-Wait!¡± Iris called out in a panic. ¡°What about Heartbeat¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Archon shouted back, picking up his pace. ¡°Rank-A Squadrons aren¡¯t alerted in these emergency summons unless absolutely necessary!¡± Finn furrowed his brows and followed the others using the sound of their rushed footsteps, an uneasy feeling in his heart. Not because he was scared, but because he was concerned about what Archon just said. ¡®If the night patrol squadrons truly were overwhelmed, then¡­ we should prepare for one hell of a fight.¡¯ Chapter 48: Midnight Operation Chapter 48: Midnight Operation Outside, a thunderstorm was already brewing. Fog arose in the air and rain began pouring down from the dark sky above. There was no need for Storm to create cover as someone else already had it done. Archon turned right out of the manor and dashed onto the sidewalk, the rain meaning nothing to him as the rest of the squadron followed. ¡°Fanatic, where¡¯s the signaling from?!¡± He yelled as he ran. ¡°West, 5.2 kilometers!¡± Fanatic replied, looking down at a phone in his hands before putting it away. Archon immediately skidded to a stop at an intersection and turned left to head westwards, gritting his teeth. ¡°5.2 kilometers¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Gonna take a while to get to?¡± Melvia finished, smirking smugly. ¡°By running, yeah.¡± Saying this, she stopped running and activated her Shapeshifter Angelica, bing a convertible in an instant. The car suddenly honked twice, signaling for us to get in. Archon shook his head in exasperation as he pulled open the door and got in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Melvia¡­ you¡¯re one crazy woman.¡± The rest of the squadron got in as well ¡ª the car was enough to fit six of them. Finn took shotgun with Iris sitting on hisp, while Storm, Fanatic, and Octane took the backseats. As for Reaper, well¡­ he attached himself to the roof of the car. Archon stomped on the gas pedal harshly, which would definitely result in an earful from Melviater once she turned back, but now wasn¡¯t the time to be worrying about that. The 154th Squadron zoomed into the night, en route to aid the other Ghost Hunters in subjugating this midnight Outbreak. ***** ¡°We¡¯re almost there, Archon ¡ª turn right, then turn left at the first intersection!¡± Fanatic shouted from the backseat like a human GPS. Archon did as told, swerving right at the crossroads before immediately turning left. ¡°Okay, 250 meters directly ahea- huh?¡± Fanatic suddenly stopped, ncing down at the phone in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Fanatic?¡± Archon asked in a hurry, skidding the car to a stop as they reached a dead end. ¡°I don¡¯t see an Outbreak portal anywhere¡­¡± ¡°The signal¡­ it just suddenly disappeared,¡± Fanatic replied, frowning in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but¡­¡± ¡°What is going on¡­¡± Storm muttered. ¡°O-Oh, wait!¡± Fanatic suddenly cried, eyes widening at the screen. ¡°A new signal just appeared in the opposite direction of their!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening either¡­¡± Fanatic clenched his hands ufortably. ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the new signal point for now,¡± Octane suggested. ¡°Maybe we can find a clue or something there.¡± Archon nodded in return and put the car (Melvia) into reverse and pulled back onto the road before heading in the direction they just came from. ***** ¡°It should be right up this road¡­¡± Fanatic murmured as they drove up an elevated highway, illuminated by the dim streetlights. ¡°Oh, right there!¡± Octane shouted in a panic, pointing directly up ahead. ¡°I can see it!¡± Archon stomped on the gas pedal to go forward as arge swirling white vortex came into view, acting as a portal. Ghost Hunters could be seen battling against various Phantoms that came out of the portal, but then- ¡°It¡¯s closing?!¡± Archon mmed on the brakes as everyone got out of the car, gasping in shock as the white vortex indeed ¡ª closed. There was no time to worry about that just yet, however, as the Phantoms were slowly escaping. ¡°Finn, 10 meters to your left, two Morpher-sses,¡± Iris whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the right ones.¡± Immediately, the pair leaped into battle along with the other Ghost Hunters on the field. Finn activated the des on his gloves and used Iris¡¯s call-outs to quickly eliminate the two Morphers she had pointed out, then used his own enhanced hearing to dull out all other sound and track down the locations of the other Phantoms via the extremely low-frequency sounds only he can hear. ¡°SKREE!¡± One Phantom swung its many tentacles at him, but Finn merely dashed forward and cut straight through its body before the tentacles could even touch him. Another attempted to attack Finn from a different angle, but he detected its low-frequency emissions with ease and used his speed advantage to quickly eliminate his target. Unfortunately, he suddenly heard another low-frequency sounding from behind him ¡ª one that had been masked by the others. A Phantom was trying to sneak attack him from the back, and it was toote to turn aroun- ¡°SK-K-¡° The Phantom suddenly stopped and fell backwards, a gaping bullet hole in his forehead. Iris stylishly blew out the smoke from the tip of her revolver and reloaded it with great dexterity. ¡°Saved you again, Finn~¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°Archon, new signal, 8.2 km from here to the north!¡± Fanatic called out. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Archon nced around at the other Ghost Hunters, who had finished up cleaning up the Phantoms as well. ¡°Hey, do any of you know what¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°We are unsure either,¡± a young man replied, frowning in thought. ¡°All I know is that new portals are appearing all over the District, and whenever a squadron arrives there, a new one is spawned at a different location. At this rate, we may even need to summon A-ss Squadrons to help¡­¡± ¡°This must be the doing of the Emperor-level Ghost,¡± Iris concluded, a firm gaze in her eyes as she sat on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°They have the ability to infinitely spawn Outbreak portals, if I remember correctly.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that¡­¡± Archon muttered. ¡°Usually, Emperor-levels are passive until we go to them¡­¡± ¡°But the theory does make sense,¡± another Ghost Hunter added. ¡°However, if that¡¯s the case, how will we stop this¡­?¡± ¡°For now, we can only keep going to the signal points and eliminating all the Ghosts that spawn,¡± Archon said. ¡°Try to have your squadron¡¯s members spread out throughout the city. How many other squads are part of this operation?¡± ¡°Code: Summon alerts all ss B Squadrons and below in the District, so there should be roughly 30 different squadrons patrolling the city right now excluding us two,¡± the Hunter replied. ¡°I see¡­ alright, keep it up.¡± The Hunter nodded. ¡°You too.¡± With this brief exchange, Archon returned to the car. The other members of Squadron 154 also got in and set for the other portal, but the signal had already changed once again. Fanatic read out the coordinates of the new one and the crew immediately set off. Chapter 49: Training Begins Chapter 49: Training Begins The sun had rose. After several repetitions of the same thing and driving around the District for so long, Melvia couldn¡¯t take it anymore and needed a break. Her Shapeshifting Abilities didn¡¯tst forever, after all. She needed to regen her mana before continuing. ¡°We¡¯ve been just driving around the whole night¡­¡± Octane sighed. ¡°That was exhausting¡­¡± ¡°That may be so, but at least we got somebat training in,¡± Storm argued. That was true. Finn managed to get around 20 Phantom kills in total, acquiring some more Souls for himself and Zelestria, bringing himself closer to the goal of regaining his sight. ¡°Still¡­ a new signal hasn¡¯t popped up in about five minutes now,¡± Fanatic said, staring intently at the phone. ¡°If the Emperor-level is really trying to mess with us like Ivis said, then why did it stop¡­?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Storm replied, taking a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m too exhausted to think of anything right now. What happened today may not be the work of the Emperor at all¡­ but since all the Outbreaks have been resolved sessfully, let¡¯s just head back.¡± Archon nodded. ¡°Melvia, you feeling alright?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ what about you? You still have to train Finn, no?¡± Melvia replied with a weak smile. Fanatic nced at the time disyed on the phone. ¡°It¡¯s 6:30 AM right now¡­ you can start training at 11, so from now until then, we should all get some rest.¡± With that decided, the squadron headed home to shower and grab some of the sleep they missed. ***** ¨C Later That Day, 11 AM ¨C Finn woke up with a naked Zelestria in his arms. He could feel her warm body, and it clearly wasn¡¯t clothes. Perhaps another man would¡¯ve taken advantage of this situation or just freaked out, but Finn did neither and calmly got out of bed. Zelestria, having snuck into his bed, slowly opened one eye to check on him. ¡®Hm¡­ he really didn¡¯t do anything to me¡­? Though it was only 4 hours, so I can¡¯t be sure¡­¡¯ Feeling relieved that Finn had truly lost all his emotions yet also somewhat disappointed at the fact that her body didn¡¯t appeal to him at all, Zelestria yawned and climbed out of bed after him. She snapped her fingers, conjuring a set of clothes instantly, then prepared to follow Finn downstairs- ¡°No,¡± Finn suddenly said, stopping her in her tracks. He didn¡¯t need to be able to see to know what Zelestria was trying to do. ¡°Eh~? But why?¡± ¡°The others are most likely already awake.¡± Hearing this, Zelestria sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad~ guess you¡¯ll have to treat me some other time, hm~?¡± ¡°Leave already.¡± ¡°Fine, fine~¡± Zelestria giggled softly before disappearing, and Finn let out a deep sigh as she was gone. Zelestria could be useful when she wanted to be, as seen from the information she gavest night. The only problem was¡­ most of the time, she just didn¡¯t want to be useful. Those were Finn¡¯s honest thoughts of her. ***** After going downstairs and brushing his teeth, Finn headed straight for Archon¡¯s workshop. He had been there once before when Archon first offered to make him weapons, so he knew the route. Upon getting closer, he could hear the sound of a hammer being repeatedly struck on metaling from a little further ahead. He figured Archon was hard at work. After reaching the door, Finn raised his hand and knocked three consecutive times. ¡°Finn, is that you?¡± ¡°Yes. Can I enter?¡± ¡°Sure. Come on in.¡± Finn did as told, opening the door and heading inside. It wasn¡¯t any less hot than hest remembered it to be, though it was a little more bearable this time since he had already experienced it once. Still, this was to be expected of a cksmith¡¯s forge. He shut the door once more and awaited further instructions. ¡°Alright¡­ and¡­ done,¡± Archon dered, letting out a deep breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead. Then, lifting up the weapon he held in his hands, he gave it to Finn. ¡°Here. That¡¯s for Ivis.¡± Finn epted it gratefully, using his sense of touch to try and determine what the object is. It was quite long and skinny, with a circr scope of some kind resting on top. ¡°¡­ A sniper rifle?¡± ¡°Yep. She wanted one, no? I never got the chance to finish it until now, with all that¡¯s been going on recently. Tell her I said sorry, but for now, just set the rifle on the table beside you. Roughly a meter to your right.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Finn gently set down the weapon, then turned back in the direction of Archon¡¯s voice. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ you already know how to channel your raw mana, right?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°I¡¯m also able to choose which Angelica¡¯s mana I want to use, obviously.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­ I wonder if you can fuse two Angelicas together, somehow¡­¡± Archon trailed off. ¡°But that¡¯s a topic for another day. Since you already know how to channel your mana, you pretty much got the basics down, which is good ¡ª because it turns really difficult from here on out. Come here.¡± Finn moved closer in the direction of Archon¡¯s voice, until he could feel his presence beside him. ¡°Now, this training course I¡¯m going to give you will be broken down into three main sections, varying in difficulty. The lesson today will be focused on applying mods ¡ª short for modifications ¡ª on weapons.¡± Saying this, he tapped on the table. ¡°Put your gauntlets here. They will be your first training dummy. When it¡¯s your own weapon, you¡¯re always more careful.¡± Finn could¡¯ve argued against that theory, but he didn¡¯t and simply followed the instructions, taking out the gloves in his cloak pockets. ¡°This armor set I got from Mavrick cleans itself everyday, automatically, even when I¡¯m wearing it. Is that a modification as well?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s something only Tailor Angelica users can use though. Us cksmiths are only responsible for weapons, despite the meaning of the word.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn ced the gauntlets on the table. ¡°What next?¡± ¡°Now¡­ let¡¯s see here, what¡¯s an easy yet useful mod for gauntlets¡­ ah, right.¡± Archon clicked his tongue as he found the answer. ¡°Alright, Finn. I want you to close your eyes, then-¡° ¡°My eyes are always closed.¡± ¡°Agh¡­ drats, I keep forgetting!¡± Archon roared in frustration, then calmed down almost immediately after. ¡°A-Ahem, anyway¡­ in the world of weapon mods, each mod has their own ¡®symbol¡¯, you could call it. This would be a breeze if you could see, since I could just show you a picture of all the symbols, but because you¡¯re blind, I¡¯ll have to just describe them to the best of my ability.¡± Clearing his throat, he continued. ¡°Okay, Finn. Activate the cksmith Angelica, first of all, then think in your head: ¡®Modification: Void Shield.''¡± ¡®Modification: Void Shield.¡¯ ¡°Good, I see the aura around you. Next, imagine a silver shield, radiating purple energy.¡± Finn did as told, picturing one of those shields knights used in fantasy stories about war, only with a purple glow around it. ¡°Once you¡¯ve conjured the image, hold it there and lift up your hand above the weapon. Remain concentrated and don¡¯t break the image.¡± Slowly, Finn raised his hand and moved it so that it was hovering directly above the pair of gauntlets he wore. ¡°Perfect. Now¡­ channel your mana out of your hand without breaking the image.¡± Finnplied, exerting all his mana out of his hand. ¡°W-Wait, no, that¡¯s too much! Stop!¡± Archon hurriedly seized Finn¡¯s hand, ruining his concentration and canceling the Ability. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn gasped for air, having been so focused he forgot to breathe. ¡°Man¡­ you almost destroyed your own weapons there, kid,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my bad for not mentioning it, but I never thought you would have this much mana. I would only expect that much mana from a B-ss Hunter or higher.¡± ¡°Is the rank of a Hunter determined based on the squadron they are in?¡± Finn asked. Archon shook his head. ¡°When you first get registered, yes. But after that, the guild you are part of may promote or demote you based on your individual performance. Sadly, you registered after taking down the Titan Phantom, so that achievement wasn¡¯t factored in. If it was, though, you would probably be a C-ss or even B-ss right now. That said, the squadron you are part of definitely has an influence on your personal ranking. For example, an A-ss Squadron is made up of mostly A-ss Hunters.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the highest rank, then?¡± ¡°SSS,¡± Archon replied. ¡°It goes from D, to C, to B, to A, to S, to SS, and SSS. Squadrons only go up to S-ss though, and there are only about five of them in the world ¡ª one from each major guild.¡± ¡°Huh, I see¡­¡± ¡°Oh, we got off-topic,¡± Archonughed, scratching the back of his head. ¡°In any case, try again. This time, hold back a bit on your mana, or else you¡¯ll overflow the weapon with it and destroy it. Think of it like electricity, almost. Too little and it won¡¯t work, too much and it¡¯ll explode.¡± Finn nodded and prepared for his second attempt. ¡®Modification: Void Shield.¡¯ Chapter 50: Weapon Modifications Chapter 50: Weapon Modifications ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn lowered his hand for the seventh time that morning and sighed as Archon chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, kid. It takes a while to get the hang of using Abilities. The specific amount of mana in everyone is different, so the point of bnce is naturally also different depending on the person. You just have to find that exact fine line for how much mana you should be using, and you¡¯ll be good to go. Try again.¡± Finn did as told, taking a deep breath an raising his breath once more. It was now attempt eight. Right before he was about to chant the Ability¡¯s name inside his head, however, a voice spoke to him. [Fufu, do you want some help, Finn~?] ¡®¡­ Zelestria? What?¡¯ He thought. [Because I am tethered to you, I can monitor and regte your mana flow. With my help, you¡¯ll be able to easily use Abilities whenever you want, until you figure out the bnce for yourself.] ¡®¡­ Hmph. You¡¯re not the type to do anything like this for free, so tell me now. What do you want in return?¡¯ [Heh, you know me too well for your own good~] She teased yfully. [Hm¡­ if you take me out on a date and let me have whatever I want, I¡¯ll do this for you.] ¡®¡­¡¯ Finn contemted this in his head, but Archon noticed his still body and utter silence. ¡°Uh, Finn? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Finn quickly said, snapping back to reality before shooting Zelestria a quick message with his answer. ¡®It¡¯s on.¡¯ [Fufu~ I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to resist my charms~] ¡®Get on with it.¡¯ [Yes, yes~] Finn concentrated and thought of the Abilitiy¡¯s name in his head: ¡®Modification: Void Shield.¡¯ Immediately, he felt a tiny bit of mana surge out his body without him even having to do anything. The orange essence wrapped around the gauntletsid down on the table in front of him, and began working its magic. Archon¡¯s eyes widened at this sight. ¡°Okay, looking good¡­! Keep it up!¡± Finn assumed he was usually supposed to keep a steady, stable flow of manaing out of his hand until the modification wasplete, but here, Zelestria was doing everything for him. That said, it wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t doing anything at all either. He was closely feeling the amount of mana being pumped out of his body right now, so that he could grow independent as soon as possible. Continuing to rely on Zelestria for every Ability he uses in the future wouldn¡¯t be ideal, after all. The gauntlets burned with bright orange energy as silver shield symbol with a purple glow appeared above it. Since Finn couldn¡¯t see this, Archon had to tell him when to stop. ¡°Alright, Finn. 3, 2, 1¡­ done!¡± Finn quickly closed his palm, cutting off the mana flow. The gauntlets shined white for a moment before returning to normal, and the shield icon also disappeared. ¡°Nice work, kid!¡± Archon praised inughter. ¡°When I first learned how to use Abilities, it took me over a hundred tries over the course of a few days. To think you were able to get it in a mere eight attempts¡­ not bad, not bad at all.¡± In reality, Zelestria did all the work, but Finn didn¡¯t mention that and just nodded in response. ¡°Any other mods I can learn?¡± ¡°Of course. Now that you¡¯ve gotten the hang of using Abilities, learning new ones will be a breeze ¡ª for weapon modifications, anyway. Other ones are a bit different since they involve more factors¡­ but that aside, before we go any further, why don¡¯t you test out your new, upgraded gauntlets?¡± Finn picked up his two fingerless ck gloves and slipped them on. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t particrly feel anything different.¡± ¡°Well, of course not. It¡¯s a modification, and only activates when certain requirements are met. Void Shield, in this case, needs something to be thrown in your direction.¡± ¡°What-¡° Before Finn could even finish his sentence, Archon chuckled andunched an axe in his direction, aiming straight for his head. Finn, hearing the sound of the iing projectile whizzing against the wind, hurriedly brought his arms up in an X-shape for defense out of instinct. Under normal circumstances, the axe would¡¯ve just cut into his arm, especially given how hard Archon threw it. Contrary to Finn¡¯s expectations, however, he felt as if his gloves had been extended into arge, circr shield, and the axe soundlessly struck that instead. The shield was naturally purple, and was translucent as well ¡ª meaning the user could see through it to possiblyunch a counterattack. For Finn, however, this feature was somewhat useless. After several seconds, the shield dissipated and the axe ttered harmlessly onto the concrete ground. Archon chuckled. ¡°Do you see now, Finn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t ¡®see¡¯, but I understand,¡± Finn replied, as stoic as ever. ¡°Does this work against melee attacks as well, or only projectiles?¡± ¡°It works against both,¡± Archon confirmed. ¡°In meleebat though, this isn¡¯t all that useful because of the quick pacing. I would rmend saving it for ranged enemies, since the shield does require time to recharge.¡± ¡°I see. Thanks for the info.¡± ¡°No problem. To activate the shield, just bring your arms up in an X-shape like you did just now.¡± Finn froze. ¡°¡­ Wait. In other words¡­ if I my natural instinct wasn¡¯t to cross my arms there, I would¡¯ve died?¡± ¡°Most likely, yes, but I had faith,¡± Archonughed boldly. Finn: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°A-Ahem, anyway, ease up. The next mod I¡¯ll be teaching you is called Vortex Guard. It¡¯s pretty simr to Void Shield, but it is more advanced. Since you¡¯re blind, this mod will probably be useless to you since it requires great uracy when using, but it¡¯s good practice material.¡± ¡°Understood. What¡¯s the symbol for this one?¡± Archon fell into thought. ¡°Hm¡­ how do I say this. A transparent diamond-shape ss pane, with beams of light shooting out of it on all sides.¡± ¡°Which diamond are we talking about here?¡± Finn asked for confirmation as he took off the gauntlets and ced them back on the table. ¡°The gemstone, or the rhombus?¡± ¡°The rhombus,¡± Archon replied. ¡°All four angles should be equal though, so really, it¡¯s more like a square tilted 45 degrees. Keep in mind though, this is a Tier 2 Ability, so it¡¯ll need more mana than Void Shield, which is a Tier 1. Find the new right bnce.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it.¡± Finn pictured the icon in his head using the description Archon gave, then raised his hand up to hover above the fingerless gloves. ¡®Modification: Vortex Guard.¡¯ Zelestria immediately went to work, carefully channeling just the right amount of mana out of Finn¡¯s hand. Finn, meanwhile, memorized this feeling so that he could do it himself next time. Slowly, he was getting the hang of it ¡ª how much mana a Tier 1 Ability used, and how much a Tier 2 did. Very soon, he would be able to cast Abilities on his own. As the orange essence engulfed the gauntlets once more, this time causing a bright, shining white ss pane to appear in the air, shooting light rays all around it, Archon watched in shock ¡ª so much so that he forgot to tell Finn when to stop. No worries there, however, as Zelestria knew, being a goddess and all. Finn lowered his hand as she ceased the mana flow, then turned to Archon. ¡°¡­ Done?¡± Archon blinked and hurriedly shook his head. ¡°H-Huh? Ah, yes¡­ you seem to have sessfully aplished it¡­ first try.¡± ¡°I just increased the amount of mana I usedst time by about 10%. I guess I got lucky,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°Right¡­ but that¡¯s still quite a feat. The first time is always the hardest, but still, acing a Tier 2 Ability on the first try¡­ ha, I suppose that¡¯s why your alias is ¡®Ace¡¯, huh?¡± ¡°Never really thought about it that way, but sure.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Archon chuckled, then picked up a pen off the table. ¡°Alright, kid. Let¡¯s test out your new mod. Slip on the gloves. The action to activate this mod is the same as Void Shield.¡± Finnplied and pulled the gauntlets over his hands, then crossed his arms once more in the same X-shape from earlier in preparation for Archon¡¯s attack. ¡°Now, since your weapon now has two Abilities with the same trigger action, you¡¯ll have to choose which one you want to use, since both can¡¯t be active at the same time ¡ª they interfere with one another, as the Void Shield would prevent any projectiles from hitting your gauntlets directly, rendering the reflective property useless. This is also why I purposely chose Vortex Guard for your second practice mod, despite it being practically useless to you.¡± ¡°So, how do I determine which one I want to use?¡± Finn asked. ¡°It¡¯s simple. Just think of the mod¡¯s name in your head, just like when you¡¯re applying one to a weapon¡­ except the ¡®modification¡¯ part. Leave that out, since it takes too long.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Alright. Ready? Let¡¯s give it a shot ¡ª 3, 2, 1¡­ catch!¡± Archon flung the pen towards Finn as hard as he could, aiming for his crossed gauntlets. Finn furrowed his brows in concentration. ¡®Vortex Guard.¡¯ With this, Finn¡¯s Void Shield mod didn¡¯t activate ¡ª or at least, it shouldn¡¯t have. Despite him clearly wanting to use Vortex Guard, he felt nothing strike his gauntlets and rather expanded another purple shield. Slightly confused and uncertain, Finn tilted his head but didn¡¯t move from his spot. ¡°Did it¡­ work?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Archon blinked a few times in surprise, wondering what the hell was going on himself. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a damn good question.¡± Before him, arge, spinning purple and translucent shield had appeared in front of Finn, slowly rotating clockwise with the center being an eye of the storm. The pen had got caught on it, and was now spinning along with the shield. It was kind of like the Void Shield from before, yet not quite. After a few seconds, however, the shield stopped spinning, and the pen was flipped around to face Archon. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Suddenly, the writing utensil turned murder weapon was shot out of Finn¡¯s shield, straight back to its initial thrower. Archon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh shi-¡° Chapter 51: Ability Fusion Chapter 51: Ability Fusion ¡°Whew¡­¡± Archon breathed out in relief as he stood back up. Then, turning around, he gulped in fear as he saw the pen he had thrown mere moments ago lodged in the wall, sharp enough to create cracks. ¡°¡­ Archon?¡± Finn asked, still confused at what was going on. All he heard was an ¡®oh shit¡¯, then the sound of something hitting the wall. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s just¡­ the wall might need some repairs.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking too,¡± Archon chuckled. ¡°For some reason, when my pen came close to your gauntlets, a massive purple shield appeared and blocked it, holding it in the air. Then, after a few seconds, the pen somehow got flipped around to face me, then shot off about as fast as Octane. I don¡¯t know how I managed to dodge it, in all honesty.¡± ¡°A purple shield¡­ but I didn¡¯t use Void Shield there,¡± Finn muttered in thought. ¡°Even if you did, it shouldn¡¯t have shot the pen back to me,¡± Archon added. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but it¡¯s definitely not something I¡¯ve seen before. It¡¯s almost as if¡­ you merged the two modifications, somehow¡­¡± Vortex Guard, embedded within a Void shield: A Vortex Shield. Unable to figure this out on his own, Finn turned to the only person he could for help. ¡®Zelestria. Any ideas?¡¯ [Hehe~ I was waiting for this to happen.] She giggled softly, as if amused. [This is rted to the Ghost blood inside your body as well, Finn. The consumptive powers of your mana causes certainpatible Abilities to react with one another, thusbining them into one.] ¡®Like fusing Abilities, of sorts¡­?¡¯ [Ability Fusion¡­ hm, yes, I like that name~] ¡®¡­ I see.¡¯ ¡°Well, you clearly have no idea what¡¯s going on either, so there¡¯s no point standing around here any longer,¡± Archon said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you onest modification for today, then I want to take you somewhere.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± ***** After Finn sessfully upgraded his gauntlets with the ¡®Burning Fists¡¯ weapon mod, he and Archon headed out of the forge to take another shower. After staying in that hot room for so long, they were bound to be sweaty. The Burning Fists mod did exactly what its name implied. Finn¡¯s gauntlets now inflicted burn damage, which was especially useful against Phantoms (who were afraid of fire, ording to Archon). That said, the mes on the gloves¡¯ des could give away their location on a mission, which was why there was an option to toggle the effect on and off. Keeping it on all the time also used mana, so it was wise to only activate it when needed. After showering, the two of them met up with everyone else in the living room. Finn brought Iris her newly-crafted sniper rifle, and Storm had worked together with Melvia to whip up a brilliant meal, which consisted of sunny-side-up eggs and bacon with lettuce on the side. ¡°Alright, Finn and Ivis,¡± Archon dered after they finished eating. ¡°Remember when I promised to take you to the guild¡¯s library someday? That day is today.¡± ¡°Huh? But¡­ Heartbeat¡­?¡± Iris reminded hesitantly. ¡°Oh I know,¡± Archon waved off her warning. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m telling you this right now ¡ª I won¡¯t be the one leading you. But¡­ someone else will.¡± At this, Finn and Iris tilted their heads. ¡°Who?¡± Archon smiled as the doorbell rang. ¡°You¡¯ll see in a second.¡± Octane got up and ran over to the door at godspeed, unlocked it, then ran back to his seat before the visitor could even enter. The neer wore a top hat, half white, half ck. At the center of the hat was a clear spade icon, also half white, half ck ¡ª just in opposite halves as the background of the hat. On each side were also various other designs, from colorless graffiti to icons representing each of the four suits in a deck of cards: diamonds, clubs, hearts, and more spades. The suit he wore was also in a simr fashion, but had apletely white background this time, filled with ck icons. These designs were quite unlike the ones on his hat. Rather than abstract icons, they featured¡­ drawings of humans. The art style was not unlike medieval times, and some examples included a man holding up a baton, a king wearing a crown, a queen, a priestess, a sun with a face, and¡­ a young boy about to walk off some sort of cliff. His pants were pure ck and seemed to be made of silk, and he also carried a brown stick thatplimented the white gloves he wore. On his face was a light smile, paired with a long, characteristic mustache that seemed to suit him perfectly. Archon stood up and walked over to the visitor cheerily, a wide grin on his face. A warm, friendly atmosphere filled the gap between the two, and- POW! -Archon sank a fist straight into the man¡¯s head from above, nearly sinking him into the floor. ¡°Gah! What was that for, ya bloody jerk?!¡± Archon snorted in triumph, the warm mood ruined instantly. ¡°How many times have I told you, NOT to fuckin¡¯ smoke in my house?!¡± ¡°How many times have I told ya, NOT to smack me in the bloody face every bloody time we meet?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re smoking every time I see you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m tryna bloody piss ya off every time I see ya!¡± ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± Melvia stood up, sighing deeply as if she was used to this. ¡°Break it apart already, you two. You¡¯re acting like two immature brats right now, fighting over a scoop of ice cream.¡± ¡°Aye, ice cream is fire,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°That, I agree with,¡± Archonughed in agreement. Melvia shook her head in disappointment. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ now can we move on to the real topic?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Archon turned back to the rest of the squadron and folded his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of you here have met him before. He¡¯s an old friend of mine, but only returned to this District recently. By that, I mean literally yesterday night.¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Han. Last name Jobs,¡± the man said, bowing deeply. Octane tilted his head. ¡°Han Jobs¡­?¡± ¡°Ha, GOTTEM!¡± Archonughed boldly and proceeded to do a practiced yet unique handshake with his good buddy Han. ¡°Works every bloody time!¡± Han joined in, snickering evilly as everyone else just looked at the two of them in disappointment,pletely unamused. After noticing the awkward stares they were receiving, the duo calmed down and decided to be serious for once. Han cleared his throat. ¡°O-Okay, fine. The real name¡¯s Jim ¡ª Jim Halifax. Alias, Tarot. Gender, male. Age? Uh¡­ younger than Bakris. That¡¯s all ya need to know.¡± Archon (Bakris) scoffed in response. ¡°Younger than me? I hope you haven¡¯t forgotten that time my pops mistook you for your father, God rest his soul.¡± ¡°What? Never happened,¡± Jim said with a full-on serious face, then turned to the youngsters and whispered. ¡°Never happened.¡± ¡°Man¡­ whatever. I¡¯m gonna promptly fuck off, can¡¯t stand this guy. Melvia, I leave the rest up to you,¡± Archon snorted, before heading back in the direction of his forge as everyone watched his figure disappear. Melvia sighed in exasperation, then exined the situation. ¡°Jim, Bakris called you here today for a task.¡± ¡°Gah, bloody bastard, always pushin¡¯ work onto me¡­ I ain¡¯t doin¡¯ it. He still owes me a bunch o¡¯ cash.¡± ¡°¡­ He needs your help, Jim. For certain reasons, we can¡¯t show ourselves in public, so he wants you to take a few new Hunters to the library in the gui-¡° ¡°I already said-¡± Jim rolled his eyes impatiently, but then stopped and slowly turned his head to stare at Melvia in shock. ¡°Hold on, hold on. You said¡­ Bakris needs my help? As in, ya heard those exact bloody wordsin¡¯ out of his bloody mouth?¡± He pinched his fingers and looked at Melvia in anticipation, as she sighed. ¡°Yes¡­ I did.¡± Jim pped his hands together with a wide smirk on his face and turned back to the table, where everyone else was sitting. ¡°Alright, folks. Who needs a bloody tour?¡± Chapter 52: The Melinoe Archives Chapter 52: The Melinoe Archives Finn, Iris, and Jim used the teleporter in the mansion to fast travel to the Phantom yer Corps¡¯ headquarters. Iris brought her wheelchair along this time, since it would be a hassle if Finn had to leave with her every time she wanted to pick up a new book in the library or something. Her weapons, a handgun and a sniper, were both holstered in a specialpartment attached to the handle of the wheelchair so she could pull them out swiftly at any time. ¡°Y¡¯know, I never thought there would be a day when I would see two Ghost Hunters like you. One blind, one crippled,¡± Jim noted as they walked into the massive tower thaty ahead. ¡°How¡¯d ya get epted?¡± ¡°The Guildmaster let us in,¡± Iris responded, since Finn clearly wasn¡¯t going to talk. ¡°That aside¡­ are you a Phantom yer as well?¡± ¡°Ha! Me? No. I¡¯m a frence Hunter. Don¡¯t belong to any guild. I just go ¡¯round, killin¡¯ bloody Ghosts whenever I see ¡¯em,¡± Jim chuckled, then snapped his fingers. ¡°Oh, but if some chimp offers me money, then by all means I¡¯ll dly lend ¡¯em a hand.¡± ¡°A frence Hunter¡­ will they even ept you here?¡± Iris asked. ¡°¡®Course. The Hunter system is universal, guild or not. I even got a bloody card, see?¡± Jim took out his Hunter card and handed it to Iris, whose eyes widened as she saw the stats disyed on it. [Name: Jim Halifax] [Age: 27] [Alias: Tarot] [Angelica: Cardmaster] [Affiliations: None] [Rank: S-ss] ¡°You¡¯re¡­ an S-ss Hunter?¡± At this, Finn¡¯s ears perked up. He had not been expecting this. Jim scoffed. ¡°Why so surprised? There¡¯s no shortage of talents out there. S-ss is just the bloody beginnin¡¯.¡± ¡°S-Still¡­ considering the two of us are both D-ss, you must be a lot stronger than we are.¡± At this, Jim stopped walking for a second to stare at Iris, right before they entered the tower. A grin curved up on his mouth as he thought of an idea. ¡°Well then, prettydy. Why don¡¯t we test that theory?¡± Iris blinked. ¡°Eh?¡± ***** Soon, the trio boarded one of the elevators in the guild HQ. The waiting time was quite long, but not enough to make them want to take the stairs instead. Besides, since Iris¡¯s wheelchair was here, they couldn¡¯t take the stairs even if they tried. After the three boarded, Jim pressed on the button to go to the fifth floor. ¡°Um¡­ where are we going?¡± Iris asked. ¡°The bloody library, of course. That¡¯s what we came here to do, no?¡± ¡°Ah, okay, I see¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ what you said earlier concerned me a bit.¡± Iris let out a sigh of relief. Jim smirked. ¡°What, the whole deal with testin¡¯ that theory o¡¯ yours, mate? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get to that.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯d prefer not to get killed, thanks¡­¡± ¡°Rx, youngdy. You won¡¯t get killed, no matter how bloody hard I try.¡± Finn was curious about this, while Iris was confused. Still, they didn¡¯t have any more time for questions as the elevator arrived at its destination with a loud ding. The doors slid open, and what wasid out before them was a corridor leading into a massive library. The three got off of the elevator and headed closer. When they were right before the entrance, Iris looked up and read the line of text inscribed on the sign. ¡°The Melinoe Archives¡­¡± ¡°Melinoe ¡ª goddess of ghosts and nightmares,¡± Finn added, the first time he¡¯s spoken since this trip began. ¡°I can see why the library was named this.¡± ¡°Well, no, ya can¡¯t ¡®see¡¯, but yes,¡± Jim agreed, before snapping his fingers. ¡°C¡¯mon, Let¡¯s head in.¡± Together, the three entered the library. From the inside, Iris could use her Oculus Angelica to see it spanned multiple floors, about five in total. Every floor was filled with bookshelves, every bookshelf was filled with books, and every book was filled with knowledge. The ss panels around allowed for readers to turn their heads and gaze in wonder out at the wide open stratosphere, empty yet beautiful. There were plenty of people around in the library right now, but none paid attention to the three of them as they entered. Well, almost none. ¡°Wee to The Melinoe Archives, Library of the Paranormal. What can I do for you today?¡± A calm, gentle receptionist asked this question as the three of them all turned to face her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s these two¡¯s first time here,¡± Jim said, nudging Finn. ¡°I¡¯m just showin¡¯ them ¡¯round.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s alright, just remember to stay quiet as much as possible as to avoid disturbing others. If you want to check out a book, just bring it here or to any other receptionist on the upper floors.¡± ¡°Hear that? Stay quiet,¡± Jim said, chuckling lightly. ¡®You¡¯re the only one talking¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his mind, but knew better than to say it out loud. ¡°Enjoy your tour,¡± the receptionist said with a warm smile. ¡°¡®Course,¡± Jim winked charmingly, then leaned in close to the counter. ¡°But that aside¡­ can I borrow yer phone real quick? Mine broke, and I need to call someone.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± the receptionist replied, pulling out her phone and handing it to him after unlocking. Jim smirked discretely. Iris peeked over and saw him secretly opening the poor receptionist¡¯s contacts, gaining her phone number, before quickly switching to the dial page and inputting ¡®000-000-0000¡¯. Then, he brought the phone up next to his ear. ¡°Aye, what¡¯s up, Bakris!¡± [The number you are trying to dial is not a working number. Please try again.] ¡°Hm? The meet is tonight? Oh, bloody hell¡­ I nearly forgot, thanks for the reminder. [Beep. Beep. Beep.] ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t bete. 9 o¡¯clock, on the dot.¡± [The number you are trying to dial is-] ¡°Mhm. Alright, thanks mate, see ya tonight.¡± Jim hurriedly hung up and handed the phone back to the receptionist. Finn and Iris: ¡°¡­¡± They overheard the whole conversation since they were right next to Jim, but the receptionist seemed to be absolutely clueless ¡ª until she checked the phone logs and saw 000-000-0000, anyway. ¡°Thanks, girl,¡± Jim chuckled before heading off. Finn and Iris followed, though they were utterly unsure of how to respond to Jim¡¯s actions. As they went out of earshot of the receptionist, Iris decided to finally speak up. ¡°Jim¡­ you realize she¡¯ll find out what you did once she checks the call history, right?¡± ¡°Oh yeah. That¡¯s the point,¡± Jim replied, which stunned Finn and Iris even more. ¡°¡­ What?¡± He stopped and sighed, turning around to face the two. ¡°Aye, kids. How to pick up girls 101, with yours truly. Step one, get their phone number by any means. Step two, purposely let ¡¯em find out about what yer tryin¡¯ to do so they think it¡¯s cute, and step three: profit. Got that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Good, ya get it! Now, let¡¯s bloody hurry up and get this tour done, ¡¯cause I got a date tonight, baby.¡± With that, he resumed walking once more, leaving Finn and Iris dumbfounded by his¡­ flirting tactics. Chapter 53: Library of Ghosts Chapter 53: Library of Ghosts ¡°So, kid, whaddya wanna know about?¡± Jim asked as the three of them browsed the bookshelves. ¡°I¡¯ve been here once or twice before, so I know where things are.¡± ¡°Ghosts. Angelicas. Their origins. Anything about the paracausal, really,¡± Finn replied quietly. Jim stopped. ¡°Well. That¡¯s bloody broad. In that case, you can read this whole bloody library. Can you pick one specific topic, mate?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Finn fell into thought. He had originally wanted to visit this ce to learn more Abilities for his various Angelicas, but now that he had opened up to the squadron, he could just learn techniques from them directly ¡ª which, of course, would be a whole lot easier than reading a textbook. Therefore, it was best to spend this time learning about something else ¡ª Ghosts and Angelicas themselves. ¡°Are there any¡­ encyclopedias of Ghosts?¡± Finn asked hesitantly. ¡°Large books that contain entries on every found species of them.¡± Jim scoffed. ¡°Aye, there are. But, it¡¯s only reserved for S-Rank Hunters and above. Ay, don¡¯t look at me like that, I can¡¯t take it out of the bloody library for ya.¡± ¡°Why though¡­?¡± Iris asked in puzzlement. ¡°Are there only a few copies, or what?¡± ¡°Not a few, girl. There¡¯s only one.¡± ¡°So¡­ why not make more copies?¡± Jim sighed. ¡°If only it were that easy. Ya see, the book was written by a bit of a weirdo. He ims that anyone who ain¡¯t strong enough would ¡®sumb to the book¡¯, as he calls it.¡± ¡°And people believe him?¡± Iris frowned in bewilderment. ¡°And why hasn¡¯t anyone else who wasn¡¯t crazy made their own version of an Ghost encyclopedia to be distributed?¡± ¡°Oh trust me, they did. They tried alright. And anyone who did, never finished. Unlucky bastards all died the same way ¡ª blood spillin¡¯ out their eyes, noses, ears, and mouths while they were sleepin¡¯.¡± ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t messing with us, right?¡± Finn asked, just for confirmation. ¡°Naw. You can ask anyone, kid. They¡¯ll tell ya the same story.¡± ¡°This sounds like some sort of mysterious curse that shouldn¡¯t exist¡­¡± Iris trailed off. ¡°But then, how did that weirdo survive?¡± ¡°Beats me,¡± Jim said with a shrug. ¡°Apparently, he had mastered the Divinity Angelica, so it might be that.¡± ¡°¡­ So we can identify Ghosts in our minds, but we can¡¯t categorize them down on paper due to a mysterious curse,¡± Finn concluded. ¡°That much is clear, since we have different names for different types of Ghosts.¡± ¡°Bingo! It¡¯s also why there¡¯s one major guild for each of the five bloody Ghost archetypes ¡ª humans got limited memory, after all. They can only focus on remembering one archetype¡¯s characteristics and species.¡± ¡°I see. What about encyclopedias for Angeli-¡° ¡°No no, ya can¡¯t ¡®see¡¯. How many times do I have to remind ya?¡± Jim sighed and shook his head. ¡°¡­ How many times do you have to repeat the same joke over and over again?¡± By this point, Finn was getting annoyed. Even though most of his emotions were gone, he still held dark ones like hatred, annoyance, and anger, fueled by his passion for revenge. Jim clearly hadn¡¯t been expecting this rebuttal, and flinched a bit upon hearing the coldness in his voice. Iris sensed the tension in the air, but she didn¡¯t interrupt. After a few seconds of silence, Jim finally spoke. ¡°¡­ Sorry, mate. But to answer yer question, there are indeed bloody encyclopedias for Angelicas. Follow me.¡± ***** The trio headed for the second-highest floor of the library via elevator. Once there, Finn and Iris were told to sit down at a nearby table while Jim went to find the book. There weren¡¯t as many people up here, but it wasn¡¯tpletely empty either. About half a minuteter, Jim returned with a book in his hands and set it down on the table. ¡°Here. Take a look. If it¡¯s what yer lookin¡¯ for, we can bring it to a receptionist to take out of the library.¡± Iris flipped it open and scanned through it for a few moments, then closed it back up. ¡°Finn, this details all the currently known Angelicas in the world. New ones may still be yet to be found, but for the most part, this covers everything.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s take this one, then.¡± ¡°Aye, mate. Let¡¯s go check this out, then. No point wastin¡¯ time here readin¡¯ when the tour¡¯s not over yet,¡± Jim said with a smirk, picking up the book and heading for the receptionist¡¯s counter on this floor. Finn and Iris followed. After checking out using Jim¡¯s Hunter Card, the trio left the Melinoe Archives and boarded an elevator once more. Jim pressed on a button to go further up, onto the 11th floor. The process was quick and simple. They had toe back here every seven days to either renew their borrow time or return the book altogether, and naturally, if any damage was caused to the book or if the book was returnedte, charges and punishments would be inflicted. The Melinoe Archives functioned just like a library in the public world, the only difference being that the books and stories in here all rte to the paranormal. ¡°Er¡­ where are we going now?¡± Iris asked, confused as to why they aren¡¯t going back down to the 1st floor. ¡°I said it, didn¡¯t I?¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°The bloody tour ain¡¯t over yet. Trust me, you¡¯ll regret it if ya miss this.¡± ¡°¡­ What even is it?¡± Finn interjected. ¡°If it¡¯s just sightseeing or something, I¡¯m not interested. I can¡¯t appreciate it anyway.¡± ¡°Rx, rx. Always so uptight, aren¡¯t ya? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make ya loosen up soon enough.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t want to be ¡®loosened up¡¯, but perhaps Jim was actually leading them to somewhere useful. That¡¯s the only reason he didn¡¯t object any further and just went along with the flow. Soon, the elevator arrived at its destination. The doors slid open with a familiar dinging noise and the three exited swiftly. Before themy a polished, pristine room with white walls, a white ceiling, and a white floor. Within it was various capsule-shaped cockpits where people could enter, one each. They were like the cryo-pods seen in sci-fi movies and video games, where the subject ced inside would be frozen in ice until it¡¯s time for them to break out. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Iris gasped in wonder, looking around at all the pods, neatly arranged side by side. Most were full, but some were still empty. Jim turned around to face the two and smiled widely as he spread his arms. ¡°Wee, my friends, to Project: Simcrum.¡± Chapter 54: Project: Simulacrum Chapter 54: Project: Simcrum ¡°Project Simcrum¡­?¡± Iris gazed around in wonder. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Eh¡­ ever yed a bloody VR game before?¡± Jim asked, rubbing his chin. Finn and Iris both nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kinda like that,¡± Jim exined. ¡°Basically, ya enter one o¡¯ these pods, n¡¯ get sent in to a virtual simtion. There, ya can train in simted missions, fight against other Hunters, use yer Angelicas n¡¯ Abilities as much as ya want and go all out. Even killin¡¯ is allowed in the simtion, since it won¡¯t really kill ¡¯em in real life.¡± ¡°Huh, interesting,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°To sum it up¡­ these ¡®pods¡¯ connect with our mana flow somehow, analyze it, and allow us to recreate Angelicas¡¯ Abilities in a virtual world?¡± ¡°About right, yeah.¡± Jim shrugged, then smiled suggestively. ¡°So, whaddya say? Wanna have a try at fightin¡¯ an S-ss Hunter?¡± Iris turned to Finn. ¡°What do you think¡­?¡± After some hesitation, Finn responded. ¡°¡­ Sure.¡± Fighting against those stronger than yourself was a good way to get stronger, and Finn also wanted to form a pact with this man, Jim Halifax. If he could gain an S-ss Ghost Hunter as an ally, that would be extremely helpful whenever he needed assistance. After all, Jim didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy, minus his corny jokes. Jim smirked and folded his arms. ¡°Good! You got some bloody guts, kid, I¡¯ll give ya that. Find an empty pod and lie inside it, then rx yer bloody muscles. We¡¯re aboutta have one hell of a fight.¡± ***** After Finn lowered himself into an empty pod under Iris¡¯s directions, the door immediately slid shut with the sound of machinery. Once this was over, however, all noise seemed to fade away, and there was nothing but utter silence. That is ¡ª until four metal cuffs suddenly activated and locked onto Finn¡¯s body, two on his wrists and two on his ankles. Finn tried fighting back, but they were too tight to resist. They also seemed to be mana-restricting, since Finn couldn¡¯t feel the mana flow in his body anymore. The pod¡¯s system, detecting his thrashing movements, gave a little friendly warning in the tone of a gentle female AI. [Rx your body, Hunter. Stay still as best as you can to help with the system¡¯s calibration process.] Hearing this, Finn finally rxed. He had originally thought he identally triggered some sort of emergency protocol, but he now realized it was just the normal procedure. [Calibrationplete. Initializing neuro-link: 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] [Neuro-linkplete. Last-minute check-ups: Front entrance sealed. Subject locked. All systems functional. The simtion will now begin.] Finn felt his surroundings turn a bright white, which didn¡¯t make sense considering he shouldn¡¯t even be able to see. After several seconds of this strong, blinding light, however, it slowly calmed down a bit, revealing a cubic white room. Around Finn were several holographic panels, ranging from ¡®Director¡¯ to ¡®Roster¡¯. ¡®I can¡­ see?¡¯ Finn thought in his head, blinking several times to be sure. This ce definitely felt different to the reality rift where he spends time with Zelestria, but in a way, they were simr. Finn¡¯s physical body wasn¡¯t here in this virtual world, which obviously meant his physical deficiencies ¡ª blindness ¡ª were naturally not carried over either. Before he could explore the panels any further, however, a short yet loud noise rang out from behind him. He spun around to see the Roster panel, where a little ¡®1¡¯ wasbeled next to an icon with two human silhouettes. Hesitantly, he tapped on the icon, and the page switched. [ Online Friends | Messages | Requests ] He seemed to be on the Online Friends tab right now, which disyed nothing. The Requests tab was blinking, however, signaling there was something waiting for Finn there. He tapped on it and saw that he had received a friend request from ¡®Jim Halifax¡¯. Beside the name was a portrait of said person, along with two buttons: one checkmark, and one X. He could also choose to expand the friend request to read the message that was sent, but there was no reason to do so. Without any hesitation, Finn pressed on the checkmark and epted the request. Immediately, a new pop-up appeared on the panel before him: [You have been invited to join a fireteam.] [From: Jim Halifax] [ept/Decline?] ¡°¡­¡± Finn, after experimenting a bit with trying to use his various Angelicas, realized all of them still worked here. He also still wore the same clothes he had on when he entered the pod, namely the ck armor set with wings he had received from Mavrick. His gauntlets were also still on his hands, and he could activate them at will just like in the real world. Finn also noticed that he was unable to contact Zelestria in here. Normally, he felt a connection between himself and her that was always active in his mind, but here, he felt nothing. This made sense, considering this ce was a virtual world that didn¡¯t actually exist in the reality that Zelestria governs. With all this confirmed, he pressed on ¡®ept¡¯. Instantly, his surroundings changed as he felt himself being teleported to a different white room. ¡°Aye, mate, there you are.¡± Finn turned around to see Jim¡¯s toothy grin, no different from real life. ¡°I gotta say, ya look¡­ different with open eyes.¡± Finn blinked his ck eyes and ignore the remark. ¡°Where is Ivis?¡± ¡°Just sent her an invite,¡± Jim replied. ¡°Should be ¡®ere any second now¡­ ah, there.¡± Finn followed his gaze to see Iris, who held an expression of surprise on her face as she saw Finn. Finn too was a bit shocked ¡ª mainly because of Iris¡¯s eyes. One was a deep, royal gradient purple, while the other was a magnificent turquoise that carried hints of blue. They were beautiful, to say to the least. He could finally see why Archon said Iris was quite the beauty, and why Storm and Octane both had a crush on her. ¡°Finn¡­ you can see?¡± She asked excitedly. Finn nodded. ¡°And you can walk.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ so this is what you looked like before you were blinded, huh?¡± Iris remarked, a smile on her face. ¡°Hm, how do I say it, you look kind of like a¡­ nerd?¡± Jim cracked open withughter. ¡°HA! Ain¡¯t that right?! I can already imagine the kid with sses! No wonder he likes bloody libraries so much!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn sighed and turned away. ¡°When are we going to fight?¡± ¡°Heh. So eager ta get yer asses handed to ya? Fine by me,¡± Jim chuckled and began operating the ¡®Director¡¯ panel which had a plethora of different clickable nodes, from ¡®Containment¡¯ to ¡®Arena¡¯ among various other training modes. For the sake of today, Jim chose ¡®Private Matches¡¯. After fiddling with the settings a bit and setting Iris and Finn on the same team, he clicked his tongue and turned back to the two. ¡°Alright. Last chance to back out, kids. You sure ya want to do this?¡± ¡°How are we going to get stronger if we back out every time we¡¯re faced with a challenging task?¡± Iris smiled confidently. ¡°Even if we may lose to you, it¡¯ll still be a learning experience.¡± Jim¡¯s lips curved up into a smile, as Iris met his with one of her own and taunted him with a wink. ¡°Bring it on, Tarot.¡± Chapter 55: Tarot Chapter 55: Tarot As Jim pressed on the Launch button on the holographic panel, the three¡¯s surroundings instantly went ck as a countdown began. ¡°For fairness, I set it to a random map,¡± Jim said with a chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t me me if it ends up bein¡¯ in my advantage.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯tin,¡± Iris replied. ¡°We¡¯ll just beat you on your home field, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Heh! Bloody confident, aren¡¯t ya? We¡¯ll see how far that goes.¡± [The match will start in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­] BEEP. A loud buzzer signaled the beginning of the fight. Jim was teleported away while Finn and Iris found themselves within a graveyard, staring down below at what used to be a church. It has since then broken down, but the building remained intact ¡ª mostly. Connecting them and the church was an inclined slope leading down, providing them with an advantage. ¡°This is a pretty big map, and we have the high ground, as far as I can tell,¡± Iris noted. ¡°I¡¯ll find a good vantage point to set up my sniper-¡° ¡°Wait,¡± Finn interrupted. ¡°I have a n.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Iris tilted her head in confusion, but since it had always worked in the past when Finn used his ns, she decided to just listen to him obediently. ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Within the Church ¨C ¡°Hm¡­ bloody Terron¡¯s Court, is it?¡± Jim sighed deeply. ¡°Aye, that ain¡¯t a great map for me.¡± This map, named Terron¡¯s Court, was shaped after a real location in District T. Because the area was quite rural with not too many facilities, everyone who lived there saw the weekly mass as an opportunity to gather together and interact with other people. The Church there had been in the middle of hosting such a mass when an Outbreak urred right next to them. The Wraiths and Revenants that had spawned tore the Church apart, killing everyone inside instantly before the Ghost Hunters could get there. Since then, the Church has been rebuilt, and a Squadron was stationed right beside them to prevent such a disaster from happening again. As a memorial to the catastrophe that happened there, however, the broken church was made into a map in Project: Simcrum as an especially effective way for Hunters with snipers to train their aim. ¡°Well-¡° Jim stood up and stretched his body before activating his Cardmaster Angelica, letting the bright, pure white glow surround his body and top hat. ¡°-It¡¯s time fer some crushin¡¯.¡± ***** ¡°U-Um¡­ why are we doing this¡­?¡± Iris whimpered quietly as shey ufortably on top of Finn. Yes, on top of Finn. ¡°Calm down. If my guess is correct, Jim¡¯s Angelicamands the power of Tarot cards. It¡¯s in his alias.¡± ¡°¡­ Right. I don¡¯t know much about Tarot cards, but how does that rte to us having to¡­ y¡¯know, be in this position?¡± ¡°Of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards, the 21st is called The World,¡± Finn exined. ¡°I used to have a¡­ friend who knew a lot about such things. He said The World represented omnipotence and knowledge. If that¡¯s the case, then¡­ it¡¯s almost certain Jim ¡ª or rather, Tarot ¡ª would use this card to track our location like a radar of sorts. ¡°I never believed him in the past,¡± Finn continued. ¡°Back then, I thought science was the only answer to everything, and anything that could not be proved by science was merely fiction. Now, however, I know just how arrogant I was in assuming that.¡± Iris fell into thought as she adjusted the sniper rifle on Finn¡¯s body. ¡°I see¡­ so by stacking on top of one another like this, we can confuse the ¡®radar¡¯ and make him think there¡¯s only one person here. My presence will mask yours.¡± Finn nodded to the best of his ability. ¡°Indeed. He¡¯ll think I am far away from you, leaving you vulnerable to a sneak attack from behind. When he tries this, however, we will both attack him together by surprise. That¡¯s the gamen. Of course, if you can snipe him before this even happens, go ahead.¡± Iris tightened her grip around the sniper rifle, looking into the scope and searching for any sign of Tarot. After wandering her vision around for a bit, she spotted a very faint shadowing from behind the walls of the church. Tarot was right around the corner. Narrowing her eyes, Iris adjusted the zoom level to its maximum for highest possible uracy, and was able to locate just the tip of her target¡¯s shoes. This may not deal a killing blow, but it¡¯ll still be an useful injury. Licking her lips, Iris prepared to pull the trigger. 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ PEW! Suddenly, however, Tarot retrieved his foot right before the bullet was about to hit. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Iris gasped in shock. The speed at which he had dodged it was inhuman. He didn¡¯t just get lucky ¡ª no, it was as if he predicted the bullet toe. ¡°No way¡­¡± Iris shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Did you miss?¡± Finn asked, though it was obvious. ¡°I-I did¡­ I did, but it shouldn¡¯t have missed¡­ there¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve dodged that with human reactions.¡± Finn narrowed his eyes. ¡°In that case¡­ it must be the card that symbolizes divination ¡ª the Hermit.¡± ***** ¡°Whew¡­¡± Jim whistled in relief, then nced down at his suit, where two sets of identical designs were glowing up: one, tiny Earths that symbolized The World; and two, small and short figures featuring an old man holding a scroll that symbolized The Hermit. Originally, he had been nning on using only 2 to beat Finn and Iris, but they were more unpredictable and stronger than he thought. Other D-ss Hunters would definitely not be able to notice his shadow here or hide from The World¡¯s tracking abilities. He had already used 2 of his 22 possible cards, meaning the challenge he set himself was already failed, but this battle would go to him nheless. ¡°To think she would be able to hit the tippity-top of my bloody toe from up there,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°I underestimated ya. I still dunno where that bloody kid is or how The World isn¡¯t detectin¡¯ him, but s¡­¡± He nced through the walls directly towards the top of a building up top in the high grounds, where Iris currentlyy. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s already bloody over anyway.¡± Chapter 56: The Sun Chapter 56: The Sun ¡°Iris. Is heing?¡± Finn asked, unable to see since Iris was on top of him. ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t see him with my sniper, and he¡¯s not appearing on my radar yet,¡± Iris replied, narrowing her eyes in concentration. ¡°That said, I¡¯m almost certain he knows where we are. Well, where I am, anyway. He shouldn¡¯t know you¡¯re here with me, unless your guess was wrong.¡± ¡°¡­ Give it some time.¡± After several long minutes of waiting to no avail, however, the two began to get confused. ¡°Where is he¡­?¡± Iris murmured to herself, trying her best to look around with her sniper while also keeping a close eye on the radar in her mind, formed with the Oculus Angelica. ¡°Can he avoid your radar detection, perhaps¡­?¡± Finn wondered aloud, but Iris¡¯ eyes suddenly widened. ¡°He¡¯s here! Right behind us, climbing up the building now,¡± she whispered sharply. Finn slowly stood up as he activated his ded gloves, carrying Iris on his shoulders and turning to face the ledge where Tarot was anticipated to appear. A tense silence ensued, neither parties moving. Iris gulped as she kept a firm aim on the ledge. ¡°Hey¡­ is it just me, or is it getting hotter¡­?¡± Finn could feel it as well, sweat pouring down his back. Then, he looked up- ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± -Only to see that the sun had began rotating, somehow, and appeared to be preparing some sort of attack ¡ª straight towards them. ¡°Tch!¡± Finn quickly leaped off the roof of the building andnded on the ground, utilizing his enhanced movement and agility provided by the Ghost blood in his body. He performed a barrel roll and hid behind the shadows of a broken-down truck, right before everywhere the sunlight could reach was pulverized in a blinding sh of golden light. Iris and Finn both covered their eyes for the duration, and when it finally stopped, the entire map was burning. The already-demolished church was put under arson, and the wild greenery all around were incinerated in the blink of an eye. Patches of fire smoked thend, evaporating thick steam into the air. And atop the building where Finn and Iris had just stood, Tarot made his appearance. ¡°Bravo, bravo,¡± hemended, pping his hands slowly. ¡°I never thought ya would¡¯ve escaped that. I gotta give it to ya, boy. You nearly had me with that n o¡¯ yours. It managed to fool The World, but it can¡¯t lie to The Sun. Now, why don¡¯t¡¯chae on out yourself and fight me directly? Findin¡¯ people is a hassle.¡± ¡®Finding people¡­ but doesn¡¯t he have The World active still? Or¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his mind. ¡°¡­ He can only have one card active at a time,¡± he concluded as the thought hit him. ¡°That¡¯s his weakness. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve used The World and The Sun together from the beginning¡­ and once he uses another card, his current one will run out.¡± ¡°If we go out right now, he¡¯ll just incinerate us with The Sun, as you call it,¡± Iris analyzed, sneaking a peek at the ball of fire up in the sky. ¡°What¡¯s the n here, Finn?¡± ¡°¡­ We split up.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± ¡°He has no more tracking cards left,¡± Finn exined. ¡°At least, not ording to my past friend¡¯s exnations of the various Tarot cards. I never really paid attention back then, but he talked about this so much I ended up memorizing most of it in my head. Who knew it would be useful today¡­¡± ¡°In other words, you have a rough idea of what his remaining cards can do?¡± Iris asked cautiously. Finn nodded. ¡°Yes. My memories are somewhat hazy, however, so some things may be inurate. That said, splitting up here is still a good idea. I¡¯ll confront him directly, while you try tond a good snipe.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Iris replied firmly. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°I know.¡± With that, she split off from Finn, vanishing into the shadows in search of a good sniping spot. Finn looked up at the roof of the building, where he could just barely see Tarot¡¯s figure. Seeing this as a good opportunity, Finn decided to try something out. He focused all his mana onto his back, where his armor¡¯srge ck wings were. ¡®C¡¯mon¡­¡¯ He felt the energy slowly exiting his body and into the armor piece, flowing into the wings and beginning to activate them one tiny bit at a time. Shutting his eyes tightly, he pushed the mana out of his back harder than before. It was difficult since this was his first time doing this, but he persisted ¡ª and that persistence came to pay off. The tworge ck wings on the back of his body suddenly expanded outwards and rose, lifting his body up. Finn¡¯s eyes snapped open and he looked behind him in awe. The feeling of hovering in the air was somewhat awkward since he had never experienced it before, and it made him feel¡­ somewhat unsafe. Still, he had no doubt that was just because it was something new, and there was no time to be worrying about this anyway. Finn looked up at the sky to see the sun pulsating once more, preparing to shoot offsers again. He quickly controlled his back muscles to p the wings and rise up into the air, quickly getting the hang of it ¡ª unnaturally quick, almost. Perhaps, it was the Ghost blood at work once again. In the matter of a few seconds, flying with those wings went from apletely new experience to second nature for Finn. ¡°Oho¡­ interestin¡¯,¡± Tarot murmured as he witnessed his opponent soaring into the air, des extended. Hemanded The Sun to shoot off more fiery beams of destruction at Finn, but they were all avoided with ease. In the air, there was no limit to which direction you could move, thus making dodging a lot easier. It would¡¯ve been a different story if this was in the real world, since Finn would be blind, but in here, there were no restrictions holding him back. Finn spun around in the air, tightening his fists and activating the long des on his gloves. Then, he slowly turned to his target, face emotionless and neutral. Avoiding the chaos and destruction all around him, he daringly soared through the apocalyptic sky ¡ª straight for Tarot. Chapter 57: Master of the Cards Chapter 57: Master of the Cards The sun was setting. Finnunched himself towards Tarot, ws outreached and wings held still like a glider. Tarot, realizing there was no time to dodge, needed to switch to a different card. He smiled and snapped his fingers. ¡°High Priestess, it¡¯s yer turn.¡± Muttering those quiet words without budging an inch, the various drawings of a woman ying a lyre on his shirt lit up pink, changing the glow around his body as well. And as Finn prepared to stab into his body¡­ he passed straight through. Eyes widening, he quickly restabilized himself and spun around to face Tarot. ¡°Aye, mate, surprised?¡± His opponent taunted with a toothy grin. Finn fell into thought. ¡®The High Priestess¡­ Card of mysteries and arcane knowledge. No wonder. Luckily¡­¡¯ ¡°You can¡¯t hurt me either when you¡¯re in this form, can you?¡± Finn challenged. ¡°Oho¡­ we¡¯ll see about that one.¡± Tarot grinned and dashed towards Finn. Little did he know, this was exactly what Finn wanted. If normal attacks don¡¯t work on him¡­ Finn suddenly raised his arm and let out a burst of raw mana right before Tarot could get within melee range, surprising him and knocking him back. ¡­ Energy at its purest form ¡ª arcane against arcane. ¡°Hoho¡­ Bakris didn¡¯t tell me ¡¯bout this¡­¡± Tarot snickered, slowly getting back to his feet and suddenly materializing a revolver in his hands. ¡°To think yer able to manipte raw mana already¡­ looks like I need ta try somethin¡¯ else. Emperor!¡± All of a sudden, the figures of an old man wearing a crown painted on Tarot¡¯s shirt lit up golden orange, changing the glow around his body once more and joining the other lit-up cards that were already used. Finn crossed his arms and prepared for impact, nning on using the Vortex Shield he had gained earlier today. To his surprise, however, rather than shooting the gun directly at him, Tarot pointed the barrel high up into the air and pressed the trigger. ¡°Wha-¡± Finn¡¯s eyes widened as the shot went out of sight, and Tarot smiled. The bullet pierced the clouds, then curved its own trajectory to try and hit Finn from behind. Luckily, Finn hadn¡¯t listened to his old friend Leo ramble on about Tarot cards and divination for nothing. Emperor ¡ª representing ultimate control and order. Apply that to a gun, and¡­ ¡°¡­ Nice try.¡± Finn turned around and used Vortex Shield to block the bullet, but right before it hit, the bullet curved once more and aimed to bypass Finn¡¯s defenses. ¡°¡­!¡± No matter how good his Ghost blood was right now, it still was nowhere near powerful enough to enhance his physical abilities to an extent where he could outspeed bullets. He tried to spin around and block it using the same method, but he was too slow. Finn was about halfway done turning around when the bullet was about to pierce his head. But then- PEW! A sudden shot rang out of nowhere, and another bullet collided with the one about to hit Finn, puncturing it instantly. Both Tarot and Finn immediately looked over in the direction where the interference hade from and saw none other than the tiny figure of Iris lying a good few hundred meters away, who smiled smugly in response. ¡°Oho¡­ she ain¡¯t a bad sniper,¡± Tarot chuckled. ¡°Too bad¡­ if she aimed for me there, the match would¡¯ve been over.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn thought the same thing in his mind, but there was no point crying over spilled milk. He immediately dashed towards Tarot once more with the extended des on his gloves, but this time, his opponent was ready. Tarot smirked as the knight symbols on his suit lit up silver, switching the glow around his body as well. Right before Finn¡¯s ws could hit his body, a real knight d in silver armor suddenly appeared out of thin air, intercepting the strike and skillfully counterattacking with its glinted, sharp silver rapier. Finn backed off a short distance, before ring at his enemy. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s one annoying Angelica you have.¡± ¡°Heh, a lotta people have this Angelica,¡± Tarot responded. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m the only one who can use it properly.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to be merely bragging, given the confident gaze in his eyes. Iris fired another shot at him, but this time, he already knew she was there and had been predicting the shot ¡ª even without The Hermit. Chariot blocked the shot with ease, moving elegantly and swiftly. There was no way Finn would be able to beat this thing in meleebat, and he knew that. Then¡­ he needed something that even Chariot couldn¡¯t handle. Finn spotted the abandoned church a short distance away, and a n formted in his mind. Performing a backflip off the roof of the building and catching Tarot by surprise, he quickly transferred locations into the church. There, he could take advantage of the arena. Tarot spotted Finn¡¯s figure heading into the church and smiled. ¡°This is how yer doin¡¯ it, huh? So be it.¡± ***** Finn awaited silently, crouched on top of one of the ceiling bars of the church. It was quite fragile and could fall at any moment, but that was exactly why Finn came here in the first ce. With some simple climbing, he was able to make it up here with his enhanced agility, but normal people would never think to look up when they first enter a building. Finn was nning on taking advantage of that. Secondster, he heard the sound of footsteps. Tarot was right outside the demolished wall, and was about to head in right where Finn had moments earlier. Doing his best to keep breathing as light as possible, Finn waited patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike. He saw Tarot¡¯s foot stepping into the church, led by Chariot just to be safe. The silver knight scanned its surroundings, searching for any sign of hostility. Just as expected, neither of the two figures looked up. After confirming no one was in the church, the two ventured deeper, heading directly to where Finn was. Well, under him, anyway. Finn, with his des deactivated, slowly ced both his hands on the stone bar, preparing to make his move as Chariot edged nearer. ¡®Closer¡­ closer¡­ and¡­¡¯ ¡­ Now! Finn pushed down as hard as he could, causing a crack to appear in the stone bar he had been standing on. Chariot looked up to investigate the noise, but it was toote. Finn, along with the thick stone ceiling bar, came crashing down ¡ª right on top of the poor knight who couldn¡¯t get away in time. It may have been extremely skilled and swift in swordsmanship, but reaction speeds were a different matter. Tarot backed off a short distance, probably feeling relieved he let his trusty soldier take the lead. Finn slowly got up from the ground to see Tarot¡¯s amused face, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Y¡¯know, kid¡­ I¡¯m beginnin¡¯ to think ya ain¡¯t a new Hunter at all. Bakris said yer new to the business, but from what I can see? Heh. Yer the second person to have defeated so many of my cards.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t say anything in response, though he wondered who the first was. ¡°Granted, I underestimated ya at first and took it easy, but¡­ it seems I¡¯m gonna have ta get a bit serious.¡± Finn activated his des once more and prepared to lunge at him. ¡°¡­ Bring it.¡± Chapter 58: The Fool Chapter 58: The Fool Finn lunged at his opponent, but Tarot swiftly dodged out of the way and got out of the church, since he knew fighting in there wouldn¡¯t be advantageous for him now that Chariot was gone. He still had quite a few cards left, but all his defensive ones were gone. However, throughout the battle so far, he noticed Finn didn¡¯t use any Abilities. Archon said he had the Oculus Angelica, but since he was blind, that pretty much rendered the Angelica useless. More advanced Abilities in the Angelica didn¡¯t require sight, but to reach that advanced stage, one needed to practice using the Angelica first using basic Abilities. Because of this, Tarot possessed an overwhelming advantage in this fight already. Iris was nowhere to be seen, so it was essentially just a 1v1. Once the sun set, he was nning on using The Moon and The Star cards to finish this fight¡­ but he needed to hold on until then. Luckily for him, however, Finn suddenly dashed out of the church in a quite predictable manner ¡ª making his life a lot easier. Perhaps, he could finish it right here. ¡°Kid¡­¡± Tarot sighed in disappointment. ¡°Ya walked into yer own death trap.¡± Lifting a hand, he suddenly shot out a barrage of purple pellets, using The Hierophant card. Finn, however, didn¡¯t attempt to dodge. Instead, he merely crossed his arms in an X-shape and blocked the attack head-on. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± He groaned, clenching his teeth. Tarot blinked a few times in surprise. ¡°Ya really think ya can hold my entire bloody attack? Heh.¡± The man chuckled and amplified the strength of his pellet barrage,pletely locking Finn in ce. Finn had a purple shield up which caught all of the projectiles, but Tarot knew it wouldn¡¯t hold for long. At least, he thought it wouldn¡¯t hold for long. As seconds grew into entire minutes with Finn still holding on somehow, Tarot furrowed his brows and stopped the barrage. ¡°Aye¡­ what is that bloody shield¡­?¡± Finn merely smiled like a devil. ¡°¡­ Your death.¡± All of a sudden, the thousands of tiny pellets that had gathered on Finn¡¯s shield were shot back towards Tarot at once. His eyes widened in shock as his own attack was turned against him, bombarding him in smoke. Finn panted heavily and fell to the concrete ground as thest pellet was fired back. Holding all of those projectiles had consumed nearly all of his mana, and some may question if this was worth it to win such a meaningless fight. But to Finn, it wasn¡¯t meaningless. He had a goal in defeating Tarot ¡ª he had something he wanted to try. Not for pride, not for glory, but for his own selfish gain. He did his best to take deep breaths as he watched the smoke before him, waiting patiently for it to disperse. He expected to see the dead body of Tarot, but there was something off. This was a private match ¡ª in other words, if Tarot died, the simtion should¡¯ve announced Finn¡¯s victory. Yet¡­ ¡°Ah¡­ ya got me good there, kid, ya got me bloody good.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Finn froze as he saw Tarot¡¯s figure emerging from the smoke,pletely unharmed. On his suit, all the various sets of icons had lit up in different colors, and around him was a rainbow glow consisting of all said colors. ¡°But unluckily for ya¡­ I had onest trick up my sleeve to prevent death. A card that means new beginnin¡¯s¡­ and the true trump card of a Tarot card deck.¡± Finn knew what he was talking about. ¡°¡­ The Fool.¡± ¡°Bloody straight. This is the second time I¡¯ve been forced to use this card¡­ and I¡¯ve fought countless battles in my lifetime. Yer a good seed, kid. I can see why Bakris chose to save ya. But y¡¯know, that bein¡¯ said¡­¡± Tarot pulled out a thin dagger from his breast pocket and pointed it at Finn, whoy exhausted on the ground,pletely out of mana and energy. ¡°¡­ I still won this fight. Nothin¡¯ to be bloody proud of, I know, but-¡° ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Finn suddenly interjected, freezing Tarot mid-sentence. ¡°¡­ What?¡± With a soft and dark chuckle, Finn spoke. ¡°Look behind you.¡± Tarot immediately spun around, but it was toote. He could see the sh of a sniper¡¯s muzzle, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor, dead and defeated. [Battle: End. Victors: Team B.] Naturally, Iris was the one who fired this killing shot. She quickly ran over to Finn and helped him up, holding him in her arms. ¡°Finn! Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ this is a simtion¡­¡± Finn muttered, then eyed Tarot¡¯s body. Iris followed his gaze, and she immediately knew what he wanted to do. ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work, but give it a try.¡± Finn slowly ced a hand on Tarot¡¯s arm, hoping to use the Ghost blood to steal the Cardmaster Angelica from him. In all honesty, he himself didn¡¯t even think this would work either. But still, it was worth the effort ¡ª for on the off-chance that it did actually work, it would open up a whole new way to acquire Angelicas from other Hunters without them even knowing. After several long seconds, Finn still didn¡¯t feel anything. Iris sighed in disappointment. ¡°¡­ Nothing, huh?¡± But Finn didn¡¯t move his hands. He expected the process to take a bit longer than normal, since the Ghost blood would have an extra step ¡ª to transfer the mana data from this virtual world back into his real body. And indeed, his prediction was on the mark. A ck fog suddenly shrouded Finn and Tarot, energy flowing through Finn¡¯s hand and into the rest of his body. He could feel it ¡ª a new Angelica has been acquired. Suddenly, the three were all teleported away from one another as the world around them faded away to nothingness. A brief momentter, they found themselves in the same white room as before, standing right to each other. ¡°Well,¡± Tarot ¡ª Jim ¡ª chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°This is¡­ awkward.¡± ¡°So much for an S-ss Hunter,¡± Iris scoffed. ¡°What a rookie mistake, forgetting you had two opponents and not just one.¡± ¡°A-Ahem, I will admit I got caught up in the moment and forgot about ya, but ta be fair, I didn¡¯t think ya would¡¯ve known where Finn and I were,¡± Jim argued. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t,¡± Iris replied nonchntly. ¡°That is, not until all the noise Finn made.¡± ¡°¡­ Wait,¡± Jim interrupted, ncing at Finn, who was busy exploring the menus on the holographic panels all around them. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ ya purposely jumped out after me so that I would st ya with projectiles, which you could then fire back at me to make lots of noise and alert yer partner to where we were?¡± Finn didn¡¯t respond, but it was clear that was the answer. Irisughed and patted Jim on the shoulder lightly. ¡°You see, Finn knows quite a lot about Tarot cards, since he used to have a friend who talked about them all the time. He knew you had The Fool up your sleeve still as a trump card. He also fully knew you were going to st him with magic or projectiles the moment he stepped foot outside, which was exactly the reason he did so. You got yed like a fiddle, S-Rank.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how ya predicted Emperor¡¯s bullet and escaped The Sun¡­¡± Jim shook his head in frustration with himself. ¡°Man¡­¡± ¡°Us two, mere D-ss Hunters, managed to beat you, an S-ss, in a fair fight. I think a little reward is due,¡± Iris said smugly, folding her arms. ¡°What do you think, Finn?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯d like a favor from you, Tarot,¡± Finn said after some hesitation. ¡°Eh¡­ well, I suppose I did lose. We never agreed on this before the fight, but this is a bloody good way to remind me of today and learn from it. Sure, I¡¯ll ept yer request,¡± Jim said atst. ¡°Also, call me Jim. We ain¡¯t in a bloody battle ¡®nymore, mate.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°So, what do ya want me to do for ya?¡± Jim continued, shrugging nonchntly. ¡°Teach ya how to pick up girls? No, but ya already got this sweet youngdy right here¡­¡± ¡°Hm. I haven¡¯t decided yet, but¡­¡± Finn nced sideways at him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I have.¡± ¡°Sure. As long as it¡¯s somethin¡¯ within my abilities, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Iris looked at Finn, already knowing what he was thinking in his mind. He wanted Jim to teach him the Cardmaster Angelica, but he didn¡¯t know if he could be trusted yet, hence why he was holding off on asking. Iris sighed and smiled faintly. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s head back, shall we?¡± Jim nodded, then froze as he just happened to look at the time disyed on one of the panels. ¡°AH, GODDAMN IT! I MISSED MY BLOODY DATE!¡± Chapter 59: Poisonous Emotions Chapter 59: Poisonous Emotions After returning to the 154th Squadron¡¯s base, Finn and Iris were immediately greeted by Archon, who just happened to pass by at the time. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back. Where¡¯s that bastard at?¡± ¡°He said he needed to¡­ sort out some things,¡± Iris replied. ¡°Apparently, he missed his date, so I¡¯m assuming it has something to do with that.¡± ¡°Tsk,¡± Archon snorted. ¡°He gets what he deserves. Why did visiting a library take so long, though?¡± Irisughed awkwardly, scratching her hair. ¡°Er, well¡­ we ended up fighting him in Project: Simcrum and won.¡± ¡°Wait. You two¡­ beat him?¡± Archon blinked several times in surprise, unsure of what he just heard was real. Finn nodded in confirmation. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, but we did.¡± ¡°Ha! An S-ss Hunter getting beaten by two D-sses¡­ oh boy, I¡¯m never going to let him live down this one,¡± Archon snickered sinisterly. ¡°But that aside¡­ I¡¯ve received some important news from HQ. It¡¯s regarding the Baron-level Ghost I mentioned a while ago. I was just waiting for you two to get back before hosting a meeting discussing it. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡± Finn and Iris nodded and followed Archon to the living room. ***** Once everyone had gathered, Archon announced the news. ¡°Alright¡­ so, I trust you all remember the Baron-level Ghost I mentioned a few days ago.¡± ¡°The one that is supposed to lead us to the Emperor-level hidden in this District?¡± Storm asked, just for confirmation. Archon nodded. ¡°Indeed. We, along with another squadron, will be responsible for taking down this Baron. The other four teams who will be helping us with the Emperor-level Ghost are raiding the other two Barons. Once we take down all three Barons, we¡¯ll be able to track down where the Emperor is.¡± ¡°That sounds simple enough,¡± Octane said with a shrug. ¡°The actual execution won¡¯t be simple, but the method is quite simple, yes,¡± Fanatic agreed. ¡°Are we to meet up with this other squadron beforehand, just to discuss ns and whatnot?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Melvia interjected happily. ¡°The other squadron contacted us just earlier today, actually. They want to meet up the day after tomorrow for strategizing, then follow up with some training to familiarize yourselves with one another and such.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Archon said. ¡°So keep your schedules open for that day.¡± ¡°My schedules are always open,¡± Octane bragged, rubbing his nose. ¡°¡­ Just to be sure, are they connected to Heartbeat in any way?¡± Finn asked out of caution. ¡°No, they are actually led by an old friend of mine,¡± Archon replied, shaking his head. ¡°Lei, if you remember him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the man who helped us get an audience with the Guildmaster¡­¡± Iris noted. ¡°He¡¯s in District A as well?¡± ¡°Of course. How do you think I know him that well?¡± Archon said with a chuckle, then turned to the others. ¡°In any case, Storm, Octane, and Melvia ¡ª I¡¯d like you three to teach Finn your respective Angelicas, just to maximize our firepower before going on this mission. It won¡¯t be easy, after all. He¡¯ll be our trump card, just as Ace represents.¡± Octane nodded and shed a thumbs-up paired with a toothy grin. ¡°On it, boss! I¡¯ll make sure to turn Finn into a speed demon just like me!¡± ¡°Uh, no thanks,¡± Finn replied firmly. ¡°Just the Abilities are enough.¡± Melviaughed softly. ¡°Hehe, are you ready to learn my Angelica, I wonder? It¡¯s not easy, y¡¯know~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Of them, Storm was the only one who didn¡¯t say anything, and instead just shot Finn a somewhat condescending look. It was so brief that no one could¡¯ve caught this except for Finn, who naturally didn¡¯t see anything since he was blind. Jealousy¡­ was truly a strong emotion. ***** After eating dinner, Finn and Iris decided to spend the rest of that day exploring the book they borrowed from the Melinoe Archives. The two went up into Finn¡¯s room through the elevator, leaving everybody else behind. ¡°Hehe, those two are a really cute couple, don¡¯t you think?¡± Melvia giggled as she stared at Finn and Iris¡¯s disappearing figures. ¡°Yeah,¡± Archon agreed. ¡°I doubt they¡¯re in love right now because it hasn¡¯t been all that long since they met, but in the future, I can definitely see them getting together. They have great teamwork and synchronization with one another, making the perfect tag team.¡± ¡°Kind of like you and I once was, huh?¡± Melvia smiled, closing one eye suggestively. ¡°Pfft. Once? We still are, Melvia. Once we take down Heartbeat, we¡¯ll be able to get in the field again. Then, we can show those two how it¡¯s really done.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Melvia shrugged. ¡°They seem really, reallypatible to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deny that, but¡­¡± As their conversation continued revolving around the topic of Finn and Iris, Storm, who was doing the dishes, overheard everything and gripped the sponge in his hands tightly. ¡°Storm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Octane asked from beside him, noticing his friend¡¯s abnormal behavior. He was helping with the chores. ¡°A-Ah, it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± Storm trailed off, quickly shaking his head and trying to get rid of the dark emotions lingering there. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him, but his heart was aching. Both from jealousy, and from hatred. ***** Inside Finn¡¯s room, Iris rolled her wheelchair over to the table and flipped the book open to the first page. Finn sat beside her, waiting for her to begin reading. ¡°Hm¡­ so, Finn, should I just start from the beginning and read out every single entry there is, then?¡± Iris asked, skimming through the contents of the book. ¡°There are quite a few, so it¡¯s going to take a pretty long time, given how detailed each entry is.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s just start with the ones I currently already possess,¡± Finn replied. ¡°Oculus, cksmith, Daredevil, Stormbringer, Shapeshifter, and Cardmaster.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Iris replied with a nod. ¡°But¡­ speaking of Cardmaster. You haven¡¯t asked Archon yet, have you?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°I was nning on waiting until I could speak to him alone.¡± ¡°Why? Do you not trust the others¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn leaned back in his chair and rxed. ¡°Set up a sound barrier.¡± Iris did as told, then turned back to Finn. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°I see. The truth is, I¡¯m starting to regret revealing my power to everyone in this squadron. Archon, Melvia, and Fanatic are all trustworthy, and Octane is too immature to betray me. As for Reaper¡­ well, he¡¯s self-exnatory. But for some reason, I feel like Storm¡¯s been more quiet recently. Have you noticed it too?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ now that you mention it¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Tomorrow, he¡¯s going to be teaching me some Stormbringer Abilities. Hopefully, my guess is off the mark, but¡­ I suppose we¡¯ll find out soon.¡± ¡°Why would he betray you though¡­? You saved his life during the whole ordeal with the Titan Phantom¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either, though I may have a vague idea,¡± Finn replied, deep in thought. ¡°All I can say is¡­ emotions are a powerful weapon, but they can be used both ways.¡± Chapter 60: Planned Date Chapter 60: nned Date That night, Finn and Iris spent a good hour reading through all the entries on the Angelicas Finn currently owned. Most of the information was quite obvious, but Finn did learn several new things. For example, the different kinds of Angelicas weren¡¯t just born out of nowhere. In this world, any pure entity can be considered an ¡®Element¡¯. From basic ones such as fire and water to moreplex ones like blood and thunderstorms, all of these are called ¡®Elements¡¯. Vague concepts such as speed and duplication can also be considered Elements. As technology progresses and humanity continues to evolve, new Elements may be discovered. For every Element there is in existence, there also exists an Angelica that holds control over it. Simrly, when new Elements are found, new Angelicas are also born. The book they had borrowed from the Melinoe Archives was quite detailed ¡ª it not only exined the Angelica¡¯s power in detail, but also gave it rarity and difficulty ratings. The Stormbringer Angelica, for instance, had a rarity rating of Common and a difficulty rating of Medium. Finn was nning on going back to that library sooner orter since he doubted Storm and Octane were all that skilled in terms of their own Angelicas. But in order to reach such an advanced stage where he could actually use the more powerful, moreplex Abilities of these Angelicas, he needed to master the basic ones first and gain proficiency with them ¡ª in which case direct teaching was a lot better. Unfortunately, the book they borrowed didn¡¯t contain any actual Abilities for the Angelicas listed in it. That made sense, considering if it did, it would be a whole lot thicker than it already was. The only thing Finn was slightly concerned about¡­ was an ¡®ally¡¯ of his in this squadron ¡ª Storm. ***** ¨C Later, In the Reality Rift ¨C Since it was gettingte, Iris returned to her own room, leaving Finn alone. He climbed onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself, preparing to go to sleep, but- A bright sh of light filled his dark surroundings, and he felt the familiar pulling sensation of entering the reality rift. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and faced the only person who could¡¯ve done this. ¡°¡­ Need something?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I was just going to remind you of our little agreement~¡± Zelestria replied happily. ¡°When are you nning on taking me out for the date~?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sure you heard the conversation earlier today. There¡¯s a missioning up ¡ª and I can¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°Hm, yes indeed~ a Baron-level Ghost has bound to have some great skills you can steal,¡± Zelestria said thoughtfully, tilting her head. ¡°Then¡­ how about right after the mission?¡± Finn narrowed his eyes. ¡°Why are you so impatient?¡± ¡°Fufu, you¡¯ll see when you actually go on the date with me~¡± Zelestria giggled mischievously. ¡°You won¡¯t regret it, I promise~¡± Normally, Finn would¡¯ve thought she was just referring to sleeping with her, but this time, the gleam in her eyes meant something more. Perhaps¡­ there was something she wanted to show Finn that wasn¡¯t her body? ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± Finn agreed after some hesitation. ¡°A deal is a deal.¡± ¡°Sweet. Then, I¡¯m looking forward to it, darling~¡± Zelestria seductively closed one eye and made a shushing gesture, cing a finger in front of her lips. ¡°¡­¡± Finn turned back around as the portal to return to the real world opened. But right before he left, Zelestria decided to give him onest tip. ¡°Before you go¡­ the Cardmaster Angelica you acquired today.¡± ¡°¡­ You knew of it?¡± ¡°Of course. Even though I couldn¡¯t reach you inside that simtion, I could tell once you exited that you gained something new.¡± ¡°Well¡­ what about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly powerful, but it is one of the hardest Angelicas to master~¡± Zelestria giggled evilly. ¡°Are you sure you want to try and learn it? It will take a lot of time, y¡¯know~¡± ¡°¡­ We¡¯ll see.¡± Zelestria smiled wryly in approval, as if amused by Finn¡¯s decision. ¡°Oh, and one more thing ¡ª that other boy. Storm, was it? Be careful of him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware¡­ but why?¡± Finn asked, wanting to see if she knew something he didn¡¯t. ¡°Hm, how do I put this¡­ let¡¯s just say¡­ jealousy is a strong emotion,¡± she replied after some careful thought, smiling suggestively. ¡°Just like how I¡¯m jealous of you spending so much time with Iris and not me. It really makes me want to kill her sometimes, y¡¯know~?¡± She added that final part as a half-joke, but it was also a hint. A hint that Finn understood. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Storm¡¯s jealous of Iris helping me¡­? Octane did mention him liking her¡­¡¯ Finn was still uncertain at this time, but he would find out soon enough. ¡°You better not touch Iris,¡± he replied coldly to Zelestria¡¯s words. ¡°I need her as my eyes still.¡± ¡°Yes, yes~ if only I could be your eyes instead¡­ fufu~ ?¡± At this point, Finn couldn¡¯t even tell if this ¡®goddess¡¯ was being serious or not with herments. She didn¡¯t seem like the type on the surface, but she could certainly be a yandere in reality ¡ª a side to her Finn didn¡¯t see until today. He could only hope she didn¡¯t actually get so jealous that she tries to kill Iris. That aside, there were bigger problems to be worrying about right around the corner. Exiting the reality rift, Finn returned to sleep ¡ª this time without the disturbance of a sudden emergency mission. ***** ¨C The Next Morning ¨C [Time to wake up, darling~ unless you want to bete for training?] Finn immediately sat up in his bed, sleep disturbed by Zelestria¡¯s voice in his head. ¡®What time is it?¡¯ He thought in his head. [7 AM. Melvia¡¯s already up and waiting for you.] ¡®I see¡­ thanks.¡¯ [Ara ara~ what¡¯s this? Finn, thanking me? How rare, fufu~] Finn ignored her little remark and hopped off the bed, then headed downstairs for the bathroom to take a shower, brush his teeth, and whatnot. Once he was done, he returned to his room and slipped on his automatically-cleansed armor and boots after feeling around with his hands for a while to find them. Now that he was prepared for the day, he headed down for the living room, where Melvia and Archon already were. ¡°Ah, there you are, kid,¡± Archon chuckled as he spotted him. ¡°Y¡¯know, you and Iris both wake up pretty early, despite not having rms. Storm, Octane, and Fanatic all sleep until noon most of the time. Is that just habits, or¡­?¡± ¡°Just habits,¡± Finn confirmed, not wanting to reveal Zelestria¡¯s existence. ¡°I¡¯ve always been an early riser, ever since I was a child.¡± ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Archon murmured, rubbing his chin. ¡°C¡¯mon now, enough talk,¡± Melvia interjected, smiling warmly. ¡°Finn, your food¡¯s right in front of you. Once you¡¯re done eating, we¡¯ll begin our lesson.¡± Finn nodded firmly and hesitantly reached his hand out in front of him, before feeling the metal handle of a spoon. He lifted it up and brought it into his mouth, tasting the food. It was cereal ¡ª fast and simple, which he didn¡¯t mind. Once he was finished, Archon offered to do the dishes for him, which he epted gratefully. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Melvia stood up and took hold of Finn¡¯s hand, pulling him up as well. ¡°Now, don¡¯t let go. Rather than giving you directions on where to go, this is far easier.¡± And just like that, Finn was led by Melvia into a part of the house where he had never been to before ¡ª the basement. Chapter 61: Melvias Lab Chapter 61: Melvia''s Lab ¡°Careful, there¡¯s one more step,¡± Melvia warned as Finn slowly descended the flight of stairs, finally arriving at the bottom. The atmosphere down here was really different from the first floor. It felt cool but not cold, but there was no musty smell like many other basements and rather held the smell of pools ¡ª chlorine. If Finn could see, he would be surprised at the room he found himself in. It was unlike any other room in the house. As a matter of fact, it was hardly a room at all ¡ª no, it was aboratory. Clean white walls enclosed the room, lit up by a long light panel on the ceiling. A control panely before tworge cylindrical chambers of some sort, each with a standing chair inside. ¡°¡­ What is this ce?¡± Finn asked, sensing the difference in environment. ¡°This, is my office,¡± Melvia replied with a smile as she led Finn into theb. ¡°You see, the Shapeshifter Angelica is different from most others, since it transforms your actual body. If anything, it¡¯s more like a single Ability than a whole Angelica. Due to the nature of its power, however, on the off-chance that it fails, your body could be damaged ¡ª which is why we¡¯re here in thisb.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but how exactly will thisb help?¡± ¡°This is how I learned to use the Angelica,¡± Melvia replied. ¡°You mentioned yesterday that you fought Jim inside Project: Simcrum, correct?¡± Finn nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, this is kind of like that,¡± Melvia continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to send your consciousness into a virtual dimension, then join you there. This way, we can practice using the Angelica without any worry.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just a matter of how much mana I output, there¡¯s no reason to worry about that,¡± Finn said. ¡°I¡¯m confident in my ability to control my mana.¡± Correction: he was confident in Zelestria¡¯s ability to control his mana. But Melvia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not just that simple. For other Angelicas, perhaps, but the Shapeshifter Angelica requires due preparation and isn¡¯t all about controlling your mana. There are other factors involved too ¡ª you¡¯ll see in a second.¡± Last night, when reading through the book, Iris had said the Shapeshifter Angelica had a rarity rating of Rare and a difficulty rating of Extremely High. Finn had originally thought this just meant his control over his mana had to be more precise than usual, but now he knew there was much more to it. ¡°Turn right and walk forward five steps, then turn left and continue until I tell you to stop,¡± Melvia instructed, moving to the control panels to power up the system. Finn did as told. ¡°Alright, now, turn left again.¡± Finn turned left and entered the right cylindrical chamber. ¡°Good. Now, if you reach behind, you should be able to feel some leather. I want you to lean your back into the leather. Careful, you have to pick up your feet and stand on the two ledges provided.¡± Stepping up just as instructed, Finn turned his body around and leaned back into the leather ¡®chair¡¯. Melvia pressed a button, and immediately, metal straps locked him in ce. He was already used to this, since Project: Simcrum the day before had done the exact same thing. That said, he still kept his guard up, just as natural instinct. ¡°Perfect, everything¡¯s in position. Now, I want you to rx your mind and muscles, Finn. You¡¯ll be surrounded by a white light, but don¡¯t be rmed. I¡¯ll join you very soon.¡± Finn took a deep breath and rxed, giving in to thefort of the chair. Immediately, just as Melvia had said, his ck surroundings were reced by a pure white light, and he found himself able to see his own hands along with the rest of his body. He could also move his body freely, as if the metal locks from just now weren¡¯t there at all. Above all this, however, Finn noticed one important detail: he could still feel his link with Zelestria. ¡°Alright! Now that we¡¯re both here, we can begin experimenting,¡± a familiar voice suddenly dered from behind Finn, and he turned around to see Melvia¡¯s warm smile. ¡°You look different with opened eyes,¡± she remarked,ughing teasingly. ¡°But that aside ¡ª first things first, take this.¡± Melvia tossed what seemed like a ying cube of some sort to Finn, who caught it in his hands. It was red, and the dimensions were approximately 10cm x 10cm x 10cm. ¡°This is a cube from the real world that I brought in here. It¡¯s not just a simted object, since Shapeshifting wouldn¡¯t work like that. But that aside, I want you to examine this closely. Yes, I know you¡¯re thinking: ¡®it¡¯s just a cube, what¡¯s there to examine?¡¯ But trust me, the more detailed you can be here, the easier it will be for you in the near future.¡± Finn began twirling the cube around in his hands, observing each of the six sides with utmost care and dedication. There was quite literally nothing on it, but Finn poured all of his mental energy into this task nheless. He even went to the point of calcting the RGB of the cube¡¯s color and deducing its HEX code. If he could, there was no doubt he would¡¯ve counted the exact number of bacteria and germs on the cube¡¯s surface as well. After several minutes ¡ª which already was quite impressive ¡ª Finn really couldn¡¯t find any more details to observe on the object and looked up at Melvia. ¡°¡­ Done.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± Melvia teased with a yful grin. ¡°Absolutely certain you don¡¯t want to observe it a bit more?¡± But Finn never was one to be easily swayed. He nodded firmly. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Good. In that case, we can proceed to the next step. Close your eyes, Finn.¡± Finn did as told, pretending as if he was blind again. ¡°Now, activate your Shapeshifter Angelica¡¯s mana sequence.¡± Zelestria didn¡¯t help here, letting Finn experience it for himself which he was grateful for, since he couldn¡¯t rely on her forever. A silver glow surrounded his body, along with a near-transparent projection of a question mark above his head. ¡°Good. You¡¯re getting there ¡ª picture the cube from just now inside your head,¡± Melvia said slowly. ¡°Imagine every tiny detail, visualize everything you noted down when observing it, no matter how trivial. The more details you can muster ¡ª correct ones, of course ¡ª the easier your first Shapeshift will be.¡± Chapter 62: Shapeshifter Chapter 62: Shapeshifter Finn recalled the RGB values and hex codes of the cube¡¯s color, painted over a solid 3D figure formed of six congruent square sides ¡ª one facing each direction. The dimensions of these sides were all exactly 10 cm x 10 cm, and together, they formed a cube. In his head, he rotated the cube around slowly, just like he had done within the real object earlier. He pictured every speck of dust, the feeling of every side and vertex. He even captured the smell and taste of the cube to the best of his ability, which may sound disgusting, but was quite useful to a Shapeshifter. Because he was blind in the real world, his other senses were all dramatically enhanced ¡ª especially with the help of the Ghost blood in his body. This made it easier for him than most to observe an object like this within a virtual space where he could, in fact, see, thus losing his one and only weakness. ¡°Once you have a clear image in your head, I want you to begin circting the mana inside your body. I know you¡¯re used to pumping out mana from your body for other Angelicas, but as a Shapeshifter, you have to keep the energy contained inside you and move it through your bloodstreams. After seeing Finn stop moving as if frozen still, Melvia continued. ¡°Note that this is very difficult, so-¡° Pop! Suddenly, Finn disappearered, having turned into a tiny red cube that fell onto the white floor shortly after. Melvia blinked. ¡°¡­ What just¡­¡± Finn canceled the mana cirction and he returned to normal in the blink of an eye, standing tall in front of Melvia once more. ¡°¡­ Is that how you do it?¡± ¡°U-Uh, yes¡­ but how did you¡­¡± Naturally, Finn was able to do it this quickly thanks to Zelestria, his private little cheat code. Back in Project: Simcrum, he wasn¡¯t able to connect with her, but here, he was. The reason was most likely because there wasn¡¯t as much programming ¡ª otherwise known as ¡®interference¡¯ ¡ª jamming the connection between Finn and her. Yes, this dimension may be a virtual one, but it was still connected to the real world, rather than a whole new reality filled withplex art and shaped to be as realistic as possible, like Project: Simcrum. This was proved by Melvia bringing the cube from the real world into this virtual space. The connection to Zelestria here was definitely weaker, but Finn could still feel it. He nowprehended how to do it after experiencing her doing it once for him, and could do it on his own now. It certainly felt different from outputting mana from his hands, but the theory of using his mind to direct the flow of his mana was the same ¡ª just slightly moreplex and difficult to actually pull off. ¡°¡­ Luck, I suppose,¡± Finn replied after some hesitation. Originally, he had wanted to purposely fail a few times just to avoid rousing suspicion, but he couldn¡¯t actually talk with Zelestria here due to the partial connection interference, which was unfortunate. Melvia gulped. ¡°Wow¡­ in that case, you¡¯re one lucky boy. But we¡¯re not finished just yet.¡± Saying this, she materialized an orange in her hands and tossed it to Finn, who caught it again. ¡°This is ¡ª as you can see ¡ª an orange. I summoned it from the real world outside, but don¡¯t try eating it. It won¡¯t work since your body here is still virtual,¡± Melvia said. ¡°Er¡­ I see. But how are you able to bring physical objects into this virtual world?¡± Finn asked. His real question was, ¡®how can I still feel the connection with Zelestria here, albeit weaker?¡¯ ¡°¡­ Exining that would take way too long. I¡¯ll tell you about it some other time, maybe.¡± Finn sighed, realizing it was definitely rted to lots of technological concepts and perhaps even Angelicas he didn¡¯t understand yet. Giving up on the matter altogether, he began inspecting the orange in his hands. ¡°Your next goal is to Shapeshift into this orange,¡± Melvia exined. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more detailed than the cube just now, so it¡¯ll be harder. Don¡¯t try fooling me by turning into a random orange that looks about the same size ¡ª I¡¯ll know if you do.¡± Finn nodded and repeated the same process he had done with the cube. It took longer to observe every detail, but when he finally did, he activated his Shapeshifter Angelica and began circting the mana in his body once more ¡ª this time, on his own. He did it so quickly that he didn¡¯t give Zelestria the chance to interfere. Since he couldn¡¯t speak to her directly right now, this was the only method. Zelestria, obviously, caught the hint and backed off, let him try it for himself. She also knew he wanted to be independent and stop relying on her as soon as possible. After a few seconds, Finn¡¯s body suddenly distorted, using his chest as the focal point. The image of him became wobbly, before getting sucked into a circr shape ¡ª almost like a ck hole. Said shape then colored itself into an orange, bing the exact object Finn had been inspecting moments earlier. Both oranges, the original and Finn, fell to the floor. Thetter wanted to groan in pain, but since he was an orange, he couldn¡¯t. Melvia walked over and picked up both oranges, teasingly giving the right one a little squeeze. Finn felt it, but it didn¡¯t really hurt. Then, with a yful grin on her lips, she said aloud: ¡°Mm, what a delicious-looking orange we have here¡­ I wonder how it would taste if I were to¡­ peel it¡­¡± Licking her lips, she dug her nail into the orange¡¯s peel, and Finn groaned in pain. Figuratively. Oranges can¡¯t groan. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you shapeshifted correctly¡­ by trying out the taste, of course~¡± Bringing her tongue closer and closer, she attempted to lick the orange, peel and all. ¡®This woman¡­!¡¯ Finn cringed internally, but he couldn¡¯t get away as an orange. ¡®Damn¡­!¡¯ But then, right before her tongue touched, she backed away and giggled softly. After looking back and forth between the two oranges for a while, Melvia smiled and gently set the shapeshifted one on the ground and rolled it around a bit for fun. ¡°Alright, you can turn back now.¡± In a distorted animation of expansion, the orange on the floor turned back into the familiar figure of Finn, who nearly lost his bnce the moment he returned to his normal self. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn ced a hand to his forehead as his whole world was spinning, only calming down after Melvia grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Hehe, how did that feel?¡± She asked curiously. After some careful thought, Finn shrugged. ¡°¡­ Well. I felt like an orange. There¡¯s not much else to say, really.¡± Melviaughed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Sorry about teasing you like that, by the way. Couldn¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Good endurance training, in case I ever end up having to actually turn into an orange or something simr in the future,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°I like the positivity!¡± Melvia eximed. ¡°But¡­ there is one final challenge I have for you, since you are performing so well. If you can do this, you¡¯ll have pretty much mastered the art of Shapeshifting.¡± Finn tilted his head in confusion as Melvia smiled sinisterly. ¡°Can you do it, I wonder?¡± Chapter 63: Transform Into... What? Chapter 63: Transform Into¡­ What? ¡°The final challenge ¡ª Shapeshift into me.¡± Finn blinked. ¡°¡­ Come again?¡± ¡°Shapeshift into me,¡± Melvia repeated, slower this time. ¡°¡­¡± This was certainly possible ¡ª at least, ording to what Iris read outst night. All Finn needed to transform into another living organism was a strand of their DNA ¡ª for humans, hair worked best. But the problem was, even Shapeshifting masters have difficulty pulling this trick off, and it came with a risk too. If the transformation failed, the caster would be forever stuck as the person they tried morphing into, only as a deformed version. Because Shapeshifting into another person also changed your personality and very identity along with it, Finn wasn¡¯t sure if being in this virtual simtion will help him. ¡°So? Up for the challenge?¡± Melvia taunted, folding her arms. ¡°I believe you can do it, but if you don¡¯t want to take the risk, that¡¯s alright. Just keep in mind how useful this skill is.¡± After some slight hesitation, Finn made his choice. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡± Melvia smiled. ¡°Good, not afraid to take risks ¡ª you remind me of Bakris sometimes, hehe.¡± Saying this, she pulled out a strand of her hair and ced it in Finn¡¯s hand. ¡°Now, the process for Shapeshifting into a living being is somewhat different from the usual,¡± she exined. ¡°First, sit down.¡± Finn sat down on the pure white floor, awaiting further instructions. ¡°Now, I want you to expel mana from both your hands, shooting the energy waves against one another so that the strand of hair I just gave you remains levitated in between your two hands. Got that?¡± Finn nodded and began working. He held his right hand above his left, facing down. It was almost as if there was an invisible ball between his hands. The strand of hair was on his left hand, facing up. He began by pumping mana out of his left hand first. The hair strand immediately floated up into the air, propelled by the mana wave. Immediately, Finn began expelling mana from his right hand as well, pushing the hair strand back down. Once the strand was about right in the middle of his two hands, he stabilized it there by controlling the mana output of both his hands so that they were equivalent. Melvia, witnessing this, nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Great start, but herees the hard part ¡ª steadily increase the mana outputs of both your hands until I tell you to stop, but make sure they remain equal. If the hair goes out of the position it¡¯s currently in, the process will fail and you will have to restart.¡± Usually, Finn only had to change one hand¡¯s mana output, but here, he had to do both ¡ª which meant he had to make the mana in his body diverge and flow two separate directions, which was something he had never done before. Luckily, Zelestria was here to help. She sensed Finn¡¯s need for assistance and began manipting Finn¡¯s mana current, causing a steady stream of energy to flow down both his arms simultaneously and out his two hands. ¡°Good¡­ perfect¡­¡± Melvia murmured, watching in awe as if this was a miracle. ¡°Keep going.¡± By now, Finn had somewhat grasped the feeling of making his mana diverge and flow two separate directions. He took over from here, and Zelestria, who felt this, backed out. It was difficult to monitor both currents of mana at once, but Finn pulled it off, continuing to gradually increase his mana output. However, his total mana remaining was running dangerously low, and sweat began forming on his forehead. ¡°Almost there¡­¡± Melvia grit her teeth nervously, almost like she was the one doing this and not Finn. Finn¡¯s hands began to tremble slightly from the sheer amount of mana being outputted from them, and the silver glow around his body intensified. He was practically a radiant silhouette of silver light at this point, but that wouldn¡¯tst very long at the rate his mana was depleting. Finn could feel his energy running out, but he still kept on pushing. He already experienced first-hand just how horrible using up everyst bit of mana he had felt from yesterday, but like Melvia said ¡ª he wasn¡¯t afraid to take risks. Shapeshifting into another lifeform was incredibly useful and could unlock countless infiltration, espionage, and assassination mission potential. Should a situation simr to Heartbeat arise once again, the squad will have a far easier time. ¡®At this rate, I can only hold on for about five seconds left¡­¡¯ Finn grit his teeth and thought in his mind, shutting his eyes tightly. ¡°Just a little bit more, Finn! Hang in there!¡± Melvia eximed, cheering him on. ¡®Tch¡­ c¡¯mon¡­!¡¯ Three. Two. One. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough!¡± Finn finally opened his eyes and panted heavily, rxing his arms and nearly toppling over from the exhaustion. He noticed the strand of hair had disappeared somehow, and panicked slightly. ¡°The hair¡­ where did it¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Melvia interjected, calming him down. ¡°The strand of hair is supposed to disappear. In other words, youpleted the first and hardest step sessfully, Finn. Good work.¡± ¡°¡­ Hah¡­¡± Finn leaned back and spread his arms wide, lying on the simted floor. He took deep breaths, trying to get his mana back. ¡°I never thought you would actually be able to do it¡­ in fact, even I¡¯ve never aplished this before,¡± Melviaughed self-depreciatingly. ¡°I¡¯ve certainly tried ¡ª many, many times. But the sheer amount of mana required for this is absolutely insane. You only first joined the Ghost Hunter world a few weeks ago, and yet you have such a monstrous amount of mana. Just talent, I suppose.¡± ¡°¡­ I onlypleted the first step, and I¡¯m alreadypletely out of mana. I don¡¯t think this counts as me seeding.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Melvia said with an innocent shrug. ¡°But as you take down more Ghosts, grow more proficient in using Angelicas, and get stronger overall, your mana pool will also increase. Very soon, you¡¯ll be able to aplish what I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s head back. There¡¯s really nothing left to teach you,¡± Melvia said, dusting her hands off and cing them on her hips. ¡°Just remember ¡ª to Shapeshift into something, you need information on them using your five senses. The more urate, the better. ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult for you since you don¡¯t have sight, so transforming into specific things with great detail would be impossible, but there are work-arounds ¡ª namely, virtual nes like this where you CAN see. If we want you to Shapeshift into something specific, we can just show you what it looks like beforehand in a virtual dimension. But¡­ yeah. That¡¯s pretty much it.¡± Finn nodded, standing back up slowly. ¡°Thank you.¡± Melvia smiled. ¡°You can pay me back by learning how to cook and whipping up a meal for me.¡± Finn wasn¡¯t too sure about that one, but he was grateful nheless. Chapter 64: Daredevil Training Chapter 64: Daredevil Training After exiting the simtion and heading upstairs to get some rest, Finn was immediately contacted by Zelestria. [Ah, finally got through to you.] ¡®Did you need me for something?¡¯ [Mm¡­ not particrly. I was just worried about you since your mana was getting used up so fast, y¡¯know~?] ¡®I¡¯m fine. Just need to recover a bit before my lessons with Octane in the afternoon.¡¯ [¡­ Don¡¯t work yourself too hard.] Zelestria said in a genuinely concerned voice, which was a rarity for her. Finn, however, only saw it as a ploy, given how out-of-character this was. ¡®Is this a new seduction technique you¡¯re employing?¡¯ [No ¡ª unless you want it to be, of course~] And¡­ she was back to her normal self. Still, Finn could see Zelestria did really care about him, for better or worse. Of course, in his eyes, Zelestria only saw him as a necessary tool and nothing more, but in reality, it was more than that ¡ª she just would never admit it, and instead hint at it from time to time using those so-called seduction techniques. Deep down, she was broken. And it would take someone even more broken than she was to fix her. ***** A short napter, Finn had fully recovered his mana and energy. He headed downstairs in search of Octane for some more training, but he instead spotted everyone gathered in the living room at the table, preparing to eat. Though¡­ there seemed to be some sort of argument going on. Storm, who had an annoyed expression on his face, rolled his eyes in frustration. ¡°I still don¡¯t see why we have to wait for him-¡° ¡°Hey,¡± Archon cut in dangerously. ¡°Enough.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Storm turned away, clenching his fists tightly and nibbling on his own teeth. He was clearly dissatisfied, but didn¡¯t want to argue with Archon any further. ¡°¡­ Sorry for beingte,¡± Finn said quietly as he entered the room, making his presence known. Storm shot him a sideways nce, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Melviaforted. ¡°I made you use up a lot of mana earlier today, so it makes sense that you need rest. In fact, I¡¯m a bit surprised you managed to recover this quickly.¡± ¡°Heheh, you¡¯re gonna need that stamina for this afternoon,¡± Octane chuckled with a wide grin on his face. ¡°Trust me, if you¡¯re fast enough, nothing will be able to hit you.¡± ¡®¡­ I¡¯ll probably end up crashing face-first into a wall if I tried running like you, but whatever,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. With some help from Iris, who sat beside him, he found his chopsticks and began feeding food into his own mouth. The meal was silent for the most part after that, mainly due to the awkward argument that had happened before Finn got here. It wasn¡¯t a nice feeling, but no one made a move to break the tension. Shortly after eating, Octane led Finn to the hidden teleporter room of the mansion. ¡°¡­ Where are we going?¡± Finn asked, confused. ¡°Somewhere with space, of course,¡± Octane replied excitedly. ¡°What, don¡¯t tell me you thought we were going to train in this cramped building. Come on.¡± Finn sighed and stepped onto the teleporter. Octane smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Okay, now, think ¡®Alcina ins¡¯ with me,¡± he instructed, cing a hand on Finn¡¯s shoulder. ¡®Alcina ins.¡¯ In an instant, Finn felt a familiar tingling feeling all over his body as the two of them were warped away. ***** ¡°Whew! I feel so much better out here,¡± Octane whistled, staring out at the vast open green insid out before them. ¡°How I wish I grew up in the rural District X¡­ Hey, Finn, whenever you get your vision back, I¡¯ll take you back here again sometime. The view¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is,¡± Finn replied stoically. ¡°Now, can we get to training?¡± ¡°Geez, so impatient. Since I¡¯m the teacher here, we¡¯ll be doing things my way,¡± he dered with a smug grin. ¡°First, let¡¯s have a little race.¡± ¡®A race¡­? Is he serious?¡¯ ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking ¡ª you¡¯ll obviously lose, all that. But this is so I can gauge your aptitude for the Daredevil Angelica. For example, if you have asthma like me, you won¡¯t be able to handle some Abilit-¡° ¡°I don¡¯t have asthma,¡± Finn cut in. ¡°Just teach me everything you know. I¡¯ll be the one to decide whether or not I can handle it.¡± He blinked. ¡°O¡­ kay then. But we¡¯re still doing that race. C¡¯mon!¡± Saying this, he leaped off the hill they were standing on top of, sliding down the slope against the wind like a true daredevil. ¡°WOOHOO!¡± ¡®¡­ I don¡¯t think he remembers I can¡¯t see.¡¯ ¡°What are you waiting for, Finn? Just jump down, it¡¯s not too long of a drop! If you can¡¯t even handle this much, forget about learning the Daredevil Angelica!¡± ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Finn hesitantly took a step forward, feeling the front half of his shoe on nothing. The edge was right there. Taking a deep breath, he leaped off the hill andnded on the inclined slope, sliding downwards at amazing speed. ¡°There you go! You¡¯re doing it!¡± Finn grit his teeth as the sharp wind cut past his unprotected face, asionally flinging small pebbles and dirt. Although it hurt, he couldn¡¯t deny that this feeling of adventure, this rush of adrenaline ¡ª felt good. That said, he was not prepared for when he hit the bottom. ¡°Ngh-¡° Finn tripped forward, not expecting the sudden obstacle that blocked his momentum, and fell onto the grass. ¡°Oof¡­ that looked like it hurt,¡± Octane mused from a distance away. ¡®Yeah¡­ a warning would¡¯ve been nice,¡¯ Finn thought in his head, but didn¡¯tin out loud and just pulled himself back up to his feet. ¡°¡­ What now?¡± Octane grinned. ¡°Now that we¡¯re both down here, we can finally race. No Angelicas, no Abilities ¡ª just a pure contest of speed.¡± He walked over to stand beside Finn, then began doing some stretches to warm-up. ¡°I can¡¯t run for long, so let¡¯s just do a quick one,¡± Octane proposed. ¡°100 meters directly in front of you. Ready?¡± Finn nodded as he also did some simple stretches. It didn¡¯t matter how far away the finish line was ¡ª he just needed to keep running and wait until Octane told him to stop. Because Finn was a careful person, however, he still decided to keep track of his own steps. Since every step he took was roughly a meter, he just needed to count 100 steps in his head, that¡¯s all. ¡°Alright then.¡± Octane smiled wryly, crouching down in preparation to run. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much of a Daredevil you are, Ace.¡± Chapter 65: Devils Timing Chapter 65: Devil''s Timing ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ go!¡± Octane and Finn took off at the exact time, dashing through the wide Alcina ins. The strong wind was against them, which hindered them both, but even so, Octane immediately created a gap between himself and Finn. He was like a gush of wind on his own, pushing back against the greater current. A mere ten secondster, Octane had reached the finish point. Shortly after, Finn arrived as well. ¡°Not bad,¡± Octane said, patting his friend¡¯s shoulder and ncing down at his stopwatch. ¡°15.24 seconds. I was 9.59.¡± ¡®Isn¡¯t that just a little more than the world record¡­?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Octane¡¯s this fast without the help of his Angelica¡­ he could definitely be an athlete ¡ª that is, if the Ghosts hadn¡¯t dragged him into this mess.¡¯ ¡°You definitely can¡¯t be said to fit the Daredevil Angelica perfectly, but you¡¯re notpletely hopeless either,¡± he continued, sinking into thought. ¡°That rules out teaching you Tier 3 Abilities directly, but what should I teach you instead? Hm¡­¡± ording to the book Iris and Finn had read the night before, the Daredevil Angelica wasn¡¯t just speed focused. The core of its powers was ¡®pushing limits¡¯, providing users with high-risk but also high-reward Abilities. If that¡¯s the case, then¡­ ¡°Are there any Abilities that can greatly enhance my reaction speeds?¡± Finn asked. Since he was blind, a boost in reaction speed could save his life in crucial situations. ¡°Reaction speeds, huh¡­ there is one, but it¡¯s a Tier 3, so not happening,¡± Octane waved off his suggestion with ease. ¡°Teach me,¡± Finn insisted, not backing down. ¡°Like I said¡­ at least let me give it a shot.¡± Octane eyed Finn for a brief moment, then sighed. ¡°Fine, fine¡­ but before I teach it to you, just know this: every Ability in the Daredevil Angelica has repercussions.¡± Finn knew this already, but he listened anyway. ¡°The super speed that I like, for example, could end up killing me if I don¡¯t control it right,¡± Octane continued professionally. ¡°In your case, this reaction time Ability will do exactly what you wanted ¡ª improve your reaction speed by a lot ¡ª but at the same time, it shrinks your area of awareness down to a tiny radius around you, meaning you won¡¯t be able to anticipate any ranged attacks at all until it¡¯s toote. Do you still want to learn?¡± After some brief hesitation, Finn nodded. ¡°Ivis can take care of the ranged enemies. I trust her to do that.¡± ¡°Alright then. If you say so.¡± Having been granted approval, Finn activated his Daredevil Angelica, causing a green glow to arise from his body. He wondered if he could use multiple Angelicas at once ¡ª he¡¯s tried in the past, but never seeded. [You can, Finn~] Zelestria answered in his mind. [Just not yet.] ¡®Not yet¡­?¡¯ [Mhm~ As long as you keep ying Ghosts and harvesting their Souls though, you¡¯ll be able to in no time. So, keep going, darling~] ¡®¡­ I see.¡¯ ¡°Okay, Finn, listen closely,¡± Octane said, interrupting his thoughts. ¡°The Ability¡¯s name is Devil¡¯s Timing. It¡¯s a skill that can be activated instantly, unlike most other Abilities which all have cast times ranging from really short to long. ¡°The good thing about the Daredevil Angelica is that all the Abilities in it are pretty easy to use, no mana control, cirction, or any of that. All you have to do is think the Ability¡¯s name in your head while you have the Angelica active, and that¡¯s pretty much it. Give it a try.¡± Finn did as told, furrowing his brows in concentration. ¡®Devil¡¯s Timing.¡¯ Immediately, he felt as if the darkness around him amplified, somehow, with the exception of a meager five inch radius around his body. Everything seemed to slow down and the sound of wind grew louder and clearer, allowing Finn to perceive every swish and swoosh of it with ease. ¡°Oookayyyy, Finnnn. Iiiif youuuu diiid iiit cooorreeectlyyy, myyy voiiice shoould souuund slooooow toooo youuuu,¡± Octane said in a weird, distorted tone. Strangely, Finn could pinpoint the exact location where his voice wasing from, unlike normally where he could just identify the direction and give a rough estimate of the distance. Finn nodded. ¡°It does.¡± ¡°Goooood. Tooooo ennnnd the effeeeeect, juuuust thiiiink theeee Abiiiliiityy naaaame aaagaain,¡± Octane continued in that same slow-mo voice. ¡®Devil¡¯s Timing.¡¯ Finn¡¯s surroundings instantly went back to normal. The sound of wind faded away to the background once more, and the darkness of his blindness was spread out evenly again. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually got it,¡± Octane sighed. ¡°Maybe you do have talent for the Daredevil Angelica after all. But anyway, how did the Ability feel, as a blind person?¡± ¡°¡­ Quite useful, actually,¡± Finn replied. Since he could for some reason detect the extremely low-frequency sound Minor rank-and-file Phantoms made, Devil¡¯s Timing would help him determine the exact location of his enemies ¡ª almost like a radar in his head, but also making everything around him seeming to slow down. ¡°I have a question though.¡± Finn furrowed his brows in thought. ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Why did your voice slow down there¡­? As in, what¡¯s the theory behind this Ability?¡± ¡°Ah, I was confused about that when I first learned this Ability too,¡± Octane chuckled. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s not the outside world that¡¯s slowed down. It¡¯s you who began moving and reacting faster.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see.¡± In conclusion, this Ability had a rtive effect. In reality, Finn was just moving fasterpared to the flow of natural time, but from Finn¡¯s perspective, everything has slowed down, thus providing him with the upper hand inbat. But that leads to an important question. ¡°What¡¯s the cooldown on this Ability?¡± Finn asked. He knew Shapeshifting didn¡¯t have a cooldown since it wasn¡¯t meant to be used consecutively anyway, but this was different. He wanted to know the cooldown so that he could decide how sparingly to use it. ¡°d you asked,¡± Octane replied with a grin. ¡°You see, Angelicas need a certain amount of time between using the exact same Ability as your previous cast, and this time is different depending on which Ability we¡¯re talking about. As a general rule of thumb though, Tier 3 Abilities like Devil¡¯s Timing have cooldowns of a minute.¡± ¡®A minute¡­ 60 seconds.¡¯ ¡°But just keep this in mind ¡ª cooldowns aren¡¯t your biggest concern right now,¡± Octane continued as a friendly warning. ¡°Tier 3 Abilities use up a lot of mana, so D-ss Hunters like us should use them sparingly.¡± Finn actually had an immense mana pool thanks to the sheer amount of energy and power in his Ghost blood, but there was no point arguing about that here. ¡°Is there anything else you have to teach me?¡± Finn asked Octane, who rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Hm¡­ not really. All the other Abilities I know are rted to superspeed one way or another, which I doubt you would want.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ no thanks. I¡¯ll just end up crashing into a wall.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Octane said with a grin, then turned away from Finn. ¡°If you want to head back first, go ahead. As for me¡­ I¡¯m gonna go for a quick jog, heheh!¡± ¡°Uh, wai-¡° ¡°HELLLLL YEAH! THIS FEELS AMAZING!¡± Finn tried to stop him, but he had already dashed off far away into the lush green ins, grass swaying violently side by side from the roaring winds. Very soon, his figure was nothing but a tiny dot in the distance. ¡®I do want to head back first, Octane, but¡­¡¯ Finn sighed in resignation and sat down on the grass, letting the cool breeze wash over him. ¡®¡­ I don¡¯t know how to get back up to the teleporter.¡¯ Chapter 66: Shadow in the Sky Chapter 66: Shadow in the Sky Soon after, Octane returned from his jog, only to see that Finn still hadn¡¯t left. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re¡­ still¡­ here?¡± He panted, limping over. Finn, hearing his ragged breathing and uneven footsteps, stood up to help him. ¡°I can hardly leave without knowing where the exit is.¡± ¡°Ah, oops¡­ I forgor, sorry,¡± Octane chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Finn gently set him down on the grass before taking a seat next to him. ¡°What is this ce anyway?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh, this is District X, on the outer edge of the ind called Ouroboros. You see, the more outer the District is, the more rural it is. But honestly? I prefer this more. I mean, just look at this ce.¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­ Right. My bad. But you get the point.¡± ¡°Do people live here?¡± Finn asked, changing the topic. ¡°Yep,¡± Octane replied. ¡°Not as many as the more urban Districts, but plenty of people prefer the country life. Of course, Ghosts spawn here too, just more rarely.¡± ¡°What kind of Ghosts? Phantoms, just like the urban Districts?¡± ¡°Nah. Out here, the mostmon archetype is Specters. I dunno much about them, but apparently they¡¯re only visible at night yet can still cause harm during the day. All I know is that they¡¯re much harder to deal with than Phantoms.¡± Finn fell into thought. ¡°Huh, I see¡­ I suppose this means Ghost Hunter squadrons are stationed out here, right, Octane?¡± But he received no response. ¡°¡­ Octane?¡± Realizing something was up, Finn furrowed his brows in confusion, but suddenly, Octane spoke ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t anything Finn expected. ¡°F-Finn¡­ we have to get out of here. NOW!¡± ¡°What? Wh-¡° ¡°There¡¯s no time to exin, juste with me!¡± Octane got up despite him not being fully rested yet, taking Finn¡¯s hand and pulling his friend as he ran towards the mountain as fast as he could. This would undoubtedly trigger his asthma, but he grit his teeth and pushed through it. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­ c¡¯mon¡­ almost there¡­¡± He panted heavily as he climbed the mountainous terrain of the hill they had first arrived here on, all to reach the teleporter. Finn didn¡¯t need him to grab his hand anymore, since he could simply follow his rough breathing. He still had no idea what was going on, but realized this probably wasn¡¯t the right time to ask. ¡°Hurry, Finn¡­ get¡­ in¡­¡± Octane begged, finding it difficult to breathe. Every word was like someone stabbed him directly in the lungs, but he needed to get this message out regardless. After all¡­ what¡¯s a little asthmapared to the massive shadow looming above them? In an instant, the once sunlight-filled Alcina ins turned dark, overshadowed by the enormous figure that suddenly soared through the sky, making its terrifying presence known. Finn had no idea since he was blind ¡ª he did feel the wind get even harsher, but he assumed that was just part of the climate out here. Little did he know¡­ it was actually the bi-product of a massive dragon pping its wings. A normal dragon? No, no. Far from that. This was a type of Ghost, flesh mixed with machine. This, was an Eidolon. ***** As soon as Octane and Finn warped back to their home, the former faintedpletely on the spot. Finn, who had been helping him stand, caught his full weight and dragged him off the teleporter before carrying him on his back and heading out of the secret room. The bookshelves slid open so the two could exit, and the first thing that happened was Melvia spotting them. ¡°Good lord¡­ what happened¡­?¡± She asked, hurrying over and inspecting Octane. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure either,¡± Finn replied truthfully. ¡°We were just taking a short break, when he suddenly told me to run. So we did ¡ª and he ended up like this as a result of his asthma.¡± ¡°What could¡¯ve made him to run like so?¡± Melvia fell into thought. ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯ll have to wait until he wakes up. Here, follow me.¡± Finn, still carrying Octane, followed Melvia back down into the basement he had just been in this morning and set him down on a bed after being instructed to. ¡°Thanks,¡± Melvia said as she pulled out a syringe of some sort to inject into Octane. ¡°You can go see Storm now for your next lesson, if you want. He should be in his room.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Turning around and leaving, he headed upstairs to Storm¡¯s room. After knocking three gentle times on the door, he heard a voice respond impatiently. ¡°¡­ Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. Finn.¡± After a short silence, Storm sighed and replied. ¡°¡­ Come in.¡± Finn pushed open the door and entered, then closed it again behind him. ¡°I¡¯m here to learn about the Stormbringer Angelica you hav-¡° ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to tell me,¡± Storm cut him off rudely. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to say this right now ¡ª I¡¯m not a good teacher. I¡¯m also not a very patient person. Archon told me you¡¯re pretty talented at this¡­ so let¡¯s see if that¡¯s really true.¡± His voice was stained with hatred and jealousy, but Finn pretended to not notice and answered calmly. ¡°Sure. Teach me all you have.¡± Saying this, he activated his Stormbringer Angelica, causing a blue aura to appear around him along with sparks of electricity that threatened to shock anything that came within range. ¡°¡­ Not bad, I guess. Looks like you¡¯re just barely good enough for this Angelica.¡± ¡®Not bad¡­? Could he determine my aptitude for this Angelica based on the intensity of the electricity sparksing out of my body right now? Interesting¡­¡¯ Finn monitored the mana in his body carefully to get used to it. Every Angelica¡¯s mana current was different. The Shapeshifter Angelica, for example, had extremely neutral mana that could be molded into anything, while this one was extremely chaotic ¡ª perfect for lightning and thunderstorms. ¡°¡­ Hmph. Seems like you¡¯re ready,¡± Storm snorted, folding his arms. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a shot, then. The core concept of the Stormbringer Angelica ¡ª lightning control.¡± Chapter 67: Controlling Lightning Chapter 67: Controlling Lightning The Stormbringer Angelica was all about control. When you are able topletely control the divine lightning given by this power, only then will you have mastered this Angelica. Finn knew that from the book he read with Irisst night, but it was more difficult than he imagined. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Storm taunted. ¡°If you can¡¯t even do this much, might as well give it up. I don¡¯t have time to waste on you.¡± ¡®You say that¡­ but you¡¯re nothing but a defective product, ording to that Tempest person,¡¯ Finn thought in his head, but quickly pushed it aside to focus on himself. Within his bloodstreams, he could feel the Stormbringer mana flowing chaotically, like electricity. He concentrated and pictured himself grabbing the electricity with his hands, reigning it into submission. The lightning shocked his hand in his mind, but he didn¡¯t let go and continued to hold onto it as tightly as possible. Despite the burning and splintering sensation, Finn kept calm even as sweat began forming on his forehead. Storm watched this and couldn¡¯t help but be a bit surprised. One wasn¡¯t supposed to just forcefully grasp the lightning like this. That required insane focus and resolve, which most people, even Ghost Hunters, didn¡¯t possess. The understanding and eventual control of the Stormbringer¡¯s lightning was a gradual process. One was supposed to start by observing it,prehending it, then slowly familiarize themselves with it before actually attempting control. Yet Finn¡­ he went straight for it. Furrowing his brows tightly, Finn felt the lightning in his blood flow more rapidly than before, striking and zapping along his veins. He couldn¡¯t tell, but from Storm¡¯s perspective, the blue sparks of electricity around his body grew brighter and clearer with every second that passed. Finn¡¯s body began trembling, muscles bulging as blue energy ran beneath his tough skin that struggled to contain this chaotic power. Just when he bit his lip and thought he couldn¡¯t take it anymore, however, the lightning stopped. It calmed down, slowly stabilizing in Finn¡¯s blood/manastream. The glow around his body didn¡¯t dim one bit, proving he had sessfully controlled the lightning. Perhaps notpletely yet, as he could feel that him and the lightning were still two separate entities. Eventually, however, they would merge together ¡ª and that would be when Finn truly masters this Angelica. ¡°¡­ N-Not bad,¡± Storm said, trying to not sound impressed. ¡°With this, you can start learning actual Abilities now.¡± He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but Finn had far exceeded his expectations. What Archon said was not a lie. Storm himself had taken a full month to study the lightning in his body before actually attempting to control it, and even then, it took several failed attempts before finally seeding. Hell, even Storm¡¯s brother, Tempest, who was renowned as a genius in the Stormbringer Angelica, took a full week between his awakening and control of the lightning. And yet¡­ Finn was able to first try it without any preparation beforehand. This was more than enough to show the difference between the two. As much as Storm hated it, Finn was far superior to him. And deep down, he knew that. But his ego ¡ª his jealousy ¡ª just wouldn¡¯t let him show this on the surface. He was lying to himself ¡ª desperately telling himself that it wasn¡¯t true. That he was better than Finn. Feeding his own superiorityplex. Of course, with all this being said, Storm still had to continue with the lesson. So, clearing his throat, he walked over to the door and swung it open violently to unleash some of his pent-up frustration. ¡°¡­ Come on. We can¡¯t practice in here, unless you want to destroy the mansion.¡± ***** When the two headed downstairs, preparing to head for the teleporter, they instead noticed everyone gathered in the living room. Archon had a grim look on his face, and Melvia was busyforting the slightly immature Octane. Fanatic appeared to be deep in thought, and Iris shared an ufortable expression. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s happening here?¡± Storm asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms. ¡°Finn¡­¡± Iris nced at Finn, then Storm, then back at Finn again in worry. ¡°¡­ Octane just let us know of some disturbing news,¡± Archon said quietly, cing his elbows on the table and resting his chin atop his inteced hands. ¡°Apparently, while he and Finn were out in District X to train, they came across an Emperor-level Ghost.¡± ¡°W-What?! An Emperor-level¡­?!¡± Storm nearly lost his bnce in shock at this news. ¡°W-Well, is Octane okay?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Melvia reassured, stroking Octane¡¯s hair, who was currently sleeping peacefully. ¡°Just a bit¡­ traumatized, but otherwise fine.¡± ¡°Traumatized¡­? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Storm trailed off. Since he didn¡¯t want to finish his sentence, Archon did it for him. ¡°¡­ Yes. It wasn¡¯t just any Emperor-level Ghost they encountered. It was¡­ an Eidolon.¡± ¡®Eidolon¡­ one of the five Ghost archetypes?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. This was the first time he¡¯s heard of one, apart from that time Iris exined everything about the Ghost Hunter world to him. ¡°ording to the books, anyone who stares at an Eidolon¡¯s for too long will be traumatized. The more powerful the Eidolon is, the less time is needed,¡± Iris exined to Finn. ¡°You were safe since you couldn¡¯t see, but Octane¡­¡± Storm clenched his fists from beside Finn. ¡°Even though he was terrified to no end¡­ he saved you¡­ even if it meant triggering his asthma¡­ HE SAVED YOU!¡± Suddenly grabbing Finn¡¯s cor and pinning him against the wall, Storm roared in fury for his friend. ¡°Hey! Storm!¡± Archon immediately jumped out of his chair to try and stop him, but Iris was quicker. In an instant, she had her revolver ready and pointed at Storm¡¯s temple. Her beautiful eyes may be different colored, but in that moment, they held the same coldness within them. ¡°Let him go.¡± Storm slowly turned his head around to look at Iris, hate in his eyes. ¡°Why¡­ why do everyone protect him?!¡± Iris narrowed her eyes dangerously, cocking the gun back coldly. ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t say it again.¡± Chapter 68: Partners Chapter 68: Partners ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t say it again.¡± Storm gritted his teeth in anger at Iris¡¯s words, and this gave Finn the time he needed to react ¡ª sinking a devastating punch into Storm¡¯s stomach. ¡°Guh¡­¡± Storm backed off a bit from the impact, letting go of Finn, who took advantage of this and kicked him straight in the chest, sending him flying over the handle of the staircase and crashing onto the floor below. ¡°Ngh-! Gah¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn remainedpletely silent as he turned around, preparing to head back to his own room. But it would seem someone wasn¡¯t done just yet. ¡°G-Geh¡­ I¡¯ve had¡­ ENOUGH OF YOU!¡± All of a sudden, Storm called upon his Angelica, consumed by rage. Archon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Storm! Are you crazy?! Calm down!¡± ¡°Shut up, Archon!¡± Storm howled, blue lightning sparking out of his body as everyone quickly backed away. ¡°How could you¡­ treat an OUTSIDER like him¡­ better than someone who views you as a FATHER?!¡± ¡°W-What¡­? What are you talking abou-¡° ¡°You know DAMN WELL what I¡¯m TALKING ABOUT!¡± Storm cut in as a de of lightning formed in his hand, then turned back to Finn. ¡°Finn Thresher¡­ you took EVERYTHING from me! I¡¯LL FUCKING KILL YOU!¡± Time seemed to slow down for Finn as Storm leaped up into the air towards the staircase, hoping to cut him down. But Finn, as calm as ever, merely snorted without the slightest bit of change in his expression. ¡°Just you? A jealous kid who has anger management issues? Hmph. What a joke.¡± ¡®Devil¡¯s Timing.¡¯ In an instant, the darkness around Finn intensified, and all sounds were amplified exponentially. Finn heard the sound of Iris turning the safety on her gun off, and Archon desperately trying to intervene by getting out of his chair. Fanatic and Melvia¡¯s yells were put under slow-mo and reverb as Finn entered a state of absolute focus, to the point where everything was happening slower to him. But all of these noises faded into the background as the sound of Storm bringing his sword up into the air reached Finn¡¯s close proximity, and he immediately pinpointed the location of the attack. Before anyone could even react, Finn reared back and unleashed the most powerful punch he had ever thrown, his fist colliding sharply with Storm¡¯s abdomen. The impact was so strong that a shockwave was sent out all around Finn, shaking the paintings on the wall and blowing away the napkins ced on the table below. In an instant, the flow of time returned to normal for Finn once more, and Storm was sent flying backwards again. This time, however, he didn¡¯t have the luxury of using the floor to break his fall. No ¡ª Finn sent Storm crashing straight through the handle of the staircase this time, shattering the wood and smashing into the wall like a cannonball. ¡°Storm!¡± Archon yelled and ran over as Storm fell down to the ground, leaving a massive crater in the beige walls of the mansion. ¡°Finn¡­¡± Iris nced up at her partner, who didn¡¯t pay any mind to what he just did and headed back upstairs to his room. Iris quickly followed using the elevator, pushing her wheelchair as fast as she could. ***** Iris knocked on Finn¡¯s door gently. ¡°¡­ Can Ie in, Finn?¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Finn replied calmly as he sat on the floor, continuing to experiment with his Stormbringer lightning. Iris hesitantly opened the door and rolled her wheelchair inside with some effort, then closed it again. Softly, she whispered. ¡°Finn¡­ why?¡± Finn stopped. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. You could¡¯ve easily let me just shoot him dead there, but you took matters in your own hands and beat him down. What I don¡¯t get is why.¡± ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t notice you trying to shoot him,¡± Finn lied. ¡°I am blind, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to answer,¡± Iris said, havingpletely seen through his lie. ¡°But I just don¡¯t understand¡­ after today¡¯s conflict, knowing Storm¡¯s personality, he¡¯ll never forgive you. I¡¯m almost certain he¡¯s going to betray you and spread knowledge of your powers to everyone he can find. That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t hesitant to pull the trigger, but¡­¡± Finn sighed, realizing hiding the truth was pointless. ¡°There are two reasons why I took things into my own hands. One, because I thought you weren¡¯t gonna make it in time before he cut me in half; and two¡­ I thought he could still be saved.¡± ¡°Still be saved¡­?¡± Iris echoed, confused. ¡°By Archon,¡± Finn rified. ¡°Storm said he saw Archon as a father. If that¡¯s the case, then¡­ perhaps there is room for redemption for him. I still need someone to teach me the Stormbringer Angelica, after all.¡± Sure, he could just borrow a book from the Melione Archives, but once again, having someone directly teach is a far easier and more effective method. ¡°¡­ I see. That¡¯s logical, I suppose,¡± Iris sighed. ¡°But personally¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s turning back for Storm.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°If he does try to betray me¡­ I¡¯ll kill him without holding back. But if not, hopefully we can remain squadmates.¡± ¡°Mm¡­ I guess.¡± Iris still seemed dubious of Finn¡¯s decision, but didn¡¯t argue any further and instead made to take her leave. Right before she left, however, Finn left a few words for her to think about. ¡°By the way¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡± Iris blinked. ¡°T-Thanks¡­? What for?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hesitate at all to kill someone for me,¡± Finn exined. ¡°You didn¡¯t actually do it, but you clearly had the resolve to do it given the tone you were using earlier. I appreciate that.¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ you¡¯re my partner, so if you were to die, I¡¯d be left without a pair of legs again,¡± Iris replied bashfully. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to go back to being that lonely girl, always cooped up in a room all day.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°I¡¯m depending on you too. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± Iris smiled and giggled softly. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Chapter 69: Betrayal Chapter 69: Betrayal Once Iris left the room, Finn returned to trying toprehend the Stormbringer¡¯s lightning on an even deeper level, but was quickly interrupted once more. [I didn¡¯t expect you to make this decision, Finn.] ¡®¡­ What?¡¯ [If I were you, I would¡¯ve just let that boy die, fufu~ but I suppose, after listening to your reasons, I can see where you¡¯reing from. But¡­ there¡¯s one more reason, isn¡¯t there? One that you didn¡¯t tell that Iris girl~] Finn knew Zelestria could read his thoughts, so there was no point hiding anything. ¡®Yeah. Your point?¡¯ [To be able to n that far ahead¡­ you¡¯re even better than I imagined, Finn~] She giggled softly. [Even if Storm does betray you, you can in turn use him to track down those with hostile intentions towards you and eliminate them.] ¡®I expect word of my power to leak out sooner orter, even if I never told the squadron in the first ce. Holding back against Ghosts is not an option, after all. By letting someone who I know the weakness of betray me and spread the word, I can turn the situation in my favor and kill any possible enemies I¡¯ll have in the future.¡¯ [Oh? What¡¯s his weakness, then?] Finn snorted. ¡®Isn¡¯t it obvious? Iris.¡¯ [Hm¡­ yes, love is truly a powerful emotion, just like jealousy. But using that girl as a tool like this¡­ I can¡¯t imagine she will appreciate it~] ¡®You say it like I¡¯m doing something evil. This is no different than her being my eyes, and I her legs. We are merely using one another, that¡¯s all.¡¯ [Really now?] Zelestria sounded doubtful. [Fufu~ in that case, are you merely using me as well?] ¡®Naturally,¡¯ Finn replied in his head without any hesitation. ¡®Aren¡¯t you the same, using me toplete a ¡®task¡¯ of yours?¡¯ [Perhaps. But why can¡¯t there be¡­ something more~?] Finn suddenly felt her warm breathe from directly beside his ear and quickly stood up. ¡°¡­ Can you not suddenly appear beside me like that?¡± ¡°Hehe~ cute reaction,¡± Zelestria giggled, hiding herughter with her hand. ¡°I¡¯m trying to train here. If you would leave me alone, that would be great.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She licked her lips seductively and closed in on Finn, caressing his chin gently. ¡°You¡¯re alone with a beautiful goddess in a private room¡­ and you want to train?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Fufu~ that¡¯s just like the Finn I know.¡± Zelestria smiled widely, throwing her warm arms around Finn¡¯s neck and pulling herself closer. ¡°But¡­ what if I let you in on a little secret?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°What secret?¡± She giggled like a little subus and leaned into Finn¡¯s ear until he could feel her hot breath directly by his side. ¡°When you kill Ghosts, you gain their Souls. But since your Ghost Blood has the intrinsic trait to consume¡­ the majority of the Souls you collect is absorbed by yourself. I¡¯m only getting a little bit. You know what this means, don¡¯t you~?¡± ¡°¡­ That it will take a very long time before you can heal my eyes, huh?¡± ¡°Precisely. But there¡¯s a faster method to transfer Souls directly to me. And that is¡­¡± She licked the edge of Finn¡¯s ear, tracing her hot and wet tongue all over it as Finn flinched in response. ¡°Fufu~ through sex.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Downstairs ¨C ¡°¡­ Storm. Are you finally awake?¡± Archon asked coldly, ring at the boy whoy on the couch before him. Everyone went back to their own rooms after that incident, with the exception of Archon and Reaper, who now stared at Storm. The former erected a sound barrier on the house to prevent disturbing anyone else, as cksmith Angelica users weren¡¯t just limited to weapons but objects as well (excluding armor). Storm slowly blinked his eyes open, having been fed a healing potion, only to meet the cold gaze of the man he saw as a father. ¡°Archon¡­?¡± ¡°I must say¡­ I¡¯m ashamed. Thoroughly ashamed of you.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go pretending you forgot everything now. I should¡¯ve known from the moment I noticed you being more quiet than usual¡­¡± Archon clenched his fists tightly. ¡°You¡¯re weak, Storm. Finn may be blind, but he¡¯s is superior to you in every way.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Storm groaned and sat up on the couch, clutching his stomach where Finn hit him in pain. But that was nothingpared to Archon¡¯s words, which cut deeper than a knife. ¡°You want to be like him. That¡¯s fine. Competitiveness is what drives people to constantly improve. But when thatpetitiveness turns into raw, ugly jealousy¡­ you turn into nothing more than a coward.¡± Storm finally came back to his senses, recalling everything that had happened. All the anger he felt from before came surging back to him in an instant, body shaking as he slowly stood up from the couch. ¡°Why¡­ why are you on his side¡­? Why is EVERYONE on his side?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not on his side, Storm,¡± Archon replied quietly. ¡°I want to be on yours. I really do. You said you saw me as a father ¡ª and I see you like my own child. But it is precisely because of that that I can¡¯t tolerate your actions today. I have failed to educate you, Storm. What happened today was not your fault ¡ª it was mine.¡± ¡°NO! It¡¯s all that bastard¡¯s fault!¡± Storm roared. ¡°WHERE IS HE?!¡± ¡°STORM!¡± Archon yelled in an even louder tone, drowning out all else. After a short silence, he continued. ¡°You said Finn took everything away from you. By that, I¡¯m guessing you mean Ivis, huh? But the way I see it¡­ she was never yours in the first ce.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± ¡°Face the reality, Storm. What happened today was nothing more than you throwing a tantrum over your one-sided, unrequited love. Ivis doesn¡¯t love you.¡± ¡°But that bastard¡­ he doesn¡¯t even like Ivis back! You can see it-¡° ¡°So?¡± Archon cut in. ¡°That¡¯s their problem to worry about. Melvia didn¡¯t like me back at first either. Love takes time, Storm. It¡¯s not your position to interfere in a matter they never asked you to interfere in.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ I see now¡­¡± Stormughed slightly maniacally, shaking his head and clutching his forehead with his hands as he wobbled around the room like a drunkard. ¡°He even took you, huh¡­? He took everything¡­ ALL BECAUSE OF HIM!¡± Archon shook his head in frustration. ¡°No, I just want you to recognize-¡° ¡°HAH! If that¡¯s the case¡­ then SO BE IT!¡± Storm began heading for the door of the mansion as Archon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Storm, what are you-¡° ¡°SHUT UP! Since no one here understands me¡­ I¡¯ll find someone who does. And when I do¡­ that bastard will pay. I might not be able to beat him right now, but I WILL. I SWEAR IT.¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± Archon shook his head and hurriedly pulled Storm into a hug, preventing him from going any further. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking straight! Stop this, now!¡± ¡°Let¡­ GO OF ME!¡± ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Storm activated his Angelica, electrocuting Archon, causing him to lose his grip. Storm slowly walked towards the door, hands shoved in his pockets and expression twisted in madness. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again¡­ Archon.¡± ¡°G-Guh¡­ Storm¡­¡± Archon tried to crawl towards the boy he saw as his own child, but his body refused to listen. His muscles felt weak, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. ¡°Storm¡­ Derek¡­ please¡­ once you do this¡­ there¡¯s no¡­ turning¡­ back.¡± His eyes shut tight as darkness engulfed him. Chapter 70: The Beginning Chapter 70: The Beginning ¨C Half an Hour Later ¨C Archon slowly recovered from the electrocution and faced the reality. After a while of sitting around and contemting what to do from here, he decided to call everyone down to the living room to hold a discussion, including Finn (who had been doing certain things with Zelestria in his room). After Zelestria returned to the reality rift, Finn slipped his clothes back on and headed out. Everyone else had gathered there already ¡ª with the exception of Storm. But s, Finn didn¡¯t know that, given that he was blind. ¡°¡­ Finn,¡± Iris said hesitantly after he sat down. ¡°Storm¡­ he left.¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Left? Why would he¡­¡± ¡°I tried convincing him that what happened today was his fault,¡± Archon exined, before turning away in shame. ¡°It only served to drive him away, further and further away from the right path. I¡¯m sorry, Finn. I never thought he would attack you like that.¡± ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t mind me knocking him unconscious?¡± Finn asked, a bit surprised. Archon shook his head. ¡°In all honesty¡­ even if Ivis killed him there with her gun, I would have no one to me but myself. You prevented that from happening, which I am grateful for.¡± ¡°But perhaps¡­¡± Fanatic took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re gonna hate me for what I¡¯m going to say, but perhaps¡­ it would¡¯ve been better if he got killed there.¡± ¡°W-Wha?!¡± Octane, who had been silent until now, exploded in fury. ¡°How could you say that, Professor?! Storm¡­ h-he-¡° ¡°He¡¯s going to spread word of Finn¡¯s powers,¡± Iris cut in coldly. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about that. He hates Finn to the bone ¡ª inviting trouble his way would be the best method of getting his revenge.¡± ¡°I¡­ I still don¡¯t get it,¡± Octane cried. ¡°Why does Storm hate Finn¡­? They seemed to be on good terms to me¡­¡± Melvia sighed and stroked Octane¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯re still too immature to understand, Max. Just because two people aren¡¯t outright brawling doesn¡¯t mean they are on good terms with one another. Eventually, the conflict will rise to a point where only violence can solve it ¡ª just like what you saw today.¡± ¡°¡­ I still don¡¯t think Storm would try and kill Finn¡­¡± ¡°He did, Octane,¡± Fanatic said quietly. ¡°We all saw it with our own two eyes. So I want you to make a decision.¡± Octane frowned. ¡°A decision¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. As much as you don¡¯t want to believe it, Storm is our enemy now. If Finn and him get into another fight when they cross paths in the future¡­ who will you help?¡± ¡°U-Uh, that¡­¡± ¡°Please, Arthur,¡± Melvia interrupted, using Fanatic¡¯s real name. ¡°You know it¡¯s difficult for Max.¡± ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡± Fanatic turned away. ¡°I just want to get his intentions clear. If he chooses to help Storm, then I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t trust him anymore.¡± ¡°I-I won¡¯t,¡± Octane replied firmly. ¡°I believe all of you¡­ if Storm really did try and kill Finn, then he¡¯s obviously in the wrong. If we meet in the future¡­ I¡¯ll help Finn and try to bring Storm back home.¡± ¡®Bring him back home?¡¯ Finn scoffed in his head. ¡®Too bad, Octane. That won¡¯t happen¡­ because I¡¯ll kill him after I¡¯m done using him.¡¯ Archon sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ call the guild tomorrow to see if they canunch a search party for him. There¡¯s the matter of that Dragon Eidolon, too¡­¡± ¡°Speaking of tomorrow,¡± Melvia added. ¡°Just because Derek is gone now doesn¡¯t mean our mission has changed. Or rather ¡ª your mission, since Bakris and I can¡¯t show ourselves in public. The meet-up with the other squadron will still be happening, so get a good night¡¯s rest in preparation for that.¡± Finn assumed Derek was Storm¡¯s real name, as he¡¯s never heard it used before. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Archon agreed. ¡°The reason I called everyone here is to tell you not to worry about Storm. Leave that matter to Melvia and I. Fanatic, Finn, Ivis, Octane, and Reaper ¡ª you five are to focus on the Baron hunting up.¡± ¡°Remember, the entire District is at stake here,¡± Melvia said with a serious tone. ¡°If you fail to get rid of this Baron, an opportunity like this won¡¯t present itself until a good few years from now¡­ and by then, it will be toote. The District will be overflowing with Ghosts.¡± Fanatic nodded firmly in response. ¡°Eliminate the Barons, take down the Emperor, and prevent it from summoning any more Outbreaks. We understand the mission.¡± ¡°Right. There will still be Outbreaks happening from time to time, but that¡¯s a course of nature,¡± Archon exined. ¡°With the Emperor-level here, however, the number of Outbreaks will increase exponentially. We must bring it down.¡± ¡°We forgot to mention earlier, but you¡¯ll be staying at the other Squadron¡¯s ce until the mission is over,¡± Melvia said helpfully. ¡°W-What?!¡± Octane cried in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, Max,¡± she replied with a warm, reassuring smile. ¡°The others will take care of you.¡± ¡°E-Eh? B-But¡­¡± Octane appeared really nervous, body shaking. Archon, seeing this, decided to do something. ¡°¡­ Everyone, follow me. I want to show you something.¡± He stood up and headed for the teleporter room. After some hesitation, the five young Ghost Hunters setting out tomorrow followed. Once they were all on the tform, Archon closed his eyes and thought of a certain ce. His mana was powerful enough to warp all of them without the others having to think of the destination as well. Shortly after, the six warped away to a forest of some kind, illuminated by twilight. ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± Iris asked in puzzlement. Archon, who stood facing the five, chuckled. ¡°Look behind you.¡± Finn, Iris, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper all spun around. All of a sudden, they found themselves staring at a beautiful sunset, orange and magnificent. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris¡¯s dual-colored eyes sparkled as she hurriedly rolled her wheelchair out of the forest and closer to the edge of the cliff. The other four followed, with Archon trailing behind them slowly. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± He chuckled. ¡°This ce ¡ª or rather, that city down there ¡ª is where I was born: District N. When I was a child, I used to hike my way up this mountain and stare out at this sunset, every single day.¡± ¡°Octane, you¡¯re gonna have to get used to staying at different ces as you continue your work as a Ghost Hunter,¡± he continued with a faint smile, folding his arms behind his back. ¡°Resolving Outbreaks? Shutting down rogue Angelica users? Heh. That¡¯s just the small fry.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± Octane murmured softly,pletely drawn into the massive orange semicircle in the distance. Archon nodded in satisfaction, then moved on to his next target. ¡°Reaper.¡± [Instruction: Unclear. Repeat requested.] Archon chuckled. ¡°Actually¡­ just keep being you,¡± he said, then turned to the short middle-schooler of the bunch. ¡°Fanatic. Keep up that good work of yours. You may not have an Angelica, but you¡¯ve saved all of our asses more times than I can count.¡± Fanatic nodded briskly in response. ¡°You can count on me, Archon. Now and always.¡± Archon smiled. ¡°Good. Now then¡­ Ivis. You¡¯ve grown a lot, from that shut-in, introverted girl I picked up off the street to a full-blown fighter who can kill without any hesitation. And with wings, too, to top it off.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Irisughed awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Finn, really.¡± Finn, who couldn¡¯t see this marvelous sunset, was a bit bummed out, but Archon merely smiled like an encouraging father. ¡°¡­ Right. Finn. I know you can¡¯t see, but¡­¡± cing a rough hand on Finn¡¯s shoulder and patting it a few times, he spoke quietly yet firmly under the brilliant radiance of the setting sun. ¡°Eyes up, Hunter. This is just the beginning.¡± Chapter 71: Zelestrias Techniques (18+) Chapter 71: Zelestria''s Techniques (18+) ¨C Within Finn¡¯s Room, During Archon and Storm¡¯s Argument ¨C ¡°Through sex¡­?¡± Finn echoed, confused. ¡°Yes,¡± Zelestria confirmed. ¡°By injecting your semen into my body, Souls are much more easily transferred.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ is this another one of your tricks?¡± ¡°Fufu~ just lie down, darling~¡± She gently pushed Finn down on the bed, licking her lips seductively with deeply flushed cheeks. ¡°¡­ Hold on,¡± Finn interrupted, grabbing her hand. ¡°Hm~? You don¡¯t want to do it with me? Well then, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait a very, VERY long time until you can get your eyes back¡­¡± Zelestria shrugged innocently as if taunting Finn. He sighed. ¡°No, not that. I mean¡­ is it even possible for you to do it?¡± Zelestria giggled. ¡°You¡¯ll find out shortly, no~?¡± ¡°Even so¡­ there¡¯s no point to doing it now, is there? I can count the number of Ghosts I¡¯ve killed so far on two hands.¡± ¡°Heheh, maybe, but¡­¡± Zelestria straddled herself on top of Finn¡¯s body, closing one eye and sticking out her tongue to tempt Finn, even though he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°¡­ A little practice can¡¯t hurt, can it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need practice,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°I know how to have sex.¡± ¡°Ara ara~ this isn¡¯t your first time? How unfortunate¡­¡± ¡°It is my first time, but I¡¯m well aware of how intercourse works.¡± ¡°Oh, so you haven¡¯t actually experienced it yet¡­ fufu~ perfect. You know what they say ¡ª learning is not the same as doing. I¡¯ve watched plenty of sexual material on the ¡®Inte¡¯, as you humans call it, but I¡¯ve yet to actually try it with someone. So, Finn¡­¡± She took Finn¡¯s hand and rubbed it on her own crotch area, which Finn could feel was wet even through her tight jumpsuit. ¡°¡­ Do you want to take my first time~?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent, unsure of he should ept this proposal or not. Does he do this ¡®practice run¡¯ with Zelestria, or continue trying to master the Stormbringer Angelica? He weighed the choices in his head, trying to decide which one was more worth the time. Zelestria, noticing this, smiled seductively. ¡°My, my~ you seem to be hesitant. But¡­¡± She suddenly unzipped Finn¡¯s pants and pulled out his rock-hard 8-inch long cock, before stroking it lovingly. ¡°This little guy down here is quite honest~¡± ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn may be cold and more or less emotionless, but he couldn¡¯t deny that her hand movements felt good on his dick. ¡°Oh my¡­ you¡¯re so big~¡± Zelestria mused in awe, staring at Finn¡¯s massive cock in wonder. ¡°Hey, tell me¡­ when did you get such a big boner? When I licked your ear, perhaps? Or was it when I made you touch my wet pussy~?¡± ¡°Good question. I didn¡¯t really pay attention, myself.¡± ¡°Aw, you were supposed to say ¡®your body turned me on, Zelestria~''¡± She licked her lips and shifted her body down to the edge of the bed a bit so that Finn¡¯s cock was pointing directly at her face. ¡°Now then¡­ let¡¯s start off with a technique I¡¯ve seen used quite a lot ¡ª a blowjob.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Finn gasped as Zelestria tenderly touched the tip of his shaft with her tongue, before slowly sinking into small kisses and pecks with her lips. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Finn cursed to avoid moaning, but the truth was, it felt amazing. Zelestria drew circles with her tongue on the top of Finn¡¯s dick, gently teasing the tip while stroking the body with her hand. She even brought her other hand into this too, softly squeezing his balls. Enough to stimte, but not so hard that it hurt. It was a perfect bnce, almost as if she was a professional at this. ¡°Z-Zelestria¡­ have you really¡­ never done this before¡­?¡± Finn asked, clutching his bedsheets tightly. ¡°Fufu~ nope, never. But I did get to watch lots and lots of videos, so I¡¯m going to employ all those tactics I learned on you. Enjoy, darling~ mmn.¡± Saying this, she suddenly swallowed Finn¡¯s entire cock, all the way up to the base. Finn groaned in pleasure as his dick hit the innermost parts of her throat, warm and wet. Zelestria carefully ran her tongue around the enormous cock in her mouth, making sure to coat everyst millimeter of it with her hot, sticky saliva. ¡°Mmn~ your cock ish sho huge, I can barely move my tongue in here~¡± She said that, but she still continued to lick Finn¡¯s dick all over. Once it waspletely drowned in her saliva, she began to move her head up and down, slowly slurping on it while carefully savoring the taste. ¡°Oh~ your dick tashtes amazhing¡­¡± she moaned with ecstasy, greedily sucking on it like ice cream. ¡°Your mouth feels amazing¡­¡± Finn subconsciously let out quietly. He had meant to think that in his head, but he identally let it slip due to the pleasure. Zelestria, hearing this, took Finn¡¯s cock out of her mouth and tapped it against her warm, flushed cheeks, smiling seductively. ¡°Ara ara~ if my darling likes it so much, then perhaps I should go faster~¡± She downed his dick once more, going even faster and making erotic slurping noises apanied by soft moans. ¡°Shlurp¡­ mmn¡­ mmph¡­¡± ¡°Oh, shit¡­¡± Finn grit his teeth, trying his best not to give in to the lust that was slowly overwhelming him. He could feel his dick enter the deepest parts of her throat, since it was too long to just fit in her mouth. Zelestria didn¡¯t seem to mind nearly choking on his massive cock, however, and instead continued to suck as hard as she could as she took off Finn¡¯s pantspletely with her hands and threw them off to one side. They were in the way. Now, she could use all her techniques to the fullest. With Zelestria¡¯s continuous, superb sucking technique with her saliva-coated mouthbined with her hands fiddle with his balls, Finn could feel he was almost there. ¡°Zelestria¡­ I¡¯m going to-¡° ¡°Oh my~ you¡¯re going to cum? Perfect¡­ cum deep in my throat¡­ give me everyst drop~!¡± She sped up even further, and soon, Finn couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He reached down and pressed Zelestria¡¯s face against his crouch, shoving his dick as deep in her throat as it could possibly go, and let his hot, sticky cum out atst. ¡°Mmnph~?!¡± Zelestria¡¯s eyes widened at this as she took in the whole load, letting it drip down her throat and deep into her body. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Finn panted heavily as he finally pulled his cock back out of her throat, dripping any remaining semen all over the bed. ¡°Fufufu~¡± Zelestria giggled as she opened her mouth, now stained with Finn¡¯s thick and sticky white cum. ¡°Your cum is delicious, darling~¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s it, right?¡± Finn asked, breathing heavily. ¡°I just have to give you the Souls via my semen?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± She smiled suggestively. ¡°But the mouth is not the most effective way.¡± ¡°What? Then¡­¡± ¡°Hehe~ yep~¡± Zelestria slowly took off her tight jumpsuit, revealing her wless pearl-white skin underneath. Her two amazingly voluptuous and beautiful breasts were like inted balloons just asking to be groped, and her soft buttocks rested on top of Finn¡¯s thighs. She flicked her long pink hair back and straddled on top of Finn once again, rubbing her wet and sloppy pussy on Finn¡¯s cock. Instantly, in all of its 8-inch glory, Finn¡¯s dick got rock hard once more. He could feel her love juices seeping out and slobbering all over his dick, hot and erotic, and she could feel hisrge, throbbing cock pounding against her pussy, begging to be let in. She smiled seductively and cupped her own face with one hand while spreading her pussy wide with her other. ¡°The most effective way¡­ is using this hole, darling~¡± Chapter 72: A Little Practice (18+) Chapter 72: A Little Practice (18+) ¡°My, my¡­ you just came already, yet it looks like you¡¯re still raring to go, huh~?¡± Zelestria giggled and licked her lips seductively, softly caressing Finn¡¯s cock. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t we need condoms for this?¡± Finn asked dubiously, enjoying the touch of Zelestria¡¯s fingertips tracing over his hard dick. ¡°Oh darling~ if we use condoms, your cum won¡¯t be able to enter my body~¡± She leaned in and whispered into Finn¡¯s ear. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about me getting pregnant, don¡¯t be. That¡¯s not possible for me ¡ª meaning we can do this bareback as much as we want, fufu~¡± She lifted her body up a little, carefully lining Finn¡¯s 8-inch-long member with her sloppy, dripping wet pussy. Finn could feel the hotness and moistness of it, as if inviting him toe inside. ¡°Alright~ I can¡¯t hold back any longer¡­ ahn~!¡± She suddenly sat down, allowing Finn¡¯s enormous rod to slide smoothly into her hole as her eyes widened from the size. ¡°You¡¯re too loud¡­!¡± Finn whispered sharply, wondering what would happen if someone caught the two of them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, darling~ I can choose when I can be heard and seen by others~¡± Zelestria giggled, then suddenly gasped in shock. ¡°Oh my~ it¡¯s getting even¡­ bigger¡­ fufu~ did me saying that stimte you~?¡± ¡°God¡­¡± Finn groaned in pleasure, grasping the bedsheets tightly. Zelestria¡¯s virgin pussy felt different from her mouth ¡ª a lot warmer, sloppier, and a wonderful tightness that proved it was her first time. ¡°O-Oh, fuck¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ this size¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± Zelestria gasped for air, her naked body falling forward and onto Finn¡¯s. ¡°Sorry¡­ I need some time to¡­ oh, god¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t have time to waste like this¡­!¡± Finn gritted his teeth and took matters into his own hands ¡ª quite literally. ¡°Mmn~?!¡± He groped Zelestria¡¯s soft buttcheeks, fingers sinking into them like tofu. Zelestria¡¯s body flinched from the touch, and she slowly turned her head around to see what Finn was doing. ¡°D-Darling~ what are you¡­ oh~!¡± Finn lifted her hips up from his using her ass before mming it back down again, causing Zelestria to moan in ecstasy. Then, he did it again and again, until the two fell into a steady rhythm. ¡°W-Wait¡­ ahn~ slow down, Finn~¡± Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t do that. The insides of her sloppy pussy felt far too good and slippery to slow down. ¡°Mmn~ oh~ it¡¯s getting even bigger¡­ how is this possible~?¡± Finn didn¡¯t bother responding, mainly because he was desperately trying to hold back from moaning as well. He dug his fingertips deep into her soft asscheeks and squeezed them as a countermeasure, causing Zelestria to moan even louder and begin moving of her own ord. ¡°My, my¡­ you¡¯ve really turned me on now, darling~¡± She grabbed Finn¡¯s wrist and shifted one of his big hands away from her ass to her voluptuous right breast before making him squeeze down hard. ¡°Ahn~ amazing~¡± Her breasts felt like enormous marshmallows to Finn, soft and malleable. They held a heavenly texture too wonderful to be exined in words. Zelestria smiled as she pumped her body up and down on Finn¡¯s massive cock, biting her bottom lip from the indescribable pleasure. Every time his dick entered her, she could feel both her G-spot and A-spot getting hit perfectly, making her explode with euphoria. ¡°Oh~ your dick is so big that it¡¯s stretching my pussy apart~¡± She moaned in ecstasy, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of Finn inside her. ¡°Keep going, darling~ mold my womb into the shape of your cock~!¡± Her words served to stimte Finn, who in turn began thrusting faster. ¡°Ahn~ yes~ mmf! This feels¡­ so good~!¡± ¡°Engh¡­ Zelestria¡­ I¡¯m going to¡­¡± Finn mustered out, feeling like his dick was ready to explode. ¡°Hm~? You¡¯re going to cum~? Oh, my¡­ I am too, but¡­¡± Just before Finn was about to release his load, Zelestria stopped moving. Finn sat up, confused. ¡°Zelestria¡­? Why?¡± ¡°Fufu~ it¡¯s a tactic I learned online,¡± she replied, slowly pulling Finn¡¯s massive cock out of her pussy and turning around so that her snow-white buttocks were facing him. ¡°I want to enjoy this more, darling~ you can¡¯te just yet. This time¡­¡± She took hold of Finn¡¯s throbbing dick and began stroking it slowly with her hand. ¡°¡­ I want you to do me from behind~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent but got into a kneeling position on the bed so that he was ready to pound her ass to the fullest, taking off his shirt. He moved closer, resting his hot, massive cock on her two soft buttcheeks. ¡°Is it here¡­?¡± ¡°Mm~ yes, put it i- ahn?!¡± Suddenly, Zelestria¡¯s eyes widened in shock as Finn thrust his dick in¡­ the wrong hole. ¡°O-Oh~ darling, that¡¯s not the right- AH!¡± It was toote to pull it back out now, so Finn just thrust deeper into her ass. There was no need for lube, since his dick was already coated in Zelestria¡¯s sloppy love juices that made it extremely easy to slide his dick in and out of her tight butthole. ¡°A-Ah~ I suppose this is fine¡­ too¡­ either way, it¡¯s going in me~¡± The insides of her ass felt different than her pussy. Thetter was tight and wet all around, but this felt tight only at the entrance and had extremely smooth insides that made it easy to thrust in and out. Finn reached down for Zelestria¡¯s arms and found them with ease, before pulling back to pound her even harder than before. ¡°Oh~! Darling~ you¡¯re so good at this~ go faster~¡± She moaned, eyes rolling back and tongue sticking out. Finn didn¡¯t feel any love for Zelestria, but having sex with her like this sure felt insanely good. Masturbating didn¡¯t evenpare. In this position, with her butt pointing at him and her two arms in his grasp, Finn felt like he hadpletely dominated this so-called goddess. The stimtion from such a feeling made him want to go harder and faster, just like Zelestria wanted. ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯m going to cum, Zelestria¡­!¡± ¡°Yes~! Give me all of it, darling~!¡± ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± ¡°AHN~!!!¡± Finn let out everyst drop of cum he had, pumping his baby seeds straight into her voluptuous ass. Zelestria¡¯s head flicked back from pleasure as she moaned loudly, body trembling with ecstasy. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Finn slowly took his dick out of Zelestria¡¯s cum-filled asshole beforeying back down on the bed, somewhat exhausted. Had it not been for all the training he did today, he would¡¯ve been able to go for a couple more hours no problem, but¡­ ¡°Fufufu~¡± Zelestria scooped up some of the semen that had spilled out of her asshole onto the bed and licked it off her fingers seductively. Since she never needed to use the bathroom like humans, there was no hygiene issue here ¡ª her asshole was essentially just a second pussy for Finn. She shifted her body andid down on top of him, purposely rubbing her soft breasts against his body and gently licking his two nipples. ¡°Mmn~ your cum and nipples¡­ I can¡¯t decide which tastes better~¡± Zelestria said seductively, licking her lips. Immediately, Finn¡¯s dick sprang up once again, even though its owner was exhausted. Zelestria, seeing this, blinked a few times in surprise. ¡°Ara, ara~ you still want more, darling~?¡± ¡°No. We finished our practice run already. This is¡­ just a natural reaction,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°My, my¡­ but you can¡¯t possibly continue training with your dick throbbing like this, can you~? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it for you, darling~¡± Saying this, she lowered herself and enclosed Finn¡¯s hard cock with her tworge and round breasts. His dick was so big, however, that even with her voluptuous assets covering 60% of it, 40% was still sticking out at the top. But Zelestria had a solution¡­ one that involved her mouth. Just as she prepared to begin sucking on his dick once more, however, a voice rang out from the door. ¡°Finn. Are you there?¡± Zelestria and Finn both froze momentarily. The voice sounded quite serious. Luckily, Finn was good at keeping neutral and calm even in the most bizarre of situations, so he was able to respond as if nothing was wrong. ¡°I was just sleeping, but yes. Did you need something, Archon?¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s¡­ about Storm. Can youe meet me in the living room after you¡¯re done putting on your clothes?¡± ¡°¡­ Got it.¡± As Archon¡¯s footsteps faded away, Zelestria slowly got up from Finn¡¯s cock and shrugged. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s too bad,¡± she said with a suggestive smirk, closing one eye in a winking gesture. ¡°We¡¯ll finish this next time, darling~¡± ¡°¡­ Is it not possible to do this in the reality rift?¡± Finn asked quietly. ¡°My, my~ you want to see how your massive dick enters my womb?¡± She giggled. ¡°Fufu~ we could, but since your real body isn¡¯t actually there, the Souls wouldn¡¯t be transferred to me. Of course¡­ if you still want to do it because you¡¯ve grown addicted to my body¡­ I¡¯m fine with it any time~¡± She snapped her fingers and all her clothes materialized back on her body, smiling seductively. ¡°After all¡­ I¡¯m already addicted to your dick, hehe~¡± Chapter 73: Derek McLan SS: Storms Epilogue I Chapter 73: Derek McLan SS: Storm''s Epilogue I ¡°To survive is to suffer, but to live, is to find some meaning in that suffering.¡± ***** My name is Derek McLan. I used to be a very bright kid. Always talkative, friendly, and kind to everyone I met. I got good grades in school and excelled at athletics as well. I came from a rich family, lived in a mansion, and was respected all around. My parents were proud, I was happy, and my naiveness thought this could go on forever. It didn¡¯t. I still remember that day clearly. It was my 16th birthday, the 3rd of April. My family, friends, and I had originally been nning on going golfing, but a sudden thunderstorm untold of by weather forecasts ruined that npletely. It was okay, though, since we just stayed at my house ¡ª it was big enough to host a birthday party of forty people. But on that day, only one survived. ***** ¨C On The Day Of ¨C ¡°Hey, Derek. You wanna game or somethin¡¯?¡± A friend of Derek¡¯s, Phil, tapped on his shoulder and said. ¡°Sure,¡± Derek replied coolly, then looked around at all the other teens. ¡°Anyone else want to join?¡± ¡°Ooh, yeah, yeah, me!¡± His best friend, Maximo, hurriedly raised his hand and ran over, stuffing the pizza slice he had been eating all into his mouth. Derek chuckled. ¡°Hey, hey, now. You¡¯re gonna choke like that. Slow down.¡± ¡°U-Um¡­ can I join too¡­?¡± A girl timidly asked, almost inaudibly. ¡°I-I don¡¯t really know how to y video games, but¡­ if it¡¯s with you, Derek, I think I can learn¡­¡± Her name was Angel. She had long white hair and beautiful eyes ced behind a pair of cute circr sses. She was the ssic nerdy-type at school, but Derek thought it was cute. ¡°Oi, oi,¡± Phil chuckled. ¡°Ay, buddy, ya can¡¯t go turning her down, ya hear me?¡± Derek smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Angel. There¡¯s a first for everything. C¡¯mon, the console¡¯s in the basement. Let¡¯s go.¡± Phil, Maximo, and Angel followed him downstairs, along with several others who wanted to spectate them. Once they were there, Derek shut the door to avoid disturbing the adults and other teens upstairs. The doors and walls were allpletely soundproof, as expected of a high-quality mansion. Derek then headed down and turned on the console as the room¡¯s lights began changing hues from red, to green, to blue, and back to red again. ¡°Sheeesh,¡± Phil whistled. ¡°Nice setup ya got goin¡¯ here, man.¡± ¡°Woah¡­¡± Angel¡¯s eyes sparkled as she inspected all the technological equipment around the room, curious and somewhat puzzled. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Derek waved off their praise as the TV screen flickered to life. ¡°What game are we gonna y, Derek?¡± Maximo asked excitedly, jumping up and down like a little kid. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Derek nced at Angel. ¡°Since Angel¡¯s here¡­ let¡¯s start with something suitable for beginners. How about¡­ this?¡± Heunched a blocky 3D game that featured pixted graphics, one that was well-known all across the world. ¡°Oh, this looks interesting¡­¡± Angel blinked a few times in awe. ¡°I know you like building things, so this game should intrigue you quite a lot,¡± Derek exined, handing one of the four controllers to her. ¡°See this here? This joystick lets you move around, this button lets you jump¡­¡± After carefully exining all the controls to Angel, the four finally were able to start ying the game. Soon,ughter filled the room as Phil kept pushing Derek off the edge of a tall mountain and making him fall to his death, and Maximo failing the easiest of parkours. Angel forgetting the controls and doing something stupid was amon urrence as well. The spectators appeared to be enjoying themselves too ¡ª but no one realized one tiny detail. Timmy, a boy who went upstairs to get some more food¡­ never came back. Since everyone was too focused on the game, plus the fact that Timmy never had much of a presence to begin with, no one even noticed his disappearance. But s, their fun was cut short as the lights and TV suddenly all turned off, plunging the room into darkness. ¡°A-Ah! W-What happened?!¡± Angel cried out first, clutching onto Derek¡¯s arm frightfully. ¡°Calm down, calm down. It¡¯s probably just the thunderstorm,¡± Derek replied firmly, keeping a level head. ¡°Gah¡­ can¡¯t see shit now,¡± Phil muttered. ¡°What a time for the power to cut¡­ I almost pushed Maximo off too¡­¡± ¡°W-What?! You were doing that?!¡± Maximo cried in shock. Derek sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just head back upstairs for now ¡ª it¡¯s too dark down here.¡± Saying this, he fumbled out his phone and turned on the shlight feature as anyone else who had their phone on hand did the same. This provided enough light for them to see where they were going. ¡°Follow me.¡± ***** As Derek led the group up the staircase, he couldn¡¯t help but feel it was unnaturally quiet. Even though the walls and doors were all soundproof, this felt¡­ eerie. Subconsciously, Derek gulped in fear as he reached the top of the stairs, afraid to open the door for whatever reason. Deep in his body, a swirling mass of energy was slowly being awakened, due to being in close proximity of an entity of the same nature as it. ¡®Why am I feeling scared? It¡¯s just a power outage from the storm, that¡¯s all¡­¡¯ Calming himself down, Derek gave the doorknob a twist and opened it slightly. The door that shouldn¡¯t have creaked did, and a narrow ray of light illuminated the group of teens. Even so, however, it remained quiet. It was then that Derek knew something was wrong. They had been too busy having fun downstairs to notice, but something tragic had happened up here. From the tiny slit of the door Derek opened, he could see tiny shards of ss that probably came from his backyard¡¯s doors. ¡®A robbery?¡¯ That was his first thought. But as he opened the door wider, he saw a hand lying on the floor. Derek¡¯s eyes widened and his body seized up in fear. The hand was stained with blood and gore, but that wasn¡¯t even the most disturbing fact. No¡­ it wasn¡¯t a body that Derek saw. It was just a hand. A severed¡­ hand. Chapter 74: Derek McLan SS: Storms Epilogue II Chapter 74: Derek McLan SS: Storm''s Epilogue II ¡°W-Wha¡­¡± Angel gasped, covering her mouth and not making a sound. Tears could be seen on the corners of her eyes, and her whole body was trembling. The other teens were no different. But for Derek, it hit the hardest. On the wrist of the severed hand was a bracelet. It was the bracelet he gave to his mother for Mother¡¯s Dayst year. She had treasured it dearly¡­ and now, ity on the floor along with her hand, stained with blood. ¡°N-No¡­ what is this¡­?!¡± Shocked by this whole situation and unable to think straight, Derek subconsciously let out a loud scream. ¡°AHH!¡± ¡°gAwR¡­?¡± Numerous inhuman growls all turned to face the basement door, where Derek and the other teens were hiding. Immediately, they zipped their mouths, pausing their breathing. Derek could feel his heart pumping against his chest, ready to explode, but he sped his mouth tightly with his two hands and shut his eyes, praying to god that this was just a dream. Too bad¡­ it wasn¡¯t. Suddenly, a pure white, glowing hand sped the door¡¯s edge, sending cracks through the wood from the impact. ¡°G-Gah!¡± Derek and the other teens hurriedly fell back, trembling in fear. The hand¡¯s sharp ws tore the door apart with a loud smash, revealing a creepy face on the other side. It had two small white eyes, no nose, and a creepy sgow smile that curved all the way up to its ears that revealed row upon row of sharp triangr teeth, stained with red blood. Behind its back, eight long white tentacles slithered around, begging for food. Countless more creatures of the same structure stood behind this one, some tainted crimson with human blood and others still busy munching on the bodies of their prey. ¡°SKREE¡­!¡± The creature squealed in delight at more food, before suddenly sending its tentacles forward, immediately grabbing Phil and Maximo. ¡°Phil! Maximo!¡± Derek cried, but his body was frozen still. He wanted to help. He really did. But his muscles refused to listen. His mind was telling him a single word: Run. ¡°N-Ngh¡­! What the hell is this thing¡­?!¡± Phil¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he desperately tried to free himself from the creature¡¯s grasp around his neck, but to no avail. ¡°D-Derek¡­¡± Maximo mustered out as he was starting to run out of breath, face turning purple as he struggled against the tentacles. ¡°Ah¡­ AHH!¡± A teen immediately turned tail and fled down the stairs, hoping to find an exit somewhere in the basement. There was one, but only Derek knew where it was. Everyone else followed, but Derek remained frozen in ce, staring at his two friends about to die with a frightful expression. ¡°Derek!¡± Angel called out, grabbing his hand and pulling him back to reality. ¡°We have to run. NOW!¡± Funnily enough, the usually shy and timid girl was the one to take the lead in a situation like this. Derek shook his head as he was pulled away, tears in his eyes. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Maximo, Phil¡­¡± ¡°De¡­ rek¡­¡± ¡°Ngh¡­¡± SNAP. Both necks were broken at the exact same time, the limp bodies dropping to the floor. Derek closed his eyes and turned around, not wanting to witness the scene. ¡°SKREE!¡± The creatures, sensing their escape, quickly followed suit, tumbling their way down the stairs like a bunch of thirsty wolves. ¡°E-Everyone, follow me!¡± Derek called out, having regained control of his senses and body. All the teens, panicked, needed a leader to tell them what to do. And Derek knew he had to fill that role. The teens entered theundry room, where the washing machine, dryer, and¡­ the vent all were. ¡°Shut the door and lock it!¡± Derek yelled as he jumped up on top of the washing machine to work on getting the vent cover off. That was their one and only method of escape. Two teens hurriedly worked to m the door shut right before the creatures could reach them. Luckily, this door was made of metal, not wood, so it wasn¡¯t as easy to break through. Or so they thought. ¡°AH!¡± One of the creatures¡¯ ws tore straight through the metal and stabbed into a teen¡¯s back, killing him instantly. ¡°D-Derek, hurry up!¡± The crowd of panicked students shouted as they moved desperately to keep the door in ce despite the danger. After all, they knew. If that door went down, everyone here would die. It was either die yourself or make everyone die with you. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ c¡¯mon¡­!¡± Derek shook the vent gate furiously. It should be loose, and he didn¡¯t have time to fully unscrew the screws right now. This should be enough¡­ KLANG! ¡°Okay, it¡¯s out!¡± Derek dered, tossing the metal cover to one side. ¡°Come on, everyone, through the vent!¡± Saying this, he climbed through first, but right as he did so, the metal door was busted open. CRASH! ¡°NGH!¡± The teens were blown backwards as the bloodthirsty glowing white creatures filled the room, tentacles eager to consume and jaws opened wide. ¡°SKREE!¡± They shrieked in ecstasy, tearing the teens¡¯ bodies apart and hungrily devouring them. In an instant, blood was sttered all over the walls, and Derek was frozen in ce once more by this gruesome scene. ¡°No¡­ NO!¡± He moved to jump back out of the vent in a desperate attempt to save his already-dead ssmates, but before he could, a voice rang out amidst the chaos. ¡°DEREK!¡± ¡°A-Angel¡­?¡± He spotted the nerdy girl staring at him from across the room, sses shattered and clothes stained with blood. The monsters continued flooding into the room, tearing apart everything they saw and ripping organs out of the teens¡¯ bodies. But despite all this, Angel smiled, tears in her eyes. ¡°Live.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Derek¡¯s eyes widened as her figure was blocked off by the crowd of creatures, eagerly devouring every bit of meat they could find. Clenching his fists tightly, he spun around and began crawling through the vents, wanting to forget everything that happened. ¡°Damn it¡­ DAMN IT¡­!¡± He shook his head as tears blinded his vision. Still, Angel¡¯sst words encouraged him to keep going. He traversed through the vents desperately, sobbing and weeping. Before long, he made it to the end, and headbutted straight into the gate, smashing it open. He too fell with it to thewn outside, clutching his bloody head in pain. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± he groaned before pulling himself to his feet and stumbling his way away from the mansion. Far, far away, as far as he could go. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± He panted heavily as he made it into a narrow alleyway about a hundred meters away from his house, unable to go on any longer. ¡°Phil¡­ Maximo¡­ Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡± He whispered softly as he fell into a puddle on the concrete with a soft thud, slowly closing his eyes. ¡°¡­ Angel.¡± On that day, Derek McLan swore. He swore to never let anyone, no matter who it was, take something from him again. ***** ¨C Minutes Later ¨C A man stood over Derek¡¯s copsed figure, unconscious and barely alive. ¡°Damn it¡­ I was toote.¡± Through his earpiece, a woman connected with him. ¡°Archon, did you get all of them?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the man replied. ¡°But¡­ the civilians were in before I could get there. There¡¯s one who managed to escape, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s aliv-¡° Suddenly, Derek¡¯s body below him stirred a bit. With clenched fists, out his quivering mouth came a single, faint sentence. ¡°¡­ Kill¡­ kill them all¡­¡± The man ¡ª Archon ¡ª stared at the broken boy with a conflicted expression on his face, eyes holding an unreadable emotion. ¡°¡­ Scratch that, Melvia. He¡¯s alive.¡± Chapter 75: The Thousand Dragons Sect Chapter 75: The Thousand Dragons Sect After returning that night, Finn, Iris, Octane, and Fanatic were all told to pack up their belongings and be ready to stay at the other squadron¡¯s ce for a while. The next morning, they set off, waving Archon and Melvia goodbye as they used the teleporter. In an instant, they were transported, shrouded by white light. When it faded away, they found themselves within a traditional Eastern room, with paintings of dragons on the walls and velvet-colored wooden furniture. The furry carpet below them had a dragon inscribed on it as well, matching with the walls and ceiling where a chandelier of torches hung, burning with light. The five stepped out of the teleporter that looked out of ce here, gazing around in wonder at the ancient-feeling room. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris mused, eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°I know Archon said this squadron was an S-ss, but this is still incredible¡­¡± ¡°Heartbeat¡¯s ce doesn¡¯t evenpare,¡± Octane chuckled lightly. ¡°Indeed,¡± Fanatic narrowed his eyes and observed their surroundings. ¡°All the decor and furniture in this room are top-notch. The material is Purple Heart wood, one of the most expensive woods in the world. And these paintings¡­ it¡¯s clear they were crafted by a true master of visual art.¡± ¡°You have a keen eye,¡± a voice suddenly said as the polished wooden doors with translucent windows in a grid-like pattern in front of the five swung open. ¡°¡­¡± Octane and Fanatic¡¯s jaws both dropped at the person who had spoken ¡ª an extremely beautiful girl who seemed to be in her twenties. She had long, light purple hair, and two crimson red eyes that seemed to see through anything. Her figure was nearly perfect, curving in and out at all the right ces. ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± she said firmly, ignoring the two boys¡¯ stares of lust and turning to Finn and Iris instead. ¡®That guy¡­ is he blind? And the girl can¡¯t even walk¡­ Master didn¡¯t say anything about this.¡¯ Taking a deep breath, she continued. ¡°Now then¡­ follow me. Don¡¯t touch anything, because if you break it, you¡¯ll never be able to pay it back in this lifetime.¡± ***** The girl led the five of them to a different building across from the one they arrived in. On the way, they couldn¡¯t help but gawk at just how big this squadron¡¯s base was. It was like a whole castle, with differentyers of walls andrge buildings that varied in size, all having Eastern hip-and-gable roofs on top. The building the five of them were led to was incrediblyrge for a single room, with a tremendously tall ceiling and four thick pirs to support it. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve brought them,¡± the girl said, bowing down respectfully. A short distance in front of her, a man sat on a golden throne. He wore long blue robes and sses, holding a traditional fan in his hands and pping it gently. ¡°Good work, Qi Ling. You may leave now,¡± he said quietly. Finn recognized the voice ¡ª it was Lei, the person who had helped him and Iris get an audience with the Guildmaster. ¡°Yes, Master,¡± the girl ¡ª Qi Ling ¡ª replied before leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. From the name, one could tell she was from the Eastern Districts like B, C, K, L, and so on. Lei probably was from one of these as well, hence why he chose to make his squadron themed like this. Once Qi Ling left, Lei spoke. ¡°Wee to the 100th Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps, you five. That is it¡¯s formal title, but I call this ce the Thousand Dragons Sect. You will do well to remember that.¡± ¡°The Thousand Dragons Sect¡­¡± Octane echoed. ¡°Sounds cool!¡± ¡°Octane!¡± Fanatic whispered sharply at his outburst. ¡°Restrain yourself a bit!¡± ¡°A-Ah! Sorry¡­¡± Lei nced at Octane coldly. ¡°I will let it go this time, as it¡¯s your first time here, but I will not tolerate any more incidents like that in the future.¡± ¡°This squadron values discipline above all else,¡± he continued as Octane licked his lips nervously. ¡°Those with higher power have absolute authority above weaker individuals. If you don¡¯t like being ordered around as one of the ¡®weaker individuals¡¯, then be strong. In fact¡­ if one of you can defeat me in a fight, I will even dly hand over the position of patriarch to you. Is that clear to all of you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The five responded clearly, minus Reaper who said it in a somewhat robotic voice. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®yes, Master¡¯,¡± Lei corrected. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re from Archon¡¯s squadron. While you are here, I am your leader. I am your master. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Yes, Master!¡± ¡°Good. But I won¡¯t be the one training you during this period of time before the mission takes ce.¡± Lei looked to one of the pirs, where a tiny girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°¡­ She will.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ where did shee from¡­?¡± Iris wondered aloud to herself, confused. ¡®¡­ Even with my Ghost Blood enhanced senses, I was unable to detect her presence until now¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Who is she¡­?¡¯ ¡°What are you puny kids staring at?!¡± The girl yelled in anger, cing her hands on her hips angrily. ¡°Think I¡¯m short, huh?! I¡¯ll smack you upside the head!¡± Octane and Fanatic looked one another, trying not tough, as Iris and Finn were still trying to figure out she just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Hua Hua,¡± Lei warned, shooting the small girl a dangerous look. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°T-Tch¡­¡± Hua Hua folded her arms and looked away, gritting her teeth. ¡°This is Hua Hua. You can call her Elder Hua or Teacher, whichever works,¡± Lei exined. ¡°She may have a figure like this, but she¡¯s in fact older than all of you. Her body is just small because of a certain technique she practices for her Angelica ¡ª the Nightstalker Angelica.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how¡­¡± Iris murmured to herself. The Nightstalker Angelica was one focused around stealth and invisibility ¡ª it was the same one Stalker, the man who helped rescue Archon and Melvia, used. ¡°I will let her exin the rest, but for now, you may leave. I still have business to take care of,¡± Lei said, dismissing all of them. ¡°Remember ¡ª the mission is in one week. Don¡¯t waste this training opportunity.¡± Finn, Iris, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper all bowed deeply. Of course, Iris had some difficulty, but she still did her best. ¡°Understood, Master!¡± Chapter 76: Hide & Seek Chapter 76: Hide & Seek After leaving the main hall of the Thousand Dragons Sect, the five were led to the outskirts of the base by Elder Hua, directly facing a dense forest of some sort. Once there, she made her speech. ¡°Listen up, you brats!¡± She dered in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. ¡°On the mission, stealth is going to be of utmost importance. Only fight battles you must ¡ª skip past anything that you don¡¯t have to fight! Even if you don¡¯t have my Angelica, I can still teach you some useful tips to remain undetected, so don¡¯t get cocky!¡± Octane gulped in fear. For some reason, despite this girl¡¯s tiny figure and short ck hair, she held an impressive aura to her. The intensity in her ck eyes burned strong, like a fire itself. Anyone who could see her would be struck with two quick emotions: first, the urge tough; two, the immediate regret ofughing. Naturally, Finn and Reaper both weren¡¯t affected, but neither of them needed to be threatened like his to follow orders, unlike Octane. ¡°Before I can teach you puny kids anything, I gotta know how good you currently are,¡± Elder Hua said, sweeping her gaze through her five new students. ¡°So, first, we¡¯re going to y a little game.¡± At this, Octane¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°A game¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple ¡ª I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve yed it before,¡± Elder Hua replied, smirking like a little devil. ¡°The name is hide-and-seek.¡± Finn strongly doubted it was just normal hide and seek based on the evil tone she was using, but he decided to just keep it to himself for now. And as it turns out, his guess would soone true. ***** Because Finn was responsible for helping Iris get around, he had to first find her a suitable hiding spot, then find his own. They only had five minutes to hide before Elder Hua began her hunt, so they had to move quick in this enormous forest. ¡°Finn! Take me up!¡± Iris pointed up at a dense thicket of trees, where all the branches and leaves served as the perfect camouge. ¡°Uh¡­ right here?¡± Finn asked, stepping to his left. ¡°Mm, a little more to your left¡­¡± ¡°Too much, go back right a bit¡­¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good!¡± Iris climbed out of her wheelchair and onto Finn¡¯s shoulders. Once she was stable there, Finn began working his way up the tree with the help of Iris¡¯s instructions. It didn¡¯t take long for him to reach the location Iris wanted to stay at, so he let her down and headed back down, preparing to hide on the other side, but Iris hurriedly called him back. ¡°Wait, Finn!¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I have a n.¡± ***** The rules of the hide and seek game were this: Elder Hua would try and find her five new students in the shortest time possible, while her students would try andst as long as possible within this massive forest. The odds were clearly stacked against Elder Hua, but being an expert in stealth, she knew all the tactics her students would employ. But right before the game began, Iris had purposely taunted her, saying if they could tag her instead of her tagging them first, they would be offered a reward. The exact reward hasn¡¯t been determined yet, since Elder Hua justughed and imed they could discuss the reward after they actually seeded, which had a zero percent chance of happening. Iris wanted to defy those odds ¡ª but in order to do that, she needed Finn¡¯s help to set the perfect trap. Shortly after, the game began. Elder Hua opened her eyes and sniffed the air like a predator hunting prey, before ncing down at the ground and seeing two separate sets of footprints, each leading a different direction. ¡°Hmph! Idiots¡­ can¡¯t even get the basics right.¡± Snorting in triumph as if she had already won, she began following one of them, deep into the left part of the forest. After a while, the footprints abruptly turned left and appeared to stop right at a tree. Elder Hua looked up, and there he was ¡ª Octane, holding onto the tree for dear life. ¡°H-Hi?¡± Elder Hua folded her arms and frowned. ¡°Are you gonna jump off yourself, or do you want me to kick you off?¡± ¡°E-Eek!¡± Octane hurriedly leaped off the tree andnded on the dirt, before trying to run away with his superspeed. But s, Elder Hua didn¡¯t even give him a chance, pping him straight across the side of his head. SMACK! ¡°OWWWW!¡± Octane gasped in pain, clutching his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for trying to run,¡± Elder Hua snorted. ¡°Weakling.¡± Leaving Octane behind in the forest, she retraced her steps back to where she started and began following the other trail of footprints, this time leading into the right side of the forest. In the matter of a few minutes, she found her second victim ¡ª Fanatic. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he muttered, jumping off the tree in resignation and letting Elder Hua tag him. ¡°This really isn¡¯t my strong suit¡­ I¡¯m out of energy already¡­¡± ¡°Too bad. As someone without an Angelica to help you, stealth is even more important. Don¡¯t waste this chance ¡ª I won¡¯t be teaching any of you again after this week passes.¡± Leaving these words behind, Elder Hua headed off in pursuit of the remaining three. Not even five minutes have passed since she began searching, and two out of the five were already down. ¡®The remaining three are smarter than the first two,¡¯ she thought as she walked through the forest, eyes peeled and ears perked up for any sign of movement. ¡®At least they know how to erase their tracks.¡¯ Of course, Reaper didn¡¯t leave any tracks since he hovered in the air, but that was besides the point. ¡®Now then¡­ where would I hide if I was a robot¡­ aha.¡¯ Elder Hua smirked like a devil as she looked down at the dirt beneath her feet. Because of the bright glowing red eye disy on Reaper¡¯s screen of a face, if he tried hiding up in the trees like the others, he would inevitably be discovered easily. In that case, there could only be one answer: Below. Chapter 77: Bloodborn Chapter 77: Bloodborn Elder Hua slowly bent down and closed her eyes, gently cing her hand on the dirt. She focused her mind and listened intently for any sign of movement. Red decal-like scales appeared all around the edges of her face as her body began emitting a faint red hue. After a few seconds, her eyes snapped open and darted towards a closely-knit patch of tress in the distance. ¡°There.¡± She grinned smugly and immediately dashed to the location where she had sensed underground movement. This was not the power of her Angelica ¡ª the Nightstalker Angelica didn¡¯t provide any tracking abilities. This was the power of the Bloodborn ¡ª a special race of humans who wielded supernatural powers much like Angelicas, but at the cost of their own blood rather than mana. If they used their powers too much, they would faint; if they push too far, they¡¯ll outright die. Only children born on a specific day pf a given year, when the moon shines a bloody red, had a chance of being a Bloodborn. This was known as The Crimson Night, and it happened once annually ¡ª but that¡¯s not all. In order to give birth to a new Bloodborn, their parents must both be Bloodborn as well. And since the Crimson Night¡¯s date was different every year, it was practically impossible to purposely try to give birth to a Bloodborn. Couples could only hope their child would be one. Elder Hua was one such incredibly fortunate child. Not only was she a Bloodborn, she also had an Angelica. Every Bloodborn had their own intrinsic ability, and Elder Hua¡¯s just happened to be tracking. She could see footprints where others could not, observe minuscule changes in the environment to detect moving entities, and also had a powerful sixth sense that could tell her when danger was near and which direction it came from ¡ª almost like a radar. With this, she essentially had two Angelicas, Oculus and Nightstalker. But rather than having to learn Abilities one by one, these tracking skills were built into her body, and she could activate them whenever she wanted. Such was the power of the Bloodborn. With ease, she found Reaper¡¯s hiding spot. Kicking the dirt below her feet, she snorted. ¡°Oi. Get out from under there. I already found you.¡± Reaper didn¡¯t respond, thinking it was a trick. Elder Hua sighed in annoyance. ¡°Ugh¡­ I thought robots would be easier to deal with than humans¡­!¡± She gritted her teeth and reached into the dirt, feeling Reaper¡¯s dark hood around his mechanical head and pulling it up out of the ground before mercilessly tossing him to one side with a loud clunking sound of metal. The robot, undamaged, slowly cranked its head upright and floated up into the air, staring at Elder Hua with his single red sensor. [Analysis: Reaper should not have been caught. Status: Perplexed. Requesting exnation.] ¡°You didn¡¯t do that bad,pared to some of your allies,¡± Elder Hua chuckled in reply. ¡°Maybe, if your opponent was someone different, you would¡¯ve have gotten caught this quickly. Too bad.¡± [¡­] Reaper fell silent, contemting her words as she walked away in pursuit of the final two. [¡­ Status: Still Perplexed.] ***** ¡®Now then¡­ where are thest two?¡¯ Elder Hua thought to herself as she returned to the starting point once more. ¡®If they went separate ways, finding the wheelchair girl should be easy. But those two seemed quite close, so they¡¯ll probably be sticking together. If that¡¯s the case, then the range of possible hiding locations for the two of them just expanded a whole lot.¡¯ ¡®There are no visible tracks on the ground¡­ they¡¯re not bad.¡¯ Then, her sightnded on the two sets of footprints she discovered earlier, from Fanatic and Octane. ¡®Could it be¡­ they stepped in their teammates¡¯ footprints¡­?¡¯ But as Elder Hua thought about it, she quickly changed her mind. ¡®No¡­ the wheelchair¡¯s gone. I find it hard to believe they carried the heavy wheelchair the whole way, so they must¡¯ve went a different direction and erased the tracks after.¡¯ Narrowing her eyes at the seemingly clean ground, the same red scales from earlier made an appearance on her face once more as her ck pupils shed crimson momentarily. From her perspective, the world was now tainted in a red hue. Before her, invisible to everyone else, a set of footprintsy, along with two long parallel lines beside it that looked like thin tire tracks. Above the footprints was a faint trail of red air, once again only perceivable to her. ¡®Aha¡­ found it.¡¯ Keeping her Bloodbreak effect active while remaining mindful of her limits, Elder Hua followed the scarlet trail in search of her prey. ***** Several minutester, Elder Hua arrived at a clearing in the forest. ¡®The trail ends here and splits into two smaller ones,¡¯ She thought in her head. ¡®But my blood¡­ it¡¯s too risky to keep using it.¡¯ With a wave of her hand, she canceled her Bloodbreak and scanned her surroundings normally. ¡®They should be somewhere around here¡­¡¯ She first looked at the bushes, then the trees. Nothing. But then, she spotted something peculiar in the distance, not too far away. The handle of what seemed like a wheelchair poked out from behind a tree ¡ª just barely, but still visible. ¡®What a rookie mistake¡­ here I was, thinking they were actually worth teaching for once,¡¯ Elder Hua sighed in her mind. ¡®Though I suppose¡­ they are better than their three friends, at least.¡¯ After seeing the wheelchair, she was now sure the two she was looking for were somewhere nearby. She first focused on the wheelchair girl, since she was an easier target. ¡®Her legs are crippled, so I doubt she¡¯s lieing down in the dirt somewhere. That wouldn¡¯t be veryfortable. Which means¡­¡¯ Suddenly, Elder Hua heard a noiseing from behind her and she immediately spun around to see a piece of bark falling down from high up on a tree. She grinned in triumph. ¡®¡­ Too easy.¡¯ ¡°Oi. You cane down from up there. I see you already.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ looks like I¡¯ve been caught,¡± Iris sighed from up on the tree. ¡°Hurry up and jump down. I¡¯ll catch you. I¡¯m on a timer here, still have to catch thest one.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Iris slowly shifted her body onto the edge of the branch she was sitting on and prepared to jump into Elder Hua¡¯s spread-out arms. But just before she did so, she smiled. ¡°Too bad¡­ he¡¯s right behind you.¡± Chapter 78: New Allies Chapter 78: New Allies ¡°Wha-!¡± Elder Hua¡¯s eyes widened as she sensed danger nearby thanks to her Bloodborn-granted sixth sense, a passive power that didn¡¯t require activation. She immediately spun around to see Finn, who had been nning on knocking her clean out with an attack to the neck. Unfortunately for him, Elder Hua¡¯s sixth sense allowed her to react just in time. Since he was blind, he didn¡¯t stand a chance against a counterattack. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Finn was blown backwards by a swift punch in the stomach, crashing into a tree. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris cried, having not expected her n to go wrong like this. Elder Hua narrowed her eyes slightly at Finn, who now struggled back to his feet and adopted abat stance, ready to go at her again. ¡°¡­ Stop,¡± she said, ceasing Finn¡¯s movements. ¡°The game is over. You won¡¯t be able to beat me now that I know you¡¯re there. What you need to do now is go to the infirmary.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a light hit,¡± Finn replied truthfully. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°J-Just in case!¡± Elder Hua yelled angrily for whatever reason. ¡°I¡¯ll take you, no buts!¡± Then, she looked up at Iris, who had flown down with her wings and had been ready to assist Finn in battle, now levitating in mid-air. ¡°¡­ Oh? Wings? But there¡¯s no sign of the Celestial Angelicaing from your body¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to this special armor set I have on right now, crafted by someone I know,¡± Iris exined briskly. ¡°But that aside¡­ are you okay, Finn?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Like I said, a light hit.¡± ¡°Shut it, boy!¡± Elder Hua screamed. ¡°We¡¯re going back! Hurry up and get your wheelchair!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Finn was confused about why she was being so aggressive with her statements, but asking about it now probably wasn¡¯t the best idea. Iris flew off to retrieve the wheelchair she had used as bait and quickly returned in it. Using the wings was tiring, after all. After that, the three headed back to meet up with the ones who already got caught. But in Elder Hua¡¯s mind, a question lingered. ¡®I didn¡¯t hold back at all just now with my punch since he took me by such surprise¡­ yet he ims it¡¯s only a ¡®light hit¡¯? I¡¯d like to say he¡¯s only bluffing, trying to act tough, but¡­ by the looks of it, his body really wasn¡¯t injured at all. And to be able to sneak up on me soundlessly like that¡­ had I not not been for my sixth sense thanks to my Bloodborn powers, I most likely would¡¯ve gotten defeated right then and there. No one ¡ª especially not someone as young and inexperienced as him ¡ª has ever done that to me before. This boy¡­ just who ¡ª or what ¡ª is he?¡¯ ***** After arriving at the infirmary with all five of Squadron 154¡¯s members in tow, Elder Hua asked the nurse there to check on Finn. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ nothing there,¡± the nurse said, shooting Elder Hua aplicated look. ¡°No injuries. He¡¯spletely fine¡­ why bring him to me?¡± ¡°N-No way,¡± Elder Hua said in a panic. ¡°How could that be? I identally punched him with my full strength, there¡¯s no way he-¡° She froze, realizing Finn and everyone else there heard everything. ¡®So¡­ that¡¯s why she was frustrated,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. The nurse, realizing what was happening, sighed deeply. ¡°Look, Elder Hua. If this is your way of boosting your students¡¯ self-confidence, don¡¯t rope me into it. I also don¡¯t rmend doing this, since it will only cause them to be arrogant on the battlefield.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­ yes, of course. You¡¯re right, haha!¡± Elder Hua chuckled, folding her tiny arms. ¡°N-Now then, since Nurse Yang here brutally exposed my true intentions, there¡¯s no point staying any longer. Let¡¯s go.¡± None of the five bought it¡­ well, except for Octane. ¡°Go? Go where?¡± He asked innocently. ¡°More stealth training? I¡¯ll get it right this time, I promise!¡± ¡°No, thatester,¡± Elder Hua replied, regaining herposure. ¡°Right now is noon. In other words, time for lunch. C¡¯mon, follow me.¡± Saying this, she waltzed out of the infirmary, pushing past her students with that short figure of hers. Finn and the others promptly followed after thanking the nurse politely. And as Nurse Yang watched the group walk away, she couldn¡¯t help but look up something in the database of everyone currently part of the squadron. ¡°He isn¡¯t here¡­ so one of the temporary transfers from Squadron 154?¡± She murmured to herself, narrowing her eyes slightly. After switching to a different database and applying some filters, she soon found Finn¡¯s profile. ¡°Hm¡­ Finn Thresher, huh? To be able to recover so quickly from Elder Hua¡¯s full-force blow¡­ how interesting.¡± ***** After leaving the infirmary building, Elder Hua took her five students to arge structure near the center of the squadron grounds, somewhat close to the teleporter room they had first came here through. ¡°This is the cafeteria,¡± she exined as they entered. ¡°You¡¯ll be having all your meals in here, unless I forbid you from doing so for any reason.¡± Immediately, the delicious smell of eastern spices and meat filled the neers¡¯ noses, wafting out of the kitchen in the room where foods were made live, seen through ss walls. It was quite loud as many other Hunters had already gathered, chatting away with their friends and enjoying their meal. Iris¡¯s wheelchairbined with Reaper¡¯s appearance with that massive scythe of his attracted quite a few stares, but he refused to leave it outside, iming it was his very life (even though he didn¡¯t have one). ¡°Wow¡­ so many people¡­¡± Octane¡¯s eyes sparked in excitement. ¡°With an army like this, taking down that Baron¡¯s going to be a breeze!¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Elder Hua snorted. ¡°Hate to break it to you, but you¡¯ll only be working with five people to form a team of ten in total.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Worry not. These five are the best of the best here at this squadron, known as the Big Five and hand-taught by Patriarch Lei himself. As much as we¡¯d like to send all these Hunters in there and swarm that bastard, it just wouldn¡¯t work. Simr to how we can detect Ghosts, they can detect us too. If they see such arge armying for them, they¡¯ll just turn tail and flee without even trying to kill us. Ten is already the maximum.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m curious about is why HQ decided to send in five people from each squadron rather than just ten from this one,¡± Fanatic said. ¡°From what I know, Patriarch Lei and your leader are good friends,¡± Elder Hua replied. ¡°It might be that.¡± ¡®No¡­ even if they¡¯re friends, they wouldn¡¯t risk such an important mission over it,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®It would be far smarter and safer to send ten people from an S-ss Squadron rather than five from here and five from a D-ss one. So then¡­ why?¡¯ ¡°Oh¡­ what a coincidence,¡± Elder Hua suddenly said, folding her arms with a toothy grin on her face as she looked off into the distance. ¡°Speaking of the Big Five¡­ there they are.¡± Chapter 79: The Big Five Chapter 79: The Big Five ¡°Huh? Where?¡± Octane asked, eyes darting around frantically. ¡°Straight up ahead, in the left corner,¡± Elder Hua replied calmly. ¡°Go on, greet them. I¡¯lle back for you when lunch is over.¡± Leaving her five students just like that, she left the cafeteria and disappeared from sight. ¡°Uh¡­ what now?¡± Fanatic asked quietly. ¡°Well¡­ no choice but to do as told, I suppose,¡± Iris replied with a sigh. ¡°Finn, 50 meters to your front, then 15 to your left.¡± Octane was somewhat nervous, butplied anyway. As they got closer, they noticed all the other Hunters at this squadron stayed far away from the Big Five, as if¡­ scared. Soon, they found themselves standing before the Big Five of The Thousand Dragons Sect. One of them was a familiar face ¡ª Qi Ling, the girl who had weed them when they first arrived here. The other four, however, were all strangers to them. One was a short girl with a timid look who appeared to be quite shy. The other three were all boys, one bulky and arrogant, one warm and friendly, and one quiet and dreamy. ¡°Huh. So these are the kids from that D-ss Squadron?¡± The bulky boy said condescendingly as he saw Finn and the others walking towards them, chuckling as if they were nothing but a joke. ¡°As expected, they don¡¯t look strong at all.¡± ¡°Somebody ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?¡± Fanatic shot back, unwilling to just take that insult sitting down. ¡°Sure they have,¡± the boy snickered in response. ¡°But you don¡¯t even count as a book, D-ss. Know your ce before talking back to me.¡± ¡°¡­ Settle down, Rampager,¡± Qi Ling cut in coldly, shooting him a sharp, emotionless re. ¡°Whatever senior sister says.¡± The bulky boy ¡ª Rampager ¡ª shrugged in reply. ¡°But I still don¡¯t get it¡­ why do you always call everyone else by their aliases even though we aren¡¯t on a mission?¡± Qi Ling ignored him and focused her gaze on the neers. ¡°I believe we have already spoken once, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Qi Ling, and I am a wielder of the Everfrost Angelica. You may call me senior sister or Frostbite ¡ª whichever suits you better. I look forward to working with you, members of Squadron 154.¡± Fanatic nodded, taking on the role of leader here since both Finn and Iris were the quiet type and Octane turned into apletely different person around strangers. ¡°You can call me Fanatic. We look forward to working with you¡­¡± His gazended on Rampager. ¡°¡­ Well, not all of you.¡± ¡°Heh, the little kid¡¯s mad!¡± Rampagerughed boldly, then cracked his knuckles as he red at Fanatic darkly. ¡°Listen, little buddy. If you don¡¯t like me humiliating you like this, then fight back ¡ª with your fists, of course. I¡¯m always down for a good brawl ¡ª If you can beat me, I¡¯ll take back everything I said. Hell, I¡¯ll even let you take my ce on the Big Five. But if you lose¡­ well. Ha, be prepared to lose your life.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Fanatic gritted his teeth tightly, not wanting to deal with him at all. ¡°S-Sorry about him, you guys,¡± the warm and friendly boyughed awkwardly and tried to soothe the tension. ¡°Pang Zi here is just trying to intimidate you into fighting him¡­ don¡¯t take the bait.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go ruining my fun, Tian Long,¡± Rampager ¡ª Pang Zi ¡ª shouted in frustration. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯ll make it up to you sometime¡­ but can¡¯t you be friendly for once? They aren¡¯t used to being in an environment like this. Show them the hospitality of an S-ss Squadron, okay?¡± ¡®So in the end¡­ even this ¡®friendly¡¯ person still sees us as inferior, huh?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Though I suppose I can hardly me him, considering the ranking system set in ce by the GHO themselves. S-ss Squadrons and Hunters are superior to D-ss ones. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡¯ ¡°From today until Wednesday, you will continue training with Elder Hua,¡± Qi Ling continued, steering the conversation back on course. ¡°Once that isplete, we will begin joint training to familiarize ourselves with one another and the n for next Monday. Any questions or concerns?¡± Fanatic shook his head. ¡°None. Thank you for letting us know. And¡­ enjoy your meal.¡± With these brisk, distant words, he turned around and walked away. Finn, Iris, Octane, and Reaper followed, leaving the ufortable aura in the air. ¡°Man¡­ those guys can¡¯t even handle a simple conversation?¡± Pang Zi sighed. ¡°Dunno what the patriarch was thinking, making them go in with us.¡± ¡°No one would want to stay after what you said to them¡­¡± Tian Long lightly smacked his own face and shook his head in disappointment. Beside them, the short girl trembled fearfully by Qi Ling¡¯s side, eyes dead and lips quivering. ¡°N-No¡­ how could this be¡­¡± Qi Ling, noticing this, ced a hand on her ally¡¯s shoulder. ¡°ire¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oi¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Pang Zi asked, having noticed it as well. ¡°Xin¡¯Er?¡± Tian Long frowned in worry. ¡°S-Senior sister¡­ I saw it¡­ I saw it¡­¡± Qi Ling narrowed her eyes. ¡°Saw what?¡± ire sped her own ears and shook violently on the chair, on the verge of mentally breaking down. ¡°T-The blind man¡­ he¡­ didn¡¯t have¡­ a soul¡­¡± ***** [GHOST HUNTER DATABASE] ¡ª¡ª PROFILE ¡ª¡ª [Name: Yun Xin] [Alias: irevoyance (ire for short)] [Age: 14] [Eye color: Sky Blue] [Hair color: Neon Green] [Height: 5¡¯1¡å] [Weight: 54 lbs] [Angelica: Soulreader] [Affiliations: Phantom yer Corps (100th Squadron)] [Rank: A] [Background Information: Found hidden in the washing machine of a household that had fallen victim to an Outbreak, trembling in fear and covering her own ears out of fright. She waster brought back to Squadron 100 and nursed back to health, where she has since shown tremendous talent in her Angelica, easily learning highly advanced Abilities in the matter of a few days. As such, she has been personally selected by Hunter Lei Feng, leader of said squadron, to join the Big Five ¡ª a group of five elite Ghost Hunters whose positions can change over time.] [Concerns: She is extremely shy and quiet, tending to not talk unless absolutely necessary. It is believed that she still has not recovered from her Ghost-inflicted trauma. Gentle care is needed.] [Additional Notes: None] ¡ª¡ª END OF PROFILE ¡ª¡ª Chapter 80: Combat Training Chapter 80: Combat Training After lunch was over, Elder Hua came back to pick up Finn and the others. Together, they headed for a different part of the squadron grounds. On the way, Elder Hua exined how their schedules were going to go. ¡°Listen up, you brats. For this next week up until the mission starts, you won¡¯t have any free time at all,¡± she said as she walked. ¡°In the mornings, starting at 6 AM, you will have stealth training. Then, after an one-hour lunch break at 11, the afternoon will be spent onbat training ¡ª which is what we¡¯re going to do right now. ¡°Dinner will be at 6 PM, and after that, you have some alone time to hone your Angelicas. There are plenty of books here to read, covering pretty much any Angelica. I¡¯ll show you the libraryter today. Now then¡­ do you have any questions? If you do, keep them, because you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡®If she wasn¡¯t nning on answering anyway, why bother asking¡­?¡¯ Finn thought, slightly confused. ¡°Combat training¡­¡± Octane scratched his head. ¡°Will we be fighting you, Elder Hua?¡± ¡°Hah! You wish,¡± Elder Hua snorted in response. ¡°If you perform well, maybe I¡¯ll let you try fighting me. But I¡¯ll say this right now ¡ª I don¡¯t have high expectations of you lot.¡± ¡°If we aren¡¯t fighting you¡­ then who are we fighting?¡± Iris asked curiously. Elder Hua scoffed. ¡°I said keep your questions, didn¡¯t I? You¡¯ll see in a second.¡± Soon, the six arrived at arge training dojo of some sort. Like the rest of the buildings in this squadron¡¯s base, it had a traditional Eastern feel to it ¡ª on the outside, at least. The inside was decorated with electronic lights which kind of ruined the feel, but they do work a lot better than candles and whatnot. After entering the building, Elder Hua went up to a young woman who seemed like the receptionist there. ¡°Greetings, Elder Hua,¡± she said, bowing politely. ¡°Anything I can do for you today?¡± ¡°Mhm. Any free rooms? I have a few brats to train,¡± Elder Hua replied impatiently. ¡°Allow me to check¡­¡± ¡°If there aren¡¯t, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll just train them outside.¡± ¡°No no, there are,¡± the receptionist hurriedly replied. ¡°Dojos 2A and 3C are open, whichever one you would like.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take 2A, since it¡¯s closer. Thanks,¡± Elder Hua responded briskly before heading inside. But after seeing her students frozen in ce, at a loss for what to do next, she stopped and spun around in frustration. ¡°What are you waiting for, you brats?!¡± She barked in annoyance. ¡°Follow me!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ good luck,¡± the receptionist whispered quietly with a warm smile as she recorded Dojo 2A being taken. ***** After some struggling, the six managed to arrive on the second floor. Since there was no elevator, they were forced to take the stairs. As a result, Octane ended up carrying the wheelchair up while Finn carried Iris. On the way, they passed by several rooms, each with abel on them. It was almost like a school, with every ssroom having their own designated room number. The ¡®2¡¯ in 2A obviously meant the room they were supposed to go to was on the second floor, which was where they were right now. ¡°In here,¡± Elder Hua said as she slid open a door to reveal arge, empty room behind it with oak wood flooring and velvet-colored walls and ceiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about taking off your shoes. There¡¯s an automatic cleaning Enchantment on this door.¡± ¡®Cleaning Enchantment¡­?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Interesting¡­¡¯ The five students walked in after Elder Hua. Luckily, the doorway was just wide enough to fit Iris¡¯s wheelchair through. When they did so, they felt a pure feeling wash over their body, as if they had taken a shower without even getting wet. It was difficult to describe, but their entire body felt ¡®cleaner¡¯, like a bath andundry cyclebined into one single instant. Across from the door in the dojo, a set of mirrors were attached to the wall, reflecting everything that happens within this room. Mirrors are essential forbat training as they allow you to see your own mistakes and weaknesses, which is a lot better than having someone else point them out. In addition, if you were learning a technique from someone and wanted to match their movements, a mirror made this process easy. ¡°Close the door,¡± Elder Hua ordered. Reaper, who had beenst to enter, did as told. ¡°Now then¡­ where are the iFrames¡­¡± She went over to a set of wooden storage boxes on the other side of the room and opened them up. ¡°Ah, here they are.¡± Without any warning, she suddenly began throwing various objects out of the box ¡ª more specifically, life-size humanoid wooden mannequins. Finn and the others hurriedly backed off to avoid getting crushed, somewhat impressed by this seemingly little girl¡¯s muscle strength to be able to toss something like this behind her with only one hand. ¡°Alright¡­ that¡¯s five,¡± Elder Hua finally closed the storage box once more and turned around to face her students. ¡°All of you, pick one of those up. It doesn¡¯t matter which, just pick one each.¡± Iris picked up two; one for herself, one that she handed to Finn, who was standing behind her. Octane, Reaper, and Fanatic each picked up one of the remaining three on the floor, setting them upright so that they were standing facing them. ¡°Now, spread out a bit and try pouring some mana into your chosen iFrame,¡± Elder Hua ordered, folding her arms. ¡°You don¡¯t need too much¡­ and if you don¡¯t have an Angelica, just ce your hand on the Frame¡¯s forehead.¡± Finn moved from behind Iris to beside her so that he could do this properly, then gently felt around the air with his hand for a while before finally finding his iFrame. Lightly cing his palm on the mannequin¡¯s forehead, he chose the Stormbringer Angelica¡¯s mana to use after some debate. After all, Storm had already betrayed the squadron. It was only a matter of time before knowledge of Finn¡¯s powers became public, so he figured there was no point hiding them any longer. Besides¡­ he remembered asking Archon one time about what Angelica Lei Feng had, and the answer he received was ¡®Stormbringer¡¯, which seemed to be a prettymon one. Now that Storm couldn¡¯t teach him anymore, Finn was in need of a new teacher for the Stormbringer Angelica. He knew how to activate it, but that was about it. No idea how to use Abilities or anything. If possible, Finn didn¡¯t want to resort to using books since that was far less efficient than having a strong, experienced Hunter like Lei teach him. Therefore, he was nning on showing his affinity for the Stormbringer Angelica anyway ¡ª this seemed like the perfect opportunity. A thunderous blue aura immediately shrouded Finn, sparks of electricity crackling dangerously around him as he began pouring mana into the doll before him. As he did so, Elder Hua¡¯s eyes widened a bit at the intensity of the sparks. ¡®The Stormbringer Angelica? But such intense electricity sparks¡­ there¡¯s no way he¡¯s from a D-ss Squadron. I¡¯ve only ever seen one other person produce such a powerful Stormbringer aura, and¡­ This boy¡­ he¡¯s on par with Patriarch Lei.¡¯ Chapter 81: iFrame Technology Chapter 81: iFrame Technology As Finn¡¯s mana poured into the mannequin, glowing lines that hadn¡¯t been visible before suddenly shed to life on the doll¡¯s body, starting with the center of its face and working its way all around its body. The glow was blue for Finn, but for the others, it was different depending on the Angelica they had. Iris¡¯s was a bright golden yellow, while Octane¡¯s was lime green. Fanatic and Reaper, who didn¡¯t have Angelicas, had their iFrames glow white, the color of neutral. Then, to their surprise, the dolls suddenly began changing shape ¡ª molding and morphing like water as they shifted into the desired form ¡ª the form of the one who had activated them. The iFrames became perfect replicas of Finn, Iris, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper, copying their position as well as their appearance. They also copied the five¡¯s clothing and armor, along with weapons for Finn, Iris, and Reaper. Octane and Fanatic didn¡¯t wield weapons, the former because it slowed him down, and thetter because he wasn¡¯t a frontline fighter. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Fanatic¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at his copy, who didn¡¯t say anything in return. Speech wasn¡¯t part of the replica, it seems. ¡°This is iFrame technology, exclusive to S-ss Squadrons only,¡± Elder Hua exined with a smug grin. ¡°They are the perfect training partners ¡ª after all, the first step to bing strong is to ovee yourself.¡± Given this context, Finn could assume what was going on even though he was blind. He was going to fight an exact copy of himself¡­ but did this replica possess the Ghost Blood as well? That was the question at y. ¡°Now then¡­ your other selves are ready,¡± Elder Hua chuckled evilly, folding her arms and preparing to watch the show. ¡°Are you?¡± The five nodded firmly. ¡°There¡¯s no backing down from this,¡± Fanatic said, tightening his fists. ¡°I am not a frontline fighter by any means, but I have seen the others in action before and know the basics. I¡¯m ready, Elder Hua.¡± ¡°Good. Then you can be the example for your friends here. Everyone else, back off.¡± Finn, Iris, Octane, and Reaper all backed away to the edge of the dojo, giving Fanatic and his copy the space they needed. Their respective copies followed them to the other end of the dojo, forming a line of spectators. ¡°You can start whenever you like,¡± Elder Hua said with a grin. ¡°Show me what you have, D-ss Hunter.¡± She purposely said D-ss to invoke the fighting spirit in Fanatic, and it seemed to have worked. Fanatic gritted his teeth and eyed his copy in hatred. ¡°I am not¡­ a D-ss!¡± Shouting in anger, he lunged towards his replica with everything he had. Unfortunately for him, his copy did the same. ¡°G-Gah!¡± Fanatic was blown backwards with ease by his copy, who also fell backwards even though it didn¡¯t actually receive any damage. ¡°Tch¡­ what the hell¡­ its fist is so hard¡­¡± Fanatic groaned as he struggled to his feet, the copy mimicking his movements. ¡°Of course. These dolls will copy everything you do, but don¡¯t forget ¡ª in the end, they are dolls made out of pure titanium, while you are nothing but human,¡± Elder Hua chuckled as if she was thoroughly enjoying her student suffer. ¡°There would be no challenge otherwise, no?¡± ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then just trying to brute force it won¡¯t work,¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®But since the dolls perfectly match all of our movements, outsmarting it is essentially impossible¡­ which leaves just one question: Could the iFrames use Angelicas as well?¡¯ As Finn contemted this in his head, Fanatic dashed towards his copy once again, this time going for a hook to the right temple. Naturally, after the first exchange of blows, he now knew what to expect. He ducked just as he threw his own punch to avoid the iFrame¡¯s counterattack, but in doing so, the iFrame also dodged his attack and ended up emerging of the encounter unscathed. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Fanatic muttered as he slowly backed away from his copy; thetter doing the same. ¡°This is annoying.¡± ¡°If you give up, just say so,¡± Elder Hua taunted. ¡°Might as well let your friends have a try if you can¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Give up?¡± Fanatic chortled, reading himself in abat stance once more. ¡°I¡¯m just getting started.¡± ¡°Hya!¡± He yelled as he went in again, this time starting off with a side kick aiming for the stomach. Unfortunately, his copy alsounched a kick at the exact same time, causing the two¡¯s legs to collide violently. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Fanatic groaned from the pain, body trembling a little, but he suddenly reached down and grabbed the iFrame¡¯s legs in a desperate attempt to bnce himself. The Frame also grabbed his legs and the two of them just stood still for a moment there, holding the other¡¯s limb. Then, Fanatic¡¯s lips curved up into a psychotic smile. ¡°Heh¡­ take¡­ THIS!¡± He suddenly swung right as hard as he could, sending both the mannequin and himself crashing to the wooden dojo floor. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened at this, not expecting the suicidal move. Fanatic got up from the ground with some struggle and inspected his replica with a triumphant smirk on his face. But after seeing that the iFrame took no damage at all, his smile vanished, reced by an ufortable silence as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had already used up all his moves¡­ he really couldn¡¯t think of anything more. ¡°Stop,¡± Elder Hua suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Elder Hua, I¡¯m not giving up just yet-¡° ¡°I know. I was merely testing your spirit and attitude just now. Your actions have told me you are worthy of being taught,¡± Elder Hua responded calmly. ¡°Ah¡­ I see,¡± Fanatic murmured quietly, clenching his fists and gazing down at them ufortably. ¡°But¡­ I still don¡¯t understand. How is it possible to defeat one of these iFrames¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Elder Hua chuckled. ¡°You still haven¡¯t figured it out? The iFrames aren¡¯t meant to be beatable by someone without an Angelica in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fanatic stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the short girl who was their master. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re kidding me, right? Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡± ¡°If I told you beforehand, you wouldn¡¯t have tried as hard, no?¡± Elder Hua giggled evilly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell just how strong your will is.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Fanatic trailed off, clearly dissatisfied but not wanting to argue any further. ¡°Now then¡­ Reaper, your weapon is too dangerous, so you¡¯ll sit this one out. It¡¯s time to witness the power level of your Angelicas.¡± Chapter 82: Second-Hand Learning Chapter 82: Second-Hand Learning ¡°The power level¡­¡± Octane echoed in thought. ¡°Wait, are you saying we¡¯re supposed to destroy these dolls with our Angelicas?!¡± Elder Hua chuckled. ¡°That depends on whether or not you have the ability to. If you have a destructive-type Angelica like Stormbringer, you should aim to destroy the iFrame, but if you have something like Daredevil or Oculus, simply overpower the copy¡¯s Angelica and I¡¯ll count it as your win.¡± By ¡®overpower¡¯, she meant creating a more intense mana field than the one made by the iFrame. But just how strong were these highly-advanced mannequins? ¡°You, with the Stormbringer Angelica,¡± Elder Hua suddenly said, pointing at Finn. ¡°You¡¯ll gost. The other two, you can go together since there¡¯s no risk of damaging anything. Whenever you¡¯re ready, begin circting your mana. I¡¯ll gauge the power level with this manameter.¡± She pulled out an electronic device of some sort that looked like a pen with a disy screen at the end, simr to an oral thermometer. Octane and Iris both readied themselves, closing their eyes tightly, and activated their Angelicas. Immediately, a golden aura shrouded Iris while a lime green one surrounded Octane. They were standing far away enough from one another that the two¡¯s energy fields didn¡¯t interfere, thankfully. Their respective iFrames also began emitting glows, making use of the mana they had been granted via the activation process. The two concentrated harder than ever and circted the mana inside their bodies as fast as they could, causing the auras around them to expand and glow brighter. At the same time, however, their copies¡¯ energy signatures also intensified. A bright golden eye formed above Iris, zing with yellow mes. It stared at its replica made by the iFrame, which stared back in return. Sweat began forming on Iris¡¯s forehead as she did her best to focus even harder, but in the end, she was only human. And humans had limits. The eye formed by the iFrame seemed to get bigger and brighter, dimming all else in the room and attracting everyone¡¯s gazes. Inparison, Iris¡¯s golden eye seemed to shrink, as if her energy was being overshadowed and devoured by the bigger eye. ¡°Ngh-!¡± The eye above Iris suddenly shattered as she was pushed back on her wheelchair a short distance by the sheer amount of energy extruding from the iFrame that faced her. Naturally, the Frame also rolled itself back a short distance to match Iris¡¯s movements, but it was clear it didn¡¯t get forcefully blown away. Thus, the winner was clear. On the other hand, Octane had gotten tired of standing still in one ce and instead initiated directbat with his iFrame using the philosophy of ¡®he can¡¯t copy me if I¡¯m simply faster¡¯. Needlessly to say, the machine came out on top. Octane had tried dashing behind it andunching a punch, but the iFrame had done the same to him at the exact same time. Naturally, this meant Octane¡¯s human fist made of flesh and bones collided with the mannequin¡¯s titanium one. The results ¡ª Octane lying on the floor in pain, fist bruised ¡ª spoke for themselves. ¡°Hm. You put up a better fight than I would expect,¡± Elder Hua murmured to herself after seeing the oue, then nced down at the manameter in her hands. ¡°But in the end¡­ a loss is a loss. Good try though.¡± ¡°I have a question,¡± Iris interrupted. ¡°How exactly do these iFrames work¡­? We only gave them a little bit of our mana to activate them, yet they are able to produce a more powerful energy field than us?¡± ¡°Tech stuff,¡± Elder Hua replied briskly, waving off her question. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert in this field, you¡¯ll have to ask an engineer at the GHO. Maybe the patriarch knows something as well.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, thanks anyway,¡± Iris murmured, though it was clear she was dissatisfied. ¡°I was expecting you to call them pathetic, but this is a nice change of pace,¡± Fanatic said with a sly grin, folding his arms. ¡°Though¡­ Octane seems somewhat concerning.¡± ¡°E-Elder Hua, my hand hurts a lot, can I go to the infirmary?¡± Octane cried, holding up his wrist in pain. His iFrame copy did the same despite its perfectly neutral expression, which was somewhat amusing to see. ¡°Quit whining,¡± Elder Hua replied harshly, returning to her usual self. ¡°You¡¯ll need to bear more than just that next Monday.¡± ¡°Eh¡­? But Finn wasn¡¯t even hurt and you took him to the infirmary anyway¡­¡± Octane frowned in confusion. Elder Hua¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­¡± She trailed off and averted her gaze, unsure of how to respond to that. ¡°A-Ahem, anyway, you¡¯re fine! Now¡­ boy, your name is Finn, correct? It¡¯s your turn now. Everyone else, out of the room, just in case!¡± Because of the destructive properties of the Stormbringer Angelica, everyone else ¡ª along with their iFrames ¡ª left the room, leaving only Finn, his iFrame, and Elder Hua left in the dojo, doors shut. ¡®Normally, I wouldn¡¯t bother telling everyone to leave since this boy is just a D-ss Hunter, but given what happened this morning¡­ he is not to be underestimated,¡¯ Elder Hua thought, furrowing her brows in focus and a little bit of anticipation. ¡°Now then, Finn. Show me what you can do.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ about that.¡± Finn scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use any Abilities for this Angelica.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ If this is supposed to be a joke, I¡¯m notughing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. I only joined the Ghost Hunters recently, so I never got a chance to learn.¡± ¡®If he only joined recently, how the hell does he have such a strong mana field and was able to resist my punch with such ease?!¡¯ After a long, ufortable silence, Elder Hua gulped and decided to ask a somewhat far-stretched question. ¡°¡­ Finn. Are you a Bloodborn?¡± ¡°A Bloodborn? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°¡­ Never mind,¡± she quickly shook her head. If he didn¡¯t even know what they were, there was no way he was one. But in that case, the mystery to his powers still remained unsolved¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t have a Stormbringer Angelica, but I¡¯ve seen Patriarch Lei use it before,¡± Elder Hua said, crossing her arms. ¡°Though the moves he uses are all Tier 3 or higher ones, so I doubt you¡¯ll be able to use them, but¡­¡± ¡°Teach me,¡± Finn quickly said, not missing this golden opportunity. It may not be the same as being taught by the man himself, but second-hand teaching like this still was better than reading a book (or rather, having Iris read one to him). ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± Elder Hua replied after some hesitation. ¡°But just keep in mind ¡ª if you forcefully try to learn an Ability that¡¯s too advanced for your current level, you¡¯ll suffer for it.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware of the risks. But my mind is already set.¡± ¡°Very well. Just don¡¯t me me if you end up getting hurt.¡± Chapter 83: Stormbringers Wrath Chapter 83: Stormbringer''s Wrath ¡°Seeing as how you were able to activate your Angelica to start up the iFrame earlier, I¡¯m assuming you know how to circte your mana,¡± Elder Hua said. ¡°I¡¯m not expert on this Angelica, but from what I know, the Stormbringer Angelica is all about controlling the lightning in your mana. Naturally, the advanced Abilities Patriarch Lei uses requires this.¡± ¡°I can pretty much control it, though I haven¡¯t mastered itpletely yet,¡± Finn replied honestly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± ¡®He can already control it, despite being ¡®new¡¯ to the Ghost Hunter world¡­?¡¯ Elder Hua thought skeptically. ¡®Well, it doesn¡¯t matter, I suppose. He won¡¯t be able to use this anyway. After all, even Patriarch Lei can only use this Ability once everyday due to the sheer amount of mana it needs. I¡¯m just humoring him because¡­ actually, why am I doing this? I don¡¯t even know myself. Perhaps, somewhere deep down, I genuinely felt like there was a sliver of chance that this boy could actually pull it off? Ha, no way.¡¯ ¡°Well, whatever you say,¡± Elder Hua said with a sigh, shaking his head. ¡°Just know that I¡¯ve warned you. Spread your arms.¡± Finn did as told, letting the electric aura around his body course through his veins. His copy did the same. ¡°Good. Keep your palms open and chant with me. Ah¡­ how did it go again¡­ oh, right.¡± Clearing her throat, Elder Hua¡¯s expression took a serious turn and she began the chant. ¡°Come, chaotic levin, I hereby release thy seal.¡± ¡°Come, chaotic levin, I hereby release thy seal-¡± Finn repeated calmly as he felt energy begin flowing towards his hands. ¡°Cleanse this world of evil and turn all enemies mine into nothing but ash.¡± ¡°Cleanse this world of evil and turn all enemies mine into nothing but ash-¡° Finn felt electricity converge within the palms of his hands, just waiting to be released. It was difficult to control, but he managed to pull it off thanks to the little bit of practice he did before Archon called him downstairs to discuss the matter with Storm. ¡°Be my de, Divine Lightning¡­¡± ¡°Be my de, Divine Lightning-¡° Dark clouds began forming above Finn¡¯s head, apanied by thunder and sparks of lightning- ¡°Stormbringer¡¯s Wrath!¡± ¡°-Stormbringer¡¯s Wrath.¡± Suddenly, Finn¡¯s body floated up from the ground as two spheres of violent energy appeared in his hands, one in each. Blue electricity sparked all around him as lightning crashed into the dojo¡¯s wooden floor, paired with a real storm that appeared above the whole squadron base. Elder Hua¡¯s eyes widened in shock, body trembling a bit. ¡°No way¡­ this boy¡­ he really¡­¡± [Finn. Try sping your hands together~] Faced with this little suggestion from Zelestria, he decided to listen to it. Slowly, he lifted his arms up. The two orbs of arc energy began drifting towards one another before finally converging into a bigger one directly above Finn¡¯s head. The new sphere of destruction was enormous ¡ª too big for the dojo to handle. The roof was blown away, the walls torn to pieces. The iFrame facing Finn was unable to copy this and ended up being sucked into the ck hole of lightning as well, instantly dismantled into mechanical pieces. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Elder Hua and the others outside fled for cover as the debris all around flew towards Finn and formed a spinning shock field around the orb of power. The electricity mixed with the sheer size and density of the sphere gave it gravitational pull as it continued to wreak havoc on the building, expanding to the other floors as well. ¡°Tch¡­! FINN! CANCEL IT!¡± Elder Hua yelled, but the storm overhead and thunder crashing down all around Finn made it impossible for him to hear. In the matter of a few seconds, the entire upper half of the dojo had been utterly obliterated, the torn-apart remains feeding into the massive ck hole and making it grow evenrger. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris, Fanatic, and Octane also joined in on the shouting, but their voices were simrly drowned out by the chaos happening all around. In fact, the only reason they haven¡¯t gotten sucked in to the ck hole yet was because of Reaper¡¯s scythe that had lodged deep into the ground, which they all held on to in a train-like pattern. By this point, the sphere of electricity had reached the diameter of a basketball court ¡ª and that¡¯s not counting the shock field rotating around it, destroying anything ites into contact with on an atomic level. And the worst part was, since Finn couldn¡¯t see, he had no idea just how much damage he was causing right now. All the sounds of destruction was drowned out by the thunder ringing in his ears, which he judged to normal. High above the ball of destruction and its force field of debris, the silhouette of a creature could be made out within the dark, ash-gray thunderclouds. It looked like a dog, but the raging howl it unleashed was more simr to that of a wolf. [Fufu~] Zelestria giggled inside Finn¡¯s head, amused by the scene. [Now this is what I call ¡®wrath¡¯, no~?] The beast¡¯s spine-chilling roar caused people from all over the sect to look over to see what¡¯s going on. A massive blue ¡®ck hole¡¯ made of pure electricity with hordes of spinning debris around it had just suddenly appeared, along with a mysterious yet undeniably powerful creature lurking within the dark thunderclouds and rain. But to one such person, this was no mysterious creature. To him, it was something more ¡ª something he had sought all his life. Hearing the familiar beast¡¯s cry of rage, the man ¡ª Lei Feng ¡ª quickly ran out of his office and looked up at the clouded sky. And when he did, he nearly fell over, stumbling backwards a few steps as his eyes widened in astonishment and utter shock. ¡°Heavens¡­ to think I would be able to witness this in my lifetime¡­ The Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica ¡ª Raiju¡¯s Howl.¡± Chapter 84: Raijus Howl Chapter 84: Raiju''s Howl Meanwhile, back at the dojo, things weren¡¯t looking too great either. ¡°Ngh¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ hold on any longer¡­¡± Elder Hua gritted her teeth as she held on to what was left of the demolished walls, praying to whatever god she believed in that this feeble piece of wood didn¡¯t get torn off. Unfortunately, whatever she was praying, it clearly didn¡¯t work. A crack appeared in the wall, and the chunk she was holding onto was torn off. ¡°AH-!¡± Unable to resist the immensely powerful gravitational pull of the massive shock sphere, she was forced to turn around and stare death straight in the face, namely the field of high-speed debris she was about to crash into. ¡®Ah¡­ how long has it been since I¡¯ve felt true fear? Am I really going to die at the hands of a young kid like this? My own student, no less? ¡­ How pathetic.¡¯ She was frustrated, but deep down, she epted her fate. Closing her eyes tightly, a single tear flowed out of her eyes. ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­ to everyone I was harsh to in the past¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ She spread her arms and weed death to take her. ¡­ ¡°¡­ Eh?¡± Right before she was about to hit the massive shock field of rubble and electricity, everything stopped. The rotating torn chunks of wall and ceiling, the thunderstorm, her¡ª ¡ªEverything stopped. The massive electric ck hole Finn had conjured disappeared; the dark clouds looming over the horizon vanished. Then, it was as if time began flowing once more, and everything levitating in mid-air began crashing back down to the surface of the earth. ¡°K-KYAAAA!¡± Elder Hua shut her eyes tightly in fear and shrieked as she fell¡­ but in the end, shended on something soft. Hesitantly opening one eye, she nced down to see none other than the one who caused this all ¡ª the man known as Finn Thresher, soon-to-be Legendary Ghost Hunter. ¡°You¡­ little¡­ BRAT!¡± Elder Hua screamed, lifting Finn¡¯s body and shaking it back and forth. ¡°YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t respond. ¡°HEY! I¡¯M TALKING TO YOU! JUST AN APOLOGY ISN¡¯T GOING TO CUT IT, YOU KNOW!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Grrr¡­¡± ¡°U-Um¡­¡± Iris hesitantly crawled closer to the destroyed doors. ¡°Elder Hua¡­ I think he¡¯s unconscious.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Elder Hua looked to her, then back down at Finn. Indeed, he was showing no reaction. But since his eyes were closed all the time, she had no way to tell. ¡°Tch¡­ he ran out of mana, I guess.¡± ¡°Still¡­ what the hell was that?¡± Octane cried in confusion. ¡°By the way Elder Hua is acting, I doubt that was supposed to happen,¡± Fanatic analyzed calmly. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then how did Finn pull something so destructive off¡­?¡± ¡°That was most definitely not supposed to happen,¡± Elder Hua confirmed, folding her arms and ncing up at the now-open ceiling. ¡°I have no idea what that was either, but¡­ I know someone who might. For now, you guys, take him to the infirmary.¡± ¡°Um¡­ about that,¡± Iris scratched her cheek awkwardly, averting her gaze. ¡°My wheelchair¡­ it got sucked into the chaos just now and broke¡­ I¡¯ll need a new one.¡± ¡°Again?!¡± Octane shrieked in surprise. ¡°You broke it the first time,¡± Iris said coldly, shooting him a dead re. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be talking.¡± ¡°Guh¡­ I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Elder Hua sighed. ¡°Use your wings for now, then stay at the infirmary as well while I work on getting you a new one. As for the other three¡­ after dropping Finn off, ask the other Hunters around about the library and go there.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± the three of them said in unison. Then, ncing down at Finn, Iris smiled warmly. ¡®It¡¯s always been you carrying me, Finn¡­ why don¡¯t I carry you instead this time around?¡¯ ***** In the end, with some spectacr struggle, Iris managed to carry Finn to the infirmary all by herself using her wings. Octane and Fanatic offered to help, but she insisted on doing it by herself. By the time they arrived, Iris was exhausted. The nurse them eyed them awkwardly upon seeing them, like ¡®again? Seriously?¡¯. They had been here for not even one day yet, and they¡¯ve already visited the infirmary twice. That was not a good sign. ¡°¡­ What is it this time?¡± She asked, exasperated. ¡°You didn¡¯t see what happened outside¡­?¡± Octane asked, confused. ¡°Of course not,¡± Fanatic cut in. ¡°She was inside the whole time.¡± ¡°Oh, I guess that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°¡­ Hold on. What happened outside?¡± Nurse Yang interrupted, a frown on her face. ¡°Um¡­ before that, can you treat Finn¡­?¡± Iris asked softly. ¡°Hepletely ran out of mana and ended up like this.¡± Nurse Yang nced down at Finn, who nowy on one of the beds in the room. ¡®This boy again¡­ I thought he was something special since he could resist Elder Hua¡¯s attack, but he can¡¯t even watch his own mana¡­?¡¯ With a sigh, she pulled a nket over Finn and injected some serum into Finn¡¯s body using a syringe to help stabilize his manastreams, then went to wash her hands without even bothering to check whether or not he was really out of mana since she was so eager to learn more about the events that urred at the training dojo. ¡°It¡¯s all done. He should wake up soon. Now then¡­¡± Nurse Yang turned to Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper. ¡°You three, who can still move. Mind showing me what happened ¡®outside¡¯?¡± ***** The nurse followed Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper out of the infirmary, leaving Iris and Finn alone. Since their beds were right next to each other, Iris was able to get a good glimpse of Finn¡¯s sleeping face. ¡°Hm¡­ he even keeps the same expression when he¡¯s asleep,¡± she giggled cutely, then hesitantly reached over to his forehead and gave it a gentle flick. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Iris quickly backed off in surprise. ¡°F-Finn¡­ you were conscious this whole time?!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± he responded stoically without even turning his head. ¡°That means¡­ you didn¡¯t run out of mana?¡± Finn nodded. The truth was, Zelestria had told him he was about to identally kill someone, so he had quickly canceled the Ability. In order to prevent anyone from bing suspicious on how he was able to tell, he just pretended to have ran out of mana. In reality, he still had plenty left to spare. He tried asking Zelestria why she told him to use such a dangerous Ability, but she told him she¡¯ll exinter tonight in the reality rift as it was easier. ¡°Wait¡­ if you didn¡¯t run out, then why did you stop?¡± ¡°I figured it was enough to destroy the iFrame,¡± Finn replied, making up a lie on the spot. ¡°And as for why I didn¡¯t say this from the very beginning, it was because I wanted to take some time to rest anyway.¡± ¡°E-Enough to destroy the iFrame¡­ it was enough to destroy the whole building, Finn¡­¡± Iris couldn¡¯t help but giggle lightly. ¡°My bad.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have a lot to answer for once Elder Hua knows you¡¯re awake, you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± Iris sighed deeply. ¡°Having conversations with you is so boring, Finn. But I do it anyway. Isn¡¯t that weird?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hehe~ maybe I just like having boring conversations.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± Then, suddenly, from outside, Nurse Yang¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°He WHAT??!¡± ¡°Um¡­ I think she¡¯s referring to you,¡± Iris whispered awkwardly. ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Chapter 85: Lei Fengs Visit Chapter 85: Lei Feng''s Visit Soon after, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper set off for the library just as instructed. In the meantime, Elder Hua and Nurse Yang had both gathered in the infirmary, facing Finn and Iris. But there was also one other visitor here ¡ª Lei Feng, Patriarch of the Thousand Dragons Sect. ¡°¡­ Elder Hua, Nurse Yang. Leave this boy and I alone for a while.¡± ¡°Understood, Patriarch.¡± Elder Hua and Nurse Yang both bowed deeply, before shooting a nce at Iris. ¡°Follow us, Iris. Your wheelchair is ready,¡± Nurse Yang said. Iris nodded and flew off of her bed using the wings on the back of her armor, shooting Finn onest nce before following the two out of the infirmary. As the door shut tight behind them, Patriarch Lei sat down on a chair and moved it closer to Finn¡¯s bed. ¡°¡­ Your name. It was Finn, correct?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Finn Thresher.¡± ¡°I see. Well then, Finn¡­ do you know just what you did this afternoon?¡± ¡°I nearlypletely destroyed the training dojo, so I¡¯ve been told. I apologize for that.¡± ¡°No no, not that. I mean¡­ the Ability you used.¡± ¡°¡­ All I did was what Elder Hua taught me,¡± Finn replied after some hesitation. ¡°Impossible. I have used Stormbringer¡¯s Wrath many, many times. Not once has the two arc orbs converged into one and created a singrity so strong that it has gravitational pull and possesses the capability to generate a shock field of debris around it.¡± ¡°The two orbs converging into one¡­¡± Finn utilized his skill ofing up with bullshit on the spot once again and gave his response. ¡°I had a sudden sh of inspiration and thought, ¡®I have two balls. What if Ibine these two together?¡¯ Who knew it actually worked?¡± [Pfft~ you actually expect him to believe that?] Zelestria desperately tried to hold back herughter inside Finn¡¯s mind, but he paid her no heed. ¡°I see¡­¡± Lei Feng rubbed his chin in thought, genuinely taking Finn¡¯s words seriously. ¡°Perhaps you just possess talent I do not.¡± [¡­ Mkay~! I take back what I just said~] ¡°Talent? I¡¯m just a quick learner, that¡¯s all,¡± Finn replied, hoping to bait out some information from Lei Feng. And indeed, he took the bait. ¡°No no, you do not understand,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°That Ability you used¡­ it¡¯s called Raiju¡¯s Howl ¡ª the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica. You are blind, so you couldn¡¯t see it, but everyone else did. Within the thunderclouds that you summoned¡­ the silhouette of a dog, wolf-like creaturey beyond.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s where the howl came from¡­¡± Finn murmured quietly. ¡°Indeed. That creature¡¯s name is Raiju ¡ª the mythical animal of storms and lightning. Had you finished your Ability, everything that got sucked into the singrity would¡¯ve been transferred over to Raiju as energy, essentially summoning him into this world to be your ally.¡± ¡°¡­ It was just a random thought,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°I never expected it to be this impactful.¡± ¡°Finn, listen closely. You may not have enough mana right now, but the moment you do, summon that beast. He is extremely powerful and will aid us Ghost Hunters in our fight against the paranormal. Especially with the Perfect Outbreak that urred recently¡­ help is required more than ever. Do you understand?¡± [Fufu~ little does he know, my sweet darling already has more than enough mana to do it~] Zelestria remarked. Finn nodded in response to Lei¡¯s words. ¡°I understand. Thanks for letting me know. But¡­ you mentioned Lost Arts earlier. What are they?¡± ¡°Lost Arts are exactly what their names say them to be ¡ª Angelica Abilities lost to time. The only reason their existence is known is because of old records and stories, but none have any instructions on how to actually cast them ¡ª hence why they are called ¡®lost¡¯. Most of the time, they are also the most powerful Abilities of their respective Angelica.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ anyone could suddenly discover the method to use a Lost Art, as long as they have the luck?¡± Finn asked, thinking casting Abilities was as simple as knowing the name and action tied to it. ¡°No. While you were unconscious, I asked Elder Hua to tell me exactly what you did ¡ª your body gestures, words, and such. I replicated your movements perfectly, but was unable to activate the Lost Art. Which means¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Only certain people can do it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that may be true for Lost Arts, but for normal Abilities, it just takes multiple tries most of the time.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Finn sank into thought. Since he¡¯d always pretty much first tried all the Abilities he was taught, he thought it was easy learning them. Now he knew it wasn¡¯t for most people, and that he just was able to do this because of either the Ghost Blood in his body or Zelestria¡¯s help. Perhaps a little bit of both. ¡°Finn,¡± Patriarch Lei suddenly said, interrupting Finn¡¯s thoughts. ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°Tell me the truth. Just who are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t try to y dumb or ignorant. He knew what Lei was referring to, but the patriarch expanded on it anyway. ¡°ording to the GHO¡¯s database, your Angelica is listed as Oculus. Yet here you are, using the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica like you knew how to cast it all along. I find it hard to believe you are just some random stray kid Archon picked up on the street again like the others.¡± ¡°¡­ I lied when I was filling my application in,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°My ex-squadmate, Storm, also had the Stormbringer Angelica, but he was¡­ weak. If I told the GHO I had the Stormbringer Angelica as well, there was a chance me or Storm may be transferred to a different ce.¡± ¡°That is true, every squadron requires a Stormbringer to cover up their operations. The GHO is always in need of them, and I know who you¡¯re talking about. Derek, I think his name was? He was apetitive young man. Although his chanting was slow, he gave it his all.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Which is why-¡° ¡°However,¡± Lei cut in before he could continue. ¡°I would strongly suggest you not lie to me again, Finn.¡± At this, Finn stopped and fell into silence momentarily. ¡°If you had the Stormbringer Angelica all along, I would¡¯ve sensed it as a fellow Stormbringer when our paths first crossed at the guild HQ,¡± Lei exined. ¡°That is an intrinsic trait of Stormbringers. With that being said¡­ there leaves only one conclusion.¡± Narrowing his eyes, Lei stared intently at Finn, dropping his tone dangerously. ¡°One way or another¡­ you somehow managed to gain another Angelica after we met. Theoretically speaking, this should not be possible and has never happened in the past. So¡­ tell me, Finn Thresher. Who ¡ª or what ¡ª exactly are you?¡± Chapter 86: The Patriarchs Offer Chapter 86: The Patriarch''s Offer Finn took a deep breath. ¡°¡­ How unfortunate.¡± Lei frowned. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I have these¡­ special powers, but I don¡¯t know where theye from or why I possess them. That¡¯s the truth, Patriarch.¡± ¡°¡­ Tell me about these ¡®powers¡¯.¡± ¡°I would, but it¡¯ll be much easier if I show you instead,¡± Finn replied, then turned his head in the direction of the door. ¡°Please call Nurse Yang or Elder Hua back.¡± Of course, he could simply tell Patriarch Lei through words, but this was a perfect opportunity to gain a free new Angelica. He was at his wit¡¯s end ¡ª lying to Lei wasn¡¯t going to work anymore, so he might as well make the most of this situation. Lei was skeptical, butplied anyway and left the room for the time being, leaving Finn alone. [¡­ You¡¯re nning on telling him the truth?] Zelestria asked curiously. ¡®He¡¯s sharp. I don¡¯t have much of a choice,¡¯ Finn responded. ¡®I¡¯m just hoping I can obtain Nurse Yang or Elder Hua¡¯s Angelica out of this.¡¯ [The majority of Elder Hua¡¯s power doesn¡¯te from her Angelica, but rather something else. That nurse, though, has the Healer Angelica, which is quite a rare and powerful one. Fufu~ let¡¯s see how good your luck is, darling~] Finn was curious as to what that ¡®something else¡¯ was, but he figured it would be better to ask about it tonight as the door slid open and Patriarch Lei entered once more. Behind him, Nurse Yang followed, slightly confused. ¡°I brought her here since Elder Hua is staying with the others at the library,¡± Patriarch Lei exined. ¡°Now¡­ care to show me what you mean?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Come closer.¡± Nurse Yang looked at Patriarch Lei, who nodded in return, and she did as told, standing right beside Finn¡¯s bed. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Finn instructed. ¡°E-Eh? My hand¡­¡± Nurse Yang blushed slightly, thinking he meant something else, but tenderly reached out anyway. Finn wasn¡¯t bad looking by any means even though his eyes were scarred, after all. Finn took her hand with his and Nurse Yang flinched a little. ck essence began leaking out of Finn¡¯s body, engulfing Nurse Yang immediately, whose eyes widened in shock. ¡°Ngh¡­ what is this¡­¡± She tried freeing herself from Finn¡¯s grasp, but he held on tightly. Patriarch Lei watched intently, not making a move to interfere. To him, discovering Finn¡¯s powers was more important than even the life of one of his subordinates. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Nurse Yang felt her eyelids be heavy and body be shaky. She began losing bnce, wobbling back and forth within the ck mist extruding from Finn¡¯s body, and finally copsed onto the bed by Finn¡¯s side. Slowly, Finn took his hand off of hers and returned to his original, calm position, as if nothing had happened. Then, suddenly, a bright sh of green energy surrounded him, along with a white plus sign hovering above his head. Patriarch Lei¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°This¡­ this can¡¯t be¡­¡± Finn canceled circting the newly-obtained mana in his body and crossed his hands. ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°A-And you can still use your other Angelicas¡­?¡± Lei asked hesitantly. Finn nodded briskly as Lei rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out what to make of what he just saw. ¡°Someone using multiple Angelicas at the same time, stealing them from others¡­ I have never heard of such a thing happening before.¡± ¡°Neither have I,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°But like I said¡­ I discovered this power of mine by chance. I don¡¯t know how I am able to do this either.¡± Lei closed his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I get it.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you going to tell others of this power?¡± Finn asked after some hesitation. ¡°No. If you went through the trouble of lying to me, I can safely assume you don¡¯t want to be found out. I will respect that.¡± Finn nodded in thanks. ¡°You have my gratitude, patriarch.¡± ¡°However,¡± Lei continued, a sharp gleam in his eye. ¡°Starting tomorrow, you¡¯re not going to train with the others anymore.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I will personally teach you to hone your Stormbringer Angelica. It¡¯s a verymon one, but very few can use it to its maximum potential ¡ª and I believe you are one of those very few. You are a sharp de in the making, Finn. All you need is the right forge.¡± Finn fell into thought momentarily. ¡®¡­ Hm. That was unexpected, but¡­¡¯ ¡°I ept. Looking forward to studying under you, Patriarch Lei.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lei nodded in satisfaction, then nced down at Nurse Yang¡¯s unconscious figure. ¡°About her¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Finn confirmed. ¡°When she wakes up in an hour or so, she won¡¯t have any memory of what happened here.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, for now, you can stay here and continue to recover your mana. Elder Hua shoulde back to pick you up when it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Rest well, Finn. Starting tomorrow, I will work you hard.¡± Leaving these words behind, he left the infirmary, leaving Finn and a still-unconscious Nurse Yang in the room. ¡°¡­¡± After some hesitation, Finn got out of his bed and lifted Nurse Yang up, setting her on the bed next to him and pulling the covers up for her. Had the distance between the beds been a bit further, he may have identally dropped her on the floor, but luckily that didn¡¯t happen. Returning to his own bed, Finnid downfortably. ¡®Zelestria.¡¯ [Hm~?] ¡®Tell me. Why did you have me cast that Lost Art earlier?¡¯ [Fufu~ I said I¡¯ll exin tonight, didn¡¯t I~?] ¡®I have some free time to spare right now anyway.¡¯ After some hesitation, Zelestria spoke quietly, vastly different from her usual personality. [¡­ Would you believe me if I said I was jealous?] ¡®¡­ What?¡¯ [You care about that girl, Iris, so much¡­ but onlye to me when you need answers. Am I just a tool to you, Finn?] ¡®So is Iris. I need her as I am right now. Nothing more, nothing less.¡¯ [Ara~ is that so?] She giggled lightly. [Then¡­] [¡­ What if I told you I could be your eyes instead~?] Chapter 87: Proposal Chapter 87: Proposal ¡®If you could¡¯ve done that all along¡­ why only suggest it now?¡¯ Finn asked hesitantly. [Because when I first met you, I didn¡¯t think I needed to interfere. But seeing you with that girl¡­ hm, how do I put it¡­ I feel a bit¡­ angry? Fufu~] ¡®¡­¡¯ [I was the one who saved you from the brink of death, Finn. I was the one who gave you your powers. Seeing another girl just take you away like this¡­ it makes me pretty jealous, y¡¯know~? So much so that I feel¡­ hatred.] ¡®You should¡¯ve made this proposal as soon as I met Iris,¡¯ Finn scoffed. [Perhaps. But back then, I still wasn¡¯t sure why I felt annoyed. Now though, it has be clear~ I¡¯ll make you mine, Finn. Mine and no else¡¯s~] ¡®What are you trying to say?¡¯ [If anyone tries to steal you from me¡­ fufu~ I¡¯ll kill them, that¡¯s all~] Finn clenched his fists. ¡®¡­ Don¡¯t you darey a hand on Iris.¡¯ [Ara~ you care about her this much? I thought she was only a tool to you. I can be your eyes too, y¡¯know~] ¡®I¡¯m already used to working with her ¡ª we have good synergy and work fine together. I am not about to change now.¡¯ [Fufu~ but can you stop me, I wonder~?] ¡®What you did earlier today¡­ you were hoping for Iris to get sucked into that ck hole as well?¡¯ [Perhaps~] ¡®¡­ You¡¯re a psychopath.¡¯ [I suppose so. After all, my heart has already been broken once. But that¡¯s also exactly why¡­ it can¡¯t be broken again.] ¡®Zelestria¡­ just what are you?¡¯ Finn asked, a question that had been lingering on his mind for a long time now. [Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know. Machine? Human? Monster, perhaps? Those words don¡¯t mean much to me anymore. When I first met you, I only wanted you as my soldier ¡ª a pawn to fulfill a duty. But overtime¡­ by watching you and that girl, Iris¡­ I realized emotions again. In a way, you helped me find my humanity back, Finn.] ¡®Your humanity back¡­? You used to be human as well?¡¯ [Was I? Fufu~ it¡¯s been far too long. And quite frankly, I don¡¯t really care about the past. But if there¡¯s one thing I know now¡­] Suddenly, Finn felt a warm body sitting on top of his as Zelestria¡¯s two slim arms slid around his neck and wrapped around him tightly. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s that you¡¯re all mine, Finn.¡± Without letting him respond, she leaned in and nted a kiss on his lips, trying to worm her tongue in. But Finn held rigid. After a few seconds, she gave up, backing away and wiping her mouth. Then, leaning in to his ear, she whispered softly yet threateningly, a dangerous gleam in her eyes that showed her other, darker side. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone else have you, darling~¡± ***** Later that evening, Elder Hua came to the infirmary and picked Finn up for dinner. Nurse Yang had woken up already, slightly confused but otherwise unhurt. ¡°How is he?¡± Elder Hua asked, gesturing towards Finn, who stilly on the bed. ¡°He should¡¯ve recovered by now,¡± Nurse Yang replied. ¡°Finn? Are you feeling okay?¡± Finn nodded briskly and Elder Hua snorted. ¡°You really caused a disaster today, brat. Hell, you nearly got me killed in the process. If it wasn¡¯t for Patriarch Lei protecting you, I swear I would¡¯ve¡­¡± She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, steam practically blowing out of her ears, but luckily, Nurse Yang was there. ¡°Ahaha¡­ calm down, Elder Hua,¡± she said, patting the other woman¡¯s back like one would calm a little kid throwing a tantrum. ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± ¡°Tch¡­ whatever! Follow me,¡± Elder Hua growled and spun on her heel, heading out of the infirmary without a single nce back. Finn got out of his bed, then muttered to Nurse Yang, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s my job¡­¡± With that, he trailed after Elder Hua by listening to her footsteps and left the room as well. On the way to the cafeteria, the journey was mostly quiet. But just before they were about to arrive, Elder Hua spoke. ¡°¡­ Brat. I don¡¯t know what you did, but it has made the Patriarch extremely interested in you. I can see why. You used an Ability even he didn¡¯t know of, was able to withstand one of my full-scale punches, and recovered from any wounds near instantly. I won¡¯t ask how or why you¡¯re able to do all this, since the patriarch told me not to, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Finn tilted his head as Elder Hua trailed off, trying to think of what to say next. ¡°U-Ugh, just don¡¯t disappoint me, you hear?!¡± Shouting this, she stormed off. Finn thought to himself. ¡®¡­ Interesting.¡¯ ***** In the cafeteria, Finn didn¡¯t receive many gazes, contrary to expectations. He assumed this was because Elder Hua, Patriarch Lei, and the others kept a lid on things. No one else knew that it was Finn who caused that destructive phenomenon this afternoon, so naturally he didn¡¯t get any unwanted attention. That is, apart from a certain five people who sat in the corner of the room, away from everybody else. No one dared to get close to them, for they were the strongest Ghost Hunters in the squadron ¡ª The Big Five. Finn couldn¡¯t tell, but these five were observing his every step closely. ¡°¡­ ire. Are you certain what you saw was real?¡± Qi Ling asked quietly, staring intently at Finn¡¯s walking figure. The short girl with sses beside her nodded frantically, breathing ragged and body trembling. ¡°I-I¡¯m sure¡­ I can see¡­ a ck aura around him¡­¡± ¡°A ck aura¡­¡± Tian Long murmured. ¡°Could it be¡­ the Deathmaster Angelica?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ire stuttered in fear, closing her eyes tightly, not wanting to look at Finn any longer. ¡°It¡¯s something more pure¡­ more dark¡­ more¡­ evil¡­¡± ¡°Darker than the Deathmaster Angelica¡­ sorry, I can¡¯t think of anything else,¡± Rampager said with a shrug. ¡°I seriously doubt it though¡­ you don¡¯t even act that scared around our actual Deathmaster here, but you¡¯re this afraid of that blind kid?¡± Saying this, Pang Zi gestured towards the quiet teen of the group, who sat with his feet up on the chair, hugging his knees with one hand while biting his nail with the other. His ck eyes held nothing but cold, eternal emptiness, and his very presence was able to make those who weren¡¯t strong enough feel chilled to the bone. His alias was one word, simple. Death. Chapter 88: Private Lessons Chapter 88: Private Lessons The next day, Iris, Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper went to train with Elder Hua once again. Finn, however, had different ns, and stayed behind in the dormitories they rested inst night while he awaited Patriarch Lei¡¯s arrival. Said dorms was just one of many ¡ª there was one building for each group of Hunters in the squadron, categorized by age. Each building was also split into male and female for obvious reasons. Usually, only the Big Five and higher-rank members in the squadron had a room all to themselves, but Iris was lucky enough to get one as well. The night before, Finn asked Zelestria about Elder Hua¡¯s ¡®other¡¯ power. He now knew about the Bloodborn and what they were capable of. He wondered if he could ¡®steal¡¯ their powers too, but Zelestria told him it wasn¡¯t possible ¡ª not yet, anyway. If he could somehow mix the blood of a Bloodborn into his own bloodstream consistently, then it could work, but there was also the risk thates with having three separate types of blood in one body. In the end, Finn decided that he would put this matter aside for now until he got strong enough to handle it. Soon, Patriarch Lei arrived at the dorms to pick him up. The others had already left, so it was just the two of them. ¡°¡­ Have you eaten breakfast yet?¡± He asked. Finn nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°I see. Follow me, then.¡± Tracing the sounds of Lei¡¯s footsteps, Finn blindly trailed after him. Luckily, he had memorized where all the ledges and staircases were the night before so he didn¡¯t trip on anything. ¡°What will you be teaching me?¡± Finn asked curiously as they walked. ¡°Just more advanced Stormbringer Abilities?¡± ¡°No. First, there is a special technique that only select few Stormbringers know how to use¡­ it¡¯s called Lightning Breathing.¡± ¡°Lightning Breathing¡­?¡± Finn echoed, confused. ¡°You will see soon.¡± ***** A few minutester, the two arrived at Lei¡¯s private office. It was smaller than expected for the leader of the squadron, and also quite minimalistic. Other than that, the same Eastern feel that covered the entire squadron was still prominent here. ¡°Sit down on the floor, right where you are,¡± Patriarch Lei instructed after shutting the door, turning around to face Finn and sitting down himself. Finn did as told so that the two were facing each other and crossed his legs. ¡°What I¡¯m about to teach you is a technique called Lightning Breathing. Once mastered, you will be able to cast Stormbringer Abilities without needing to chant. The higher your mastery of it, the higher Tier Abilities you can use without chanting. Learning this will also help you fully control your lightning, but beware: it¡¯s not easy.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m ready.¡± Lei nodded. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s start slow. Rx your muscles and begin with deep breaths.¡± Finn did as told, activating his Stormbringer Angelica and allowing himself to blend in with the tranquility of the room. ¡°Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.¡± After several rotations of deep breaths, Lei spoke once again. ¡°Alright. Now, speed up a bit. Feel the current of the lightning through your veins and try to match your breathing pattern with it ¡ª gradually.¡± Finn could feel it ¡ª the lightning circted around his body at a very fast speed. Normally, it would be impossible to breathe that quickly, but if he gradually increased in speed, then¡­ He breathed in and out. In through his nose and out through his mouth. Every time he did so, he sped up a slight bit. Eventually, however, it got too fast for him to use his mouth to exhale, so he resorted to just using his nose for both. By this point, it seemed like he was practically hyperventting, but his figure remained as still as ever. Lei furrowed his brows slightly as he watched on, arms folded. However, after a while, Finn was unable to speed up any more, stuck at the pace he was currently going. Lei noticed this and sighed. ¡°Well¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting you to get it on the first try anyway. You can rx now.¡± Finn returned to breathing normally and rubbed his chin. ¡°That was my limit. Is there any way to break past it and go even faster?¡± ¡°Sure there is,¡± Lei snorted. ¡°Practice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn had been expecting more of a tip or trick to help him, but¡­ to be honest, it was hard to argue against that. Practice was the essence of getting stronger, after all. ¡°Watch closely, Finn. This is the result of 10 hard years of training.¡± Saying this, Lei closed his eyes and activated his own Angelica. Immediately, intense blue sparks of electricity shot out of his body, creating a shock field around himself. Thunderclouds appeared above his head, sparking with arc energy. And in the middle of it all, arge white lightning bolt symbol hovered, glowing with a blue outline. Although Finn couldn¡¯t see this scene, he could certainly feel the pressure from where he was sitting. It made the hair on his hand stand up straight and his skin tingle a bit. Lei started slowly, just like he taught Finn to. With every deep breath he took, he increased in speed, again and again until he finally reached the state Finn was at and got stuck on. Lei¡¯s brows furrowed as he pushed himself past human limits. Underneath his robes, bright glowing blue veins of lightning appeared on his skin, and his breathing became too fast to even hear. The veins continued spreading to the rest of his body as he continued speeding up even further, until atst, he looked like some sort of glowing constetion had been imprinted on him. In that moment, Lei¡¯s eyes suddenly snapped open, releasing a wave of powerful arc energy outwards. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Finn hurriedly raised his arms up to block his face, but the tremendous force still sent him flying backwards and crashing into the back wall. He slowly got back up to his feet and wiped his mouth silently as if nothing had happened, though the wall and everything that had been on it were definitely broken. ¡°¡­ Do you see now?¡± Lei asked, standing up. The glowing veins on his body still have not disappeared. ¡°All it takes is one instant where your breathing matches the current speed of the lightning in your body. Once that happens, a state called Lightning Aura will trigger ¡ª the state I am in right now.¡± He didn¡¯t even apologize for sending Finn crashing into a thick wall, but Finn didn¡¯t particrly care either and just nodded in return. ¡°I understand. All it takes is practice, correct? On it.¡± Chapter 89: Lightning Breathing Chapter 89: Lightning Breathing For the rest of that day and the day after that, Finn continued practicing his Lightning Breathing technique. Here and there, Lei would teach him some more advanced Stormbringer Abilities as a break, all of them which he managed to learn first try. The same, however, couldn¡¯t be said about the breathing technique. Finn only had a short amount of time left before Thursday hit and joint training with the Big Five would begin ¡ª it was now the night before, but he still hadn¡¯t reached mastery. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s all the time we have today,¡± Lei said, standing up. ¡°In the end, you didn¡¯t manage to get it, but don¡¯t be downed. It took me ten years to master this technique, after all. I just wanted to teach you how to employ it and what it does.¡± ¡°Thank you, Patriarch,¡± Finn replied briskly but politely, getting to his feet as well and preparing to leave the room. ¡°I will master it, someday.¡± ¡°I believe you can. After all¡­ you are the one who triggered the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica. Surely you are able to conquer this.¡± Finn nodded and left the room, using his own memory to navigate his way back to his dorm. Tomorrow, joint training with The Big Five would begin. The exact n for the operation on Monday would also be revealed. It¡¯s been quite a bit since Finnst fought a Ghost ¡ª he was eager to kill one again. He was hoping to obtain a lot of Souls from this operation ¡ª that way, he could get his eyesight back sooner. After a hot shower, Finn headed for his dormitory room and went to sleep after saying good night to the others ¡ª or at least, that was the n. Quite unexpectedly, he was suddenly pulled in to the reality rift by Zelestria without any warning, just before he was about to fall asleep. ¡°Hello, darling~¡± She waved happily upon seeing him materialize before her. ¡°¡­ Did you need something from me?¡± Finn asked warily, wondering if this was about Iris again. ¡°My, my~ why so cautious?¡± Zelestria giggled, hiding herughter with her hand. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about Iris¡­ don¡¯t be. I saw you struggle a bit with the Lightning Breathing technique over the past few days, so I decided to lend a hand, that¡¯s all. What, you don¡¯t want my help~?¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°No, I appreciate it. But how exactly will you be helping me?¡± ¡°Fufu~ do you still remember how I can regte your mana because of our bond?¡± She asked with a wry grin. At this, Finn¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You mean¡­ you can control the speed at which the lightning moves in my body?¡± Zelestria merely smiled innocently. ¡°Want to try?¡± Finn closed his eyes and began channeling his Stormbringer mana. Even though this wasn¡¯t the real world, he could still use his Angelicas and such here ¡ª just like Project: Simcrum. Immediately, he could detect that the lightning in his veins flowed incredibly slower than normal. If it¡¯s like this, then¡­ He gradually sped up his breathing to match the slowed-down lightning current, which wasn¡¯t all that hard to do. He didn¡¯t even need to hyperventte. Once Lightning Aura was triggered, Finn¡¯s eyes snapped open as he reached a state of enlightenment and nced down at his own body. Glowing blue veins had appeared on his skin, sparking with energy and power. Quickly turning around, he tried to use one of the Tier 3 Abilities he had learned from Lei: Lightning Reach. He opened his palm, made a mental thought of using the Ability, and instantly, a bright and destructive beam of lightning shot out of his hand. There was nearly zero travel time as the ray of obliteration struck the mountain in the distance and tore straight through it. ¡°¡­¡± Canceling the effect using nothing but a thought, Finn nced back down at his hands, lined with glowing blue veins. ¡°Pretty cool, huh?¡± Zelestria giggled, folding her arms behind her back and giving a seductive wink. ¡°Now¡­ where¡¯s my thank you?¡± ¡°¡­ Just to be clear, this method doesn¡¯t affect my power output in any way, correct?¡± Finn asked cautiously. ¡°Nope~!¡± She responded happily. ¡°There are zero downsides to this method.¡± ¡°I see¡­ in that case, I suppose a thank you is necessary.¡± ¡°Ara~ the best thank you for me would be to let me kill Iris, y¡¯know~¡± Zelestria smiled innocently,tching onto Finn¡¯s arm and looking up at him with the sad puppy dog eyes. ¡°¡­ Sorry, but that¡¯s a no. We¡¯ve been over this ¡ª I need her still. You may be able to be my eyes in her ce, but the squadron¡¯s morale would fall greatly if you were to kill her now. For the uing operation on Monday and future ones down the line, teamwork is incredibly important. Her Oculus Angelica is also useful for detecting traps, locating enemies, and such.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ but has anyone told you not to talk about another girl when speaking with one?¡± Zelestria asked, folding her arms and pouting slightly. ¡°My feelings are hurt, hmph~¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought her up,¡± Finn replied as calmly as ever. ¡°In any case¡­ regarding the thank you¡­ just the usual, right?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ this time, I have an extra requirement,¡± Zelestria said after some thought. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have to personally cook the food, fufu~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zelestria, noticing Finn¡¯s silence, frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t cook.¡± ¡°¡­ I can, but I¡¯m not the best. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°In that case¡­ why don¡¯t I be your taste tester to help you improve your cooking skills?¡± Zelestria suggested with a wry smile. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°You just want me to cook you free meals,¡± Finn replied, exposing her true intentions in an instant. ¡°W-Well, I won¡¯t deny that¡¯s part of it, but I genuinely want to help you improve, darling~¡± ¡°¡­ Denied. If I have time learning how to get better at cooking, I have time to train and get stronger.¡± Zelestria sighed in response. ¡°Aww¡­ it was a worth a shot, I suppose.¡± With that, she sent Finn out of the reality rift and licked her lips in ecstasy and pulled down her bottom lip with her finger, giggling to herself. ¡°Fufu~ I can¡¯t wait until you get enough Souls again, darling¡­¡± Chapter 90: Joint Training Chapter 90: Joint Training The next morning, Finn and the others grouped up together once more tomence joint training. They were instructed by Elder Hua to head to the main hall building, where Patriarch Lei and the Big Five were already waiting. ¡°Good morning. I hope you all had a good night¡¯s sleepst night,¡± Patriarch Lei said calmly. Finn and the others bowed collectively. ¡°Good morning, Master.¡± ¡°As you all know already, today will be when your joint training with the Big Five starts. For the purpose of this, I have invited someone from outside the squadron as your instructor for the time being.¡± At this, Tian Long from the Big Five stepped forward and raised his hand in confusion. ¡°Apologies, Master, but¡­ there wasn¡¯t any prior mention of this?¡± ¡°Yes, because I only received news recently that this man will be joining you for the operation as well to help out.¡± ¡®So, he¡¯ll be part of the actual operation too¡­¡¯ Lei looked behind the pir that was blocking the others¡¯ views. ¡°¡­ How long are you nning to hide there, Jim?¡± ¡°¡­ Jim?¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the sound of this name. Finn was somewhat surprised too. ¡®It couldn¡¯t be¡­¡¯ He thought. ¡°Agh¡­ ya couldn¡¯t have waited one bloody more minute?!¡± A familiar voice groaned as he stepped out from behind the pir. ¡°Ya ruined my stunnin¡¯ entrance!¡± ¡°It really is you!¡± Octane suddenly blurted out. ¡°Hm? Who ar- ah.¡± The man ¡ª Jim ¡ª nced towards where Squadron 154¡¯s members were standing and immediately froze. More particrly, at Finn and Iris. He instantly spun around to face Lei. ¡°Oi oi oi! Ya didn¡¯t tell me Bakris¡¯s kids were gonna be here! I wouldn¡¯t have epted if-¡° ¡°¡­ You never asked,¡± Lei cut in calmly, a somewhat dangerous gleam in his eyes. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jim nced at Finn and Iris, then back at Lei. ¡°Agh, bloody hell¡­ forget what I said!¡± ¡°Hehe~ looks like he¡¯s still traumatized from that time we beat him,¡± Iris whispered, nudging Finn, who nodded in response. ¡°A-Ahem¡­ anyway,¡± Jim cleared his throat and said, turning around to face his soon-to-be students. ¡°I, the best Cardmaster in the whole world, will be yer bloody teacher for the next few days. Ya can call me Master.¡± ¡°Master, what will you be teaching us, exactly?¡± Qi Ling asked, raising her hand. But Jim merely nodded, smiling happily. ¡°Mm, yes, repeat that.¡± Qi Ling was confused, butplied. ¡°Master, what will you-¡° ¡°Mmmm, again.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Master-¡° ¡°Ooh, yes, that¡¯s the spot! Keep repeating that!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Qi Ling fell silent, realizing what this perverted man was trying to do. Everyone in the room stared at Jim in disgust, who seemed otherwise unconcerned. ¡°Okay, okay, fine¡­¡± Jim said atst with a deep sigh, realizing no one was amused by his little prank. ¡°I¡¯ll be teaching ya a bunch o¡¯ things, but the most important one is probably¡­ the basics of a bloody Baron Hunt.¡± ***** Shortly after, Jim led his new students to an obstacle course of some sort near the outskirts of the squadron base. It seemed to be quite long and tested different aspects, from agility to timing and reaction speeds. Other than that, though, it was just a normal obstacle course. Definitely not something one would expect from training that was supposed to be prepare these young Hunters to take down a Baron, an extremely dangerous and powerful type of Ghost. ¡°¡­ Master, if I may ask, what is this obstacle course for?¡± Tian Long asked. ¡°Surely this isn¡¯t our ¡®training¡¯.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ it doesn¡¯t feel the same, having a guy call me that,¡± Jim muttered to himself, then shook his head. ¡°Anyway¡­ what¡¯s yer bloody question?¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Pang Zi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pushed his friend aside. ¡°Look, old man. If you think we can¡¯t even handle an obstacle course, you¡¯re really underestimating the Big Five. I dunno about those weaklings over there, but we¡¯ll tear through your hurdles.¡± At this, Jim smiled mysteriously and chuckled. ¡°Ohoho¡­ ¡®old¡¯ man? Kid¡­¡± Suddenly, Jim clenched his fists tightly as an explosive, terrifying aura erupted out of his body, blowing everyone back a few inches. His eyes turnedpletely white, face contorted in rage. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Pang Zi, who had been standing closest him, was instantly thrown backwards, sent crashing into a solid brick wall and past it. ¡°Pang Zi!¡± Tian Long cried in worry, but was too busy covering his own face from the pebbles and dust being blown around by Jim¡¯s immensely powerful mana field. ¡°There are two things in this bloody world that piss me off¡­ and you just did one of them.¡± ¡°M-Master, please calm down!¡± Tian Long begged, bowing deeply. ¡°Pang Zi is an idiot, don¡¯t pay him any mind!¡± Jim breathed heavily a few times before finally rxing his muscles and mana, returning to normal. Tian Long shouted words of gratitude and hurriedly rushed over to check on his friend. ¡°G-Gah¡­¡± Pang Zi groaned and struggled back to his feet with the help of Tian Long, feet wobbly and back most likely fractured. ¡°DAMN YOU, OLD GEEZER!¡± Tian Long¡¯s eyes widened in a panic. If he said that, he was definitely dead meat! But before Jim could react- SLAP! ¡°How much further do you want to embarrass the sect?¡± Qi Ling, leader of the Big Five, said quietly but threateningly as she struck Pang Zi across the face harshly. ¡°G-Guh¡­ senior sister¡­¡± Pang Zi looked at her weakly, caressing his own cheek where she hit him. ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t make me say it again.¡± Pang Zi, faced with the ice-cold stare of Qi Ling, had no choice but to bow down. Gulping in fear, he clenched his fists and shut his eyes tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­!¡± ¡°Well, looks like we know who¡¯s going to be leading the rest of ya during the bloody operation,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°That said¡­ oi, kid. Yer name was Pang Zi, correct? Ya said this obstacle course was ¡®too easy¡¯, but not fer the other team?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pang Zi fell silent, neither confirming nor denying that. ¡°Heh, how about this, then?¡± Jim smiled as an idea formted in his mind. ¡°Ya guyspete¡­ and see who can get all yer members through the obstacle course first.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± Octane stuttered a bit in surprise. ¡°Us, against the Big Five¡­?¡± ¡°Have some confidence, Octane,¡± Fanatic encouraged, cing a hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°They seem ready,¡± Jim said, taunting the Big Five. ¡°How about ya guys? Are ya up ta the challenge?¡± Qi Ling nodded firmly, expressing her opinion as one of their entire group. ¡°We ept.¡± Chapter 91: Obstacle Race Chapter 91: Obstacle Race The two teams got into position, each one forming a line behind an obstacle course track. There were two identical ones right next to each other, meaning Jim had nned for them to race against one another anyway, even without Pang Zi¡¯s arrogant remarks. ¡°Alright, looks like both teams are set,¡± Jim chuckled, standing between the two lines. ¡°In that case¡­ 3, 2-¡° ¡°Hold on,¡± Finn cut in. ¡°Before we begin¡­ I just want to make sure of something.¡± Jim looked at the face of the kid that had defeated him, a wry grin on his face. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are Angelicas allowed?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Jim turned to the other team. ¡°Hey, ya heard his question. Do ya think letting Angelicas be used is fair?¡± ¡°I believe not¡­¡± Yun Xin, or rather, ire, murmured quietly. ¡°They have a Daredevil Angelica on their side¡­¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but we also have a blind person and someone who can¡¯t even walk!¡± Octane shot back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you mention that?!¡± ¡°E-Erm¡­¡± Yun Xin averted her gaze awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. ¡°No problem,¡± Finn said, making Octane back down. ¡°Prohibiting Angelicas is perfectly fine.¡± ¡°Well, looks like it¡¯s bloody decided,¡± Jim said with a shrug. ¡°In which case, I¡¯d rmend gettin¡¯ ready. 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Go!¡± Immediately, the first pair took off from the starting point ¡ª Octane and Tian Long. Even without the help of his Angelica, Octane was still much faster than the average young man. He sped through the first section of the obstacle course with ease ¡ª a straight path of running with bars set at different heights. Without losing any momentum, he jumped over the first few hurdles and slid underneath the ones he couldn¡¯t jump over, making it to the next stage in the matter of a few seconds ¡ª monkey bars. Naturally, if he fell, he had to go back and try again. Luckily, being an extremely active person, Octane¡¯s arm strength was quite good as well, meaning he was able to make it past this section with rtive ease just like the previous one. Unfortunately, there was just one problem. He may be in lead right now, but his stamina was pretty horrible, given his asthma. Sooner orter, Tian Long would start turning the tides. It was just a matter of whether Octane could hold out or not. The next phase was a parkour jumping puzzle that featured tall and skinny pirs to stand on, meaning the timing for jumps had to be near perfect. Octane skidded to a stop briefly, ncing around to mark the best route to take. After some hesitation, he jumped onto the one closest to him on the left, then took a moment to destabilize himself. Next, he hopped onto one a little further away, wobbling slightly as if about to fall over. By this point, he was about halfway across, but the gleam in his eyes said he wanted to take a risk. There was no room for a running headstart, but Octane wanted to try this anyway. Crouching down, he stored all of his momentum in his legs, before using his powerful leg muscles to push himself upwards and forward with a great leap of faith. He brought his arms up and swung them as he jumped, utilizing all the clips of athletes he had seen in the past. ¡°C¡¯mon¡­!¡± He gritted his teeth, praying to god this worked. And that it did. Whether it was the prayer, luck, or just pure skill, no one knew. But whatever it was, he felt his fingers hit a hard surface. Immediately, he tightened his grip and attached his other hand as well, pulling himself up to the ledge before continuing without wasting any time. But slowly, his breathing became ragged and heavy. He felt a bit lightheaded and dizzy, but he wasn¡¯t done just yet. By now, Tian Long had reached the beginning of the parkour section. He had observed Octane¡¯s method of passing it and copied it. His athletic abilities, while not quite on par with Octane¡¯s, were still quite good. He was also able to make the leap by using his weapon (a sword) to lodge into the solid ledge, making up for the distance his actual jump couldn¡¯t reach. While Octane appeared to be visibly slowing down, Tian Long kept a steady pace and wasn¡¯t even panting. The next stage was a straight pathway with swinging punching bags back and forth to knock off whoever tries passing through them. Octane took it easy and just waited before passing through each one, but on the other side- ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± Tian Long used his sword to cut straight through the punching bags, getting rid of them altogether for both him and his teammates. This helped him catch up to Octane, who by this point could barely still stand. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± The final part of the obstacle course was just a straight 100 meter dash, which Octane normally would¡¯ve taken with ease. But due to his current state, Tian Long actually managed to outspeed him. Octane, not wanting to lose, gritted his teeth and ran the final section with everything he had. But in the end, Tian Long managed to arrive at the finish point first, striking the cymbal so that his second teammate could begin going through. Octane finished shortly after, about 20 seconds behind. The next pair to go was Pang Zi and Fanatic. The two have been at odds with one another since the day they met, so this was a good opportunity to settle things. Unfortunately, Pang Zi started off with an advantage, which didn¡¯t look good. Moreover, Fanatic never was the athletic, so it was no surprise that the gap between the two teams was widened even further by the time this rotation was over. The next two to go were Reaper and a quiet boy whose alias was just ¡®Death¡¯. They were quite the fitting duo, but Reaper could fly ¡ª it was hardly even apetition. While he was at it, he also sliced the punching bags in the final section apart just like Tian Long had done to make it easier for the remaining teammates of Squadron 154. After Reaper managed topletely close the gap with his flying abilities, the next pair to go was Iris and Yun Xin. The former simply used her armor¡¯s wings to fly across the obstacle course just like Reaper, which surprised the Big Five quite a bit. ¡°What?! Those wings aren¡¯t decoration?!¡± Pang Zi roared. ¡°Damn it¡­ at this rate, we might actually¡­¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Iris smirked and winked yfully before hitting the cymbal so that Finn ¡ª thest one to go ¡ª could start, then slowly sat down on the tform, resting her aching back muscles a bit. The whole journey from start to finish took about 15 seconds at most. Inparison, Yun Xin was incredibly slow. By the time she was finally finished, Finn was already at the monkey bar section with the help of call-outs from his teammates since he was blind. But even so¡­ the final member of the Big Five wasn¡¯t concerned at all. Chapter 92: Sudden News Chapter 92: Sudden News As soon as the cymbal was struck, Qi Ling dashed into the obstacle course, running even faster than Octane, who watched, awestruck. She glided through the terrain like there weren¡¯t any obstacles at all, swinging past the monkey bars and lightly jumping from pir to pir in the next section with ease. In an instant, she had caught up to Finn and continued going, smoothly and elegantly oveing everything that stood in her way like a figure skater in an arena. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris called out. ¡°Use your wings!¡± ¡®What? But I¡¯ve never used them before¡­¡¯ Finn thought, hesitating somewhat. ¡°Channel your mana into your back and control it using your back muscles!¡± She instructed. Finn hesitated a bit, but decided to just listen. After all, if he learned how to use these wings, it woulde in usefulter down the line as well. Taking a deep breath, he stopped running and poured his Oculus mana into the two ck wings on his back. Instantly, he felt them spread and activate. He clenched his back muscles and was immediately lifted into the air, then rxed the muscles and contracted them once more to fly forward. Now, his speed was on par with Qi Ling¡¯s, but she was still slightly ahead. Taking the time to activate the wings let her pass him, but not by much. ¡°Use bursts of pping to go faster, Finn!¡± Iris shouted, watching on anxiously. ¡°You¡¯re on course right now, so just keep going straight!¡± Finn did as told, though it was quite hard to control, especially since he was blind. He did indeed go faster, but his body began swerving left and right in the air since he used more pressure on one side than the other. Then, suddenly, he was sent spiraling towards his right, on a direct collision course with Qi Ling. Her eyes widened a bit at seeing this, but she didn¡¯t dodge despite having the chance to. ¡°Ngh-!¡± Finn crashed into Qi Ling and the two of them were sent flying off course into the forest, disappearing from the sight of the others. ¡°Finn!¡± ¡°Senior sister!¡± The two separate teams hurriedly rushed after them, but little did they know, Qi Ling had meant for this to happen¡­ ***** ¡°Agh¡­¡± Finn groaned and tried to get up from the ground, but there appeared to be something pinning him down. More urately¡­ someone was riding on his waist and pressing down on his chest, not letting him escape. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ I would rmend not moving if I were you.¡± Finn recognized the quiet voice to be Qi Ling¡¯s and froze as he felt the cold metal of a knife on his throat, pressed down just hard enough to not draw blood. ¡°¡­ What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°Tell me. Who¡­ or should I say, ¡®what¡¯¡­ are you?¡± ¡°My name is Finn Thresher. 18, male. D-ss Hunter. Squadron 154, Phantom yer Corps.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me,¡± Qi Ling cut in coldly, deep purple eyes dark and piercing, overshadowed by her long blue hair. ¡°You aren¡¯t human. That much is for sure.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn was concerned about how she figured it out, but right now, he needed to find a way out of this situation. After some silence, he suddenly activated his Stormbringer Angelica. ¡°¡­!¡± Qi Ling quickly jumped away from the incredible amount of lightning emitting from his body as Finn got to his feet. ¡°I dislike people threatening me,¡± Finn said calmly, a blue aura around him. ¡°How is this possible¡­¡± Qi Ling muttered in shock, eyes widened. ¡°Your lightning¡­ it¡¯s even stronger than the patriarch¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You are wee to try and attack me again, but¡­ although I don¡¯t want any bloodshed if I can help it since you will be an important fighting force for this uing operation, if youe at me once more, I won¡¯t just walk away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Qi Ling bit her bottom lip and tried to think of a solution. ¡®This guy¡­ he¡¯s actually stronger than me. Even though he¡¯s blind, if we were to fight, I would probably lose. And since he appears to be insistent on not revealing anything¡­ I can only make the most out of this situation.¡¯ ¡°Fine,¡± she said after some hesitation. ¡°I won¡¯t attack you again, but I want you to answer me one thing.¡± Finn furrowed his brows. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you on my side?¡± ¡°If you mean whether I want to kill Ghosts or not, yes.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm. I suppose that is the best I can get for now,¡± Qi Ling said with a sigh. ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t my enemy, I won¡¯t question you any further.¡± With these words, she turned around and walked away back to the others. Finn followed, with an expression as neutral as ever. ¡®In this world, there are no eternal rtionships. One day, we may be enemies. When that happens¡­ even if you want to question me, you won¡¯t be able to.¡¯ ***** In the end, the obstacle course race was dered a tie. ¡°Master, if I may ask¡­¡± Fanatic raised his hand, speaking up as Jim was busy cleaning the obstacles up. ¡°Hm?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°What was the purpose of this obstacle course activity? I can¡¯t help but feel it has nothing to do with Baron Hunting¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I was just about ta exin that,¡± Jim chuckled, straightening up and turning around to face them. ¡°Ya see, Barons live in somethin¡¯ we call ¡®Dungeons¡¯. They have different floors and bloody mechanics to them, but most have some sort o¡¯ parkour and bloody jumpin¡¯ sections, judgin¡¯ from personal experience.¡± ¡°Is there no way to skip past such puzzles and go straight to the Baron itself?¡± Octane asked. ¡°That would be a lot simpler.¡± ¡°Hah! I wish it were that easy, kid.¡± Jimughed boldly. ¡°These bloody Dungeons are protected by the Baron¡¯s paracausal energy. We have ta beat it the proper way ¡ª there are no shortcuts.¡± ¡°Huh, I see¡­¡± ***** In the afternoon, the young Hunters did some more agility training and teamwork practice. Their actual firepower wasn¡¯t a concern ¡ª but the teamwork was. Even after several hours of team-building activities like an escape room simtion and the famous egg drop, the two separate groups of Squadron 154 and the Big Five just appeared to run into conflict at every turn. Pang Zi and Fanatic seemed to fully hate one another, and the two groups had very different methods of doing things. The Big Five were extremely aggressive and liked to experiment hands-on, while Squadron 154 was more passive and preferred to use theory and logical analysis before trying anything. Before they knew it, the sun had set and night rolled around. They returned to the cafeteria for dinner together, none of them speaking much. Even Jim, who was usually talkative and cheery, appeared to be bummed out at just how badly these two groups cooperate. But right after stepping through the door to the cafeteria, they found Elder Hua standing there, as if waiting for them. Her eyes widened a bit when she spotted them, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re finally here¡­¡± She sighed in relief, unfolding her arms. ¡°It¡¯s an emergency ¡ª the patriarch needs you all to go see him. Right now.¡± Chapter 93: The Baron Hunt Chapter 93: The Baron Hunt Elder Hua led the group to the Main Hall of the squadron, where Lei, the patriarch, was waiting. ¡°¡­ Oi, what¡¯s goin¡¯ on here, old pal?¡± Jim asked without a care in the world. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear ¡¯bout a bloody emergency?¡± ¡°It¡¯s regarding the Baron Hunt,¡± Lei replied darkly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ it will have to be moved up.¡± ¡°¡­ Howe?¡± Qi Ling asked, frowning in confusion. ¡°I just received news that multiple Outbreak portals have opened up all across the District. Whenever Ghost Hunters manage to get to one of them, another one opens in a different location. We believe that this is the work of the Emperor hiding in this District, taunting us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing that happened 5 days ago¡­¡± Iris noted, furrowing her brows in thought. ¡°Our squadron was summoned to help subdue the Outbreaks as an emergency operation¡­¡± ¡°Indeed. It seems that this type of urrence happens every 5 days, each one being more threatening than thest,¡± Lei concluded. ¡°In fact¡­ the one that began happening just now was severe enough to alert me.¡± ¡°Last time, it was just the small fry,¡± Fanatic muttered. ¡°If even an S-ss Squadron was called this time, then¡­¡± ¡°Worry not, it can still be handled,¡± Lei replied. ¡°I¡¯ve already dispatched Hunters to help with the situation¡­ but 5 days from now, when the next phasees through, we may not be enough. Therefore¡­ ¡°We have to take down the Emperor within 5 days from now?¡± Tian Long muttered. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Difficult, yes. But we have no choice if we want to protect this District,¡± Lei interrupted. ¡°As we speak, the Squadrons assigned to the other Barons are already on their way to their respective Dungeons. The Thousand Dragons Sect does not back down from a challenge ¡ª so tell me, Hunters. Are you ready?¡± With determined expressions on their faces, Finn and the other members of Squadron 154 nodded firmly. Qi Ling, representing the Big Five, did the same. ¡°Heh,¡± Jim chuckled, seeing their responses. ¡°Us Ghost Hunters live by fightin¡¯ the impossible. What¡¯s a mere bloody challenge?¡± ¡°Good,¡± Lei said, closing his eyes. ¡°In that case¡­ we set out at 9 PM tonight. For now, go eat dinner in the cafeteria ¡ª for it may very well be yourst.¡± ***** After returning to the cafeteria, the group ate in silence. The news they received from Lei weighed down on their minds, especially that final message. ¡°Man¡­ I could¡¯ve done without the whole ¡®may be yourst¡¯ thing,¡± Octane muttered after a while. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s just how Lei is, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Jim chuckled, downing an entire ss of beer in one gulp. ¡°Jim¡­ you seem so carefree despite the news we just got,¡± Fanatic pointed out. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say this ain¡¯t nothin¡¯pared to what I¡¯ve been through,¡± he replied, smiling faintly and looking off into the distance. ¡°I¡¯ve done countless bloody Baron Hunts, lost countless brothers. After a while, ya just get used to it, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°O-Oh, er¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Fanatic hurriedly said. ¡°Heh. Don¡¯t worry ¡¯bout it, kid. Just focus on what¡¯sin¡¯ up, yeah?¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Master, I know you said most Dungeons have some sort of parkour section to them, but could you tell us more?¡± Qi Ling asked, hesitating a bit before using the term ¡®Master¡¯. Luckily, even Jim knew this wasn¡¯t the time to fool around as she genuinely wanted a proper answer. ¡°Hm¡­ well, all the bloody Dungeons I¡¯ve seen got their own unique, reurrin¡¯ mechanism to them,¡± Jim said. ¡°All Dungeonse with puzzles that need ta be solved ta move forward ¡ª the mechanism needed for the first puzzle will help us solve the other ones, is what I mean.¡± ¡°And there is no way to figure out what the mechanism is for this Dungeon without actually going inside, huh¡­¡± Pang Zi muttered in disdain. ¡°Actually,¡± Jim cut in. ¡°There is, my friend.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The group collectively stared at him (minus Finn who couldn¡¯t stare) as he rubbed his nose smugly. ¡°Ya see¡­ every Baron is tied to the Emperor its servin¡¯ under. Emperors live in somethin¡¯ simr to Dungeons, ¡®cept they¡¯re called Temples instead. Now¡­ based on the info we got so far, we should already be able to make a prediction on the general theme of this Emperor¡¯s Temple.¡± ¡°The info we have so far¡­¡± Iris sank into thought, furrowing her brows and cing her fingers on her chin. ¡°We know these Outbreaks are being caused by the Emperor, and they ur every five days¡­¡± ¡°Every five days at what time?¡± Jim prompted, a crooked grin on his face. ¡°¡­ Night,¡± Finn finished. ¡°Those Outbreaks automatically disappearing when morning strikes¡­ it means that his power is only active when the sun is down. This Emperor ¡ª he is only strong at night.¡± ¡°Not only that, but he also needs time to regenerate his energy, hence why the attacks are spread out five days from one another,¡± Iris added. ¡°In other words, we have to strike him as soon as possible before he gains all his power back.¡± ¡°Good work,¡± Jimplimented with a broad smile. ¡°Now, this is all spection still, but I¡¯m about 99% certain this is the case. This bloody Emperor is¡­ somewhat different ¡ª his power is very unbnced. Stronger than most other Emperors at night, but weaker in the daytime. That can be both a curse and a blessin¡¯ for us.¡± ¡°In which case¡­ the best solution here would be to take down all the Barons tonight, then immediately attack the Emperor tomorrow morning,¡± Qi Ling concluded. ¡°We¡¯ll be on a timer¡­ as soon as night falls, we¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± ¡°That would be correct, youngdy,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°But unfortunately, a Baron Hunt will tire y¡¯all out. The Temple Raid will have ta wait until Sunday.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. So this Dungeon we¡¯re about to go into will be night-themed, huh?¡± Finn murmured. ¡°I can imagine it will be quite difficult to see inside, then,¡± Iris said. ¡°Though¡­ not like that¡¯s going to bother you, Finn.¡± ¡°U-Uh¡­ Master,¡± Octane called hesitantly. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ afraid of the dark¡­¡± ¡°Rx,¡± Jim responded, patting him on the back infort. ¡°Ya got an experienced S-ss Hunter leadin¡¯ ya. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re an S-ss¡­?¡± Tian Long asked, the first time he was hearing about this. ¡°Of bloody course! Why¡¯d ya think Lei let me teach ya?!¡± ¡°E-Er¡­¡± ¡°Anyway.¡± Jim took a deep breath and stood up. ¡°Ya guys ready? I dunno ¡¯bout you, but I can¡¯t wait to go in there and kick some bloody ass.¡± The group had all finished eating, so they stood up as well. Pang Zi ¡ª Rampager ¡ª cracked his knuckles, Tian Long ¡ª Draco ¡ª had a bold smile on his face, Qi Ling ¡ª Frostbite ¡ª had an icy determination in her eyes, Yun Xin ¡ª irvoyance ¡ª remained calm and collected, while Si Shen ¡ª Death ¡ª looked as empty as ever. On the other side, Fanatic had a serious expression unfitting of a middle schooler, Octane did his best to grin like usual, Reaper¡¯s single eye disy shone a bloody red, Ivy climbed onto Finn¡¯s back, and Finn ¡ª Ace¡¯s heart was filled with a single emotion: hate. ¡°¡­ We¡¯re ready, Master.¡± Chapter 94: So It Begins Chapter 94: So It Begins With no time to waste, the Big Five and Squadron 154¡¯s members set out after dinner, led by Jim ¡ª Tarot, the Cardmaster. The mission was deemed Operation Polo by Lei because¡­ he liked polos. After some driving on the street, the group got out of the van and looked around for any sign of civilians. A devastating storm that covered the entire District had already been conjured beforehand by Lei, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone around, but it was still good to make sure. As for Lei himself, he was acting as overseer for the other Baron Hunts as well, which was why he couldn¡¯t join this one. He will, however, essentially be HQ, which meant Finn and the others could call him to request help whenever needed and also report any findings. ¡°This should be the spot,¡± Fanatic said, ncing up from his phone and scanning their surroundings, which was in the back alleyway of some buildings. ¡°ording to the map, we¡¯re right on the signal point.¡± ¡°Alrighty,¡± Jim said, stepping past him and taking out a vial of mysterious ck liquid. ¡°Now then, all I have ta do is¡­ this.¡± He opened the bottle and tilted it ever so slightly, allowing one drip of the fluid inside to fall out andnd on the ground. Just one drip, no more, no less. Octane scratched his head in confusion at Jim¡¯s actions. ¡°Master, what was the purpose of-¡° Plop! As soon as the drop of liquid touched the rain-soaked concrete, a swirling purple portal suddenly appeared out of nowhere, causing all the young Hunters to back away in surprise. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Draco muttered, blinking several times in session. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This, my friend, is the entrance ta the bloody Dungeon,¡± Jim exined with a chuckle. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s head in.¡± ***** The group all stepped into the swirling portal, with the exception of Fanatic who was remaining on the outside due to hisck of an Angelica. He would be acting as on-fieldmander, sending instructions to the rest of the team via earpieces. The other members of the group all had tracking and scanning devices on them, which would enable Fanatic to map out the Dungeon as they went. This could prove useful if they needed to backtrack or ended up in a maze, which were both quitemon situations in Dungeons ording to Jim. Inside the portal, the team found themselves warped into a dark, dimly lit corridor. Near the edges were white, lotus-shapedmps here and there, but they didn¡¯t provide much light and were far and few between. The ground appeared to be made of gravel given how their shoes scraped on it, while the walls were lined with grey bricks. The whole ce gave an incredibly eerie and ominous feeling, but Jim walked on through as if this was nothing. ¡°M-Master, what was that liquid you used earlier to open the portal?¡± ire asked, thirsty for more knowledge. ¡°Oh, that? Just some Ghost blood,¡± he replied easily. ¡°Since it evaporates so bloody quickly, it¡¯s hard toe by. That¡¯s why I only used one drop, ha!¡± ¡®Ghost blood, huh?¡¯ Finn thought. ¡®I wonder if I can use my own blood to open entrances to Dungeons¡­¡¯ ¡°Fanatic, how are things lookin¡¯ on yer end, kid?¡± Jim asked through his earpiece as the group continued walking through the hallway. ¡°Everything appears to be functioning properly,¡± Fanatic¡¯s voice came back in reply through hisms. ¡°All channels are online and myputer is mapping the corridor you guys are in as we speak.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Jim said as the corridor abruptly ended and the group came to a stop. ¡°¡®Cause things ain¡¯t lookin¡¯ good on ours.¡± Before them, several massive floating inds hovered in the air below. It was as if the corridor had been torn apart here, prompting the group to drop down using the inds. The sky was painted a gloomy back and the same whitemps from inside the hallway were once again the only source of light, some floating in the air and some on the tforms. Asteroid belts flew by between the various inds, threatening to crush anyone who didn¡¯t time their drop right. In the distance, Phantoms could be seen on every ind. Their glowing white bodies weren¡¯t exactly hard to see in this otherwisepletely ck open space, after all. By the looks of it, there were at least a hundred of them ¡ª and that¡¯s just the ones the group could see right now. ¡°¡­ W-Well, this is quite the wee,¡± Draco remarked, gulping in fear. It would seem he was afraid of heights. ¡°Heh,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s time ta put those skills from the bloody obstacle course earlier today ta good use, eh?¡± As he said this, several of the symbols on his shirt began glowing a deep purple along with his entire body. It appeared to be a man hanging from a tree ¡ª The Hanged Man tarot card. Then, without a care in the world, he jumped off from the edge of the broken corridor. ¡°Wha-!¡± Octane¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s a 500 meter fall-¡° But to our surprise, right before hitting the ind, Jim¡¯s body stopped, floating just barely in the air. Strangely, he was also upside down. cing his hands on the grassy ground to stabilize his position, he then eased the rest of his body down, making no noise at all. The Phantoms on the ind weren¡¯t even alerted to his presence. Such was the power of The Hanged Man ¡ª an invisible hook tied to his body, one he could release at any time he wanted. Remaining crouched in the shadow of the tree he hadnded behind, Jim¡¯s body began glowing a bright orange instead as he held up his hand. A silver gun, zing golden, appeared in his hand. He twirled it around a bit, then shot six bullets randomly into the air. ¡°Gawr¡­?¡± The Phantoms collectively spun to look at the tree in confusion, having heard the gunshots, but the bullets weren¡¯t anywhere to be seen. That was only natural, of course, as they swerved around high above in the air and came back to strike the creatures in the back of their head. It was the same move Jim had once used against Finn ¡ª the tarot card known as Emperor. The six bullets struck true, each hitting their marks. All six Phantoms on the ind fell over, dead, before evaporating into thin air. Jim blew out the smoke on his gun and stood up, ncing at his students who were still in the corridor. ¡°Oi! Ya gonnae down here or what?¡± Chapter 95: A Life is A Life Chapter 95: A Life is A Life After Jim cleared out the first ind of Phantoms, the rest of the team jumped down as well, each using their own method. Finn and Iris used their wings, though the former was still somewhat awkward with them unlike thetter who had pretty much mastered the art of flying already. As for the others, Qi Ling constructed a slide of ice for them, allowing them safe passage down. ¡°If ya got armor but don¡¯t have it on yet, I¡¯d suggest gettin¡¯ it on now,¡± Jim said, peering down at the next ind which had visibly more Ghosts than thest. ¡°I¡¯m gunna leave this one next to ya guys.¡± Finn and Iris were both already set since they had their armor on all the time, and Reaper was self-exnatory. The rest, however, all activated their Angelicas and poured mana into their clothes, allowing the armor sets to morph onto their bodies. The armor Finn and Iris had didn¡¯t work like that since they looked normal enough on the outside minus the wings that could easily be hidden with anotheryer of clothes. These guys, however, all had¡­ quite the dramatic outfits, like they were cosying or something. Octane had his usual motorcycle suit; Tian Long had a red dragon-themed armor set, with fire spewing out of his shoulders, gloves, and in his chest. Pang Zi looked like a thug, with spiky gauntlets, wristbands, and a ck T-shirt with a skull on it. Yun Xin¡¯s uniform transformed into a beautiful white gown like that of a priestess, and Si Shen turned into the splitting image of the grim reaper himself, with a long hood that covered his entire face and a dirty cloak that was made for camouge. He and Reaper looked like twins, minus the fact that one had a scythe and the other didn¡¯t. But if Si Shen didn¡¯t use a scythe¡­ what did he use? Qi Ling, however, was the most stunning of them all. A crown of ice formed on her head as her uniform became a sky blue, almost white robe, lined with designs made of crystalline ice. In her hand was a long scepter with an ice crystal at the tip, surrounded by a ring of gold. She looked like a queen ¡ª a Queen of Ice. ¡°Heh. Lookin¡¯ bloody good, kids,¡± Jim chuckled, then gestured his chin towards the Phantoms down below. ¡°Now¡­ show me what ya can do.¡± Qi Ling lightly touched the grass under them, forming another slide that connected directly with the next ind. The Phantoms collectively turned their gazes up to look at the iing intruders, but it was toote. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Octane yelled and rushed down the slide at Mach 1 without a care in the world. ¡°WOOHOO!¡± The adrenaline pumping through his veins was more than enough to subdue the fear that had been lingering on his mind. The call of doing something dangerous made any daredevil unable to resist. As hended on the ind, he immediately sank a fist into one of the Phantoms¡¯s ugly faces before it could even react to his incredible speed, knocking it backwards. Instantly, he vanished again, letting the creature¡¯s peers hit nothing but an afterimage. Reappearing behind the same monster who had lunged at him, Octane unleashed a devastating roundhouse kick to the side of its head. The speed of his attacks were enough to rip the head directly off its neck, killing it instantly. ¡°Well¡­ can¡¯t let Squadron 154 get in front of us, can we now?¡± Tian Long smiled before sliding down as well, ming sword in hand. Pang Zi chuckled. ¡°Heh¡­ you got some moves, speedy boy, but this is how a real man fights.¡± He remained standing as he slid on the ice, and right as he got close tonding on the ind, he leaped off the slide as high as he could. ¡°Get out¡­ OF MY WAY!¡± Immediately, Octane and Tian Long, who had been knocking out and incinerating Phantoms respectively, dove for cover as Pang Zi smashed down directly in the center of the ind, shaking the entire surface. The impact was powerful and knocked away all the still-standing Phantoms, yes, but unfortunately¡­ it was a bit TOO powerful. ¡°Woah-!¡± Octane hurriedly ran and wrapped his body around one of the dead trees as the ind began tipping over to one side. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Pang Zi and Tian Long weren¡¯t as lucky and dug their fists into the soil, on the verge of falling. ¡°¡­!¡± Yun Xin ¡ª ire ¡ª breathed in sharply at this scene. ¡°T-They¡¯re going to fall!¡± ¡°Finn,¡± Iris said calmly, looking to him, to which he nodded. ¡°I know.¡± Iris smiled and together, they took off from the previous ind, diving downwards using their wings. ¡°15 meters to your left!¡± Iris called out as she got into position below Tian Long, leaving the big guy to Finn. ¡°Copy,¡± Finn replied briskly, adjusting his position right as Pang Zi¡¯s body began falling from the tipped over ind. ¡°A-AHHH!¡± He screamed in fear as gravity finally overtook him, but Finn was prepared. ¡°Engh¡­!¡± Finn gritted his teeth as he caught Pang Zi¡¯s big and heavy body, doing his best to keep his wings stable. If it wasn¡¯t for his abundance of mana provided by the Ghost blood in his body, both of them probably would¡¯ve fell to their deaths right then and there. ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Pang Zi finally opened his eyes and saw his savior, evidently shocked that he wasn¡¯t dead yet. ¡°Stop¡­ moving¡­!¡± Finn muttered in anguish as he desperately pped his wings, trying to bring the two of them upwards. Pang Zi¡¯s squirming really wasn¡¯t helping though. After several seconds, however, the Angelica¡¯s Wake process kicked in, and he fainted. ¡°Finally¡­!¡± Bit by bit, Finn lifted Pang Zi up onto the backside of the ind, which had now stabilized. There, Octane had climbed his way back up, and Iris had already arrived with Tian Long. ¡°Okay, you can drop him now,¡± Iris said, giving Finn the go-ahead. As soon as he received this message, he dropped Pang Zi mercilessly, letting him crash onto the rock. ¡°Oof!¡± He groaned, waking up from the impact. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Finn panted for air as he descended onto the ind slowly, sitting down and letting his wings rest. His arms feltpletely numb, and that undoubtedly used up a lot of mana. Pang Zi¡­ he¡¯s got to be at least 180 pounds. At least his armor set was simple and didn¡¯t weigh much. Otherwise, Finn might not have been able to make it. At least he gained a new Angelica aspensation. Iris hurried over and sat down by his side, looking at him in worry. ¡°Finn¡­ are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­ We¡¯re on a mission. Call me Ace.¡± ¡°O-Oh, right, I forgot¡­¡± ¡°But that aside¡­ I¡¯m fine. A few minutes of rest should do it.¡± ¡°H-Hey,¡± a third voice suddenly interjected, quiet and hesitant. Finn didn¡¯t bother turning his head. He already knew who it was from the voice ¡ª Pang Zi. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°Ah, I just wanted to say¡­ thanks,¡± he said, scratching the back of his awkwardly as if he wasn¡¯t used to doing this. ¡°That was¡­ my bad. I didn¡¯t think ahead¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯d like to say thanks as well,¡± Tian Long chimed in, bowing his head to Iris. ¡°I owe you one, Ivy.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it too much,¡± Iris replied calmly after seeing Finn had no intention of responding. ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything stupid like that again and we¡¯ll get along fine.¡± ¡°Right¡­ got it.¡± Perhaps Finn should have just let them fall to their deaths and not waste any mana, but he didn¡¯t know what other challenges would being up in their way next ¡ª in which case, the two of them would make nice meat shields. There was also the option of letting Reaper go save them instead, but that killer robot didn¡¯t have wings. He could fly himself, but couldn¡¯t carry anyone else ¡ª especially not someone as heavy as Pang Zi. Since any extra firepower is always appreciated when going up tough opponents, so if Finn could save them without risking too much, he would. In his eyes, a life wasn¡¯t a life. It was a tool he could use, nothing more. Chapter 96: The Dungeons Mechanism Chapter 96: The Dungeon''s Mechanism After Finn recovered from that incident, Qi Ling constructed a new ice slide for herself, Yun Xin, Reaper, and Jim, their leader. It connected to the backside of the ind, which everyone else was now on. Qi Ling shot Pang Zi and Tian Long a cold look as she passed by, but didn¡¯t say anything and instead worked on creating a new bridge over to the next ind below. Words may not have been spoken, but the disappointment was evident in her purple eyes. Both Pang Zi and Tian Long were unable to say anything in response either, knowing it was their own fault. ¡°Heh¡­ she wasn¡¯t worried at all when ya two began fallin¡¯, ya know,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s her nature,¡± Tian Long replied. ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting her to worry about us or anything either. If we die, it¡¯s our own fault.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how Lei trains his kids, eh¡­?¡± Jim smirked, then nced at Finn and Iris. ¡°Guess ya can see the difference between him and Archon.¡± ¡°¡­ Are we going to move?¡± Qi Ling interjected coldly, ncing back with an icy stare. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of ground to cover.¡± ¡°Haha, of course,¡± Jim replied with a chuckle as the team set into motion once more. ***** The group attacked the next few inds in a simr manner to the first. Qi Ling would create an ice slide for the group, and the rest of the Hunters would jump in and take out all the Phantoms. There was enough space and noise from asteroid belts between the inds that the Ghosts on other tforms couldn¡¯t hear what was going on above them, which made things a lot easier. Of course, Pang Zi learned from his mistake and didn¡¯t try to show off his strength again. Instead, the humbled him took it easy and fought like a normal person, though his techniques were still somewhat brash. That said, his Angelica was the simple Brawler Angelica, which empowered and focused on bullish attacks like that. It wasn¡¯t too strong of a power at its core, but in the right hands of someone who could maximize its potential like Pang Zi, it could be deadly. Tian Long used his ming sword and paired it with his mebreather Angelica to burn any foes that came close to ashes, while Qi Ling ¡ª Frostbite ¡ª used her scepter to control her power over ice and freeze entire hordes of enemies at once before shattering them. Though her power and Tian Long¡¯s interfered with one another, they worked together quite well. And speaking of teamwork, no one could match the ultimatebination of melee and range, Ace and Ivy. Finn had gotten a lot better with his hearing abilities recently, allowing him to pinpoint locations of Phantoms without Iris even needing to tell him. In addition, if one of them tried sneaking up on him, he now had Devil¡¯s Timing as well to counter it. He could also use his Stormbringer Abilities, but he wanted to conserve his mana right now if possible due to the sheer amount he wasted by saving Pang Zi. There was no point in using them right now anyway, as Iris took care of any faraway enemies with her sniper and none of them were really clumped up together. Reaper and Octane were off doing their own things as always, cutting through any Phantoms they encountered with ease. ire was somewhat useless Angelica-wise, but she provided back-up by using a specially enchanted bow that she was surprisingly good with despite her short frame. Together, the team managed to tear through all the inds in the matter of about fifteen minutes without any rest. And as they finished up thest one, Jim pped his hands a few times. ¡°Bravo, kids. Ya did better than I expected.¡± ¡°You were testing us?¡± Tian Long asked. ¡°Ha! Of course! Matter of fact, this entire bloody Baron Hunt will be a test!¡± He replied, chuckling boldly. ¡°I didn¡¯t teach ya for nothin¡¯. I won¡¯t interfere in this operation unless absolutely bloody necessary ¡ª why¡¯d ya think I didn¡¯t do anythin¡¯ for the past few inds?¡± ¡°¡­ Was that not because you were justzy?¡± Finn challenged, being brutally honest. ¡°H-Hah! Funny joke, kid! Definitely not!¡± Jim shouted,ughing to cover up his embarrassment. ¡°But uh¡­ anyway, I suggest ya best get ready. That was just the opening encounter. The real fun begins now ¡ª look below ya.¡± The group turned their heads to look below the edge of the ind, expecting to see another one waiting there. But instead, what they saw was a massive¡­ cathedral? The structure was too damaged to tell and the darkness certainly didn¡¯t help, but it looked like an abandoned church of some sort. Behind and beyond the structure, a graveyard could be seen on a hill. But this scene¡­ it seemed somewhat familiar to a certain two people ¡ª though one of them didn¡¯t realize yet. ¡°Wait¡­ this church¡­¡± Iris muttered, looking at Jim. ¡°Heh. Ya realized it, didn¡¯t ya?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s nearly identical to the one in the map Fin- er, Ace and I fought you in.¡± Jim smiled. ¡°That bloody map was made based on a real ce, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Then that means¡­¡± Iris nced back down at the shattered church as lightning bolts struck down in the dark abyss all around them. ¡°¡­ Yep. This Dungeon is based on that same bloody ce as well.¡± ***** The group lowered themselves onto the ind the church was on via Frostbite¡¯s ice slides and cautiously headed inside, having no other way to go. There weren¡¯t any more inds around, and there was no way around this building but to go inside ¡ª unless, of course, they built a path on their own, which was hardly useful. ¡°I¡¯m convinced now¡­¡± Iris muttered on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders, surveying the interior of the massive church. ¡°This is definitely the one we fought you in.¡± ¡°Ya see, the dimension we¡¯re in right now is called the Paracausal Realm,¡± Jim exined. ¡°Dungeons and Temples will both be within this realm, but not all will look like this one. Some may look broken like this, some may look bloody distorted, and some may seem perfectly normal as if ya hadn¡¯t stepped through a portal to enter at all.¡± ¡°But how does that exin this ce¡¯s resemnce to a location in the real world?¡± Iris inquired further. ¡°Ya can think of the Paracausal Realm as a mirror world of our own,¡± Jim said,ing to a stop as they reached the end of the church. ¡°Except¡­ it only mirrors ces where a lotta bloody humans died.¡± But there was no time to discuss this further as a new challenge had opened up before them. Above the desecrated statue of a once-holy being before them, three glowing symbolsy side by side. The left one was a swooping falcon, the right was a soaring eagle, and the one in the middle was an owl with its wings spread. ¡°Oho¡­¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°Interestin¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± Qi Ling asked in confusion. Jim chuckled, a wide grin on his face. ¡°This, is the mechanism of this bloody Dungeon, my friend.¡± Chapter 97: Soaring Eagle Chapter 97: Soaring Eagle ¡°The Dungeon¡¯s mechanism, huh¡­¡± Finn muttered, furrowing his brows. ¡°There¡¯s an opening here!¡± Yun Xin called out, standing above the left corner of the church, pointing down. ¡°It seems to be leading down¡­¡± ¡°That should be correspondent with the swooping falcon symbol,¡± Tian Long analyzed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then¡­¡± He rushed over to the other corner across from this one ¡ª and indeed, found another hole. ¡°Yep, there¡¯s one over here too. It also seems to be be leading down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the eagle¡­ then what about the owl in the middle?¡± Iris asked. ¡°¡­ There¡¯s a door right here,¡± Qi Ling said, having walked behind the statue. ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s locked.¡± Immediately, everyone looked to Jim for help, but he merely shrugged and closed his eyes, a wry smile on his face. It was clear he wouldn¡¯t be providing any further help after that single statement he made. ¡°Well¡­ I dunno if I¡¯m right, but most of the time in video games, if there¡¯s two separate pathways and a locked door leading to a third one, it usually means we gotta beat the other two first and this one will unlock, right?¡± Octane suggested, scratching his head. ¡°Video games?¡± Pang Zi scoffed. ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think we can use that logic here, little buddy.¡± ¡°No¡­ what he said has a point,¡± Qi Ling muttered, narrowing her eyes deep in thought. ¡°There isn¡¯t any other way to go anyway unless I built a pathway over to the graveyard up on the hill, but I doubt that is where we are meant to go given these symbols. In which case, there is only one answer.¡± ¡°Right, so we go down these two pathways, right?¡± Tian Long said. ¡°But if we do it one at a time, it¡¯ll probably take a long time. So¡­ why don¡¯t we split up into two teams?¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ ya sure ya wanna do that, kid?¡± Jim chuckled, leaning against one of the few still-standing pirs inside the church. ¡°Splittin¡¯ up ain¡¯t exactly a good thing to be doin¡¯ inside a Dungeon. Not for ya youngsters, at least. It could be very bloody dangerous, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Er¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ll still split up,¡± Finn interjected. ¡°Squadron 154 on one side, while the Big Five take the other.¡± ¡°Um, but¡­¡± Tian Long trailed off hesitantly, eyeing Jim. ¡°You only have four people¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Finn cut in. ¡°If you think we can¡¯t do it¡­ we¡¯ll show you we can.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Octane chimed in excitedly, grinning like a true daredevil. ¡°What do we Ghost Hunters do again?¡± Jim, hearing this, sighed. ¡°Live by fightin¡¯ the impossible, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Octane cried. ¡°We¡¯ll show you, Master ¡ª just watch!¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­ I said, I won¡¯t interfere. It¡¯s up to y¡¯all how this goes. Though I will at least say, if nothin¡¯ else¡­ I admire yer courage. I¡¯ll be waitin¡¯ here for ya toe back, yeah?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Qi Ling said, folding her arms. ¡°We will take the right side, you can take left.¡± Finn nodded briskly in agreement as everyone hurried down their respective sides, not wasting any time. And as Jim watched Finn¡¯s figure go, he chuckled lightly. ¡°Kid¡­ yer one piece of work, y¡¯know that?¡± ***** The 154th Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps soon found themselves within a dimly lit corridor, simr to the one they had been in when they first entered the Dungeon ¡ª just much smaller and narrower in size. The same lotus-shaped whitemps lined the edges of the granite floor, though there were more of them here than the previous one, which meant it was much easier to see. Jim may have been praising Finn, but little did he know, Finn had ulterior motives to splitting up with the Big Five and Jim himself. Finn wasn¡¯t some hero who wanted to prove himself to Jim ¡ª he was just a broken man trying to make the best of what he has left. Finn was usually pretty quiet already, but just now, there was another reason why Finn hadn¡¯t talked at all until the very end ¡ª Zelestria had been speaking to him inside his mind. ¡®¡­ I¡¯ve done it.¡¯ Finn said to her within his mind. ¡®Now can you tell me about the power you said I would be able to obtain from the Ghost ahead?¡¯ [Fufu~ so impatient.] Zelestria giggled softly. [You¡¯ll see in a second, no? Where¡¯s the fun if I just told you everything now~?] Finn sighed in resignation but realized she wouldn¡¯t tell him anything even if he insisted on it, so he just gave up and waited to see how things would turn out. Zelestria had told him just now that there are two Boss-level Ghosts in the area ¡ª one on the left side and one on the right, where they were going now. Of the two, the one on the left possessed the power of invisibility, which wasn¡¯t all that useful considering Finn already obtained the Nightstalker Angelica from Elder Hua. The one on the right, however¡­ Zelestria had described it as a ¡®must-have¡¯. Because of this, Finn was insistent on splitting up from the Big Five. After all, stealing a Ghost¡¯s power required him to consume its blood via either the mouth or the skin. Since the members of Squadron 154 have already seen him aplish this with the Titan-ss Major Phantom from a while back, this was no big deal to them. The Big Five, however, were a different story. If they saw Finn be stained with Ghost blood and walk out just fine, they would definitely question it. No¡­ after that encounter with Qi Ling during the obstacle course training, Finn knew they were already onto him. If they saw him doing anything a normal Ghost Hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to, that would only confirm their suspicions. Thus, splitting up was the only way. In order to eradicate all the Ghosts from this world like he once promised and gain the vengeance he once swore to have, he needed to get stronger. So far, he had only been facing the small fry, but very soon, stronger Ghosts would stand in his way ¡ª and he must be able to conquer them if he wanted to continue his path of ying to finally fulfill his promise. The journey to Finn¡¯s revenge is not an easy one. Allies will die, lives will be lost, and wounds that won¡¯t ever heal will be inflicted. Ridding the world of the same entities that have gued it for centuries¡­ seems impossible, doesn¡¯t it? But at the same time, one also ought to remember¡­ ¡­ The dark fuel empowering Finn Thresher ¡ª Ace ¡ª is also the strongest emotion there is: Hate. Chapter 98: Trap Within Trap Chapter 98: Trap Within Trap The members of Squadron 154 walked through the corridor cautiously, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. Iris kept her Angelica¡¯s radar on at all times, and the group kept silent which made it easier to hear any sign of movement. After a while of walking, however, a strange sound came from up front. It wasn¡¯t the familiar noise of the Phantoms scraping their feet on the ground, or their low-pitched humming that only Finn could hear. No¡­ this was some sort of mechanical sound that signaled a moving machine somewhere nearby. ¡°¡­ Do you guys hear that?¡± Octane asked,ing to a stop. Finn nodded. ¡°It seems to be not much further ahead.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any other ways to go, so¡­ we have to check it out,¡± Iris said, then tapped on her earpiece. ¡°Fanatic, can you map out the area for us?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m on it¡­¡± His voice came back through on the other side, trailing off. A few secondster, he continued. ¡°Alright, from what your sensors are sending to myputer, there are a series of traps up ahead ¡ª swinging sharp pendulums, rolling logs with spikes on them, and parkour. I don¡¯t think you guys should have any trouble getting through, but I¡¯m not sure if there are any hidden ones I can¡¯t see, so be careful.¡± ¡°Copy,¡± Iris said briskly, ending the conversation. Since the others all heard Fanatic via their own earpieces as well, there was no point repeating anything. Instead, the four just kept on going, with Iris still riding on top of Finn¡¯s shoulder. ***** It didn¡¯t take long for them toe across the traps Fanatic had been talking about. The other side could be seen roughly 500 meters away, but to get there, the group had to parkour their way across. Of course, Iris, Finn, and Reaper could fly, so it was slightly easier for them, but they still had to deal with the swinging pendulums and logs. The parkour just wasn¡¯t that challenging, that¡¯s all. ¡°Okay, Ace, I¡¯ll lead the way,¡± Iris said, as she could see. ¡°You can¡­ um, w-wrap your arms around me like this¡­¡± Hovering in the air using her wings, she carefully took Finn¡¯s hands and wrapped them around her own body so that he was practically hugging her from behind. Gulping slightly, Iris did her best to calm down and not get flustered at his warm embrace. ¡°O-Okay, we¡¯re good. Don¡¯t let go of me and let me pull you along.¡± ¡°¡­ Got it,¡± Finn replied briskly, tightening his grip around Iris¡¯s waist and pressing his body against hers. The sniper on her back was somewhat in the way, but that didn¡¯t matter. ¡°¡­!¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened and she blushed deeply at this, but she quickly shook her head and regained herposure. ¡°U-Um¡­ that¡¯s a bit too tight¡­ I can¡¯t use my wings¡­¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Finn loosened up a bit as Irisughed softly at his clunky movements. Deep down, however, she was somewhat disappointed he wasn¡¯t pressed against her so tightly anymore. But that being said, there was a mission toplete. Shaking those irrelevant thoughts away, Iris concentrated on the challenge before them. ¡°Alright¡­ here we go.¡± Gently, they took off into the air. The first obstacle was a simple but heavy swinging pendulum from side to side, just like the one in the obstacle course earlier today. Unfortunately, because the corridor was so narrow, this meant the timing had to be near perfect if the two wanted to make it through unscathed. In other words, this was both a lot harder and a lot more deadlypared to the training one from this afternoon. Luckily, on the other side were five separate pirs they could stand on, letting them take a break if need be. The only thing though was¡­ why five separate blocks and not just a row? Iris flew up as close to the swinging pendulum as possible without getting hit. As it swung by, she could feel the wind blow past her face. Finn could hear the sound of it too, which meant it probably was possible for him to make it through this by himself, but it would be quite risky. Iris concentrated intently, watching close for the perfect moment when the pendulum just barely swings past them. ¡®Okay, and¡­ now!¡¯ She suddenly pushed forward, taking Finn by surprise. Luckily, his reaction speeds were quick enough that he was able to follow-up with his own wings in time just as the pendulum swung back, allowing the two to make it past the obstacle sessfully andnd on the center pir of the five. ¡°Whew¡­ that was a bit too close for my liki- woah!¡± Iris gasped as the tform beneath them suddenly sank without any warning, falling into the dark abyss below. Fortunately, Finn was once again able to react in time and hurriedly pped his wings to go up, lifting Iris with him. Iris came back to her senses and regained control using her own wings, stabilizing the two of them in the air. ¡°Wow¡­ they nearly had us there¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Deceptive,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°But are all five of these traps, or¡­?¡± Iris narrowed her eyes and led Finn to a different pir and stood on top of it for several seconds. And just like thest, this one too tumbled down into the abyss below. Of course, this time, the two were more than prepared and wasn¡¯t even surprised. ¡°I think all of them do that,¡± Octane hollered. ¡°Just go on to the next one!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± But Iris still wasn¡¯t convinced. If whoever set this up wanted it to be a trap, they might as well made it a full tform that tumbled down whenever someone stepped on it. Why split it into five separate ones? There¡¯s got to be a trick somewhere that they had yet to find. A trick that will reveal the method to beat this Dungeon. Iris led Finn to the pir on the very far right, which fell as well. Then, they tried the one on the far left, and surprise, surprise, it crashed into the void in a simr manner as its predecessors. That left only one pir. ¡°This has to be the one¡­¡± Iris murmured under her breath, lightly cing her feet on it, one after the other. Finn did the same right behind her, and together, the two of them waited. ¡°¡­¡± Nothing happened. Even after several seconds of pure silence, the pir beneath their feet didn¡¯t fall down into the abyss like the previous ones. ¡°This one¡­ it¡¯s the right one,¡± Iris gasped. ¡°But the question now, is-¡° ¡°Huh¡­ so they aren¡¯t all traps after all?¡± Octane rubbed his chin in wonder. ¡°-How were we supposed to be able to tell which one was the right one?¡± Chapter 100: Boss Fight Chapter 100: Boss Fight As the Phantoms spawned in there was no time to waste. Finn and Iris immediately readied their weapons and began attacking the Ghosts while Reaper and Octane did the same. SKREE! Two Phantoms attempted to trap Finn and Iris in a pincer attack but Finn merely shed the one in front across the face while Iris took care of the one sneaking up behind with a direct bullet to the head. Hey! There¡¯s a big one here! Octane called out as he leaped out of the way of a devastating smash attack that sent the rock tiles of the floor flying around. My attacks don¡¯t work on him! Iris shot a few pieces of the debris so that she and Finn wouldn¡¯t get hit then reloaded her weapon. Ace 7 o¡¯clock direction about 15 meters. Roughly 14 feet tall! On it Finn replied briskly before dashing towards his target silver ws sharp and ready. Iris holstered her handgun and pulled out the sniper rifle on her back in one swift motion aiming for the creature¡¯s head. GRAHHH! The monster mmed down once again with its two thick arms but Finn narrowly avoided it by hearing the sound of its limbs moving against the air and feeling the wind on his skin. Iris took advantage of the Phantom¡¯s momentary defenseless state and let out a high-caliber bullet straight to the eye. Her aim was true despite Finn¡¯s unpredictable movements. ROOOOARRRR! The Phantom cried in agony wing at its own face. Alright Ace split! She activated her wings and flew off of Finn¡¯s shoulders hovering in the air before unleashing another shot this time in the monster¡¯s chest. Since it couldn¡¯t see this was the perfect follow-up to her previous attack. The monster moved its arms to block its body rendering its face vulnerable once more. Finn naturally didn¡¯t let this opportunity go to waste. He activated Burning Fist on his midnight-ck gloves causing the silver des on each hand to light up in mes then jumped up so that he was on a direct path to the creature¡¯s hideous injured face using Iris¡¯s height callout from earlier as reference. He shed down in an X-shape with his ming gauntlets setting the Phantom¡¯s face aze immediately. GRAGHHHH! It roared in pain the most pain it had felt since its birth. The fire soon spread to the rest of its body as it fell onto its knees screaming and iling its burning arms around wildly like it was confused about where to put them. Reaper finish him Finn saidnding back on the ground. [Copy Terminate Protocol Activated.] Reaper who had been busy clearing out the minions now set his single bionic red eye on the burning Phantom on the verge of death. He performed a spinning sh around him using his dark metal scythe clearing out all the little creatures who tried getting close before flying up into the air and cutting down with his superhuman mechanical strength. He pierced straight through the Phantomnding on the ground behind it. The execution was so quick and deadly that the mes originally on the monster didn¡¯t even catch onto Reaper¡¯s hood. AGHHHHH! With one final dying roar the enormous Phantom exploded into a cloud of ck fog flowing into Finn¡¯s body. He could feel the Souls he had increasing this big guy had been worth quite a bit. But of course that Boss up there drawing closer and closer would be worth a lot more. Finn utilized Lightning Breathing with the help of Zelestria channeling his Stormbringer Angelica¡¯s power through his veins while his allies worked on taking out the remaining Phantoms. Glowing blue lines lit up on his body as a spark of energy formed in his right hand. With the use of the Lightning Breathing technique chanting was unnecessary only the ending was. And so as the spark of electricity in his palm became too condensed to bear he spoke the Ability¡¯s name under his breath. Lightning Reach. Immediately a wide destructiveser beam of raw electricity shot out of his hand heading directly for the priestess-Phantom at the speed of light. But just as his attack was about to hit it stopped. An invisible barrier had blocked the attack with ease preventing Finn from doing any damage to her at all. Confused on why he wasn¡¯t hearing screams of pain Finn canceled the attack as the priestess red down at the four condescendingly. HMPH HOW FOOLISH. Synia began chanting once more in an unknownnguage a white ball of energy condensing above her emitting a dark and dangerous energy. O-Okay I don¡¯t know what that thing is but if we let her finish the chant we¡¯ll all probably die! There¡¯s a barrier preventing us from hurting her Finn muttered in disdain. We have to find a way to disable that if we don¡¯t not only can we not kill her but we will also have our heads crushed when we reach there. Ugh but how do we get this thing to stop?! Iris yelled in impatience as the tform rose further and further up closer and closer to the priestess using her Eye of Omnipotence to look around for any hidden mechanisms in the room. Wait! Octane cried pointing at the ground where the big Phantom had died moments earlier. The big one it dropped something! And these five terminals each one has apartment where I can put something in along with a symbol on each one marking them Iris analyzed. They¡¯re the same ones as the ones on the pirs And then it struck her. Octane pass me that! H-Huh? Octane who had picked up the mysterious object the Phantom had dropped a ball of pulsating white light looked over at Iris a bit confused. Just pass it! O-Okay! Octane tossed the ball over to Iris who caught it and immediately dunked it in the terminal right in front of her. It lit up pink signaling that it had activated. REEEEE! Suddenly the priestess Synia above us shrieked ear-splittingly loud as if in pain. Iris smirked smugly as Octane blinked in confusion. The tform also came to a stop momentarily while four new portals opened up sending in another wave of Phantoms and along with it another ¡®big one¡¯. The invisible barrier protecting Synia also flickered a bit signaling that it had weakened. Alright rinse and repeat! Iris ordered riding back on Finn¡¯s shoulders to let her back muscles get a little break. Kill the big one and pass the orb over to me! Chapter 99: Synia, Bound to Dar Talor Chapter 99: Synia Bound to Dar'' Talor Finn and Iris stood on the single pir that wasn¡¯t a trap while thetter nced around for any clues. There has to be a way for us to tell which pir is the right one She muttered. If there wasn¡¯t whoever set this up might as well have just made all five of these pirs traps. That is true but Finn trailed off letting Iris focus. However a question still lingered on his mind. ¡®If this is truly a Dungeon manifested by Ghosts then why would there even be a solvable mechanism involved almost like in a video game?¡¯ It didn¡¯t make sense for these Ghosts to utilize a mechanism that could backfire against them once the Ghost Hunters figured out how it worked. But s he wasn¡¯t going to get answers to these questions anytime soon. Iris then decided to use her Oculus Angelica to see if there was any hidden clues closing her eyes while cing her right hand in front of her chest and raising her index and middle fingers in a ninja-like gesture. Eye of Omnipotence Transcendence! Her eyes snapped back open with a fiery golden glow as she did performed this chant body lighting up as well with the power of her Angelica. Finn could feel her body¡¯s energy within his arms warm and soothing. Naturally this was because he was in fact consuming her mana by standing this close to her due to the uncontroble intrinsic instincts of Ghost Blood. Realizing this he hurriedly let go of Iris her power woulde in usefulter on. Iris meanwhile had no idea why he let go of her but focused on searching for clues instead. And then she tilted her head up and widened her eyes. This In her vision there were five white circles painted on the ceiling each with a different symbol within them. From left to right they were a snake with two heads two snakes forming an 8 shape a snake forming a circle a snake coiled around a sword and the front view of a snake¡¯s gaping mouth fangs and all. Of them the one correspondent to the pir they were currently standing on was the circle snake. What do you see Ivy? Finn asked. A bunch of symbols but Iris nced a little bit ahead above the next section of pirs and saw the same exact set of symbols again in the same order too. The pir we¡¯re standing on right now has a circling snake icon above it but this doesn¡¯t tell me which one is the right one Screw it Octane said impatiently. We don¡¯t necessarily need to find the right pir since you two can both fly no? Er that¡¯s true but Iris trailed off eventually sighing and giving in turning off her Angelica as well. Whatever. Let¡¯s go Finn. Finn nodded and slid his arms around her waist once more activating his own wings while Iris did the same. The next set of obstacles were various sets of rolling spiky logs. They weren¡¯t hard to get across; just required some pretty precise timings. Luckily Iris having been trained in an advanced facility ever since a young age was good at that. It didn¡¯t take long for the two to make the rest of the way either. There were five sets of pirs in total but the duo had great synchronization Iris made the callouts on when and where to go while Finn provided more power and speed with his wings making it past all of them. And of course once the two made it across the correct pirs had already been marked. This allowed for Octane to pass this little parkour section with ease as well given his incredible speed. As for Reaper he attempted to cut through the obstacles but his scythe was unable to do so which came as quite a surprise. Still he made it the normal way with rtive ease too with his ability to fly. Meanwhile Iris had activated her Angelica again while riding on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders there was no point wasting mana on her wings now that they had made it across. She stared at the ceiling still trying to figure out what those symbols meant. If they were hidden so deeply and couldn¡¯t be seen without special vision they obviously weren¡¯t just put there for no reason. Circle snake 8 snake snake face twin snake and sword snake Iris murmured subconsciously at the symbols correspondent with the correct pir for each set. Once everyone had made it across the four began continuing down the hallway until finally arriving at arge handle-less stone door with runic markings all over its surface. Looks like this is the end of the hallway Octane said. Whatever¡¯s waitin¡¯ for us on the other side I hope they¡¯re ready. I hope YOU¡¯RE ready Fanatic cut in via the earpieces having heard their whole exchange. I¡¯m detecting a strong hostile signature on the other side of that door. Phantom archetype approximately Boss-level in terms of strength. Got it Finn replied calmly. Thanks for the info. It¡¯s what I do Fanatic chuckled lightly. Good luck. Yeah. Finn carrying Iris stepped closer to the door. And as soon as he did so the rune-like symbols on the door¡¯s surface lit up white all at once. Smoke was released from the edges of the doors as they slid open revealing a circr chamber behind. Fanatic said he had detected a hostile in here but they couldn¡¯t see anything. Hey Fanatic you sure you detected a hostile in here? Octane asked pressing his earpiece. Yes. ording to what theputer is telling me the hostile is right inside the room you are about to enter. Well Iris murmured trailing off. The room waspletely empty except for five terminals of some sort ced in a circr fashion surrounding the center each with an equal distance between them. Confused the group headed inside to investigate in more detail. And the moment they did so the doors mmed shut behind them. Wha-?! Octane immediately spun around and tried to dash back out but even his speed couldn¡¯t make it in time. He punched the door but was unable to break through. Reaper also shed at it with his scythe to no avail. Should¡¯ve known should¡¯ve known. That said these four were still beginners in terms of Baron Hunts it was only natural they were still inexperienced and fell for blunders like this. But would they make it out of this one alive? Only the heavens knew. Okay so ssic door shuttin¡¯ Octane remarked. But there¡¯s still no enemies so good I guess? Just as he said this the entire room began shaking as a horrible shriek rang out from above high high up. This wasn¡¯t a room or a chamber. This was a tower. Then the distorted terrifying voice of a woman spoke words echoing against the tower¡¯s round walls. WHO ARE YOU O FILTHY CREATURE? The group looked up in shock to see the ugly and bone-chilling figure of an Phantom stare down at them sgow smile lined with sharp teeth. But the creepiest part was that this Phantom had blond hair almost resembling a real woman. It also wore the clothes of a priestess though bloodstained and battered. Familiar white tentacles sprouted out of its back though these were dangerously sharp unlike Morpher Phantoms. And that¡¯s not all. W-What the hell Octane gasped in surprise. Did this Phantom just speak?! I AM SYNIA BOUND TO DAR¡¯ TALOR. YOU DARE DISTURB MY LORD¡¯S DOMAIN SO YOU MUST DIE. She began chanting in some sort of unknownnguage as the tform Squadron 154¡¯s members were standing on suddenly began moving rising up closer and closer to the Phantom who called herself Synia. To make matters worse four portals suddenly opened up beside the group and out came a plethora of Phantoms squealing in delight at the sight of food. O-Okay this is not good Octane cried gulping in fear as the four were pushed back to back into the center of the room. This is definitely not good! Chapter 101: The Priestesss Freedom Chapter 101: The Priestess''s Freedom Hearing Iris¡¯s instructions, the team immediately went to work. Reaper and Octane worked on clearing out the minions since they excelled at taking on multiple opponents at once, while Finn and Iris focused on therge one. Once they yed it, Iris would take the orb and dunk it on one of the terminals. Each time she did so, the tform would stop rising for a moment and spawn in the next wave of enemies while Synia shrieked in pain, disturbing her chanting. When they were on the third orb, however, Iris stopped. ¡°Damn¡­ what¡¯s the next one¡­¡± She bit her lip and nced around at the three remaining terminals as her allies continued to fight off the Phantoms, orb within her hands. So far, she had been following the order of the symbols from the pir section, based on which pir was the correct one in each set. But at the time, she hadn¡¯t thought it would matter this much, so she hadn¡¯t memorized the whole sequence. And now¡­ ¡°Circle snake, 8 snake, snake face, twin snake, and sword snake,¡± a voice suddenly said through herms. ¡°That¡¯s the order.¡± ¡°Fanatic¡­ how do you¡­¡± ¡°I heard you murmuring it earlier, and thought it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to write it down.¡± ¡°¡­ Heh,¡± Iris chuckled and flew over to the terminal with the face of a snake symbol marked on it, slotting the orb into the device. ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Fanatic replied with a softugh, before going quiet once again to avoid distracting them. ¡°Alright¡­ twin snake is next¡­¡± Iris murmured, this time memorizing the order in her heart. She spun around and aimed her sniper at the big one¡¯s eye as Finn circled around it to distract it. ¡°GRAHHH!¡± It roared in pain, falling to the ground and clutching its own face. Finn set it on fire with his Burning Fists ¡ª he had far more mana than the normal person, so he could keep this Weapon Mod active for extended periods of time. In the matter of a mere minute, the wless duo used the same method to take this one down just like its predecessors. Octane swooped in with his speed and threw the ball that dropped and threw it to Iris, who was already waiting by the next terminal. She mmed it into the device, causing the tform to cease to a stop once more as the next wave of portals spawned in. It was then that they realized just how close they were to the ceiling, and Synia. ¡°MORTALS¡­ YOU SHALL PAY!¡± She shrieked hysterically, raising her two arms into the air and chanting more rapidly than before. ¡°Crap, it¡¯s about to-!¡± Octane began, eyes widened. ¡°Kill the big one ¡ª quick!¡± Iris yelled as everyone focused fire on the big guy, melting it instantly. The white sphere of swirling energy between Synia¡¯s palms began glowing brighter and brighter, to the point where it was blinding the entire arena. ¡°FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT¡­!¡± ¡°Agh, I can¡¯t see-!¡± Octane yelled, holding the orb in his hands. ¡°The sound of my voice ¡ª hurry!¡± Iris yelled. ¡°Tch¡­ here!¡± Octaneunched the ball in the direction of Iris, judging from the sound of her voice. Unfortunately, it was too high, but Iris managed to catch it with a spur of momentum from her wings. Immediately turning around as the room began to dangerously elevate in temperature at a rapid pace, Iris dunked the final orb into the sword snake terminal. ¡°SKKKREEEEEEEEEEEE!¡± Synia screamed in pain as the barrier below her shattered, rendering her vulnerable. The room waspletely filled with white light as the race against time reached its climax. ¡°Hit her with everything!¡± Iris yelled, readying her sniper and unleashing a bullet towards Synia¡¯s head. Finn and Reaper soared into the sky, side by side, and brutally cut through her body with their weapons just as the white light swallowed everything. The twonded back on the tform, retracting their weapons and standing up straight. Iris lowered her gun and blocked her eyes as Octane covered his own. Synia¡¯s body exploded in a shower of ck blood, most of which sshed onto Finn¡¯s body ¡ª exactly what he wanted, since this was how he was going to steal the powers of this Ghost. As he absorbed the liquid into his body, he felt warmth flowing through his veins. He definitely received a powerful new skill from this Boss-level Ghost, but he didn¡¯t know what just yet. But as he was in the midst of his thoughts, to his surprise¡­ ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± Synia¡¯s voice ¡ª her real, human voice ¡ª whispered in his ear, as soft as the wind, as she faded away. No one else heard it, but Finn did. He was confused, of course, but decided to save it forter. The white light faded away soon after that as well, revealing a chest in the middle of the room. Octane copsed and promptlyid down, staring up at the mesmerizing ceiling. ¡°Man¡­ that was¡­ intense.¡± ¡°You had the most tiring job,¡± Finn said. ¡°It makes sense for you to be worn out.¡± ¡°Yeah? I feel like I really didn¡¯t do much, though. Even when it was time to kill that Boss once and for all¡­¡± ¡°You made it easier for all of us to focus the priority target by getting rid of all the small fry,¡± Irisforted, seating herself back on Finn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°While not the shiest role, it¡¯s an essential one.¡± ¡°Heh. Thank- cough, hack¡­ cough¡­¡± Octane was interrupted mid-sentence by a fit of coughs, due to his asthma. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ just¡­ need some rest¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside the chest,¡± Iris said hurriedly, eyes sparkling. ¡°It¡¯s right in front of you, Ace.¡± Finn nodded and bent down, using his hands to feel around for a bit before finally finding thetch to open the chest from. He flipped it open and reached inside, feeling his hand close around some kind of¡­ rod? ¡°Woah¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty¡­¡± Finn, of course, couldn¡¯t see it, so he just took it out of the chest and handed it to Iris to inspect. She epted it gratefully and tried pouring some mana in. Suddenly, the white gem embedded at the top of the exquisite staff began to shine brightly. The glow reflected off of Iris¡¯s beautiful different-colored eyes, drawing in the attention of all. ¡°What is this thing¡­¡± She murmured, swinging it one direction just to test it out. But to her surprise, a powerful beam of light shot out of the gem, piercing straight through the solid stone walls of the tower and revealing the dark void outside. ¡°Wha-!¡± She hurriedly straightened the staff again, both confused and surprised. Octane blinked a few times in shock, still on the floor. ¡°No way¡­¡± Chapter 102: Truth of the Ghosts Chapter 102: Truth of the Ghosts After retrieving the object from the chest, a portal opened up in front of the four. At first, they thought it was more Ghosts spawning in, but then realized there was no hostility. ¡°Uh¡­ Fanatic? A portal just opened up in front of us. Can you check to see where it leads?¡± Octane asked through his earpiece. ¡°Don¡¯t be rmed, the portal is safe,¡± Fanatic replied. ¡°From what I can see on the map here, a simr energy signature opened up back in the broken church, where Tarot should be waiting.¡± ¡°Got it, thanks.¡± With this confirmed, the four stepped through the portal¡­ and as expected, exited to see Jim waiting for them. ¡°Oh, yer back! Before the other team, too. And¡­ it seems like ya got yerselves quite the loot. I forgot to tell ya about that ¡ª Dungeons and Pces have awesome stuff hidden in them for us Ghost Hunters! Looks like I underestimated ya, huh?¡± ¡°The symbols¡­¡± Iris murmured,pletely ignoring Jim¡¯s words. Indeed, of the three icons above the statue ¡ª soaring eagle, staring owl, and swooping falcon ¡ª the soaring eagle one now had a sh over it, signaling that it had been conquered. ¡°Good work,¡± Jim chuckled, leaning against the pir. ¡°Take a seat, get some bloody rest. You¡¯ll need it.¡± The group did as told, each picking a spot to sit down. It wasn¡¯tfortable by any means, but they had to make do. Finn picked the corner, where he could lean back against the wall and just be alone without any distractions. Unfortunately, Iris ended up sitting beside him and falling asleep on his shoulder almost instantly. ¡°¡­¡± Finn wanted to push her away, but figured he should just let her sleep. If those various symbols back there required the Eye of Omnipotence to see, she would be a necessary asset in the battle toe, being the only one with the Oculus Angelica here. Certainly, it wasn¡¯t a very offense-oriented power, but Finn had yet to see another Angelica that could beat this one in terms of utility. Too bad, he couldn¡¯t use it ¡ª yet. In the end, he decided to just take a short nap as well while contacting Zelestria to inquire about the power he just received ¡ª the power that she had deemed ¡®a must-have¡¯. ¡®Zelestria. Are you there?¡¯ [I¡¯m always here, darling~ you want to know about the power you obtained from that Boss-level¡­ Ghost, correct?] ¡®Yeah. Pull me.¡¯ [Mkay, master~] Finn felt his body being sucked into a different dimension as he could suddenly see again, faced with the familiar vaporwave background of the reality rift in which Zelestria resided in. No matter how many times this urred, he could never get used to it. ¡°Wee home, master,¡± She said, performing a professional curtsy in a maid outfit. Finn eyed her coldly,pletely unaffected. She was calling him so many different kinky names now that he just couldn¡¯t be bothered to tell her to stop anymore. Instead, he merely ignored thements and got down to business. ¡°I felt my body absorb that Ghost¡¯s blood, but I have no idea what the power I got actually is. Since you were the one who had me retrieve this skill no matter what¡­ I would like an exnation.¡± Zelestria didn¡¯t seem hurt at all by his actions and instead folded her arms behind her back leisurely. ¡°Fufu~ you see, it has to do with souls.¡± ¡°Souls¡­?¡± ¡°Yes ¡ª the same Souls that I require to gain back my full power.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so what exactly can I do with Souls now?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be able to extract Souls from Ghosts directly ¡ª this will kill them stealthily, of course, but there¡¯s a catch. It takes a while to channel. You can wipe out entire groups of them with this ability, but the channel time will also scale to be longer, naturally.¡± ¡°In other words¡­ I have to already be in stealth to use it.¡± ¡°Of course. And there¡¯s a limit on the range of this power as well, but still powerful nheless, no?¡± Finn sighed. ¡°It certainly is a useful power to have, I won¡¯t deny that. But is this really a ¡®must-have¡¯ like you imed it was?¡± ¡°Patience, darling¡­ I¡¯m not done exining yet,¡± Zelestria giggled softly. ¡°The power I just described is only the active skill. The passive skill you gained is something far better ¡ª for both you and me.¡± ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­¡± Sheughed darkly. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to gain double the amount of Soulspared to now, every time you kill a Ghost. Truly a must-have if you want your eyes back as soon as possible, am I wrong?¡± At this, Finn fell into thought. ¡°Hm¡­ that is a nice passive skill to have. I don¡¯t get it though ¡ª aren¡¯t the powers I gain from Ghosts supposed to be rted to their original one?¡± ¡°It is, Finn. That Ghost you fought ¡ª Synia ¡ª controlled souls, though she isn¡¯t as strong as some other ones out there. She could¡¯ve easily extracted your Souls and killed you ¡ª that¡¯s what the chanting she did was for.¡± ¡°Huh. But why would she try to wipe all four of us out at once instead of just targeting us one at a time to throw us into chaos? That seems like a horrible strategy.¡± At this, Zelestria fell silent for a brief moment. Then, she spoke again. ¡°Finn¡­ tell me. What is it do you think Ghosts are?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ by definition, an apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or be manifest to the living. But that is talking about the fantasy ghosts seen in movies and books ¡ª not the real ones we¡¯re fighting against today.¡± ¡°Perhaps. But the concept is the same. Ghosts, darling, are dead peopleing back to life after being corrupted by the paracausal. In other words¡­ they used to be living humans as well. The more powerful that human once was, the more powerful their Ghost will be.¡± Finn wanted to ask, ¡®what does that have to do with anything¡¯, but refrained from it as Zelestria continued. ¡°You may not have seen it, but the Ghost you fought was the remnants of a priestess who once worked at this very church in the real world, who waster killed during an Outbreak. Now, normally, when humans die and are turned into Ghosts, they lose all memories of their original self and be mindless, bloodthirsty zombies. But priestesses, priests, and such¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t need her to finish the sentence to understand what she was trying to say. ¡°¡­ They have some sort of resistance against this paracausal corruption and conversion process.¡± ¡°Correct. In other words¡­ she was trying desperately to let you all live, struggling against the evil that had polluted her mind and body.¡± ¡®So that¡¯s why she said¡­¡¯ Finn thought, recalling the words he heard being whispered into his ear, as softly and gently as a butterfly ¡ª ¡®thank you¡¯. ¡°This is an extremely easy Dungeon because of that fact, darling,¡± Zelestria giggled once more. ¡°You got lucky, fufu~¡± That was true. Had this Dungeon not been a mirror reflection of a church in the real world, and the Ghosts here were not the paracausal reflections of holy figures like priests and priestesses¡­ they might have all sumbed to death back there. Still, this was quite a skill that Finn obtained. With this ¡®boost¡¯, getting his vision back shouldn¡¯t be a long ways off. ¡°Oh, by the way~¡± Zelestria suddenly said, disturbing his thoughts. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be getting a lot of Souls from this Dungeon, especially with this new boost. So¡­¡± She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips seductively, gently raising up her maid outfit¡¯s skirt so Finn could see what was underneath. ¡°Fufu~ how about a ¡®transfer¡¯ soon~?¡± Chapter 103: Swooping Falcon Chapter 103: Swooping Falcon ¡°¡­ Not now,¡± Finn said after some silence. ¡°After we kill the Baron.¡± ¡°Mkay~¡± Zelestria smiled happily. ¡°Just remember, the longer you stall, the less Souls that get transferred to me since your body is consuming it all, fufu~¡± With that, she sent Finn back to the real world, where he woke up. While he was asleep, his head had unconsciously rested on Iris¡¯s, resulting in Jim looking at the two of them with a smug grin while chuckling mischievously. It made them look like a couple. Finn quickly straightened his head and listened for any signal that the other team had returned. The slight movement caused Iris, who was a light sleeper, to wake up as well, rubbing her eyes cutely and shaking her head. ¡°Mm¡­ how long did I sleep for¡­¡± ¡°Not long,¡± Finn replied, having calcted the number of minutes he spent in the reality rift. Two hours at best. ¡°E-Eh? Finn?¡± Iris immediately sat up straight as well, cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to, erm¡­ lean on you like that¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°That said¡­ where is the other team¡­? Are they still not done with their side?¡± Iris wondered aloud, changing the topic. ¡°Rx,¡± a voice cut in ¡ª Pang Zi. ¡°Who do you think we are? Sure, we came back a littleter than you guys, but that¡¯s only because we had the harder boss.¡± ¡°Rampager¡­¡± Tian Long muttered exhaustedly. ¡°Remember who saved us when we were about to fall to our deaths¡­?¡± ¡°R-Right. My bad. But you can¡¯t deny¡­ fighting that Boss was one annoying process.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Yun Xin said timidly. ¡°It was difficult because we didn¡¯t have an Oculus Angelica user on our side¡­¡± ¡°Oculus Angelica¡­?¡± Iris murmured, curious about her own power being brought up here. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re resting for a bit anyway, I might as well tell you about it,¡± Tian Long said with a sigh. ¡°You see, what happened was¡­¡± ***** ¨C A Few Hours Earlier (shback) ¨C The Big Five of the Thousand Dragons Sect descended down the corridor for the swooping falcon side. It was quite narrow and lit up by the same white lotus-shapednterns that were amon sight in this Paracausal Realm, just like what Squadron 154 encountered. Rather than a jumping puzzle, however, the Thousand Dragons Sect¡¯s members were faced with a maze ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t just any maze, unfortunately. The group could see the doorway on the other end of the room ¡ª but they couldn¡¯t reach it by merely walking forward. There were invisible walls in ce, forcing the group to navigate their way through an unseeable maze. Pang Zi, being Rampager, attempted to bash his way through the walls, but that didn¡¯t work even with his enhanced physical strength. Burning, freezing ¡ª nothing worked. If it were a living being, Si Shen could¡¯ve simply inflicted death on it using his Deathmaster Angelica, but it definitely was not a living being, rendering this n useless. In the end, the group was forced to use Pang Zi as a guinea pig to take the lead and slowly make their way across the maze. Qi Ling froze the ground as they went so they could retrace their steps easier, but that didn¡¯t lessen the amount of times Pang Zi ended up smashing his face headfirst into a wall at all. With an Oculus Angelica, this would¡¯ve been much easier. Invisible walls meant nothing in front of the Eye of Omnipotence. By the time they finally made it across the annoying maze, Pang Zi had several bumps on his forehead and a bunch of bruises that hadn¡¯t even formed yet. But that was just the easy part. Next came the Boss ¡ª its name was Sydia, Bound to Dar¡¯ Talor (not to be confused with Synia, whom Squadron 154 fought and killed). This was a Phantom that had morphed into arge spider, crawling up and down the walls of the boss room. It spat out some sort of invisible gas-state venom that messed with the group¡¯s minds and rendered them unable to see the creature, but that was about it. Because it moved in a set pattern to try and sneak attack the group, all the Big Five had to do was determine this pattern and hit it despite being unable to see. Sure, this took a long time to get down ¡ª hence why they arrivedter than Squadron 154 ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t all too difficult. Just annoying. Little did they know, this encounter could¡¯ve been easily beaten if they had an Oculus Angelica user. Within the maze, for example, there were actually symbols on the ceiling marking the right path ¡ª circling fish, swimming fish, skewered fish, leftward fish, and rightward fish, in that order. And that wasn¡¯t all. In the boss room, these same five symbols would light up every time Sydia was about to spit out her venom. If they could avoid all 5 attacks before her venom ran out, they would be able to see the boss and end this encounter a lot sooner. In the first venom spit, all the group had to do was head to the circling fish symbol. In the second, the swimming fish, and so on. But s, they managed to conquer the challenge anyway. In the end, the reward they received from the chest was a staff simr to the one dropped by Synia, except instead of white, this gemstone was ck. ***** ¡°¡­ And that¡¯s about what happened,¡± Tian Long concluded with a sigh. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an intense or difficult fight by any means. The surprise attacks made were all quite predictable, given all the sound it made.¡± ¡®So if we were to have gone that way, the skill I could¡¯ve stolen from this Synia Ghost would just be the ability to make myself invisible to someone by blinding them with an invisible venom attack. Pretty useless, considering I can simply go invisible directly using the Nightstalker Angelica I obtained from Elder Hua.¡¯ ¡°Heh, things were a lot easier on our side thanks to Ivy,¡± Octane chuckled proudly. ¡°She did the most work, so she deserved the staff.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thanks¡­¡± Iris murmured, ufortable with all the attention she was receiving so she cowered behind Finn¡¯s head as she rode on his back. ¡°Yeah¡­ on our side, we chose to gave it to ire,¡± Tian Long said. ¡°She needs it most, given her passive nature.¡± ¡°Well, sorry to interrupt, but¡­¡± Jim cut in, arms folded. ¡°If yer all rested, let¡¯s get goin¡¯. We ain¡¯t bloody done here just yet, folks.¡± Chapter 104: Staring Owl Chapter 104: Staring Owl Of the three glowing symbols disyed above the statue, only the staring owl remained intact. The other two, soaring eagle and swooping falcon, both had a line streaked through them, signaling that they had been conquered already. The group, now reunited once more, confidently stepped past the statue and stood before the door before them. It had originally been locked tight, unable to be broken through by anything, but now¡­ CRREEEAK. As if waiting for them, the doors opened up on their own noisily, mming against the walls on either side of the corridor that was revealed. Beyond it, about 100 meters away, was another set of doors ¡ª these ones far bigger and more grand. They were lined worn-down decoration, washed away by time. The faint designs that were still on it could only be faintly seen, made visible by the familiar whitenterns that seemed to be the theme of this Dungeon. The sound of lightning and thunder could be hearding from the outside as the group stepped through the first set of doors and arrived before the second. ¡°¡­ Everyone, I am detecting an immensely powerful hostile energy signature beyond that door,¡± Fanatic said through their group¡¯sms. ¡°It should the Baron. Make sure you are ready before going in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but the Thousand Dragons Sect is always ready,¡± Pang Zi said, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Baron or not, bring it on.¡± ¡°We¡¯re ready too,¡± Octane said, speaking for all of Squadron 154. ¡°I-I¡¯m scared, I won¡¯t lie, but there¡¯s no running now.¡± ¡°If ya made up yer decisions, go ahead and step closer to that door,¡± Jim said with a chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be helping, even for this final encounter?¡± Qi Ling asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Nope,¡± Jim replied easily, shrugging nonchntly. ¡°This is yer fight and yers alone. Show me what ya can do¡­ Hunters.¡± If they were able to seed here, that would be a feat worthy of remembrance. Ghost Hunters lived for a challenge. They either conquered it, or they died trying. Since everyone else was dawdling for too long, Finn took it upon himself to step forward, closer to the door. And the moment he did, they slid open, revealing a tall, massive statue, cloaked by a ck veil. Curiously, the group stepped through the entrance and inspected the statue closer, only to find that they were in some sort of church hall. But then, the statue stirred. The lighting above shifted a bit on the veil as it moved, and it was then that the group realized. It wasn¡¯t a statue. It was the Baron himself. The massive being turned around, revealing its grotesque face in its full hideous glory. In its hand was an enormous scepter with a gem embedded at the top of it, just like the two staffs the group had obtained from Synia and Sydia respectively. Only¡­ this one was far more grand and powerful. The gem was surrounded by a crown of gold, stained with blood. The creature¡¯s face was unlike that of normal Phantoms. It wasn¡¯t white ¡ª it was as ck as the robe it wore, but the same creepy sgow smile was imprinted onto its face just like the norm. Its eyes shone blood red, pupil-less and empty. Its hardened skin was lined with wrinkles, informing that its living counterpart was already quite old when they died. And then, in a booming yet devastatingly low voice, the creature spoke. ¡°ART THEE THE MURDERERS OF MY SISTERS, O¡¯ CHALLENGER MINE?¡± Faced with this impossibly tall monster, looking down at them as if they were nothing but ants, the group of Ghost Hunters trembled slightly. But despite all the odds, Pang Zi was still able to inte his own ego and talk back. ¡°Yeah, we are. That little spider and the priestess? We killed them easily. What are you gonna do about it, old monster?¡± ¡°VERY WELL,¡± the creature responded tly, deep voice reverberating across the chamber. ¡°SINCE THEE HAS¡¯TH SINNED, PUNISHMENT IS NECESSARY.¡± The Baron raised its staff slowly, letting the gemstone embedded on it shine a blinding white. ¡°I AM DAR¡¯ TALOR, FOLLOWER OF THE LUNATIC. IN HIS NAME, I SHALL PURGE YOU FROM THE EARTH. FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT, SINNERS.¡± The door mmed shut behind the group, separating them from Jim. But since they had already experienced this once already, they weren¡¯t as surprised. And besides, they came here to kill this monster anyway. Not run away. The priest-turned-monster then changed the color of the gem on his staff to a dark ck rather than white, causing portals to open up all around the group. Out came swarms of Phantoms, screeching in thirst for blood and hunger for flesh. Finn, at this point, saw no reason to hold back. If he did, there was a chance they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat this Baron. And so, he kicked things off with an immensely powerful Stormbringer Ability ¡ª Palm of Lei Shen, invented by Lei himself. Finn mmed the ground right in front of a portal with his Lightning Aura state active, sending out a shockwave that instantly vaporized the Phantoms that came through ¡ª something that should be impossible, even for a B-ss Hunter ¡ª much less a D-ss one. Everyone stared at him, ¡®shocked¡¯, but quickly focused on taking down the other enemies and decided to save the questions forter. While everyone else fought back against the wave of Phantoms that had spawned in, Iris, who had long gotten off of Finn¡¯s shoulders before the encounter began and was now soaring in the air, quickly scanned the chamber for any hidden mechanisms. ¡°Eye of Omnipotence ¡ª Transcendence!¡± Jim had said that in a Dungeon, the mechanism would be reurring throughout the various stages of it. This obviously meant the symbols seen from the pirs during the jumping puzzle, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t spot anything in this room, even with her Oculus Angelica. Suddenly, a white thorn whizzed past her head, causing her to duck to one side in a hurry. ¡°Tch¡­! Shooter-sses!¡± Chapter 105: Dar Talor, Follower of the Lunatic Chapter 105: Dar'' Talor, Follower of the Lunatic Quickly pulling out her revolver, Iris headshot the few Shooter-ss Phantoms who had been aiming at her in the sky. They were a ranged archetype who used their two special tail-like tentacles to shoot out white thorns of poison. They weren¡¯t that powerful defense-wise, but get hit by one of those thorns and it was pretty much game over without a Healer Angelica here. Luckily, Iris was quite nimble with her wings and also a skilled sharpshooter, so these pests were more of an annoyance than anything. Having dealt with them, she returned to scanning the chamber with her eyes. And then, her gazended on the gemstone within the staff being held by the Baron. Inside, just faintly, a symbol could be seen. It was the circling snake. She then looked at the rest of the Baron¡¯s body and saw other symbols over them ¡ª sword snake in the right eye, skewered fish in the left eye, 8 snake in the chest, and so on. But the question was, how did all of that help? ¡°Ivy ¡ª shoot at his scepter with your sniper!¡± Tian Long yelled. ¡°His powerse from the gem ¡ª aim for that!¡± ¡®The gem¡­¡¯ Iris thought, quickly pulling out her sniper from off her back and lining her eyes up with the scope, cing the reticle directly on the gem embedded within the staff. As soon as they aligned, she pressed on the trigger, sending out a powerful high-caliber sniper round on direct course with the gem. But as it struck¡­ nothing happened. The bullet bounced harmlessly off of the gem,pletely useless. ¡°Wha¡­¡± Iris was dumbfounded, both confused and surprised. Down below, the first wave of Phantoms had just about finished being cleared. As this happened, ten separate sections of the walls, five on the left and five on the right, suddenly opened up. The Baron raised his staff again, causing portals open up once more and spawning in another wave of enemies. Iris, who still had her Angelica¡¯s effects active, widened her eyes as ten corresponding symbols appeared above each of the new entrances. On the left side were the snakes, on the right were the fishes. Realizing what they had to do, Iris quickly descended from the sky, narrowly avoiding the thorns shot by one of the Shooter-ss Phantoms, andnded on Finn¡¯s shoulders without any warning. ¡°¡­!¡± Finn hurriedly spun around, thinking a Phantom had gotten on him, and attempted to shake it off violently. ¡°Eek-!¡± Iris yelped, throwing her arms around Finn¡¯s neck tightly. ¡°C-Calm down, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Ivy¡­?¡± ¡°Yes ¡ª now, I want to test out a theory I have. A new path opened; run directly straight until I tell you to stop.¡± ¡°Copy,¡± Finn murmured quietly before taking off, leaving the others to continue clearing out the room. They passed through a tight hallway narrower than anything they¡¯ve been in before, and finally came across an open room with a pressure te within it. ¡°Okay, step forward!¡± Iris instructed Finn, who obeyed and triggered some kind of mechanism. Immediately, four small portals opened up around the two of them, spawning in several Phantoms. Iris quickly took care of them all with her handgun, then twisted her body to aim for the big one, but Finn had already sensed its low frequency sound and vaporized it with a single Lightning st. The Stormbringer Angelica in the Lightning Aura state was just that powerful. Still, he had to be careful of his mana. Although he had far more than the average person, it still wasn¡¯t unlimited. Slowly, Finn was bing able to detect the subtle differences between the frequencies the various sses of Phantoms make. Morphers, Drones, and these slightlyrger Abominations all had different sounds, although nearly imperceivable. Suddenly, the circling snakes symbol above the duo shed briefly as a line cut through it, signaling that it had been conquered. ¡°Alright¡­ now, let¡¯s head back to the main room,¡± Iris said. ¡°If my guess is correct¡­¡± Together, the two raced back to the main chamber, where the others were still busy clearing out the new wave of Phantoms. None were checking out the other new pathways, since they needed Iris¡¯s Oculus Angelica to tell them what to do, given its importance in this Dungeon. Finn quickly cleared out the area around him using his Burning Fists weapon mod, congrating the pack of Phantoms like a forest fire. Meanwhile, Iris flew up into the air and aimed at the gemstone in the Baron¡¯s scepter once again, and let out a bullet. This time, it struck true. The Baron froze as the gemstone shattered to pieces, before narrowing his pupil-less red eyes and suddenly throwing the now-useless staff at Iris at incredible speed, who was unable to dodge in time. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Look out!¡± Octane yelled, using his high speed tounch off the walls and push Iris out of the way. ¡°Engh-!¡± Iris yelped at the impact, while Octane was struck by the metal scepter instead. ¡°Guh!¡± He groaned, flying backwards and mming into the wall. ¡°Octane!¡± Iris yelled, looking back at him as he slid down to the ground, clutching his chest in pain ¡ª both from the injury and his asthma. ¡°Agh¡­ don¡¯t worry about me¡­ we need your power more¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks!¡± Iris said in gratitude, realizing any more talk was just a waste of time. Instead, she spun around and announced to the other members of the group their course of action. ¡°Everyone ¡ª two people head into each one of the new pathways that opened up on the sides and step onto the pressure te in the room! Kill all the Phantoms that spawn and- tch!¡± Suddenly, four tentacles shot out of the Baron¡¯s back, seeking out Iris, who flew away just in time. In the air, she spun around and pulled out her revolver before shooting at the tentacles, causing them squirm a bit and back off. But the Baron wasn¡¯t done just yet. ¡°FOOLISH SINNERS. MINE WEAPON IS NOT THE STAFF THAT WHICH THOU BROKE. IT IS MINE FAITH!¡± The priest raised his ash-like hands into the air as more tentacles shot out of his back and began pummeling the chamber, breaking everything in sight. ¡°Ace, look out!¡± Iris called out, but it was toote. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Chapter 106: The Best Catalyst Chapter 106: The Best Catalyst While everyone else was able to avoid the tentacles, Finn, being unable to see, had no time to react just by sound alone, given how fast they were. ¡°Gah¡­!¡± Finn coughed out blood as the tentacle pierced straight through his human flesh, straight in the stomach. He tried to move his hands and pull it out, but in his current state, the tentacle was far too strong. [Tch¡­ this isn¡¯t good¡­ I can¡¯t save you, my power hasn¡¯t been restored enough yet¡­] Zelestria muttered impatiently, unable to do a thing. ¡®Is this how it ends?¡¯ Finn thought as time seemed to slow down around him. ¡®Being blind¡­ is truly a catastrophe.¡¯ [Hang in there, Finn!] Zelestria cried, voice strained with emotion. [I can¡¯t fully save you, but I can prolong your life by a little bit¡­!] Just as his consciousness began fading away, Finn felt iting back to him. It still wasn¡¯t enough to provide him with the strength to push the tentacle away, but it would keep him alive ¡ª for now. Iris took aim and tried to shoot the tentacle pinning Finn down, but there were too many in the way ¡ª some of which were going for her as well. ¡°Tch¡­ what do I do¡­!¡± Suddenly, a shadow jumped up into the air and grabbed the three tentacles blocking Iris¡¯s angle with his huge frame before mming down into the ground, grasping them tightly as if they were his lifeline. His cheeks were puffed out, red, as he used all his strength to help save the teammate who once saved him. ¡°ARGH¡­ GO¡­ SHOOT IT¡­!¡± Iris, not wasting any time, took aim with her sniper and let out a clean shot that struck the tentacle pinning Finn down, causing it to let him go and retreat while sying Finn¡¯s ck and red blood everywhere. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Finn gasped for air, clutching the hole in his abdomen painfully. Iris quickly flew down as Zelestria continued to work on healing him behind the scenes. With the little power she had remaining, it should be enough to let Finn keep his life, so long as he does not receive any more wounds. Finn may have been saved, but unfortunately, his savior was not. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Pang Zi wasunched into the air by the three tentacles, finally unable to hold them all down anymore. ¡°Rampager!¡± Tian Long cried out, narrowly avoiding a tentacle as he watched his friend being slung into the air like a slingshot. And then, time seemed toe to a standstill as the three tentacles spun and converged on a single point ¡ª piercing through Pang Zi¡¯s body all at once. ¡°K-KUH¡­¡± He gasped as the sharp tendrils prated his chest and stomach, holding him up in the air like meat on a skewer. He coughed blood out of his mouth, eyes widened in shock and pain. But then, as everyone watched on speechlessly¡­ ¡°FUCK¡­ I¡¯M NOT¡­ GOING DOWN¡­ WITHOUT A FIGHT!¡± Rampager roared in fury as the ferocious red aura of the Brawler Angelica coated his body. His eyes turned nk with rage as he squeezed the three tentacles piercing his body between his arms, as tight as he could. His muscles bulged, veins seen below the skin, and he grit his bloodstained teeth tightly with emotion. ¡°UNDYING¡­ RAGE¡­!¡± As he yelled the Ability¡¯s name, a massive explosion of energy erupted around him, sting the tentacles to pieces. The Baron¡¯s expression remained unchanged, signaling that he hadn¡¯t received any damage at all, but to Pang Zi, that was enough. He fell from the ceiling, and Tian Long hurried over to catch him in his arms, tears in his eyes, while everyone else distracted the Baron. ¡°Pang Zi¡­¡± He whispered gently as he stared down at his long-term friend¡¯s bloodstained face, hands trembling with emotion. ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t cry¡­ you bastard¡­ hack, cough¡­¡± Pang Zi coughed out blood, but there was a faint smile on his face. ¡°For the first time in my life¡­ I did somethin¡¯ worthy of telling the kids¡­ tell my tale to them, yeah? Ah, but¡­ cough¡­ leave out the bad parts.¡± ¡°Tell them yourself, idiot¡­¡± Tian Long cried, sniffing and desperately trying not to let the tears fall. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Pang Zi chuckled slightly, steadily getting weaker and weaker. ¡°I wish I could¡­ but¡­ heh, it wouldn¡¯t be as dramatic, no?¡± ¡°Pang Zi¡­¡± Tian Long bit his quivering bottom lip, shutting his eyes tightly. ¡°Hey¡­ before I go¡­ tell the others this,¡± Pang Zi whispered, voice slowly dying out and eyelids getting heavy. ¡°Joining the Big Five¡­ was the best decision I¡¯ve ever made.¡± Tian Long¡¯s eyes snapped open as Pang Zi¡¯s closed, and his arms fell limply by his side. He was gone. Tian Long clenched his fists around his friend¡¯s bloodstained shirt and cried out with all his heart. ¡°PANG ZI¡­!¡± ***** ¨C Outside the Door ¨C Jim, who had heard Tian Long¡¯s heartfelt cry, closed his eyes and leaned against the wall before sighing deeply. ¡°¡­ Looks like they¡¯ve learned their first bloody lesson, huh?¡± Over the years, Jim had many of hisrades fall. Most died brutal, gruesome deaths ¡ª deaths he had to witness first-hand. The amount of horror and gore he had seen, the number of the dead eyes of his teammates staring back into his soul¡­ they were uncountable. But pain is a valuable teacher. And the lessons it taught would be unforgettable, more so than any human¡¯s teachings. To have growth, one must experience loss. To achieve sess, one must first experience failure. That was the lesson Jim wanted to teach this new generation of Ghost Hunters. Even if it meant sacrificing some of them to help engrave that concept into their young minds. Blowing out on the cigarette, he had been smoking, Jim nced up at the rotten ceiling. ¡°Sorry, kids. Even if ya hate me after this for not helpin¡¯¡­ even if ya me me for yer friend¡¯s death¡­ this is a bloody lesson ya must learn.¡± The world out there was a cold, brutal ce. This was just the beginning. If this new generation of Ghost Hunters aren¡¯t prepared for it now, they¡¯ll break down in no time. And the death of a close friend¡­ was the best catalyst to turn someone ready. Jim knew that all too well. Chapter 107: The Barons Fury Chapter 107: The Baron''s Fury With the loss of Pang Zi, the group now only had 8 people. But that didn¡¯t matter ¡ª they had a mission to aplish, and they would take that to the bitter end. Tang Zi slowly rose from his friend¡¯s corpse, fists clenched tightly. His armor burned brighter than before with raw, scorching fire, and in his eyes was a deadly determination never seen before. He already lost his friends once. But now, it¡¯s happened again. And he wasn¡¯t about to just ept that lying down. ¡°Draco¡­¡± Iris murmured hesitantly, having dragged Finn to a safe spot in the chamber to recover. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t charge in like an idiot,¡± Tian Long replied, easing her worries and staring at the Baron with deep hatred in his eyes. ¡°Now¡­ how do we beat this bastard?¡± ¡°Right now, we can¡¯t damage it ¡ª I tried,¡± Iris exined. ¡°But if we have two people go in each of the new rooms that opened up on the sides and take down all the Phantoms that spawn in there, we should be able to.¡± ¡°¡­ Two people? I don¡¯t need that.¡± Tian Long turned and immediately ran for one of the rooms on the right side, disappearing from view. ¡°H-Huh? Wait-¡± Iris called out, but he was already gone. Sighing impatiently, she pressed on her earpiece to bettermunicate with the others. ¡°Frostbite, go into one of the hallways on your own and take down everything in there. irvoyance and Death, head into the one right beside you and do the same. That¡¯s the mechanism to beat this Baron ¡ª hurry!¡± ¡°On it,¡± Qi Ling replied briskly before dashing into one of the hallways ¡ª skewered fish ¡ª though not before leaving behind a field of ice on the ground that froze all the Phantoms in sight. Iris quickly took them out with her gunshots, then turned her attention on Squadron 154¡¯s members. Of them, only Reaper was still able to move. ¡°Reaper, can you¡­¡± [Command: authorized. Executing order.] ¡°¡­¡± Iris was cut off mid-sentence as Reaper cleaved open a path with his scythe and flew into one of the hallways. Unfortunately, it was the same one Iris and Finn had alreadypleted. ¡°Wait, Reaper! Not that one ¡ª go into a different one.¡± [¡­ Understood.] His ck shadow zoomed out of the hallway before going back into a different one in the matter of seconds, while Iris worked on clearing the Phantoms in the room to the best of her ability. However, with all the other targets in the room gone, the Baron now turned his full attention onto Iris, sending out all of his tentacles at her. The three Pang Zi had destroyed with his life earlier had nowpletely regenerated, essentially rendering his sacrifice useless. If it¡¯s like this, then¡­ Iris wouldn¡¯t be able to escape without the help of her Angelica. ¡°Eye of Twilight ¡ª Celerity!¡± Changing the Eye Ability she had active from Omnipotence to Twilight, this allowed her to perceive iing attacks quicker and more urately. She was able to shoot some of the tentaclesing for her while dodging others, her eyes shining green rather than the usual gold. ¡°Ivy, I¡¯ve done it,¡± Tian Long¡¯s voice suddenly said in her earpiece. ¡°Alright¡­!¡± Iris swerved around in the air and took aim with her sniper, aiming for the Baron¡¯s left hand. When she was looking for the symbols earlier, she had memorized where all the symbols were on the Baron¡¯s body. And now, she was able to hit them even without the Eye of Omnipotence active. With a nasty quickscope, Iris¡¯s bullet struck the Baron¡¯s hand and prated it, sttering ck blood on the walls behind him. The Baron slowly lifted his injured hand and looked at it emotionlessly while Iris quickly ducked out of the way of the tentacles, which curled and came at her again. Qi Ling, Reaper, and the tag team of Yun Xin plus Si Shen both returned shortly after, letting Iris know that they had done what they needed to do. She then sent Qi Ling into the final room on the right side while leaving Yun Xin and Si Shen here so that she had some help with these annoying Phantoms down below, while Reaper took care of the three remaining left-side rooms all on his own. He was a robot ¡ª he had unlimited stamina, so long as his power didn¡¯t run out. In the meantime, Iris continued to shoot the various parts of the Baron. The tentacles still focused on her despite there being two other people in the room now, but by now she had gotten a hang of the rhythm of quickscoping and immediately dodging out of the way. Since the Baron was such arge target, this wasn¡¯t difficult to pull off. As more and more rooms becamepleted, things became easier and easier for Iris. Her teammates returned to the main room one by one, and they helped get rid of the tentacles chasing her around ¡ª which was good, since her mana was running dangerously low. ¡®There¡¯s just one more left¡­¡¯ She thought, gritting her teeth and reloading her sniper and pre-aiming, taking advantage of the fact that the others were busy distracting the tentacles. The final symbol was the sword snake, which corresponded directly with the Baron¡¯s forehead. If she could just break that, then¡­ [Subject-IVY. Mission aplished. Status: sessful.] As soon as she heard Reaper¡¯s mechanical voice beeping those words in her earpiece, she pressed the trigger. A high-caliber bullet flew towards the Baron at full force, heading directly for his forehead. Instantly, all the Phantoms in the room disappeared and all the tentacles receded as ck blood sttered all over the wall behind his head. His eyes closed, dead. Iris lowered her sniper as everyone gathered around her, and shended back on the ground. ¡°Is that¡­ it?¡± But then- ¡°Ngh-!¡± Everyone was blown away by a sudden release of energy from the Baron, caught off-guard and sent crashing into the wall and pirs. Irisnded beside Finn, who was resting in the corner. The Baron opened his glowing red eyes once again as his skin regeneratedpletely and his countless tentacles shot out of his back, squirming and writhing in anticipation. Octane, clutching his chest still, widened his eyes. ¡°All his wounds¡­ they¡¯re gone?!¡± ¡°FOOLISH SINNERS,¡± the Baron boomed, voicemanding and condescending. ¡°THOU THOUGHT THOU HAS¡¯TH SHATTERED MINE PROTECTION? HOW PITIFUL.¡± A terrible aura engulfed the entire room, erasing all color. White turned ck, and all the beautifully colored stained ss panels turned into shades of grey to match. It was like this church hall had turned to fit the theme of the rest of the Dungeon. ¡°Gah¡­ how is this possible¡­¡± Tian Long muttered, getting back up to his feet and wiping blood from his mouth. ¡°We broke his barrier and shot him in the head¡­¡± The Baron, hearing this, couldn¡¯t help but chuckle slightly. ¡°MINE BARRIER? DOES¡¯TH THOU STILL NOT REALIZE?¡± And it was then that Iris did. ¡°No¡­ that wasn¡¯t a barrier we broke,¡± she whispered, voice quivering. ¡°That was a seal¡­ a seal holding his power back.¡± Chapter 108: Singularity Chapter 108: Singrity ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Octane asked in shock. ¡°The symbols¡­ they tricked us,¡± Iris spat in disgust. ¡°No¡­¡± Finn muttered quietly, too weak to speak up. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Iris slowly got back up from the ground using her wings, though her mana was running low. ¡°If the symbols were tricking you¡­ we would¡¯ve already died at that priestess¡¯s stage¡­¡± Finn exined faintly. ¡°This¡­ was supposed to happen¡­¡± Iris immediately realized what Finn was trying to say and aimed her sniper for the Baron¡¯s head once again, before letting go of the trigger. And just as expected, it used its tentacles to block the bullet, rather than letting it hit. ¡°I see¡­¡± Iris breathed in awe. ¡°Everyone, attack him with everything you have! He¡¯s damageable now!¡± ¡°Hmph¡­ he actually blocked rather than just letting it hit like before?¡± Qi Ling muttered, readying her own Angelica. ¡°I understand how this works now.¡± ¡°We may have released his true power by breaking that seal, but it also rendered him vulnerable to death,¡± Tian Long said, grinning darkly. ¡°It¡¯s time to pay, you bastard.¡± ¡°COME, SINNERS, AND FACE YOUR DEATH.¡± The Baron raised his hands, sending out his countless tentacles from all sides of his body. But- ¡°De¡­ cay¡­¡± Si Shen whispered, voice as coarse as a skeleton. Immediately, the tentacles stopped in their tracks as a ck energy engulfed them, causing them to rot away at an insane speed. The Baron¡¯s eyes widened somewhat at this and quickly retracted his tendrils before they were gone for good, letting them regenerate. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Octane murmured at the sight of the powerful Deathmaster Angelica. ¡°Hey, cough¡­ Death, do that again!¡± Si Shen, however, toppled over, unconscious. ¡°Eh?!!!¡± Octane cried in surprise. ¡°Erm¡­ he can only use one powerful Ability before fainting like that,¡± Yun Xin exined. ¡°His Angelica is very¡­ costly. But that should keep the tentacles away for a good while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine ¡ª good enough,¡± Qi Ling said coldly, narrowing her eyes. ¡°With the tentacles out of the way¡­ we can attack without any interruptions.¡± Tian Long and her immediately charged forward, Reaper following behind. Irisid down on the ground and aimed with her sniper, waiting for the perfect opportunity. By now, Octane had recovered enough as well, so he got up from the floor and joined back in the action. The four front-liners leaped up at the Baron from different angles, weapons raised. Unfortunately, the old Baron was far faster than any of them had expected. Tian Long, who had been attempting to sh down with his sword, was backhanded across the chamber by the Baron, and Octane nearly had the same thing happen to him. Luckily, he was fast enough to avoid it, but was forced to just retreat. Reaper, on the other hand, managed to sh open a wound on the massive creature¡¯s forearm, though it wasn¡¯t deep enough of a cut to do anysting damage. Qi Ling, however, did better. ¡°ciers of old ¡ª hear my call and be my weapon-¡± She chanted, soaring elegantly through the air while using ice tforms as footholds as a beautiful light blue aura enveloped her body, chilling yet stunningly gorgeous. ¡°-Freeze mine enemies and cage them within a prison of ice ¡ª Crystalline Rain!¡± She swiped her hand to her left, sending a barrage of tiny but sharp skewers of ice towards the Baron¡¯s body. ¡°Grungh¡­!¡± The creature groaned as it attempted to defend itself with its arms, but it was unable to cover all of its body. Many of the skewers pierced through its tough hide and drew blood, but Qi Ling wasn¡¯t done just yet. Standing on top of her ice tform in the air and staring at the Baron coldly, she balled her hand into a fist. ¡°Shatter.¡± ¡°NGH¡­!¡± The Baron grunted, forced backwards a few steps as the ice crystals that had lodged themselves in its body explosively shattered all at once. The impact caused ck blood to spill out of all its open wounds. The Baron attempted to heal itself, but Tian Long wasn¡¯t about to let it get what it wanted. Having recovered from the impact of the strike earlier thanks to his tough armor, he opened his mouth and shot out a beam of fire, just like a living methrower. The fire ignited the wounds, charring them instantly and rending the Baron unable to heal. ¡°Heh¡­ that one¡¯s for Pang Zi!¡± Tian Long yelled, a smirk on his face. The Baron grit its teeth in anger. ¡°CURSE YOU, MORT- NGH!¡± Suddenly, it was struck in its forehead by a high-caliber round, shot by none other than yours truly, Iris. ¡°Hmph,¡± she snorted with a grin. ¡°That one¡¯s for Finn.¡± Finn, who was beside her, heard this, but didn¡¯t make any reaction. ¡°RAGH!¡± The Baron, losing its calmposure, spread its arms and unleashed a powerful roar, blowing everyone back a bit. ¡°WITH THE BORROWED POWER OF MY MASTER¡­ I SHALL ERADICATE YOU, SINNERS!¡± Dar¡¯ Talor sped his hands together in front of his chest, one above the other, then slowly separated them as a dark orb formted between them, surrounded by a white glow. The air around it contorted and began flowing into the orb in a whirlwind pattern, like a cyclone with the orb being the eye. Debris all around began flying into the sphere, causing it to grow wider and wider. And humans were no exception. ¡°Agh¡­ what is this¡­!¡± Octane groaned in defiance, wing at the floor. ¡°I¡¯m getting¡­ pulled in¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a ck hole¡­!¡± Tian Long added, holding onto a pir to avoid being sucked in. ¡°ACCEPT YOUR FATE, MORTALS! THIS IS THE POWER OF THE LUNATIC ¡ª THE POWER OF A GOD!¡± The Baron raised the orb higher into the air, holding it above his head. It continued getting bigger and bigger, the swirling white energy around it moving faster and faster. With that came an increase in the suction force, and the already barely hanging on Hunters now had even more to deal with. ¡°Ah¡­ why does this¡­ feel so familiar¡­?!¡± Octane yelled as he desperately dug his fingertips into the carpet floor,ughing somewhat hysterically as he was reminded of the time Finn nearly killed him with the same type of attack. ¡°Agh¡­ can¡¯t hold on¡­ for much longer¡­!¡± Faced with the dire circumstances, could the Ghost Hunters still conquer the impossible and arise to victory? Chapter 109: The Lost Art Chapter 109: The Lost Art As the mysterious ck-hole-like singrity continued to wreak havoc on the team, Reaper swung his scythe around a pir to try and hold on against the suction force, but cracks were beginning to appear in the cylinder. Guess having too sharp of a weapon can bite you in the ass sometimes. On the other side of the room, Qi Ling formed a wall of ice crystals to blockade Si Shen, Yun Xin, and herself from the force, but there was no telling how long that wouldst. ¡°Engh¡­!¡± Even Iris, who was furthest away, could feel the maism of the mysterious orb, and began to get pulled away, but Finn felt this and grabbed onto her arm while using his other to hold onto the pir he had been resting against. The wound in his stomach had healed enough that he could move thanks to Zelestria, but too much and¡­ [Finn ¡ª let her go! You¡¯re going to be dragged along with her!] ¡®I¡¯ll be dragged anyway, even if I let go¡­!¡¯ [Tch¡­] ¡®Zelestria. Tell me one thing.¡¯ [¡­ What?] ¡®¡­ If I use the Lost Art of the Stormbringer Angelica here¡­ will it work?¡¯ [I won¡¯t permit it. You¡¯re already hurt ¡ª if you do something that risky now-] ¡®It¡¯s either I take this risk¡­ or we all die together. Just tell me¡­ will it work?¡¯ After some hesitation, Zelestria replied. [¡­ It will. You have enough mana, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll be able to surviv-] ¡®That¡¯s all I needed to know,¡¯ Finn cut her off briskly, tightening his grip on Iris¡¯s arm. It¡¯s either he risked dying¡­ or everyone here died together anyway. Given the situation, he was the only one who had the power to resist this powerful force. Even Qi Ling, the most powerful of them excluding Finn, was struggling against the suction power. If she could do something about this, she would¡¯ve already done it. That left Finn and Finn alone to do what must be done. He wasn¡¯t trying to be a hero ¡ª he was just trying to survive. Helping the others live as well¡­ that was just coteral. Gritting his teeth tightly, he swung Iris around behind the pir with all his strength and let go of her arm. ¡°A-Ace?!¡± She cried in confusion as shended on the carpet, but Finn didn¡¯t even bother turning his head in her direction. ¡°Stay there, and don¡¯t move.¡± Even though she was safe for the moment, allowing Finn to do what he needed to do, things wouldn¡¯tst long if this kept going. But if there¡¯s one thing that can counter a ck hole¡­ it¡¯s a bigger, more powerful ck hole. Finn activated his Lightning Aura and stepped out from behind cover as he began channeling his power, lightning raining down all around him. At first, he was slowly being dragged towards the Baron, but as two orbs of electricity generated in his hands and hebined them, he created his own gravity field that fought back against the Baron¡¯s. The two repelling forces fought against one another, which in turn made it easier for the others to resist. Finn¡¯s body lit up with arc energy as his ck holepeted with the Baron¡¯s for the debris all around, growing bigger and bigger. ¡°Agh¡­ I was waiting for you to do this, Ace! Show him what you got!¡± Octane encouraged through grit teeth, but his lips were curved up into a smile. ¡°This¡­¡± Qi Ling¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Finn¡¯s power. ¡°It¡¯s the same as that day¡­¡± ¡°So it was him who created that massive shock field at the dojo¡­¡± Tian Long mused in awe. ¡°At this rate, he might actually¡­¡± ¡°TO THINK YOU ARE STILL ABLE TO STAND DESPITE THE INJURIES I INCURRED ON YOU¡­¡± The Baron noted. ¡°RESPECTABLE, BUT A SINNER IN THE END.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­¡± As if on cue, Finn grunted in pain as he felt the injury in his chest open up once again, blood spilling out of both the wound and his mouth. [Finn! You¡¯re-] Zelestria shouted in worry, but Finn silenced her with his actions, putting more power into the Lost Art andpletely ignoring his injury. After all¡­ what was a little painpared to what he has suffered in the past? Both the Baron and Finn devoted all their strength into their respective singrities, one forming a cyclone of white wind around it while the other formed an electric-blue shock field of debris. They shed in the air, neither giving in to the other. Despite having started offter than the Baron, Finn¡¯s ck hole was catching up. ¡°¡­ NOT BAD, MORTAL. BUT IN THE END¡­ THOU WILL SOON RUN OUT OF ENERGY, ESPECIALLY WITH THY WOUND. NO MATTER WHAT¡­ A HUMAN¡¯S STRENGTH CANNOT COMPETE WITH THAT OF A GOD¡¯S. At this, Finn¡¯s bloodstained lips curved up into a slight smile. ¡°¡­ Too bad, I¡¯m not human.¡± Suddenly, a bright sh of lightning broke through the church¡¯s ceiling and pummeled the ground between the Baron and Finn. ¡°ROARRR!¡± A devastating, spine-chilling bestial war cry was let out, deafening all else in the room. ¡°WHA-?!¡± The Baron¡¯s red eyes widened in shock as a heavenly beast was born from the strike, ferocious and unparalleled. Before Finn, a true beast stood. It looked like a big wolf with shocking blue eyes and had white fur like a pr bear, but unlike normal animals, it wore obsidian-like ck armor. Thunder and lightning crashed down all around it, and out from its mouth came a deep, low growl that was filled with bloodthirsty hatred. ¡°Go, Raiju,¡± Finnmanded, knowing that the Lost Art waspleted and lowering one arm while keeping the other still in the air to control the massive shock field. The celestial beast narrowed his eyes at the Baron-level Phantom in front of him as if it were no more than a maggot to crush, then obeyed his master¡¯s wishes. ¡°ROARRRR!¡± Raiju, the Beast of Lightning, leaped up into the air and devoured the Baron¡¯s singrity with one single gulp. Landing back on the ground hard enough to create cracks in the ground, it growled deeply and released a shockwave of electricity all around it. ¡°WHAT¡­ HOW COULD THIS BE¡­?!¡± The Baron cried in shock, ncing at his own two hands unbelievingly. ¡°MY MASTER¡¯S POWER¡­ IT WAS DEFEATED?!¡± ¡°Yes, it was,¡± Finn said calmly, face as emotionless as ever. ¡°And not only was that defeated¡­ you are too.¡± Taking advantage of the Baron¡¯s momentary confusion, hemanded the enormous swirling mass of energy and debris above his head with the help of Zelestria,unched it directly towards the Baron. ¡°NO¡­ NOOOOO!¡± With one final roar of fury, the Baron was vaporized by the explosion of the singrity. While everyone else ducked for cover from the blinding light that ensued, Finn met it head on, allowing the Baron¡¯s blood to get spilled onto his skin and absorbed. But as he fell over from exhaustion, he felt his consciousness start fading away. ¡®Shit¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ move¡­¡¯ [Don¡¯t worry, darling¡­] Zelestria whispered gently, voice calming and soothing in Finn¡¯s mind. [You¡¯re okay. Just a bit tired, that¡¯s all.] ¡®I see¡­¡¯ It was over. The Baron Hunt¡­ wasplete. Chapter 110: Aftermath Chapter 110: Aftermath ¡°Ace!¡± Iris hurried over to Finn¡¯s side along with everyone else to see if he was okay, but- ¡°GRRR¡­¡± Raiju growled deeply and narrowed its striking blue eyes, forcing everyone to back off. ¡°O-Okay now¡­ easy, boy¡­ easy¡­¡± Octane said, trying to calm the celestial beast down. ¡°Just what do you think I am, human?! A dog?!¡± ¡°E-E-Ehhhhh?! I-It just talked!¡± Octane gasped in shock, hurriedly scrambling away. It would seem he was afraid of beasts. ¡°Tch¡­ how pitiful,¡± Raiju muttered, spitting on the ground before turning around to face Finn once again. Its long and furry tail swung around with it in a semicircle, causing everyone to back away more a few steps. Then, it tenderly raised one of its paws, zapping with electricity, and held it above Finn¡¯s chest. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Iris called out all of a sudden in worry. ¡°What are you trying to do to him?!¡± ¡°Quiet, girlie!¡± The beast snapped, shooting her an annoyed re. ¡°As much as I dislike it, this human is my master. I won¡¯t hurt him!¡± ¡°G-Girlie?!¡± Iris was taken aback, this being the first time someone has ever called her that. ¡°Yes! Now, shut that mouth before I rip it off your face!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Iris waspletely astounded by this heavenly animal¡¯s harshnguage, left utterly speechless. ¡°Ivy. Just let it do what it wants to do,¡± Qi Ling said, pulling her back by the arm. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re worried. But that animal right there is one of legends. It possesses powers we cannot evenprehend. It¡¯s best to just let it be.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Iris was still dubious, but reluctantly left Raiju alone and flew back a bit, resting on the floor so that she could let her wings recover a bit of energy. ¡°Hmph,¡± Raiju snorted condescendingly before turning back to its master, who was still in an unconscious state. Then, it raised one of its strong front paws once more, sparking with electricity, and tenderly ced it on Finn¡¯s chest where his heart was supposed to be. ¡°G-Guh!¡± Finn¡¯s body was immediately electrocuted, sent into an uncontroble spasm. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris yelled in worry and tried to rush forward again, but Qi Ling stopped her in her tracks. ¡°Wait. That electricity¡­ it¡¯s not harmful. If it was, he would already be dead.¡± ¡°Finally¡­ a human with half-decent brains,¡± Raiju chuckled deeply, taking its paw off of its master¡¯s body. ¡°Oi. Are you just going to get up, or continue ying dead?¡± After several seconds, Finn sat up from the floor, closing and opening his palms in wonder. ¡°I feel¡­ empowered. My injury¡­ it¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°What a useless master I have¡­¡± Raiju sighed in disdain, performing an impressive facepalm gesture with one of its paws. ¡°Human, do you not know about the properties of my lightning?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ that voice¡­ Raiju?¡± Finn asked in somewhat surprise. ¡°R-Right?!¡± Octane joined in. ¡°I was surprised when first hearing it suddenly talk all of a sudden too!¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Raiju cut in, narrowing its eyes. ¡°So let me get this straight¡­ human, you summoned me without even knowing what I am, much less what I am capable of doing?¡± Finn nodded calmly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°But that is not possible¡­ to summon me, one must have full knowledge of what I am and also possess incredible innate power,¡± Raiju exined thoughtfully, pacing around Finn in circles. ¡°A frail human like you, who cannot even see at that, has no way of summoning me. Unless¡­¡± Raiju narrowed its eyes as if searching for something within Finn¡¯s body, then dropped its jaw, frozen in shock. ¡°This¡­ what is this¡­¡± ¡®Don¡¯t say it.¡¯ Finn took a bet and instructed in his mind coldly, taking care to use an ordering tone. Luckily, his bet was on point and Raiju was indeed able to feel his thoughts. Faced with a direct order from its master, it had no choice but to obey. ¡°To think ya really managed to summon one of the Four Heavenly Beasts¡­¡± Jim chuckled, striding through the door that had opened up and pping his hands together. ¡°Bravo, bravo. Gotta say, that¡¯s the first time witnessin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like this, even fer me.¡± ¡°This human¡­ he is carefree on the outside, but quite powerful deep down,¡± Raiju analyzed. ¡°How interesting.¡± ¡°Oho! I appreciate thepliment, buddy!¡± Jimughed and reached down to pat Raiju¡¯s fur. A big mistake. ¡°Grawr!¡± ¡°OW- AH!¡± Jim immediately regretted his decision moments after making it, pulling his hand back and clutching it in pain. ¡°Aw¡­ bloody hell¡­ those fangs hurt!¡± ¡°You¡¯re lucky I didn¡¯t use my lightning, human. Be grateful.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah, yeah¡­ but uh, are ya guys gonna go grab the bloody chest or just leave it hangin¡¯ there? I don¡¯t mind takin¡¯ the loot, ya know.¡± At his words, everyone remembered about the chest dropped by certain encounters within Dungeons, and turned to the front of the church hall where the Baron once stood. In his ce was a pale white chest, matching the rest of the room which had now regained its color. ¡°Whatever¡¯s inside¡­ I think Finn deserves it,¡± Iris spoke up first, still sitting on the ground since she had no more mana left to fly. ¡°Yeah, for sure!¡± Octane chimed in. ¡°Man, without him, we all would¡¯ve died!¡± ¡°No objections from us either,¡± Qi Ling said, representing the Big Five ¡ª or rather¡­ the Big Four, now that Pang Zi had died. ¡°What¡¯s inside is rightfully his, judging from contribution.¡± ¡°Welp, ya heard ¡¯em, kid,¡± Jim said, cing a hand on Finn¡¯s shoulder and patting it gently. ¡°Go on, it¡¯s right in front of ya.¡± As everyone else watched on, Finn nodded and began heading for the altar, where the chesty. Raiju trotted along by his side like a loyal follower. Despite saying it disliked having Finn as a master, it was quite dedicated. Finn felt a nudge at his feet from Raiju after a while of walking, signaling that he was there. Bending down, he felt around using his hands for a little before finally finding the chest¡¯stch, then opened it up swiftly. Reaching inside, he felt his hands close around a gemstone of some sort. Unlike the staffs Iris and Yun Xin received, this was a gem bigger than both of theirsbined, in its raw form. Finn took it out and wished he could see it, but decided to just keep it in his cloak¡¯s pockets for now. He then turned around and prepared to head back to the others, but then stopped in his tracks and spun back again. Bending down, he picked up the entire chest off the floor and mounted it on his shoulder before heading back to the others. It was heavy, but worth it in Finn¡¯s mind. ¡°Uh¡­ kid. If I may ask, what in bloody hell are ya doin¡¯?¡± Jim asked, visibly confused. The others were no different, expressions of perplexity and awkwardness on their faces. ¡°This chest. It¡¯s made of decent material,¡± Finn exined, tapping on it gently. ¡°It maye in useful.¡± With these brisk words, he walked past everyone else and for the door, confident and nonchnt. ¡°Er¡­ Finn,¡± Iris called out, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°The exit is actually¡­ this way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wordlessly, Finn spun around and headed back the way he came from. Apparently, a portal had opened right where the chest had been, but oh well. Jim, keeping his gaze on the young man the entire time, couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and chuckle in wonder. ¡°Kid¡­ yer one hell of a unique one.¡± Chapter 111: Returns Chapter 111: Returns After stepping through the portal, the group found themselves emerging from the same exact ce they had entered the Dungeon a few hours earlier. Luckily, as it was around 3 to 4 in the morning, no one was around on the streets to see them. Fanatic packed up his stuff and made his way down the roof of a building,nding beside the group. ¡°Good work.¡± ¡°You too,¡± Octane said, patting him on the back. ¡°Now, let¡¯s head back.¡± ¡°Follow me,¡± Jim said, then turned to Finn. ¡°Oi, kid. It¡¯s gonna be a long walk. Ya sure ya still wanna carry that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Finn replied briskly, without a hint of emotion in his voice. ¡°Okay then,¡± Jim chuckled before spinning back around and heading off. The rest of the group followed, tired and relieved at the same time. ***** About an hour of walkingter, the group finally arrived at the entrance to the Thousand Dragons Sect, which was disguised as a historical building that no one was allowed to trespass to the public. Jim knocked on the door twice, and two guards opened it up for them and let them inside after seeing who they were. Of course, the first ce they headed for was the front hall, where Patriarch Lei was waiting for them along with Elder Hua, who had brought Iris¡¯s wheelchair out of kindness. ¡°¡­ I take it you¡¯vepleted the mission,¡± Lei said upon seeing the group. ¡°Yep,¡± Jim said, folding his arms. ¡°Got the loot n¡¯ everythin¡¯. And this damn brat here decided to take the chest too, ha!¡± Lei eyed Finn briefly, but then, his gaze drifted down to the ferocious beast by Finn¡¯s feet. ¡°Wait¡­ is that¡­¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ I am Raiju, the Heavenly Beast of Storms and Lightning. You seem to recognize me, human.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Lei hurriedly got off of his throne and knelt down in front of the beast, genuflecting deeply. This surprised not only Elder Hua but also everyone else. ¡°P-Patriarch?!¡± Elder Hua yelped in surprise. ¡°My name is Lei Feng, honorable venerate,¡± Patriarch Lei said. ¡°To think I would be able to witness your ferocious form with my own two eyes in this lifetime¡­ I cannot believe it.¡± The others stared at him, wondering if they should kneel down as well. Raiju, however, seemed quite pleased. ¡°Hmph¡­ finally, a human who shows me my due respect,¡± he snorted arrogantly. ¡°Oi, the rest of you¡­ learn from him.¡± ¡°Even me?¡± Finn challenged. ¡°Aren¡¯t I supposed to be your master?¡± ¡°E-Er, well¡­¡± Raiju cleared his bestial vocal chords and changed the topic. ¡°In any case¡­ you may rise, human.¡± ¡°Yes, venerable beast.¡± Lei, hearing this, got back up to his feet and surveyed the others, only to realize something. ¡°Rampager¡­ where is he?¡± At this, everyone fell silent, awkwardly looking in different corners of the room that wasn¡¯t someone else¡¯s eyes. ¡°He¡­ died,¡± Tian Long said, speaking up for his friend. ¡°It was an honorable death.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Lei closed his eyes briefly. ¡°I will host a funeral for him tomorrow, and let his parents know.¡± ¡°Too bad¡­¡± Jim sighed deeply, leaning against a pir. ¡°The bodies of those who died within the Paracausal Realm stay there, forever bound. We couldn¡¯t recover yer friend¡¯s remnants, even if we tried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Tian Long said. ¡°His body disappeared right as we defeated the Baron.¡± ¡°He will be remembered,¡± Lei said briskly yet firmly, patting Tian Long¡¯s shoulder. ¡°For now, just get some rest ¡ª all of you. It¡¯s been a long night.¡± At these words, the tiredness finally began to kick in for the team. Normally, during these hours, they would befortably sleeping in theforts of their own rooms. But today, not only did they conquer a dangerous Dungeon, but also lost a friend on the way. As the group turned around and began to walk away, Lei suddenly changed his mind and called out for them, causing them to turn back around. ¡°Oh, one more thing. Regarding the heavenly beast¡­ keep it hidden in the sect. Finn, I¡¯m well aware you are someone who dislikes attention. If you walk around with such a powerful beast in tow, you are bound to attract attention.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ how, exactly, am I supposed to keep it hidden?¡± Finn asked. ¡°All Four Heavenly Beasts have a miniature form that allows them to pass off as normal animals,¡± Lei exined. ¡°Although¡­ most dislike being in their mini-form, since it hurts their egos.¡± ¡°Damn straight it does!¡± Raiju roared in fury. ¡°I am not about to change into a little tige-¡° ¡°Change,¡± Finn ordered, silencing it immediately. Raiju looked at its master awkwardly, then grunted and growled in annoyance. ¡°Ugh¡­ fine! Why do I have to get this brat for a master¡­¡± It muttered as its body turned into a white silhouette, outlined by a blue glow. ¡°Also¡­ if any of you humans dare tough, I¡¯ll gouge your eyes out and devour them whole.¡± The light became too bright to bear, so everyone covered their eyes as the transformation took ce. After several seconds, the light dimmed, and everyone opened their eyes again. ¡°Woah¡­¡± Iris was the first to muse in wonder at the new lifeform in front of her, eyes sparkling in excitement. ¡°It¡¯s so adorable¡­¡± Raiju had turned into a smaller, cuter version of itself, like a miniature tiger with snow-white fur and the same blue eyes as its normal form. Its tiny tail and paws made it seem more like a house pet than a heavenly beast, but the annoyed expression on its face was anything but matching. ¡°Huh?! Who¡¯re you calling adorable?!¡± Raiju growled darkly, but it came out as a cute yelp instead. ¡°Gawr¡­¡± ¡°Hehe~ so cute~¡± Iris smiled happily and picked the tiny Raiju up from the ground ¡ª much to its surprise ¡ª and began cuddling with it in her arms, stroking its fur gently. ¡°W-Wha- hey! Human-!¡± ¡°Settle down,¡± Finnmanded coldly. ¡°She¡¯s not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°I know she won¡¯t- hell, she CAN¡¯T hurt me! But this makes me look like a baby tiger, and I hate that!¡± ¡°Aww¡­ even its yelling is so cute¡­¡± Yun Xin murmured in awe. ¡°Gawr¡­¡± Raiju growled in anger, but it only came off as cute instead. ¡°Get used to it,¡± Finn said. ¡°You¡¯re going to stay in this form all the time until it¡¯s time for battle, so I¡¯d rmend gettingfortable.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± It folded its tiny arms in an adorable pout and reluctantlyid down in Iris¡¯sp, having no other choice but to obey its master¡¯s wishes. Iris, seeing this, giggled softly and began gently patting its fur again, as the group headed back to their dorms to rest. Chapter 112: Tian Long SS: Youre Not Alone I Chapter 112: Tian Long SS: You''re Not Alone I [Note: Feel free to skip the following side chapters if you do not wish to read them. Although I still rmend reading them to see what really sets this story apart from others ¡ª the rich, extensive characters ¡ª they are not crucial to the main plot.] ***** ¨C Eight Years Ago, Within a Dark Alleyway of District A ¨C ¡°Hit him!¡± ¡°Haha! Feels great to have a punching bag, after a long day!¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ agh¡­¡± A boy, squirming on the ash-grey ground, groaned in pain, clutching his head tightly and curling his body up into a ball. ¡°Please¡­ stop¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you hear that, boss?¡± One of the delinquents beating him upughed. ¡°He¡¯s begging us to stop.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The leader of the gang jumped off of the trash can he had been sitting on and blew out smoke from his mouth, tossing the cigarette he had been smoking onto the ground and crushing it beneath his feet. With two hands shoved tightly into his ck jean pockets, the man stepped closer to the boy. The rest of the gang picked the poor child up with ease and forced him into a kneeling position, facing their boss. ¡°Tian Long, listen¡­ I¡¯m not an unreasonable man,¡± he said, bending down, a casual, non-aggressive expression on his face. ¡°Remember the agreement we made a year ago? You help us steal¡­ and we help you live. Did you forget?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­¡± The boy ¡ª Tian Long, as a 12 year old ¡ª whispered, voice quivering. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ the person today was an olddy who¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­ I just couldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ remind you of your own grandmother, did she?¡± The man guessed, stroking his chin. ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Tian Long whimpered, almost inaudibly. ¡°Well, guess what?¡± The man grinned, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°That olddy died when you were 11,¡± he continued coldly, face hidden by the shadow of the roof on a nearby building. ¡°That¡¯s whatnded you here with us in the first ce, no?¡± Tian Long bit his quivering bottom lip and broke into tears at the memory. The man¡¯s harsh words cut deeper than any knife, hurt more than any beating. His grandmother¡­ ¡°Forget about her,¡± the man said, closing his eyes and dismissing Tian Long¡¯s dead family like they were nothing. That, was unforgivable. ¡°¡­ No.¡± The man, slowly, opened one eye again. ¡°¡­ What was that, kid?¡± ¡°I said¡­ NO!¡± Tian Longshed out with a violent burst of momentum, catching the goons holding him down off-guard and aiming for a punch to the face of the leader. Beating him¡­ making him do illegal things¡­ that was all fine, for the sake of his survival. As much as Tian Long hated these people, they did save him after he lost his only remaining family member, and this elitist, meritocratic society turned its back on him. He owed them a life debt; that much was certain. But if there was one thing he could not stand, no matter what¡­ it¡¯s forcing him to forget his own grandmother, the only person in this god-forsaken world who truly cared about him. ¡°RAGH!¡± Tian Long roared and released all of his pent-up rage over the past year in that single swing of his fist, but- ¡°Hmph.¡± The man easily sidestepped his attack and grabbed his outreached arm before pulling him in and kneeing him harshly in the stomach. ¡°Guh-!¡± Tian Long fell to the floor as the other delinquents immediately got a grip on him again, pinning him down without any room to breathe. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± ¡°Remember who saved you from the brink of despair, kid,¡± the man said, stepping on his head and crushing it against the ground. Tian Long felt like he was getting a concussion, but the man didn¡¯t stop. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t found you when I did¡­ you would¡¯ve died from hunger. Could your dead grandma do that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ talk¡­ about her¡­!¡± ¡°Still resisting, huh?¡± The man sighed and took his foot off of Tian Long before turning around and walking away. ¡°I¡¯m off. Beat him until he remembers who his new family is.¡± ¡°Got it, boss!¡± The other delinquents cheered in response, cracking their knuckles in anticipation. Tian Long cowered on the floor once more as the fists and kicks rained down, scared and helpless. ¡®When will it stop¡­ why did I ept his help back then¡­ why¡­?!¡¯ Regretting the decision he made seemingly so long ago, he closed my eyes tightly and let the tears roll down his face. ***** ¡°Hah¡­ that should teach him.¡± ¡°Engh¡­¡± Tian Long groaned on the floor, eyelids feeling heavy. He was still just barely conscious, after nearly an hour of continuous, non-stop beating. In fact, it was a miracle he was even still alive. There were bruises all over his body, but he was so tired he couldn¡¯t even feel the pain. All he wanted to do at that moment was fall asleep¡­ perhaps forever. But just as the delinquents were packing up and getting ready to leave, a voice called out to them. ¡°Oi! The hell¡¯s going on here?!¡± Hearing this, Tian Long¡¯s strained eyelids were forced open once more. In the distance, he could see a boy roughly his own age standing there, arms folded and eyes narrowed. Unfortunately, due to how hazy his vision was from the beating, he couldn¡¯t make out the details of the neer. ¡°Huh¡­? Who are you, brat?¡± One of the delinquents asked, raising an eyebrow and setting his belongings back down on the ground. ¡°Hell, it¡¯s just a lil¡¯ kid¡­ I thought it was the goddamn police or somethin¡¯¡­¡± Another joined in,ughing slightly. ¡°Hey, kid. If you don¡¯t want to get hurt¡­ go back to your mommy.¡± At this, the group of goons broke intoughter together, as if all musing at how ridiculous this scene was. A single 12-year-old child, challenging a group of grown teens with tons of brutal fighting experience in the slums? What a joke. But the burning rage and lust forbat in those two eyes of the child were all too real. Instead of running away, he clenched his fists and walked into the alleyway, where normally no one came to due to it being in the abandoned slums of the District, soon-to-be excavated and renovated. Seeing this, the group of hoodlums knew something was up. ¡°Oi¡­ this kid¡­ he means business, huh?¡± ¡°You got spine, pal. I¡¯ll give you that,¡± one of them chuckled. ¡°But just as a heads-up¡­ we¡¯re delinquents. We don¡¯t fight fair, and honor doesn¡¯t mean shit to us. If you¡¯re going toe at us, be ready to take on all of us at the same time.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± The kid challenged, cracking his own knuckles and rotating his head around on his neck to warm up. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a coincidence¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± The hoodlums were confused. ¡°Fighting all of you together¡­¡± The child exined, grinning widely as a ferocious red aura overtook his body and leaked out of his eyes. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s exactly what I wanted.¡± Chapter 113: Tian Long SS: Youre Not Alone II Chapter 113: Tian Long SS: You''re Not Alone II ¡°Bring it!¡± The neer yelled, enveloped in a strange red aura that Tian Long could perceive. The group of delinquents, however, didn¡¯t seem to be able to see it and just charged directly at the boy, which made Tian Long think he was just seeing things from the beating he took. The boy easily evaded the right hook of the first hoodlum and sank a deep fist into his stomach, sending him flying backwards with strength that should not be possible for a boy his age. Seeing this, the group of delinquents stopped, jaws dropped in shock. ¡°Ngh¡­ he¡¯s¡­ strong¡­¡± The delinquent who got knocked back into a pile of trash muttered, clutching his chest and struggling back to his feet. ¡°Get him together, boys!¡± At this, the group of punks all leaped at the boy simultaneously, leaving him no room to counter ¡ª or so they thought. As two fists came closing in, one on either side of his face, the boy suddenly raised his arms and caught the two hands in his own, before grinning and smashing them together and using the two delinquents as a shield against the third¡¯s kick. Unfortunately, numbers advantage was more dominant than one would think. Tian Long tried to shout for him to watch out, but his voice wouldn¡¯te out. While the boy was dealing with those three, two more delinquents suddenly slipped around and rather than outright attacking like their friends, they grabbed the boy¡¯s two arms and locked them down first, forcing him to kneel. Meanwhile, the sixth and final delinquent that the boy had kicked away earlier came back, a devious smile on his face. ¡°Brat¡­ you¡¯re done for now.¡± But the boy merely chuckled. ¡°Heh.¡± As he looked up, a terrifying red, bloodthirsty gaze had consumed his eyes, and the explosive aura around him expanded even further in Tian Long¡¯s vision. The two delinquents pinning him down were suddenly thrown away to either side, crashing into the walls, and the sixth delinquent was headbutted by what felt like solid steel before he could even react. The boy slowly rose from the floor, the five delinquentsying unconscious on the floor. There was just one left ¡ª the one who had attempted kicking him, but hit his own teammates instead. The boy walked towards him dangerously, a thirsty smile on his face. The red aura around him was as bright as ever, only visible to Tian Long for whatever reason. ¡°N-No¡­ stay away¡­¡± The delinquent whimpered, faced with something that could be said to have monstrous strength. ¡°Ah¡­ AHHH!¡± Screaming in fear, he turned tail and ran away. The boy folded his arms and didn¡¯t bother chasing. ¡°Hmph. Coward.¡± Then, he nced down at Tian Long, who by this point was just barely hanging on to consciousness. Bending down, the boy shook him gently. ¡°Hey. You good?¡± Tian Long wanted to say something in response, but he was far too weak. His eyelids eventually grew too heavy to bear, and he shut them tight, falling into darkness. ¡°Ah, damn it¡­ where do I take him¡­¡± The boy muttered, annoyed, then atst settled on a decision and pulled out his phone, dialing a certain number. ¡°Oi, butler. I got a favor to ask.¡± ***** ¨C Several Minutes Later ¨C ¡°Young master¡­ are you certain you wish to do this?¡± The old butler asked as he drove the car, heading back to their home. ¡°I must say, I cannot imagine your father and mother to be happy about this.¡± ¡°Well, what was I gonna do?¡± The boy snapped, ncing at Tian Long¡¯s unconscious figure sitting beside him in the car, seatbelt strapped on. ¡°Leave him there?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± The butler sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I suppose we can treat him with amnestics. Still¡­ you must control yourself, young master. Remember, you are not a normal person ¡ª you are a Ghost Hunter, blessed with the powers of Angelicas. You cannot be inserting yourself into every little conflict between humans of the public world.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ those guys were ganging up on him with their numbers. I couldn¡¯t sit back and let that slide,¡± the boy muttered in annoyance. ¡°Besides, those delinquents are idiots, and I knocked them out good. They won¡¯t even bother thinking I have supernatural powers.¡± The butler sighed once more. ¡°If you say so, young master.¡± Soon, they arrived at their home ¡ª the 100th Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps of the Ghost Hunter Organization, also known as the Thousand Dragons Sect. The butler carried Tian Long while the boy headed on into the temple-like sect grounds, with the destination of the front hall in mind. When they reached there, three people were waiting inside. ¡°Oh, Zi¡¯Er, you¡¯re back!¡± The woman cried, quickly getting out of her seat and pulling the boy into an embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t scare mom like that again¡­¡± ¡°M-Mom! Let go of me!¡± The boy ¡ª whose full name was Pang Zi ¡ª shouted in annoyance, fighting to get out of his mother¡¯s embrace. ¡°Mm¡­ and who is this¡­?¡± The mother asked, backing away atst and looking at the boy held within the butler¡¯s arms. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ a kid I found, getting beat up in an alleyway. I couldn¡¯t just leave him there, so I took him back here to heal.¡± At this, one of the two men in the room rose up in fury. ¡°You unfilial son!¡± He roared. ¡°How dare you¡­ run away from home time and time again, and now you break the Ghost Hunter¡¯s code by bringing back a normal human?!¡± ¡°Oh, honey¡­ calm down,¡± the mother said sweetly, a conflicted expression on her face. ¡°Zi¡¯Er¡­ you know the rules, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do,¡± Pang Zi replied, narrowing his eyes. ¡°But we Ghost Hunters are supposed to protect humanity, no? What good is fighting back against Ghosts if we can¡¯t even save people from other humans?¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± His father looked like he was ready to burst from rage. ¡°He has a point,¡± the third man ¡ª patriarch Lei Feng ¡ª cut in. ¡°Pang Zi, we will allow him to recover here for the time being. But once he is fully healed¡­ we will treat him with amnestics, then send him to a public family for adoption. That is the best we can do.¡± ¡°Thank you, patriarch,¡± Pang Zi said with a bow of gratitude, then shot his father a sneaky smirk. ¡°Patriarch, this¡­¡± The father was still reluctant. ¡°I understand your feelings, Elder Pang,¡± Lei replied. ¡°However¡­ as Ghost Hunters, we must be flexible as well. There is no harm done in letting that boy stay there to recover. We will send him back as soon as he is healed. He will have no memory of this ce. ¡°¡­¡± After a while, the elder ¡ª Pang Zi¡¯s father ¡ª sighed and gave in. ¡°I suppose so. Whatever the patriarch wishes.¡± Chapter 114: Tian Long SS: Youre Not Alone III Chapter 114: Tian Long SS: You''re Not Alone III ¨C The Next Day ¨C ¡°Negh¡­ where am¡­ I¡­?¡± Tian Long slowly blinked his eyes open, staring at the white ceiling above him in puzzlement. ¡°Finally awake, huh?¡± Pang Zi chuckled from beside his bed, making Tian Long turn to him in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°The guy that saved you? Yeah, I am. But to be honest, I didn¡¯t do it to save you. I just felt like punching some people, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Nheless¡­¡± Tian Long hurriedly got out of the bed and knelt down on the floor before Pang Zi. ¡°Thank you.¡± But to his surprise, his actions made Pang Zi pissed off for some reason. ¡°Oi! What are you doing?!¡± He yelled, pulling Tian Long back up to his feet. ¡°H-Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a man! Why the hell are you kneeling so easily?!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Never in his life before has Tian Long ever been told something like that, so he was unsure how to respond. ¡°Agh, whatever¡­ I won¡¯t be seeing you anymore after today anyway,¡± Pang Zi muttered. ¡°You wanna be a coward, so be it. Follow me.¡± With these words, he left the infirmary, leaving Tian Long confused and lost. ¡°W-Wait! What do you mean, won¡¯t be seeing me anymore?!¡± He hurriedly ran and caught up with Pang Zi, who roughly shoved open the building¡¯s doors and stepped out into the sunlight. ¡°I mean exactly what I say,¡± Pang Zi replied with a snort. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t for you.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ what do you mean¡­? Where even is this ce?¡± ¡°Ugh! Look, just shut up and follow me, damn coward! Stop asking so many questions!¡± Tian Long opened his mouth to say more, but promptly closed them again after hearing this. He looked around in awe at his surroundings, the style of architecture never seen before in his life. It was beautiful; the air was nice and refreshing. But s, his tour was cut short as they arrived at the front hall, where the same three people as yesterday were gathered there. The butler was too, having been the informant who told Elder Pang and his wife that Tian Long was awake. ¡°I brought him here,¡± Pang Zi said. ¡°I can go now, right?¡± ¡°Yes. You may leave,¡± Lei said in dismissal, but Tian Long was still confused and held Pang Zi back. ¡°W-Wait. What are you guys going to do to me?¡± ¡°Erase your memories,¡± Lei exined in a brutally truthful manner. ¡°This ce is only for¡­ certain people. You are not one of them ¡ª just someone who happened to stay here for one night by chance. Therefore, to ensure the secrecy of this ce remains a secret, we have to treat you with amnestics.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­ my memories¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± Elder Pang chimed in. ¡°The amnestics will only erase your memories of this ce and anything to do with it. You won¡¯t lose anything else. We¡¯ll also send you to a wealthy family for adoption ¡ª pretty good terms already, in my opinion.¡± As Tian Long fell silent, Pang Zi¡¯s mother walked up with a ss of liquid in hand. ¡°Here. Drink this. It tastes just like water, and the process will be over before you know it.¡± Tian Long nced at the ss for a few moments, gulping in hesitation. Pang Zi, who had gotten tired of getting held onto, rolled his eyes and activated his Brawler Angelica, easily overpowering Tian Long and pushing him away. ¡°Ah-!¡± Tian Long nced around in surprise, only to see a red aura around Pang Zi. ¡°Wait¡­ that red glow¡­ it¡¯s the same one as I saw yesterday¡­ that wasn¡¯t a hallucination!¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± Pang Zi froze, and so did everyone else in the room. ¡°Unfilial son¡­ you¡­ you ACTUALLY USED YOUR ANGELICA IN THE PUBLIC WORLD?!¡± Elder Pang roared in anger. ¡°Patriarch, I apologize on behalf of this idiot¡­ I will educate him thoroughly and make sure he never even THINKS about doing something like this ag-¡° ¡°Hold on!¡± Tian Long cut in, a worried expression on his face. ¡°He did it to save me¡­ there were six older delinquents beating me up. I don¡¯t think with normal strength, he could¡¯ve beaten them¡­¡± ¡°Six delinquents?! And they all saw you use your Angelica?!¡± The father roared, pulling his hair out. ¡°No!¡± Tian Long cried. ¡°If they saw the glow around his body¡­ they wouldn¡¯t have charged straight at him!¡± ¡°That is correct. Those without an innate talent for Angelicas won¡¯t be able to perceive Angelica auras,¡± Lei said. ¡°However¡­ boy. You were able to see the glow?¡± Tian Long frantically nodded, causing both Elder Pang and his wife to widen their eyes a bit in realization. ¡°Ho¡­ I see. That changes things.¡± Lei closed his eyes briefly. ¡°W-Wait, Patriarch¡­ you cannot possibly be thinking of¡­¡± The elder trailed off. ¡°Why not?¡± Lei challenged. ¡°He has already stayed here for one night, and formed somewhat of a bond with your son. If he is an Angelica user, we can very well nurture him to be a talented Ghost Hunter worthy of an S-Rank Squadron.¡± ¡°Angelica user¡­¡± Tian Long echoed. ¡°You mean¡­ I also have that power?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lei replied. ¡°It just needs a catalyst to activate it ¡ª which we can provide. However, I will not force you. So, boy¡­ you have a choice now. Would you like to have your memories erased and sent back to the public world, or would you like to stay here and be a warrior who fights against the paranormal, creatures beyond your wildest imaginations?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Tian Long bit his lip. He¡¯s never been much of a fighter. He couldn¡¯t even fight back against a couple of delinquents, much less creatures beyond his imaginations. What were they? What were they capable of doing? Just thinking about such things drove Tian Long¡¯s mind wild with fear, and he could feel his own knees buckling under the pressure. But then, he nced at Pang Zi, who was still standing there in shock at Tian Long standing up for him. Tian Long was a boy who strictly followed the rules of debt and repayment, as his grandmother always told him. Pang Zi saved his life ¡ª and he would repay that debt by staying here, by his side. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll do it,¡± Tian Long said quietly yet firmly. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here.¡± Chapter 115: Tian Long SS: Youre Not Alone IV Chapter 115: Tian Long SS: You''re Not Alone IV ¡°Oi. Why did you stand up for me back there?¡± Pang Zi asked quietly. ¡°Well¡­ you saved me. I couldn¡¯t just watch them say you did something wrong, could I? That would be insulting both you and myself,¡± Tian Long replied with a light chuckle. The two sat on a round hill, painted green with grass. The 12 year old children sat beneath the cool shadow of the tree, which trunk they leaned against. ¡°¡­ You didn¡¯t have to do that, you know. My old man, he just gets riled up all the time.¡± ¡°Yeah? I can see who you take from, then. You were like a demon when fighting those delinquents, although I couldn¡¯t see very well at the time.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Pang Ziughed and suddenly threw his arm around Tian Long¡¯s neck, pulling him into a headlock. ¡°Who told you topare me to that old bastard, huh?!¡± ¡°O-Ow! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Met with Tian Long¡¯s pleas for help, Pang Zi grinned and eased his grip a bit. ¡°I take back what I said earlier about you being a coward.¡± Tian Long looked up and blinked. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Look¡­ I don¡¯t say this to many people, but regardless how physically weak you may be, I respect you,¡± Pang Zi said, turning away and scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed. ¡°Most other 12 year olds would never be able to talk back against my parents in that situation. So, uh¡­ thanks.¡± Tian Long was confused for a moment, then broke into a smile. The first, genuine smile he had since his grandmother died a year ago. ¡°No problem. Consider it repayment for saving me.¡± ¡°By the way¡­ why were you in that section of the District anyway?¡± Pang Zi asked, curious. ¡°No one but delinquents like those guys goes to those slums.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was on the verge of death when the leader of that gang found me,¡± Tian Long exined. ¡°My grandmother had just passed away and I was left without a caretaker. In order to repay my debt, they forced me to steal from others and use my innocent ¡®young child¡¯ facade as a tool to trick my victims.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ disgusting,¡± Pang Zi said truthfully, face contorted in annoyance. ¡°Yeah¡­ but yesterday, the target they asked me to steal from was an old woman who reminded me of my own grandmother,¡± Tian Long continued, looking off into the distance sadly. ¡°That warm smile of hers¡­ I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ I see. So they beat you?¡± Tian Long nodded slowly. The two descended into a tranquil silence. ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard,¡± Pang Zi said after a while. ¡°Surrounded by people who don¡¯t even care about your well-being and only seeing you as a tool.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I was¡­ really lonely.¡± ¡°Well.¡± Pang Zi swung his arm around Tian Long¡¯s shoulders and pulled him close in a brother-like embrace. ¡°Pang Zi¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore, buddy. You¡¯re not alone.¡± ***** ¨C Present Day ¨C While everyone else on the team went back to the dormitories to rest, Tian Long alone took a detour under the lunar moonlight. He made his way far outside the squadron grounds and up a certain hill. The grass was not green but ck, covered by the shadow of night. His footsteps were weak, his body tired. But all that was nothingpared to the pain, the aching in his heart. Finally stopping before a dead tree at the top of the hill, Tian Long knelt down in front of the now barren nt, feeling his eyes turn wet with tears. ¡°Hey, Pang Zi,¡± he whispered. ¡°Do you remember what you told me at this same exact ce, eight years ago?¡± No response. Of course, there was no response. After all, he was talking to a tree. ¡°You said I wasn¡¯t alone anymore. And I suppose¡­ you were right. For eight years.¡± Tian Long suddenly smashed the dirt, letting his emotions spill outpletely. ¡°BUT WHAT ABOUT NOW?! YOU¡¯RE DEAD¡­ I¡¯M ALONE AGAIN!¡± Tears flowed down his face as he clenched his fists tightly on the dirt, gently meeting the ground with his forehead. His body trembled with emotion, a mixture of anger and grief. And perhaps¡­ a little bit of regret. Guilt. ¡°It¡¯s not fair¡­¡± He croaked quietly. ¡°It¡¯s just not fair¡­ how could you leave me behind like this¡­ how could you leave me alone again¡­¡± ¡°I knew you woulde here,¡± a soft voice suddenly said from behind him. Tian Long stopped and tilted his head slightly to see the patriarch Lei Feng standing there, face solemn. ¡°P-Patriarch¡­?¡± Lei walked closer and knelt down beside Tian Long, cing a steady hand on his shoulder. ¡°I watched you two grow up. I know just how close the two of you were. That kid¡­ he was always a troublesome one. Arrogant, egotistic, and violent¡­ but also good-hearted and kind, in his own way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tian Long fell silent, staring at the now-dead peach tree before him. ¡°He was a good kid. I am just as saddened as you are to have lost him. However¡­ if you think you are alone now that he¡¯s gone, that is where you are wrong.¡± ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± ¡°If there was one thing Pang Zi wanted to teach you¡­ it was that this sect is your new family. Not just him alone, but this entire squadron,¡± Lei exined quietly as the night breeze blew past the two¡¯s skins. ¡°While your closest friend may have gone to a better ce now, the rest of us are still here. And we have your back.¡± Gently patting Tian Long¡¯s shoulder again twice, Lei turned around and began walking away. ¡°Just remember, Tian Long¡­ you¡¯re not alone.¡± His words seemed to resonate with something deep within Tian Long¡¯s heart, as if a faint memory had just reyed itself in his ears. Strangely, although he knew it was Lei who spoke those words, in his heart, he felt as if it was Pang Zi telling him this. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the ground and rested his forehead against the bark of the tree. ¡°I know, Pang Zi. I know.¡± Chapter 116: The Storm Is Coming Chapter 116: The Storm Is Coming [Main plot starts up again here, bringing back some old characters. But if you did skip the past few side chapters, I would like to just say again I highly rmend reading them if you have time, since they help provide an immersive experience in this novel¡¯s world.] ***** ¨C The House of Crimson Moons, Main Entrance ¨C A lone boy walked up the steep road upwards leading to a mansion at the top of a hill. He wore a dark blue cloak with a hood that hid his face, and his ocean-blue eyes shone like dazzling sapphires within the ckness of night. His name was Derek. Derek McLan. But he abandoned that name long ago ¡ª now, he goes by his alias: Storm. He had spent the past week thinking. Contemting. What should he do? He considered going back to Archon and Melvia. They had, after all, taken care of him for so long and saved him from death. But unfortunately, his ego wouldn¡¯t allow him to. He already made the decision to turn his back on that squadron. On that family. Going back now would be far too embarrassing. Storm needed to show them¡­ show them all just what he was capable of doing. He needed to show them his verdict, his determination. That determination, over time, became hate. Hate directed towards his previous squadron, hate directed towards Archon, Melvia, Fanatic, Octane, Iris, and most of all¡­ Finn. Jealousy can drive someone onto the brink of insanity, and that was exactly what was happening to Storm right now. He once had everything taken away from him by the Ghosts. He wasn¡¯t about to let the same thing happen again ¡ª at the hands of a mere human, no less. The squadron was so nice and peaceful until he came along¡­ but what Storm failed to realize was that it wasn¡¯t Finn who caused this to happen. It was his own, burning jealousy. It took him a week to finally settle on a course of action. His grand n. In the meantime, he lived off the money he had received from Heartbeat, and there was still plenty leftover. Indeed ¡ª he never used the money like Finn had instructed. Turned out to be a good thing, huh? For him, anyway. And now, he would begin the first stage of his n ¡ª exposing everything there was to be exposed about Finn Thresher, and his powers. At the metal front gates of the manor, Storm stood. Beside it was a little cubicle post, where a man sat inside. ¡°¡­ What is your business here?¡± He asked. ¡°Tell the patriarch I¡¯m the substitute truck driver fromst time,¡± Storm replied coldly. ¡°He¡¯ll let me in.¡± ¡°The patriarch? Sorry, we don¡¯t have a ¡®patriarch¡¯ here. This ce is home to the CEO of-¡° ¡°Yes, yes¡­ all that crap. I¡¯m a Ghost Hunter, here to join the House of Crimson Moons. And I really don¡¯t feel like saying the whole secret code, so just tell your patriarch that I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened a bit in rage, but in his earpiece, he heard a voice. ¡°Let him in.¡± It belonged to Heartbeat, naturally. The man, left without any other choice, sighed and opened the gates. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Storm snorted before heading inside. ***** Having been here once already, he was familiar with how to enter and navigate his way through the front hall. It was even easier with a butler of some sort guiding him, and very soon, he found himself in the same room he had spoke with Heartbeatst time. The chandelier in the room was turned off, and the only source of light was the moon¡¯s white rays, entering through the open curtains of the vertical windows. ¡°Greetings, patriarch,¡± he said, bowing. Heartbeat, red eyes shining like glistening blood, took a sip of wine from his ss and gestured towards the seat across from him. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Storm did as told, seeing no reason to refuse. After sitting down, Heartbeat set the ss of wine on the table andced his fingers together, leaning back on his velvet chair. ¡°Wee back. Where is¡­ your friend?¡± He was, of course, referring to Octane. Storm, however, had already cut all ties with his previous squadron, Octane included. Beforeing here, he already made that decision. ¡°He¡¯s not my friend anymore. It¡¯s just me now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Heartbeat carefully observed Storm for several moments, then smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve changed, since thest time I met you.¡± ¡°Does that bother you?¡± ¡°No, no¡­ quite the opposite, in fact,¡± Heartbeat said with a soft chuckle. ¡°I like this version of you¡­ better. But the change isn¡¯t small. Care to enlighten me on what caused this to ur?¡± Storm sulked and turned away with a sigh. ¡°To put it bluntly¡­ I was betrayed.¡± ¡°Oh? Betrayed?¡± Heartbeat leaned in closely, curious. ¡°Tell me more.¡± And so, Storm did. Every single detail, beginning with how Archon and Melvia were both still alive. The entire n to rescue them¡­ Finn¡¯s powers¡­ everything. Storm knew the consequences of this ¡ª there was a chance Heartbeat would kill him on the spot for lying to him, and also relentlessly hunt down Archon and Melvia both. But he didn¡¯t care. Not anymore. All he wanted to do now, was destroy Finn. That hatred consumed him. He was utterly convinced Archon and the others betrayed him by taking Finn¡¯s side in that incident. And if they betrayed him, well¡­ he was going to do the same back to them. Instead of exploding in rage like Storm had expected, however, Heartbeat merelyughed after he finished his story. Storm was confused, of course, and furrowed his brows. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. I am justughing at myself for actually being fooled like that,¡± he replied, waving his hand casually. ¡°Are you going to hunt them down again?¡± Storm asked. Heartbeat fell into thought, taking another sip of his wine. ¡°Hm¡­ yes, but not now. I have been ordered by the guild to deal with this Emperor-level Ghost hiding within the District, you see. Once that is done and over with, I will begin my rebellion ¡ª and crush those two while I am at it.¡± After several seconds, he continued with a smile. ¡°Oh, but don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll leave the rest of that squadron for you yourself to handle.¡± ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Storm replied briskly, clenching his fists. ¡°As a thank-you for all this wonderful information you¡¯ve provided for me, I will make you a high-ranking member of this squadron,¡± Heartbeat said, resting his elbows on the table. ¡°And in return, you will serve me unconditionally. How about it?¡± Storm blinked several times, not expecting this extra benefit. ¡°I¡­ I ept.¡± Heartbeat, having received consent, smiled sinisterly. ¡°Good, good¡­ Sully here will take you to your living quarters. Sleep well tonight, ande find me in the morning.¡± ¡°Yes, patriarch,¡± Sully ¡ª the boy who had led Storm here ¡ª said, then circled around the table and stood by Storm¡¯s side. Storm stood up, preparing to follow Sully away, but- ¡°You and I are quite alike, you know,¡± Heartbeat suddenly said, causing Storm to stop and turn around. ¡°We both know the feeling of being betrayed all too well.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that the real reason why you decided to make me a high-ranking member?¡± Storm asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Correct. So¡­ don¡¯t let me down, Hurricane.¡± Storm narrowed his eyes. ¡°Hurricane¡­?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Heartbeat said with a faint chuckle. ¡°New squadron, new person, new alias. You are like an uncontroble storm, wild and ruthless, fueled by jealousy and revenge. I know you wish to be independent, so I won¡¯t even ask you to call me patriarch. Just Heartbeat is fine. In my opinion¡­ Hurricane is a fitting title for someone like you, no?¡± Storm nced down at his own hand and clenched it tightly. ¡®Hurricane¡­¡¯ Narrowing his eyes, he turned around and followed the boy named Sully away, disappearing from sight. Heartbeat, watching them go, raised his ss of wine and took another sip, draining it empty, while recalling everything Storm ¡ª or rather, Hurricane ¡ª had just told him. ¡°Finn Thresher, huh? The ability to wield multiple Angelicas and steal others¡¯¡­ how curious.¡± He was far more interested in this Finn person than Hurricane. To Heartbeat, Hurricane was nothing more than a tool to attract Finn to him, one that could be disposed of as soon as the job was done. But if he could turn Finn his¡­ the possibilities were endless. On the other hand, Hurricane, now reborn, held a steely passion for revenge in his blue eyes,pletely oblivious to the fact that Heartbeat only saw him as a tool to get closer to Finn. He was done being weak. He would be strong, stronger than their wildest imaginations. And then¡­ he would show them. ¡®Prepare yourself, Ace. I¡¯ming. And when I do¡­ you¡¯ll meet your end. I¡¯ll prove to everyone¡­ that I¡¯m stronger than you. Better than you. And as for Archon and Melvia¡­ hmph. They can watch from hell.¡¯ Chapter 117: Powers Gained, Loot Obtained Chapter 117: Powers Gained, Loot Obtained ¨C Within Finn¡¯s Dormitory ¨C Now that Raiju was here too, Finn was given his own room to stay in. Apparently, Octane¡¯s asthma could be triggered and worsened by fur, which was why they had to stay separately. That said, with Raiju here, navigating his way around ¡ª even in unfamiliar ces ¡ª was a lot easier for Finn. The beast would nudge him whenever he was about to run into an obstacle or someone, which was quite helpful. Finn also learned not to refer to it as ¡®it¡¯, since it was most definitely male. After cing the chest from the Paracausal Realm on the ground and taking a shower, Finn exited out of the bathroom andid down on his bed, physically exhausted. He used up quite a lot of mana today and suffered a nearly fatal injury. Had it not been for Raiju¡¯s and Zelestria¡¯sbined efforts, he most likely would not have made it out alive. One of his teammates, Pang Zi, really didn¡¯t make it out alive¡­ but strangely, Finn didn¡¯t particrly feel anything. Sure, Pang Zi may have died saving him, but¡­ was he supposed to feel grateful towards a dead person? And besides, that was merely paying back the favor from when Finn saved him. There¡¯s nothing heroic about that, is there? Though Finn could understand why people like Tian Long, who was long-term friends with Pang Zi, would be saddened over his death, he himself didn¡¯t care in the slightest. He assumed that was just because all his emotions had already been lost a long time ago, minus hatred. As such, though he was physically tired, mentally, he didn¡¯t feel anything in particr. ¡®Ah¡­ nkets¡­ so nice and warm,¡¯ Finn thought in his head, easing into aid down position. ¡°My, my~ but is it as nice and warm as me, I wonder?¡± A seductive voice suddenly whispered into his ear out of nowhere as Finn felt a hand slide across his core area, tracing across his six-pack abs that he had gotten through all those years of boxing training when he was younger. ¡°So¡­ you are the entity I detected inside Master¡­¡± Raiju growled, narrowing his tiny blue eyes at the beautiful angel-like subus that had just slipped into Finn¡¯s bed. ¡°¡­ Zelestria.¡± ¡°Fufu~ yes, darling~?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let me sleep.¡± ¡°Ara ara~ so¡­ I take it you don¡¯t want to learn about the powers you received from that Baron-level priesty~?¡± At this, Finn hesitated. ¡°¡­ Tell me about the powers.¡± ¡°Mm~ only if you promise to fill me up real nice and good tonight~¡± Zelestria cackled evilly, licking her lips. ¡°¡­ With Souls, of course.¡± Naturally, Finn knew what she was referring to ¡ª and it most certainly was not Souls¡­ though he supposed it kinda was? He mentally debated if this was a good idea, considering his body¡¯s current state, but eventually gave in to the curiosity of wanting to know about the power. ¡°I promise. Now¡­ the power.¡± ¡°Of course, of course¡­ but first, I think little tiger here deserves an exnation,¡± Zelestria giggled cutely, wrapping her silky-smooth arms around Finn¡¯s neck and pressing her soft and big assets against his chest. Raiju bore his teeth, seething with anger. ¡°Grrr¡­ who are you calling a ¡®little tiger¡¯, you bitch?!¡± ¡®Wow. He can swear,¡¯ Finn thought in his mind, impressed with the heavenly beast¡¯s vast vocabry. ¡°Boop~¡± Zelestria lightly pointed at Raiju with her finger, a wicked smile on her face. ¡°¡­!¡± Raiju¡¯s tiny body immediately froze up, as if tied by invisible chains. Zelestria smirked and snapped her fingers, causing Raiju to gently levitate towards her in the air, against his will. She used one hand to pat Raiju¡¯s furry back, smiling innocently. ¡°Aww~ so much cuter like this~¡± Raiju looked like he was ready to burst out in anger at this humiliation, but Zelestria¡¯s magic was too strong. The poor beast, in its mini-form, couldn¡¯t do anything but grit his teeth and bear with it. ¡°Now, now, settle down~¡± Zelestriamanded yfully. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll keep you like this until you do.¡± ¡°¡­ Raiju,¡± Finn said. ¡°If you want to know what she is¡­ just stay quiet and listen.¡± ¡°Fufu~ as expected, darling likes me best~¡± Zelestria giggled happily, throwing her arms around Finn again. As for Raiju, he couldn¡¯t disobey Finn¡¯smands, so he calmed down a bit after Zelestria undid the spell. ¡°I sense you are powerful,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes at Zelestria. ¡°Or at least, have the potential to be. In your current state, you are not that strong, for whatever reason.¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Zelestria replied, leaning on Finn¡¯s shoulders lovingly. ¡°All my power that I had regained was expended to save darling here today, so we¡¯re essentially back at square one.¡± ¡°But¡­ what exactly are you?¡± Raiju asked, confused. ¡°I¡¯ve never detected an energy signature quite like yours before.¡± ¡°Well of course you haven¡¯t, fufu~¡± Zelestriaughed. ¡°I am a being beyond this world. I control many different realities, and this is but one of them. Though¡­ it is the one I am most fond of since darling is here, hehe~ The other realities I control are all barren wastnds.¡± ¡°Beyond this world¡­ so, you are a god, essentially?¡± Raiju asked. ¡°Perhaps~ but I prefer to be called ¡®goddess¡¯ instead.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that exins why I felt such a strong power emitting from Master¡¯s soul when I viewed it. You tethered your very being to his¡­ why?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been possible to save him otherwise,¡± Zelestria exined. ¡°By binding myself to him, he gains a little bit of the divinity I have, thus allowing him to survive. But of course, said divinity needs to be replenished ¡ª hence why we¡¯re going to perform a ritual to do exactly that now~!¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Finn cut in. ¡°I have¡­ your divinity?¡± ¡°Yes, and you also took my other ¡®-inity¡¯ not too long ago~¡± Zelestria giggled, pouncing on Finn like a cat. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t hold back any longer, so¡­¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± Raiju¡¯s eyes widened as he was tossed out of the room with a single wave of Zelestria¡¯s hand, mming the door shut in the process. ¡°Fufu~ now that the bother is gone¡­¡± Zelestria licked her lips seductively, carefully undressing herself. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s time for you to fulfill your promise~¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn calmly ced his hands on her waist, lifted her off of him, and promptly dropped her beside him. ¡°E-Eh?¡± She was confused, pausing just as she was about to slip off her sexy white bodysuit, embellished with gold linings. ¡°You never told me what the power I obtained was,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°Oh, and also¡­ that gem I obtained from the chest.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Zelestriaughed at her own stupidity, knocking herself in the head with a wink and sticking out her tongue yfully. ¡°The gem I¡¯m not too sure about either, but I¡¯m sure a cksmith can figure it out. As for the powers you got, it¡¯s quite simple, really. The tentacles that nearly killed you? You gained those.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ so how many of them do I have at my disposal?¡± ¡°That, I¡¯m not sure about, actually¡­¡± Zelestria fell into thought. ¡°But we can test that outter, in the reality rift. For now¡­ fufu~¡± She straddled herself on Finn once more, eyes filled with lust and excitement as she undid a zipper on her bodysuit, allowing her voluptuous breasts to jump out in glee, having been freed from their bondage that was her clothes. She kept the rest of her clothes on, however, and lifted Finn¡¯s hand before wrapping them over one of herrge, soft breasts and making him squeeze it. ¡°Ahn~ fill me up, darling~¡± Chapter 118: The "Replenishment" Ritual (18+) Chapter 118: The "Replenishment" Ritual (18+) [Warning: 18+ chapter in case you haven¡¯t read the title. This and the next chapter will both be 18+, so you can skip them if you so wish.] [Ah¡­ who am I kidding? I know you all came for the 18+. Enjoy.] ***** Zelestria leaned down, gently unbuttoning Finn¡¯s clothes. She rubbed her voluptuous naked breasts against his abs while licking on his chest tenderly, carefully tracing her wet, yful tongue around his nipples. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn moaned softly, unable to control himself. ¡°Ara ara~ looks like even my sweet, emotionless darling can¡¯t hold back against my expert techniques, huh~?¡± Zelestria licked her lips and continued, sliding her hand down to Finn¡¯s crotch area. ¡°Mm~ you¡¯re already big down here¡­ it must hurt, having that huge thing stuck inside your pants. Let¡¯s¡­ set it free.¡± Saying this, she pulled Finn¡¯s underwear down slightly, causing the massive weapon inside to spring out in its full glory. ¡°Wow~¡± Zelestria blinked in awe. ¡°Is it just me¡­ or did it get even bigger sincest time~?¡± ¡°¡­ Is that possible?¡± Finn asked quietly. ¡°Fufu~ don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find out once I put it inside me. But first¡­¡± She slid down slightly, wrapping Finn¡¯s enormous cock between her two round, soft breasts, just as impressive in size. ¡°Zelestria¡­ is this much forey really necessary?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ I¡¯m not wet yet~¡± Zelestria lied with hearts in her eyes, even though she was practically like a river down there already. If only Finn could see. ¡°We were going to do thisst time, but then got interrupted, remember~?¡± Indeed, he did. Archon had called him downstairs just as Zelestria was about to begin, so the two never did it in the end. But today, was different. No more distractions. Slowly, Zelestria began shifting her breasts up and down, smoothly wrapping around Finn¡¯s dick while leaving only the tip visible. ¡°Fufu~ how do you like this, darling~?¡± She asked, sticking out her tongue and dripping some saliva onto her breasts to help make the rubbing feel smoother. ¡°It feels¡­ weird,¡± Finn said, after taking several seconds to choose the best adjective. ¡°Weird, but¡­ good, I suppose.¡± ¡°Heh, good save~¡± Zelestria mused. ¡°I was going to get real angry if you just stopped at ¡®weird¡¯. But¡­ what if I do this? Ahhhm.¡± She leaned her head down and devoured the entire tip of Finn¡¯s dick in her mouth, savoring it with her tongue nice and warmly. ¡°Mm¡­ howsh thish? Feelsh like a real pusshy now, right~?¡± Now that his dick was entirely wrapped by Zelestria¡¯s various body parts, sliding in and out of her wet mouth and through her magnificent breasts, it was difficult for Finn to deny that. Still, although it felt amazing, he wanted to end this as soon as possible so he could try out the new powers he obtained in the reality rift. ¡°¡­ Turn your body around,¡± he ordered, to which Zelestria took his dick out of her mouth and blinked in confusion. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Turn around¡­ so that your butt is facing me,¡± Finn reiterated, in a slower tone this time. ¡°Ahhh~ darling, you¡¯re quite naughty, huh~? Very well then~¡± Zelestria giggled and shifted her body 180 degrees so that they were in a 69-position, then sat down and rubbed her wet crotch against Finn¡¯s face. ¡°There you go, darling~¡± ¡°I thought you said¡­ you weren¡¯t wet¡­¡± Finn muttered, cing his hands on her soft round buttcheeks and suddenly ripping her bodysuit in that area apart. ¡°K-Kya~! D-Darling~?!¡± ¡°Continue,¡± Finn said calmly, before cing his hands on top of her butt and pressing down so that he could properly lick her pussy. Since it was already wet, his tongue traced across it with ease, mixing his own saliva with her love juices. ¡°Ahn~ so good~¡± Zelestria moaned softly, drowning in ecstasy. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t lose, fufu~¡± With a strange fire ofpetitiveness newly lit in her heart, she bent down once more and resumed giving Finn the best titfuck of his life. ¡°En~ mmn~¡± She groaned, moving herrge breasts up and down while synchronizing the movement with her tongue¡¯s for maximum pleasure for Finn. Having had so much research material on the thing humans call ¡®the Inte¡¯, she was truly a master at this. Finn, however, wasn¡¯t aplete newbie either. He had seen porn before, and also knew some techniques. Zelestria had no pubic hair, which made this a lot easier and gave Finn more freedom. He licked the surface of her pussy like an ice cream cone, thirsty and lustful. And then, the killer move- ¡°Ahn~!¡± Zelestria¡¯s head sprang up as she felt something entering inside. ¡°D-Darling¡­¡± Finn tightened his grip on her buttcheeks, groping them tightly as he slipped his tongue into her dripping wet pussy, hungry for more. ¡°E-Engh¡­ I can¡¯t lose either¡­!¡± Zelestria licked her lips and devoured Finn¡¯s dick whole once more, rubbing her breasts against it faster than ever. It was as if the two werepeting to see who could make the other cum first, even though Finn just wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn finally took his tongue out of Zelestria¡¯s pussy, unable to hold back anymore. ¡°Zelestria, I¡¯m going to-¡° ¡°Mmn~ don¡¯t shtop¡­ keep going¡­ I¡¯m almost there too¡­¡± Finn took a deep breath and began licking her genitals once again, subconsciously tightening his grip on her butt even more. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± ¡°Ahn~!¡± With one collective moan, one high-pitched and one low, the two came at the exact same time, spraying their love juices all over the other¡¯s face. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Zelestria straightened her body and looked at herself, stained with thick, white cum. ¡°There¡¯s so much¡­¡± Licking her own breasts, she was insistent on not letting a single drop of Finn¡¯s cum get wasted. ¡°Mm¡­ delicious.¡± Meanwhile, Finn used the nket to clean off all of Zelestria¡¯s love juices off his face, since he wasn¡¯t too keen on drinking that unlike her. Zelestria, on the other hand, spun her body around to face him and began stroking his still-hard cock once again, this time with her hand. ¡°Fufu~ it hasn¡¯t gone down one bit,¡± she mused, licking her lips seductively. ¡°Now that the forey¡¯s done¡­ it¡¯s time for the real action to begin~¡± Chapter 119: Ritual Continuation (18+) Chapter 119: Ritual Continuation (18+) Holding Finn¡¯s cock firmly, Zelestria lifted herself up a little, finding the right ce to insert, then sat back down again. ¡°Ahn~¡± She moaned in pleasure, caressing her own face in ecstasy. ¡°Just as I thought¡­ it¡¯s even bigger thanst time¡­ fufu~ did doing it once help it grow?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t respond and instead sat up, slipping his hands beneath Zelestria¡¯s soft, ample thighs, before forcing her to move up and down. Zelestria¡¯s eyes widened at the sudden, rough movements of his cock entering her in and out. ¡°O-Oh~! Wait~ I thought you said¡­ you were tired¡­ hah~¡± Her hands reached out to grab something to help control herself, but couldn¡¯t find anything and instead just resorted to throwing them around Finn¡¯s neck as he continue thrusting into her from a sitting position. ¡°Mmn~¡± Zelestria moaned, leaning in and pressing her lips against Finn¡¯s. As Finn¡¯s two hands were both preupied, he was unable to resist. Their tongues entangled deeply, saliva mixing as if they were one and the same. Zelestria slowly began easing into the thrusting rhythm of Finn so that he wouldn¡¯t have to control her actions, leaving his hands free. Zelestria lifted one of his rough hands and rubbed it against one of herrge breasts, still sticky from the titjob earlier. ¡°Ahn~ yes~ squeeze them more, darling~¡± She moaned, hopping up and down on Finn¡¯s cock and savoring every bit of the pleasure. She then shifted her body forward, hanging her other unupied breast invitingly in front of Finn and rubbing it against his mouth. Finn knew what she wanted him to do ¡ª and if that¡¯s what it took to make her climax, so be it. Groping one breast with his right hand and holding Zelestria close with his left, Finn tenderly began licking her other breast, starting with its surroundings then teasing the nipple. ¡°Oh~ fuck yes~¡± Zelestria bit her lip to avoid moaning too much, but it was difficult with how surprisingly good Finn was at this. She had already set up a sound barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, but still¡­ this pleasure was too much! Finn then lightly bit on the tip of her nipple before sucking on it gently, as if to ease the pain. ¡°Mm~ no, darling~ if you suck that hard¡­ I¡¯m going to¡­!¡± Finn wasn¡¯t trying to get sprayed by breast milk, so he stopped there and instead pushed Zelestria down on the bed, spreading her legs wide while continuing to thrust his cock into her pussy. ¡°Ahn~ oh~ you¡¯re the best, darling~!¡± Zelestria moaned,pletely giving in to the ecstasy. Her tongue dangled out of her mouth, and hot breath could be seen. ¡°Fuck me harder~!¡± Finnplied ¡ª thrusting into her with everything he had. Every time he did, Zelestria would cry out with pleasure, locking her long, slender legs around his waist. ¡°Zelestria¡­ I¡¯m almost there¡­¡± Finn said after a while, gritting his teeth. ¡°Yes~ me too~ let¡¯s¡­ cum together~!¡± ¡°Zelestria¡­!¡± Holding Zelestria¡¯s bare thighs tightly, as white as snow and glistening with sweat, Finn thrust his massive dick into her one decisive time. ¡°AHHN~!¡± Her eyes widened as Finn¡¯s baby seeds filled her uppletely, orgasming at the same time. The two remained in that position for several seconds, before Finn finally pulled out, causing a stream of white cum to flow out of her pussy. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ you came¡­ so much¡­ darling¡­¡± Zelestria panted, a seductive smile still on her face. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s done now, right?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Oh, darling~ you obtained quite a lot of Souls from that Dungeon, so obviously just one time isn¡¯t enough,¡± Zelestria said, getting up and turning around so that her sexy butt was pointing towards Finn. ¡°Besides¡­¡± She reached behind her with her hand and lovingly began stroking his dick again, which was still hard even after cumming twice. ¡°¡­ You still seem to be raring to go~¡± ¡°Tch¡­ fine,¡± Finn muttered, shifting forward on the bed, causing his dick to rub against her ample butt. ¡°Ara ara¡­ fufu¡­¡± Zelestria giggled mischieviously as an idea formted in her mind. ¡°Hey, darling~ want to y a game?¡± Finn furrowed his brows. ¡°A game¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m going to ce your massive dick between my buttcheeks, then shake my hips up and down,¡± she exined, lips curving up seductively. ¡°And you get to choose when to thrust forward. Whichever hole it ends up going into¡­ will be the hole you fuck~ and you don¡¯t even have to worry about hygiene either, since I don¡¯t use need to expel waste anyway~ So¡­ how about it~?¡± At this point, Finn was tired and just wanted to get this done as fast as possible, so he went along with the flow. ¡°Sure. Whatever.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ then¡­ here we go~¡± Zelestria licked her lips and backed up a bit. Finn moved ordingly, moving forward so that his dick was nearlypletely enveloped by her white buttcheeks, as soft as marshmallows. ¡°Fufu~ how does it feel, darling~? Different?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Finn replied truthfully. ¡°But are you going to start moving, or what?¡± ¡°My, my~ so impatient,¡± Zelestria giggled, then began slowly moving her hips up and down. It was like a handjob, but given by her butt. Since Finn¡¯s cock was still wet with her pussy juices, this made sliding it very easy. Plus, Zelestria had naturally smooth and soft skin. ¡°Fufu¡­ I wonder which hole you¡¯ll choose, Finn~¡± She wondered aloud, as if tempting him. Finn, being tired, didn¡¯t see a reason to continue this any longer despite it feeling so good. He suddenly pped his hands on Zelestria¡¯s butt, forcing her to stop moving, and thrust his cock inside her tight asshole. ¡°!!!¡± Her eyes widened in surprise at the roughness of his movement, but before she could even react, Finn had pulled out slightly and mmed his cock into her again. ¡°Ahn~! Mmf~! Oh~!¡± ¡°Zelestria, your ass¡­ it¡¯s a lot tighter than your pussy¡­¡± Finn remarked subconsciously, ramming his cock into her like never before. ¡°Y-Yeah~? Heheh¡­ just think of this as a second pussy, darling~ you can use either of them whenever you want~¡± Stimted, Finn began thrusting harder without even realizing it in his heart. Zelestria moaned in pleasure every time his dick entered her, rough and bulging. Many roundster, Zelestria was finally satisfied. Although Finn could¡¯ve kept going if need be, both of her holes were already filled to the brim. The transfer of Souls wasplete, and Zelestria had regained quite a bit of her power back. Though they may have returned to square one earlier today since she had to heal Finn ¡ª again ¡ª with this transfer, gaining his eyesight back was now 10%plete. Chapter 120: Tentacles Chapter 120: Tentacles ¡°Ah¡­ that was fun,¡± Zelestria said, pulling the nkets over the two of them and hugging Finn tightly. Finn, whose arm Zelestria wasying on top of, was kind of forced to hug her back awkwardly, but his mind was focused on somethingpletely else. ¡°Zelestria¡­ are you going to take us into the reality rift, or what?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ so impatient, fufu~¡± She giggled and eased Finn down into aying down position, then rested her head on top of his chest. ¡°Rx your mind and go to sleep, darling. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± Her voice was a soft, gentle whisper, like the beckoning of the goddess of sleep. Finn gave in and rxed his mind just as told, arm still circled around Zelestria. With a mischievous smile on her face, Zelestria shifted her body upwards a little and nted a light peck on Finn¡¯s cheeks before activating the reality rift, causing both of their consciousnesses to enter. Finn¡¯s eyes opened slowly, seeing the familiar vaporwave-style scene of the reality rift. Zelestria stood in front of him with a sweet smile on her face, clothes on once again andpletely undamaged. ¡°So¡­ how do I activated the tentacles?¡± Finn asked, ncing down at hispletely healed body. ¡°In the same way you would activate your armor¡¯s wings,¡± Zelestria exined, folding her arms behind her back and winking cutely. ¡°Except¡­ instead of channeling mana, try channeling your blood flow instead.¡± ¡°My blood¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. This is also good practice for when you steal the Bloodcaller Angelica, fufu~¡± Zelestria giggled. ¡°That Angelica requires you to control both your mana and blood simultaneously, which is difficult ¡ª hence why not many people in the world can use it, and hence why that Heartbeat person is in such a position of power despite being only slightly older than you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Finn closed his eyes and began breathing slowly, keeping a steady rhythm. He could feel his mana flow within his body with ease, but to find his blood flow and control it, he would have to dig deeper, hidden beneath the mana. ¡®There¡­!¡¯ His eyes snapped back he redirected the ck portion of his blood, converging on one single point in the center of his back. Suddenly, six long and thick tentacles shot out of his back, each one glowing white and ending in a sharp, curved tip. They looked like the tails of a fox in a sense, except thicker and three on each side. ¡°¡­¡± Even Finn himself was surprised at this, and hurriedly attempted to control his new appendages. However, in doing so- ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Zelestria yelped in shock, eyes widened, as the six tentacles wrapped themselves around her, lifting her up into the air. ¡°Hah¡­ d-darling¡­ so you¡¯re into this kind of y, huh~? So be it¡­¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Finn was confused. He most certainly had not instructed his tentacles to do this, yet here they were, holding Zelestria up in the air like something out of an h-anime. Two of them wrapped around her breast area and teased them while another tickled her crotch, causing her to squirm in pleasure. ¡°Ahn~ darling~¡± ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Finn forcefully retracted the tentacles by unconcentrating the blood flow, causing the tendrils to all shoot back into his body in the blink of an eye. Zelestria fell from the sky, regaining her bnce just before crashing into the ground. ¡°Oh~ why did you stop~?¡± She giggled seductively, walking closer and wrapping her arms around Finn¡¯s neck. ¡°It was just getting to the good part too~¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t instruct them to do that,¡± Finn replied coldly, pushing her away. ¡°For whatever reason, I can¡¯t control them¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because you didn¡¯t absorb enough of the priesty¡¯s blood,¡± Zelestria said, shrugging nonchntly. ¡°But don¡¯t worry ¡ª with some practice, you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± With a sigh, Finn spent the rest of that night within the reality rift, attempting to harness the new power he just received. Though¡­ he only had several minutes to do so. ***** ¨C The Next Day ¨C Lei called in a meeting for the members of Squadron 154 and the remaining four members of the Big Five to discuss future steps. Since they went to sleepte the previous night, the meeting was held at noon, providing everyone with enough sleep. Naturally, the discussion was held in the main hall. Finn pushed Iris on her wheelchair, while Octane, Reaper, and Fanatic walked alongside them. Beside them, the four members of the Big Five stood. Fortunately, Tian Long seemed to be a good state. He appeared to have epted his friend¡¯s death and wore a thin smile of hope on his face, as if returned to normal. Jim was here as well, along with Elder Hua. ¡°Good morning, Hunters. Though¡­ I suppose it is already afternoon now,¡± Lei said,cing his hands together. ¡°It pains me to say this after you all just had an exhausting night fighting the Baron, but your battle is not over just yet.¡± ¡°¡­ The Emperor, huh?¡± Iris muttered in her wheelchair, furrowing her brows in thought. ¡°Indeed,¡± Lei confirmed with a nod. ¡°We have a time limit of exactly 4 and a half days, starting now. Once the sun sets on the 4th day, this entire District could very well be doomed. The only reason he hasn¡¯t struck already¡­ is possibly because he is gathering power.¡± ¡°Gathering power?¡± Qi Ling echoed, confused. ¡°Yes. While using his Barons as cover to hide from the GHO, he has been secretly sapping power from the citizens of this District. Take a look.¡± Saying this, Lei lifted up a newspaper and tossed it over to the young Ghost Hunters. Iris caught it in her hands and spread it out, reading what was written on it. ¡°Multiple individuals missing¡­ f-fifty-one in total?!¡± ¡°And that is not counting all the missing people who didn¡¯t have loved ones or friends, which the GHO covered up,¡± Lei said, letting out a deep breath. ¡°It is believed that these incidents first started on the day after the Perfect Outbreak that urred a while back. And it¡¯s not only just here in District A too ¡ª I¡¯ve received news that other Districts have also had plenty of people gone missing, never to be seen again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The young Ghost Hunters fell silent, trying to digest what all of this meant. ¡°Ghosts, those bloody bastards, feed on life force ta survive n¡¯ recover strength,¡± Jim interrupted, pushing open the doors and strolling into the main hall before shutting them behind him again. ¡°Which means the fact that these incidents have been happenin¡¯¡­ reveals somethin¡¯ deeper. More.¡± Lei frowned. ¡°Stop, they aren¡¯t ready to-¡° ¡°Aren¡¯t ready?¡± Jim cut in coldly, eyes dark. ¡°Ha! Oi, Lei, yer bloody kiddin¡¯ me, right? These kids watched one of their own get brutally murdered before their very eyes. If ya ask me¡­ I¡¯d say they¡¯re more than ready ¡¯nuff.¡± Chapter 121: Preparations Chapter 121: Preparations ¡°Wait, what are you guys talking about?¡± Octane asked, scratching his head. ¡°Ready to know what?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lei averted his gaze, hesitant. Jim eyed him, sighed, then took it upon himself to exin. ¡°The fact that the bloody Emperor-level Ghosts all over the world right now are needin¡¯ to feed on humans to recover their strength means they were in a weak state when they first arrived,¡± he said. ¡°Now, we don¡¯t know why exactly that is, considerin¡¯ Ghosts usually spawn inpletely uninjured, but I do have a few spections.¡± ¡°¡­ Tyranny,¡± Finn muttered. Jim stopped, turning to him. ¡°What was that, kid?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s tyranny,¡± Finn reiterated. ¡°There is a being above even the Emperor-levels ¡ª and it¡¯s controlling them through violence.¡± ¡°Ha! Looks like I won¡¯t have ta exin at all,¡± Jim chuckled, impressed. ¡°Jim, you¡­¡± Lei narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­ That was ssified information, not to be told to any Ghost Hunters below S-Rank. Do you realize what you just did?¡± Jim scoffed and folded his arms, leaning against a pir casually. ¡°What are ya gonna do, old pal? Report me to those bastards up there who just sit on their asses writin¡¯ papers everyday while we risk our lives out here?¡± ¡°You know why they ordered us to keep a lid on things. It was to prevent chaos from ensuin-¡° In an instant, Jim dashed towards Lei¡¯s throne and picked him up by the cor, lifting him up from his seat as everyone watched in shock. ¡°Chaos is going to happen anyway, whether ya like it or not,¡± Jim whispered to his friend, faces mere inches away from one another. ¡°Whenever that bloody monster gets bored of hidin¡¯ in its lil¡¯ room¡­ it¡¯lle out. Because no one even knows about itss bloody existence, they¡¯ll be confused. Puzzled. And before they can even react¡­ they¡¯ll be bloody dead.¡± Lei could¡¯ve reacted to Jim¡¯s speed, of course, but he chose not to. Instead, he merely reached up, tightened his own fist around his friend¡¯s, and yanked it away from his cor. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m aware. But would you rather that chaos happen then¡­ or now?¡± ¡°Now,¡± Jim replied, not backing down. ¡°We drive ¡¯em crazy with this news. Then, we reign ¡¯em in, and train ¡¯em. Train ¡¯em real bloody hard, ta prepare ¡¯em for what¡¯sin¡¯ next.¡± Lei, faced with this argument, sighed and closed his eyes. ¡°¡­ Very well.¡± Sitting back down, he turned to the group of young Ghost Hunters staring in confusion at what just happened, while Jim retreated to one side of the room again. ¡°Just like what Jim just said¡­ there is indeed an existence above the Emperor-level Ghosts, who appeared during the Perfect Outbreak as well,¡± Lei said. ¡°Its current whereabouts are unknown, but ording to the Guildmaster, its power is on a scale beyond anything we¡¯ve seen before. To give you a little idea¡­ it can trample this entire District in below ten steps of its feet.¡± ¡°W-Wha-?!¡± Octane¡¯s eyes seized up in shock. ¡°J-Just how big does it have to be to be able to do that¡­¡± ¡°Its size is not even the biggest problem,¡± Lei said, clenching his fists. ¡°The problem is that¡­ its intelligent. Unlike other Ghosts, whose actions are only stemmed from their craving for killing and food, this monster thinks like a real human would. No¡­ its far more cunning and evil than any human.¡± ¡°So this new ¡®leader¡¯ of sorts is controlling all these Emperors, distributing one in each District¡­ but for what?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Pretty sure it was just ta bnce it out,¡± Jim replied, tipping his white top hat. ¡°It had 26 Emperors to deploy, makes sense to put one in each of the 26 Districts.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I guess so¡­¡± Iris murmured, but still was not fully convinced. ¡°In any case, we can be sure the leader is scheming something, though we do not know what just yet,¡± Lei said. ¡°Eventually, we will have to go up against that monster, but I think we should be safe for now. Focus on the matter at hand first ¡ª the Emperor.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Jim agreed. ¡°I propose we go tomorrow morning and let ya guys take the rest of today off. I know yer all eager to go in there and take down that bloody bastard, but rest is important.¡± ¡°Sounds good to us,¡± Fanatic said. ¡°No objects here either,¡± Qi Ling added. ¡°In that case, you are dismissed,¡± Lei said, waving them off. ¡°Take it easy for the rest of today.¡± The group all bowed at the same time, with the exception of Finn and Iris. They then left the room, leaving only Lei and Jim behind. ¡°¡­ You didn¡¯t tell them about your ¡®other¡¯ theory,¡± Lei said quietly. ¡°So much for your argument earlier.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Jim muttered, folding his arms and sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to be wrong this much in my bloody life. I hope to god that theory of mine ain¡¯t right¡­ for if it is, we¡¯re all bloody screwed.¡± ¡°Not if we can reach that monster in time,¡± Lei said. ¡°If we can get to it before the process finishes¡­ there may still be hope. But of course, for that, you will have to tell those guys the truth in order to give them a reason to move faster.¡± ¡°¡­ Ha. If I can confirm my theory is truly right, then I¡¯ll tell ¡¯em. Don¡¯t wanna make ¡¯em worried over nothin¡¯. But uh¡­¡± He trailed off, scratching his head. Lei frowned in puzzlement. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Er¡­ y-ya won¡¯t actually report me to those office monkeys, will ya?¡± Hearing this, Leiughed deeply. ¡°Worry not. I won¡¯t. Besides¡­ I can¡¯t contact those people myself anyway ¡ª it will have to be Guildmaster who does it. And she seems to hold a simr opinion to yours.¡± ¡°Oho! She is quite a wised, I see!¡± Jim chuckled, rubbing his own mustache, pleased. ¡°I would like to meet her someday.¡± ¡°She will smite you on the spot if she knew you referred to her as d¡¯,¡± Lei mused. ¡°Yeah? But she¡¯ll never know, aha! Right?¡± But Lei merely smiled innocently, and on the contrary, Jim¡¯s froze on his face. ¡°¡­ R-Right?¡± Chapter 122: Jims Lessons Chapter 122: Jim''s Lessons ¡°Aw, man! I¡¯m so screwed¡­¡± Jim muttered as he walked out of the main hall, regretting his words. ¡°That bloody bastard, Lei¡­ I won¡¯t forgive him for snitchin¡¯ me out!¡± Finn, hearing his voice, stepped out of the shadows and intercepted him. Jim, having been blocked, stopped walking and looked at Finn with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Need somethin¡¯?¡± Finn could hear faint footsteps in the distance not too far away, so he asked quietly. ¡°¡­ Can we speak privately?¡± ***** ¨C Within Jim¡¯s Room ¨C ¡°Alright, kid. We¡¯re speakin¡¯ privately now. So, tell me ¡ª whaddya need?¡± Jim asked, leaning back on hisfortable leather seat and taking a sip of the beer he had poured himself. ¡°I want to learn the Cardmaster Angelica from you.¡± ¡°PFFSH!¡± Jim spat out the beer in his mouth all over the ce, staining Finnpletely wet. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ agh¡­ s-sorry, kid, I though I heard somethin¡¯ bloody ridiculous, so I-¡° ¡°I¡¯m being serious,¡± Finn said,pletely unbothered by the fact that he just got sshed with beer. ¡°Yeah, I bet you are! Haha! Funny joke.¡± ¡°¡­ Did you forget?¡± Finn asked, voice low and threatening. ¡°You owe me a wish. And now is the time to grant it.¡± ¡°Listen kid, I would love to, buuuut how am I supposed to teach ya the Cardmaster Angelica when ya don¡¯t even have¡­ it¡­¡± Jim trailed off as a glowing white aura enveloped Finn¡¯s sitting figure, and the projection of a deck of cards appeared over his head. ¡°W-Wha¡­ how is this¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t ask any questions, and just teach me how to use it.¡± Jim knew he couldn¡¯t argue, since it was true ¡ª he did promise Finn a wish that was never granted, until now. A genie didn¡¯t question why or how somebody made a wish, he just granted it. Jim was the same. So, instead, he chose to give a fair warning. ¡°¡­ Ya sure about this, kid? I can only teach ya ¡ª but whether ya actually manage to learn it or not ispletely up to you. And it won¡¯t be bloody easy, trust me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m aware. I just hope you don¡¯t purposely give me bad lessons.¡± ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t worry ¡¯bout that, kid. I take everythin¡¯ I do seriously, whether that¡¯s gettin¡¯ myself a date or teachin¡¯ an ignorant kid about the bloody Angelica I have.¡± Finn pretended to not have heard his jab and instead calmly picked up a cup from the table and took a sip of the liquid inside. ¡°This tea¡­ it tastes weird.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ kid.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s my beer.¡± ***** ¨C A Short While Later, Training Grounds ¨C ¡°No, no, no!¡± Jim cried, bawling in despair at Finn¡¯s horrendous attempts at mimicking his movements. ¡°I told ya to raise yer right arm, not reach for the bloody stars!¡± ¡°No! I said bend down, not do a goddamn squat!¡± ¡°AGH! Kid, by ¡®reach behind ya with yer arms¡¯, I don¡¯t mean ¡®HUMP THE AIR IN FRONT OF YA¡¯! Are ya even lookin¡¯ at yerself right now?!¡± ¡°AY, WATCH THE SQUIRREL! WATCH THE DAMN SQUIRREL! YOU¡¯RE GONNA BLOODY STEP ON IT!¡± Raiju, who satfortably beneath the shade of a tree, watching the whole thing unfold, yawned in amusement. Finally, after a long while of Jim screaming and Finn continuing to not meet his expectations, the two decided to take a break. ¡°Ugh¡­ I told ya, kid, this ain¡¯t gonna work,¡± Jim said in dejection, sitting down on a b of rock. ¡°Learnin¡¯ each card¡¯s stance is the fundamentals of the Cardmaster Angelica. If ya can¡¯t even get this right, we can¡¯t move forward.¡± ¡°Are you ming this on my blindness?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because in my eyes, the ipetent one is often the teacher. You know I¡¯m blind, so you should be giving me precise, urate directions. Not just ¡®bend down¡¯. How much am I supposed to bend down? What position should my legs be in?¡± ¡°T-Tch¡­ in yer eyes? Ha!¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°Ya can¡¯t even see, kid. Nothin¡¯s in yer eyes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the topic,¡± Finn cut in coldly, not buying it at all. ¡°Besides¡­ do I really have to learn these various stances? I don¡¯t remember you doing this when we fought in the simtion.¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s because I already mastered all 21 Cards a long bloody time ago,¡± Jim snickered. ¡°Give it up, kid. Ya won¡¯t be able ta reach my level unless ya first master the fundamentals. I had ta start here too.¡± ¡°Teach me,¡± Finn said, standing back up. ¡°Huh?¡± Jim raised an eyebrow, looking at him. ¡°Teach me how to do it without doing the stances.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ kid, are ya deaf as well as blind, or what? I just said, ya won¡¯t be able ta do that unless ya first master the bloody fundamentals. Usin¡¯ the Cards without posin¡¯ requires knowledge on them, but more than that, ya need immense mana capacity and control. Yer mental strength must also be unbreakable. I¡¯ll admit, ya¡¯ve impressed me many times now, but there is no way ya can do this. Give it up.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Finn activated his Cardmaster Angelica once more, basking in the sunlight. ¡°¡­ I happen to know a thing or two about tarot cards thanks to a now-deceased friend of mine, and my mana and mental strength are both factors I am confident in. If you¡¯re so convinced I won¡¯t be able to do it¡­ how about a gamble?¡± ¡°Oho¡­ a gamble?¡± Jim smirked and stood up as well. ¡°Now that¡¯s a word I like ta hear. What are yer terms, kid?¡± ¡°You tell me how to use the Cardmaster Angelica without having to pose like edgy teenagers afflicted with chunnibyo ¡ª and if I fail just like you say, I¡¯ll consider the favor you owe me a done deal, and I¡¯ll also give you the gem I received from the Dungeon as a bonus.¡± ¡°Hoho! Now we¡¯re talkin¡¯.¡± ¡°However,¡± Finn continued, furrowing his brows and intensifying the powerful aura around him. ¡°If I do pull it off¡­ you have to teach me everything else you know about this Angelica, and also owe me another favor on top of it as bonus. It¡¯s only fair ¡ª how about it?¡± Jim pondered for a moment, arms folded, then smiled darkly. ¡°¡­ Yer a cheeky one, kid.¡± ¡°What, scared?¡± Finn taunted, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Ha! I, Jim Halifax, the Ultimate Cardmaster, Alias: Tarot, have never been bloody afraid of a thing in my whole life!¡± Jim shouted proudly, pointing at Finn. ¡°Kid, ya got some guts, challengin¡¯ me in a bloody gamble! I only take bets I have confidence in winnin¡¯¡­ and I¡¯ve yet to lose one. The gem is mine, boy!¡± But Finn,pletely unfazed, merely shoved his hands into his cloak¡¯s pockets,pletely unconcerned. ¡°Very well. Enlighten me then¡­ geezer.¡± Chapter 123: How To Become a Cardmaster Chapter 123: How To Be a Cardmaster ¡°Alright, kid, pick any of the 21 cards ya want, and focus on it!¡± Jim instructed, folding his arms. Finn did as told, concentrating on the Magician Card, symbolizing arcane power and magic. ¡°¡­ What next?¡± He asked, a red glow surrounding his body. ¡°Mm, the Magician, eh? Not bad,¡± Jim said, recognizing the red glow. ¡°But the hard partes now. Raise yer hand in front of yer face, holdin¡¯ yer middle n¡¯ index fingers up, then pour mana into it.¡± Finn raised his right hand in front of his face and put down his pinky, thumb, and ring finger, then directed his body¡¯s mana flow into his hand. Slowly, a card, glowing red, appeared between his raised fingers. However, it wasn¡¯t a normal ying card. It was a tarot card ¡ª and the figure of a Magician was imprinted on it, glowing red just like the rest of his body. ¡°Oho¡­ yer control over mana is more precise than I expected, kid,¡± Jim chuckled. ¡°But can ya change between different cards in rapid session, I wonder?¡± Finn threw the card between his fingers at the ground, causing a powerful explosion to ur. He could¡¯ve made another card using more mana, but he decided to try a different card to meet Jim¡¯s challenge. In his mind, he switched from the Magician to the Tower, causing the glow around him to change from red to grey. However- ¡°¡­!¡± Finn suddenly coughed out blood in pain, clutching his chest in confusion and pain. Hurriedly, he covered his mouth and wiped away his ck and red blood to avoid rousing any suspicion. ¡°Ha!¡± Jimughed in amusement, seeing this happen. ¡°Kid, that¡¯s what happens if ya try switchin¡¯ so suddenly. Yer mana needs time to convert ¡ª if ya do it so abruptly, they¡¯ll overheat and harm yer own body.¡± ¡°¡­ You couldn¡¯t have told me this beforehand?¡± ¡°Oi, oi now¡­ I was goin¡¯ to¡­ but ya did it before I could,¡± Jim said with a devious smirk. ¡°Can¡¯t bloody me me for that, now can ya?¡± ¡®This guy¡­ he takes gambles seriously, even if it means using underhanded tactics. So be it.¡¯ Now that Finn knew, he wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake again. Since he already used the Magician, he couldn¡¯t use it again for a while, ording to Jim. Therefore, he called upon the Tower, encasing himself with stone for protection and essentially making himself into a fortress, glowing grey with Angelica energy. Then, he pictured a different card in his head ¡ª The Star. However, this time, he eased into it, giving his mana enough time to adapt before fully discarding the Tower card in his head. The grey glow around his body slowly changed into a gold one, shining bright. The stone armor on him melted away, and a real five-pointed star appeared above his head. Jim¡¯s draw dropped in response, sweat forming on his forehead. ¡°B-Boy¡­ ya really did it¡­¡± ¡°How does this card work?¡± Finn asked, ignoring his surprise. ¡°I know what it symbolizes, but what of its actual abilities?¡± ¡°E-Er, well¡­ it can be used as light, and the star above yer head can also shoot out bloodysers¡­¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Finn suddenly turned in Jim¡¯s direction, pointing the star right at him. ¡°U-Uh¡­ kid, what are ya doin¡¯?¡± ¡°I just want to¡­ test out theser.¡± ¡°W-Well, don¡¯t do it on m- WOAH!¡± Jim hurriedly dove out of the way just in time to avoid being fried to a crisp by the powerful yellowser that shot out of the star above Finn¡¯s head, which incinerated the tree behind where Jim had just been standing. ¡°Whew¡­ bloody hell, kid! Ya tryin¡¯ ta get me killed, or what?!¡± ¡°¡­ Hm. More powerful than expected,¡± Finn murmured, deactivating his Angelica and raising his voice. ¡°But in any case¡­ looks like I won our bet. Are you ready to pay up?¡± ¡°Grr¡­ alright, alright, fine. Ya got me,¡± Jim sighed in disappointment, getting back up from the ground. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever lost a bet, y¡¯know. I¡¯m startin¡¯ to hate ya but like ya at the same time, kid.¡± ***** Finn spent the rest of that day training with the Cardmaster Angelica using Jim¡¯s advice and guidance. By the end of the session, he had already be quite skilled with it, able to switch between cards almost at the same speed as Jim himself, who was impressed over and over again that day. The fact that Finn didn¡¯t require Zelestria¡¯s help to learn this new Angelica was proof he was growing and getting stronger of his own ord, not just relying on the Ghost blood and Zelestria¡¯s help. Later, after dinner, Finn returned to his own room for an early night with the excuse of wanting to sleep in preparation for the Temple Raid tomorrow. Of course, that wasn¡¯t really the reason ¡ª he just wanted as much time as possible to practice using those new tentacles of his. They were like six rowdy little children, unwilling to listen to their parent. Luckily, by the time morning rolled around, Finn had more or less learned to control them a bit. However, they required insane mental strength and mana to control properly, just like switching between the cards of the Cardmaster Angelica but on a greater scale. Even Finn, who excelled in both of those requirements, found controlling those tentacles difficult. As of right now, he could manage to control one tentacle at a time, but that was it. He would need to be a lot stronger if he wanted to control all six ¡ª without the help of Zelestria, anyway. If she helped, then he could control all six simultaneously no problem, but that was hisst resort in a life-or-death situation. ¡°Oh yeah, by the way, darling~¡± Zelestria suddenly said right before Finn was going to return to the real world, causing him to turn around. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Zelestria smiled like an angel and crossed her hands behind her back, leaning down like a cute schoolgirl. ¡°Let¡¯s have our date after the Temple Raid tomorrow, mkay~?¡± Finn, remember what she said before about wanting to show him something important on their date, nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± Chapter 124: Unwanted Meeting Chapter 124: Unwanted Meeting ¨C The Next Morning ¨C The members of Squadron 154 and the Big Five (Four) gathered in the front hall once again, where Lei, Elder Hua, and Jim were. It was the day of the Temple Raid, the day to get rid of this ursed Emperor-level Ghost hiding within District A once and for all. Raiju was now residing within Finn¡¯s body, since he would being along for this mission as a final trump card. He normally hated doing this since it ¡®gave him no leg space¡¯, but Finn did not want the other teams they would be working with to find out about his ¡®pet¡¯ if possible. There would be no reason to bring a baby tiger to a Temple Raid, so this was the only way to do so without getting questioned. ¡°Mornin¡¯, fes,¡± Jim called out cheerily once they arrived,pletely rxed as usual. ¡°How y¡¯all doin¡¯ this fine day?¡± An awkward silence ensued ¡ª clearly, no one was going humor Jim¡¯s easy-going attitude. Elder Hua sighed in disappointment, and Lei took over from there to steer the conversation onto its proper course. ¡°Since you are all up and ready, I will now exin what¡¯s going to happen.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°On this mission, there will be three other teams joining us, sending their elite. We cannot send too many, for if we do, the Emperor will merely escape without even trying to meet the challenge. We have to make him think he has a chance at winning against us ¡ª that is why, a few elite is better than an army of soldiers.¡± Finn noticed that Lei used the term ¡®teams¡¯ rather than ¡®squadrons¡¯, but didn¡¯tment on it. Qi Ling, however, did. ¡°Master. You mentioned ¡®teams¡¯ just now, not ¡®squadrons¡¯. Does this mean¡­ one of the other guilds will be helping us?¡± ¡°Correct,¡± Lei replied, causing the others to drop their jaws in shock. ¡°W-Wait, that means¡­ this Temple¡­ it has more than just Phantoms?!¡± Octane cried. Lei nodded firmly, a grim expression on his face. ¡°ording to reliable sources, there are not only Phantoms in this Temple, but also Wraiths. That means¡­¡± ¡°Invisible bastards,¡± Jim muttered. ¡°Bloody hell.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you have experience fighting them, Jim?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Aye. I¡¯m a frence Ghost Hunter, so I¡¯ve dealt with every bloody Ghost archetype in the past,¡± Jim replied. ¡°Eidolons are the strongest of them, but the most annoyin¡¯ ones have gotta be Wraiths. Little bastards love bein¡¯ invisible. One minute ya see them, next minute yer gettin¡¯ bloody sted by magic in the back.¡± ¡°Wait, magic?¡± Tian Long interrupted, confused. ¡°Yes. ording to the books I¡¯ve read, Wraiths are like the mages of Ghosts,¡± Fanatic replied. ¡°They have low defense are are easy to kill, but their invisibility makes it difficult tond a hit. The Theocracy of Light, however, possesses special enchanted pendants that allows wearers to detect Wraiths in their invisible state. No other technology or magic is able to do that.¡± ¡°And they haven¡¯t spread that to the other guilds?¡± Irirs murmured. ¡°How selfish.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not quite it,¡± Lei cut in. ¡°The stone required to make the pendants is extremely rare ¡ª you can hardly me them for wanting to keep it to themselves only¡­ but that is beside the point. Everyone, follow me.¡± Lei stood up and brushed past everyone else, walking out of the building. The rest followed obediently. ¡°During this mission, there will be two Phantom yer Squadrons and two Theocracy Regiments to bnce it out,¡± Lei exined as they walked. ¡°Pick a leader amongst yourselves right now, just to make decision-making easier. You won¡¯t have time to argue inside the Temple.¡± ¡°Are you and Jim not going to go in with us?¡± Octane asked, scratching his head. ¡°No. Should you fail, we will take care of things ourselves, but the higher-ups at the GHO want to see what the new generation is capable of. These were direct orders from above, I cannot disobey them. Therefore¡­ keep in mind: if you fall into danger in there, you only have yourselves to count on.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Iris interrupted, narrowing her eyes. ¡°If we are one Phantom yer Squadron¡­ then who¡¯s the other?¡± Lei, after some hesitation, sighed. ¡°¡­ You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± ***** Lei led the group into a building behind the main hall, an area the others had never explored before. Inside was a teleporter device, simr to the one within Kasfield¡¯s Outfitters and the 154th Squadron¡¯s mansion, but bigger ¡ª enough to fit all of them. ¡°So this is where the teleporter is¡­¡± Octane murmured. ¡°Um¡­ actually, this is Master¡¯s personal one¡­¡± Yun Xin said hesitantly. ¡°The one the other disciples use is near the middle of the sect.¡± ¡°O-Oh.¡± Octane scratched his hair, blushing and looking away awkwardly. Iris, who was in her wheelchair, noticed this andughed softly. ¡°W-What?¡± Octane shot her a sideways nce of discontent. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Iris replied with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Octane pursed his lips and turned away, cheeks red from embarrassment. Meanwhile, Lei stepped onto the tform first, and the others following silently. No instructions were needed, as they all knew how this functioned. With a bright white sh, they were warped to their target destination¡­ which appeared to be When the group opened their eyes once more, they found themselves on the roof of a tall building. More specifically, it was the tallest skyscraper in District A. But what caught Squadron 154¡¯s eyes more than their surroundings¡­ were the people standing in front of them. ¡°¡­ Y-You¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡± Octane croaked, voice quivering in fear and shock. The figure, who sat behind a clean tableid out with white cloth, tilted his head and smiled, shaking the ss of wine in his hand. ¡°Greetings, Squadron 154. Or should I say¡­ Archon¡¯s saviors?¡± Fanatic¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-He knows¡­ but who¡­¡± ¡°Who betrayed you all, you ask?¡± The figure ¡ª Heartbeat ¡ªughed darkly. ¡°Heh¡­ do you really not know¡­ or are you just lying to yourself?¡± The truth was, the five of them all knew. They knew, but they didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± Heartbeat smiled sinisterly and nced behind him at one of the five men standing there. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should say hi to your old friends already? They look very eager to see you again.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ seems so,¡± the figure said quietly. Octane gulped at the familiarity of the voice. ¡°N-No¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­¡± The man who Heartbeat had been talking to smirked and pushed himself off the wall of the staircase leading up to the roof, emerging from the shadows. He had a familiar figure and voice, but most importantly of all¡­ ¡­ Those striking blue eyes were unmistakable. As the members of Archon¡¯s family descended into a chaos of emotions, the figure ¡ª Storm, Derek McLan ¡ª smiled arrogantly. ¡°Short time no see¡­ 154th Squadron.¡± Chapter 125: The Raid Begins Chapter 125: The Raid Begins ¡°S-Storm¡­¡± Fanatic muttered. ¡°You really¡­ betrayed us and told everything to that bastard¡­?!¡± Suddenly, Storm disappeared and dashed in front of Fanatic in an instant, lifting him up by the cor. ¡°Wha-!¡± ¡°Listen closely, middle schooler¡­ Heartbeat is hundreds of times better than you scum. I betrayed you? No, no, no¡­ you betrayed me first.¡± ¡°G-Guh¡­¡± Fanatic was frozen still at Storm¡¯s new speed and strong grip, sweat forming on his forehead. Finn and the others from Squadron 100 all tensed up, ready to fight, but a clear and booming voice cut through the air. ¡°Enough!¡± Lei shot Heartbeat an angry re, who was calmly sipping on his wine. With a sigh, he set the ss down on the table and spoke. ¡°Calm down, Storm. You needn¡¯t get so worked up over a simple name they called me. After all¡­ what does a mere maggot¡¯s opinion matter in a world of humans?¡± ¡°Y-You¡­!¡± Octane looked like he was ready to burst in rage on behalf of his friend, but Fanatic stopped him. ¡°Rx, Octane. Some people¡­ are just not worth getting mad over.¡± Heartbeat, faced with this insult, merely smiled. Storm smirked and let go of Fanatic atst, backing away. ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± he said, stopping in his tracks and grinning devilishly at the group. ¡°It¡¯s Hurricane now.¡± With a loud cackle, he returned to his spot behind Heartbeat, and Lei sighed deeply. ¡°This is the reason why I didn¡¯t tell you¡­¡± He muttered, shaking his head, then nced around the roof. ¡°Where are the others?¡± ¡°The Theocracy has never been timely,¡± Heartbeat replied with a shrug. ¡°They have yet to arrive.¡± But then, suddenly, a third voice interrupted their conversation. ¡°We heard that, heathen.¡± ¡°Oh, looks like they are here.¡± Heartbeat smiled and took a sip of his wine once more, crossing one leg over the other underneath the table. The old man who had interrupted the conversation seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, along with five younger men behind them. That was how teleportation looked like from an outsider¡¯s perspective. The group of them wore white robes that made them look like priests. On their head were white zhettos, lined with golden decorations with a cross-like design at the front. They truly were from the Theocracy of Light, given their outfits. From the other side, another sh of light urred, and another group wearing the same outfit emerged. Once again, it was led by an old priest, with five young men standing behind him respectfully. ¡°¡­ Long time no see, Shuraya, Shinfur,¡± Lei said, bowing in greeting. ¡°Mm. Likewise, Lei Feng,¡± Shuraya, the man on the right, said, simrly bowing downs slightly. Shinfur, the man on the right, did the same. ¡°This is the origin part of the paracausal signal,¡± Lei exined, not wasting any more time. ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Shuraya and Shinfur both nodded, confirming their teams were ready. ¡°Hold it,¡± Heartbeat cut in. ¡°We are all sending five people in¡­ yet you have nine. What is the meaning of this, Lei?¡± Lei narrowed his eyes in response. ¡°¡­ Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Of course there is,¡± Heartbeat replied with a soft snicker. ¡°With such an imbnce in number, fighting for rewards would hardly be fair for the rest of us, would it?¡± Lei snorted coldly. ¡°My disciples are not the type to do that. However¡­ I cannot say the same about yours.¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± Heartbeat said. ¡°Therefore¡­ I request you pick out five people among the disciples there right now, and send them in. The others¡­ will remain out here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lei fell silent, appearing conflicted, but neither Shuraya nor Shinfur spoke up to help him. They too were worried about Finn and the others using their numbers to take all the best rewards for themselves, but didn¡¯t say it on the surface, that¡¯s all. Of course, Heartbeat wasn¡¯t actually worried about that. This was just an excuse to get Lei to only send five people in ¡ª this would make it easier for Hurricane to capture Finn. Originally, Hurricane just wanted to outright kill Finn during this mission, but Heartbeat wouldn¡¯t let that happen. He convinced Hurricane to bring him back to the squadron alive, where Heartbeat could then force him into submission and discard Hurricane shortly after. That was the n, anyway. Lei, realizing he was outnumbered, sighed and turned around to face Finn and the others. Heartbeat, seeing this, smiled sinisterly, and so did Hurricane. ¡°¡­ Sorry, but¡­ you heard them. I will let you choose amongst yourselves who will go,¡± Lei said briskly. ¡°Alright,¡± Octane replied with a nod. ¡°In that case¡­ first of all, Finn and Ivis definitely have to go. Finn¡¯s power is incredible, and Ivis¡¯s Oculus Angelica was what let us win in the Dungeon.¡± ¡°No objections to that,¡± Tian Long said. ¡°As for the other three slots¡­ senior sister Qi, Reaper, and Si Shen should go.¡± ¡°No,¡± Qi Ling cut in, ncing at Si Shen. ¡°He can only use one attack, although powerful, before fainting. After that, he will only be a burden.¡± ¡°¡­ Tian Long, why don¡¯t you go?¡± Fanatic said. ¡°Your mes are really strong against Phantoms, and you are a formidable fighter.¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Tian Long scratched his cheek awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but¡­ Octane, you look like you want to go¡­¡± ¡°E-Eh? Do I? Ahaha¡­¡± Octaneughed awkwardly. ¡°Well, as much as I want to be there, fighting alongside all of you, I can¡¯t go for the same reason as Si Shen. My stamina holds me back by a lot, and there¡¯s no telling how long this Temple is.¡± ¡°Looks like it is decided, then,¡± Lei announced. ¡°Our roster will be Ace, Ivy, Reaper, Draco, and Frostbite, the foremost of which shall be leader. And¡­ one more thing before you go: Temples, unlike Dungeons, have thicker paracausal energy rippling through them. Any connection to the outside world, including radio devices and earms, is rendered unusable. In other words¡­ you are on your own in there, Hunters. Stay safe, and work as a team.¡± Saying this, he pulled out a vial of opaque ck liquid from his breast pocket and tenderly dripped a single drop on the ground. It was the same thing Jim had used to open up the portal to the Dungeon. And indeed, as soon as the fluid hit the floor, a massive swirling mass of ck and white energy appeared, rotating invitingly as if beckoning them to enter. ¡°¡­ Good luck,¡± Lei said, patting Finn on the shoulder. ¡°Best of luck, kid!¡± Jim hollered from a short distance away. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me after all those bloody new tricks I taught ya, ya hear me?!¡± ¡°You guys b-better not let me down,¡± Elder Hua muttered quietly, averting her gaze in embarrassment, unused to situations like this. ¡°I-I-I did offer a week of my time to train you, after all.¡± ¡°Disciples¡­ we will await your return,¡± Shuyara and Shifur said at the same time, closing their eyes. The team of young Hunters nodded firmly, then turned around and stepped through the portal. The House of Crimson Moons wasst to go. ¡°Hurricane,¡± Heartbeat said right before he entered. Hurricane stopped in his tracks and slowly tilted his head just enough to nce back. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t overdo it, yes?¡± Everyone else thought he was just referring to the Ghosts. But in reality¡­ Hurricane smirked, the fog of evil clouding over his once clear deep blue eyes. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t.¡± Chapter 126: The Temples Entrance Chapter 126: The Temple''s Entrance Immediately after stepping through the portal, the group found themselves within the same pitch-ck realm once more. shes of white lightning streaked across the dimension, but there was no rain. Asteroid belts soared violently, unconstrained by the gravity as if this was deep space. The group stood on top of a grey rock, just barely visible. In front of them, several more rocksy levitating in the air, rotating slowly and acting as a bridge. And at the end of it all¡­ a cathedral stood. It was massive ¡ª approximately a football field¡¯s length in terms of width, and the highest point was as tall as a three-story-building. Just like the church that held Dar¡¯ Talor¡¯s Dungeon, however, this cathedral was shattered and broken, giving off an ominous feeling that made the group¡¯s skin crawl. ¡°H-Hah¡­ so this is a Temple, huh?¡± Hurricane muttered, forcing a confident smile onto his face and ignoring the sweat that had formed on his forehead. ¡°Since you all look so scared¡­ I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± Saying this, he stepped forward and jumped to the next rock, footsteps light and agile. Iris, who sat on Finn¡¯s shoulders and witnessed this, narrowed her eyes. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ be more agile than before. It would be safe to assume he has gotten stronger as well, with the help of Heartbeat. Be careful, Ace¡­ he¡¯ll definitely try something on this mission.¡± Finn nodded firmly. ¡°I know.¡± Then, he activated the wings on his armor and took off from the ground, flying through the air with ease. Iris did the same, soaring side by side with Finn. Together, the two were like an angel and a nephilim, one with white wings and one with ck. They passed Hurricane and the others from the House of Crimson Moons with ease, andnded directly in front of the cathedral after about half a minute of flying. Hurricane, seeing this, gritted his teeth in annoyance. ¡°Bastard¡­ doing that just to spite me, huh?¡± He muttered, ring at Finn¡¯s back. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can show off for¡­ hmph.¡± Of course, the real reason Finn did this was simply because it was faster and less risky than doing the parkour, but Hurricane¡¯s jealousy blinded all logical thought when it came to anything involving Finn. The others all made their way across soon after, standing before the enormous cathedral. Now that they were up close, they felt the sensation of dread washing over their bodies amplify. Then, the two massive wooden doors in front of them ¡ª the only entrance ¡ª opened up with a loud nking sound, as if weing them. ¡°It¡¯s inviting us in¡­¡± One of the Hunters from Shuyara¡¯s team murmured, staring into the pitch-ck darkness within. ¡°Might as well ept the offer,¡± another added, stepping forward boldly. But then, suddenly, a powerful suction forceshed out from inside the cathedral, bringing everyone to their feet. ¡°Ngh-!¡± The Hunters groaned in unison as they were unwillingly swept off their feet, slowly being dragged into the cathedral. ¡°No¡­ that wasn¡¯t an invitation¡­¡± Iris gritted her teeth and attempted to hold onto the edge of the doorway, with Finn holding onto her hand. ¡°We never¡­ had a choice¡­!¡± She could feel her fingers slipping, and the others were struggling to fight back as well. They attempted to summon their Angelicas tobat this force, but the struggle was futile. The suction power, as if there was a ck hole inside the cathedral, continued to grow stronger and stronger, and the group¡¯s Angelicas could not resist in time. ¡°D-Damn¡­!¡± Hurricanes¡¯s eyes widened as the trunk of the dead tree he had been holding onto tore apart, and he was sucked into the cathedral. ¡°AH-!¡± His screams faded away instantly, drowned out by the immense wind of the suction force. ¡°AGH¡­!¡± ¡°S-SHIT¡­!¡± ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Finn gritted his teeth as more and more of them were sucked in. If he used his tentacles, he could probably escape from this, but that would risk the others bing suspicious of him being a Ghost¡­ ¡°Wha-!¡± Suddenly, the patch of grass Iris had been holding onto was torn out of the dirt, and both of them were sent flying into the cathedral as well. Atst, the group was unable to hold on anymore, and they were absorbed into the building as the doors shut tight behind them. SLAM! ***** ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn groaned, feeling a warm weight on his body. He could feel dull pain on the back of his head; he probably smacked into something hard. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Iris, who hadnded on top of him, slowly lifted her head off of Finn¡¯s chest and loosened her grip on his clothes a bit. ¡°It¡¯s so dark¡­¡± A green aura surrounded her body, highlighting her normally one-purple-one-turquoise eyes the same color. ¡°Eye of Twilight ¡ª Nightvision.¡± ncing around, Iris spotted their teammatesying motionlessly by the walls. Not dead, but unconscious from the impact. The only reason she herself wasn¡¯t fainted was because Finn had taken the blow ¡ª or rather, he had discretely used his tentacles to (not that anyone else knew). ¡°This ce¡­¡± Iris gulped. ¡°I feel an overwhelming emotion of darkness creeping up my body.¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah. I feel it too,¡± Finn added, slowly standing up from the ground and carrying Iris on his shoulders. ¡°That way,¡± Iris instructed, instructing Finn to head towards where Qi Ling and Reapery. Since Reaper was a robot, he wasn¡¯t unconscious, but the impact did do some minor damage to its metal frame. Luckily, none of its vital parts were harmed. Qi Ling, on the other hand, had used thin ice to break her fall to minimize impact, but was still hurt. There was blood on her forehead and her breathing was somewhat ragged. She had gotten unlucky and mmed straight into one of therge stone pirs. ¡°Frostbite¡­¡± Iris murmured as Finn bent down, allowing her to check on Qi Ling. ¡°Engh¡­¡± Qi Ling groaned under her breath, slowly opening her crimson eyes that contrasted with her blue hair. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Iris asked in worry. ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Qi Ling replied through grit teeth, but judging from the strain in her voice and sweat on her face, that was anything but true. It must be difficult for her to even talk right now. ¡°Is there someone with the Healer Angelica here¡­?¡± Iris asked out loud, hoping someone else was awake already. ¡°I am,¡± someone said from the other side of the room. Iris immediately turned in their direction and saw one of the people from Shiphur¡¯s Regiment standing up slowly, a light green aura surrounding him with the projection of a cross above his head. ¡°Allow me to take a look.¡± Chapter 127: Troublesome Allies Chapter 127: Troublesome Allies Since the Healer didn¡¯t have night vision like Iris did with her Oculus Angelica, Finn used The Star card of the Cardmaster Angelica to light the way. As an aside, he found out he could actually use cards from the Cardmaster Angelica even after he switched to a different Angelica, so long as the activation process had alreadypleted. The Healer had already healed his own wounds, and was now working on Qi Ling. He closed his eyes and hovered his hand over her glistening forehead, lined with beads of sweat and crimson liquid blood. A faint green light pulsed underneath in his palm, and Qi Ling¡¯s expression slowly eased up. In the meantime, Finn and Iris took advantage of this opportunity to observe their surroundings. The first ce they checked was the door ¡ª which, of course, was locked. Busting through it wasn¡¯t an option, since as soon as they came into contact with the door¡¯s surface, their powers were drained for whatever reason. It was as if an enchantment had been ced on the material, one that temporarily suppressed strength. Directly across from the door, therey a staircase leading up. The steps were made of pure marble, but the lighting made it look dark navy blue rather than white. It was wide but not steep, and at the top of it, there was another door, decorated with two broken vases on either side. The nts that used to be in them had died long ago, and all that remained was empty, fractured ss. The air in the room was dense and musty, meaning this building was quite old. Iris could see thickyers of dust umted on the railings of the stairs and the steps themselves ¡ª no one had touched this ce in years. That said, the Temple itself was obviously quite new, created only when the Emperor settled down here ¡ª the old features of this structure was just a reflection of this same ce in the real world. From where the group was right now, they had three options to go. There was a corridor leading to their left, one leading to their right, and the door above the stairs. Finn opted to explore one of the paths while the others were being healed one by one, but Iris insisted it was too dangerous. This was, after all, the home to an Emperor-level Ghost. The enemies they found in here would be significantly stronger than the ones normally found in minor Outbreaks. Soon after, the Healer had finished picking up everyone back on their feet. There was another person wielding the Healer Angelica in the other Theocracy Regiment, so they had two Healers in this group. As they were rare to begin with, they must be protected at all costs during this mission. ¡°Agh¡­ what the hell was that¡­?¡± Hurricane muttered, pressing his hand to his forehead. It would seem he hit his head against a pir when flying in, thus causing a lingering headache even after the actual injury had been healed. ¡°It would seem the Emperor wants to eliminate us as well, just like we wish to eliminate him,¡± the tallest Hunter in Shuyara¡¯s group replied, folding his arms. ¡°Very well. We shall meet the challenge.¡± ¡°There are three ways we can go from here,¡± Iris said firmly. ¡°One, that corridor to our left-¡° The group all turned left- ¡°Two, the corridor to our right-¡° The group turned right- ¡°And finally, that door at the top of this staircase,¡± she concluded, causing everyone to look up over the flights of stairs and at the eloquently designed stone door. ¡°Which will it be?¡± ¡°The door looks the most suspicious,¡± one of the punks from the House of Crimson Moons said with a grin, cracking his knuckles. ¡°Who knows? The Emperor could be hiding right behind it.¡± ¡®¡­ Is this guy stupid, or did he just not participate in a Baron Hunt?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®The final boss won¡¯t just be sitting at the beginning of the Temple¡­¡¯ All the others appeared to be thinking the same thing, but the House of Crimson Moons waspletely unconcerned and began ascending the stairs. ¡°Hold it,¡± Tian Long interrupted, stepping forward. ¡°Huh?¡± The punk stopped and raised an eyebrow arrogantly at him. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I believe it is better if we get to know each other¡¯s powers and aliases first,¡± Tian Long replied. ¡°This will allow of us to have more effectivemunication and teamwor-¡° ¡°Ha!¡± The punk chuckled. ¡°Oi, guys ,did you hear what he just said? HAHAHA!¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Tian Long frowned in confusion. ¡°Hahaha!¡± The other members of the House of Crimson Moons joined in on theughter as well, as if the others were all idiots. ¡°You guys wanna sit around here and do self-introductions like in middle school? By all means, by all means!¡± Hurricane pped his hands together in mock praise. ¡°We¡¯ll just go on ahead and take all the good loot for ourselves. Please, excuse us ¡ª and take your time, haha!¡± With theirughter echoing across the stone walls of this enormous cathedral chamber, the five of them pushed open the door after some effort and disappeared from sight. ¡°D-Damn¡­!¡± Tian Long hurriedly ran after them, but Finn reached out and pulled him on the back of his cor. ¡°Wha-!¡± ¡°¡­ Sit.¡± ¡°But those guys¡­ they¡­¡± ¡°Hmph. Rewards? No rewardes without difficulty,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°If they want to test out all the traps and encounters in this ce for us¡­ so be it. I wee their help.¡± Hearing the brutality in his words, the people from the Theocracy of Light couldn¡¯t help but gulp in fear. They were holy believers; to them, Finn had essentially justmitted an evil sin by saying that. Still, however, they detested the House of Crimson Moons more for their arrogant attitudes and refusal to work as a team with the rest of them, so they didn¡¯t say anything about Finn. When weighing two evils together, pick the lesser ¡ª as the saying goes. ¡°Now then¡­ let¡¯s all briefly go over our aliases and Angelicas, then follow them,¡± Iris said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll start.¡± Chapter 128: First Encounter Chapter 128: First Encounter Soon, the self-introductions were over. Of the two Theocracy of Light Regiments, there were two Healer Angelicas, two Pharaoh Angelicas (sand maniption), another Oculus Angelica, a Nightstalker Angelica, a Lightbearer Angelica, a Stormbringer Angelica, a Waterwielder Angelica, and an Earthshaker Angelica. With the final three of this set plus Tian Long, all four elemental Angelicas were gathered ¡ª mebreather, control over fire, Stormbringer, control over lightning, Waterwielder, control over water, and Earthshaker,mand over the earth itself. It is said that when these four powers of nature joined forces, the results would be incredible. Finn couldn¡¯t help but wonder what would happen if he stole all of them ¡ª would his body explode from the opposite and shing elemental mana? Probably not, considering all Angelicas had extremely different mana unique to their own regardless of whether their natures contrast with one another or not, but he still wanted to test it out. Still, he couldn¡¯t just walk up to one of them, tap them on their shoulder, and make them faint. He needed a good opportunity, unless he wanted to reveal his powers to everyone here which would ¡ª quite frankly ¡ª be pretty stupid. These Theocracy of Light guys could betray him at any minute if they found out about his mysterious powers ¡ª they already weren¡¯t exactly too happy with Finn¡¯s cruel thought process and cold personality, but add this point on and they are bound to be hateful. And needless to say¡­ Finn wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to think he can take on all of them at the same time yet, even with the others by his side. As such, stealing their Angelicas will have toe untilter, whenever an opportunity presented itself. Acaya, designated leader of Shuyara¡¯s team and wielder of the Pharaoh Angelica, turned to the stairs. ¡°Now that the self-introductions areplete¡­ I believe we should follow the others. They should not have gotten far ahead, considering how short we took.¡± The rest agreed and all began heading up the marble stairway, then through the door that had been forcefully opened by their troublesome allies moments earlier. Strangely, however, it didn¡¯t lead to a closed corridor or another room like they thought. Instead, whaty beyond the door¡­ was outside. There was a straight pathway leading to another door about 100 meters directly across from where they were, with a roof in parallel above it that was supported by numerous skinny pirs. However, the group was too focused on their surroundings to bother with that at the moment. On either side of the pathway was a once-beautiful garden, painted greyscale by the Paracausal Realm. Numerous square-shaped flower beds constructed from stoney elevated from the ground in perfect symmetry with one another, but the nts that had once been inside them were long withered and gone. Ornamental hedges that once formed statues of religious figures and symbolsy broken and abandoned. A thickyer of fogy over the garden, giving it a bone-chilling creepy atmosphere that made the group¡¯s spines tingle. Beyond it were the faint ck silhouettes of the garden¡¯s walls, just barely visible. ¡°This is¡­ quite ominous,¡± Ashika ¡ª the woman leading Shiphur¡¯s team ¡ª pointed out, narrowing her golden eyes that held the Oculus Angelica. ¡°But¡­ this is weird. There is so much dust umted on the floor, yet there are no footprints of the people from the House of Crimson Moons.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°I¡¯m trying to use the Eye of Omnipotence, but I can¡¯t see anything that may lead to this happening. The tracks we left are still there¡­¡± ¡°Maybe they ventured out into this garden?¡± Tian Long suggested, looking out at the foggy, empty courtyard. ¡°There should still have been tracks left near the beginning of the pathway, though¡­¡± Iris shot that idea down. ¡°Let¡¯s just continue onwards to the door,¡± Toth, a Nightstalker Angelica user from Acaya¡¯s team said. ¡°Maybe we can find out what happened then.¡± The rest of them nodded in agreement and began walking again. Strangely, however, the closer they got to that door, they felt tension rising. For reasons unexined, they began feeling nervous, as if they knew danger was imminent but they didn¡¯t know what. The hairs on their skin rose, and cold wind blew against their faces to send shivers up their spines. As soon as they passed the halfway point mark, however, things got worse. ¡°GRRR¡­¡± ¡°RAGH¡­¡± ¡°SKREE¡­ HEEHEE¡­¡± The group stopped in their tracks, forming a circle formation and scanning their surroundings carefully. ¡°You guys¡­ hear that?¡± Qi Ling asked, narrowing her deep crimson eyes and activating her Angelica. A bird of ice appeared above her, the look in its eyes matching its wielder¡¯s. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Acaya muttered, conjuring sand from seemingly out of mid-air and surrounding his group with it for protection. ¡°No doubt¡­ those are the sounds of a Ghost.¡± ¡°A Ghost?¡± Ashika smiled smugly. ¡°No¡­ there¡¯s clearly far more than just one.¡± As if on cue, several ck silhouettes began rising up in the distance, masked by the fog. Some with tentacles, others hovering in the air, and some just inly walking. Big, small, weapon, no weapon ¡ª there were all sorts. Clearly, they weren¡¯t just Phantoms. ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­ there¡¯s too many, isn¡¯t there?¡± Abdol, user of the Earthshaker Angelica, clenched his fists as more and more figures began rising. ¡°Tch¡­¡± Ashika gritted her teeth, her smile from earlier nowhere to be seen. On both sides, the silhouettes began crawling closer, slowlying into view. Hundreds of Ghosts emerged ¡ª this wasn¡¯t just a simple pincer attack. This¡­ was an entire army of them. ¡°¡­ Well, this is just great,¡± Obo, the other Pharaoh Angelica user, muttered in heavy sarcasm. ¡°We can¡¯t fight this!¡± Tian Long called out. ¡°Run for the door!¡± The group all ran for the door that was closest to them, opposite to the one they came from. The Ghosts crawled after them, thirsty and hungry for blood and flesh. Some of them had ghastly white bodies and noseless sgow smiles while others in the back had no faces at all and hovered in the air, wearing worn-down prisoner-like hoodies and holding scepters in their skeleton-like hands. They were Phantoms and Wraiths, respectively. Suddenly, however, the Wraiths vanished all at once, turning invisible. Acaya¡¯s noticed this, then hurriedly grabbed the pendant hanging around his neck and looked at it. The jewel embedded within had eight sides, and the one to their right and left were shining. His eyes widened. ¡°Everyone, DUCK!¡± Chapter 129: Sabotage Chapter 129: Sabotage ¡°Everyone, DUCK!¡± Suddenly, multiple sts of purple energy came flying towards the group from both their left and right, like tadpoles burning with purple mes. ¡°Wha-!¡± The group immediately all ducked, letting the magic attacks soar above their heads and disappear into the fog on either sides. The Wraiths had spaced themselves perfectly so that their attacks would not hit one another on the other end, forming an offset line. Several secondster, dull explosions could be heard in the distance as the attacks struck the garden¡¯s walls. ¡°Hurry! Run!¡± Acaya yelled, dashing forward as the Wraiths prepared another volley of attacks. ¡°The door is right up ahead! Montu, break through!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Montu was the alias of Abdol, the Earthshaker Angelica wielder. He had arge frame and muscr body, so he took the lead, picking up his pace and preparing to ram the door straight open. ¡°ARGH!¡± With a roar, he mmed into the door with all of his might, pushing it open¡­ a bit. Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This is¡­ there¡¯s debris cluttered behind this door!¡± ¡°What?! Then how did those guys get in?!¡± Tian Long cried in shock. ¡°Tch¡­ there¡¯s no time to worry about that!¡± Ashika yelled. ¡°Aquira, use your geysers to st this thing open!¡± ¡°On it!¡± A short-haired girl named Iyesha sped her hands together as a light blue glow surrounded her body, signaling the Waterwielder Angelica. She sped her hands together and grinded them against one another before slowly separating them atst. A vortex appeared between them, and out came a powerful geyser of water that sted the doors. But even so¡­ it did not budge. The geyser was doing work, but at this rate, they wouldn¡¯t make it. The Wraiths were stillunching attacks, and the Phantoms were closing in fast. ¡°SKREE!¡± As if on cue, the Phantoms squealed in delight as they jumped up into the air within distance, ws outstretched and tentacles at the ready. They opened their sgow smiles, revealing rows of sharp teeth within their mouths. Finn furrowed his brows, using Devil¡¯s Timing to detect their precise locations, and prepared to use The Magician card to st the group of Phantoms away. Reaper did the same, readying his scythe and preparing to jump into the air to slice the Ghosts into pieces, but someone else had them covered ¡ª literally. ¡°Hear me, Mother Earth!¡± Abdol raised his arms and mmed his fists into the ground, the bright yellow glow around him bing brighter. ¡°Lend me your strength, O¡¯ Divine Nature, and allow me to shake even the heavens! Code of the Earthshaker ¡ª WARD OF THE MOUNTAINS!¡± Immediately, several pirs of pure rock shot out of the ground and enclosed the group of them in arge dome, right as the Phantoms jumped at them. ¡°Good going, Montu!¡± Acayaplimented. ¡°Ngh¡­ I can¡¯t hold on for long¡­ they¡¯re piling up on top of the dome¡­!¡± Although it wasn¡¯t much, Qi Ling reinforced the dome of protection with her own ice,yers uponyers of it. ¡°How much longer, Aquira?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Almost¡­ a couple seconds more!¡± Iyesha replied, biting her bottom lip in concentration. The debris behind the doors were wobbling, almost broken through. But the question was, could theyst a couple more seconds? Cracks began appearing on the ceiling of the dome as the Phantoms used their ws and tentacles to dig into it, paired with the Wraiths¡¯ relentless arcane attacks of paracausal energy. The fractures became bigger and bigger, while Abdol tried desperately to hold up his defenses, pouring everyst bit of mana he had into this. Finn, realizing this wasn¡¯t going to work, sighed and made his move. ¡°Stand aside,¡± he said to Iyesha, who looked at him in surprise but did as told. In his mind, he activated the Strength card, allowing him to possess incredible superhuman muscle power for a short period of time. Rearing his fist back, shining with converged white mana, Finn swung forward and unleashed the strongest punch he had ever thrown while Iris, on his shoulders, held on tight. In that instant, two things happened. One, the Phantoms tore through Abdol¡¯s and Qi Ling¡¯s defenses of stone and ice, wing their way inside, mouths dripping saliva. And two¡­ the door was bust open with a clean strike from Finn, knocking all the debris away and letting them enter. ¡°Quick, through the door!¡± Tian Long yelled and charged through the door first while everyone else followed, with Qi Ling and Abdol taking up the rear. Once they were all inside, Finn mmed the doors shut and held it in ce with his extraordinary but temporary strength, while the Phantoms attempted to wed their way in on the other side. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± He gritted his teeth and held on, but his feet were slipping. One person, even with his superhuman strength, was unable to beat hundreds of Ghosts in a battle of strength. But they weren¡¯t the only ones with allies. Iris was also using her strength above Finn, and Abdol and the others joined in to help as well, pushing the stone door together. Faced with a collective, structured team like this, the disorganized Ghosts who had no sense of teamwork without a leader could not simply rely on their raw strength anymore, and were pushed back sessfully. SLAM! The door was shut tight once more, but no one dared to take their hands off of it. There was still the chance that the Phantoms would break in, after all. But after a few seconds¡­ ¡°¡­ They¡¯re gone,¡± Iris said, having used her Oculus Angelica to sense the Ghosts. ¡°They all retreated back underground, beneath the garden.¡± Ashika nodded in confirmation. ¡°I can¡¯t sense them anymore either. They seem to have given up.¡± After hearing this, the Theocracy members all checked the pendant around their necks, which held a beautiful red jewel within. ¡°None of the sides are shining,¡± Acaya said. ¡°The Wraiths are gone too.¡± With this confirmed, the group all let out sighs of relief and backed away from the stone doors. Finn¡¯s Strength card expired, and the glow around his hand faded away. ¡°Still¡­ who would put debris there, and where are the people from the House of Crimson Moons? If they went this way, they must¡¯ve had to deal with this debris before us,¡± Tian Long murmured. ¡°Who said they had to deal with the debris?¡± Finn cut in coldly, leaning against a wall with Iris sitting on top of his shoulders. ¡°¡­ What are you getting at?¡± Abdol asked, frowning with a serious expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Ling snorted, cing a hand on her hip and answering in Finn¡¯s stead. ¡°Those scum¡­ they are the ones who set up this barricade.¡± Chapter 130: Internal Conflict Chapter 130: Internal Conflict ¡°W-Wha¡­ but how¡­¡± Acaya muttered in shock, not wanting to believe the people who were supposed to be their allies had sabotaged them. ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Iris continued, picking up where Qi Ling left off. ¡°They passed through this path before us, so they knew those Ghosts were going to emerge out of the ground and start attacking. Because of that, they barricaded the exit on purpose in the hopes of getting us killed.¡± ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± Acaya groaned, crouching down and rubbing his forehead. ¡°Why would¡­ why would they do that¡­¡± ¡°U-Um, maybe they were trying to use the barricade to prevent the Phantoms from getting inside, like we just were¡­?¡± Iyesha suggested. ¡°Stop being delusional,¡± Finn said harshly. ¡°One, setting up this barricade takes time, and two, they could have simply removed it after the Ghosts all retreated ¡ª but they didn¡¯t. Why do you think that is?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At this, everyone who originally still had a sliver of hope for the House of Crimson Moons fell silent, unable to argue for them anymore even if they wanted to. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, though,¡± Ashika murmured, bending down and picking up a sharp shard of a broken bookshelf that had been part of the barricade in her delicate hands. ¡°How does this benefit them in any way?¡± At this, Finn and Iris both fell silent, knowing the reason all too well. Qi Ling noticed their reactions and closed her beautiful eyes, folding her arms beneath her ample chest. ¡°Perhaps they are just that evil. The House of Crimson Moons, Squadron 7, has always had an¡­ unsightly reputation.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Acaya muttered, clenching his fists. ¡°Still¡­ they need to be taught a lesson. I won¡¯t let this go unpunished.¡± ¡°Heheh¡­ ain¡¯t that true.¡± Ashika grinned and stood back up, tossing the piece of wood she had been holding back onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not a very forgiving person.¡± ¡°Bastards¡­¡± Abdol gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles. ¡°We shall convert them to the Lord¡­ he will show mercy,¡± the Healer by the name of Chisis who healed Qi Ling earlier said, closing his eyes and making a praying posture. Finn snorted and muttered under his breath. ¡°Your Lord may show mercy¡­ but I sure won¡¯t.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Where Hurricane¡¯s Team Was ¨C The group sat around in a room of the cathedral, lined with luxurious couches and beautiful decorations. When they first came across this ce, they thought it was a trap, but they¡¯d been here for a few minutes now and nothing has happened, so they assumed this was just a safe zone of sorts within this Temple. As such, they decided to just a take a short break here. ¡°Hurricane¡­ you sure that was the right call back there?¡± The Brawler Angelica user, Duke (real name: Cameron Zill) asked. ¡°What? Worried they¡¯ll try to get revenge on us or something?¡± Hurricaneughed darkly. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m sure we can beat them with ease,¡± Duke replied. ¡°After all, we have the special blood training the patriarch gave to us. But what I¡¯m saying is¡­ what if they died back there? The patriarch wanted you to bring back the blind one alive, right?¡± ¡°Rx,¡± Hurricane said. ¡°That was just a little test I set for him. If he can¡¯t even get past that¡­ then there¡¯s no reason for the patriarch to be interested in him, is there?¡± ¡°¡­ I guess,¡± Duke said with a shrug. The other three didn¡¯t seem to have anyints either, since two of them were busy taking a nap. They had, after all, stayed up the whole night cultivating their blood as part of the training Heartbeat forced them to undergo. Hurricane, seeing that he had convinced his four teammates, smirked in his heart. ¡®A test? Ha¡­ bunch of idiots,¡¯ he thought. ¡®Heartbeat thinks I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s nning? I knew from the moment he asked me to keep that bastard Finn alive. Heartbeat is only using me as a tool to get closer to him, and does not see me for my true worth just like everyone else. But it¡¯s fine¡­ since he¡¯s providing me with good help to get stronger, I¡¯ll tolerate it for now. But letting Finn get out of this ce alive? Think again, Heartbeat. I¡¯m not just some pawn you can manipte to your will. One day¡­ I¡¯ll overthrow even you and take your ce.¡¯ As Hurricane smiled ambitiously while thinking these thoughts, Duke looked at the time on a grandfather clock ced in the room. ¡°It¡¯s been 15 minutes. We should get going, if we don¡¯t want those morons to catch up to us.¡± Hurricane nodded and stood up from his seat, then nced at his three other teammates, who were still sound asleep, snoring loudly. ¡°Oi, Shadow, Ripple, Jester. Wake up. We¡¯re going.¡± The three, however, continued to sleep soundly,pletely ignoring hismand. Duke chuckled. ¡°Like hell a quiet-ass sentence like that¡¯s gonna wake them up. In situations like these, you need a good punch to their face.¡± He moved up and was about to sink his fist into one of the three¡¯s snoring, rxed faces, but Hurricane stopped him. ¡°Your punches will knock them out cold, not wake them up. Let me handle this.¡± As Dukeughed and said ¡°damn straight,¡± Hurricane lifted his own arm, opened his palm, and pointed it towards the three sleeping figures. ¡°Now then¡­ let¡¯s see how good my control has be, with the help of the blood training.¡± He channeled mana through his own body and to his fingertips, then let it flow out without chanting at all. This caused the energy to be raw and disorganized, but that was fine for Hurricane. The best Stormbringers out there were able to control their lightning to their will, even though this would make it extremely weak. Blue sparks of electricity formed at the tips of Storm¡¯s fingers, then suddenly shot out towards the three sleeping figures, one bolt each. The strands of lightning were so thin that one could barely see them soaring through the air, but it was enough. ¡°B-Blllllegh!¡± The three sleeping Hunters jolted awake with a shock, electricity rippling through their bodies. They all turned to Hurricane, eyes widened and blinking several times in rapid session. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I tried waking you guys up normally, but you wouldn¡¯t respond. That¡¯s why I resorted to doing this ¡ª and besides, would you rather have been clobbered by Duke?¡± ¡°N-Nah, you¡¯re right¡­ sorry,¡± Ripple said. ¡°I was just too tired. Let¡¯s go.¡± Saying this, the boy whose alias was Ripple headed for the door, but- SLAM! ¡°Wha-!¡± ¡°Careful!¡± Shadow yelled, narrowing his deep ck eyes and wrinkling the mask that covered his nose and mouth. He pulled his oversized hoodie over his head and drew two dark knives glowing ck particles from his belt, holding one in each hand. The five immediately got into fighting positions and formed a circle so that they all their backs to each other, as the furniture all around them began shaking. The floor itself wasn¡¯t shaking ¡ª the furniture were. Then, they morphed. The couches, the chandelier, the grandfather clock, the bookshelves, the ss table, the wooden desk ¡ª everything morphed. Their bodies distorted and turned into a humanoid shape, while any color they had were erased to reveal the ghastly and unmistakable white of Phantoms. The Ghosts, now in their original forms, squirmed their tentacles and revealed their creepy smiles, edging closer and closer to the group. ¡°Shit¡­ so it was a trap after all, huh?¡± Duke muttered, cracking his knuckles and bracing himself for a fight. ¡°Heheh¡­ too bad¡­ they¡¯re Ghosts¡­ I can¡¯t drink their blood¡­¡± Jester whispered softly, licking the de of his own dagger with a crazed look in his eyes. ¡°¡­ Calm down,¡± Hurricane said, being the leader of the group. ¡°It¡¯s just a couple of Morpher-sses. We can take them on easily, just watch your back. Everyone ¡ª split!¡± Chapter 131: The Search Chapter 131: The Search ¡°SKREEE!¡± The Phantoms jumped forward all at once, eager to tear through the group of humans with their long tentacles and sharp ws, then feed on their flesh with their rows of sharp teeth. But of course, the Ghost Hunters of the House of Crimson Moons weren¡¯t just going to let them do that. ¡°Hmph.¡± Shadow¡¯s body began glowing a ck aura as he seemingly entered the ground, teleporting from shadow to shadow. The Phantoms were powerless as he suddenly jumped out of their own dark reflections and cut them down ruthlessly with his two knives, emitting ck particles of energy. Jester, on the other hand, used his Trickster Angelica to make multiple copies of himself and attack the Ghosts all at once. While the creatures were distracted by his clones, the real Jester would sneak up behind them and lop their heads clean off with his dagger, then grin like a maniac and move onto his next target. Unlike the other two, Duke used nothing but his own fists and clobbered the Phantoms straight in their bodies with such force that they exploded ¡ª the more dangerous part of fighting them was not killing them, but to avoid the blood sshing everywhere. Meanwhile, Ripple and Hurricane chanted to unleash a devastating AoE magic attack while the others protected them. ¡°Come, chaotic levin, I hereby release thy seal. Cleanse this world of evil and turn all enemies mine into nothing but ash. Be my de, Divine Lightning ¡ª Shockwave!¡± Hurricane mmed the ground with his charged fist, sending out a powerful wave of arc energy in a hemisphere shape to his front. Shadow, Jester, and Duke all backed off to avoid getting caught in the attack as well, but the Phantoms were not as lucky. They were evaporated in an instant, electrocuted to ashes and fading away. The few Phantoms that remained on the other side were taken care of by Ripple, who wielded the Audiowave Angelica ¡ªmand over sound. ¡°You may want to cover your ears for this one,¡± Ripple said, then slipped on the headphones around his neck as he smiled and closed his eyes, a light green glow surrounding his body. Then, quietly, he chanted the attack¡¯s name. ¡°Harsh Whisper.¡± ¡°SKREEEEEEEE!¡± Immediately, the Phantoms all screamed in fear as an explosive, high-pitched banshee-like shriek erupted in the room, driving everyone¡¯s ears crazy. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Shadow groaned as he covered his ears tightly, as did the others. The Phantoms, however, weren¡¯t smart enough to do that, and were wiped out by the soundwaves. They copsed onto the floor, ck liquid flowing out the sides of their pale white heads where their internal ears were located. Ripple, with a smirk on his face, slowly removed his headset and hung them around his neck once more. ¡°And that¡¯s that.¡± ¡°Jesus¡­¡± Shadow muttered, moving his hands away from his ears. ¡°After this mission, I am requesting to switch teammates.¡± ¡°Same¡­¡± Duke pped his own ear a couple of times. ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s a stupid buzzing in my ear now¡­¡± Hurricane sighed and stood up from the floor. ¡°Come on. Stopining. Let¡¯s get out of this room already.¡± The others nodded in agreement and piled out of the room before they triggered another trap. Unseen by them, however¡­ a ck orb appeared in the air out of nowhere like a singrity behind a ck hole, then began sucking in everything in the room. The objects were pulled but not sucked in, while the Phantom corpses and blood were. Shortly after, the orb disappeared, leaving behind a clutter of broken furniture in the middle of the room. ***** ¨C Several Minutes Earlier, Where Finn and the Others Were ¨C As the group walked down the corridor in search of the House of Crimson Moons, the two Theocracy of Light Regiments took the lead. Tian Long and Reaper were up with them, leaving Finn, Iris on his head, and Qi Ling taking up the rear. ¡°¡­ Thank you,¡± Finn said quietly after a while. Qi Ling yed dumb and didn¡¯t even bother looking at him. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°¡­ Helping me cover up my personal conflict with Hurricane. If the Theocracy of Light Regiments found out about this, they would inevitably begin to see us as enemies, dragging the operation down because of a personal matter.¡± ¡°Hmph. I just didn¡¯t want to sow any more internal conflict. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That may be so, but¡­ the truth is, they will find out eventually, after we encounter the House of Crimson Moons again,¡± Iris said. ¡°Though I suppose we can burn that bridge when we get there.¡± ¡°Still¡­ thanks,¡± Finn said gratefully, to which Qi Ling finally nced at him. And for the first time, her lips curved up into a slight smile. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t know you could actually say thank you like that.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could smile like that.¡± ¡°Wha- how did you-?!¡± Qi Ling was taken aback, a blush creeping up her face. ¡°Ivy told me.¡± Iris, who had whispered into Finn¡¯s ear discretely, winked at Qi Ling and made a V-sign with her fingers. ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± Qi Ling turned away and pursed her lips, embarrassed. [Fufu~ she¡¯s pretty cute when she¡¯s blushing like that, isn¡¯t she?] Zelestria giggled inside Finn¡¯s mind, watching all of this unfold in amusement. But then, suddenly, a loud banshee-like shriek came from further up ahead, seemingly to the right. The group stopped, confused. ¡°¡­ What in heaven¡¯s name was that?¡± Ashika asked, eyes darting around, alert. ¡°Not sure,¡± Acaya replied, frowning in confusion. ¡°Be careful.¡± [That noise¡­ it didn¡¯t seem like a Ghost¡¯s.] Zelestria said helpfully. [If anything, it sounded like an Audiowave Angelica attack. The people you are looking for may be there, darling~] ¡®Audiowave¡­ the power of sound?¡¯ Finn thought. [Correct. Don¡¯t underestimate it ¡ª in the right hands, it can be extraordinarily powerful.] ¡®Hm. Interesting.¡¯ The group slowed down their pace and raised their guard once more as they continued traversing through the hallways of this cathedral, in search of the source of the ear-splitting noise. Chapter 132: Deeper Still Chapter 132: Deeper Still Soon, the group found themselves in front of a room, with a door hanging open like someone had exited from it not too long ago. Inside, a bunch of furniturey ttered together at the center, while the rest of the room was empty. It was as if some kind of suction force had pulled all the furniture in the room together, forming a pile in the middle. ¡°What happened here¡­?¡± Acaya muttered. ¡°Five people left this ce not long ago,¡± Iris said, using her Oculus Angelica to search for the barely-visible footprints on the floor. ¡°They were most likely the House of Crimson Moons.¡± ¡°Did they end up encountering some Ghosts, perhaps?¡± Iyesha asked. ¡°Most likely,¡± Ashika replied. ¡°Ivy, can you keep tracking the footprints?¡± ¡°Er¡­ I could, but I would like to conserve my mana if possible, Horus,¡± Iris muttered hesitantly. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do it, then,¡± Ashika ¡ª alias Horus ¡ª said, activating her own Oculus Angelica. Her green eyes lit up gold, signaling the Eye of Omnipotence, and she scanned the ground for more footprints. ¡°This way.¡± They could¡¯ve used this ability from the beginning to track the House of Crimson Moons down, but before getting here, the ground did not have any footprint marks on them due to their material. As such, the Ability wouldn¡¯t have worked. After a while, the group arrived before a descending staircase, beyond a set of doors. ¡°The footsteps end here,¡± Ashika said. ¡°They went down, most likely. Do we follow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any other way to go, per se,¡± Tian Long said. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already tracked them all the way here, we might as well finish what we started andmit.¡± The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and they opened the doors. There, the footsteps continued downwards, but they hesitated. ¡°Tch¡­ this ominous feeling¡­¡± Obo muttered in disdain, staring down into the darkness below. ¡°It feels so eerie, but also as if it¡¯s drawing us in¡­¡± Iris remarked. Meanwhile, in Finn¡¯s mind, he was breaking down the mechanism of this Temple. He hadn¡¯t forgotten what Jim said ¡ª all Dungeons and Temples have a reurring mechanism that appears time and time again. Finding that mechanism and the way to solve it will be what allows the group to achieve victory. Of course, on the contrary, if they are unable to find and solve said mechanism, they will be defeated without even knowing what killed them. So far, there were several clues that he had picked up on. One, the main entrance of this cathedral ¡ª they had been sucked inside by a powerful force, much like a ck hole. Two, the furnitureid out in a pile in that room, stacked one on top of the other as if something had sucked them all together. And now, this stairwell¡­ there was no actual suction force pulling at their bodies, but it was messing with their minds, drawing them in. The group was fully conscious of this, but they still wanted to go down despite the possible danger. But be it physical or psychological¡­ the force was the same ¡ª it was a suction force, a force pulling them in. That was most likely the Temple¡¯s mechanism ¡ª and also the Emperor¡¯s power. How did Finn know this? Well¡­ during the fight with the Baron in that Dungeon a few days earlier, Dar¡¯ Talor had created a ck hole singrity of sorts, nearly wiping out the whole team by sucking them into it. He had imed this was borrowed power from its master, whose name was The Lunatic, ording to his full title: Dar¡¯ Talor, Follower of the Lunatic. Since Dungeons were tied to Temples as Barons were tied to their Emperors¡­ it would be safe to assume the master of this Temple was, in fact, The Lunatic, and he held the power of singrities with strong suction force. Of course, this was all mere spection at this point in time, as there was no way to confirm it just yet, but Finn was fairly convinced he was right. Either way, the group ultimately decided to head down the dark staircase, with Shin (alias: Spark), the Lightbearer, creating light for more visibility to defend against surprise attacks and Tian Long igniting a me in his hand to help out and add a little bit of warmth. However, though the fire warmed their physical bodies, it could not ease the unsettling feeling in their hearts. Part of them was wanting to run away from here, but there was a string pulling at their minds, telling them to keep going. The red string of fate? If fate was their death, sure. The staircase wasn¡¯t too long. It was a simple, downwards set of stairs that had no turns or twists. At the very bottom, therey a small chamber with stone walls surrounding it, illuminated by something that seemed like moonlight even though it waspletely blocked off from the outside. Within the chamber, a group of five stood. It was the House of Crimson Moons. ¡°There they are!¡± Acaya called out, rushing down the stairs. The others picked up their paces as well, following closely behind. The House of Crimson Moons, noticing their arrival, turned around slowly. ¡°Huh¡­ looks like the slowpokes are finally here,¡± Duke snarled in contempt. ¡°How was the trip here? You seem rtively unscathed,¡± Hurricane said with a smile. ¡°Good to see.¡± ¡°Good to see? Stop with the jokes,¡± Toth growled, stepping his big, chunky body forward. ¡°You are probably cursing that we¡¯re still alive inside your heart right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Whatever could you mean?¡± Hurricane asked innocently, frowning in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb with me!¡± Obo yelled, dashing forward and closing up to Hurricane in an instant. ¡°You barricaded the door on purpose, hoping that those Ghosts in the garden would kill us, huh?!¡± ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± Hurricane suddenly unleashed a shockwave of energy all around him, blowing Obo back. ¡°Woah- ngh!¡± He crashed onto the stairs from the impact, and all of them stared at Hurricane in shock. Chapter 133: New Teams Chapter 133: New Teams Everyone was frozen still for a few moments as they tried toprehend what just happened. Smack talk, arguments were one thing, but to actually hurt someone who was supposed to be an ally with your Angelica¡­ that was uneptable. ¡°How could you hurt him like that¡­? We¡¯re supposed to be working together!¡± Tian Long cried. ¡°Hmph. He looked like he was about to punch me, and I felt threatened. So¡­ I decided to get him away from me a bit. Looks like I still can¡¯t control my power all that well ¡ª sorry about that, I suppose.¡± He had a nasty smirk on his face as he apologized, showing that he wasn¡¯t actually sorry at all. Obo groaned and slowly rose back up to his feet, gritting his teeth in anger. ¡°Why¡­ you¡­!¡± Now, he was really looking ready to fight it out, activating his Pharaoh Angelica, and Hurricane¡¯s four teammates stepped up before activating their Angelicas as well. The atmosphere tensed up, both sides ready to fight at any given moment. Luckily, several peacemakers were present within the group. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Acaya interrupted. ¡°Like Draco said¡­ we are supposed to work as a group. I¡¯m willing to just let what you guys did before slide¡­ so long as we start working together from now on.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ I know what you mean now,¡± Hurricane chuckled. ¡°You see, we actually barricaded that door to prevent the Ghosts from chasing us. I apologize about that, I didn¡¯t think ahead.¡± Once again, his apology was anything but genuine, and the evil twinkle in his eye could not be missed. The members of the Thousand Dragons Sect and the two Theocracy of Light Regiments were all fully aware of this, but none wanted to spark any more conflict after Acaya¡¯s words. Making peace was the best option here, so long as the House of Crimson Moons cooperated. ¡°Are you willing to work together with us now, or will you keep going on your own?¡± Ashika asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but if what happened at the entrance of the cathedral urs again, you¡¯ll want a Healer there.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Hurricane replied, so quickly it was as if it was orchestrated. ¡°But on one condition.¡± At this, everyone frowned. Was he really making conditions, in this time and ce? Yes. Yes, he was. ¡°I believe that we should split into two teams, ten people each,¡± he said, to which Acaya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay¡­? That was what we were nning on doing anyway, if there is a need for us to split up ¡ª one Regiment paired with one Squadron, so that both Wraiths and Phantoms can be handled.¡± ¡°Naturally, naturally¡­ but admittedly¡­ I would like an opportunity to work with the Thousand Dragons Sect as well. That¡¯s why, I propose we split our teams up.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Qi Ling narrowed her eyes, as Finn and Iris raised their guards. ¡°That is so pointless.¡± ¡°Call us greedy if you want, but if we do have to split up, the House of Crimson Moons wants a shot at whatever treasure may be on either path. Direct orders of our patriarch ¡ª we can¡¯t go against them,¡± a boy wearing headphones and a jacket ¡ª Ripple ¡ª said with a shrug. ¡°Besides¡­ I¡¯m sure the rest of you would want a shot at more treasure as well, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Qi Ling shot a meaningful nce at Finn, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°This is bullshit,¡± Obo cut in decisively. ¡°Our Regiment has only worked together with one another in the past ¡ª to split us would lower our power by a lot.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Iyesha added, folding her arms. ¡°We¡¯ve been trained to work together with our fellow Regiment members, so if they are split from us¡­ we would be very unused to it.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s either we do it this way, or we don¡¯t work together at all and do our own thing,¡± Duke chuckled. ¡°Pick your poison.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Obo gritted his teeth and eyed the House of Crimson Moons with disdain. By this point, all three other teams were pretty fed up with them, but there wasn¡¯t much they could do if they still wanted to work together. ¡°¡­ Fine,¡± Acaya said after a while. ¡°While I think you are being very unreasonable, at the same time, I can see where you areing from. I will agree to your condition.¡± ¡°We will as well,¡± Ashika added. ¡°I don¡¯t like splitting our teams like this, but I would rather do this than having five less people.¡± ¡®They just want the treasure?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®Yeah, right¡­ they just want to have an opportunity to harm me in some way. But that¡¯s fine by me¡­ this is a good chance for me to get rid of them as well.¡¯ ¡°We¡¯ll ept,¡± Finn said, surprising Qi Ling. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± She was confused on why Finn would ept this, since she knew he and Hurricane had some sort of conflict in the past. There was no doubt he would try to do something underhanded here¡­ but Finn wasn¡¯t afraid and instead sent Qi Ling a reassuring nod. Receiving this, Qi Ling bit her lip and gave in. ¡°¡­ We ept as well. But we have a condition of our own.¡± At this, Hurricane smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it. Since we made a condition, it¡¯s only fair for you to make one too.¡± [Fufu~ ying all nice and fair now, huh?] Zelestria giggled from inside Finn¡¯s head. [The calm before the¡­ ¡®storm¡¯, hehe~] ¡°First of all, each team must have ten people for it to be bnced,¡± Qi Ling said. ¡°Next, each team must have a Healer, so that¡¯s one spot taken for each team already. Additionally¡­ our condition is that we will decide how to split our teams. Ace, Ivy, and I will be sticking together, while Draco and Reaper will be on the other team. No objections?¡± Hurricane¡¯s smile froze a bit on his face, but it quickly thawed as heughed. ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s fine by us. In that case¡­ for this group, we will have Duke, Jester, and I. That¡¯s seven spots taken in total, leaving room for two people from the Theocracy of Light.¡± ¡°¡­ Wait. Isn¡¯t that imbnced?¡± Qi Ling challenged. ¡°There should be five Phantom yers and five Theocracy Regiment members on each team. Ace, Ivy, and I already make three, so you should only send two into this group.¡± ¡®Qi Ling¡­ she¡¯s trying to protect me? Interesting,¡¯ Finn thought. Hurricane, naturally, didn¡¯t want to lose in terms of numbers, but he couldn¡¯t exactly continue to argue here without risking exposing his true intentions. As such, he had no choice but to give in. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Then¡­ Shadow and I will be in this group. Happy?¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± Qi Ling closed her eyes, her goal having been achieved. Chapter 134: Retracing Steps Chapter 134: Retracing Steps In the end, the teams were decided as follows: Group 1 ¡ª Finn, Iris, Qi Ling, Hurricane, Shadow, Toth, Obo, Iyesha, Acaya, and Chisis as the Healer. Group 2 ¡ª Reaper, Tian Long, Ripple, Duke, Jester, Ashika, Abdol, Shoki, Diana (the Stormbringer Theocracy of Light Hunter), and Lauren as the Healer. Naturally, Ashika and Iris were split into different groups as well, since they both held the Oculus Angelica, which would be incredibly helpful utility-wise. Should the need for splitting up ur, this would be the formation they took. ¡°Alright¡­ now that that¡¯s settled¡­ about this room,¡± Acaya began, stepping forward to inspect the wall directly across from the stairs. ¡°This wall here¡­ it¡¯s split into two by this line.¡± ¡°Then it must be a door of some sort,¡± Ashika said. ¡°Montu, can you try prying it open?¡± Abdol, the Earthshaker, nodded and stepped forward. His frame was thergest of all, and the muscles on his arms weren¡¯t just for show. He set his hands on either half of the wall by the crack, and used all his strength to pry the two apart. ¡­ But they didn¡¯t budge. Not even by an inch. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna work, big guy,¡± Duke chuckled, folding his arms. ¡°Trust me, we¡¯ve spent the past ten minutes trying to get this thing to open, before you guys arrived.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Iris cut in, eyes zing gold. ¡°It¡¯s faint, covered by the dust, but¡­ there seems to be some kind of symbol on the door. Ace, bend down a little.¡± Finn did as told, getting Iris, who was on his shoulders to the height she wanted. She then swept the dust off from the stone door, revealing a mysterious symbol carved into it. Part of the insignia was on the left side of the door, part of it was on the other. ¡°This¡­ it looks like¡­ a crescent moon?¡± Ashika murmured, inspecting it closer. ¡°Ho¡­ interesting,¡± Hurricane remarked, rubbing his chin. ¡°But what could this mean¡­¡± ¡°The symbol is split onto the two halves of the door,¡± Qi Ling pointed out. ¡°That can¡¯t be a coincidence. My interpretation of this would be¡­ we have to kill two things before being able to open this door, and essing the next room.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Iris said. ¡°In the Dungeon we cleared a few days ago, we had to first kill two bosses, then face the final Baron. It would be safe to assume the mechanism here is the same, given how they are rted.¡± ¡°I can testify to that,¡± Acaya added. ¡°The Dungeon we faced also involved first taking down two bosses, then facing the final one.¡± ¡°Then¡­ following that same theory¡­¡± Tian Long nced at the door with an ufortable look on that face. ¡°¡­ The Emperor should be there,¡± Finn concluded. ¡°Heh. Then what are we waiting for?¡± Obo grinned. ¡°We split up into two teams, each taking on one of the bosses, then regroup here to face the final Emperor.¡± ¡°But¡­ where are the bosses?¡± Ashika asked. ¡°Remember the two corridors in the front entrance of the cathedral that we never explored?¡± Qi Ling said. ¡°They should be there.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Hurricane said. ¡°Let¡¯s retrace our footsteps, and go back to the main entrance.¡± The group nodded. It was a solid n. Well¡­ seemed like one, anyway. Would things go as wlessly as expected, however¡­? ***** The group made their way back to the main entrance of the cathedral by retracing their footsteps. It wasn¡¯t too hard, thanks to the two Oculus Angelica users who were present. Well¡­ that, and also the fact that this ce¡¯syout was fairly straightforward ¡ª there was only one path from where they came from, with no alternative hallways or anything of the sort. Passing through the garden wasn¡¯t as difficult the second time, since the group already knew what to expect. As soon as they left the doors, they raced across to the other entrance, arriving before the Ghosts could even spawn and crawl out of the soil. Once there, they descended the stairs into the familiar room they had first gotten sucked into. The red carpet on the floor, the only evident source of color, rolled down the marble floor and split left and right before the front doors of the cathedral. ¡°Group 1 will take the left side,¡± Qi Ling said. ¡°Group 2, take the right.¡± Ashika, leading Group 2, answered. ¡°Understood. We will rendezvous back in that stone room, correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Qi Ling replied. ¡°Good luck.¡± Ashika nodded. ¡°You too. Stay safe.¡± With that, the batch of 20 people split into two teams of 10, each one heading opposite directions from one another. On either side, at the end of the corridor, there was a door. These ones, however, was normal, and opened with a gentle push. Behind it, a long, spiral ascending staircase stood. The problem was, it didn¡¯t look very sturdy. Several steps were missing, and the darkness didn¡¯t make things any more reassuring. ¡°Hey, Ace,¡± Hurricane called out all of a sudden, and Finn immediately raised his guard. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°You had that glowing star thing earlier, when we first got sucked into this ce, right? Why don¡¯t you use that¡­ to provide us all some light?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s recharging,¡± Finn said coldly. ¡°I can¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Ho¡­? I see.¡± Hurricane smiled wryly ¡ª there couldn¡¯t have been any good intention behind it. And yet¡­ no one could ce a finger on just what it was. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Acaya cut in. ¡°It¡¯s not too dark. We can still see ¡ª just slightly ufortable, that¡¯s all.¡± Saying this, he stepped onto the flight of stairs first. The wood creaked loudly as proof of how old it was, but Acaya didn¡¯t waver and continued forward. Following in his footsteps, the others began climbing the stairs as well one by one. Before long, they came to the first gap. ¡°¡­ Stand aside,¡± Qi Ling said briskly. Acaya, noticing the frosty air in her hands, realized what she was going to do and stepped away obediently. Qi Ling, on the other hand, took his spot and gently ced her chilly hand on the staircase, forming a few steps of stairs made of ice to fill in the gap. ¡°Er¡­ is that sturdy?¡± Obo asked hesitantly. ¡°¡­ Why don¡¯t you try it for yourself?¡± Qi Ling snorted, stepping onto it and confidently continuing her climb. The ice didn¡¯t crack at all, and appeared to be much more sturdy than the wood despite expectations. With that, the others followed, slowly making their way up this enormously tall spiral staircase with seemingly no end. Chapter 135: Hurricanes Plans Chapter 135: Hurricane¡¯s ns With Qi Ling taking the lead, filling in any gaps in the stairs with her Everfrost Angelica, climbing up was made a lot simpler. But at this rate¡­ she would soon run out of mana which definitely wasn¡¯t ideal for the boss fighting up ahead considering she was a major powerhouse of the group. Just as expected, after a while, she stopped before a gap, then turned around to the others. ¡°I can¡¯t keep filling in the spots like this. My mana is running low.¡± ¡°No kidding¡­ I¡¯m surprised you evensted this long,¡± Acaya muttered, ncing down at all the way they¡¯ve climbed. ¡°We¡¯re definitely around twenty stories tall by now, yet we¡¯re still only about halfway there¡­¡± ¡°None of us can fill in those gaps like you did,¡± Obo said. ¡°The Pharaoh Angelica Acaya and I havemand sand¡­ which obviously aren¡¯t ideal for making stairs out of.¡± ¡°Oh¡­? None of us, you say?¡± Hurricaneughed darkly. ¡°Hey, Ace¡­ you have the cksmith Angelica, don¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you use it?¡± Iris narrowed her eyes and whispered into Finn¡¯s ear. ¡°This guy¡­ he¡¯s trying to¡­¡± ¡°cksmith Angelica? Sorry, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Finn replied calmly, not fazed in the least. ¡°I possess the Stormbringer Angelica.¡± ¡°Hm? Is that so? Then¡­ what was that star earlier?¡± ¡°An artifact,¡± Finn replied. ¡°Something I found in the Dungeon a few days earlier.¡± ¡°Ho¡­ I see. I must have remembered wrong, then,¡± Hurricane snickered and folded his arms. ¡°But even then¡­ those wings on your back are not just for show, are they? Take us up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent. He knew Hurricane was doing this on purpose, and that he would sabotage him some way if he agreed to this. But¡­ Finn had ns of his own as well. Of course, to avoid rousing suspicion, he still had to act a bit hesitant. ¡°¡­ These wings are not just for show,¡± Finn replied. ¡°However¡­ using them drains my mana. Ivy cannot waste her mana, since the Oculus Angelica will be useful, so everything will be left up to me. In which case¡­ I will not be able to participate in the fight.¡± ¡°So?¡± Hurricane chuckled. ¡°We only need one Stormbringer, Ace.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn slowly sighed and activated his ck wings. ¡°Ivy¡­ fly up on your own first.¡± Iris, who was on his shoulders, bit her bottom lip. ¡°Ace¡­ you don¡¯t have to do what he say-¡° ¡°Just go.¡± Iris, naturally, didn¡¯t understand Finn¡¯s hidden intentions. She was worried about him, but there was nothing she could do after being told so firmly by Finn himself. She flew up using her own wings, and before long, she hollered down to announce her arrival. ¡°It¡¯s safe! You cane up!¡± Finn turned to the others. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lightest ones first, to conserve energy.¡± ¡°That would be thedies first, then,¡± Acaya said. ¡°Aquira, go ahead.¡± Iyesha nodded and stepped forward. ¡°So, um¡­ how do I¡­?¡± ¡°Just stand still,¡± Finn ordered. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Iyesha cried at the coldness and impatience in his tone, immediately tensing up. Finn reached down for her legs and ced his other hand on her shoulders, picking her up with ease, then took off with his wings. She wasn¡¯t too heavy, thanks to her slim figure. But the clothing she wore, on the other hand¡­ weighed down quite a lot. Still, if this was it, Finn could manage. Luckily, there were no obstacles on the way up through the middle, so even with Finn¡¯s blindness, he was able to fly up without crashing into anything. Iris was also there in case something unexpected urred, ready to give callouts if needed. After setting Iyesha down, Finn immediately went back down for the next person, like a human elevator. But when he got there¡­ ¡°Hold it, Ace. Before you do anything, allow me make one thing clear. You are not allowed to touch anywhere without my permis- nya~!¡± She suddenly yelped in surprise as Finnpletely disregarded herment and scooped her up in a princess carry, before taking off. ¡°H-Hey! Finn, s-stop- watch where your fingers are- eungh~¡± She was so panicked that she used Finn¡¯s real name instead of his alias, and in response, Finn had meant to squeeze her thighs as a warning, but he may have squeezed a little too close to¡­ that part. Qi Ling moaned softly, face blushing deeply. She remained quiet for the rest of that trip up, clenching her fists tightly. Once they got there, Finn sent her down gently and prepared to go back down again, but then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. ¡°¡­ Hey. If you tell anyone what happened there¡­ I¡¯ll freeze you,¡± Qi Ling whisperer sharply, to which Iyesha and Iris leaned in curiously. Finn snorted and went back down, shrugging off her hand. Qi Ling, watching him go, folded her arms defiantly and spun on her heel. ¡°Tch¡­ that¡¯s the first time¡­ how dare he touch that spot¡­!¡± ¡°Um¡­ Frostbite? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Iris asked, sitting on the floor. ¡°N-Nothing!¡± Qi Ling yelled, hiding her flushed face and refusing to speak any more. Iyesha and Iris were both confused, but they didn¡¯t pry lest they got frozen. Finn continued bringing the others up one by one, starting with the Healer, Chisis. Before long, he was exhausted¡­ and there was only one person remaining: Hurricane. ¡°You seem tired, Ace. Since the others are all up there¡­ why don¡¯t you sit down¡­ and let¡¯s have a chat?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°We¡¯re going up.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­ but I don¡¯t feelfortable being lifted like a princess, so¡­ you can pull me up with my hands.¡± Saying this, Hurricane held out his hands, inviting Finn to take them. He held a wry smile on his face, and a dark twinkle clouded his blue eyes. Finn hesitated momentarily, then reached out with his own hands. ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± Hurricane smirked and found Finn¡¯s hands with his own, sping them together tightly. But rather than using two hands, Hurricane left one of his own free. ¡°¡­!¡± Suddenly, Finn felt an attracting force between his gloves and Hurricane¡¯s, now sealed together. As were their fates. Finn¡¯s two hands were now bound with Hurricane¡¯s one, which meant if an aerial battle were to ensue, Hurricane would have the upper hand. But Finn had more than just arms and legs ¡ª and he wasn¡¯t afraid to use them. ¡°Now then¡­¡± Hurricane tilted his head, ever so slightly. ¡°¡­ Take me up, Ace.¡± Chapter 136: Flight Fight Chapter 136: Flight Fight ¡°¡­ What is the meaning of this?¡± Finn asked quietly yet threateningly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I just bond our hands together with a little electromaism to be safe. Just in case you try to drop me mid-flight or something, you know?¡± ¡®¡­ He¡¯s gotten smarter,¡¯ Finn thought. ¡®However¡­ I still have a million more ways to get rid of you.¡¯ It was quite amusing, really. Despite only the two of them being left down here, isted and out of earshot of the others, neither of them were letting their true intentions show¡­ yet. Hurricane still kept up his kind, teammate act, which disgusted Finn to no end. The two boys both remained still for several moments, before Finn atst made his decision and began flying upwards. Hurricane, thinking that his n had been set into motion, smiled even wider. Finn didn¡¯t need to be able to see to know this. As they flew up, Finn felt the weight he was carrying be heavier and heavier. His arms were already strained from carrying all the other members, and his mana was dropping dangerously close to zero. Or so he wanted Hurricane to think. ¡°What are¡­ you doing?¡± Finn asked, tone dropping threateningly low while imitating a strained voice. ¡°Nothing,¡± Hurricane replied without even batting an eye. ¡°Something wrong? I¡¯m too heavy for you? That can¡¯t be. Maybe you¡¯re just tired? I¡¯m thest person, though, so don¡¯t worry¡­ you¡¯ll be able to rest soon.¡± ¡®Forever.¡¯ That¡¯s what the sentence meant. But Finn wasn¡¯t actually worried in the least. He had a good idea what Hurricane was doing, and it was a simr concept to Stormbringer¡¯s Wrath. Finn doubted Hurricane was able to use this Ability, since if he could, he could¡¯ve easily wiped out the entire team, but it may be a smaller, weaker version of it. That¡¯s why Hurricane had purposely not bound one of his hands, and insisted Finn carry him by just one of his. But he couldn¡¯t help but feel things were going a bit too smoothly for him. The Finn he knew should¡¯ve been smarter than this, but Hurricane¡¯s ego caused him to think he had already won. A fatal mistake. The Ability he was using was called Aeon Ma. It revolved around electromaism ¡ª and since he had noticed that the wooden stairs actually had faint traces of metal in them for support, he figured this would work. And indeed it did. All the loose nks of the stairs had attracted themselves onto Hurricane¡¯s palm, forming arge pile of dead weight for Finn. His goal here was to pull Finn downwards onto the ground, then crush him when he¡¯s at his weakest. Soon, Finn could not go any higher. His breathing became ragged, and the wings on his back began pping slower and slower. Hurricane, seeing this, smirked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t go any further?¡± Right now, they were still out of sight of the others who had already reached the top of the stairs, and out of earshot as well. Finn panted heavily, making sure to put on a convincing act. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± ¡°Need a rest?¡± Hurricane chuckled. ¡°In that case¡­ take one. Forever, that is!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± With a loud cackle, he pulled himself upwards while dragging Finn down, cancelling the electromaic attachment between himself and Finn in the process. Then, as Hurricane grabbed onto a stair ledge, he kicked Finn straight in the chest to send him crashing downwards. Finn, on the other hand, received the kick without fighting back, while Hurricane dropped the entire load of broken stair pieces onto him. Of course, this meant he couldn¡¯t see Finn anymore. And that¡¯s exactly what Finn wanted. He could¡¯ve easily overpowered Hurricane there, but he didn¡¯t. Why? Because he was waiting for the perfect, most surefire way to guarantee sess ¡ª when Hurricane¡¯s guard was down. ¡°Heh¡­ too bad,¡± Hurricane muttered. ¡°Sorry, Heartbeat, but I¡¯m not into torture. I like to kill my enemies quickly and swiftly. So long, Finn. You shouldn¡¯t have crossed me.¡± Leaving these arrogant words behind, Hurricane spun around and began climbing up the stairs on his own, but then, a thick white tentacle suddenly coiled around his arm, freezing him in his tracks. ¡°What¡­ AH-!¡± He screams were cut short as the tentacle suddenly dragged him down, smashing him through the countlessyers of wooden stairs over and over again. His cries of agony echoed throughout the narrow staircase, reaching the ears of the ones up above. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± Acaya asked hesitantly. ¡°That sounded like Hurricane¡¯s scream,¡± Qi Ling analyzed. ¡°But what about¡­¡± Iris bit her lip in worry. ¡°Finn¡­¡± Then, with a deep breath, she activated her own wings. ¡°You guys stay here, I¡¯ll take a look.¡± ¡°Wait- it could be dangerous!¡± Toth warned, but Iris shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­ If you say so¡­¡± ***** ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Hurricane groaned, still alive. Just barely, anyway. Finn made sure to break his fall at the very end using one of his tentacles, just to prolong his life a little bit longer. Long enough to hear what Finn had to say. Finn, with his six Phantom-like tentacles protruding out of his back, wiggling and squirming, stepped closer to Hurricane¡¯s limp body on the ground, unable to move an inch. ¡°W-What the hell¡­?!¡± Hurricane cried, eyes widened in fear. ¡°Y-You¡¯re a¡­ a Ghost?!¡± ¡°Sh sh sh sh shh¡­¡± Finn brought a finger to his lip. The gesture was silent, yet menacing like no other, tentacles eager for food. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one doing the talking.¡± ¡°M-Monster¡­¡± Hurricane stuttered, his arrogance and fearlessness from earlier nowhere to be seen in front of the abomination known as Ace, half-Ghost Hunter, half-Ghost. ¡°Calling me names won¡¯t save you¡­ but if you answer all my questions truthfully¡­ I may let you live,¡± Finn said. ¡°But of course¡­ if you want to choose a harder, ¡®alternative¡¯ method¡­ I can do that as well.¡± Hurricane, body barely able to move, realized he wasn¡¯t about to beat Finn in a fight right here. Giving in for now, then attacking againter once he had recovered¡­ that was the best y here. ¡°F-Fine¡­ what do you want to know¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ Everything you know about Heartbeat. And¡­ that special technique the House of Crimson Moon cultivates in its Hunters.¡± Chapter 137: Blood Training Chapter 137: Blood Training At this, Hurricane¡¯s eyes widened even further. ¡°You¡­ could tell?¡± ¡°The fact that you are able to use the Stormbringer Angelica so masterfully after a mere few days, able even though you werepletely useless before, signals that something is wrong. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to make that observation.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Hurricane gritted his teeth a bit at being called useless, but he had to hold in his anger right now. His life came first. Even for an arrogant person like him, he valued his life more than his insatiable ego. ¡°The method¡­ it¡¯s called Blood Training.¡± ¡®Hm¡­ makes sense, considering Heartbeat wields the Bloodcaller Angelica.¡¯ ¡°Tell me more,¡± Finn ordered. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details either¡­ but all I know is that Heartbeat did something to my blood. It trades lifeforce for more power¡­¡± ¡°And you took the trade?¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°How idiotic.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand¡­!¡± Hurricane gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re talented¡­ strong¡­ and took away what was originally mine by simply waltzing into the room¡­ I have to be stronger¡­ stronger than you¡­ even if it means trading my own lifeforce¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Have you ever considered using your jealousy as motivation¡­ instead of hate?¡± Finn asked quietly. ¡°Hah¡­ motivation? You think I haven¡¯t tried to get stronger, since before you even arrived? I couldn¡¯t, Finn¡­ my body is disabled, somehow. You may be blind, but at least you can use Angelicas properly¡­¡± ¡°So? Adapt. There are plenty of Ghost Hunters who fight without Angelicas at all.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ I¡¯ll always be inferior¡­ and that is something I can never ept¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Egotistic to the bitter end, I see.¡± Finn sighed. ¡°That¡¯s all I need to hear. Leave this ce. I¡¯ll tell the others you died. Wait until we kill the Emperor, then escape through the portal after we do.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really not going to kill me?¡± Hurricaneughed darkly, coughing a few times. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this, you know. I¡¯ll spill all your secrets.¡± Finn spun around so that he was turned away from Hurricane, then began walking away. ¡°I¡¯m keeping you alive. This way, next time youe at me, you¡¯ll have more information for me to dig out.¡± Hurricane gritted his teeth in anger at the calmness in Finn¡¯s tone, and slowly pulled out a knife from his belt. His wounds had pretty much healed already now thanks to his Blood Training, which was a factor he purposely didn¡¯t tell Finn about. ¡®Heh¡­ I told you¡­ you would regret this¡­!¡¯ Hurricane thought in his mind as he leaped up into the air, ready to plunge the knife directly into Finn¡¯s back. His expression was one of triumph as he descended from the jump, while Finn, with his slow reaction speeds, still hasn¡¯t even turned around. ¡®Victory¡­ is mine!¡¯ But- ¡°¡­!¡± Hurricane¡¯s body froze in mid-air as an enormous tentacle prated his chest, causing him to gag and drop his knife to the floor. The weapon ttered a few times as the tentacle squirmed and wiggled, draining Hurricane¡¯s blood. ¡°I-Impossible¡­ how¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Finn whispered, still not even bothering to turn around. ¡°Youughed there at the end. I already noticed your injuries had healed, and was expecting a surprise attack like this. How futile.¡± Saying this, he finally spun around to face his prey, skewered like amb on one of his six powerful tentacles. ¡°Too bad, Hurricane. I was truly hoping to use you.¡± Finn retracted his blood-stained tentacle, the tip of the glowing white appendage now shining red. Hurricane, now with a enormous hole in his body, copsed to the floor, coughing blood out of his mouth. ¡°G-Guh¡­¡± He gurgled, unable to even speak. ¡°Face the reality¡­ Storm,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get stronger to fight Ghosts. You just want to get stronger so you can say you¡¯re better than everyone else. You aren¡¯t a Ghost Hunter ¡ª just an egotistic teenager trying to be cool.¡± ¡°I hope, in your final moments, you can realize this,¡± Finn continued. ¡°If you had been trulymitted to ying Ghosts and nothing more¡­ none of this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± The realization hit Hurricane ¡ª no, Storm ¡ª like a truck. In the brief final few seconds of his life, he finally saw the truth. How wrong he had been. How he should¡¯ve listened to Archon. How absolutely pointless his one-sided rivalry with Finn was. Storm¡¯s life shed before his eyes, from the birthday party where his journey all started to his fight with Archon. Finn was right. He wasn¡¯t really a Ghost Hunter. He hated Ghosts, yes¡­ but he let his own ego get in the way of that. Rather than focusing on getting stronger himself, he was constantly worrying about others. ¡®Are they getting stronger than me?¡¯ ¡®Are they just better than I am?¡¯ In his mind, Storm repented. He apologized to Archon, to Iris, to Octane, to Melvia, to Fanatic, to everyone who he betrayed. He realized how selfish his actions were, and just how devastating the consequences were. Telling Heartbeat about Archon and Melvia¡­ that was irredeemable. He could only hope the two were still safe ¡ª and if they weren¡¯t, well¡­ he would pay them in hell. And so¡­ not wanting to die with guilt and regret as thest emotion he felt, Storm, with a shaking hand, plunged his finger into his own pool of blood, then began writing a line of text on the floor beside. He wanted to talk. He really did, but he couldn¡¯t. He knew Finn was blind and couldn¡¯t see this. But even so¡­ he wanted to do something. Slowly, shakily, he traced out one final message with his own blood. And then, his hand fell to the floor, and the light faded away from his eyes. Finn turned back around and retracted his tentaclespletely before starting to walk away, but a voice called out to him inside his head. [Wait, darling.] ¡®¡­ What?¡¯ [Storm¡­ he left a message on the floor. You can¡¯t see it, but I can.] ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ [It says¡­] After a short pause, Zelestria continued. [¡®Heartbeat has a dangerous secret¡¯.] Chapter 138: The Lunafaction Brood Chapter 138: The Lunafaction Brood After Hurricane died atst, Iris arrived at the very bottom, meeting up with Finn. She nced at the body and the pool of blood, then back a Finn. ¡°Finn¡­ did you¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± His voice contained no emotion, no remorse whatsoever for what he had done. And Iris wasn¡¯t surprised in the least. ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s only fair, I suppose. He came at you first,¡± Iris said with a sigh, then noticed the message Hurricane had left behind with his own blood and activated night vision to see what it is. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s¡­ ¡®Heartbeat has a dangerous secret¡¯. What does that mean¡­?¡± Finn pretended to not know what she was talking about. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Hurricane left behind a message,¡± Iris said, swerving around and riding on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°It says ¡®Heartbeat has a dangerous secret¡¯. What could it be¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent. He actually had a good idea of what that secret was given the clues he had gotten so far, but he couldn¡¯t be so sure just yet. ¡°There¡¯s something else that concerns me more,¡± Finn said, changing the topic. ¡°Archon and Melvia. Hurricane told Heartbeat about them, undoubtedly.¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah.¡± Finn nodded, a grim expression on his face. ¡°Most likely¡­ they¡¯ve already been dealt with.¡± Iris wrapped her arms tightly around Finn¡¯s neck, nearly choking him. There were tears in her eyes, but Finn wasn¡¯t the right person to go to for sentiment or empathy. Stone-cold as always, he took off with his wings, carrying Iris on his shoulders with no problem at all. ***** Once they arrived at the top of the stairs, the others were waiting there, eager to hear what happened. ¡°You¡¯re back¡­ where¡¯s Hurricane?¡± Acaya asked. Finn, in the most monotone voice possible, spoke. ¡°¡­ Dead.¡± A wave of silence washed over the group, until Iris finally broke it. ¡°There was a trap triggered, for whatever reason. On the way up, a spike shot out of the wall, and tore straight through his chest. Finn got lucky and wasn¡¯t hit.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Acaya looked slightly ufortable. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t like him much¡­ he was still a valuable fighting power, and a fellow Ghost Hunter. As much as I¡¯d like to collect his body for a proper funeral, we don¡¯t have the leisure of carrying it around.¡± The others silently agreed, while Qi Ling eyed Finn with suspicion. Of course, she didn¡¯t say anything, but she knew there was no trap. Finn had just killed Hurricane with such ease that there didn¡¯t seem to have been a fight at all. If anything, Finn and Iris expected Hurricane¡¯s teammate Shadow to say something about this, but he didn¡¯t and remained broody and quiet as usual. After Iyesha and Chisis performed a quick prayer for Hurricane¡¯s soul, the group set off once more, heading down the new corridor in front of them. This one was lit by white lotus-shapedmps on the ground, much like the Dungeon from before. It was quite bright, actually,pared to the rest of the cathedral so far. Narrow, too. The group was forced to walk in two columns, side by side. Finn, with Iris on top of him, only counted as one person, so their corresponding partner in the other column, walking right alongside them, happened to be Qi Ling. Finn, sensing that she wanted to speak to him, purposely slowed down his pace. Qi Ling matched this, and soon, they were a good distance behind everyone else, out of earshot ¡ª so long as they whispered. ¡°¡­ You killed him, didn¡¯t you?¡± She asked quietly. ¡°¡­ What of it?¡± Finn asked right back,pletely unfazed. ¡°Nothing. I just wanted to know how ruthless you can be. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Afraid I¡¯m going to betray you in the future?¡± ¡°¡­ A little.¡± ¡°Ace is a simple person, despite how he seems,¡± Iris interjected. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get in his way or try to deliberately hurt him, he won¡¯t act against you.¡± [Fufu~ she seems to think of you as quite the kind-hearted guy.] Zelestria remarked in amusement. [Too bad¡­ she¡¯s slightly off the mark. You¡¯ll do anything, no matter how cruel or heartless, so long as it secured you a significant benefit.] Finn didn¡¯t approve nor deny anything they said, and instead merely carried on walking. Qi Ling, on the other hand, stared at his face for several seconds longer, than finally turned away as well. ¡°¡­ I can only hope so.¡± ***** At the end of the corridor, therey a door. It was quite exquisitely designed, like something out of an old medieval castle or some luxury banquet hall. As the group got closer, however, they suddenly swung open on their own, revealing a horde of knights with a cloaked, hooded, faceless entity hovering above them, skeletal hands skinny and sharp. The entire group was taken aback, of course, and refrained from heading inside. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Acaya muttered. ¡°Living souls¡­ I wee you to our master¡¯sir. We¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± a raspy, dead voice whispered from within the room. ¡°¡­!¡± The Ghost Hunters immediately tensed up, hearing these words. The cloaked, Wraith-like figure from within the room hovered up into the air, and spread its fleshless, bony arms, the upper part of which was hidden by the ragged dirty cloth it draped over its body. ¡°Youe here to y our master¡­ and we are his army. Cut us down¡­ or be cut down. If you wish to face our master¡­ you must first defeat us. Now¡­ if you wish to face the challenge, step into the room¡­¡± ¡°I-It talked¡­ in human speech¡­¡± Iyesha gasped in shock. ¡°Powerful Ghosts have the ability to do that,¡± Iris exined. ¡°That Wraith¡­ he¡¯ll be a tough opponent.¡± ¡°Tough or not¡­ there¡¯s only one way to go,¡± Acaya said, stepping forward. ¡°If they want an all-out fight¡­ an all-out fight is what they¡¯ll get.¡± Saying this, he activated his Angelica, and everyone else followed. Then, menacingly, the Ghost Hunters stepped into the room, facing the horde of soldiers and the Wraith hovering in the air who appeared to be leading them. ¡°I am Yokru, Servant of the Lunatic. And this¡­ is the Lunafaction Brood.¡± The beautiful doors mmed shut behind the Ghost Hunters, sealing their fates. But they didn¡¯t tremble in the least. It was them against the Lunafaction Brood. And only one would walk away alive. Chapter 139: Yokru, Servant of the Lunatic Chapter 139: Yokru, Servant of the Lunatic The interior of the room was beautiful. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, and unlike the rest of the cathedral, this ce was painted with color. White pirs rose like monumental statues of strength, hope, love, and faith, and there were two floors, each founded upon smooth red carpet. The room looked like an indoor chamber where a king would stand high up where the Wraith was and wave to a crowd of his loyal followers, filled with royal air and dignity. But the bloodbath that was about to ensue was anything but royal. The battle began as the fully-armored knights charged forward, swords raised and shields mounted. They did not make any war cries, but the nking sound of their armor was more than enough to show their ferocity. However, if all they had were swords and shields, they still had a long way to go before they could fight back against Angelicas. ciers of old ¡ª hear my call and be my weapon,¡± Qi Ling chanted under her breath, a light grey-blue color enveloping her figure and frosty air surrounding her body. Her mana had recovered quite a bit by now, so she wouldn¡¯t just be a burden. ¡°Freeze mine enemies and cage them within a prison of ice ¡ª Winter¡¯s Wrath!¡± She rose her scepter into the air, letting the beautiful blue jewel within shine brightly. In in an instant, a field of ice shot out from beneath her feet, freezing the charging knights one by one. Their white armors and weapons were encased inyers of blue ice, renderedpletely unable to move or do a thing. Then, as everyone watched in awe, Qi Ling mmed the scepter back down into the ground before her, hard enough to make cracks appear in the floor. The frozen soldiers all shattered, their hundreds of armor pieces and weapons ttering to the floor simultaneously. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris breathed, clearly impressed. ¡°Nice one, Frostbite,¡± Acaya praised, a smirk on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Phantom yers to be so strong¡­¡± Obo muttered. ¡°I-I mean, the Theocracy is obviously still stronger, but uh¡­¡± ¡°Could you pull that off?¡± Shadow challenged, the first time he spoke since the groups were formed. ¡°Uh¡­ no?¡± ¡°Then shut it.¡± ¡°G-Geez¡­¡± Qi Ling, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t concerned with thepliments she was receiving at all. Not from any of these people, anyway. On the contrary, the one person she DID want to hear a word of praise from¡­ was as stoic as ever. She nced at Finn hopefully, but looked away in disappointment after seeing his silence. Then, she internally yelled at herself for expecting anything from him, and also at being disappointed because he didn¡¯t praise her. He was stuck in her head, and she hated it. But then, suddenly, the armor pieces and weapons on the floor began to tremble. The Wraith, Yokru, appeared to be chanting something, skeletal arms raised high in the air. ¡°W-What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Iyesha asked in a panic. ¡°¡­ So that¡¯s their secret,¡± Finn muttered. The Ghost Hunters all raised their guards again as the fallen soldiers¡¯ armor all pieced back together, and their weapons returned to their hands. Then, readying their swords, they prepared for another charge. ¡°T-They revived?!¡± Obo shrieked in shock. But there was no time to cry in surprise as the knights charged forward once more. Qi Ling didn¡¯t have enough time to pull off that move again, so it was up to each person for themselves. Finn attempted to use the Soul Extraction skill he obtained from the Dungeon on the charging knights, but it didn¡¯t work. That confirmed his theory that they weren¡¯t actually Ghosts ¡ª just a bunch of armor, put together to create a soldier. After hearing what happened, he also had a good idea of what they needed to do. However, the knights were somewhat in the way. If he could use his tentacles here, things would be a lot easier, but he couldn¡¯t without needing to kill his own allies as well. As the knights got closer, Finn supercharged himself with the Stormbringer Angelica. ¡°Ivy. Get off.¡± Iris, hearing this, knew what he was up to and quickly flew up out of the way while focusing on the Wraith instead. Finn, on the other hand, smashed the floor with his two fists, sending out a powerful shockwave of electric energy that electrocuted any knights who got too close and blew away the rest. Surprisingly enough, however, the electricity was unable to destroy the metal, and the knights were merely pieced back together again. The others appeared to be having trouble as well. Acaya and Obo, who could create and control sand freely with their Pharaoh Angelicas, would st the knights back again and again, but they would simply charge once more, not feeling pain nor death. Simrly, cutting their vitals didn¡¯t work either, as they had no vitals. They had no proper body beneath that armor, rendering Toth¡¯s invisibility hit-n-run fighting style useless. ¡°We have to kill that Wraith!¡± Iyesha called out,unching several water bombs towards the knights charging at her and sting her away. Iris, receiving this message, aimed her sniper in the air and shot a devastating high-caliber bullet towards Yokru, the Wraith, but it went straight through it. ¡°Wha-?!¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as Yokru¡¯s faceless head turned to her, and raised its hands up. Instantly, multiple purple orbs shot out of its skeletal palms, threatening to disintegrate Iris on an atomic level. Since Iris wasn¡¯t into that, she quickly flew out of the way, letting the projectiles st into one of the pirs. The structure was instantly sted straight through, and everyone down below ducked out of the way. Several soldiers were crushed underneath the pir, and even if they were revived, they were essentially stuck down there. But Iris¡¯s eyes were not glued to what was happening down below. Instead, Yokru¡¯s attack had revealed a set of machinery on the second floor of the room, something no one even noticed since there were no stairs leading up there and it was just a spectator¡¯s floor with a hollow middle. However, the destruction of the pir allowed Iris to see what was truly there. And it was their answer to beating this unexined phenomenon. Chapter 140: The Holy Light Chapter 140: The Holy Light ¡°This is¡­ a puzzle?¡± Iris murmured, but was quickly broken out of her thoughts as Yokruunched another barrage of attacks at her. She gritted her teeth andnded behind one of the unbroken pirs, studying the various mysterious devices closer while the battle below continued raging on. The knights weren¡¯t all that strong, but the fact that kept reviving endlessly was painful, to say the least. They came charging over and over again, like a bunch of pests that wouldn¡¯t leave you alone no matter what. The Ghost Hunters pushed them back again and again, but they all had limited stamina and mana. These knights, however, didn¡¯t ¡ª and that¡¯s what made them annoying. Iris, on the other hand, had to deal with Yokru¡¯s continuous barrages of sma while she tried to figure out the puzzle she was dealing with here. Her flight time was also limited since it drained her mana, so she had to finish this quick. The moment shended was the moment she lost all movement capabilities and died. ¡°Eye of Omnipotence ¡ª Decipher!¡± Without wasting any time, she activated her Oculus Angelica to try and find the solution to the puzzle. Suddenly, eight sundial-like devices had their outlines light up gold ¡ª to Iris¡¯s eyes ¡ª and each seemed to have a small hole in the center of them, as if meant to dispense or shoot something. Confused, Iris switched to a different Ability while evading another attack from Yokru. ¡°Eye of Omnipotence ¡ª Transcendence!¡± Iris¡¯s ming golden eyes widened as she saw the outline of a constetion appear before her. She recognized it as the Big Dipper. Immediately, she understood. What the puzzle meant, and what she had to do. Immediately racing to the left most sundial-like device pinned to the wall, Iris shot a bullet into it with her revolver, powering it up instantly. The machine began to glow, shooting out a beam of light. With a smirk on her face, Iris ced her hands on the circr device, and tilted it so that the light directly hit the top-left-most vertex of the constetion. Yokru, realizing what Iris had figured it out, screeched in annoyance and unleashed another st towards her, but to Iris¡¯s surprise, the projectiles vanished into thin air upon hitting the mysterious golden light of the device. This also confirmed that Iris was indeed on the right track. Not wasting any time, she continued onwards to the next device, activating it the same one and tilting it to match the next vertex on the constetion. Rinse and repeat. Yokru attempted to interfere by cutting off her path with sts of sma, but Iris was too nimble and agile. While the projectiles were certainly powerful, they were slow and most importantly ¡ª traveled in a linear trajectory. In other words, they were easily predictable for Iris. One by one, Iris activated the devices. The Ghost Hunters down below were struggling to keep up with the knights, and had been forced to back up into a corner. ¡°Last one¡­!¡± Iris gritted her teeth, but her own mana was running low, and she had to reload. Yokru took advantage of this andunched a barrage of attacks at Iris, but she suddenly threw her sniper towards the Wraith, blocking all of the projectiles and buying enough time for her to reload and shoot the device. In an instant, it lit up, and Iris did not waste any time before tilting it to the final location, at the very bottom of the Big Dipper. ¡°No¡­ NOOOOO!¡± Yokru screeched in anger and fury, tilting its head upward as the points of the constetion aligned, and the entire room was lit up by a golden light. The Ghost Hunters, confused, blocked their eyes, while the knights all faded away to nothingness and copsed onto the floor, for good this time. Yokru¡¯s figure began disappearing as well, burned away by the light, but not before leaving behind one final message. ¡°My master¡­ will devour¡­ you¡­ ALL¡­!¡± Iris spun around the revolver in her hand and blew out the smoke rising from it in style, then smirked. ¡°Yeah? Well, I¡¯ll put a bullet in his head.¡± ***** Once the light faded away, Iris finally flew back down andnded on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders, who caught her firmly. Fortunately, since Yokru¡¯s essence was exploded and dispersed by the light, Finn was able to consume it and gain its power as well. He just didn¡¯t know what just yet. ¡°Ivy¡­ did you make that light?¡± Acaya asked in awe. Iris nodded. ¡°It was a simple puzzle, really. I just didn¡¯t see it earlier.¡± ¡°That light¡­¡± Toth muttered. ¡°Sphinx, is it¡­¡± Acaya ¡ª whose alias was apparently Sphinx ¡ª nodded. ¡°Without a doubt¡­ that was the Holy Light the Theocracy worships. Its warmth and radiance is like no other.¡± ¡°But why was it inside a Temple like this?¡± Iyesha murmured in confusion. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡± ¡°The Light is wherever we need it to be most,¡± Obo said. ¡°Don¡¯t question it, and just be grateful it was here.¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± Iyesha backed down, slightly scared of Obo. Meanwhile, the Phantom yers had no idea what they were talking about. Apparently, the Theocracy of Light was based on the same light that had been shot out of those eight devices, but Iris really couldn¡¯t care less. With a cute yawn, she wrapped her arms around Finn¡¯s neck and whispered into his ear. ¡°Finn¡­ I¡¯m going to sleep a little. Wake me up when you need me, mkay?¡± Finn, realizing she must be tired, nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± Suddenly, a new shimmer of light appeared a few meters ahead in the room, but this one was blue and gentle rather than gold and glorious. After several seconds, it faded away, and in its ce was a beautiful white chest, simr to the ones found in the Dungeon Finn and the others had conquered a while back. ¡°Treasure¡­¡± Obo¡¯s eyes lit up in excitement, and he immediately moved to rush towards it, but Acaya stopped him with an arm. ¡°Wait, Scarab,¡± he said. ¡°I believe¡­ the rewards for this boss belong rightfully to the Phantom yers. We barely did anything in this fight, despite the main enemy being a Wraith-archetype.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡± Obo (alias: Scarab) sighed, clearly disappointed, but gave in regardless. Acaya then turned to Qi Ling, and gave a firm nod. Qi Ling didn¡¯t bother giving a response and instead coldly brushed past them towards the chest, still in a bad mood due to Finn not praising her. Despite how she seems on the surface, she was, deep down, a frail girl who sought approval from the man she felt affection towards ¡ª even if she hated that affection and didn¡¯t want to admit it. Chapter 141: Supposed Rendezvous Chapter 141: Supposed Rendezvous Reaching into the chest, Qi Ling took out what seemed to be a ring. She was cautious and didn¡¯t dare to put it on, but instead she just observed it carefully. It was made of gold, with a dazzling purple gem embedded on top. Slowly, she walked back towards the others, ring in hand. ¡°Ivy. Do you want this?¡± She asked, holding it up. ¡°Hm¡­ can I take a look?¡± Iris asked. Qi Ling nodded and handed it over to her, who epted it and without any hesitation, began sliding it up her finger. Qi Ling¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, that could be dang-¡° But it was toote. The gem suddenly lit up, its fascinating purple glow blinding everyone in the room. The Ghost Hunters heard the sound of metal nking, and instinctively readied their Angelicas. As the light faded away so they could see again, their eyes widened as they saw the army of knights standing on their feet once more, weapons drawn. ¡°It was a trap after all!¡± Acaya yelled. ¡°Cry of the Pharaoh ¡ª Shifting San-¡° ¡°Hold it!¡± Iris interrupted his casting, sitting on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders, and then lowered her voice again. ¡°These knights¡­ don¡¯t attack them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not moving or being hostile¡­¡± Qi Ling pointed out, narrowing her eyes. Iris, in response, clenched her fist tight ¡ª the one the ring was on. Immediately, the army of knights knelt down to the floor, as if swearing loyalty. That was all it took for all the Ghost Hunters to realize what was going on. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ controlling them?¡± Iyesha murmured in shock. ¡°So that¡¯s what the ring does¡­¡± Iris whispered to herself. She had seen Yokru wearing something on his skeletal fingers earlier, but she didn¡¯t have time to inspect it too closely. But after looking at this ring properly, she was certain it was the same one Yokru had been wearing earlier. This was how he had been controlling this army of undead knights. It felt a bit weird and dirty wearing this, but Iris could cope with it. The only problem was¡­ how they were going to bring this army of knights outside this room. If they had to go back down those stairs, then- But just as the Ghost Hunters were worrying about this, the chest that had once contained the gem disappeared in a shimmer of light, and in its ce was a dark, spiraling purple portal. ¡°¡­ Something like this appeared in the Dungeons too, after taking down a Boss,¡± Obo noted. ¡°It should be safe to go through, but¡­¡± Iris closed her eyes and mentally directed one of the soldiers to go into the portal, disappearing from everyone else¡¯s sight. After several seconds, she opened her eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s safe. This leads back to the main room of the cathedral, where we separated with the other group.¡± Acaya blinked in surprise. ¡°You can see what the soldiers can¡­?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ not exactly,¡± Iris replied. ¡°It¡¯s more like¡­ I can ¡®sense¡¯ their surroundings. I can get a rough sense of where they are, but I can¡¯t detect surprise attacks on them or anything like that.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ interesting.¡± Acaya turned around and stepped towards the portal. ¡°Well, if she says it¡¯s safe, then¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± He stepped through, and one by one, the other Ghost Hunters did as well, with Finn and Iris taking upst. Iris led the rest of the soldiers through the portal as well, and just as expected, they found themselves within the same room they had first been in upon arriving in this ce. Toth went over to the door on the left side, where the other group went through, and tried pulling on it. It didn¡¯t budge. ¡°It¡¯s locked,¡± he dered, then walked back to the others. ¡°Busting through won¡¯t work either, since it seems to be protected by some sort of mysterious paracausal energy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go to the rendezvous point for now, and wait just as nned. Who knows ¡ª they may already be finished before us,¡± Acaya said, then began heading up the stairs. The others followed. Unbeknownst to them, however¡­ right as they left, several screams of pain and shock rang out in the air, and were abruptly cut off soon after. ***** After reaching the same basement chamber as before, the group found that the right half of the sigil in the middle of the doors was now lit up. As it was a crescent moon, that left only the tips on the left side yet to be lit up. ¡°Looks like our guess was right,¡± Chisis noted. ¡°All that¡¯s left is for the other team to take down their boss, and this door should open up.¡± Just as he said this, the two tips of the crescent moon suddenly began glowing pale white just like the rest of the sigil, and the door before them slid open to both sides to reveal a straight corridor going forward. ¡°¡­ It seems they did it,¡± Toth said. ¡°Yeah¡­ now we just gotta wait for them toe back here, then go through there,¡± Obo added with a smirk. ¡°Imma check it out to see what¡¯sing up next¡­¡± With an excited look on his face, Obo was about to head into the corridor, but a hand stopped him. ¡°No,¡± Acaya interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Man, you¡¯re too careful,¡± Obo said, rolling his eyes. ¡°What could possibly kill me there? A spike trap? Ha-¡° But he froze midugh when Iris sent a soldier into the corridor. Immediately, sets of spikes activated on both sides, piercing through the soldier¡¯s armor instantly. The lifeless knight with armor tougher than titanium was filled with holes in the blink of an eye. Acaya didn¡¯t need to say anything further, and instead just patted Obo twice on the shoulder. Obo watched, ck-jawed, as the spikes slowly retracted, and the knight fell to the floor. Iris repaired it by injecting mana into the ring, and it crawled out of the corridor to stand on its feet again as if nothing had happened. Chapter 142: Suspicious Movements Chapter 142: Suspicious Movements While they waited for the other group to return, Finn decided to ask Zelestria about what power he obtained from Yokru. [Yokru¡¯s special ability was actually built into that ring Iris has.] That was the response he received. In other words, he could also control those knights Iris could, but really, such an ability was somewhat useless. If he did suddenly control them, the other Ghost Hunters would be suspicious of how he was doing it when Iris had the ring. This ability was pretty much useless to him, quite unfortunately. But ording to Zelestria, the other boss was basically Yokru but as a Phantom, and had the same ability as him. Only¡­ instead of knights, they had archers to deal with, while the Phantom boss was doing the melee attacks. It was essentially the opposite of what happened with Yokru and the knights. Soon after, the other group returned. Or rather¡­ some of it. Of the ten people that were originally in the group, only three remained: Ripple, Duke, and Jester. Upon seeing this, everyone in the chamber immediately erupted. ¡°Oi! Where is everyone else?!¡± Obo roared, grabbing the cor of Duke, who shoved him away. ¡°Ngh-!¡± ¡°Your friends got killed in the fight. Too bad.¡± ¡°Got killed in the fight my ass!¡± Toth yelled, stepping forward. ¡°You¡¯re telling me all the people from the Thousand Dragons Sect and the Theocracy of Light died, and only you House of Crimson Moons people survived?! Huh?!¡± At this point, Duke couldn¡¯t take it anymore and cracked his knuckles. ¡°If you want to pick a fight¡­ just say it outright. Your friends were too weak, so they died. Why are you using us of harming them?¡± ¡°Oh? use?¡± Finn cut in coldly, arms folded. ¡°We never used you of anything.¡± Realizing his mistake, Duke hurriedly attempted to cover it up with a calm facade, snorting in ignorance. ¡°Judging from your tone, it¡¯s clear you guys think we sabotaged the mission somehow,¡± Ripple said, saving them. ¡°However, we really didn¡¯t. They died to the Phantom boss we fought, and while that is regrettable, there was nothing we could¡¯ve done. As for why only the three of us returned¡­ we were just lucky enough not to get hit.¡± ¡°What he means to say¡­¡± Duke added with a nasty smirk. ¡°¡­ Is that we weren¡¯t as stupid as your friends, and therefore ended up living.¡± ¡°Bastard¡­!¡± Obo gritted his teeth and looked like he was ready to kill, but Acaya stopped him. ¡°¡­ I can see what you are trying to say, but please understand that we are somewhat suspicious. After all, coincidences like this don¡¯t happen everyday. It is natural to assume some underhanded tactics were used.¡± ¡°What, your own teammates were too weak, and now it¡¯s our fault?¡± Dukeughed. ¡°Jester, you hearing this?¡± ¡°Heheheheh¡­¡± The creepy-looking one wearing an elongated mask beside Dukeughed like an old witch. ¡°So¡­ following your theory¡­ your leader was too weak as well, huh?¡± Finn chuckled deeply. Duke narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°And I thought I was the blind one. Do you see your beloved leader anywhere? I think his name was¡­ Hurricane, was it?¡± ¡°Wha- he¡¯s right ¡ª where¡¯s Hurricane?!¡± Ripple cried, looking around in shock. ¡°He died to a trap, of course,¡± Finn replied, as calmly as ever. ¡°Damn it¡­ don¡¯t screw with me, kid!¡± Duke yelled, stepping forward and rearing his fist back, about to sink a punch into Finn¡¯s face. But then, a shadow moved in front of Finn, and intercepted the blow with his palm. ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°Shadow- why are you helping them?! Those bastards killed Hurricane, it¡¯s obvious!¡± ¡°Just as it¡¯s obvious you killed the others,¡± Iris shot back, a wry smile on her face. ¡°Tch¡­! Let me go, Shadow! I¡¯m going to punch this loser¡¯s face in, then have some fun with the girl!¡± ¡°No,¡± Shadow said again, in a more intense tone this time. ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t want to fight him.¡± ¡°H-Huh? The hell do you mean?!¡± ¡°Trust me. You do not want to fight him.¡± Duke nced at Finn, then back at Shadow, then back at Finn again. ¡°D-Damn it¡­¡± He slowly moved away, gritting his teeth in anger. ¡°A wise decision,¡± Finn said, continuing to taunt him. ¡°Had he not stopped you, your head would be on the floor right now. Your body, though¡­ I¡¯m not too sure about that.¡± ¡°Big words, brat! But look at how skinny you are ¡ª bet you¡¯re sweating bullets right now just from carrying that girl, huh?!¡± ¡°Duke¡­ don¡¯t,¡± Shadow warned for the third time. In his eyes was fear. He knew the truth about what happened to Hurricane. If Finn could beat him, then no one else on the House of Crimson Moons team stood a chance. ¡°Do you see the w in your philosophy yet?¡± Finn asked calmly, but his entire body was radiating with a terrifying aura that seemed to inject fear into all who witnessed it. ¡°When we suspected you of harming our allies, you immediately used us of ¡®assuming¡¯ things. But when you heard that your own ally was in, the first thing you thought of was us killing him. How hypocritical.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Please, let¡¯s not fight while we¡¯re in here,¡± Acaya pleaded. ¡°Whatever conflicts we have can be settled once weplete this Temple Raid. But for now¡­ set your differences aside. We have an Emperor to take down.¡± He was right. Finn didn¡¯t want to start any conflict in here either, since there was no telling how the Emperor might respond. They were in his domain now. Obo and Toth red at Duke, who ignored them and fixated his gaze on Finn instead. Ripple and even Jester were now both alert, and what they originally thought to be a one-sided massacre by them had just turned into an actual inner war. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡± Duke asked, narrowing his eyes dangerously. ¡°If you had participated in the self-introductions, you would know,¡± Finn replied with a gentle tone, but his demeanor was anything but that. ¡°¡­ Hmph. This isn¡¯t over, brat,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°Oh, and watch your back¡­ you never know when I mighte for ya.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to. The moment youe for me¡­ will be the moment you lose your feeble life.¡± Chapter 143: Battle Approach Chapter 143: Battle Approach ¨C Within the Room Where Group 2 Fought Their Boss ¨C ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Slowly, Tian Long blinked his eyes open. ¡°What¡­ I fell unconscious¡­?¡± ¡°Not only that, you nearly died,¡± a voice beside him interrupted, and he turned to see Lauren, their group¡¯s assigned Healer Angelica user. ¡°Do you remember what happened yet?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Tian Long groggily sat up from the ground and rubbed his forehead, where a headache was brewing. Pieces of memory shed through his mind. Their battle against that massive Phantom by the name of Urkoy, eventually defeating it, iming the chest¡­ ¡­ And what happened when they did. Ashika, the Oculus Angelica user in their group, had figured out the mechanic to defeat Urkoy, using the sundial-like devices on the ceiling. She deserved the reward inside the chest ¡ª and everyone agreed on that. But when she was retrieving her prize¡­ Tian Long¡¯s eyes widened. It all came back to him now. Frantically, he got up to his feet and nce around at all the other bodies lying around, lifeless and unmoving. He counted five in total. ¡°Are they¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ they¡¯re gone.¡± Lauren had an ufortable look on her face, filled with sadness and a hint of anger as well. ¡°I tried to heal them, but¡­ you were the only one I was able to bring back to life.¡± ¡°How did you even survive?¡± Tian Long asked, evidently shocked. ¡°I can hold my breath up to a minute. I nearly died, but in the end, I managed to fool those three. And once they left, I healed myself. It took a while, but I managed to do it.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Tian Long muttered, clenching his fists tightly. ¡°How could they¡­¡± ¡°Greed. That¡¯s how.¡± ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t usually do this, but¡­ some things can¡¯t be solved without violence.¡± With a new passion in his eyes, Tian Long looked at the portal in front of him, and walked closer to it. Lauren followed behind closely, but just as they were about to step through- [STATIC¡ª] A mechanical, robotic noise suddenly rang out behind them, and Tian Long immediately spun around. There, a few feet away, a metal scythe moved a bit. His eyes widened. ¡°Reaper¡­!¡± Hurriedly rushing over, he found the killer robot in a half-destroyed state, singr red eye glitching in and out like an electronic that had been sshed with water. [INITIALIZING¡ªSTATIC¡ªSELF-REPAIR PROC¡ªSTATIC¡ªESS¡ªSTATIC] The screen that acted as Reaper¡¯s eye shifted disys, changing into a loading bar: [REPAIRING¡­] [2% ¨€¨€¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª] Below, several lines of code updated Tian Long on the situation: [Ocr systems: Restored.] [Central Processing Unit: Partially Restored.] [Movement Module: SEVERELY DAMAGED. New parts required ASAP.] [Combat Module: Partially Restored.] [Flight Module: FAILED. REPAIR UNSUCCESSFUL.] [Intelligence Module: Restored.] [essing logs¡­ attempting connection with memory module¡­] [Overall Status: Partially Functional.] Soon, the progress bar hit 100%, and Reaper¡¯s red eye blinked into view once again. Slowly, it twisted its neck around both ways, looking around. The cloak it usually wore was nowhere to be seen, and the entire bottom half of its body was severed, broken wires in full view. It was a miracle it was still online, even after all this. ¡°Reaper¡­ you with me?¡± Tian Long asked, shaking the robot¡¯s frame slightly in his trembling arms. Slowly, Reaper nodded its head as a scanning beam of red light shot out of his eye. [Analyzing: Subject-DR4C0. Status: Friendly.] ¡°Oh, thank god¡­ I¡¯ll get you out of here, hang on,¡± Tian Long said, carrying Reaper¡¯s half-broken body on his back and leaping through the portal. ¡®The House of Crimson Moons¡­¡¯ He thought, emotions strained with anger. ¡®I¡¯ll pay you back for this, thousandfold¡­!¡¯ ***** ¨C Meanwhile, The Basement Chamber ¨C After what happened earlier, no one was keen on entering the corridor that very possibly led to the Emperor. Iris sent another knight into it, but it was once again punctured in holes (poor guy). ¡°Let me try,¡± Iyesha suggested. ¡°Maybe the corridor only epts real humans. I can turn my body into water, so these spikes are nothing to me.¡± The rest of the group nodded in agreement, giving her the go-ahead. Iyesha took a deep breath and closed her eyes as a beautiful blue hue surrounded her body, as tranquil and timeless as the waves. After murmuring something under her breath too quiet for anyone else to hear, she stepped through into the corridor. And¡­ nothing happened. ¡°Looks like my guess was right,¡± Iyesha said, then daringly took a few more steps forward. Still, no traps triggered. It was as if the Emperor was inviting them in. ¡°It¡¯s safe, everyone! Go ahead!¡± Acaya and the others exchanged nods, and hesitantly stepped into the corridor as well. No trap was triggered, thankfully. They followed Iyesha through the narrow hallway, letting her liquefied body take the lead to avoid any risks. Finn, carrying Iris, wanted to best, but Duke, Ripple, and Jester had yet to enter as well. ¡°Well? Aren¡¯t ya gonna go?¡± Duke chuckled, smiling arrogantly. ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t respond, and instead merely waited patiently. If that¡¯s the game they wanted to y, then he¡¯ll dly y along. He was in no rush. After a few seconds, Duke snorted and gave up on waiting, then headed into the corridor. Ripple and Jester followed him, both sending Finn a brief nce before turning away. Finn followed in a good distance after them, but then, he heard a voice call out to them from behind. ¡°Wait!¡± It was familiar. A boy¡¯s. Iris turned around, and her eyes widened. ¡°Draco¡­? And Lauren too¡­ wait, is that Reaper on your back¡­? You¡¯re all alive¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ too bad the others aren¡¯t,¡± Tian Long growled, clenching his fists. ¡°Duke, Ripple, and Jester¡­ I¡¯ll make you pay.¡± ¡°Oh, look who¡¯se back from the dead!¡± Dukeughed from inside the corridor. ¡°You got lucky, huh? Good to see, good to see!¡± ¡°Hmph. Deep down, you¡¯re probably fuming right now, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tian Long smiled wryly. ¡°Just killing you isn¡¯t enough. The three of you need to atone for your sins through eternal torture. Then, and only then, can the souls of the others be rested at ease.¡± ¡°Hold it,¡± Finn interrupted, pulling Tian Long back by the forearm. ¡°The Emperor knows we¡¯re here and is very possibly watching every move we make, even as we speak. If you start fighting them right now¡­ the Emperor will use that against us. Save it forter.¡± Tian Long looked conflicted, but knew Finn was right. With a sigh, he set Reaper down on the ground. ¡°Stay here. We¡¯lle get you once the battle is over.¡± Reaper slowly tilted its head. [Objection: Combat Module is partially restored. Reaper is still capable of fighting.] ¡°Not in your current state, you¡¯re not,¡± Iris said, voice stern. ¡°You¡¯ll only be a burden. Just stay here.¡± [¡­ Understood.] With that decided, Finn, Iris, Tian Long, and Lauren headed into the corridor as well, just slightly behind the House of Crimson Moons. The final boss of District A wasing. The Lunatic was here. Chapter 144: The Lunatic, Moon Inherent Chapter 144: The Lunatic, Moon Inherent Beyond the corridor, another set of stone doorsy. These ones, however, were a lot bigger and grander, embellished with gemstones and glowing sigils that painted a night sky on the stone. ¡°For a Ghost¡¯s home¡­ these aesthetics sure are nice,¡± Iyesha muttered, but her heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°Never mind that¡­ how do we get through here?¡± Acaya wondered, looking around. ¡°Did we miss something¡­?¡± But then, a booming voice suddenly enclosed the chamber, ringing in everyone¡¯s ear. ¡°DO YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME, MORTALS?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Immediately, the group drew their weapons and activated their Angelicas, readying themselves for anything. ¡°Who¡­¡± Obo narrowed his eyes. ¡°I AM THE ONE YOU SEEK. THE ONE YOU WISH TO SLAY. THE EMPEROR OF THIS CITY ¡ª THE LUNATIC, MOON INHERENT.¡± ¡°It¡¯s him¡­ the Emperor-level Ghost¡­¡± Tian Long muttered. ¡°Oi!¡± Duke roared. ¡°Open up the damn door, coward! We¡¯ll kick your ass!¡± ¡°HO? ARE YOU CERTAIN, MORTAL? IT MAY NOT BE NIGHTFALL YET, BUT IT IS CLOSE. DO YOU TRULY WISH TO FIGHT ME, WITH YOUR PUNY ¡®ANGELICAS¡¯?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯te all this way just to back down now,¡± Iris said firmly. ¡°If our Angelicas are such ¡®puny¡¯ things, how have we crushed your two bodyguards? And howe you are not letting us in to fight you? You im to be so strong¡­ but really, all you¡¯re trying to do is buy time until the moon rises, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­ VERY WELL. HEHEHEH¡­¡± A creepy, low giggle echoed across the chamber as the doors before them began sliding open slowly, shaking the entire ground and causing a loud rumbling sound to ur. Behind this door, an open courtyardy. There was no ceiling, and the sky was in clean view. In the distance, the very tip of the sun could be seen beyond the horizon. It was about to fall ¡ª and when it did, the Emperor¡¯s reign of terror would begin. On the other side of the courtyard, an enormous figure sat. It wore a silver crown on top of its pale white head and a purple cape that covered its back. The group entered the courtyard, and the doors mmed shut behind them. Then, slowly, the massive figure turned around. It was at that moment that the Ghost Hunters saw true horror. The Lunatic had the face of a normal Phantom. That signature sgow smile, earless head, and noseless expression. But its eyes¡­ one of them was perfectly fine and normal, pupiless like any other Phantom, but its other eye socket¡­ it was empty. The eyeball draped out of it, dangling and threatening to fall. Blood dripped from the empty socket and sttered across its face, painting its white face partially ck like someone had poured tar over it. On its forehead was a mark ¡ª a crescent moon, with its tips pointing upwards. It was as if the sigil had been carved into its very skin, like something a mad cultist would do. ¡°W-What the hell¡­¡± Obo muttered, voice quivering with fear. The other Ghost Hunters all took a step back instinctively, faced with this utter abomination. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, thou who wisheth to kill me?¡± The Lunaticughed, revealing rows upon rows of sharp but deranged white teeth. ¡°Be careful who you challenge¡­ for the Hunters may be the prey instead¡­ HAHAHA!¡± It reared its head back and howled inughter, but the Ghost Hunters have had enough. ¡°Stop the trash talk!¡± Duke yelled, charging forward as a red aura enveloped him. Ripple and Jester followed, the former sending an audiowave st while thetter split into dozens of copies, all with their weapons drawn. ¡°Wai-¡± Acaya began, but Finn stopped him. ¡°¡­ Let them be theb rats.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Did you forget already? They killed your friends.¡± ¡°T-That may be so, but still¡­ sending them to their deaths like this¡­¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t send them,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°They charged forward on their own.¡± ¡°Take¡­ THIS!¡± Duke leaped up into the air, preparing to sink his charged fist into the Lunatic¡¯s face, but the Emperor-level Ghost merely smiled like a maniac,pletely unconcerned. ¡°Damn it¡­ I¡¯ll KNOCK THAT SMILE OFF YOUR FA-¡­ ce¡­¡± Duke looked down, and saw his chest torn open by a white tentacle, stained red with blood. It was so fast he couldn¡¯t even see nor feel the pain, but he knew that his life had ended right then and there. ¡°I-Impossible¡­¡± He shifted his head slowly on his dying breaths to look at his two teammates, and saw that they too had their chests prated by the Emperor¡¯s thick tentacles. Even Jester, who used his copies to trick enemies, was instantly identified by the Lunatic. No¡­ it had simple pierced all of Jester¡¯s copies in an instant, and found the right one. ¡°Such speed¡­ such power¡­¡± Acaya whispered, ck-jawed. ¡°¡­ HEHEHEH¡­¡± The Lunatic giggled like a crazy man andunched the three¡¯s lifeless bodies at the other Ghost Hunters, who quickly dodged out of the way. ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s beyond our Healing capabilities¡­¡± Chisis muttered, staring down at the massive holes in the three¡¯s punctured bodies, blood forming a pool beneath them. ¡°Weak, weak, weak, weak, WEAK!¡± The Lunatic roared gleefully. ¡°Is that how you Ghost Hunters fight? HA!¡± ¡°¡­ Nah.¡± Finn bent down and ced his hand on Jester¡¯s forehead, then Ripple¡¯s. ¡°¡­ You just sqaushed some maggots. That¡¯s all.¡± Standing back up, now with two new Angelicas obtained (he already had Duke¡¯s Brawler Angelica thanks to Pang Zi from a while back), Finn rolled his neck a little and activated the Cardmaster Angelica, then pointed at the Lunatic. ¡°¡­ Judgment.¡± Suddenly, a magic circle appeared above the Lunatic, and it looked up to see a beam of light charging up on it. BOOM! Theser beam of white light shot out of the magic circle and pummeled the ground ¡ª and the Lunatic along with it. ¡°D-Did that get him¡­?¡± Tian Long asked, still shocked at how sudden the three people he had wanted to get revenge on just died. ¡°UP HERE, FOOLS!¡± The Lunatic¡¯s unmistakable voice suddenlyughed, and the Ghost Hunters all cast their gazes into the air in response. There, the Lunatic hovered, eight tentacles squirming behind its back. The purple cape it wore had now been cast away, setting the creature¡¯s tendrils free. ¡°Hehehehe¡­ IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE, GHOST HUNTERS?¡± Chapter 145: The Emperors World Chapter 145: The Emperor¡¯s World ¡°This isn¡¯t good¡­¡± Acaya muttered, an ufortable and slightly nervous expression on his face. ¡°Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious!¡± Obo retorted, gritting his teeth. ¡°If anyone¡¯s got any ideas, spit them out now!¡± ¡°Heheheh¡­ this is FUN!¡± The Lunatic squealed, licking its lips that were forever carved into a sgow smile. ¡°Come on, Ghost ¡°Hunters¡±, SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!¡± Saying this, he tore through a stone pir with one of his tentacles with incredible ease, thenunched it towards the Ghost Hunters with enough velocity to destroy solid metal. ¡°Tch- Twin Dragons!¡± Tian Long yelled, sping his palms together and shooting out two dragons made of raw fire. Since he had already activated his Angelica earlier, there was no need for a chant. Fire met stone, and luckily, Tian Long¡¯s mes were enough to burn through the pir, sessfully defending against the attack. However, keeping that up would be difficult, as the Lunatic was already preparing a second pirunch. ¡°I have a n,¡± Finn suddenly said, catching the attention of all the others. ¡°Yeah? Well, hurry up and spill it!¡± Obo cried, ducking to one side to avoid getting his head hammered in by another stone pir. ¡°We can¡¯t y Dodgeball like this forever here! The moment that bastard gets bored of toying with us, we¡¯re dead meat!¡± ¡°¡­ Everyone else, spread out and attack the Lunatic from all angles,¡± Finn said calmly. ¡°I need you to distract him.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it!¡± Acaya said, immediately dashing through the corridors surrounding the open courtyard on the left side. ¡°Theocracy members, follow me!¡± As the remaining Hunters from the Theocracy of Light followed after Acaya to take up the left side, Qi Ling nced at Finn dubiously. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but there¡¯s no time to question it either. Just¡­ don¡¯t get yourself killed.¡± ¡°¡­ Appreciate the thought,¡± Finn replied briskly. Qi Ling snorted and turned away, dashing through the right-side corridor. Tian Long, after ncing between his senior sister and Finn, smiled wryly and followed after her. Iris moved to follow, but Finn held her legs down tightly. ¡°¡­ Eh? Ace¡­? ¡°My n involves you,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Take out your sniper. I want you to shoot me.¡± ¡°H-Huh?! Shoot you¡­?!¡± ¡°Not as in nt a bullet in my head,¡± he quickly corrected. ¡°As in¡­ fire me from your bullet chamber.¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait¡­ you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± Yes, he did. That was exactly what he meant. After a few seconds, Iris finally made her decision and realized there was no other way to go about this. ¡°Very well. You¡¯re crazy, Ace, but I should get used to it. The sniper fires off .50 cal high-impact bullets, gold in color. That good enough of a description?¡± Finn nodded and, without any hesitation, began the Shapeshifting process. He transformed into a silhouette of white light momentarily, then contorted and distorted until he became nothing but a long sniper bullet like any other. The Lunatic and the other Ghost Hunters were all too absorbed in fighting one another to notice this, and Iris caught the bullet before it fell to the floor. Then, swiftly loading the bullet (Finn) into her sniper¡¯s empty magazine, she closed one eye and took aim directly at the Lunatic¡¯s forehead through the reticle of her sniper scope. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s all up to you now, Ace.¡± She pulled the trigger. In an instant, Finn was explosively shot out of the sniper¡¯s chamber. His rear end hurt like hell, but that was besides the point. He had a target, and he would mark it dead. [Darling, the Lunatic¡¯s left eye socket is your best bet. If you inject all of your electricity and fire into that hole like how you inject your¡­ essence into mine, then it should work~ you¡¯re on a direct line of collision with it, so just strike directly forward.] ¡®¡­ Understood.¡¯ With that brisk reply, Finn waited for the perfect opportunity to undo the Shapeshift and strike with all his might. The Lunatic, sensing a bullet nearing it, snickered and held up one of its hands directly in front of his face. ¡°FOOLS! You think a mere bullet can hurt me?!¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Finn said quietly as the bullet suddenly turned bright white, and he did his transformation. ¡°¡­ But I can.¡± ¡°Wha-?!¡± The Lunatic¡¯s pupilless white eye widened in shock as it witnessed Finn rearing his fist back above its hand. Even if it could react to a bullet¡¯s speed, it couldn¡¯t dodge or defend against a point-nk attack like this. ¡°¡­ Die.¡± Charging his fist with both the Stormbringer Angelica¡¯s lightning and his gauntlets¡¯ Burning Fists mod, Finn punched directly forward just as Zelestria had instructed¡­ straight into the Lunatic¡¯s empty eye socket. ¡°GRAGHHHH!!¡± The Lunatic roared in pain as the mixture of fire and lightning coursed through its veins and spread to the rest of its body, electrocuting it instantly and rendering it paralyzed. Finnnded back on the ground, right as the Lunatic copsed backwards. ¡°Curse you¡­ CURSE YOU¡­!¡± Leaving these final, forced words behind, the Lunatic went silent, unmoving and still. The Emperor-level Ghost of District A has been in, by none other than a supposed ss-D Hunter, from a backwater Squadron no one has even heard about. Atst, everyone could find some peace, and take a break from all this. It was over. The Lunatic, Moon Inherent, was dead. The other Ghost Hunters all walked closer, with Obo moving in to kick its leg a little. ¡°Is it¡­ really dead?¡± ¡°Seems like it,¡± Lauren said, walking up alongside him. ¡°Its heart¡­ is not beating.¡± ¡°Then¡­ where¡¯s the chest?¡± Acaya asked, looking around. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the body disappear and grant us our rewards¡­?¡± ¡°Not sure,¡± Toth said. ¡°Maybe because it was the final, strongest boss in the Temple, it just takes longer to disappear¡­?¡± But then, the shadows that had enveloped the courtyard faded away. All the Ghost Hunters turned to their front to see a bright, pale white sphere, looming above the mountains in the distance. The moon, had risen. And the Lunatic¡¯s finger¡­ twitched. Chapter 146: The Lunatic, Moon Ascendant Chapter 146: The Lunatic, Moon Ascendant Acaya, noticing this, immediately called out. ¡°Watch out!¡± Obo turned. ¡°Huh?¡± But it was toote. Several sharp tentacles suddenly tore through the concrete ground like spikes in a 5 meter radius around the Lunatic. The other Ghost Hunters backed up immediately, but Obo and Lauren, who had been too close at the time, weren¡¯t as lucky. ¡°W-Wha¡­¡± Shaped like crescent moons, the sharp white tentacles tore directly through their abdomen, before circling around and curving inwards to prate them again at the throat. They werepletely impaled and unable to do anything but gurgle a bit as blood spilled out of their two wounds and their mouths, left for dead. ¡°Obo! Lauren!¡± Acaya cried in despair, but there was nothing he could do but watch as his friends¡¯ lives were taken in such a brutal, cruel manner. There wasn¡¯t any warning. It was instant. Two perfectly alive human beings, killed in the mere blink of an eye, from a Ghost that was thought to be dead. ¡°Heheheheheh¡­¡± The Lunatic¡¯s unmistakable voiceughed darkly as its figure rose from the ground, both eyes now properly in ce and woundspletely gone. The tentacles that protruded from the ground shrinked back into the holes they created, then slowly all retracted to the Lunatic¡¯s body. ¡°Mm, mm, mm¡­ human blood¡­ delicious¡­¡± ¡°H-How¡­ but you died already!¡± Tian Long cried in shock, getting into battle position once more. ¡°I almost did,¡± The Lunatic corrected, licking its lips. ¡°I even constricted my own blood flow in my body by creating a gravitational field around my heart to slow down the spread of the fire and lightning, buying myself a few seconds more. And who would¡¯ve thought¡­ those few seconds rewarded me quite well.¡± Narrowing its already-small eyes even further, the Lunatic spread its arms and rose to the sky as its tentacles, originally only 8, increased to 16. Above its head, five purple ck holes, ranging in size, appeared to form an arc shape, almost like a crescent moon facing down. This shape matched the symbol on the Lunatic¡¯s forehead, which was now glowing silver as it was ignited by the moonlight. ¡°The moon has risen!¡± It dered, basking itself in the glorious, luminous lunar light. ¡°You had your chance, Ghost Hunters¡­ you had your chance. But s¡­ the moment the night falls¡­ the moment the moon rises¡­ is the moment you¡¯ve lost. From now until dawnes, THE WORLD IS MINE!¡± ¡°Tch¡­ I can feel it,¡± Iris muttered. ¡°The Lunatic¡¯s power¡­ it just surged by an immense amount. The moon¡ªit¡¯s fueling him!¡± ¡°Luck is truly on my side, to let the moon rise right before I died for good. In the end¡­ the humans were DESTINED to LOSE, the Ghosts were FATED to WIN! HAHAHAHA!¡± Itughed like a maniac. ¡°The OVERLORD shall RULE ALL!¡± ¡®Oh? Overlord?¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®How interesting.¡¯ The Ghost Hunters all prepared to fight once more, filled with a mixture of emotions. Guilt, regret, fury, sadness, despair. None were good. And yet¡­ they fought. They had to. ¡°Now then, my beloved Hunters¡­ ytime is over,¡± the Lunatic said, smiling creepily as its tentacles writhed and thrashed all over the ce behind its back. ¡°It is time¡­ to END you.¡± Spreading its arms wide, the Lunatic dered: ¡°I am Moon Inherent no longer, puny mortals! I¡­ am Moon Ascendant!¡± ***** ¨C Outside the Paracausal Realm ¨C ¡°The moon¡­ has risen.¡± Lei Feng nced up at the dark night sky, illuminated by nothing but the pale orb of light known as the moon. ¡°¡­ And they still have not returned,¡± Shuyara said with a grim expression. ¡°If they are fighting the Emperor right now¡­ the odds do not look so good.¡± ¡°That is, if they even are still alive,¡± Heartbeat said with a low chuckle. ¡°In my opinion¡­ it¡¯s best to just assume they are dead. Why don¡¯t we head home, reassemble new teams, and try again some other time? This mission was doomed to fail from the moment the higher-ups decided to let the younger generation do it.¡± ¡°¡­ You sound awfully certain that they have already failed,¡± Lei said coldly. ¡°Do you know something we do not, perhaps?¡± Heartbeat took a sip of his wine, then smiled darkly. ¡°You see¡­ I can sense when my serv- ahem¡­ students are dead. Call it¡­ intuition. And right now, my intuition is telling me only one of my students who went in there remain alive.¡± ¡°¡­ Intuition?¡± Shin snorted. ¡°Sorry, but I have faith in my students. They will ovee this challenge, and grow to be some of the greatest Ghost Hunters in history.¡± ¡®Greatest Ghost Hunters in history?¡¯ Heartbeatughed in his mind. ¡®Your students are already dead, Shin. Too bad, too bad.¡¯ ¡°Even so¡­¡± Shuyara closed his eyes tightly. ¡°¡­ Never mind. I will pray for them. May the Light guide their way.¡± ¡°It will be fine,¡± Lei reassured, tone firm and decisive as he pushed his sses up the nose of his bridge. ¡°My disciple¡­ has one final trick up his sleeve.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Inside the Paracausal Realm ¨C ¡°HAHAHA!¡± The Lunaticughed in delight as it pummeled the Ghost Hunters with its tentacle attacks, blowing up debris and tearing through stone pirs like they were nothing. ¡°Tch-!¡± Qi Ling let out a frost aura and froze some of the rubble flying towards her before hopping into the air and using them as step stones to avoid one of The Lunatic¡¯s deadly, speedy, and precise tentacles. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Face my Lunafaction Brood, Hunters! Let¡¯s see how you hold up then, HAHAHA!¡± ¡°SKREE!¡± Phantoms spawned by the Lunatic squealed in bloodthirst and delight as they rose from the ground, much like in the garden earlier. Wraiths soon followed behind them,unching attacks from range and unpredictable angles. ¡°D-Damn it!¡± Acaya rolled to one side to evade a Wraith¡¯s sma attack, then used his Pharaoh Angelica to bury several charging Phantoms in a pile of sand. ¡°We can¡¯t hold on for long like this¡­! There¡¯s no room to even go on the offensive¡­!¡± Shadow turned invisible and attempted to get closer to the Lunatic with his twin des, but was shed in the chest by one of the Lunatic¡¯s tentacles. ¡°Ugh-!¡± He fell backwards and crashed into the ground, but not before Tian Long catch him in his arms and dive out of the way of a follow-up attack. The injury was not fatal, thankfully. ¡°FUTILE, FUTILE, FUTILE!¡± The Lunaticughed in triumph and contempt. ¡°You think I can¡¯t see through your puny invisibility?! The moon grants me True Sight! None can hide in front of me! Even if you try that annoying bullet trick of yours again, it won¡¯t work a second time, HAHAHA!¡± ¡°Ace¡­ I¡¯m out of ideas¡­¡± Iris muttered, downing a few Phantoms with her handgun. ¡°What¡¯s the y here?¡± ¡°¡­ Rx,¡± Finn said, stepping forward. ¡°I have one final ace up my sleeve.¡± Amidst all the chaos and fighting, Finn calmly reached into his own soul and called upon the legendary beast lying within. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Raiju.¡± Chapter 147: Roar of the Thunderbeast Chapter 147: Roar of the Thunderbeast ¡°Raiju. It¡¯s your turn.¡± Grey thunderclouds began converging above above the courtyard, nearly blocking the moonlight. The Lunatic spun around, confused, wondering what the hell was going on. The Ghost Hunters and Ghosts, however, were too busy fighting one another to notice. That is, until this happened. ¡°ROOAAAR!¡± With an ear-splitting bellow, Raiju leaped out of Finn¡¯s body in a shimmer of light, unleashing a powerful shockwave of energy all around it as itnded on the concrete ground and sent fractures outbounds. BOOM! The ground shook as several bolts of powerful blue lightning struck down from above, zapping all of the Phantoms and Wraiths to death instantly. Even the ones that were invisible could not escape their fate, and were reduced to nothing but ashes in the mere blink of an eye. ¡°Agh¡­¡± Raiju groaned deeply, shaking its furry body a bit. ¡°I was in the middle of a nice dream, too¡­ why did I get such an annoying kid as my master? Ah, but whatever¡­ I¡¯ll forgive you this time, since it feels nice to be in my real form again.¡± The other Ghost Hunters and The Lunatic could only stare on in shock at the immense disy of power from Raiju, the legendary Heavenly Beast of Lightning. [You have your target, Raiju~ he¡¯s right in front of you.] Zelestria said within Finn¡¯s mind yfully. [Take him out, and you get a treat~] Raiju¡¯s ears twitched a bit upon hearing this in his mind as well since he was connected with Finn, then growled. ¡°¡­ That ugly bastard? Hah. Leave it to me.¡± ¡°H-Ho¡­ a little puppy, eh?¡± The Lunaticughed, but his voice definitely wasn¡¯t as confident as before. ¡°You think you can beat me, now that you have a dog by your side? Under the moonlight, I am invincible! Immortal! No matter how much you damage me, I will be resurrected over and over aga-¡° ¡°Yeah,¡± Finn interrupted quietly. ¡°¡­ Under the moonlight, that is.¡± ¡°Wha-?!¡± Suddenly, the grey thunderclouds above shifted, converging together to block off the moonlightpletely. They radiated with sparks of electricity and covered the entire sky for as far as the eye could see, so flying through was impossible. In an instant, the courtyard was sent into darkness, with all sources of light cut off. Raiju¡¯s eyes lit up a menacing neon blue, his entire wolf-like body radiating with sparks of lightning, as he growled in anger. ¡°GRRR¡­ WHO ARE YOU CALLING¡­ A PUPPY¡­?¡± ¡°T-Tch¡­ I¡¯M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!¡± The Lunatic roared, spreading its arms and turning his palms upwards. ¡°Mystic Art ¡ª The five purple orbs above its head suddenly began shaking violently, and the glowing white silhouette of a crescent moon formed around them. Then, like an eye, it opened. Instantly, a terrifying and dreadful suction force enveloped the courtyard, stronger and more deadly than anything the group had experienced before. Deep inside the crescent moon that was now shaped like an open eye, a cold and empty purple voidy, drawing people in only to im them there forever. ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± The Ghost Hunters held on to the few pirs that remained standing, but that wouldn¡¯tst for long. Cracks were starting to appear in the stone as the entire cathedral behind them began crumbling away, drifting into the abyss thaty beyond that eye. But Raiju,pletely unaffected, merely growled and took a step forward. Then another. And another. ¡°GRRR¡­.¡± With every step that it took closer towards the Lunatic, more fractures appeared in the ground. The broken cement tiles flew up into the eye of gravity, but Raiju remained unbothered and continued until he was right underneath the Lunatic, who had an expression of shock hiding behind its stered wide smile. ¡°H-Heh¡­ what you got, puppy? You gonna lick my feet? HAHAHA!¡± Not responding to the Lunatic¡¯s question, Raiju slowly opened his mouth and pointed it towards the Lunatic. It was then that the Emperor knew. It fucked up. BOOM! A surging beam of blue energy shot out of the legendary beast¡¯s mouth, tearing through the Lunatic¡¯s body and piercing the clouds above. ¡°GRAGHHHH!¡± The Lunatic screamed in agony as the electrons of theser beam spread to every corner of his body, shocking him over and over again to no end. By the time theser dimmed and faded away and Raiju closed his mouth, the Lunatic was all but unconscious, and fell to the floor with a gaping hole in its body. ¡°¡­ After that¡­ it should be dead, right?¡± Acaya muttered. ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± ¡°No, stay back!¡± Raiju roared, then immediately got into fighting position again as he narrowed his beastly eyes on the Lunatic, who slowly rose back from the dead, the hole in its body closing up. ¡°¡­ A slight miscalction, puppy,¡± it snickered. ¡°Look up.¡± Raiju and the other Ghost Hunters all turned their heads to the sky, and realized what happened. Raiju¡¯sser beam had pierced the clouds as well, unintentionally allowing the moonlight to reach the Lunatic and rendering it immortal again. ¡°NOW, IT IS TIME TO END YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!¡± The Lunatic dered, a wide and psychopathic grin on its deformed face. ¡°Emperor¡¯s Divide ¡ª Moonfall!¡± It raised its arms into the air once more, calling upon the power of the almighty lunar moon, preparing its final attack. ¡°Shit¡­!¡± The Ghost Hunters all covered their faces and prayed to heaven this was not happening, but there was no escape. The courtyard was enveloped in a bright white light, signaling the power of the moon, and- ¡­ Nothing happened. Finn and Raiju, at the same time, smirked. ¡°Wha¡­¡± The Lunatic whipped his head around and stared up at the sky, only to see his precious moon, shattered and broken, falling below the horizon. ¡°What¡­ no¡­ NO, THIS CAN¡¯T BE¡­?! HOW?! MY MOON! MY PRECIOUS MOON!¡± ¡°Kid, that wasn¡¯t a bad n,¡± Raiju said with augh. ¡°I¡¯ll give you credit for that one. You¡¯re stronger and smarter than I originally thought.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± Finn snorted, then folded his arms and stood beside his Heavenly Beast. ¡°You thought we were aiming to kill you, Lunatic? No¡­ we knew that as long as that moon was still in the air, you were invincible. So¡­ we needed to get rid of it first.¡± ¡°I¡­Impossible¡­¡± ¡°Now¡­¡± Finn began, then, together with Raiju: ¡°¡­ Face your demise, Emperor.¡± Chapter 148: Emperors Fall Chapter 148: Emperor¡¯s Fall Finn got on top of Raiju while Iris and the other Ghost Hunters watched, and together, the two?¡ªmaster and beast?¡ªcharged forward and gloriously leaped up into the air. Raiju bared his teeth, thunder radiating from every pore of his body, while Finn jumped up from the back of Raiju, activating his two sets of ws and filling them with fire and lightning. ¡°N-No¡­ NO!¡± The Lunatic cried in fear, but it was toote. Raiju and Finn tore through the Lunatic¡¯s body at once, cutting it in an X-shape. ck blood spurted out of its body, but neither Finn nor Raiju were concerned. Finn because he could simply absorb it, and Raiju because this meant little to his divine powers. The two, in perfect unison,nded back on the ground behind the Lunatic, and Finn deactivated his gauntlets while Raiju spit out a chunk of Phantom flesh from his mouth just as the Emperor fell to the floor, dead. Slowly, Finn arose from the fractured ground, and adjusted his jacket stylishly. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s over.¡± ***** The Lunatic¡¯s body dposed soon after, and a chest appeared in his ce at the center of the ruined courtyard. Because it was quite dark, Finn used the Star Card of his Cardmaster Angelica which was now recharged to let everyone see. Well¡­ everyone, except for him still. Not bothering waiting for anyone¡¯s consent, he bent down in front of the ivory chest and opened it up. Inside was¡­ money. Tons of silver coins and treasures, 100% authentic and genuine. Being a worshipper of the moon, the Lunatic loved shiny things, especially silver ones. As such, he used his ability to generate small ck holes anywhere to rob people of their money. [Whew¡­] Zelestria whistled, impressed. [You¡¯re rich now, darling~ and not only that, but the power you gained from the Lunatic is also not bad at all. I¡¯ll exinter once we get back, in the Reality Rift.] Finn silently acknowledged her words and lifted the heavy chest up with some effort. ¡°Raiju. Come here.¡± The legendary beast cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You want me to carry that for you, kid?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t repeat himself, and Raiju remained still. It would seem that despite somewhat acknowledging Finn, the Heavenly Beast was still prideful and refused to bow down to anyo- [Do as told, Raiju~] ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Raiju immediately stiffened up and obediently walked over to Finn like an acutal puppy, lowering his body so Finn could set the chest on his back. He, for whatever reason, was terrified of Zelestria, even if she was currently about even with Finn in terms of power. The other Ghost Hunters were confused to see this sudden change of attitude from Raiju, but didn¡¯t question lest they get their heads bitten off. Using his belt, Finn secured the chest onto Raiju¡¯s body, and as soon as he did so, a gaping, swirling portal opened where the chest once was on the ground. Tian Long went back into the now-reopened doors and picked up Reaper, then came back. Atst, it was time to return back to the real world. ***** ¨C Outside ¨C The moon was high in the air, illuminating the night. Since the moon they destroyed was a parallel one in the Paracausal Realm, the real world¡¯s moon was not effected. ¡°Wee back,¡± Lei said with a rare smile. ¡°I knew you could do it.¡± ¡°It was difficult, but¡­¡± Iris smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Finn¡¯s neck tighter. ¡°Finn and Raiju got the job done.¡± ¡°R-Raiju¡­?!¡± Shin and Shuyara widened their eyes in shock, backing away a few steps. They knew what that name exemplified. Raiju growled, but Finn stroked the beast¡¯s head. ¡°Rx. He doesn¡¯t bite. Sometimes.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ a Heavenly Beast, is it?¡± Heartbeat chuckled, rolling the wine in his ss a bit. ¡°How interesting. You continue to impress and surprise me¡­ Ace.¡± ¡°I noticed that not everyone who went in came out,¡± Lei said, voice turning dark. ¡°¡­ How many were lost?¡± ¡°Everyone from the House of Crimson Moons, except for me, was wiped out,¡± Shadow said quietly. ¡°In addition¡­ Lauren, Obo, Abdol, Ashika, Shiko, and Diana were all in,¡± Acaya added, grimacing ufortably. ¡°It is believed to be at the hands of Duke, Jester, and Ripple, but there is no hard evidence.¡± At this, the three leaders shed a dangerous re towards Heartbeat, but he was unconcerned and instead raised his ss a bit. ¡°Did you not hear?¡± Heughed. ¡°There is no hard evidence.¡± ¡°¡­ There is little we can do without proof,¡± Lei said. ¡°Shin, Shuyara¡­ my condolences.¡± The two nodded firmly and closed their eyes before sping their hands together in a praying position. ¡°May the Light guide them in the afterlife. They died for the Light, for the Theocracy. They should be proud.¡± ¡°Atst¡­ the threat in District A has been cleared,¡± Lei said with a sigh, ncing up at the sky. ¡°But this is not the end. District A, B, C, and D have the most powerful Ghost Hunter Squadrons, but it is rumored that the Emperors residing within them are the weakest of all. In other words¡­ the outer Districts¡­ I fear they will not be able to handle it.¡± ¡°Where do we from Squadron 154 go?¡± Octane asked. ¡°We originally weren¡¯t part of the Thousand Dragons Sect, but¡­¡± ¡°You will return to Archon. They will be eager to see you. If you want to stay at my sect for another night, that is alright as well. It is up to you.¡± Hearing the word Archon, Heartbeat¡¯s lips curved up a bit. Iris didn¡¯t miss this detail, and narrowed her eyes but didn¡¯t say anything. If luck was on their side, Archon and Melvia would still be alive, but¡­ Octane, Fanatic, and Finn were all aware of this as well, but none of them said anything. At least, not until they could find out for sure. ¡°We¡¯ll leave right now,¡± Finn said after a while, making the decision for the group. ¡°Thank you for the care for the past few weeks, Patriarch Lei. This is farewell.¡± He turned around and got onto Raiju¡¯s back, preparing to leap off the roof, but suddenly, Qi Ling burst forward and caught his arm. ¡°W-Wait!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn slowly tilted his head back, confused. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re really leaving? For good?¡± She had a good idea of the feud between Hurricane and Finn and the others. She also had a good idea of what happened. She knew that Archon and Melvia, Finn¡¯s previous caretakers, were most likely dead. She knew, about Finn¡¯s true intentions in leaving here. Working together with others was a hassle. Finn would only keep Iris by his side since she too was a Ghost and could ept him for who he was now, but apart from her, he will be a rogue, solo Ghost Hunter, just like Jim. Finn knew Qi Ling¡¯s feelings for him, of course. He knew, but he had no intention of requiting them. ¡°¡­ Farewell.¡± Not saying anything else, Finn pulled out of Qi Ling¡¯s grip and jumped down from the roof on the back of Raiju, while Iris, Fanatic, and Octane (carrying Reaper) did the same. Qi Ling rushed forward and peeked over the edge, but Lei pulled her arm back and shook his head. ¡°Wha¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Let him go, Qi Ling,¡± Lei said, also knowing the truth behind Finn¡¯s actions. ¡°This is his choice. I can tell you have feelings for him, but¡­ don¡¯t. You are only hurting yourself.¡± Normally, Qi Ling would be embarrassed about having her emotions revealed in front of so many other people, but in this moment, she didn¡¯t care. A tear formed within her eye, for reasons she didn¡¯t even know herself. She wanted to hate herself for being so weak. Crying, because a boy was about to leave her behind? Seriously? How she has fallen, how she has fallen. ¡°That boy¡­ he¡¯s destined to be a legendary figure that will walk down the annals of history,¡± Shuyara said. ¡°But at the same time¡­ he will suffer a horrible fate, one far more terrifying than death. The divination I have done on him says as much. Girl¡­ to be at his side, you need to have a specific quality. I don¡¯t know what that quality is, but that white-haired one¡­ she has it. I think it¡¯s best you give up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Qi Ling knelt down on the roof of the building, clenching her silkybat dress tightly as rain began pouring from the clouds above. As much as she didn¡¯t want to admit it, Finn was her first love, and would most likely be herst. But if he was better off with someone else, then¡­ she would ept it. ¡­ Or will she? After several minutes, she stood back up, bravely, strongly, and wiped her tears. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go back.¡± But in her mind, she did not give up. What was that quality? She would search for it, no matter how long it took. And when she finally found it¡­ she would go seek Finn out and fight by his side again. When that time came, she swore she would make her feelings clear, and demand a proper answer. Fate would make them meet again, in the near future. She could feel it. But until then¡­ ¡°¡­ Farewell, Finn.¡± Such were her words as the Girl Who Did Not Cry dropped a tear for the first time in her life. Chapter 149: Qi Ling SS: The Girl Who Did Not Cry Chapter 149: Qi Ling SS: The Girl Who Did Not Cry ¡°To appreciate the light, one must first know darkness.¡± ***** It was a snowy, winter day. The veryst day of the year, in fact. December 31st, New Year¡¯s Eve, with a raging blizzard outside. On this particr day, a certain girl was born. But unlike other childbirths¡­ there was no sound of a baby cryinging from within the room. ¡°The baby¡­ she is not crying at all,¡± the old maid breathed, utterly perplexed and confused as she held a female baby in her arms. ¡°I cannot believe this¡­ in all my years and experience as a housemaid¡­ I have never witnessed a child who did not cry upon being birthed¡­¡± ¡°She will surely grow up to be a fine youngdy,¡± the butler said with a warm smile, standing beside her and stroking his beard. ¡°Able to control her emotions so well, despite only just being born¡­ what a miracle.¡± ¡°Haha! That is my daughter, all right!¡± Qi Yaoxuan, the head of the Qi family, dered with a boldugh. ¡°My beloved wife, are you seeing this? You have given birth to a miraculous child! One that will grow up as a prodigy!¡± His wife, Qi Mian, sobbed softly on the bed while letting the tears of joy run down her cheeks. ¡°Yes, my dear¡­ I see it¡­ our daughter¡­ she will be both beautiful and extraordinarily talented.¡± Pause. Fast forward a few years. That was the story of how I was born. My mother and father have told me this many, many times, to the point where I¡¯ve gotten sick and tired of hearing it. My name is Qi Ling, and I am the only child of the powerful Qi Family, an honorable lineage of Ghost Hunters that dates all the way back to the First Expungement. It is said that my ancestor was amongst the first generation of Ghost Hunters, but really¡­ I didn¡¯t care. Not at all. I didn¡¯t care about anything, really. Growing up, I was a talent, a child prodigy, just as my father foresaw. I excelled in whatever I did, and I awakened a rare Angelica known as the Everfrost Angelica, granting me powers and freedom over ice. They say a person¡¯s Angelica is closely tied with their personality. They would be right. The only w there was to me, ording to my parents, was that I was extraordinarily cold. Distant. Not only towards strangers, but also towards my own family. I didn¡¯t have friends, mainly because I didn¡¯t bother trying to make any. But my parents didn¡¯t care too much about this. I was a talented child, bringing them even more fame and glory than they already had, and that was enough for them. Everyone showered me with praise and presents. I was treated like some kind of celebrity, a role model to all other kids my age and a thorn in the rear-end to any other wealthy Ghost Hunter family. Eventually, I was made into one of the Big Five in one of the top Ghost Hunter forces in District A, the Phantom yer Squadron led by Patriarch Lei. Not only that, I was made into the leader of the five despite only being twelve at the time. The previous team members were all frustrated that their old leader had been reced by a mere kid, and didn¡¯t ept me at first. But after witnessing just what I could do and how terrifying I could be, they slowly submitted obediently. After that, my treatment only got better from everyone around me. Anything I wanted, I received. Anything I asked for, I was granted. My mother and father were the leaders of the house, but really, no matter what I asked them to do, they would do it without a second thought (unless, of course, I told them to go kill themselves, which I have contemted more times than I would like simply for experimental purposes). It should have been enough. It should have been everything a child could ask for. But it wasn¡¯t. There was a void in my heart. One that I struggled to find the answer to, one that I could not fill no matter what. On the surface, I was cold, distant, emotionless to everyone. But deep down, I was lonely. Frail. In desperate need of a partner, someone who saw my true image underneath this stone-cold mask I donned. But as the years went by, I found myself wondering. Does such a person really exist? If they did, why have they note to me yet? Why do I feel like everyone around me, even my own parents, could only see who I was on the surface? Why couldn¡¯t they touch upon my true feelings, gaze upon my real, empty heart? Why couldn¡¯t they understand? Eventually, I shut these questions to the back of my mind, silencing them forever. I would be the good, cold little girl they wanted me to be, and meet, then surpass all of their expectations time and time again. I would be the perfect, exemry definition of a child prodigy, the type other parentspared their own children with. But then, I met him. By now, I was 18 years old. I had long sealed away those immature questions, those desperate, weak thoughts. And so, at first, I looked down on him. He was blind. I was fine with blind people bing Ghost Hunters and trying to contribute in their own way, but the patriarch had brought these people over to aid us in exterminating a powerful Baron-level Ghost in this very District. This was not some children¡¯s yground. This was a dangerous mission, one in which only the elitest of the elite would seed in. But by the time the Baron Hunt wasplete, I was certain I was wrong about him. I was a hypocrite this entire time. While others only saw the surface me, I only saw the surface him. I¡¯ve done the very thing I once hated others for doing to me, to him. Slowly, I began seeing something else in him. A dark, burning fire, that could melt away my sheets upon sheets of white, cold ice. An aura that spoke and sang to me, as if beckoning me closer and threatening to never let me leave again. Before I knew it, I found myself wanting to spend time with him, even if it was indirectly and with others as well. I found myself acting abnormally nervous around him, quite out of character. But the most surprising factor¡­ is that I actually found myself feeling jealous towards that white-haired, heterochromia-afflicted girl who was always by his side. She was exceptionally beautiful. That was undisputed. Yes, she was unable to walk with her injured legs, but ¡®angel¡¯ was a fitting word to describe her nheless. Yet¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel I wasn¡¯t inferior to her in any way. Be it appearance, power, or intelligence, I don¡¯t lose to her in any department. So what was it that let her bond with that boy so much, whereas I could not? Time spent? No, their bond goes deeper than that. Was it simply because of the difference in our personalities? Since that boy was also cold and emotionless, just like me, neither of us would make the first move to bond with one another. The white-haired girl, on the other hand, seemed to also be quite introverted most of the time, but when she was with the boy, she seemed a lot more talkative and . Perhaps, one day, I will too be able to aplish that. Perhaps, one day, I will too discover that quality needed to stay by his side. And when I do¡­ we will meet again, Finn Thresher. ¡°I apologize, but you have already stolen my heart. You cannot give it back, therefore bear the responsibility forever.¡± That is what I will say when our paths cross once more. Chapter 150: Forgetting About Him Chapter 150: Forgetting About Him ¨C House of Crimson Moons ¨C ¡°¡­ So. The other four all died, huh? How unfortunate. I spent quite many resources on Hurricane, too. You are the only survivor. What do you have to say for your failure, Shadow?¡± Heartbeat asked, voice soft yet strangely threatening at the same time. ¡°I asked you to secure that boy named Finn, did I not?¡± ¡°Yes, my patriarch. I have nothing to say. I do not n on making excuses.¡± ¡°Good. Then¡­ you know the drill. The basement is waiting for you.¡± Shadow nodded firmly and bowed his head. ¡°Understood, patriarch. I will face my punishment and reflect upon my actions. However, before I go¡­ there is something I felt was worthy of reporting.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Heartbeat raised an eyebrow. ¡°Go on, speak.¡± ¡°I am certain you know this already, but the target¡ªFinn¡ªwas the one who killed Hurricane. I witnessed it with my Shadow Vision. But what was truly unbelievable¡­ was how he killed him.¡± Heartbeat narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The target¡­ he had six glowing white tentacles protruding from his back, much like that of a Phantom¡¯s. No one else could see it, but with my Shadow Vision that eliminates all else but the colors of ck and white, I could perceive it despite the distance and obstacles in the way.¡± At this, Heartbeat stopped and thought for several minutes. Out of all the things Shadow could¡¯ve said, this was the most out of his expectations. Finn¡­ had Ghost-like attributes? ¡°Was there anything else you noticed that was abnormal?¡± Heartbeat asked. Shadow nodded. ¡°It may just be a mistake, but¡­ I feel like Finn is not blind at all. Either that, or he had someone invisible telling him what to do. Hurricane tried tounch a surprise attack at him from behind, but without even turning around, he punctured Hurricane¡¯s body with one of his tentacles.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. And that girl wasn¡¯t there to help him see?¡± ¡°The white-haired one? No. She was up on top where I was. Even with the Oculus Angelica, she cannot mimic the abilities of my Shadow Vision in a situation like that.¡± ¡°Ohoho¡­ how interesting.¡± Slowly, Heartbeat¡¯s lips turned up into a smile. Finn¡­ he held even more secrets than Heartbeat had initially imagined. It¡¯s been a long time since Heartbeat had became so interested, so engrossed in something, someone. After several seconds, he turned to his subordinate. ¡°Good work, Shadow. Forget about the punishment. Go ahead and tell Sully to retrieve a pack of High-Grade Crystal Blood for you, then print out the image captured through your Shadow Vision and give it to me.¡± ¡°What¡­ patriarch, this cannot do. I have failed, and therefore require suitable punishm-¡° ¡°That¡¯s an order,¡± Heartbeat reiterated, cing emphasis on the ¡®order¡¯ part. Shadow, hearing this, had no choice but to back off. ¡°¡­ Yes, patriarch.¡± After Shadow left, only Heartbeat remained in his own private chambers. He twirled around a ss of wine in his hand as usual, and tenderly took a sip. ¡°¡­ Like a Phantom, huh?¡± As a n formed in Heartbeat¡¯s mind, his lips curved up into a twisted smile. ***** ¨C 15 Minutes Later, Thousand Dragons Sect ¨C The Ghost Hunters had just returned home. It¡¯s been a long day, and everybody needed some alone time to just rx and think about things. Qi Ling was no exception. She stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over her glossy body. The beads of aqua streaked down her perfect curves and well-proportioned limbs, making her snow-white skin glisten and shine. Despite being a girl of the cold, wielder of the Everfrost Angelica, it was nice to have a warm bath like this every now and then. Especially after what happened with Fin- ¡°No,¡± Qi Ling told herself, clenching her fists and resting them against the shower¡¯s marble walls. ¡°I can¡¯t think of him¡­¡± Taking a deep breath, Qi Ling fought against her inner demons and struggled to keep her tears within her eyes. She needed to forget about him for the time being. Forget, and grow. Once she had found what it is she needed, she would remember him once more. After a very long time, she finally stepped out of the hot shower. There, however, she found Yun Xin waiting for her. ¡°¡­ ire? What are you doing here¡­¡± ¡°U-Um¡­ the patriarch¡­ he wants to see the Big Five members who went into the Temple today. He sent me to get you¡­ it seemed urgent.¡± Qi Ling furrowed her brows, thinking about what possibly could this be about. It wasn¡¯t like Patriarch Lei to call them in for a meeting right after a extremely tiring and draining fight against Ghosts. But if anything, that only made it more clear just how important this was. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll change, then head over.¡± Qi Ling hurriedly entered her own private dorm room, slipped on a fresh set of clothes that looked exactly the same as her dirty set minus the grime, then returned to Yun Xin. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± Yun Xin nodded, and the two headed for the Main Hall. ***** ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve called the two of you to discuss something very important.¡± Lei eyed the two people in the Main Hall warily with a distrust in his eyes that he had never looked at them with before. Both Tian Long and Qi Ling noticed this, of course, and were confused as to what this was about. After carefully observing the two young Ghost Hunters, Lei continued in a lower voice. ¡°Did either of you two¡­ spot anything abnormal about Ace?¡± Ace. That word struck Qi Ling like a truck. Finn. The same person she had just spent so much effort into forgetting in the shower, now rises again in her mind. ¡°Abnormal¡­?¡± Tian Long raised an eyebrow. ¡°Apart from the fact that he¡¯s blind, there¡¯s nothing that separates him from a normal person. He is stronger and more clever than most, but that is about it.¡± Tian Long nced at Qi Ling. ¡°What about you?¡± Qi Ling shook her head. Then, in a bitter, quiet voice, she replied, ¡°Nothing, Master.¡± ¡°Did something happen¡­?¡± Tian Long inquired, sensing something off about this whole situation. Lei slowly nodded, a grim look on his face. ¡°¡­ I was just contacted by the guild. They said Finn Thresher¡­ is a Ghost.¡± Chapter 151: Archons End Chapter 151: Archon¡¯s End ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Qi Ling and Tian Long¡¯s eyes widened at this response. ¡°I objected, of course,¡± Lei quickly added. ¡°The guild refused to tell me where the im was from, so I had to suspect you two as well¡­ forgive me.¡± ¡°It makes no sense!¡± Tian Long cried. ¡°Why would a Ghost kill other Ghosts, and risk their own lives doing so?! I saw Ace nearly die inside the Dungeon-¡° ¡°¡­ It¡¯s the House of Crimson Moons,¡± Qi Ling muttered, brooding hatred in her cold voice. ¡°No doubt about it. There is no one else.¡± ¡°Those bastards¡­¡± Tian Long clenched his fists in anger. ¡°How could they make baseless usations like that!¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s the problem,¡± Lei interrupted quietly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ it¡¯s not baseless.¡± Qi Ling narrowed her eyes, then fell into thought. ¡°Even if the usation ising from an A-ss Squadron, photographic evidence is required for the guild to actually believe anything. Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ one way or another, they managed to get their hands on a picture of Ace. From what I¡¯ve heard¡­ he had six tentacles protruding from his back, much like a powerful Phantom.¡± ¡°What?! How could we have not noticed that?!¡± Tian Long yelled. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡ªthey definitely photoshopped it or something!¡± ¡°¡­ That is what I¡¯d like to believe as well, but the guild said the photo was taken with the Shadow Vision ability of the Shadowtrance Angelica. Something like that cannot be altered.¡± ¡°Shadow Vision¡­?¡± Qi Ling tilted her head. ¡°Is that the Ability that lets someone see through all objects and only perceive ck and white?¡± Lei nodded. ¡°Apparently, Ace¡¯s tentacles were glowing bright white, hence why he could see them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± At this, both Qi Ling and Tian Long fell quiet. Was it really true? Was Finn¡­ really a Ghost? They didn¡¯t want to believe it, but it was difficult to argue with evidence. But after several seconds, Qi Ling spoke. ¡°¡­ Even if he really is a Ghost, so be it. My evaluation of him will not change. He is still the same Finn Thresher I know, regardless of whether or not he is human. As long as he is fighting for humanity¡¯s side, that is all that matters.¡± Tian Long nodded. ¡°I agree. I still don¡¯t believe it, but even if Ace is really a Ghost¡­ if they still have their humanity and are using those powers for good, who am I toin?¡± Lei took a deep breath. ¡°It makes me relieved to hear the two of you say that. It really does. But I¡¯m afraid¡­ you have to abandon that philosophy.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The two frowned in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s toote for us to help him now, but I believe with his strength, he can make it out of the guild¡¯s chase,¡± Lei exined. ¡°Just keep in mind¡­ in the future, there maye a day when we, the Thousand Dragons Sect, are sent to capture him, a rogue Ghost Hunter. When that timees¡­ I don¡¯t want you to hold back. If you do, you will be targeted next by the guild, seen as an enemy.¡± At this, both Tian Long and Qi Ling were at a loss for what to do. They refused to abandon Ace, but at the same time, they understood what Lei was trying to tell them. It was a horrible dilemma. Protect your friend, or protect yourself? ¡°Go ahead and return to your dorms. I¡¯m sure you are both tired, and I apologize for weighing down your hearts even more with this conversation. Don¡¯t worry about the squadron¡ªthe guild will not take any action against it for harboring Ace, as they believe we were fooled as well. Still, though¡­ I¡¯d like the two of you to make up your mind about him.¡± The two nodded and left the room. Well, one of them did. The other stayed behind, with one final question. ¡°¡­ Strictly hypothetically speaking, Master¡­¡± Qi Ling began once Tian Long was long out of earshot. ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± ¡°¡­ Would you turn a blind eye if I were to¡­ go rogue as well?¡± After several seconds, Leiughed. ¡°Despite the warning, you still want to chase after him? Fine. I¡¯ve never seen you so passionate about something¡­ it would be a shame to ruin it, now wouldn¡¯t it? Go, girl. Follow him. I¡¯ll cover up your tracks.¡± Hearing this, Qi Ling smiled for the first time in what seemed like all her life. ¡°¡­ Thank you, Master.¡± Lei shook his head. ¡°Think nothing of it. That boy¡­ I pity him. He is so driven by hate, deeper than any other Ghost Hunter I¡¯ve met. That girl around him¡ªIris¡ªis trying to prevent him from drowning himself in that same hatred, but I¡¯m afraid¡­ she¡¯ll need help.¡± Qi Ling nodded firmly, epting her mission. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I promise¡­ I won¡¯t let him go down that path.¡± ***** ¨C Meanwhile, Squadron 154¡¯s Base ¨C ¡°¡­ They¡¯re dead,¡± Fanatic said after a while. He moved away from the two familiar corpsesying beside one another, not even knowing what hit them. ¡°It was poison. Judging from the look on their faces¡­ it was an extremely agonizing one too.¡± ¡°How could he¡­¡± Octane gritted his teeth in anger, tears forming in his eyes. ¡°Why, Storm¡­ why¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Leave them be,¡± Finn said after a while, turning around. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be done about them now. Focus on the future.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ the future¡­¡± Octane echoed, slowly getting up from kneeling on the floor. ¡°W-What do we do now, Finn? Do we go to the Thousand Dragons Sect to seek a new home¡­? Or the guild, maybe?¡± ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Finn said coldly, walking away. ¡°I¡¯m bing a frence Hunter.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­?¡¯ Octane¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Y-You¡¯re leaving us, Finn?!¡± ¡°The squadron has been disbanded,¡± Finn replied coldly. ¡°There is no point in me staying here any longer.¡± ¡°What about me¡­?¡± Iris asked softly, hesitantly. After several seconds, Finn spoke again. ¡°I won¡¯t force you toe along, but¡­ I could use your eyesight still.¡± Hearing this, Iris¡¯s entire face lit up, and she smiled happily before wrapping her arms tightly around Finn¡¯s neck and pulling him into a deep hug. ¡°Finn¡­¡± [Hmph¡­] Zelestria pouted unhappily inside Finn¡¯s head, but she didn¡¯t make a move to appear in her physical form, thankfully. That would¡¯ve been troublesome. ¡°B-B-But-¡± Octane began, but Fanatic stopped him. ¡°We understand,¡± he said calmly. ¡°We will respect your decision, Finn. Our paths may diverge from here on out, but I won¡¯t forget you. Ever.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Neither will I.¡± Fanatic smiled. ¡°Take care, Ace.¡± ¡°¡­ Farewell.¡± With that, Finn left the house, Iris still on top of his shoulders. Once he was gone, Octane slumped onto the ground. ¡°W-Why, Fanatic¡­?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell, Octane? We¡¯re holding him back.¡± ¡°I know¡­ I know, but¡­ ugh, dammit!¡± ¡°If fate truly exists, we will meet each other again one day,¡± Fanatic said. ¡°But in the meantime¡­ we should work to get stronger ourselves, so that when our paths do cross once more, we won¡¯t be holding him back anymore.¡± Octane fell silent,prehending those words. And out from Reaper¡¯s damaged, mechanical body, came a single sentence. [Subject-AC3. Farewell.] Chapter 152: Hunter or Hunted Chapter 152: Hunter or Hunted ording to Jim, the first step to bing a frence Hunter was to register as so at the guild. Since Finn was originally a Phantom yer, that was the guild he was supposed to go to. With Iris on his back, he stepped into the teleporter at Squadron 154¡¯s headquarters. In his mind, he held no emotion for abandoning Octane, Fanatic, and Reaper. The truth was, they were slowing him down. He just didn¡¯t see a point in telling that to them outright, so he chose to merely do this instead. It was cruel, but Finn didn¡¯t care. He just wanted to kill Ghosts. That was all. A bright white sh surrounded him and Iris, and in the next instant, they found themselves standing in front of the familiar heaven-piercing tower of the Phantom yers HQ. It stood gloriously on top of a white cloud, the same one they were standing on right now and somehow not falling straight through. Boldly, they strode on into the guild¡­ having no idea what was waiting for them. ***** ¡°Wait, is that¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s him, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± ¡°The girl matches the description as well¡­¡± As Finn and Iris waited in line to see a receptionist, they heard several murmurs rippling through the crowd of Ghost Hunters. An ufortable feeling crept up the two¡¯s backs as they felt dozens of gazes on them, ready tosh out at any moment. Ghost Hunters hunted Ghosts¡­ and Finn was the prey. ¡°Finn¡­ I don¡¯t like this¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Me neither,¡± Finn muttered in reply, ready to activate his weapons at any given notice. Suddenly, with a roar, a Ghost Hunter jumped out of his seat and drew his sword, heading straight towards Finn. ¡°Haha! If I capture you, the reward will be mine!¡± ¡°Keep dreaming¡ªI want that reward money!¡± Another shouted, joining in. Soon, everyone in the room was rushing towards Finn, weapons drawn and Angelicas activated. The receptionists were too terrified to interfere, and instead just hid behind their counters. ¡°¡­ Hmph. A bounty on my head, is it?¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Very well.¡± Leaping up into the air, Finn activated the wings on his armor, and levitated there like a fallen angel. Iris followed, spreading her own wings as well and pulling out her guns. She didn¡¯t want to kill these Ghost Hunters, but this was just the reality of the situation. The two Ghost Hunters who had charged forward first jumped up towards Finn in an attempt to strike him down with their weapons, but Finn had more than just a few tricks up his sleeve. ¡®Devil¡¯s Timing.¡¯ In an instant, his surroundings slowed down, his senses sharpened. All sounds seemed to fade away, with the exception of the two Hunters¡¯ breathing. That gave away their location¡­ and their life. Before they could even blink, Finn thrust his hands outwards, one to his left and one to his right, instantly prating through the tough armor of the two Ghost Hunters with the sharp metal ws on his gauntlets, forged by none other than Archon. ¡°W-Wha¡­!¡± ¡°H-How¡­ he¡¯s¡­ blind¡­¡± The two poor souls were confused, but they would be taking those questions to the grave as Finn flung their bodies backwards, sending them crashing into a couple of tables and chairs. More Ghost Hunters jumped up towards them from behind, but Iris nted a bullet in their heads and swiftly reloaded her weapon. ¡°Finn, we can¡¯t hold them off for long!¡± Finn kicked another Hunter away in the chest and sank his sharp ws into the eyes of another, causing them to scream in agony. Then, sensing the heat of a fireballing towards him, he quickly raised his gauntlets and crossed them in an X-Shape for defense, utilizing the Vortex Shield modification to its full potential and reflecting the attack back towards the caster. ¡°GRAGH?!¡± The Hunter, not expecting this, was immediately engulfed in his own mes, burning to death. In an instant, fire began spreading throughout the room, burning through the wooden and leather furniture. Momentarily, the Ghost Hunters had their attention turned away from Finn. Naturally, he didn¡¯t let this opportunity go, and took this chance to call upon his most powerful ally yet. ¡°Come, Raiju.¡± ¡°ROAAR!¡± With a loud roar, Raiju appeared on the battlefield, mming into the marble ground and crushing several Ghost Hunters and knocking away countless more. ¡°Iris!¡± Finn called out as he leaped onto Raiju¡¯s back, and Iris nodded towards him before quickly flying over. He caught her hand and pulled her in beside him. ¡°Raiju¡ªstraight through the wall!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I like ramming into walls, but I¡¯ll do it just this once!¡± Raiju growled, taking a step back, thenunched himself forward straight into the wall of the tower, tearing through with simple brute force. Finn and Iris covered their faces to avoid getting hit by the debris, but some of the other Ghost Hunters weren¡¯t as lucky. ¡°Tch-! There¡¯s no road, and we can¡¯t take the teleporter!¡± Iris yelled. Finn nced back slightly, hearing the angered footsteps and roars of the Ghost Hunters eager to hunt him down, then quietly issued his order. ¡°¡­ Jump, Raiju.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­ are you crazy, Finn?! This is up in the clou-¡° ¡°Jump!¡± He said again, and Raiju obeyed. Charged with lightning, Raiju sprang upwards into the Heavens. Then, building up static charge, he dove down, aiming to lessen the damage done to himself by spreading the impact with his electricity chain to nearby objects. Finn and Iris held on tightly to Raiju¡¯s fur as they fell downwards like a meteor of lightning, the wind cutting through their skin and air pressure threatening to make them suffocate. But amongst all this, Finn was still able to speak. ¡°Iris¡­ when I say ¡®now¡¯¡­ open your wings and fly¡­!¡± ¡°H-Huh?! But what about you?!¡± She cried back, eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Just do as I say!¡± Finn yelled in annoyance, gritting his teeth. ¡°A-Alright!¡± Iris was terrified. Not by the fall, but by Finn¡¯s anger. He usually was the cold, emotionless type, but she now knew he could yell too. ¡°Get ready!¡± Finn shouted through the loud wind. They were nearing cloud-level, having jumped into the heavens before falling. ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ now!¡± ¡°Ngh-!¡± Iris opened her wings just as told, and immediately, she was risen into the air, acting like a parachute. Thank god Mavrick¡¯s craftsmanship was good¡­ otherwise there¡¯s no way this armor would¡¯ve been able to withstand that sudden change in momentum and would¡¯ve most likely snapped instead, dropping Iris to her death. Meanwhile, however, Finn¡¯s journey was not yet over. Raiju was heading straight in between two tall buildings in the city, and it looked to be made out of concrete. If he smashed into that from this height¡­ even a Heavenly Beast would sustain heavy injuries. ¡°Tch¡­ Zelestria!¡± Finn suddenly yelled, with no other option. [On it!] Sensing what he wanted to do immediately, Zelestria took control of Finn¡¯s mana flow and helped redirect them. Right as they entered the shadow of the two buildings, six long and powerful tentacles shot out of Finn¡¯s back. ¡°Hnnngh¡­!¡± Finn spread them so that they dug deep into the two buildings¡¯ walls, forcefully slowing their fall. Since the tentacles were part of Finn¡¯s body, this hurt like hell, but there was no choice. Better pain than dead. Debris and chunks of the wall of the buildings fell with them as Finn and Raiju continued their descent, showing no sign of stopping. Finn¡¯s tentacles felt like they were on fire, but he did not give in. ¡°Come on¡­e on¡­!¡± CRASH! With a loud, earthshaking impact, in the end, Raiju and Finn still both hit the ground like a meteorite. Smoke rose from the crater where theynded, and the passerby stared at the fog in silent shock, mouths agape. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Finn groaned, coughing out red blood with a mixture of ck. His tentacles were stained with ck blood, and Raiju was in no better shape. His once glorious form was now filled with scratches and wounds, golden blood flowing from his injuries. They were both nearly dead. But¡­ both also still felt pain. And pain was proof that they were¡ªbarely as it may be¡ªalive. Chapter 153: Rogue Chapter 153: Rogue ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Finn slowly rose from the ground, retracting his tentacles. His legs felt weak and it took everything he had just to stand, but there wasn¡¯t much time. He had to get out of here before the dust settled. ¡°Raiju¡­¡± Finn nced down at the wounded Heavenly Beast, who nodded slowly in response and returned to residing within Finn. This way, it would be a lot easier to hide. A purple aura surrounded him, indicating the Nightstalker Angelica he had copied from Elder Hua, and used an Ability. ¡®Invisibility.¡¯ This Ability did exactly what the name entailed. Render the user invisible for a set duration of time. Due to his Ghost Blood¡¯s enhancement properties, Finn¡¯s invisibilitysted longer than usual. He had came across this skill by chance when Elder Hua used it during one of their training sessions to teach them how to sense someone when they are invisible. Breathing ragged and footsteps uneven, Finn slowly climbed out of the crowd¡¯s line of sight right before the smoke cleared, leaving them to stare only at a massive crater in the ground and the three long w markings on both buildings¡¯ walls. ***** After a while, Iris finally regrouped with Finn. It took her a while to finally find him by looking around in the area surrounding the massive crater in the floor, but that time let Finn recover a bit. Now, the two sat within a back alleyway somewhere near the center of District A, judging from how ¡®downtown¡¯ and ¡®urban¡¯ this ce looked inparison to the slums. ¡°Finn¡­ are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Iris asked in worry, sitting down beside him and not caring that her beautiful white clothes will get dirty. ¡°We can¡¯t go to the hospital since the guild has eyes everywhere, but¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Rx,¡± Finn said, lifting his face a bit. ¡°See? My wounds are already healed.¡± At this, Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right¡­ but¡­ how¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ Why do you think the guild suddenly targeted us like that, going as far as to ce a bounty on my head?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ the only possibility I can think of right now is that you killed Hurricane¡­?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°That¡¯s part of it¡­ but not the main trigger.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± Iris frowned, tilting her head in confusion. Suddenly, without warning, Finn activated one of his tentacles, which also was healed already. Iris¡¯s eyes widened, but she didn¡¯t try to scramble away or anything of the sort. ¡°F-Finn¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Part Ghost. Just like you.¡± ¡°W-What¡­? But¡­ how¡­? My bloodline is the only-¡° ¡°I was not born this way,¡± Finn interrupted, resting his arm on his knee and retracting his tentacle. ¡°I was made this way.¡± Iris gulped. ¡°Is that even¡­ possible¡­?¡± ¡°With enough Ghost Blood? Yes. When I first encountered a Ghost, I was saved from the brink of death by¡­ someone. However, to do so, they had to infuse the Ghost¡¯s blood into my body, thus inadvertently turning me part-Ghost.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t see me as abnormal when I told you my family¡¯s backstory¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°After finding out about this, do you still wish to apany me?¡± Finn asked, just to make sure of her loyalty. Iris smiled. ¡°Of course. If anything¡­ this only makes our bond tighter, does it not?¡± Finn snorted, then gave a low chuckle. ¡°Maybe so.¡± ¡°But¡­ what¡¯s the n from here on out?¡± Iris asked after a short silence. ¡°We killed several Ghost Hunters, and injured plenty more. Returning to the guild is hardly an option.¡± ¡°It was never one in the first ce,¡± Finn replied. ¡°Regardless of whether or not we killed those Hunters. Someone saw me using my Ghost powers to kill Hurricane. It should have been impossible with all the obstacles in the way at the time, but¡­ someone did. They clearly captured evidence as well, and sent it to the guild.¡± ¡°So¡­ what do we do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Finn said calmly, standing up from the ground and adjusting his cloak. ¡°We go rogue.¡± ***** In the end, the two settled on resting at an inn for tonight, as it was gettingte. They would begin their travels tomorrow morning, when they would start heading for District B. Apparently, the Emperor-level Ghost there has yet to be subdued, so Finn was going to investigate. Thankfully, being hunted by the guild wasn¡¯t as bad as the police, in some respects. Yes, the Hunters being sent after them would be a lot stronger than mere police, wielding the power of Angelicas, but Finn and Iris could deal with them just fine. Unlike an arrest from the police, however, Finn and Iris could still go around living life as usual, as normal humans. They checked in and made the payment with Finn¡¯s card, then headed upstairs to their room. After both showered, Iris got into the only bed in the room. Since they were going rogue now, they had no stable source of ie. They had to use their money wisely. Even if Finn did have all those riches from the treasure chest at the end of the Temple, he still couldn¡¯t afford to waste any. He would save whenever it was possible and didn¡¯t bring any significant disadvantages to the table. But¡­ Finn didn¡¯t get in the bed, and instead sat down on the couch. Iris blinked. ¡°Um¡­ Finn? I don¡¯t mind, you know¡­ we can sleep together on the bed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Finn answered. ¡°We have to be alert at all times, in case the guild sends people after us. As such, we will take shifts. Go ahead and sleep first. I¡¯ll wake you up in a few hours to swap.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Iris sounded disappointed and furrowed her brows, but then, her cheeks slowly began turning red. Why was she feeling disappointed?! Because Finn wasn¡¯t going to sleep with her?! ¡°¡­ Something wrong?¡± Finn asked, hearing her hesitation. ¡°A-Ah, no! Not at all!¡± She hurriedly cried, then promptly buried herself beneath the nkets of the bed. Thank god he can¡¯t see¡­ otherwise, it would¡¯ve been so embarrassing¡­ Finn sighed and leaned back on the couch, then ultimately decided to talk with Zelestria in his mind to help himself stay awake. ¡®Zelestria. You there?¡¯ [Mhm. I gotta say though, I¡¯m surprised you gave away your identity to Iris so easily, darling.] ¡®¡­ Well. There¡¯s no point in hiding it any longer to her. She¡¯s bound to question why we were hunted by the guild, and what would I say then? I am no expert deceiver.¡¯ [Hm¡­ that¡¯s fair. So? What did you want to talk about?] ¡®First and foremost¡­ I want to ask,¡¯ Finn thought, then after some slight hesitation, he continued. ¡®¡­ Do you know who exposed me?¡¯ Chapter 154: District B Chapter 154: District B [Who exposed you, huh¡­ well, Iris, Tian Long, and Qi Ling are exempted by default. None of the three can lie very well, and if they really saw your true form, you would¡¯ve noticed something abnormal about their behavior before long. That leaves the Theocracy of Light members¡­ and, of course, Shadow.] ¡®¡­ He¡¯s definitely the most suspicious one.¡¯ [Of course, there is also the possibility that someone else entirely somehow managed to sneak into the Temple along with you guys, but that is unlikely. If I had to ce my bets¡­ it would be on Shadow as well.] ¡®Any particr reason?¡¯ Finn asked in his head. [Well¡­ he uses the Shadowtrance Angelica, whiches with an Ability known as Shadow Vision. It allows him to see through all materialistic objects and only see light and shadow. Because your tentacles are pale white, he was able to see them as clear as day despite the countless flights of stairs in between. The Ability alsoes with the perk to capture a given moment of his vision, which is probably what he presented to the guild as evidence.] ¡®I see¡­ how troublesome. I should¡¯ve killed him too.¡¯ [No use crying over spilled milk, darling~ for now, I suggest thinking about what you¡¯re going to do from here on out. How are you going to enter Temples and Dungeons, as a Rogue Hunter?] ¡®¡­ Good question. I could sneak in with Invisibility, I suppose.¡¯ [Hm¡­ you could, but think harder. Remember what that Jim person and Lei used to open up the portals to the Paracausal Realm?] Finn, of course, never actually saw the liquid, but he had heard them exin it was in fact Ghost Blood, extracted carefully from the corpses of some unfortunate Ghosts. Which meant¡­ ¡®¡­ You don¡¯t mean¡­ I can open up Paracausal Portals with my own blood?¡¯ Finn asked in his mind. [Bingo~] Zelestria giggled. [So long as you know the location of the Dungeon or Temple¡¯s entrance, you can open up portals to them. That was what I had been nning on showing you on our date¡­ which now has to be postponed once more.] Zelestria sighed deeply, clearly disappointed. Finn actually didn¡¯t even see a point in going on a date with her now that he knew what the ¡®important thing¡¯ she had been meaning to show him was, but he refrained from saying that out lou- [I can read your thoughts, darling~ don¡¯t forget~] ¡­ Right. She could. ¡®¡­ I won¡¯t apologize.¡¯ [Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not expecting one. After all, that¡¯s just your personality. If you weren¡¯t like this, you wouldn¡¯t be darling~] After a short silence, Finn decided to change the topic and discuss something else. ¡®One more thing.¡¯ [Hm?] ¡®What was the power I obtained from the Lunatic?¡¯ The Lunatic was an Emperor-level Ghost. His power was bound to be amazing¡­ or so he hoped, anyway. Luckily, Zelestria¡¯s next words confirmed that. [The Lunatic, huh? The ability is simple, but powerful. I won¡¯t tell you directly what it is, and instead let you try to figure it out for yourself. You can¡¯t rely on me forever, after all. If you observe the Ghost you stole the power from, you can get a hint as to what the power is. Think, darling. What was the Lunatic¡¯s strongest power?] Finn thought. Gravity? No. That was just a subpower of his true strength. The Lunatic. Lune. Luna. Moon. ¡®¡­ The moon.¡¯ [Correct, darling.] Zelestria said in approval. [But just the moon isn¡¯t a power. Be more specific.] ¡®¡­ I will now gain increased strength when I¡¯m in underneath the moonlight¡­?¡¯ [Mhm~ but not only physical strength. Your Abilities, mana capacity, agility, and senses will all be heightened greatly. Think of it as an all-around, sudden boost to all of your capabilities.] ¡®I see¡­ quite an useful ability indeed. But as for the road ahead¡­ anything you can tell me about the Emperor in District B?¡¯ [Fufu~ that will be up to you to find out yourself, darling. If I just told you everything, you¡¯ll never grow strong on your own~] Finn sighed. ¡®Fair enough.¡¯ With that, their conversation ended, and several hours passed without anything noteworthy happening. In the end, Finn didn¡¯t wake up Iris for her shift at all, and just stayed up the whole night on his own. He wasn¡¯t feeling sleepy anyway. ***** The next morning, the two of them set out. It was dark and cloudy, giving the day a very gloomy feel. Definitely not the best sign for what¡¯s toe. There were two ways to get to District B from District A. One, via a long highway bridge that ran over the sea between the two cities, and two, via an underwater long-distance railway. The former option was usually the better choice due to cost, but thetter was a lot faster. Last night, he had saved money at the hotel since there was no real need to get a room with two separate beds. It was just forfort. This, however, was different. Spending a little extra money was well worth the saved time, especially when Finn wanted to enter that Temple and see that Emperor as soon as possible. As such, it was clear which decision they chose. ¡°¡­ Thank you,¡± Finn muttered in reply after receiving the two tickets he had ordered. ¡°No problem,¡± the receptionist replied with a warm smile, having no idea the man standing before her was a rogue Hunter who killed people who were supposed to be his allies. ¡°The metro should be here in roughly another hour. Until then, please feel free to do whatever you wish.¡± Finn nodded and went back to Iris, who was sitting in a chair not too far away. He took a seat next to her, then handed her one of the tickets. ¡°Do you know anything about District B?¡± Finn asked out of curiosity. ¡°It would be nice to gather knowledge before heading into a ce.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I can¡¯t say I do,¡± Iris said after some thought. ¡°I¡¯ve read a little bit about it in books before, but have never actually been there myself.¡± ¡°I see. Guess this will be a new experience for the both of us, then.¡± Iris nodded and smiled warmly. ¡°Yes¡­ for the both of us.¡± Chapter 155: Underwater Assault Chapter 155: Underwater Assault Soon, right after Finn and Iris finished eating, the subway they booked a ticket for arrived. They boarded it without any issues and found their seats, right next to one another near the very front of the metro. ¡°Hm¡­ these seats are quitefortable,¡± Iris remarked, shifting her body a little in them. ¡°Are they?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you not feel it?¡± ¡°Not particrly.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, I guess you¡¯ve never been one to care about such things anyway,¡± Iris said with a smile. ¡°How long will this trip be, approximately?¡± ¡°¡­ 2 hours,¡± Finn replied. ¡°At least.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ even with an ultra-high-speed underwater metro, it still takes 2 hours¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°Well then. What do you want to talk about? We have a long journey ahead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Finn¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Iris, confused, nced over at Finn, who had his head pointing down. His eyes were always closed, but¡­ was he sleeping, perhaps? Just to make sure, Iris reached over and patted Finn on the shoulder lightly. He made no movement of responding. Seeing this, a soft smile formed on her lips. ¡°Hmph¡­ falling asleep all of a sudden like that¡­ you¡¯re a real special one, y¡¯know?¡± yfully, she slowly took hold of Finn¡¯s shoulders, then gently set him down onto her soft thighs. She wore a skirt and high white knee-socks, so her thighs were *bare*. The tingly feeling of Finn¡¯s hair on them made her a little ticklish, but it felt warm at the same time. Looking at him like this, Iris couldn¡¯t help but feel Finn was almost¡­ child-like. Despite how stoic and calm he was, when sleeping like this, he was like an infant. Iris found that cute, and gently stroked his hair with a loving smile on her face. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ he never did wake me upst night for my shift. Does that mean¡­ he stayed up the whole night?¡¯ Blinking a few times in surprise as she realized this, her expression softened once more. ¡®Heh¡­ you can be nice sometimes too, huh?¡¯ Then, staring at Finn¡¯s defenseless, rxed face, Iris couldn¡¯t help but feel heat rising to her cheeks. ¡®W-What if I¡­¡¯ Biting her quivering bottom lip, she slowly leaned down, getting closer and closer to Finn¡¯s face until their mouths were mere centimeters apart. By this point, Iris was about to explode with embarrassment, and undoubtedly, if Finn woke up now, she really would. But since Finn would never take the first step in this rtionship¡­ she had to¡­! Closing her eyes, she made her decision. Softly, gently, Iris nted her lips against Finn¡¯s, savoring his taste. A course of static electricity coursed through Iris¡¯s body as their mouths connected, but that only made her indulge more in the kiss. He tasted like someone she could trust. Like someone she would rely on. Like home. Before she knew it, a tear streaked down her cheek, and she hurriedly backed away. Finn still was not awake, somehow¡­ or at least, he didn¡¯t seem like it to Iris. [Fufu~ well, isn¡¯t that cute?] Zelestria giggled inside Finn¡¯s mind. [You didn¡¯t make any move to push away. Did you like her kiss, darling? More so than mine?] ¡®¡­ It¡¯s not that,¡¯ Finn replied in his head, having woken up from his sleep. ¡®Just now¡­ when our lips connected¡­ I felt something strange running through my body. A tingling feeling¡­ a rush of adrenaline¡­ a surge of power. Something I have never felt by kissing you.¡¯ [Oh? How interesting¡­ could it be because both of you are part-Ghost?] ¡®¡­ Perhaps. I definitely feel stronger after kissing her. But if just a kiss is able to do this¡­ what can sex do¡­¡¯ [Fufu~ my, my. I didn¡¯t know my darling was such a pervert~] Finn ignored herment, and instead, chose to just return back to sleep. They should be safe on this underwater subway, with loads of public citizens around. Even if the Ghost Hunters wanted to hunt him down, they would not do so here. They should be safe. ***** They were not safe. CRASH! ¡°¡­!¡± Finn was jolted awake with a loud crashing noise¡ªthe sound of the windows of the subway caving in. Water gushed into the train from the hole, and passengers screamed in fear. ¡°What is going on¡­?!¡± Finn furrowed his brows, trying to use his ears to find out what was happening. But there were too many screams to make out anything. ¡°Finn!¡± Iris suddenly called out, hovering in the air with her wings. ¡°The train is flooding with water¡ªwe have to get out of here!¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± Finn thought about his options. Raiju was still injured and could not be used, which left really only one choice. He mmed the ground, a white glow enveloping his body, then calmly said the following words: ¡°Cardmaster: The Tower.¡± Immediately, a massive stone tower shot out of the oceanbed far far down below, and struck the subway¡¯s undercarriage. Finn ducked below a table and pulled Iris in along with him as the subway hit the tunnel ceiling and tore through it thanks to the momentum of the still-rising tower. Then, higher and higher it went, until atst¡­ it broke the surface. ¡°Now, Iris!¡± Finn rolled out from underneath the table and flew out of the subway through the open window, Iris following him. However, the crisis was not yet over. As soon as they emerged, they found themselves surrounded by six flying pdins, wings on their backs and glowing with a reddish-orange hue. ¡°The Celestial Angelica¡­¡± Iris muttered, and ced her back against Finn¡¯s. She drew her weapons, preparing for battle, while Finn was alerted of their presence and did the same. ¡°Bravo, bravo,¡± one of the pdins said, pping his hands without changing his expression in the least. ¡°I apud you for escaping that. However, we were told you were a tricky target, so we had stationed ourselves up here. And what do you know¡­ here you are, monster.¡± ¡°¡­ Calling us monsters?¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°You guys just killed an entire metro¡¯s worth of people to capture me. Who is the monster now?¡± ¡°Thousands more will be killed if we let you go free, creature,¡± the pdin replied in a repulsive snarl. ¡°Now¡­ face the judgment of the 7th Regiment of the Holy Pdins of the Theocracy of Light! Repent and regret your actions, sinner!¡± Finn activated his weapons. ¡°So¡­ all the other guilds were alerted as well, huh? Hmph. So be it.¡± Chapter 156: Holy Paladins Chapter 156: Holy Pdins Immediately, the six Holy Pdins closed in on Finn and Iris, weapons drawn. They were d in righteous white armor lined with yellow decorations and wore casques that covered their entire heads for maximum protection. In their hands were all the same weapon¡ªa specially enchanted long sword, blessed by the Holy Light they worshipped and made of pure silver. It is said that these weapons were made to be replicas of Excalibur, the legendary greatsword. Undoubtedly, these pdins had to go through tons and tons of training to be able to wield one, and were thus extremely skilled. Finn wasn¡¯t sure to feel ttered or annoyed that the guilds were deeming him a target strong and important enough to send only the best of the best after him, but there was no time to worry about that now as the battle began with a shot from Iris¡¯s revolver. BING! The high-impact bullet bounced straight off the helmet of the pdin it had struck, causing the guard to gloat in arrogance. ¡°Hmph! Do you really believe a normal bullet will be able to pierce this armor? Cease and desist! You are not a monster like he is¡ªwe were ordered to capture you alive!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die!¡± Iris yelled, then fired off another few volleys of bullets¡ªthis time, aiming for the wings. The pdin was unable to dodge out of the way in time, and his left wing got a hole torn in it. ¡°Tch! Those bullets are enchanted to hit anything paracausal! Be careful!¡± The pdin was forced to back away, losing control of his aerial movements, giving time for Iris to pull out her sniper and lock onto his head. She did not hesitate to pull the trigger. This bullet did prate. ¡°GRAGH!¡± The pdin screamed as the bullet pierced through the inside of his mouth. Not fatal just yet, but when he fell into the water down below, he would be as good as dead. ¡°Rook!¡± Another Pdin dove down in an attempt to save hisrade, but was intercepted by a swift kick to the face from Finn. ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The pdin stumbled back a bit, but was otherwise unharmed. Drawing his weapon, he immediately charged towards Finn. ¡°Meet your fate, SINNER!¡± ¡°Together!¡± Another yelled, diving towards Finn from behind. In an instant, he was surrounded by four enemies. They roared like warriors and charged all at once, aiming to drive their swords into Finn¡¯s body. They had been ordered to kill on sight, not bothering with capturing first. But if they wanted to kill someone¡­ they had to be ready to be killed first. ¡°¡­ Futile.¡± Suddenly, four tentacles shot out of Finn¡¯s back, each prating a pdin. Their silver armor stood no chance. ¡°G-Gragh¡­¡± ¡°Agh¡­ imposs¡­ ible¡­¡± ¡°M-Mon¡­ monster¡­¡± ¡°G-Guh¡­.¡± ¡°¡­ Weak,¡± Finn whispered, then retracted his tentacles and let the four pdins fall into the water below. Their chests all had a gaping hole in them, staining the ocean water red with blood. ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± A voice suddenly called out from behind him, and he stopped. ¡°If you move¡­ I¡¯ll kill her, right here, right now. Slowly put your hands up into the air, and turn around.¡± ¡°F-Finn! Don¡¯t listen to him- just kil-¡° ¡°3!¡± The voice shouted, beginning a countdown. ¡°2!¡± Slowly, Finn put his hands up into the air and turned around to face the owner of the voice. Although he couldn¡¯t see, he knew this was the same pdin who had spoken first¡ªthe leader of the bunch. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°Kill yourself. Right now. If you do, I¡¯ll let this girl live.¡± Finn, after a moment of silence,ughed. ¡°¡­ Are you listening to yourself right now? How ridiculous this sounds?¡± ¡°I am. And if you don¡¯t do it¡­ I¡¯ll really kill her.¡± ¡°Hmph. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a ¡®holy pdin¡¯, protecting the people? Here you are, threatening me with a girl.¡± ¡°¡­ Such words will not sway me, fiend. I will do whatever it takes to fulfill my duty and kill you. Now, I will count to three. If you don¡¯t y yourself by then, this girl dies.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°3¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°2¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°1¡­!¡± ¡°Do it. I don¡¯t care.¡± At this, the pdin stopped. ¡°¡­ What? Is this girl not your friend?¡± ¡°Friend?¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°No. ¡®Tool¡¯ is a more adequate term. As you can see, I am blind. I am using her as my eyes, that is all. Even if you kill her, I¡¯ll just find another one. So, go ahead. See if I care.¡± ¡°How cruel¡­ though I would expect nothing less from a demon like you.¡± The pdin gritted his teeth, then let Iris go and hovered in front of her. ¡°Stay behind me, girl. I will y this wretched demon!¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± ¡°RAGH-¡± The pdin roared, but- Bonk. Iris struck his helmet with her sniper as hard as she could, and the impact was enough to knock him unconscious, sending him spiraling towards the water. ¡°¡­ Good work,¡± Finn said, folding his arms. ¡°That was one crazy n¡­ but it worked.¡± Iris let out a sigh of relief and flew over to him. ¡°That was nothingpared to the ns youe up with. Still¡­ did you really have to sound so serious? That hurts my feelings, y¡¯know¡­ even though I know it was just an act.¡± ¡°¡­ If I didn¡¯t sound serious, it wouldn¡¯t have been convincing enough,¡± Finn replied. He decided to refrain from saying not all of it was an act¡ªIris really was just a tool¡­ but not a disposable one. If she really was killed, Finn didn¡¯t know where to get another pair of eyes. Zelestria was an option, of course, but if Finn had to be honest¡­ he preferred Iris over Zelestria. To him, Zelestria was still a mysterious individual. He still didn¡¯t know much about her, and it felt like he never would. Compared to her, Iris was a lot more transparent. He knew about her full past pretty much, and she had nothing to hide from him anymore. That made him trust her more than he did Zelestria. Of course, he was well aware Zelestria was listening in to all of this right now. She just wasn¡¯t saying anything because she knew his wariness was warranted. ¡®Sorry, darling¡­¡¯ Zelestria thought in her head, not speaking to Finn. ¡®Due to certain reasons¡­ I really can¡¯t tell you everything right now. If I did¡­ you would be in grave danger. A danger far beyond mere Ghosts, far beyond the scope of this world. A danger even I won¡¯t be able to protect you from.¡¯ Chapter 157: The City of Technology Chapter 157: The City of Technology After that incident, Finn and Iris were now more painfully aware than ever that the guilds¡ªnot just the Phantom yer Corps but most likely the four others as well¡ªwere willing to do whatever it took to capture him. Was it simply because he was a Ghost? No. It was because he was part-Ghost, and that¡¯s what made him dangerous. A powerful Ghost, packed with human intelligence. To the Ghost Hunters, an entity like this was called a Sentient. Sentients were highly dangerous Ghosts who usually worked alone and were capable of intelligent thought rather than just power and hunger like other Ghosts. Neither Finn nor Iris were Sentients, as they weren¡¯t full-Ghost, but to the Ghost Hunters, they were all but the same. There was no doubt more forces would be sent after them after those five pdins never return, but for now, Finn and Iris had a little bit of a break. They could explore this city to its fullest. After flying through the air, the twonded on top of the roof of an extremely tall building to recover some mana and stamina. There didn¡¯t seem to be any slums here like there were in District A, and the entire ce seemed a lot more¡­ refined. ¡°ording to what I¡¯ve read, District B is known as the City of Technology,¡± Iris said. ¡°Compared to District A, it really does seem a lot more¡­ futuristic. There¡¯s hovering cars, skyscrapers, and artificial nts and gardens. It certainly has a nice aesthetic to it, but¡­ man-made nature will never be as meaningful as real nature.¡± Since Finn couldn¡¯t actually see anything, Iris was describing these things out loud to be considerate. The city really was beautiful¡ªif Eden was an urban city, this would be it. Still, like Iris said, artificial nature in the end, was still not nature. ¡°Anyway¡­ what¡¯s the n now, Finn?¡± Iris asked, dangling her legs over the edge of the roof. ¡°Whatever you want to do, I¡¯ll follow.¡± ¡°¡­ For starters, I will need to gather information about the Emperor in this city. And to do that, I will need to find one of the Ghost Hunters here and infiltrate it, regardless of which guild they are from. Of course, to do that, I will need to Shapeshift¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­ but what about me?¡± Iris inquired, tilting her head. She didn¡¯t have the Shapeshifter Angelica at her disposal. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Finn fell into thought for a long while, then came up with an idea. After telling Iris it, she was stunned. ¡°Y-You¡¯re kidding, right? You want me to¡­¡± Finn nodded. ¡°If you want to follow me, that is the only option.¡± Iris sighed deeply. ¡°¡­ You really leave me no choice, you know that?¡± Still, she agreed, since ultimately, she wanted to stay by Finn¡¯s side more than anything. It was what her heart told her to do. Was it love? Perhaps. But there was also another force of attraction at y here. Something that didn¡¯t involve romance, but instead merely constitution¡­ ***** The first thing Finn and Iris did was get a wheelchair. That would make getting around a bit easier for both of them. Finn didn¡¯t particrly care if Iris sat on his shoulders the whole time, but she seemed to mind. A lot. It made her feel weak and like a burden to Finn, which is thest thing she wanted to do. Next, they went to a barber shop. Finn had already Shapeshifted into a random civilian he came across on the street thanks to Iris describing to him their appearance, but now it was time for Iris herself to get a do-over as well. ¡°Wee, customers!¡± The barber said gleefully as the two entered. ¡°What kind of haircut would you like today?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ could you¡­ uh¡­ make me look like a boy?¡± Iris asked hesitantly, as per Finn¡¯s orders. The barber blinked. ¡°¡­ Come again?¡± ¡°You heard her,¡± Finn cut in. ¡°Give her a haircut you would give to a boy. I don¡¯t just mean tomboy-style¡ªI mean literally a boy¡¯s haircut.¡± Finn¡¯s tone was somewhat demanding, and since the civilian he had chosen to morph into looked like a thug, the barber had no choice but toply. ¡°Y-Yes! Right away, sir! Please, follow me¡­¡± The barber hurried over to one of the empty seats, leading Iris towards it. Iris slowly shifted herself from her wheelchair over to the seat with help from Finn, and the barber set up his equipment. Once he was done, he gulped a little. ¡°U-Um¡­ I¡¯d just like to confirm one more time. Are you sure about this, miss?¡± Iris nodded. ¡°G-Go ahead. Hold nothing back.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ understood.¡± ***** He really did hold nothing back. By the time the barber was finished, Iris no longer looked like a girl, judging from the neck-up. She just looked like an extremely androgynous boy. The transformation wasplete. ¡°I-Is this good enough, Finn¡­?¡± Iris asked, ncing at herself in the mirror. Finn snorted. ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± ¡°Ah, right¡­ I forgot¡­¡± He was blind. How was he supposed to provide an opinion? ¡°As long as you look like a boy, that¡¯s good enough. Let¡¯s go,¡± Finn added, pulling out his wallet and scanning his card on the card reader. Iris shifted back onto her wheelchair, and together, they left the shop, leaving the barber scratching his head and staring at the two in wonder. ¡°Well¡­ those two were quite the unusual customers.¡± ***** Since there was nothing they could do until an Outbreak urred and a Squadron came out to fight it, Finn and Iris decided to just spend their time pawning off all the treasures they obtained from the Temple. To do that, they first summoned Raiju in a discrete location to retrieve the heavy treasure, then carried it into a jewelry shop. Needless to say, the elder shop owner nearly fainted upon seeing a whole chest¡¯s worth of gold and treasure ced in front of him. He offered around 10 billion dors in total for all of it, but rather than one up-front payment, he would give 1 million every month as the treasure needed time to sell. With a written contract, he couldn¡¯t go back on his word. Chapter 158: Simple Battle Chapter 158: Simple Battle ¡°Whew¡­ we sure got a lot of money from that, huh?¡± Iris giggled. ¡°We¡¯re like millionaires now.¡± Finn nodded. Money was definitely not a problem for them anymore, now that he had secured enough tost a lifetime, basically. As long as he didn¡¯t try to start up a business or just throw all the money out into the trash, he should be ok. ¡°Just remember,¡± he warned. ¡°Do your best to mimic a boy¡¯s voice.¡± ¡°A-Ah, right¡­ ahem¡­¡± Iris cleared her throat, dropping it as low as she could, then continued. ¡°¡­ Is this better?¡± Finn nodded in approval. ¡°Could use some work¡­ but should pass in front of the other Ghost Hunters we are blending in with.¡± As if on cue, clouds suddenly gathered high up in the sky, indicating a sudden storm. Thunder could be heard, and lightning struck down on the skyscrapers¡¯ lightning rods. In the matter of a few seconds, what was once a bright, sunny day, turned into a cloudful dark storm. Feeling the rainnd on his face, Finn tilted his head up. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s time.¡± ***** As the City of Technology was shrouded in incredibly thick fog, all the civilians retreated into some kind of building. They definitely weren¡¯t about to get caught out here in this storm, not when it was impossible to see past five meters in front of you. Cars also immediately got off the roads and found somewhere to park, since driving in this weather was asking to get killed. Of course, the citizens were used to sudden thunderstorms like this happening. To them, this was just the natural way of the world. From time to time, sudden rain and fog like this would envelop different areas of the. It was a daily urrence. Sure, they wondered why this was happening, and researchers often looked for a scientific exnation to this phenomenon, but always came up empty. After all, none ever thought outside the box, considered that this could, perhaps, be rted to something supernatural. Just like Finn once had been. Naturally, things weren¡¯t like this in reality. These sudden storms were, in fact, set in ce to prevent the general public from finding out about the whole Ghost and paracausal business. If they did, chaos would ensue. They didn¡¯t want to have to deal with riots on top of Ghosts. In other words, the storm Finn and Iris were experiencing right now meant an Outbreak, an unleashment of Ghosts in the world, had urred. They wereing, and the Ghost Hunters had been dispatched tobat them. Finn and Iris were exactly waiting for this moment. After making sure everyone else around them had already retreated into a building of some sort and were therefore unable to see them due to the fog, the two activated their wings and took off into the air. After obtaining the treasure from the Lunatic, Finn now knew he could store things with Raiju. Such things would essentially take up no physical space when Raiju dived into his soul to rest, so it was a good way of storing important items that were otherwise too big to carry. Iris¡¯s wheelchair was one of those items. With that packed away, the two were free to roam as they liked in the air. The fog was still present, of course, but Finn was always blind to begin with and Iris had her Oculus Angelica to help her vision. Neither of them were affected very much. ¡°There,¡± Iris suddenly said,ing to a stop and levitating in the air as she pointed down below. ¡°I see them. Here, Finn.¡± Finn nodded and took ahold of her outstretched hand, and Iris promptly began leading him towards where the Ghost Hunters and Ghosts had already began fighting. Theynded on the roof of a decently-sized building nearby which looked like a school¡­ meaning the portal of the Outbreak had appeared in this courtyard. If the Ghost Hunters hadn¡¯t prepared this storm and caused all the students to go into the building beforehand¡­ who knows how many would¡¯ve been ughtered? The twonded on the roof with a dull thud, and Iris rode on top of Finn¡¯s shoulders as usual. Using her Oculus Angelica, she observed the fight going on down below. ¡°Hm¡­ by the looks of it, these are just a couple of normal Phantoms,¡± she said. ¡°The Ghost Hunters sent to deal with them don¡¯t appear to be that strong either. Do we want to infiltrate this Squadron, Finn?¡± ¡°It could just be one small group of a big Squadron,¡± Finn said. ¡°Lei¡¯s Thousand Dragons Sect was an S-ss Squadron, but they still deal with minor Outbreaks with their less powerful members.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. In that case¡­ we¡¯re going, right?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Remember¡­ we¡¯re posing as frence Hunters. And keep your voice act up.¡± Iris sighed. ¡°Yes, yes¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± Without any hesitation, Finn jumped off from the roof of the building while Iris swooped down with her wings, and the two dashed into battle like two veteran Hunters. This battle was theirs now, and the novice Phantom yers were pushed away against their will. ¡®Devil¡¯s Timing.¡¯ Finn enhanced his senses and got a good grasp on all the remaining Phantoms¡¯ locations. Several were out of his range, but he¡¯ll leave those up to Iris. Instead, he took on the ones he could reach. Activating his ws and charging them with lightning and fire both, Finn weaved in between the enemies and shed them apart before they could even react. The Phantoms¡¯ heads were dislocated in an instant, and they fell down dead without making the slightest sound. How cruel of a fate¡ªdying before they could even scream. The ones outside of Finn¡¯s range were no different. They witnessed their brethren fall, but was unable to avoid the dead-urate bullets of Iris, heading straight for their throats. ¡°Gur¡­g-gur¡­¡± They tried to scream in agony, but it only came out as a gurgle as their own blood clogged their punctured throat. After several seconds of wobbling around, thest few standing Phantoms fell as well, and disintegrated into grey fog. Iris smirked and blew out on her revolver, while Finn retracted the long ws on his gauntlets. Another mission well done. Chapter 159: Disguise Chapter 159: Disguise ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± Finn snorted and turned to the novice Phantom yers, who were both shocked and¡­ slightly frightened. ¡°W-Who are you?!¡± Finn had a disguise up, and he couldn¡¯t really say ¡®Finn¡¯ anyway. So, he just settled with¡­ ¡°¡­ Call me Spade.¡± He hadn¡¯t forgotten where his alias, ¡®Ace¡¯, came from. Ace of Spades. Since he took the first half of that as his real alias¡­ might as well use thetter half as his fake one. ¡°And this¡­¡± He turned to Iris. ¡°¡­ Is Heart.¡± He could feel Iris¡¯s surprised gaze on him, like ¡®you¡¯re kidding, right?¡¯ but he really didn¡¯t care at the moment. He needed toe up with a name for her on the spot, otherwise these Phantom yers would be suspicious. ¡°G-Great, that tells us absolutely nothing!¡± The young girl leading their little team said, stepping forward. ¡°Are you two¡­ Ghost Hunters? Phantom yers too? Which squadron are you from?¡± ¡°¡­ We are from no Squadron,¡± Iris said, flying closer beside Finn. ¡°The two of us are frence Hunters from District A, here to help out with the Emperor-level Ghost residing within this city. Do you know anything about it?¡± ¡°The Emperor¡­? What? There¡¯s an Emperor-level Ghost here?! Ha, you¡¯re kidding!¡± The girlughed as if Iris had just said something ridiculous. ¡°Have you looked at this city? How peaceful it is? Please, if there was an Emperor-level Ghost here, things would already be in ruins. You must¡¯ve misheard the location of the rumors¡­ or, well, they are only rumors after all.¡± ¡°Er, this¡­¡± Iris turned to Finn, unsure of how to respond. ¡°¡­ Hm. What squadron are you from?¡± Finn asked the group of Hunters. ¡°We¡¯re from-¡± The leader began, but a boy grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her. ¡°Wait. We can¡¯t be sure they are even registered Ghost Hunters yet. They could be rogue,¡± he said warily, staring intently at Finn and Iris. ¡°Do you have your guild cards?¡± Finn nodded confidently, then reached into his pocket, and¡­ stopped. ¡°¡­ Hm. It seems I¡¯ve lost it.¡± The boy narrowed his eyes cautiously. ¡°You¡­ lost it?¡± ¡°It was right here in my pocketst time I checked. Did someone steal it while I was fighting those Ghosts just now, perhaps?¡± ¡°Wha- are you using me?¡± The boy yelled in fury. ¡°Why would I steal your guild card?¡± ¡°So you can wrongfully dere us as rogue Hunters, then im all the credit for defeating these Ghosts on your own,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°This is not the first time I¡¯ve had that happen to me. After all, frence Hunters are looked down upon by those in Squadrons.¡± He had heard about that from Jim on one of his random rambles. Who knew it woulde into use here? ¡°We¡¯re not like that,¡± the girl leader hurriedly said. ¡°Philip here is just paranoid all the time. But, I can say for sure that he didn¡¯t steal your guild card. He¡ªand we as a whole¡ªare not that kind of people.¡± Finn folded his arms. ¡°Is that so? I am blind, so I cannot say for sure. However¡­ I will believe you to be kind people if you bring me to your Squadron. I would like to speak with your leader.¡± ¡°Erm, this¡­¡± The girl scratched her head awkwardly. ¡°Haha¡­ actually, she¡¯s at a meeting right now with a Ghost Hunter from the House of Spectra. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s about, but it seemed to be important. If you don¡¯t mind waiting¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t mind,¡± Finn hurriedly said. ¡°Take us there.¡± The girl nodded. ¡°Alright. Then, follow me.¡± ¡°What? But-¡± The skeptical boy opened his mouth to argue, but the girl shushed him. ¡°Zip it, Philip. We¡¯re all on the same side. He says he¡¯s the blind one¡­ but from what I can see, you are the one who¡¯s really blind. They just helped us kill the Phantoms we were struggling to defeat!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± another girl added. ¡°Besides, judging from their strength¡­ they have to be at least A-ss Hunters. If they were rogue or hostile, we would already be dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy fell silent, but didn¡¯t move his suspicious gaze from Finn and Iris¡ªespecially the former, even as they began walking away. Zelestria giggled inside Finn¡¯s head, spectating the whole scene. [Fufu~ he¡¯s a sharp one, isn¡¯t he?] ¡®No matter,¡¯ Finn replied calmly. ¡®If I can¡¯t sway him, all I have to do is sway his superiors.¡¯ [Yes, yes¡­ no one can outwit my darling~] ***** Soon, the group arrived before a massive building¡ªnot in terms of width, but in terms of height. It pierced through the clouds, and had to have at least 50 floors. ¡°¡­ This is your Squadron¡¯s base?¡± Iris inquired skeptically. The girl leading them nodded. ¡°Yep! On the surface, it¡¯s a prosperous technologypany, but in reality, it¡¯s home to the 32nd Squadron of the Phantom yer Corps¡ªotherwise known as Evelyn¡¯s Heart. Just like your alias!¡± She beamed at Iris, who was currently undercover with the name ¡®Heart¡¯. ¡°¡­ And I¡¯m assuming the leader of this Squadron is named Evelyn?¡± Finn asked just to be sure. ¡°Well, that¡¯s her alias. It¡¯s an alias that sounds like a name¡­ but really, no one knows what her real name is. Not even her students. Heck, I¡¯m her daughter, and I don¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°What about your father?¡± Iris asked as the girl stepped forward, activated the automatic-opening doors, and entered. ¡°Does he know?¡± At this, the girl came to a stop, letting the doors shut behind the group. ¡°My father¡­ he¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± That was enough for them to realize what had happened. Iris¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and she quickly covered her mouth in shock. ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± But the girl beamed happily once again, like that moment of sadness ever happened. ¡°Hee-hee, don¡¯t worry about it! I never met him, so does that really make him my father¡­? Hm¡­¡± With a graceful spin, she turned to Iris and Finn, then tilted her head towards some couches. ¡°You two can rest there for now. I¡¯ll let you know once motheres back. She¡¯ll be using the teleporter, not the front entrance, so¡­¡± Finn nodded and set Iris down on one side of the couch from his shoulders, then sat down himself. ¡°Okay! See you for now, Mr. Spade and Ms. Heart!¡± The girl said excitedly with a upbeat wave. ¡°You two make a great couple~!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at this final remark, takenpletely by surprise, but Finn¡¯s expression was unchanged as usual. The girlughed. ¡°By the way, I go by the alias Floria in battle, but you can call me Eve. Anyway, see you!¡± The girl disappeared with her friends, and Iris slowly shifted her gaze towards Finn, who was sitting upright as usual with that same solemn expression, unchanging and unwavering. ¡°¡­ Couple, huh?¡± She smiled softly. Chapter 160: Evelyns Heart Chapter 160: Evelyn¡¯s Heart After about five minutes, Eve returned to where Finn and Iris were. The two were quite surprised to see here back this quickly, naturally. They had expected her mother¡ªthe leader of this squadron¡ªto take longer at whatever meeting she was at. Still, they weren¡¯tining. ¡°Back already?¡± Iris asked, blinking a few times in confusion. ¡°Mhm! I just had to drop off my equipment, that¡¯s all,¡± the girl replied with a bright smile that rivaled the sun itself. ¡°Oh, but if you¡¯re talking about my mother¡­ then no, she isn¡¯t back yet, unfortunately. I just headed back down here to talk with you two! There¡¯s not much else I can do, anyway~¡± With a soft giggle, she casually strode over and plopped down on the couch, in between Iris and Finn. Then, ncing at both of them, she smiled like a curious child. ¡°Heehee¡­ so, how did you two meet?¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± Iris was taken aback by this sudden question. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon! Don¡¯t hide it! In exchange for taking you two here, I want to hear about your love story!¡± ¡°Um¡­ we aren¡¯t really a love coupl-¡° ¡°Aww, stop denying~!¡± The girl giggled excitedly. ¡°You two work so well as a team and even have matching aliases! There¡¯s no way you aren¡¯t a couple!¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± As Iris struggled toe up with a good response, Finn came up with one of his own. ¡°Actually, we are brothers.¡± ¡­ One hell of a response, that is. ¡°H-Huh?¡± Iris and Eve were both shocked at this, and at a loss for words for a good few seconds. Finn didn¡¯t say anything further, most likely because there was no need. He just let the two girls figure it out on their own. ¡°A-Ah, um¡­¡± Eve scratched her hair awkwardly. ¡°I see! Well, it seems I had it all wrong, then¡­ my bad, my bad!¡± Meanwhile, Iris was still in a state of speechlessness, staring at Finn like she had seen a ghost. But then, the sound of a phone ringing snapped her out of it. Eve pulled out her smartphone and brought it to her ear. ¡°Hello?¡± A voice came back on the other end, too faint for Iris and Finn to hear. Eve was able to catch it perfectly fine though, and made a prompt response. ¡°Mm! Okay, got it!¡± With that, she hung up, and turned to Iris and Finn. ¡°My mother has returned. I¡¯ll go see if she has time to see you, then let you know.¡± Finn nodded as she went away, and the two fell into silence once more. That is, until¡­ ¡°Um¡­ psst. You couldn¡¯t havee up with a better answer than that?¡± Iris whispered, voice shaking slightly. ¡°No,¡± Finn replied. ¡°It was the best I had.¡± Iris sighed. ¡°I know I¡¯m disguised as a boy right now, but hearing you really think of me as a man hurts¡­ don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m still a girl, okay?¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± Finn said harshly. ¡°There may be people listening in.¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Iris pouted slightly and turned away, slightly concerned that after this, Finn would never see her as a girl again. ***** ¨C Upstairs ¨C ¡°Wee back, mother!¡± Eve eximed cheerily as a beautiful woman who could easily pass as her elder sister sat down in her rotating chair behind her organized desk. ¡°How many times have I told you¡­ not to call me that during the day?¡± The woman¡ªEvelyn¡ªsighed. ¡°We are manager and employee during the day, not mother and child.¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­ I forgot, sorry~¡± Eveughed awkwardly and scratched her hair. ¡°But, um¡­ there¡¯s two people who asked to see you.¡± ¡°Oh? And who are they?¡± Evelyn rummaged through some papers, not even paying attention to her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°Two frence Ghost Hunters who helped us take care of an Outbreak,¡± Eve exined. ¡°They were quite strong, and their aliases were Heart and Spade respectively. Brothers too, apparently.¡± At this, Evelyn set down her documents and fell into thought. ¡°¡­ Hm. Heart and Spade, is it¡­? I¡¯ve never heard of them before.¡± ¡°Well, there are many frence Hunters in the world. You can¡¯t remember them all, mothe- er, President.¡± She quickly corrected herself as Evelyn shot her a re and promptly sighed. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know why they havee here, but very well. Bring them here. I have a little bit of time to spare.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°Yes, president!¡± ***** Soon, Finn and Iris were led upstairs by Eve via one of the many elevators in the building. The ride took a while, considering they were headed for the topmost floor in the structure, and said structure was very tall. After exiting the elevator, Eve continued to lead them, all the way down to the end of a hallway where a formal wooden door stood, professional and modern-styled. There, Eve knocked on it gently. ¡°President, I have brought them.¡± A deep, mature woman¡¯s voice responded. ¡°¡­ Enter.¡± Eve sent a smile towards Finn and Iris, then pushed open the door and allowed the two to enter. Iris rode on Finn¡¯s back and not his shoulders, for thetter would¡¯ve made it impossible to pass through the door. Eve didn¡¯t go in with them and instead just closed the door so they could speak properly with Evelyn. ¡°¡­ Good afternoon, President Evelyn,¡± Finn began, doing his best to speak politely. However, his monotone voice betrayed his goals and instead just made his words sound sarcastic. ¡°¡­ Heart and Spade, is it?¡± Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the two. ¡°Why is he riding on your back?¡± ¡°My legs are¡­ crippled,¡± Iris replied, doing her best to use a boyish voice. ¡°Because we move around a lot, we don¡¯t bother with wheelchairs.¡± ¡°Legs are crippled, hm¡­ now where have I heard that before?¡± She was baiting them. Finn and Iris, h0wever, naturally weren¡¯t going to fall for it that easily. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Finn asked, ying dumb. ¡°Do you have some kind of prejudice against people with crippled legs? If so, then we will leave.¡± Good y. Turning the tables on Evelyn. ¡°No, no, nothing of the sort.¡± Evelyn shook her head slowly and eyeing the two of them carefully. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ recently, I¡¯ve been told about a pair of escaped fugitives from the guild. One of the two had crippled legs just like yourpanion there, and the other¡­ was blind.¡± Finn blinked. ¡°I have never heard of them, but¡­ I am not blind.¡± ¡°Oho? Is that so?¡± Evelyn smiled wryly. The person Finn had chosen to Shapeshift into was not blind, and therefore he had opened eyes. However, he still couldn¡¯t actually see, only pretend he could. ¡°Forgive me, but I have to make sure,¡± Evelyn said with a smug grin, then raised her hand. ¡°Now¡­ how many fingers am I holding up?¡± Chapter 161: Second Emperor Chapter 161: Second Emperor ¡®Oh crap¡­¡¯ Iris thought, wondering what to do here. Given how sharp Evelyn¡¯s gaze was, there¡¯s no way she could help Finn by whispering in his ear. How was he going to- ¡°Three.¡± Finn answered without any hesitation, any dy. Iris blinked in surprise, and evidently, Evelyn was shocked as well. She gulped, then changed the number of fingers she held up. ¡°Ahem¡­ what about now?¡± ¡°Five.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Evelyn clearly was still in disbelief, and hurriedly changed it once more. ¡°How about now?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ now?¡± ¡°Four.¡± She gritted her teeth. She had been so certain these two were the fugitives Ace and Ivy in disguise, and yet¡­ how was a blind person reading her fingers like a book?! The other one wasn¡¯tmunicating with him, that much was certain. ording to the knowledge she had, Ivy also had the Oculus Angelica, which didn¡¯t provide any telepathy skills. So¡­ how?! ¡°Are you done?¡± Finn asked quietly. It wasn¡¯t urgent. It wasn¡¯t menacing. It was just simply stating a question. Evelyn took a deep breath, then spoke. ¡°Onest test. How many fingers am I putting up now?¡± ¡°None. You put your hand down.¡± She was defeated. There¡¯s no way this man was blind. Even if he guessed all the ones before by chance, he couldn¡¯t have guessed thisst one correct. Was it really just pure coincidence that this frence Ghost Hunter pair also had one member who had crippled legs¡­? With a sigh, Evelyn sat back down in her seat and leaned back. ¡°I apologize for suspecting you. Forgive me.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°So? What did youe here for?¡± Evelyn asked, folding her arms beneath her well-formed chest. The movement only emphasized their size even more, causing Iris to gulp self-consciously. She didn¡¯t lose in terms of beauty alone, but Evelyn¡¯s figure was definitely a lot more mature and curved than hers was, being an older woman¡ªthough it did not look like she was older by much. In fact, Evelyn was a subject of lust for many men, despite her being a mother. Her previous husband had been a scumbag who left her a long time ago for certain reasons, and since then, she had raised Eve all alone. Her beauty and strength were both undeniable. But Finn¡­ well, he didn¡¯t really care, to say the least. He came here with one goal and one goal only, and it wasn¡¯t to admire Evelyn¡¯s voluptuous body. Hell, he couldn¡¯t admire it if he tried. As such, his reply to her previous question was as nd and straight-forward as ever. ¡°We would like information on the Emperor-level Ghost in this District.¡± Evelyn stroked her long, silky velvet hair for a moment, then atst replied. ¡°¡­ Most frence Hunters don¡¯t know about that. If you know of its existence, you must be at least S-ss.¡± Finn neither confirmed nor denied that, and instead continued with his questions. ¡°If you are not willing to tell us, that is alright. We will simply seek out a different Squadron.¡± Evelyn stared at them for a moment, then sighed. ¡°It is not that I don¡¯t trust you. You helped my daughter take care of an Outbreak, and made no move to hurt anyone thus far. That is enough for me to acknowledge you as a fellow Ghost Hunter who is deserving to know the details about the doom looming underneath this seemingly peaceful city. However¡­ this Emperor¡­ it¡¯s out of our control, as Phantom yers.¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± Iris asked. ¡°I believe my daughter informed you that I was in a meeting earlier, yes?¡± Evelyn turned her chair to face out the window, admiring the beautiful city outside. ¡°That was with the leader of the House of Spectra, Prince¡ªor rather, should I say King¡ªFelix. It was, in fact, rted to the Emperor issue. You can see what I am getting at, yes?¡± ¡°¡­ So, the Emperor is a Specter?¡± Finn muttered. Evelyn nodded. ¡°Yes. The first team to be sent in were Phantom yers from this very Squadron. However, unable to fight against Ghosts of a different archetype, they were promptly wiped out¡ªonly one was able to exit, as he had brought along a drop of Ghost blood with him.¡± ¡°It is strange¡­¡± Iris murmured, tilting her head. ¡°Specters don¡¯t usually appear in urban cities like this. They usually stick to the wilderness, in forests and the like.¡± Evelyn nodded. ¡°Precisely. The usual Ghost archetype to be found in urban cities like Districts A through K are Phantoms, hence why we sent forth a Phantom yer Squadron. The purpose of the meeting today was to request assistance from the House of Spectra, who do not have outposts around these parts due to there not being any Specters.¡± ¡°¡­ Hm. I see,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°What about the entrance to the Temple? Where is that located?¡± ¡°Did you not hear a word I just said?¡± Evelyn frowned. ¡°Phantom yers are useless in there, and don¡¯t stand a chance against Specters, who toy with people¡¯s minds.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I said I am capable of taking on Specters as well?¡± Finn challenged with a tant lie that surprised even Iris. However, it was a lie that was not baseless. He had gotten inspired to use this line thanks to Jim, who could take on all five Ghost archetypes as a frence Hunter. At this, Evelyn¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°It is true that some frence Hunters specialize in multiple or even all five Ghost archetypes, but they are few and far between. Are you certain¡­?¡± ¡°I would not be asking if you if I wasn¡¯t.¡± After a while of awkward silence and mental debate, Evelyn gave in. ¡°¡­ Very well,¡± she said with a deep sigh. ¡°Do you have a phone? I will text you the address.¡± Finn nodded and gave her his number¡ªor rather, his new number. Because his old one was on file at the guild, he had promptly reced it with a new one just earlier today. Evelyn added him onto her contacts, then sent him a message detailing the address of the entry point to the Temple along with a picture for ease of recognition. ¡°Did you receive it?¡± She asked for confirmation. Finn nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡± With that, he began heading for the door, Iris still on his back. ¡°Wait,¡± Evelyn suddenly called out, causing Finn to pause. ¡°¡­ What?¡± Evelyn smiled slightly. ¡°Avenge my squadmates, will you?¡± Finn, after a while, nodded firmly. ¡°¡­ I will.¡± Chapter 162: Paracausal Forest Chapter 162: Paracausal Forest After getting out of the building that was home to the Evelyn¡¯s Heart Phantom yer Squadron, Iris could barely contain all the questions she had anymore. Eve was sad to see them go, but didn¡¯t try to hold them back. They were, after all, frence Hunters. Their defining trait was the fact that they were constantly on the move. ¡°W-Wait, Finn,¡± Iris whispered sharply by Finn¡¯s ear as she rode on his back. Finn, after some hesitation, headed for an isted corner of the street. The storm had cleared by now, and citizens were heading back out onto the streets. They couldn¡¯t afford to have any careless conversations. ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± He asked after the footsteps and voices of all the passerby sounded extremely distant. ¡°How did you¡­ back there¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take a genius to know what she was talking about. Finn sighed. He couldn¡¯t tell her about Zelestria, who had been the one to give him the correct answers. Saying he guessed would¡¯ve been unrealistic, considering there¡¯s no way anyone could¡¯ve guessed Evelyn would throw a trick question for thest one and put her hand downpletely. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s simple,¡± Finn replied. ¡°The first few I simply guessed right. It was easy, since she only used one hand. As for thest one¡­ I heard the faint sound of her handnding on the desk.¡± Iris was shocked. ¡°Impossible¡­ the probability of getting that right¡­ wow. And there was a sound? Really? I didn¡¯t even hear¡­¡± ¡°When you lose one of your five senses, your remaining four improve drastically,¡± Finn replied, calling upon some knowledge he had learned in university before any of this happened. ¡°This has been scientifically proven. And my blood¡­¡± It only enhances that further. He didn¡¯t finish the sentence, because Iris knew already. There could still be random civilians listening, after all. His special Ghost blood provided enhancement abilities¡ªthat part was true. The guessing part, though? Definitely not. ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡± Iris seemed dubious still, but didn¡¯t want to pry any further and instead merely sighed. ¡°Anyway¡­ you said you could take on Specters, but that was a lie, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°It was.¡± ¡°Then¡­ how are we going to go about this Emperor¡­?¡± Finn pulled out his phone, then showed Iris the address of the Temple¡¯s entry point to Iris. ¡°¡­ We learn.¡± ***** ording to Finn, the House of Spectra¡¯s Ghost Hunters would definitely enter the Temple sometime today. This was, after all, an urgent matter, and every minute that was dyed meant another minute of possible danger for the city. As such, all Finn and Iris had to do was wait by the entry point, then follow the House of Light Hunters inside and study them. After getting the hang of it, they could then reveal themselves and help out. The House of Spectra Hunters won¡¯t be able to do anything against them inside the Temple¡ªthey would want all the help they could get. And right he was. After several hours of waiting, the time finally came. The two watched from a building quite far away, but with Iris¡¯s Oculus Angelica, distance was of little matter. ¡°They¡¯re here, Finn!¡± Iris whispered sharply, and Finn slowly stood up on the roof of the building. Not too far away, on the roof of the tall target structure, a sudden shimmer of yellow light appeared, and out came five individuals d in silver armor. It seemed they were the Hunters from the House of Spectra, and had traveled here via some kind of teleportation device. After several seconds, a swirling ck portal opened up in front of them, and the five stepped through without any hesitation. ¡°¡­ They went in,¡± Iris said, eyes zing gold. ¡°I see.¡± Finn took a deep breath, then activated his Lightning Aura and conjured a storm by himself. The civilians, surprised that this was happening for the second time today, all quickly retreated into cover once more as the city was engulfed in rain and fog. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, and Iris nodded firmly. The two spread their wings and ascended into the air, then beelined straight for their target building¡ªa high-rise with purely ck stained windows for walls and a nice, simple, and geometric aesthetic to it: literally a rectangr prism. This made it easy to reach the top, where the portal had already closed. But that was fine. Iris¡¯s blood may not be pure enough through the generations, but Finn¡¯s sure was, having gotten it infused directly into his veins. Activating his ws on one hand, he cut open one of his fingers¡ªmaking a wound as small as possible to avoid any problemster on¡ªand let the blood spill out. Drip. Drip. Drop. After three or four drops, the pooling ck liquid on the ground slowly began to bubble and swirl, and all of a sudden, it rose up, defying gravity, and conjured into the ck portal leading to the Paracausal Realm that was all too familiar to Finn and Iris by now. However, they didn¡¯t go in just yet. They needed to give the House of Spectra members enough time to move forward, then enter to avoid being noticed. This way, they could observe from a safe distance while the Hunters took on the Specters in the Temple, then learn the tactics needed to defeat this specific archetype of Ghosts. After a good fifteen minutes, the duo finally entered¡ªcautiously. And what was the other side¡­ was really different from the shattered churches and cathedrals they had found themselves in previously. All around them was a dark forest. There was noyout. No signs. Just one, massive, forest. Up above them, a dark blue night sky loomed with a crescent moon and several stars, glimmering like diamonds. In front of them, a path cut straight through the middle of the forest, leading deeper in. There were sets of fresh footsteps on the ground, signaling that the House of Spectra Ghost Hunters who came here before them went this same way. ¡°This ce¡­ is it really the Paracausal Realm¡­?¡± Iris mused in wonder, ncing around at the beautiful nature surrounding her. ¡°¡­ No doubt,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Phantoms like buildings, so their Dungeons and Temples were different. But Specters¡­ they like forests, and other ces where one can be easily ambushed at any angle. Apparently, they are also more intelligent¡­ making them more dangerous.¡± Iris inspected the sets of footprints, then settled down on Finn¡¯s back. ¡°There appear to be five sets of footprints here, matching the five people we saw.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s follow it.¡± But inside Iris¡¯s mind, she had another concern she did not voice aloud, as she could not be sure if it was an issue worthy of mentioning yet, or just a red herring to cause panic when there was no real need. There were five sets of footprints on the ground, yes, but¡­ What about the previous Phantom yer Squadron who came here? Keeping that thought in the back of her head for now, Iris and Finn ventured into the forest, following after the footsteps on the in path heading deeper inside. Chapter 163: Trapped Chapter 163: Trapped ¨C The House of Spectra¡¯s Perspective ¨C ¡°We¡¯ve been walking here for quite a while now, but¡­ why do I feel like we¡¯ve made no progress at all?¡± A female knight asked, eyeing the surrounding trees warily. ¡°¡­ Keep your head steady,¡± a young male knight said, walking in front as the leader of the group. ¡°Perhaps this is just a very long road. We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ve entered the Temple yet.¡± Then, turning to an incredibly short boy, he continued. ¡°Giant, how are the radar readings?¡± The tiny boy¡ªwhose alias was somehow ironically ¡®Giant¡¯¡ªsaluted formally as best as he could. ¡°Yes, sir! Nothing as of yet!¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± The leader fell into silence and turned away from him as they continued walking, deeper inside. But really, were they heading deeper at all? It just seemed like an endless path to them. ¡°And Phoenix has not returned either¡­¡± A short-haired girl murmured, a grim expression on her face. She was Thera, the Healer of the group. Phoenix¡ªan auburn-haired girl who had been ordered to scout from the air not too long ago. She was supposed toe right back down after getting a good look at the area, but¡­ ¡°Do you think¡­ something maybe happened to he-¡± The female knight began, but the male knight cut her off with a sharp re before she could finish the sentence. ¡°¡­ Do you remember themander¡¯s teachings? Answer me.¡± The female knight hurriedly nodded, then gulped in nervousness and repeated one of the five rules she had been forced to memorize like the back of her palm. ¡°Leal¡¯s Third Maxim¡ªBelieve in yourrades, and do not assume they are dead until you see their corpse!¡± ¡°Hmph. If you know, then do not make remarks like that, Athena. Live up to your alias.¡± The girl¡ªaliased Athena¡ªfrantically nodded once again and saluted. ¡°Y-Yes, sir!¡± Just like that, the four of them carried on walking, cing full faith in theirpanion¡¯s return. But¡­ it would be a lie if the male knight leading them imed he didn¡¯t have any doubts of his own. ***** ¨C Meanwhile ¨C Finn and Iris began walking on the path, surrounded by trees on either side of them. Luckily, the bright moon overhead provided some good light, and it wasn¡¯t took dark. That is, so long as they didn¡¯t venture into the trees. It is said that Finn and Iris were walking, but really, only Finn was. Iris was riding on his back, as her legs were crippled. This was a natural maneuver for the two. ¡°¡­ Hey, Ace,¡± she suddenly said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This ce¡­ something feels off about it.¡± Finn stopped walking. ¡°¡­ How so?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t quite ce my finger on it, but¡­¡± Iris nced around, biting her lip. ¡°It feels¡­ strange. When we passed the first trees, I felt as if we entered a barrier of some sort. And yet¡­ when I used my Oculus Angelica to check for any traps, nothing came up.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Finn fell into thought, then tilted his head upwards. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s take a look from above.¡± Iris nodded, and the two soared into the air together with their wings, pping gently side by side. Once they reached a good height, they flew forward, following the path down below¡ªjust in the air. But after a while, Iris stopped. ¡°Wait¡­ what is that?¡± Ahead of them, levitating in the air, was something that looked like a humanoid body. But there was something more. Something far more than just a body. A massive X-shaped pike skewered it. It was shaped like two crystals conjoined into one X-shape, glowing white and radiating underneath the moonlight. The body hung limply at its center, stained with blood, having beenpletely punctured by the device¡¯s sharp vertices. It was a gruesome sight, but that could only make them wonder¡­ How had they not spotted this from down below? The two steadily flew closer, keeping an eye out for any traps or enemies. ¡°Just what happened¡­¡± Iris murmured, eyes widened in shock and disgust. Slowly, carefully, she reached out and touched the glowing crystalline X. It shattered. The dead bodynded inside Finn¡¯s arms, and Iris backed away, surprised at how fragile it was and how easily it broke, just like that. Then, turning to the body, she gasped. ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­ one of the five House of Spectra Ghost Hunters from earlier¡­¡± She recognized the armor. Only the House of Light would have such things. ¡°But¡­ where are the other four?¡± Finn muttered. ¡°More importantly¡­ how did this happen to her¡­?¡± As if on cue, a strong headache suddenly struck her, and she sped her head in pain. ¡°Mmngh¡­!¡± Finn immediately spun to her. ¡°Ivy?¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ my head¡­ it hurts¡­¡± She groaned, her wings beginning to spiral and go out of control. Without any hesitation, Finn dumped the body in his arms and caught Iris instead. ¡°Tch¡­¡± This clearly was the work of an enemy¡­ but Finn could not detect them. Even with his exceptional senses¡ªminus sight¡ªhe was unable to track a thing. But then¡­ how was he unaffected? He had no time to consider such things, however, as the top priority was getting out of here. He pped his wings as hard as he could, devoting all his mana into them, and propelled himself out of the forest region and back to the beginn- ¡°¡­¡± Finn stopped. This was not the beginning. When they first entered this ce, there was a rock solid mountain behind their spawn. Finn had been counting the distance they had traveled from there. By now, he was 100 meters past where the mountain should¡¯ve been. And yet¡­ he didn¡¯t crash into it. Did he go off course? No. Of course not¡ªhe was not the type to make a rookie mistake as simple as that, being the exceptionally careful man he was. There was something far more evil, more tricking at y here. This was the work of their enemies, the vile creatures who formed this Temple. This, was the power of the Specters. Chapter 164: Finding An Exit Chapter 164: Finding An Exit ¡®Zelestria¡­ what is going on here?¡¯ Finn asked in his head,nding on the ground and keeping his ears sharp for any sign of an attack. In his arms was Iris, still suffering from a painful headache that rendered her unable to do a thing. [Fufu~looks like we¡¯ve fallen into the Specters¡¯ trap, darling~] Zelestria said with a giggle. ¡®Tch¡­ some warning would¡¯ve been nice.¡¯ [My, my¡­ this is a learning opportunity, y¡¯know? Don¡¯t you remember? I won¡¯t tell you anything unless it is fatal.] ¡®Right¡­ so, how do I get out of this ¡®trap¡¯?¡¯ [To find a solution to a problem, one must first understand the problem.] Zelestria said, like a philosopher. [Specters are quite the special Ghost archetype. They do not have tangible physical forms, and don¡¯t attack directly either.] ¡®What¡­? They don¡¯t attack?¡¯ [I know what you¡¯re thinking, darling. But just because they don¡¯t ¡®attack¡¯, doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t dangerous.] ¡®¡­¡¯ Finn was confused. Naturally, he was. Most Ghost Hunters would have a headache after learning about Specters and how to deal with them, apart from the House of Spectra. By ¡®headache¡¯, that refers to a natural one, not like the one Iris was having right now. [You see, Specters mess with people¡¯s minds. They trap them within illusions, invoke confusion, and in the worst of cases¡ªcause Hunters to turn against one another. They may not be strong once their tricks are seen through, but it is quite difficult to see through them without lots of experience¡ªespecially not in a Temple. Specters are weak, but troublesome nheless.] ¡®¡­ Hmph. I would much rather deal with Phantoms.¡¯ [I would too, darling. But if you truly want to y all the Ghosts of this world, you need to learn how to deal with all five archetypes.] ¡®¡­ Hm.¡¯ Finn heaved Iris onto his back, then picked up a stone off the ground and tossed it ahead of him. Itnded with a soft ckle. [Oh?] Zelestria smiled wryly. [What is this¡­?] ¡®¡­ Isn¡¯t it obvious? I was supposed to hit a mountain by now, yet I have not. The only exnation is that either the mountain moved¡­ or there is some kind of portal y at work here that is causing us to travel infinitely in the same passage. I don¡¯t have to be able to see to figure this out.¡¯ [Oho¡­ how interesting.] Zelestria stopped there though and refrained from telling Finn if he was on the right track or not, as he wanted him to experience it on his own. Finn repeated this process several times¡ªpicking up the pebble, tossing it a few meters forward, listening for the sound it made, then walking forward and picking up the pebble again. He made sure not to throw it too far, as that would dim the sound it made and lead to a possible error in judgment. After several repetitions of this, he picked up the pebble once more and prepared to throw it again. But then, he heard a noise before he even threw. It sounded like¡­ footsteps. ¡®¡­ It must be the House of Spectra.¡¯ There was no mistaking it¡ªthat armored clunking of metal, those rigid footsteps¡ªit was them. Finn, still carrying Iris, needed to make a decision. Should he meet with these guys and work out a n together? Or should he just hide and continue on with what he had been doing? If the first n went south, a fight would break out. As Finn was carrying Iris, he wasn¡¯t sure he could win against four House of Spectra Ghost Hunters. The fact that only five of them had been sent in here meant they were elite of the elite¡­ then again, one of them did die horribly like that already. Were they really that strong? On the other hand, if he simply hid in one of these bushes, there was a chance the House of Spectra Hunters could detect him anyway. Coming into a Dungeon or Temple, a scouting device like some sort of radar was a necessity. Even if he turned himself invisible, he could not hide Iris¡¯s presence. As such, he would end up having to meet with the four anyway, and they would already be suspicious as to why he was hiding. And so, the better option of the two was clear. Finn remained rooted in ce, waiting for the four toe to him. ***** The four House of Spectra Hunters walked in silence. Well, mostly silence. Apart from the asional ¡®how is the radar looking like¡¯ from the leader, the quartet did not speak to one another. Was it because they were in a Temple? Well, yes, partly¡­ but it was more because for every minute that passed, the dread in the four¡¯s hearts grew. Theirmander, Leal, had a series of five rules that all House of Spectra Ghost Hunters must follow, known as Leal¡¯s Five Maxims. Of them, the third stated that one must always trust in theirrades and never assume they are dead until you¡¯ve seen their corpse. But it¡¯s been nearly an hour since the group had entered this Temple, and Phoenix had set off into the air to scout. She was supposed to return right after getting a good overhead view of this ce. That should not have taken 30 minutes. But being the loyal soldiers that they were, they did not dare to disobey theirmander¡¯s maxims, even if he was not presently here. Still, it was only a matter of time before someone opened their mouth about the elephant in the room. That is, until¡­ ¡°¡­ Giant, radar?¡± ¡°Yes sir! Nothing as of ye-¡± The boy began, repeating the same thing he had been saying for the past fifty times he had been asked this same question, but then, the device he held in his hand gave a ping. ¡°S-Sir! There¡¯s a presence detected! Straight up ahead, roughly 300 meters!¡± ¡°Only one?¡± The leader frowned. The boy nodded. ¡°Yes! Only one! But¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem to be a Specter.¡± The leader¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he stared straight ahead as if trying to find said person 300 meters ahead. ¡°You mean¡­ there is another Ghost Hunter in here¡­?¡± Chapter 165: Tactical Retreat Chapter 165: Tactical Retreat The footsteps grew loud. Then, louder. Louder and louder, until atst, they came to a stop. Finn could tell¡ªthe four those footsteps had belonged to were standing a mere ten meters away from him. Such excellence was his sense of hearing. ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± A young man demanded. ¡°And what are you doing in here?¡± ¡°I¡­ am a Ghost Hunter,¡± Finn replied. ¡°A frence Ghost Hunter.¡± ¡°Frence¡­? Did you¡­ investigate this ce on your own?¡± A female¡¯s voice asked. Finn shifted his head towards Iris on his back. ¡°Not exactly on my own¡­ but yes.¡± ¡°Yourpanion there¡­ what happened?¡± The male asked again. ¡°She has been hit with a headache,¡± Finn exined. ¡°It was too sudden.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Specters,¡± the female muttered. ¡°How long have you two been in here for?¡± ¡°Longer than you have,¡± Finn lied. ¡°You too, have been walking for seemingly no end, correct?¡± The male leading them nodded. ¡°Yes. Do you know why this is¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ From the moment we stepped into this ce, we have fallen into their trap,¡± Finn said, purposely discussing this topic to avoid the quartet from questioning his identity. ¡°We are trapped within a corridor that links its start and end together with portals, so it makes it seem like it is endless. Take this pebble.¡± Finn kicked the tiny piece of stone on the ground over to the four, and the male leading them picked it up. ¡°What is this for¡­?¡± ¡°If you want to get out of this ce, do as I say. Turn around. Throw this pebble forward, and watch where itnds. Don¡¯t throw it too far.¡± The quartet was confused and nced at one another, but did as told. Because Finn was blind, he couldn¡¯t afford to throw the pebble too far. These guys, however, could simply keep their sights on the pebble, increasing the possible range of each toss by a lot. ***** With that, the group traversed the path in the middle of two patches of forest. Now, however, the quartet weren¡¯t traveling in silence anymore, as they had encountered someone new. They began questioning Finn¡ªout of simple curiosity or suspicion, he did not know. Either way, Finn was annoyed. He much preferred silence. He was asked a variety of questions like his name, alias, and even asked to show his guild card. He told them his alias was Spade, and Iris was Heart. As for their guild cards, they had lost them. Of course, losing one¡¯s guild card wasn¡¯t hard to imagine. In this line of work, battles were quite frankly,mon. In the heat of a fight, it was easy to lose things¡ªdropping out of one¡¯s pocket, et cetera et cetera. As such, the quartet from the House of Spectra did not question too much, and instead introduced themselves as cooperation will be needed from here on out. ¡°My alias is Zephyr,¡± the male knight leading them said. ¡°I use the Windmancer Angelica. How about you?¡± ¡°I¡­ use the Stormbringer Angelica,¡± Finn settled atst, picking one out of his many Angelicas. ¡°Do House of Spectra parties not have a Stormbringer?¡± ¡°Nah,¡± Zephyr replied. ¡°We usually do work out in the wild, away from poption. That¡¯s where the Specters usually are, and also why there¡¯s no need to create storms to hide our battles.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I am Athena,¡± the female knight said with a wink¡ªthough Finn couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°I¡¯m not actually the goddess of war, but I hope toe close. I use the Sentinel Angelica.¡± ¡®Sentinel¡­¡¯ Finn thought in his head. ¡®That¡¯s a new one.¡¯ Whereas most Angelicas had pretty clear names as to what they did, ¡®Sentinel¡¯ was quite vague. Finn found that interesting. ¡°I¡¯m Giant!¡± A short boy with quite the young voice said, surprising Finn. ¡°I use the Windigo Angelica!¡± ¡°¡­ Excuse me?¡± Finn muttered aloud. ¡°But¡­¡± He had wanted to say ¡®your voice sounds so young¡¯, but that may cause some suspicion. Why didn¡¯t he mention the boy¡¯s appearance instead? Thankfully, Zephyr was there to exin before he could even finish the sentence. ¡°I know he looks short, but his alias is not meant to be ironic. The Windigo Angelica allows him to transform into a huge giant¡ªand quite a powerful one at that. Though¡­ it¡¯s not like thates without consequences. For example, every time he transforms, we need to get him a brand new set of armor, but uh¡­ it¡¯s certainly a useful Angelica to have when facing against Specters, as they love to run away the moment things go south, being the cowards that they are. Riding on his giant form makes it easy to track and chase them down.¡± ¡®So¡­ they are cowards. Understood.¡¯ Slowly, Finn was obtaining valuable information about Specters. Zelestria had already given him a lot of knowledge, but he still needed to learn how to actuallybat them. And what better way than to speak with specialists like the House of Spectra? ¡°U-Um¡­ I¡¯m Aluna,¡± the final timid girl said. ¡°I use the Healer Angelica¡­¡± The girl trailed off, but it seemed like she wanted to say more, so Finn prompted her to. ¡°¡­ Is there something you want to ask me?¡± ¡°A-Ah, yes!¡± The girl eximed, biting her quivering her bottom lip. ¡®Am I that scary?¡¯ ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± ¡°U-Um¡­ that is¡­ have you seen a girl recently?¡± ¡®What kind of question is that?¡¯ ¡°She has auburn hair, wears armor just like Athena, and has freckles on her face¡­¡± ¡­ I see. They were referring to the girl who had been horribly killed by that glowing crystal X in the air, as golden as the sun itself. Finn didn¡¯t feel like saying anything about her though, so he just answered with a simple ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s alright¡­¡± She fell silent once more, and so did the rest of the group. They remained silent for the rest of that walk, which made Finn satisfied. For now, they had to leave this ce. That was top priority. Once they did that, they could organize their thoughts, form a proper strategy, thene in again. Chapter 166: The Trap Revealed Chapter 166: The Trap Revealed For the twelfth time, Zephyr picked up the pebble back up from the ground. But instead of throwing it forward, he sighed. ¡°Is this¡­ really going to work?¡± ¡°Have some patience,¡± Finn said coldly. ¡°If you want to get to the bottom of this trap, this is the only way. Unless, of course, you have a better idea.¡± Zephyr pursed his lips and couldn¡¯t argue against that. Dejectedly, he swung his arm backwards, then tossed the pebble forward. But then- ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The pebble¡­ it disappeared?!¡± ¡°What in the world¡­¡± Finn snorted. ¡°¡­ Looks like we¡¯ve found the trick.¡± The pebble Zephyr just threw disappeared into thin air. Literally¡ªvanished. It was soaring through the air in one moment, and in the next, itpletely disappeared, as if it had passed through some kind of invisible portal. ¡°Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Zephyr took a couple steps forward while everyone else waited, and they gasped. ¡°Zephyr- you- you disappeared as well!¡± But several secondster, his form appeared again out of thin air, having stepped back through the invisible portal. ¡°Calm down. I figured it out. There¡¯s some kind of gateway here that we can¡¯t see, but it sends us to the very end of this path, so it makes it seem like we¡¯re walking infinitely.¡± ¡°We were all walking line-in-line earlier, so we couldn¡¯t tell¡­¡± Athena murmured. ¡°But¡­ what¡¯s with the grim expression on your face?¡± Zephyr turned away, clenching his fist. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s just¡­ get rid of this portal, and see ourselves out of here.¡± Finn knew what was on the other side of that portal¡ªPhoenix¡¯s body. That X-Shape in the sky he and Iris had found not long ago¡ªthat must¡¯ve been where Phoenix figured out the secret to this ce¡­ and was promptly killed to prevent her from telling herpanions. She probably had been struck by the same headache Iris had, rendering her unable to move, then pierced with that weird crystalline device. Luckily, Finn was unaffected somehow and managed to get Iris out of the sky before that could happen. ¡°So¡­ any idea how to destroy this portal?¡± Athena asked around, resting her hands on her hips. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to destroy it, per se,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°Anything we throw at it will only pass through on the other side. That¡¯s why, avoiding is the best option.¡± Finn nodded in agreement, but didn¡¯t utter a word. ¡°Assuming this portal only covers the path and nothing beyond it¡­ we have to venture into the forest to go around it,¡± Zephyr continued, eyeing the dense trees on either side of the open path they were on. Be careful, though. Specters aren¡¯t very physically strong, but if they get attach to your body and control your mind, you are done for.¡± ¡®So¡­ they attach to one¡¯s body and takes control over their mind from there. Interesting.¡¯ As Finn continued to pick up new knowledge on Specters, the five¡ªsix, counting a still hurting Iris¡ªdescended into the forest on the left side of the path. ***** ¨C Inside the Forest ¨C It was dark. Well, that was to be expected. After all, the moonlight could not reach here, thanks to the canopy formed by the thick branches and leaves of the tall trees all around. Within this forest, Zephyr, Athena, Giant, Aluna, and Finn traversed closely together. ¡°One wrong move, and we die,¡± Zephyr said darkly, as if the environment wasn¡¯t already gloomy enough. ¡°Stick together¡ªthe moment we get separated is the moment the game¡¯s over.¡± The group nodded firmly, with Zephyr taking the lead and Athena watching the rear. Giant and Finn walked on either side of Aluna so she was protected from all angles, as she was the weakest yet most useful of the five¡ªthe Healer. Carefully, the group moved forward, keeping a keen eye out for any sign of danger (Finn kept a keen ear out). It was mostly quiet. Strangely¡­ quiet. It was not the tranquil silence that Finn wanted, but instead an ominous, looming quiet, like the calm before a storm. ¡°¡­ Keep an eye on the trees,¡± Zephyr whispered sharply, ncing around at all the dark tree branches. Finn, for his part, didn¡¯t know how Specters looked like, but then again, even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t be much help in the sight department. Still, he did his best to pretend to nce at the branches, making sure it didn¡¯t seem like he was blind. After all, he was still in his disguise. ¡°Alright¡­ we should be past the portal, let¡¯s return to the main road,¡± Zephyr instructed with a triumphant smile. And that¡¯s when it happened. ¡°WEEWOOO!¡± Explosively, hundreds of voices making dulled police siren-like sounds erupted all around the group. It came with no warning, and the group, experienced as they might be, were taken by surprise. ¡°Tch-! They¡¯re here! Run for it¡ªwe¡¯ll fight them in the open!¡± The five took off in the direction of the pathway, with Finn following the sound of footsteps in front of him. However, with all the police siren sounds, it was difficult. So difficult, in fact, that it rendered him so concentrated that he was unable to detect a Specter sneaking up on him from above. ¡°¡ª!¡± Finn suddenly felt a electrocuting feeling zap through his body, causing him to shake violently. ¡°What¡­ is this¡­?!¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°Hold still, Spade!¡± Athena yelled, then promptly drew her sword and cut off the white goo-like entity that had attached itself to Finn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Agh¡­¡± Instantly, the electrocuting feeling went away, and Finn could finally move once more. ¡°Tch¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°Save it forter! And be more careful next time!¡± Athena yelled, then urged Finn forward. He didn¡¯t need to be told twice. The five charged forward as fast as they could, dashing through the forest, but¡­ ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Zephyr demanded. ¡°We didn¡¯t go this deep into the forest¡­ we should be back at the path by now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ another invisible portal?!¡± Athena cried, and skidded to a stop. Right she was. ¡°Damn it¡­ we¡¯repletely lost and surrounded¡­¡± Zephyr muttered, then quickly made his decision. ¡°Giant!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The little boy saluted, responding immediately to orders. ¡°Transform!¡± ¡°On it!¡± And then, with a bellowing roar that threatened to take away another one of Finn¡¯s five senses, the little boy known as Giant turned into a true¡­ giant. Chapter 167: Dire Situation Chapter 167: Dire Situation The little boy¡¯s body began turning into a silhouette of pure white light, and it grew. Grew and grew, until it towered over the entire forest like some kind of monster. Silver fur covered every inch of its body, apart from its wed ck fingers and powerful hooves. On the top of its head, tworge horns jutted out, curving inwards. His eyes shone a deadly yellow in the night, and its mouth held rows upon rows of sharp teeth, ready to tear apart anything it needed to. ¡°ROAAAAAAAR!¡± Letting out a thunderous bellow that rivaled that of a dragon, the enormous monster once known as Giant smashed several trees away with its foot by stomping on it, and the rest of the group hurriedly ducked away. Having cleared enough space so that he could actually move, Giant turned around, shaking the earth as he did so, and set his hand on the ground, palm-up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zephyr called out, and the remaining four hurriedly rushed onto the hand, with Finn still carrying Iris. The white globs of goo on the trees¡ªSpecters¡ªjumped down in an attempt to attach themselves to the Ghost Hunters, but they were too slow. Once everyone was aboard, Giant scooped them up and ced them on his shoulder, where the four held on tightly to his fur. From up here, everyone could see the mountain in the distance, and also the top borders of the invisible portal gates. ¡°Go! Towards the mountain!¡± Zephyr ordered, and Giant immediately took off. SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! With every step he took, dozens of trees fell. The very earth quaked as the humongous monster treaded across thend, but protecting nature was the least of the Hunters¡¯ worries right now. Hell, these weren¡¯t even real trees anyway¡ªjust paracausal illusions of them. There was just one problem¡­ Giant skidded to a stop as it neared the invisible portal. Right beyond it, the peak of the mountain could be seen. But after ncing both ways, there was no option to go around this portal. If he attempted to go through by force, his body from neck-down would be transported, but his head would not. That would result in an agonizing death. ¡°GRR¡­¡± Giant made a low growl to show his discontent, and Zephyr narrowed his eyes. ¡°Tch¡­ is there no way you can jump over this?¡± Giant shook his monstrous head, signaling no. The portal¡¯s height was up to his neck¡ªeven if he did jump, with the weight of his body, his lower half would still be cut off. Death was still the only ending. ¡°W-What do we do¡­?!¡± Aluna asked in fright, voice shaking. ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Athena yelled. ¡°Leal¡¯s First Maxim¡ªnever waver, even in the face of certain death!¡± But then- ¡°WEEWOOWEEWOOWEEWOOWEEWOO!¡± A chorus of police siren noises red out across thend, and from behind them, hundreds if not thousands of white goo globs were rushing towards them at full speed. Some rode the trees, some glided directly on the ground. They were closing in fast, and if they managed to attach to Giant, they were screwed. Giant himself was immune to Specter mind control when in this form¡ªalso why he was resistant to Finn touching him, and the effects of Angelica¡¯s Wake¡ªbut the little bastard Specters could climb up his giant body and attach themselves to the Ghost Hunters in his palm. At this height, there was nowhere to run. ¡°O-Okay, uh, now¡¯s the time to panic!¡± Athena yelled, drawing her sword. ¡°W-What do we do, Zephyr?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zephyr was silent, and gripped his greatsword tightly. He had an extremely conflicted expression as he looked towards Giant¡¯s beast-like face. He didn¡¯t speak a word¡ªthe eyesmunicated enough. Giant, understanding what he was saying, closed his eyes, smiled as best as he could in this form, and gave a firm nod. Seeing this, Zephyr gritted his teeth and averted his gaze, but didn¡¯t say anything further. Athena, Finn, and Aluna were all still keeping an eye on the iing wave of Specters. That¡¯s why they were so surprised¡­ when they were suddenlyunched into the air. ¡°Wha-!¡± Athena and Aluna¡¯s eyes both widened as Giant threw the four off of his palm, over the invisible portal. It was a gentle toss, but at this height, it would still kill them. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Finn activated his wings and remained soaring in the air, still carrying Iris, but the other three weren¡¯t fortunate enough to have that. Thankfully, they had something else. ¡°Heed my calling, O Great Winds of Tranquility! Bless our fall and curtain ournding¡ªGentle Sweep!¡± Suddenly, a gust of wind rose around the three still-falling members of the group, and slowed them down. Athena and Aluna watched in wonder as their fall was slowed, and they gently drifted to the ground, protected by the winds, before softlynding atst. ¡°Woah¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ that was nice. Thanks, Zephyr. I owe you one.¡± But Zephyr did not share their positive sentiment. Instead, he had a grief-stricken expression on his face as he looked up over the portal, where Giant¡¯s head still loomed. ¡°¡­ Giant¡­¡± Athena and Aluna realized what had happened as well, and they too looked at theirrade with solemn expressions. The massive beast-like head blinked, then smiled gently that should¡¯ve been impossible for a monster like that. And yet¡­ he did. Finn slowlynded on the ground next to the three, and didn¡¯t speak a word. He didn¡¯t need to be able to see to realize what happened. Giant¡­ had sacrificed himself. As the massive beast¡¯s body was swarmed by the shining white Specters like a bunch of parasites, he fell to the ground with a loud crash that shook thend, and the remaining Ghost Hunters could see him no more. But Athena, Aluna, and Zephyr did not waver, even as tears sprang to their eyes. Instead, they continued staring at where Giant¡¯s head had been, over the invisible portal, and saluted. Finn, naturally, didn¡¯t join in, but he could respect their method of remembering Giant¡¯s noble sacrifice. He knew what it felt like to lose someone close to you. He hadn¡¯t known Giant for all that long, so he didn¡¯t really care about the kid, but these three have most likely worked together with him as a team for years, along with Phoenix. And now¡­ an original group of five has been reduced to a mere three. ¡°¡­ Lest we forget,¡± Zephyr whispered under his breath, and closed his eyes. Athena and Aluna did the same, then echoed their leader¡¯s words. ¡°¡­ Lest we forget.¡± Chapter 168: The Complications of Being Blind Chapter 168: The Complications of Being Blind After a minute of silent saluting, Zephyr brought his arm back down and turned his body away from where hisrade had once been standing. Then, fishing out a vial of ck liquid from his belt, he opened it and poured out a single drop. Just one. Just one was enough. Not wasting anything, he ced the bottle back into his belt, and waited as a swirling ck portal sprang to life. Then, he stepped through. Athena and Aluna followed. None said a word. It was as if the moment of silence was still continuing¡ªnot that Finn minded. He had never been a man of conversation. If anything, this quiet was rxing. After walking around for several seconds in search of the portal, he finally found it and stumbled through. Thank god the other three didn¡¯t see that. It was then that he realized just how reliant he had be on Iris. That was bad. Very bad. He didn¡¯t want to rely on Zelestria, but he didn¡¯t want to overly rely on Iris as his eyes either. After all, both could betray him, one day. His top priority was still to get Zelestria her power back, so she can restore his eyes¡­ Speaking of Iris, the girl had fallen unconscious. Since when, he didn¡¯t know, but after checking with Zelestria, she confirmed that Iris was alright. She should wake up in an hour or two. ¡°¡­ This is where we part,¡± Zephyr said to Finn. ¡°Thank you for helping us figure out the Specters¡¯ trick.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± With that, they parted ways. Had Finn been more of a team yer, he may have requested to join them, or party up to head inside the Temple again some other time. But of course, Finn was more of a lone wolf. Iris¡­ was an exception. She was all he really ¡®needed¡¯. ***** In the outside world, the sky too was ck. It had gottente, and since Finn figured Iris would want to wake up in a warm bed, he headed for an inn to stay the night. As per usual, he booked only one room for safety reasons, and received a somewhat questionable nce from the receptionist when she saw the unconscious, innocent girl on his back (not that he was aware of this look). Thankfully, she didn¡¯t question after seeing how tightly Iris was gripping onto Finn like he was her lifeline, and Finn headed up to their room without dy. Unfortunately, the only one avable had one bed only. It is what it is, though. Once there, he considered helping her change, but realized he would probably get screamed at and/or mess it up somehow due to his blindness. But then again¡­ it couldn¡¯t hurt if he just helped her change the outside clothes. And so, he went to work¡­ ¡­ And instantly failed. ¡°Mmn~¡± Iris suddenly moaned as Finn¡¯s fingers touched her, and he quickly backed away. *What was that soft feeling, just now¡­?* Shaking his head, he stepped back forward and confirmed Iris was still asleep, then tried again. ¡°Ahn~¡± She groaned, body spasming a bit, and Finn backed away again. *What is¡­ Zelestria, help me out here.* But to his surprise¡­ [Fufu~ nope~! You expect me to help you undress another girl? Please, darling, that¡¯s too cruel~] Basically, he was on his own. *Ah¡­ screw it.* Finn stepped forward for the third time and went all-out, handling Iris¡¯s body quite roughly, to say the least. He didn¡¯t really know how to treat girls, and quite frankly, he didn¡¯t care. He just needed to make sure Iris didn¡¯t dirty the bed with any Specter goo that may have gotten on her clothes during that whole ordeal, that¡¯s all. Just as he was about to unbutton her shirt, however, Iris¡¯s eyes slid open. She woke up at the worst possible time. ¡°E-Eh? F-Finn?!¡± ¡°Lay still!¡± Finn shouted, then hurriedly undid her buttons to the point where it was almost like ripping them apart. He hated when others interrupted him in the middle of something. Hated it. ¡°W-Wai- Finn, that¡¯s- no, don¡¯t touch there- ahn~!¡± Her body squirmed even more, cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment and eroticism. His rough hands traced over her well-formed chest eagerly. (To her. Finn wasn¡¯t actually eager to do anything.) ¡°Mmn~! S-Stop, Finn~! G-Give me a little bit of a warning before doing thi- ahh~!¡± Because Finn was annoyed, he ced a hand on Iris¡¯s body to hold her still, but that spot just happened to be the same spot she was sensitive at. No one has ever touched her there before, and the simple sensation was making her go crazy. Was it just because of lust? No. It was because of Finn¡­ his blood, his body, was strangelypatible with Iris¡¯s. Finn didn¡¯t take notice in any of this, however, and continued working on the buttons. After several tough tries, he finally got it done, and took Iris¡¯s armor set off her body before tossing it onto a couch behind him. He didn¡¯t need to look to know there was a couch there, as he had bumped into it on the way to the bed. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Meanwhile, an exasperated Irisy on the bed, panting heavily and cheeks flushed. Her underclothes were a mess from all the rough handling, and quite frankly, if anyone saw this scene without context, they definitely would¡¯ve thought somethingpletely different from what really happened. ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯re awake,¡± Finn muttered atst. ¡°Go shower. Clean yourself good, and look for white¡­ sticky¡­ stuff.¡± ¡°W-Wha?! W-W-W-W-White, sticky, stuff?!¡± Finn recalled when the Specter had attached itself to his shoulder. ¡°Hm¡­ hot, too.¡± ¡°White, sticky, and hot?!¡± Iris cried, flushing deeply and hurriedly covering her body. ¡°Finn! J-Just what¡­ did you do to me¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± Finn cocked an eyebrow. ¡°K-Kyahh! Nevermind!¡± With a high-pitched yelp, cute and innocent, Iris dashed off into the bathroom, then mmed the door behind her. Finn followed her with his head, then turned back to the couch where he had tossed Iris¡¯s armor. ¡°¡­ Hm. Good thing it has auto-cleaning.¡± Chapter 169: Delving Back In Chapter 169: Delving Back In ¨C The Next Day ¨C Finn woke up early the following morning. However, despite being up early, he found it strangely difficult to get out of bed until at least an hourter. This was because a certain someone hadtched onto his arm very tightly, like a ko clinging to a tree. This someone was, without a doubt, Iris. She didn¡¯t seem to have done this on purpose, and instead most likely did it subconsciously while dreaming about something. Finn decided to not question said dreams. He didn¡¯t want to forcibly wake Iris up either, since if she needed rest, it was best to give her rest. They were heading into the Dungeon today, so Finn needed her at her best. Anything less than that would only be a drag-down. As a result, he ended upying in bed for a whole hour doing absolutely nothing except feeling the rise and fall of Iris¡¯s ample chest. ¡°Mmn¡­¡± Finally, after a long while, Finn heard a soft groaning from Iris, and spoke without even tilting his head. ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯re awake.¡± Maybe not before, but after hearing this, Iris sure was awake. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed herself clinging onto Finn, and before she knew it, her cheeks were flushed red. ¡°U-Um¡­ sorry!¡± She cried, hurriedly letting go and bashfully turning away. ¡°I just¡­ needed someone to hold on to¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What did you dream about?¡± Finn asked, directly contradicting his own thoughts earlier. ¡°Erm¡­ well¡­ I had a shback,¡± Iris admitted, scratching her head. ¡°It¡¯s a bit hazy, but¡­ I¡¯m not even sure if the memories are my own.¡± ¡°How do you know it was a shback and not just a fantasy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ but¡­ it felt too real to be fantasy. I-It¡¯s hard to exin, but¡­ I guess you could call it instinct.¡± Finn rubbed his chin. ¡°Hm. Instinct, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I dreamed about this¡­ war. I saw myself¡­ and you¡­¡± Finn¡¯s ears twitched. ¡°¡­ Me?¡± ¡°A-Ah! Never mind!¡± Strangely, Iris refused to borate further, which only made Finn more interested. Still, prying about it wasn¡¯t going to do anything now, so he just headed into the bathroom and got ready for the day. Iris, watching him go, bit her trembling bottom lip. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Finn¡­ I didn¡¯t tell you because¡­ in the dream¡­ I¡­ I¡ª¡± ¡ªkilled you. ***** Before long, Finn and Iris found themselves standing on top of the same roof as yesterday. They were, naturally, nning on heading back into the Dungeon. ¡°Um¡­ shouldn¡¯t we do some more preparation first?¡± Iris asked. ¡°I mean, we know about the Specter¡¯s traps now, but we still don¡¯t know how to deal with them.¡± She had a point. However¡­ ¡°¡­ We can simply fly,¡± Finn replied. ¡°As long as we remain in the sky, the invisible portals cannot affect us.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­st time we did that, I fell unconscious¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°¡­¡± Finn fell silent briefly. She had a point there as well. Finn was able to resist whatever kind of mind disturbance that was thanks to Zelestria¡¯s existence, but Iris didn¡¯t have a powerful soul residing in her body like that to protect her from such ailments. ¡°Halt!¡± Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind Iris and Finn, and they immediately turned around. Iris narrowed her eyes at the neers. ¡°¡­ Is there something you want with us?¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph. We received intel that you two are escaped criminals in disguise,¡± the man leading them said, hovering in the air. More Theocracy of Light pdins. ¡°Finn Thresher¡ªyou have the Shapeshifter Angelica, do you not? Show your true self!¡± He pointed his sword at Finn, who didn¡¯t budge an inch. ¡°¡­ Sir. How can you use me of being Shapeshifted, when you have no proof?¡± ¡°Ha! No proof?¡± The man snickered and pulled out a phone from his inner pocket, then pressed the y button on it. ¡°E-Eh? F-Finn?! W-Wai- Finn, that¡¯s- no, don¡¯t touch there- ahn~!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Iris wanted to drop dead on the spot. ¡°So, my name is Finn. What about it? Does the criminal you seek also share the same name?¡± Finn asked calmly,pletely unaffected. ¡°Indeed. And that is more than enough to warrant an interrogation. So, if you wille with us¡­¡± ¡°¡­ In your dreams.¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± Suddenly, six tentacles shot out of Finn¡¯s back and prated the pdins instantly, catching them off-guard. Clearly, they had been expecting him to run, not fight back. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to scream before their vocal cords were violently torn out of their throats, and they fell downwards onto the streets below. ¡°Hmph. Weak,¡± Finn snorted, then turned his head to Iris. ¡°Change of ns. We need new appearances. Now.¡± Iris nodded firmly, still flustered over the voice recording earlier. ¡°In that case, I have an idea.¡± ***** In the end, Finn and Iris used the teleporter in Evelyn¡¯s Heart to teleport themselves to Mavrick¡¯s underground shop, all the way back in District A. It would seem only the Theocracy of Light managed to get the info on Finn and Iris¡¯s new appearances, as the Phantom yers didn¡¯t make a move to stop them. ¡°Wee!¡± The employee said, not recognizing the two. ¡°The boss is in the back, but he should be here in a seco-¡° ¡°We¡¯re in a hurry,¡± Finn said coldly. ¡°A-Ah, okay¡­ then, please wait, I¡¯ll go call him¡­¡± The employee rushed to the back of the store, then spoke quietly to his boss. ¡°Huh? In a hurry? I don¡¯t care! Tell them to wait!¡± Mavrick yelled furiously. Iris, hearing this, sighed and smiled. ¡°¡­ He hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡± ¡°P-Please, boss¡­¡± The employee pleaded, voice quivering. ¡°Those two seemed scary¡­¡± ¡°Tch! Fine, fine! But only because I don¡¯t want them to sack my shop!¡± Mavrick, with a deep breath, appeared in front of Finn and Iris shortly after. ¡°So? Whaddya want made? I charge a lot for custom-made armor sets, just so you know.¡± After some hesitation, Finn pulled out his guild card and showed it to Mavrick, whose eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the guy everybody¡¯s lookin¡¯ for¡­ that disguise is quite convincin¡¯, kid.¡± ¡°Would you believe me if I said I¡¯m on the good side?¡± Finn asked. Mavrick scanned his body up and down, then chuckled. ¡°Archon took you in, didn¡¯t he? I trust that man¡¯s eye. And besides, if you were really a Ghost like the rumors say, I would be dead by now.¡± Finn nodded. ¡°Good to know. I need a full-body armor set¡ªone that covers every inch of my skin, face included.¡± ¡°Huh? Your face¡­? But you won¡¯t be able to-¡° ¡°He¡¯s blind anyway, remember?¡± Iris said with a smile, having sat down on one of the couches in the store. ¡°I¡¯ll need a new armor set as well, but we can discuss that after you¡¯re done with Finn¡¯s.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph. Alright, alright,¡± Mavrick said after a while. ¡°But first off, I¡¯ll need more details. And second¡­ don¡¯t expect me to not charge anything.¡± Finn nodded. He was, after all, rich now, thanks to all the gold and treasures he had obtained from the fight with the Lunatic back in District A¡¯s Temple. What was a little bit of spending to him? Mavrick led him to the back of the store in his private office to avoid any prying eyes, and Iris followed. A new Finn was about to be born. Chapter 170: Underground City Chapter 170: Underground City ¡°So? Gimme some details. How do you want the armor set to look?¡± Mavrick prompted, sitting down in his rotating chair and spinning a pen around his fingers. ¡°A mask covering my entire face, a long cape attached to a hood, and a cloak to cover my body plus pants that allow me to store many tools.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ and¡­ agility or defense?¡± He had asked this thest time Finn was here as well. Finn answered the same way he once had. ¡°Both.¡± ¡°Heh, knew you would say that,¡± Mavrick chuckled, jotting down some notes on the paper attached to the clipboard he was holding. ¡°And? What about colors?¡± ¡°ck,¡± Finn replied. It was the best color for remaining stealthy. ¡°Just ck¡­?¡± Mavrickughed. ¡°Really? Ain¡¯t that a bit nd, buddy? How about I throw in some purple in there as well?¡± Finn didn¡¯t really care about appearances, in all honesty, but he also wasn¡¯t in the mood to argue with the person who was going to be making him this armor set. As such, he just gave a brief nod. ¡°¡­ So long as it can still be stealthy.¡± ¡°You got it. And you want to keep the wings you currently have, I¡¯m guessin¡¯?¡± Finn nodded again. ¡°Of course. They are¡­ helpful, to say the least.¡± This earned a chuckle from Mavrick. ¡°¡®Course they are. I made them myself, after all.¡± ¡°Need any more info?¡± Finn asked. But Mavrick shook his head. ¡°Nah. I have a good idea of what the final product¡¯s gonna look like already. I think you¡¯ll like it, buddy.¡± ¡°¡­ When will it be done?¡± ¡°Tonight.¡± Now this, Finn was not expecting. ¡°¡­ That quick?¡± ¡°Well? Didn¡¯t you say you were in a hurry?¡± ¡°I¡­ did. Thank you.¡± ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t have any other urgent orders at the moment, that¡¯s all,¡± Mavrick snorted, then turned to Iris. ¡°And what about you, youngdy? Want another matching armor set with your boyfriend¡¯s?¡± ¡°H-He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± Iris eximed, cheeks flushing pink. Then, in a quieter tone, she continued, ¡°Yet¡­ A-Anyway! I need an armor set that allow me to walk normally.¡± ¡°Huh? The wings aren¡¯t enough?¡± ¡°No, the wings are perfectly fine and useful, but the fact that my legs are crippled stands out too much,¡± Iris replied. ¡°I know this is a difficult request, but¡­¡± ¡°Hm¡­ oh, that reminds me.¡± Mavrick tapped his pen against his own forehead and turned to his servant, who was standing beside him dutifully. ¡°Those new advanced motion sensors came in just the other day, right, Kyler?¡± The employee, whose name was apparently Kyler, nodded. ¡°Yes, boss. Do you think they could, perhaps, be used for¡­¡± ¡°Heheh, won¡¯t know until we give it a try,¡± Mavrick said with a wink, then pped his hands together and turned to Finn again. ¡°Alright! What¡¯s your contact info, kid?¡± Finn recited to him his phone number, and Mavrick saved it into his phone. ¡°Mm, good, good. I¡¯ll message you tonight when the armor sets are done. In the meantime, there¡¯s plenty of things to do in this underground city.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ can¡¯t we stay here and just watch until you¡¯re done¡­?¡± Iris asked. ¡°We would rather not risk going out there and being spotted¡­¡± ¡°Hah! I can¡¯t work with people in my office,¡± Mavrick snorted. ¡°Kyler, give them some masks to hide their face.¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± Kyler rushed out of the room, and immediately came back soon after with two stic masks. One was a white kitsune, and the other was a mouthless, pitch-ck mask with nothing but two diagonal thick slits as visors and a four-pointed star like design above them. It wasn¡¯t much for decoration, but the minimalism actually looked quite nice. ¡°Um¡­ will this really work?¡± Iris asked. ¡°Ha! Haven¡¯t you been paying attention on the way here? In this underground city of Lucidia, everyone hides their identities. Rx, kids. No one¡¯s going to try and take a peek underneath that mask.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Iris took the kitsune mask, and Finn took the other one. They fit perfectly around their faces thanks to the adjustable velcro strap, and together, the two set off to do some exploring while they waited for Mavrick to finish crafting their new armor sets. ***** ¡°So¡­ where are we off to first?¡± Iris asked, riding on Finn¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you,¡± Finn replied stoically, focusing all his attention on detecting anyone who seemed suspicious. The moment someone like that appeared, he was ready to either stealthily eliminate them, or escape. ¡°Hm¡­ well, that employee¡ªKyler, I think his name was¡ªrmended a weapons store, didn¡¯t he?¡± Iris said. ¡°I believe he said it was near the center of this underground city, but we don¡¯t really have a map or anything of the sort¡­ maybe we could ask around?¡± Finn chuckled darkly. ¡°Does it look like anyone will answer?¡± Iris nced around at their surrounding streets, filled with independent Ghost Hunters, all wearing masks. They all traveled by themselves, and clearly, none were looking to make conversation. ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Iris sighed. ¡°This ce¡­ it¡¯s so¡­ deste. Definitely not what a city should be like.¡± ¡°It makes sense for it to be like this,¡± Finn said. ¡°It is, after all, an underground marketce. A ce where shady figures do business, unseen by the guilds and GHO. No one here wants to engage in any more conversation than necessary to keep their identities safe.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­ as the saying goes, the more you talk, the more risk you¡¯re taking.¡± Just as the two fell into silence, however, they heard the explosive sound of metal hitting metal, followed by a bloodthirsty roar. It definitely was not a pleasant one. It sounded like a war cry, one filled with anger and distress. ¡°Uh¡­ what was that?¡± Iris wondered aloud, voice trembling a bit. ¡°¡­ Sounded like it came from just a little further ahead,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡± Iris nodded, and the two picked up their pace. Little did they know¡­ they were heading directly to the same ce Iris had just been speaking of¡ªthe Weapon Shop by the name of¡­ well, Weapon Shop. Chapter 171: Weapon Shop Chapter 171: Weapon Shop In front of a stone shop that looked like a smithy, a crowd had gathered, watching the show unfold before them. ¡°Hahaha! My craftsmanship is truly the world¡¯s greatest!¡± A mid-age man dered proudly, standing beside what seemed like a massive rectangr shield. Before it knelt a defeated, younger man, just barely supporting himself upright with his greatsword. ¡°Hah¡­ how¡­ this is¡­ impossible¡­¡± The younger man panted, ring at the craftsman¡¯s shield. ¡°After my ultimate attack¡­ not even a dent?!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t be dejected, young warrior! It is not you who is too weak, but my shield that is too strong!¡± The craftsman said with a boldugh, spreading his arms as if showing his creation off to everyone present. ¡°As you can all see, honored signores and madams, my craftsmanship is unparalleled. And only today, you can get any of the items sold here at 75% of their original price! Limited stock, people, so don¡¯t hesitate!¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph. What a farce,¡± Iris muttered. Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I can see what¡¯s going on inside that young guy¡¯s head,¡± Iris replied. ¡°He was thinking about when he will receive his pay from the older guy. In other words¡ªhe¡¯s a paid actor. How underhanded.¡± ¡°¡­ Well. Don¡¯t forget, this is essentially an illicit ck market of a city. There is no such thing as ¡®underhanded¡¯ here. All is fair.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Iris sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ when I see thing like this, it makes me wonder. Are humans really any better than Ghosts? I mean, obviously, most people aren¡¯t bloodcrazy monsters thinking of nothing but flesh, but if anything, evil humans are more dangerous and viinous than Ghosts are.¡± ¡°True,¡± Finn agreed with a nod. ¡°They possess intelligence that most Ghosts do not.¡± ¡°What do you think, Finn?¡± Iris asked softly, watching as the crowd of people actually bought the shopkeeper¡¯s act and strolled on in to purchase new equipment. ¡°Which race is worse? Ghosts¡­ or humans?¡± After a long silence, Finn spoke. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°To me, it doesn¡¯t matter which is better. I made a vow to erase Ghosts from the surface of this Earth, so that is exactly what I will do.¡± ¡°But¡­ the two of us are Ghosts too, y¡¯know?¡± Iris whispered faintly, almost too faint to hear. Finn, however, heard it. He just chose to pretend he didn¡¯t, and fell into silence. ***** Once nearly all the customers had left, Finn and Iris approached the weapon shop. The shopkeeper, seeing them, smiled warmly. ¡°Wee, wee! There aren¡¯t many items left in stock, but I¡¯m sure you can find something that suits your tastes.¡± ¡°That shield,¡± Finn said coldly. ¡°Let me take a look at it.¡± ¡°Oh? Fancy a shield, hm? Unfortunately, that one is not for sale. It is my ultimate, finest creation, imprable and unbreakable!¡± ¡®There he goes again¡­¡¯ Iris thought with a sigh. ¡°Unbreakable¡­ is that so?¡± Finn tilted his head. ¡°What do you say¡­ you let me try to break it?¡± Finn purposely didn¡¯t activate his Angelica just yet, as he didn¡¯t want the shopkeeper to refuse him. Unfortunately, even without his Angelica¡­ ¡°Nope! Are you crazy? You saw what happened just now, didn¡¯t you? That poor young warrior used his ultimate attack on this shield, and didn¡¯t even leave a dent! What makes you think you can do damage to it?¡± ¡°I am stronger than that person,¡± Finn answered calmly. There was no arrogance in his voice, only cold, harsh, truth. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The shopkeeper was clearly surprised at this prompt response, and blinked a few times. ¡°Are you scared, perhaps?¡± Iris chimed in, a smug grin on her lips. ¡°If your shield is really so unbreakable, why can¡¯t we test it out, just to be sure? We just arrived here, so we didn¡¯t see the young warrior just now.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± The shopkeeper, having nowpletely thrown away any sign of warmth, red at Finn and Iris with hate. After scanning Finn up and down, however, he ultimately decided the boy wasn¡¯t anything special. ¡°¡­ Fine, go ahead. But if you are unable to do any damage to it, you better pay me for causing such a ruckus.¡± ¡°How much do you want?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Let¡¯s say $5,000.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± It took everything Iris had to not burst outughing at his shamelessness, but Finn showed no reaction. ¡°Very well. But what if I do manage to break your shield?¡± ¡°Ha! That won¡¯t happen. If you¡¯re able to, I¡¯ll give you my whole shop!¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph. Idiot,¡± Finn chuckled darkly. The shopkeeper didn¡¯t hear this, and instead folded his arms while reaching into his own ear with a pinky. ¡°Go on, the shield¡¯s right in front of you. Just don¡¯t hurt yourself, cocky brat.¡± Iris flew off of Finn¡¯s back to give him the freedom to what he wants, and Finn didn¡¯t let her down. Striding up to the shield, he stood still for a moment as he contemted what to use. The Stormbringer Angelica? Brawler? Or perhaps¡­ In the end, he chose Cardmaster. With the Strength Card, none can stand before his raw, brute power. ¡°Come, Strength¡­!¡± Chanting his incantation, a bright white glow surrounded his body, and a transparent white holofigure of a muscr arm far more buff than his actual arm appeared beside him. It dwarfed the shieldpletely, making it seem like nothing more than tin foil. The shopkeeper, seeing this, realized his mistake and widened his eyes. ¡°W-Wait! Hold it, don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°¡­ Toote.¡± Rearing his fist back, Finn unleashed a devastating punch with the power of the Strength card. The blow shattered the shield to pieces, and sent a howling wind towards the rest of the shopkeeper¡¯s shop as well, blowing away everything. Even the shopkeeper himself had to hold onto a street light¡¯s metal pole to avoid being thrown away like a paper airne. When the cyclone finally stopped, Finn lowered his arm and tilted his head towards the shopkeeper. He knew where the man was, thanks to his screams. ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ g-goddamn! You almost killed me! And my shop- I¡¯ll sue you for this, dammit!¡± ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Iris cut in, smirking, then pressed the y button on her phone. ¡°Ha! That won¡¯t happen. If you¡¯re able to, I¡¯ll give you my whole shop!¡± ¡°It¡¯s our shop now.¡± ¡°Ngh¡­ damn it¡­! I¡¯ll have revenge on you, I swear!¡± Saying this, the shopkeeper scrambled to his feet and ran away like a coward. Finn, hearing his footsteps disappear, finally turned to Iris. ¡°¡­ Hm. I didn¡¯t expect you to have recorded that.¡± ¡°Just a little trick I learned from those Holy Pdins who encountered us earlier,¡± Iris replied with a charming wink. ¡°Neat, isn¡¯t it?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°But¡­ the shop¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. If that shield, his finest creation, was so easily destroyed by you, nothing here is worth picking up.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me,¡± a third voice suddenly cut in, and Finn and Iris immediately turned to it. It appeared to be a polite young man wearing a formal tuxedo, hands crossed in front of him. He had the mask of a silver fox on his face, hiding everything but a light smile. ¡°¡­ Would you care for an invitation to the Warrior¡¯s Cage?¡± Chapter 172: Mysterious Hotel Chapter 172: Mysterious Hotel The term that came out of the polite man¡¯s mouth was unfamiliar to both Finn and Iris. ¡°Warrior¡¯s Cage¡­? What¡¯s that?¡± Iris asked. ¡°The top entertainment facility of this Underground City,¡± the man exined, spreading his arms gently. ¡°A fighting ring where the audience ces bets, and the winner takes all. My master would like to hire you as her contracted fighter. If you win in fights, this is a very profitable opportunity.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Finn answered in his usual stoic tone. ¡°Unfortunately, I am not interested in making profits.¡± The man fell silent momentarily, the smile disappearing from his face, but it returned as quickly as it had left. ¡°Finn Thresher. Age 18. Male. Currently being hunted by all five Ghost Hunter Guilds under the suspicion of being a Sentient. Does that sound about right?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Finn and Iris immediately tensed up, getting right for a fight, but the man showed no hostile intentions and instead merely continued as if reciting a script. ¡°Ivis Silverdale. Age 18. Female. Currently being hunted by all five Ghost Hunter Guilds for traveling with a Sentient suspect. But¡­ that¡¯s not even your real name, is it?¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Iris was stunned to have her secrets spilled so easily, and Finn stepped forward before immediately grabbing the man by the cor. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°Haha, calm down, I will not report you to the guilds or anything,¡± the man said, waving his gloved hands. ¡°That is¡­ if youe with me to meet my master, of course.¡± ¡°Or¡­ I could kill you right here and now,¡± Finn whispered, pulling the man close. ¡°That would make things a lot simpler, no?¡± ¡°Go ahead and try,¡± the man said. ¡°I am but one of many. However, if I die, you can safely kiss goodbye to all your secrets. My master knows everything. You cannot escape her. She has eyes everywhere. Even now, there is a sniper rifle pointed at your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn tightened his grip on the man¡¯s cor as Iris frantically looked around for said sniper. Before long, she spotted him, perched on top of the roof of a tall clock tower, aiming towards them. ¡°H-He¡¯s not lying, Finn.¡± The man smiled. ¡°Now, do you see? Do you wish to see our master now?¡± ¡°Do I really have a choice?¡± Finn scoffed, then let go of the man. That was just one sniper. There was no telling how many more were hidden around the city. ¡°Haha, d you are quick to understand,¡± the man said, straightening his clothes andughing lightly. ¡°Now then, follow me.¡± ***** ¨C 15 Minutes Later ¨C The formal man in a silver fox mask led Finn and Iris to what seemed like a hotel¡ªand quite the luxurious one at that. Finn and Iris¡¯s original impression was that most people only came to this underground city to do some secretive business, then leave, but in reality, many Ghost Hunters in fact lived here full-time. Rogues driven out by the guild, frence Hunters who don¡¯t serve anyone in particr, and businessmen who by chance have joined the Ghost Hunter world and now remain in it forever, all reside here. By the way, just like with anything else in this ce, the underground city was named¡­ Underground City. And the hotel? That was no better either¡ªit was literally called 5-Star Hotel. ¡°My master is the owner of this ce She is waiting on the top-most floor. Please, follow me inside.¡± Saying this, the man entered the building confidently, with Finn and Iris following behind. Inside, nearly everyone wore wealthy, professional suits and posh masks made out of either gold or silver. Some even had full-on diamond masks, and Iris guessed the difference in material showed hierarchy, in a way. Gold was more precious in silver, and diamond more so than gold. The silver-fox-masked man did not pay any heed to the customers in the main lobby of the hotel, conversing with one another, and instead headed straight over to the elevator. Or at least¡­ he tried. ¡°Oi, Foxy,¡± a male voice suddenly called out to him, and the man tilted his head slightly to see an older man with an obese figure and a diamond pig mask covering his face. ¡°How¡¯s your master doing?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± the young man replied, bowing slightly. ¡°Ha! She still refuses to apany me in bed?¡± The pig-masked manughed boldly and took a sip of his wine. ¡°¡­ My master will sleep with whom she wants.¡± ¡°What a shame¡­ such a beauty, yet refuses to marry again. Her previous husband was a dirtbag who only cared about money, wasn¡¯t he? Haha!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The man fell silent, unsure of what to say in a situation like this. The other man, seeing this, chuckled and began walking away. ¡°Just let me know if she changes her mind, Foxy! I can make her the most wealthy woman in the world, hahaha!¡± As he faded away from earshot, Finn folded his arms. ¡°¡­ Was what that man said true?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± the fox-masked man said after some hesitation, then stepped into the now-open elevator. Finn and Iris followed. As the doors closed, the man spoke quietly. ¡°The truth is¡­ ever since that man left my master ten or so years ago, she has never been the same. She is lonely, and in need of someone to love again. But she never admits it on the surface. Never.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ sad,¡± Iris said after a while. ¡°But it is none of our concern,¡± Finn added. ¡°Indeed. I just felt the need to inform you two of that since it is a sensitive subject for her. Please do not bring it up when you speak.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Neither Finn nor Iris responded, mainly because both were seeing this as a possible weakness to exploit. After all, they had no connection with this woman. They just wanted to get out of this ce. ¡°Oh, and one more thing,¡± the man continued right as they arrived on the topmost floor and the elevator doors slid open. ¡°My master¡­ she has a daughter. Be mindful.¡± Chapter 173: Double Identities Chapter 173: Double Identities As the elevator doors opened with a ding, the fox-masked man led Finn and Iris out of it and into a luxurious hallway, but ominously so. It was made of pure ck marble, their boots creating a crisp reverberating sound as they walked. There were no windows around them, only faint white lights on the walls that looked like candles but really were not. At the end of the corridor, a tall set of metal double-doorsy. They were ck with two vertical golden door handles, along with golden lining weaved into curls and flower-like designs. It gave off a posh, exotic feel, but at the same time also somewhat threatening. The fox-masked man stopped before the doors and gently knocked on them. ¡°Master. I have brought the two individuals you¡¯ve requested to see.¡± After several seconds, the sweet, seductive voice of a mature woman responded. ¡°¡­ Come in.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Finn¡¯s eyebrow twitched a little at the voice. It was¡­ strangely familiar. But s, there was no way he could¡¯ve met this woman before. After all, she was a powerful figure in the Underground City, the same ce where Finn had only been to once and met a total of two people in until today. Iris too noticed something was off, but she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts out loud either. The fox-masked man pushed the doors open, and the three entered the room inside. It was¡­ beautiful. The windowless room had a greyscale aesthetic, with grey walls and a ck ceiling. The furniture was all either ck or silver, and even the chandelier did not hold orange mes. Instead, it held white ones, though how they achieved that was unknown. The back wall across from the three was a grid-patterned shelf, lined with books and silver artifacts. In front of it was arge desk filled with items, and behind that desk was a ck leather throne. And on that throne¡­ the only source of color in the room sat, standing out like no other. ¡°¡­ Wee.¡± A woman with a well-endowed figure sat within the throne, wearing a beautiful red robe that made her seem like a queen. She wore the mask of a cat on her face, but that did little to hide her obvious beauty. Her revealing garments highlighted her voluptuous chest and silky white thighs that peeked out from beneath her robes, able to give any grown man a nosebleed. For some reason, when Iris saw her, she felt a feeling simr to one she had felt just not too long ago. Where had it been again¡­? She couldn¡¯t remember, mind too focused on this woman¡¯s figure. Afterparing hers with her own, Iris could only pity herself. ¡°¡­ You may leave us, Fox,¡± the woman said, to which the fox-masked man nodded and bowed deeply. ¡°Understood.¡± With that, he promptly stepped backwards and left the room, closing the door behind him in the process. Iris and Finn were now alone with this mysterious woman, and the two were unsure how to feel about that. ¡°¡­ Take a seat,¡± the woman said, folding her arms. Then, after sensing the two¡¯s hesitation, she sighed. ¡°Rx. It¡¯s not poisoned.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ no hidden mechanisms or traps that I can see,¡± Iris whispered. Finn nodded, then took a seat. Iris shifted off of his back and sat down in the seat beside him. ¡°I trust you¡¯ve heard why I wished to meet you, yes?¡± The woman asked, blowing out on a cigar gently. Finn nodded. ¡°You want me to participate in this¡­ Warrior¡¯s Cage.¡± ¡°Ahaha~¡± The woman suddenlyughed in response, elegant and alluring. ¡°Forget about that. It was a lie.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Truth to be told, I just wanted to see you. However, I couldn¡¯t send my servants to invite you without a proper reason. I believe we have met before, yes?¡± Finn frowned. ¡°Have we?¡± The woman smiled yfully, and slowly reached up to her mask. Then, she carefully took it off, revealing her true beauty. And it was then that Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°W-Wait¡­ you¡¯re¡­ Evelyn?!¡± The woman¡ªEvelyn¡ªsmiled seductively. ¡°We meet again, Spade and Heart. Or should I say¡­ Ace and Ivy?¡± ***** ¡°I see¡­ so you have two identities¡­¡± Iris murmured after hearing Evelyn¡¯s exnation on why she was here. ¡°Precisely,¡± Evelyn said. ¡°I am the proud leader of Evelyn¡¯s Heart by day, but also Carmen, the queen of this underground city, by night.¡± ¡°Hmph. So¡­ which is the real you?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Who knows?¡± Evelyn exhaled out of her cigar. ¡°Maybe both. Maybe neither.¡± ¡°Um¡­ so what do we call you, then?¡± Iris asked hesitantly. ¡°Evelyn, or Carmen?¡± ¡°Evelyn is my real name. That part is not a lie, and will never change. But to think I would meet you two here¡­ is this a mere coincidence, or fate?¡± ¡°Just a coincidence, nothing more,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°So we both have identities. I don¡¯t know what your intention is in showing us a weakness we can exploit, but know we won¡¯t hold back in exposing you if you make a move against us.¡± ¡°Yes, I am aware of that,¡± Evelyn said with a soft chuckle. ¡°Your personality says that much. As for why I opened myself up to you like this¡­ you could say it is an act of sincerity.¡± Finn furrowed his brows. ¡°¡­ Sincerity?¡± ¡°Indeed. I would like us¡­ to be partners.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Iris nearly fell out of her chair upon hearing this, heat rising to her cheeks. ¡°W-Wait, what do you mean by partners?!¡± Evelyn, seeing her flustered reaction, giggled slightly. ¡°Rx, little girl. I¡¯m not going to steal your boyfriend here¡­ maybe. After all, it has been a while since I¡¯vest had a man~¡± ¡°U-Um¡­!¡± ¡°¡­ Partners in what?¡± Finn cut in,pletely unaffected by Evelyn¡¯s flirtatiousments. She was like apletely different person under this identity. ¡°In bed~¡± ¡°Definitely not!¡± Iris hurriedly cut in and frantically tried to stand up, but forgot that she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Fufu~ well, it was a valiant effort, I suppose¡­¡± Evelyn sighed and crossed one leg over the other, as if trying to tempt Finn with those plump thighs of hers, without realizing that he was blind anyway. ¡°But truth to be told, I am in a bit of a dilemma right now. I require someone¡¯s help¡ªand you, Finn, are the perfect person. Won¡¯t you help a damsel in distress?¡± Chapter 174: Evelyns Crisis Chapter 174: Evelyn¡¯s Crisis ¡°A dilemma¡­?¡± Iris tilted her head. ¡°How so?¡± Evelyn pinched her nose bridge and took a deep breath. ¡°You see¡­ recently, a certain someone has been trying to shut my business down. There are very few people in this world who have the power and influence to do that, but he is one of them. And as for his goal, well¡­ this mighte off as arrogant, but put bluntly, he is after my body.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t arrogant at all, considering your actual looks¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°Fuhaha,¡± Evelynughed, leaning back in her throne a bit. ¡°You have a sweet tongue, little girl. If only your boyfriend had the same¡­ I would be charmed.¡± ¡°This¡­ person you speak of,¡± Finn began, folding his arms. ¡°Does he wear a diamond pig mask?¡± Evelyn blinked. ¡°Oh¡­? You¡¯ve met him?¡± ¡°¡­ Somewhat. We encountered him downstairs, just beforeing up through the elevators.¡± Finn knew about the mask thanks to Zelestria, who had told him this wouldn¡¯t be thest time he saw that man. ¡°Ah, I see¡­ yes, he is the one,¡± Evelyn said with a sigh. ¡°His name¡ªor rather, alias¡ªis Shining. An odd choice if I do say so myself, but his control over this underground city is undeniable.¡± ¡°And¡­ what do you want us to do about it, exactly?¡± Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°If he is truly as influential and powerful as you say, there is nothing two people can do to him.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ influential, yes, but powerful, not exactly.¡± She didn¡¯t need to say any more for Finn and Iris to understand what she meant by that. ¡°So¡­ you want us to assassinate him, huh?¡± Finn snorted. ¡°Precisely. With your¡­ Ghost powers, that should be easy, no?¡± Seeing as how Evelyn already knew everything, there was hardly a reason to attempt to deny anything. It would only be a waste of time. ¡°¡­ And what would we get out of this?¡± Finn asked. ¡°Hm¡­ a night with me, perhaps?¡± Evelyn giggled softly. Then, seeing Iris¡¯s flustered reaction, she waved her hand in dismissal. ¡°Just kidding, just kidding~ but I promise I will make it worth your while.¡± Finn furrowed his brows. ¡°Be specific.¡± Evelyn smiled like a professional seductress, then set her cigar down and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand that wore a thin velvet glove. Her glittering crimson-purple eyes seemed to shine underneath the white lights of the chandelier, entrancing and beautiful. Despite being a mother with a child who was already 16 at the very least, ¡°You wanted to conquer the Temple in District B, didn¡¯t you? But in order to that, you¡¯ll need proper, anti-Specter equipment, that can protect you from their mind tricks. Such equipment is not sold anywhere, and is only administrated by the House of Spectra. However, if you help me here¡­ I can get you some.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good deal, but¡­¡± Iris pursed her lips. ¡°Why us? Or rather, why Finn, in particr? You have plenty of subordinates, do you not?¡± Evelyn sighed. ¡°I do, but none of them can make a move against him. I need someone with a specific power in particr. Someone¡­ with the ability to Shapeshift.¡± By this point, Finn already had a good idea of what the n here was. ¡°You want me to Shapeshift into you?¡± He asked. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Evelyn said with a perfect smile. ¡°There is going to be a dance party in three days from now. At the party, seduce him, make him drunk¡­ then strike once you two are alone in a room. Should be simple, yes?¡± ¡°Sounds simple,¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°But how am I supposed to imitate you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Evelyn reassured, leaning back in her throne and crossing her legs one over the other once more. ¡°In the next few days, I will teach you how to act like me¡ªnaturally. Yes, you are blind, but you managed to solve that little quiz I gave you a while ago, so I trust you have a method of making it seem like you aren¡¯t. With that, it will be a perfect act.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine. Just don¡¯t me me if things go south,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I just really can¡¯t picture it¡­ Finn, acting like you¡­?¡± Irisughed awkwardly. ¡°Fufu¡­ it will be fine. I have a n¡ªone that involves my Angelica. Feel free to stay here for the night¡ªI already have a room booked for the two of you. Finn, return to this office tomorrow morning at 8¡ªalone. Sorry, Ivis, but¡­¡± Iris shook her head. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll only be in the way of your training. In the meantime, I¡¯ll just rx. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯vest had a chance to do so, after all.¡± ***** After being told to report back here tomorrow morning, Finn and Iris left the building, as they still had business left to be done tonight. Finn had received a message from Mavrick, telling him that the armor sets were finished. On the way there, Zelestria finally decided to speak, having listened in to that whole conversation with Evelyn from earlier. [You know, darling¡­ I can¡¯t help you see for this uing dance party. There are too many factors to consider, and I can¡¯t be aware of everything.] ¡®So¡­ I better give this up, is what you mean?¡¯ [Not exactly. I was nning to tell you this as a surprise on our date, but that kept getting dyed over and over again, so¡­] She sighed. [The truth is, my natural recovery plus all the Souls you have gathered so far make enough for me to heal your eyes.] Finn stopped walking. ¡®¡­ What?¡¯ [I didn¡¯t mean to hide this from you. The truth is, only today did I reach the proper threshold needed to heal your eyes. However, if I do that, I¡¯ll be left in a¡­ unconscious state. All my power would need to be expended, and I would be put into something akin to aa.] ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡°Hello? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Iris asked, tilting her head and looking down at Finn, who was now standing still in one ce. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s nothing,¡± Finn replied, and hurriedly began walking again. In his mind, he answered Zelestria. ¡®¡­ Will thea be forever?¡¯ [Fufu~ worrying about me, are you? How sweet. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be permanent, but it will be a while. Of course, as long as you keep killing Ghosts, the Souls you gain will help me wake up sooner as well. So? What will it be? The choice is yours, darling.] ¡®Why are you doing this¡­? Sacrificing your own consciousness to help me.¡¯ [Anything to help my darling.] Zelestria said with a light giggle. [This is a good opportunity for you to get stronger and acquire some nice new gear to take on Specters in the future as well. Remember, the stronger you get, the quicker you can fulfill your end of our deal.] ¡®I see¡­ in that case¡­¡¯ Finn paused. ¡®¡­ Do it.¡¯ [Very well. Come into the reality rift tonight. But¡­ how are you going to exin it to Iris?] ¡®¡­ I¡¯ll just say I don¡¯t know either.¡¯ [Fufu~ I see¡­ you use that line a lot, don¡¯t you? When you don¡¯t want to answer something, just say I don¡¯t know.] ¡®I suppose. Still¡­ this is¡­ sudden news.¡¯ Zelestria chuckled. [Is it? Heheh, my bad, I suppose.] Chapter 175: New Appearances Chapter 175: New Appearances After returning to Mavrick¡¯s shop, he had two sets of armor ready, both of which were simr in design. The first was ck, just as Finn requested. It was slim but also durable, and most importantly lightweight to wear. This allowed Finn to move as swiftly as he liked, without having to be weighed down by heavyweight armor. That wasn¡¯t all, however. The aesthetic of the armor looked great as well, just as one would expect from a professional, experienced tailor. It came in five parts¡ªthe mask, the hoodie, the outside cloak, the pants, and the boots, all of which were midnight ck¡ªat least, mostly. The hoodie, when paired with the mask,pletely covered Finn¡¯s face just like he wanted. There was a downwards chevron shaped visor near the middle of the casque, allowing Finn to see through it while also providing good protection (although when Mavrick made it, he only had the goal of aesthetics in mind, as he didn¡¯t know Finn was about to regain his sight in just a few hours). After slipping on the leather hoodie, he changed into the new pants. There seemed to be an infinite amount of pockets in it, but he didn¡¯t mind. Just more space to store useful tools. Heck, even the boots held a secretpartment in them that could fit something approximately the size of a small dagger. Finally, it was time to try on the cloak. Finn wrapped it around himself, and secured it in ce using some straps on the sides. It fit his body perfectly, not too loose but also not tight enough to make him feel like suffocating. Naturally, Mavrick took the size of the hoodie in as well when constructing the cloak, so it was just the right fit. The cape attached to the back of the cloak was a bit long, but upon questioning, Mavrick said it was meant to be like that as part of the aesthetic. It did look good; no questions there. But strangely, around the neck of the cloak was a ring of fur, rather than leather and chainmail like the rest of it. The fur was grey and thick, able to keep Finn warm under any conditions. That made him satisfied, but¡­ ¡°¡­ What kind of fur is this?¡± Finn asked, tilting his head slightly. ¡°It seems rather¡­ high-quality.¡± ¡°Keen eye, kid!¡± Mavrickughed. ¡°Well, not eye, but you get the idea. That¡¯s Emberwolf Fur, able to spread heat! Throw it on any part of an armor set and it will keep the whole body warm! It is, very expensive though, mind you, so uh¡­¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± Iris said. ¡°We will pay you in full.¡± ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Mavrick smirked. ¡°So? How is it? The armor set, I mean. Satisfied? Impressed, even?¡± ¡°¡­ Not half-bad,¡± Finn said, moving his body a bit to get adjusted to this new feeling. ¡°Cheh, ¡®not half-bad¡¯¡­¡± Mavrick groaned. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s high praiseing from Finn,¡± Iris said with a wink over on the couch. ¡°Cherish it.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ you may not be impressed now, but you sure are going to be when you see this.¡± Mavrick ced his hand on Finn¡¯s shoulder, then injected some mana into it. Instantly, the entire armor set lit up. The chevron-shaped visor on Finn¡¯s mask began emitting glowing purple, and two translucent horns made of purple light emerged from the top of his forehead. Being untangible, they pierced through the top of his hood and continued rising until they were about the length of elephant tusks, only sharper at the end. Lines of simr purple light ran across other parts of the armor, as if empowering it from head to heel. Even the tworge ck wings that sprouted from the cloak¡¯s back now had an eerie glowing purple eye on each, and were outlined with that same purple glow. It was¡­ ominous, to say the least. ¡°This is¡­!¡± Finn suddenly felt empowered by his armor, in both physical strength and agility. Hesitantly, he punched forward at the air, and definitely felt more wind generated than normal. ¡°Heheh! How¡¯d ya like that, my dear customer?¡± Mavrick grinned slyly. ¡°The moment you inject some mana into this armor set, it will awaken the Voidheart stored within, enhancing all of your abilities greatly.¡± ¡°The Voidheart¡­¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You mean, the purple gemstone that has been lost to ages?! Why is it in your possession?¡± ¡°Rx, girl,¡± Mavrick sighed. ¡°I wish I had the actual Voidheart¡­ no, the one I embedded into your boyfriend¡¯s armor here is a mere fragment of the whole thing. You see, the Voidheart itself is huge. When it was finally harvested from deep underground a few decades ago, it was split into thousands of tiny little pieces and spread amongst merchants who bought them. I managed to get my hands on quite a few. Even a tiny piece of the Voidheart can give birth to immense power, after all. It was too good of an opportunity to miss.¡± ¡°I see¡­ the Voidheart, huh?¡± Finn whispered to no one in particr. Then, turning to Mavrick, he asked, ¡°Does this thing have a limited amount of uses?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Mavrick replied with a shrug. ¡°At least, not that I know of. The energy in the Voidheart is infinite, but because this is a mere fragment of the real thing, it will need time to recharge itself from¡­ well, the Void. Scientists and researchers of the GHO have been trying to find a way to exin how it contains infinite power, but no one has managed toe up with a sessful, logical exnation yet. The best thing they¡¯ve got is a theory that states the Voidheart draws power from an imaginative ¡®Void¡¯, which is theoretically infinite and eternal, but uh¡­ yeah, I make clothes, not research papers.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± Iris murmured, having her curiosity sessfully piqued. ¡°What about my armor? Does it have a Voidheart fragment infused into it as well?¡± Mavrick smiled. ¡°Of course, girl. I spent more effort on yours than I did your boyfriend¡¯s, since I had to solve that walking issue of yours. Behold¡ªthe Walking Angel!¡± Chapter 176: Sight Regained Chapter 176: Sight Regained ¡°The Walking¡­ Angel?¡± Iris tilted her head as Mavrick brought out a beautiful looking battle dress. It was pure white, contrasting with Finn¡¯s ck, and featured angelic feathered wings along with two dangling ribbons on her left and right. Like Finn, she too had a hood, but instead of ck it was white to match the rest of her armor. Her mask was also different¡ªrather than covering her whole face, it only covered most of the upper-half of her face. It was shaped acutely like a bird¡¯s wings, angled upwards on the sides, and gave her a very stylish look that suited a female assassin. Her upper thighs were exposed and seemed unprotected, but in reality, those thighs weren¡¯t what they seemed. The entire lower half of Iris was, in fact, artificial. They were built using abination of advanced motion sensing and virtual detection technology, creating thighs and legs that looked exactly like Iris¡¯s real ones and functioned like them too. At least, that was the theory. So far, the appearances looked fine and even Iris herself couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with them¡ªeven the texture was the same¡ªbut this left the more important factor to be tested. Could she, in fact, walk with these? ¡°Go on, give it a try,¡± Mavrick said after Iris finished changing in one of the changing rooms, folding his arms and tapping on his elbow impatiently. ¡°I¡¯m not too confident about this one, but¡­ it should work. Probably.¡± ¡°Um¡­ you sure? It won¡¯t like overheat and explode or something, will it?¡± Iris said dubiously, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Of course not! ¡­ Probably.¡± Iris definitely did not like the sound of that ¡®probably¡¯, but didn¡¯t have much of a choice. If the technology embedded into this armor set was sessful, her entire battle style would be revolutionized. She would be able to be a lot more useful to Finn¡ªand that was what was important. Yes, this meant she would have less of an opportunity to ride on his back, but¡­ she put away those selfish desires of her own to the back of her mind. ¡°¡­ Alright. Here goes nothing.¡± Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up, having made up her mind. And¡­ it worked. Her eyes widened as she stood on her own two feet for the first time in years. It was a bit awkward, granted¡ªbut it had worked. She, Iris Sylvoir, had stood up. ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s really working¡­!¡± She began tearing up before she knew it as she slowly began walking around the store in her new armor. Her movements were a bit clunky, but nheless, she was walking. ¡°How I¡¯ve missed this feeling¡­ of being able to walk with my own two feet¡­¡± Iris sobbed, wiping her tears away as more flooded out of her beautiful heterochromic eyes. Mavrick, seeing this scene, gave a light chuckle. ¡°Seems like it worked, huh?¡± ¡°Sure did, boss,¡± Kyler added with a faint smile. ¡°Thank you¡­ truly,¡± Iris said, bowing down slightly, but- ¡°Woah¡ª!¡± Not used to the shift in weight from a standing position, she suddenly toppled forward, and Finn had to step in to catch her before she fell. ¡°¡­ Careful,¡± he said in his usual dispassionate voice. Iris, however, was flustered regardless and slowly regained her bnce with his help. ¡°S-Sorry¡­ I¡¯m a bit of a klutz¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Finn muttered, then let go of her and retracted his hand. ¡°It will take some time getting used to, girl,¡± Mavrick said. ¡°After all, it¡¯s been years since youst walked. No doubt you are a bit rusty. Me, I get wobbly after sitting down for a few hours. Also, that¡¯s powered by Voidheart energy, so just like your boyfriend there, it won¡¯t be able to remain active all the time. Only walk when you absolutely need to. It recharges on its own, yes, but at a slow pace.¡± Iris wiped her remaining tears of joy away and nodded firmly. ¡°I understand. Finn has some business for the next few days anyway, so it will be a perfect opportunity for me to practice with this new armor set. It looks great, too!¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Mavrick chuckled. ¡°Enough tterin¡¯. If you want to pay me back, do it with real hard cash.¡± ¡°How much do you need?¡± Finn asked, much to Mavrick¡¯s surprise. He burst outughing. ¡°Hah! Did you just ask the seller how much he needs? Kid, you¡¯re going to get scammed a lot in the future.¡± ¡°¡­ Be grateful. I¡¯m only asking because we are acquainted.¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­ then, how about 10 grand? For both armor sets.¡± ¡°10 grand¡­?¡± Finn fell into thought. ¡°What? Think it¡¯s too expensive?¡± Mavrick snorted. ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll have you know, kiddo, just the two Voidheart fragments alone costed me 8 grand to get my hands on! That means I only charged 2 grand for the creation of both outfits, when I usually charge 4!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no. It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll pay the 10 grand,¡± Finn said, scratching his head. Truth to be told, he had expecting the price to actually be higher, but there was no sense pointing that out now. He was rich anyway, he could afford to spend a meager 10 grand. ¡°Well then, off you go!¡± Mavrick said with a grin. ***** After paying, the two, fully-d in their armor sets, returned to the 5-star hotel Evelyn owned and entered the room she had booked out for them. Needless to say, it was luxurious. There was even a built-in mini-hot spring, but neither Finn nor Iris used it and instead just stuck to the usual shower. Their armor sets cleaned themselves just like with anything else the Tailor Angelica made, so theck ofundry machines in the room was hardly a problem. What was, however, was the fact that there was only one bed. Yes, the two had slept together before, but that didn¡¯t make it any less awkward. Also, this bed was shorter in width than the one fromst night, meaning the two would have to be cuddled even closer to avoid one of them falling off the edge. Personally, Finn didn¡¯t really care about this and offered to sleep on the couch, but Iris insisted for him to sleep inside the bed with a flushed expression, saying that it was fine and all that. Naturally, Finn didn¡¯t make any moves on her at night. After all, there was something far more important he had to do¡ªgaining his sight back, at longst. Chapter 177: Training With Evelyn Chapter 177: Training With Evelyn ¨C Inside the Reality Rift ¨C After Iris fell asleep, Finn went ahead and called upon Zelestria to pull him into the rift so they could talk and perform the ritual. He hasn¡¯t been in here for a while, but was weed by the same vaporwave-style world he had already grown ustomed to. Zelestria¡¯s beauty, however, was a different story. No matter how many times he saw her, it was impossible for him to not be entranced by it. She had a divine air to her, one that never grew old. Any mortal whoid eyes upon her would be unable to look away, and would feelpelled to worship her like a goddess¡ªwhich, to be fair, he was. Too bad Finn was unaffected. ¡°¡­ Are you sure about this?¡± He asked quietly, staring Zelestria straight in the eyes. Zelestria smiled. ¡°If only you were always so considerate to me, darling¡­ but yes. As long as you wish for this to happen, I will happily oblige.¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Finn¡¯s answer was cold, dispassionate, just like everything else he said. His eyes carried no emotion, and neither did his voice. Zelestria was a bit saddened by this, but didn¡¯t let it show on the surface and just passed it off as how Finn always was¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your decision, step closer to me,¡± Zelestria said, spreading her arms as if preparing for a hug. Finn, after some slight hesitation, stepped forward. Immediately, Zelestria pulled him in for a hug, surprising him a bit. Her grasp was tight, and her body soft and warm. It was a nice, cozy feeling. ¡°¡­ Are you ready, darling? You won¡¯t be able to see me again for a few months, you know. Maybe even a year.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll get you back. Sooner than you can imagine.¡± At this, Zelestria blinked. ¡°Eh¡­? Since when did you know how to charm a girl¡¯s heart, hm?¡± ¡°Hmph. You misunderstand. To bring you back sooner, all I have to do is kill Ghosts, right?¡± Finn chuckled darkly. ¡°Mhm. But it won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯ll take a long time to gather the amount needed, even for you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± ¡°Fufu~ that¡¯s my darling. Don¡¯t go fooling around with other women while I¡¯m away, mkay? I¡¯ll know once I get back~¡± ¡°Should it be necessary, I will do what must be done,¡± Finn replied. In other words, ¡®no promises¡¯. ¡°Heh. You even know how to crack jokes now, huh? I¡¯m starting to regret my decision of leaving like this right when things are getting good¡­ but s.¡± Zelestria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, darling~¡± ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Fufu~¡± With one final, seductiveugh, Zelestria leaned forward and nted a kiss on Finn¡¯s lips. Instantly, Finn felt an incredible amount of energy and power flowing through his body, almost like the armor set¡¯s Voidheart powers but exponentially stronger. ¡°¡­!¡± After several seconds, Zelestria finally backed away, and Finn¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he saw her body begin turning into white light, pixel by pixel. ¡°Goodbye for now, darling. Oh, and don¡¯t die! I¡¯ll never find another suitable candidate like you, after all.¡± Finn clenched his fists tightly, and looked away from her, unable to meet her gaze. Zelestria may be smiling, but there were tears in her eyes. ¡®So¡­ even gods and goddesses can cry, huh?¡¯ ¡°Take care~¡± With one final wave, Zelestria¡¯s body could be seen no more, and instead, in its ce was a white ball of pulsating light. Finn figured that was her core, and every time he gained Souls, part of it would be redirected to this core. Eventually, her body will be rebuilt. Spinning around, he saw a door behind him¡ªthe exit to the reality rift. Without any hesitation, he boldly began walking towards it. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll bring you back, Zelestria. Just you wait.¡± ***** ¨C The Next Morning ¨C ¡°Mmn¡­¡± Iris shifted around in the bed and moaned gently, yawning and stretching her arms a bit. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re awake,¡± Finn remarked dispassionately. ¡°Yeah¡­ what time is it?¡± Iris asked, rubbing her eyes cutely. Finn nced at the clock. ¡°Nearly 8 AM. You look tired, though, so feel free to sleep in more. There isn¡¯t much to do today anyway, for you.¡± ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right¡­ wait.¡± Iris stopped, and looked at Finn, who had his back turned to her. ¡°How did you know the time? And how do you know I look tired?¡± Slowly, Finn turned back to her with opened eyes. Iris nearly fell out of the bed, and her mouth hung open. Neither of them were wearing their disguises anymore, since now that they had new outfits and masks, an appearance change simply wasn¡¯t necessary. In Finn¡¯s case, remaining Shapeshifted costed mana, which shouldn¡¯t be wasted under any circumstances. ¡°Y-Your eyes¡­ they¡¯re¡­ healed?!¡± Finn snorted. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who got cured.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ but how?!¡± ¡°¡­ To be honest, I am not certain either,¡± Finn replied, just like he had once told Zelestria he would. ¡°It may be the Voidheart in the armor set somehow synergizing with my blindness and curing it. However, if that is the case, that means my vision is temporary. Eventually, it will run out.¡± ¡°But you are not even wearing the armor right now¡­¡± Iris scratched her head, utterly bewildered. Finn gave a light shrug. ¡°It is what it is. I¡¯m notining.¡± Then, turning to the table across from the bed, he continued. ¡°I called for room service breakfast. They delivered. Eat it whenever you want. I have a training session to attend, though.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ um, good luck?¡± Iris said hesitantly, still not getting over how Finn¡¯s eyes were suddenly healed. Finn gave a firm nod, then slipped on the armor set Mavrick had made him yesterday and swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him. As Iris watched him go, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh a little, but in a good way. ¡°Gosh¡­ you¡¯re always full of surprises, Finn¡­¡± Chapter 178: Her Secrets Chapter 178: Her Secrets Evelyn¡¯s office was conveniently just one floor above the room Finn and Iris had been allocated. This was, of course, done on purpose for convenience¡¯s sake. Finn boarded one of the many elevators in the building, then pressed on the only floor above his own. It was marked with a star rather than a number to separate it from the rest, and apparently only certain people who Evelyn previously authorized could press on the button. It was embedded with a built-in fingerprint reader, meaning those who were not approved of by Evelyn herself could not even reach the top floor, keeping it nice and tranquil, free of unwanted visitors. It didn¡¯t take long for Finn to reach said floor. After all, it was right above him. Last time he was here, he had been blind, so he couldn¡¯t appreciate the beauty of the ce and could only attempt to visualize the ce through Iris¡¯s descriptions. Today, however, he could see with his own two eyes. It¡¯s been a couple of months since he lost his vision, but it felt much longer than that. Needless to say, Finn felt grateful for getting his sight back. That said, was he going to abandon Iris? No. Not yet, anyway. His body seems to be reacting in a strange way to her, and when they touch, Finn feels¡­ empowered. It was a mystery why or how, but he intended to find out more before leaving Iris. After all, she could be a vital piece of power to him. Besides, having a partner isn¡¯t too bad, even if Finn *did* prefer being solo. With his vision, walking down this long ck corridor certainly felt different. It was a lot more ominous than Iris had been making it out to be¡­ though perhaps it was just because right now was daytime. The windows along Finn¡¯s left-hand side were providing more than enough light to easen the atmosphere, whereas at nighttime, the hallway would definitely be a lot more gloomy. Either way, Finn soon reached therge wooden double doors and respectfully knocked on them. The person inside wasted no time in responding. ¡°Come in,¡± she said, voice soft and alluring. Finn did as told, opening the doors and entering before closing them behind him. ¡°My, my. You¡¯re early,¡± Evelyn said with one eye shut, the other beautifully staring at Finn. ¡°And¡­ a fine armor set, if I do say so myself~¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Finn nced down at his hands, hidden beneath thick ck leather gloves. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡± Evelyn didn¡¯t miss this almost unnoticable action, and shifted her legs slightly in interest, leaning forward and taking the cigar out of her mouth. ¡°Oh¡­? You can see? That didn¡¯t look like an act just now.¡± ¡°¡­ Smoking in the morning is not healthy,¡± Finn replied, attempting to change the topic. He hadn¡¯t been intending for Evelyn to find out about this so quickly, but what was done was done. ¡°Ara ara~¡± Evelynughed yfully in amusement, then put out her cigar and tossed it in the trash bin under the desk without even looking. God knows how many times she¡¯s done the same thing in the past; it was like muscle memory to her now. ¡°Just when I was worried about the one possible way this operation could go wrong, you managed to nullify itpletely. Choosing you really was the right choice, it seems.¡± ¡°¡­ So?¡± Finn tilted his masked head and folded his arms. ¡°What do I have to do as part of this¡­ training?¡± Evelyn smiled seductively. ¡°Spend time with me. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Fufu, were you expecting militaristic training?¡± Evelyn giggled in a manner befitting of her maturity, able to charm any man¡ªbut not Finn. ¡°I am training you to act like me, not to be my bodyguard. To do that, you obviously need to first know about me, no?¡± ¡°¡­ I suppose¡ª¡± ¡°But,¡± Evelyn suddenly teleported in front of Finn and cupped his chin with her two fingers seductively, catching him off guard. ¡°We can do that tonight. Right now¡­ I¡¯m bored. What do you say we go for a stroll in the streets of this Underground City? It¡¯s not as pretty as District B, but at the same time, far more entertaining, fufu¡­¡± Finn could hardly refuse. After all, he was here to learn how to act like Evelyn. If she wanted to head out for a walk in this Underground City, he could study her day-to-day actions and patterns. These tiny details will all contribute to how urate his Shapeshift is when he finally changes into her on the day of the dance party. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go,¡± Finn said atst. Evelyn smiled flirtatiously, then licked her lips. ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear.¡± ***** After Evelyn put on her diamond cat mask, the two set out of the hotel. On the way, they attracted many gazes. It wasn¡¯t everyday the queen of the underground city, Carmen, went on a stroll on the streets, after all. About 80% of the stares were admiring Evelyn¡¯s beauty and alluring figure that could bring armies of men to their knees, but the remaining 20% were directed at Finn. This was the first time he was showing up in a public space wearing that armor, so naturally, everyone was confused and had no idea who he was. Given his appearance, though, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to assume he was a bodyguard. ¡°¡­ Under broad daylight¡­¡± Finn muttered, walking behind Evelyn dutifully. Naturally, she didn¡¯t miss this, and chuckled softly. ¡°What? Embarrassed? How cute~¡± Finn shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I was just wondering¡­ if you¡¯re spending your day here, what of the guild?¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about that. I spend most of my time here anyway, so I¡¯ve long appointed a director to take charge of things while I¡¯m away and give me updates whenever an emergency urs. She¡¯s done well so far.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so she knows the truth about your two identities?¡± ¡°¡­ Not fully, but yes, you could say so. ¡°And what of your daughter?¡± At this, Evelyn fell silent for a long while. Finn didn¡¯t say anything further, waiting patiently for her to answer him as the two continued walking, out of the hotel and onto the wider, rtively empty streets under the bright morning sun. And finally, after nearly a full minute, Evelyn finally responded. ¡°She¡­ she doesn¡¯t know. And it¡¯s best she never does.¡± Her voice, usually mature and seductive, now carried a slight tremble, much like that of a helpless little girl¡¯s. ¡°¡­ I see.¡± Finn didn¡¯t say any more. Those two words of acknowledgment were all that was needed. He knew he had touched on a sensitive subject for Evelyn, and even he had the basicmon sense to not pry about it. That fox-masked man had been right. It was best not to bring up the matter of her daughter. Still¡­ it would be a lie if Finn said he wasn¡¯t¡ªat least a little¡ªcurious. Just what had happened in this seductive and mature woman¡¯s past? He knew the basic gist of it, but there were countless more mysteries and unknowns to unravel. These mysteries were essential to solve if Finn wanted to Shapeshift into the splitting image of Evelyn. After all, it is said that one¡¯s personality is determined by the events that urred in their past¡ªand Finn intended to get to the bottom of this. But not now. An opportunity would present itself. And Finn was, if nothing else, patient. Chapter 179: Target Encounter Chapter 179: Target Encounter ¡°So? Is there anything else you wish to ask me? This is your chance,¡± Evelyn said as the two walked boldly through the streets. ¡°Remember, the more you know about me, the more urate your Shapeshift will be.¡± Finn scoffed. ¡°And you¡¯ll just answer every question I ask?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that depends. If it¡¯s too private¡­ say, my credit card number, then I obviously won¡¯t tell you. If you ask for something like my bust size though¡­ I¡¯m an H-cup~¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall asking,¡± Finn muttered. Evelyn giggled softly, but it wasn¡¯t a high-pitched one like young girls. Instead, her ¡®giggles¡¯ were far more mature and ¡®controlled¡¯. Still, Finn was hardly surprised, regarding her cup size. After all, Evelyn had the body of a model, something every man lusted for and every woman was envious of. Herrge breasts just made her figure even more alluring than it already was. ¡°So¡­ where are we heading?¡± Finn asked hesitantly, ncing left and right. His mask covered his entire face, but he could still see perfectly through the visors. The Underground City was by no means beautiful, but it was interesting to see all the different buildings and stores all around. ¡°Hm¡­ yesterday, you were looking for weapons when my little brother found you, correct?¡± Evelyn asked after a short while. Finn tilted his head a little. ¡°Your little brother¡­?¡± ¡°The man wearing a fox mask. He is my brother, and also my most trusted subordinate next to the director I appointed to take care of the guild in my absence.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ he¡¯s your brother?¡± Finn murmured. ¡°Didn¡¯t know. But yes, I was looking for weapons at the time.¡± ¡°I see. In that case¡­ I know a good ce. Let¡¯s go, shall we?¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Seeing no reason to refuse, Finn agreed with a nod. Evelyn, having received his consent, ced a hand on his shoulder and drew closer to him alluringly. The crowd around them gasped at this movement from the Underground City¡¯s Carmen, renowned for her beauty and status. ¡°¡­?¡± Finn was confused, but Evelyn merely smiled alluringly and whispered the name of one of her many Abilities. ¡°Portale.¡± ***** In an instant, the two were transported to what seemed like a massive auction house. Though it really wasn¡¯t one, it had the luxurious appearance and grand feeling of one. The building¡¯s exterior was made of white marble, with multiple pirs surrounding it and supporting the immense roof. Needless to say, this ce was reserved for the extremely wealthy only, just like the 5-star hotel Evelyn owned. As such, there weren¡¯t too many people about, and the few that were here were too scared or too engrossed in their own business to strike up a conversation with Evelyn, despite being on roughly the same status level. That is, except for a certain man. ¡°Why hello there, my dear Carmen,¡± an overweight man hollered lustfully, walking over as soon as Evelyn and Finn entered the building. ¡°Came here in search of a weapon, have you? Would you like a taste of the one in my pants?¡± ¡®¡­ That was kind of smooth, not even going to lie,¡¯ Finn thought. But Evelyn showed no reaction of being affected by this vulgar question, and instead smiled in response. ¡°Sorry, but¡­ fufu, I doubt a weapon that can barely even tickle would be a good one.¡± ¡®¡­ Ouch.¡¯ ¡°Tch¡­¡± The man snorted in a manner befitting of his pig mask. ¡°I¡¯ll make you beg for it one day, Carmen. And that day is not soon off.¡± ¡°Ah, but will you?¡± Evelynughed, then slid her arms around Finn¡¯s and hugged him close. ¡°My boyfriend will protect me. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± She looked up at Finn with a mature and happy smile on her face, to which Finn gave a brisk nod, ying along. This caused the pig-masked man¡¯s body to tremble in anger a bit, as seen from the red wine in his ss shaking. Mission sess, so it would seem. ¡°This guy¡­ he¡¯s your boyfriend?¡± The pig-masked man growled. ¡°Heh¡­ I never thought you¡¯d find one.¡± ¡°My, my¡­ are you jealous, perhaps?¡± Evelyn taunted, shutting one eye seductively. This only infuriated the pig-masked man even more as his knuckles whitened, but he had the self-control to not go wild in a public space like this. With a snort, he turned around and began walking away. ¡°You¡¯ll be mine soon enough, Carmen. And as for that little boyfriend of yours¡­ heh. I might make him watch as I have my way with you.¡± As he disappeared from sight and earshot, Finn spoke. ¡°¡­ Quite the vulgar man.¡± ¡°Indeed he is,¡± Evelyn replied with a sigh, pressing her soft breasts against Finn¡¯s arm. ¡°But you¡¯ll get rid of him for me, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s our deal.¡± ¡°Fufu~ keep that up, and I might actually make you my boyfriend~¡± Finn had no intention for that to happen, but he did want her to let go of him already. Tilting his head downwards at where Evelyn hadtched onto his arm, he spoke again. ¡°¡­ Do you mind?¡± ¡°Hey now, his subordinates may still be watching. He has eyes everywhere, after all. We should stay like this until we¡¯re finished with our business here, mkay?¡± Finn could hardly argue against that since he didn¡¯t know that man¡¯s powers very well, so he fell into silence and obliged. He felt that, thanks to Zelestria, he was bing more and more conscious of the feeling of ¡®lust¡¯. He was pretty sure she let him keep this feeling unlike other emotions since he needed to engage in sexual intercourse with her for efficient Soul transferring. Without lust, it was impossible for a man to have sex. As a side effect of this, however, he felt himself be more and more aware of Evelyn¡¯s body as she continued to press herself against him. He had no intention of falling for her, but if he somehow ended up drunk or something¡­ Lust couldpel one to do extreme things, after all. Finn didn¡¯t think Evelyn was necessarily evil, per se, but he also didn¡¯t want himself to be her pawn. If anything, he wanted her to be his pawn. But as for how he would go about doing that¡­ it was a question he himself had no answer to¡ªyet. Chapter 180: The Voidheart Sword Chapter 180: The Voidheart Sword ¡°This ce is called the Weapon Emporium,¡± Evelyn said, walking up the wide stairs in the middle of the open front lobby. ¡°The first and second floors aren¡¯t even worth looking at, but the third¡­ fufu, that¡¯s where the good stuff is.¡± ¡°Good, but also expensive nheless,¡± Finn said. ¡°And for reference, I¡¯m not rich by any means.¡± That was a lie, but he figured there was no point in Evelyn knowing that he was in fact probably nearly as wealthy as she was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be on my tab. Just think of it as¡­ a gift of thanks for helping me.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t helped you yet, though,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Ah, but you have,¡± Evelyn said with a soft giggle. ¡°Back there, didn¡¯t you y along with my act? That was more than help enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Finn trailed off, not wanting to argue any further. ¡°Fufu¡­ how cute. For a stoic person, you¡¯re awfully considerate, you know?¡± ¡°¡­ I will take that as apliment.¡± Evelyn smiled. ¡°As you should. Now then, what kind of weapon would you prefer using?¡± Finn nced down at his fists. ¡°I mean¡­ I already have these two gauntlets that work just fine at close quarters¡­ though perhaps having a weapon with a bit more range wouldn¡¯t hurt, now that I¡¯ve gotten my vision back.¡± ¡°So¡­ like a bow or a gun, perhaps?¡± Evelyn tilted her head in thought, tapping her cheek with her own finger and resting that arm on her other, tucked beneath her voluptuous breasts. Finn shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t mean that far. Ivy can cover those ranges.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so a sword or a spear, correct?¡± A third voice suddenly interrupted, and Finn turned to see an elderly man walking towards them with a warm smile on his face. ¡°Wee, Lady Carmen. And this is¡­?¡± ¡°He is my boyfriend,¡± Evelyn said, tightly coiling her body around his arm like a snake once more, an alluring smile on her face. ¡°Oho? What a fine man he must be, then,¡± the old guyughed, stroking his beard. ¡°After all, you, Lady Carmen, are renowned for having high standards for men. In all these years, you have never married or even dated anyone. How jealous all the other men in the city must be! Especially Lorenzo, hoho¡­¡± ¡°Why, yes¡­ we ran into him downstairs just earlier, actually. He was¡­ displeased, to say the least. It made me smile.¡± Finn figured Lorenzo must be the name of that guy wearing the pig mask, and his assassination target. The old man sighed. ¡°That man just does not know when to give it up. His lust is too strong, and will be the bane of him one day.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ one day,¡± Evelyn echoed wryly, shooting Finn a meaningful and enchanting wink. ¡°But in any case, sword and spears, correct?¡± The old man pped his hands together and gave a boldugh. ¡°Follow me, friend. I have just the thing.¡± Saying this, he turned around and began walking away. Finn nced at Evelyn, still hugging his arm tightly. ¡°¡­ Is he trustworthy?¡± ¡°Yes, he is a good friend of mine. When I was nothing but a poor woman who had everything but my daughter taken away from me, he helped bring me back to my feet and raise me into what you see today. He is like a father to me, in a way.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Soon, Finn found himself inside a dark chamber of dim purple light. The source of said radiance was the ss disy in the center of the room, holding what appeared to be a purple sword. However, it wasn¡¯t any normal sword. It looked¡­ dull. Rather than having a pointed tip, this sword¡¯s de was shaped more like a rectangle. From the hilt, the edges were made of glowing blue light, until it transformed more and more into purple as it neared the tip. The sword emitted an ominous purple energy, centered around the blue eye just above the where the crossguard was meant to be but did not exist here. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Finn tilted his head slightly. ¡°Oh my¡­ what a powerful sword that is,¡± Evelyn murmured to herself, shutting one eye thoughtfully. ¡°I can sense its energy from the doorway.¡± ¡°Come closer, friend¡­ you¡¯ll see why I brought you here,¡± the old man said, weing Finn inside. Evelyn let go of his arm so he could move, and Finn did as told, stepping inside the room. And the moment he did, his entire body lit up purple. More urately, his armor did. ¡°¡ª?!¡± Finn felt himself being pulled towards the sword and tried to move away, but to no avail. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he needed to take off his armor first. But in this panicked situation, there was no way that could happen¡­! ¡°Calm down, friend! Don¡¯t resist the Voidheart¡¯s force! Worry not, it won¡¯t hurt you!¡± ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Finn was doubtful, but it¡¯s not like he could resist anyway. He took a deep breath, and let the attraction force overtake his body. Naturally, he was pulled to right in front of the sword, and the ss casing that surrounded it. He felt the eye embedded within the de staring into his soul, and he didn¡¯t like it. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°I noticed since firstying my sights on you,¡± the old man said with a smile, walking up beside Finn. ¡°That armor you¡¯re wearing¡­ it has Voidheart energy in it, does it not?¡± Finn nodded. ¡°And¡­ you mentioned the Voidheart¡¯s force just now¡­ does that mean, this sword¡­¡± ¡°Correct,¡± the old man said before he could even finish. ¡°This sword here was made with raw Voidheart-infused metal, and draws on the power of the Void. As such, your armor was attracted to it.¡± ¡°Where is it from?¡± Finn asked, then turned his head back to the de again. ¡°And¡­ what¡¯s with the¡­ eye?¡± ¡°That, I am not sure,¡± the old man said with a sigh. ¡°Many people have tried to retrieve this sword in the past, but it rejected all of them, unleashing a deadly aura of Voidpower whenever someone tried touching it. But you, are different. With your Voidheart armor, retrieving this sword should be possible.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn narrowed his eyes at the single pupil embedded ominously within the de. ¡®Reject anyone who tried touching it, huh¡­? Does that mean¡­ it¡¯s sentient?¡¯ Chapter 181: The Sealed Demon Chapter 181: The Sealed Demon ¡°Go on, take the case off,¡± the old man urged, beckoning Finn to remove the ss case that caged the ominous executioner sword. Part of Finn wanted to say no, but the majority of his brain was telling him to do it. Whether that was simply his own instincts or his Voidheart armor speaking to him¡ªor perhaps even the sword attempting to manipte him¡ªhe didn¡¯t know. No matter which it was, Finn has already made up his mind. Taking a deep breath, he set both his hands on the edges of the ss case holding the sword, and slowly lifted it up. ¡°Tch¡ª!¡± The moment he did, a powerful shockwave of energy shot out from within the sword, escaping its prison and nearly blowing Finn and the old man away. Evelyn was at the door, so she was rtively unaffected, but she too covered her eyes to shield herself from the wind. ¡°Hah¡­!¡± Finn forcefully set the ss case back in ce with all his strength, then backed up a few steps. ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± ¡°It would seem the sword¡¯s power is reacting with you,¡± the old man said, stroking his beard. ¡°This is good¡­ try again. If you can harness this power, it will greatly benefit you.¡± ¡°Sure, but¡­ you might want to back away, if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Of course. I have a store to run, after all¡­¡± The old man smiled peacefully and backed away, standing beside Evelyn as the two waited by the door. ¡°There¡¯s no danger in doing this, right?¡± Evelyn asked, shooting the old man a sideways nce. ¡°After all, I wouldn¡¯t like it very much if he were to get hurt. You know that, yes?¡± Finn didn¡¯t miss the edge in her tone when she said that, meaning she thought the old man had a hidden agenda. But just moments earlier, she had also said she trusted this guy¡­ so which was true? Finn was confused, but decided it wasn¡¯t the time to ask. The old manughed awkwardly and rubbed his chin under Evelyn¡¯s beautiful yet sharp gaze, shifting ufortably. ¡°Ahaha¡­ don¡¯t worry, Lady Carmen. I wouldn¡¯t dream of hurting your lover.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Evelyn smiled alluringly, tapping her chin. ¡°In that case, I can rest assured.¡± Finn didn¡¯t understand the meaning of her words, but he did know he had a job toplete. cing his hands on the ss case once more, he made up his mind to open it up to the full this time. ¡°¡­!¡± As he raised the ss, the same wave of powerful, ominous purple energy shot out of the sword, but this time, he did not waver. His armor lit up purple in response, including his visor and the two translucent horns of light that passed through the top of his hood. A stream of strength rushed through his body as the Voidheart essence in his armor reacted with the sword¡¯s, and Finn gritted his teeth as he removed the casepletely, tossing it to one side and shattering the ss to pieces. However, right now, that was the least of his concerns. His gaze was focused solely on the single eye embedded within the sword¡¯s de near the hilt at the top, which seemed to stare ominously back at him. And then, to his surprise, he suddenly heard a deep, monstrous voice, growl human speech. ¡°¡­ Kid. You wish to be my user?¡± ¡°What is this¡­? You some kind of demon, trapped inside a sword?¡± ¡°Hm¡­?¡± Evelyn tilted her head slightly, confused at Finn¡¯s words that seemed to be directed at¡­ an inanimate object. ¡°Ha! No, no, no,¡± the sword growled. ¡°I am no demon. I am a sword, nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°A sword¡­ that can talk,¡± Finn muttered. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± Evelyn shut one eye wryly, curiosity piqued. ¡°I must warn you, boy. In all my eons of existence, no one has managed to move me. What makes you think you can?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Finn said darkly, lifting his hand and wrapping it tightly around the sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°None of those people¡­ wielded the power of the Voidheart.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ it is true, I can sense the Void energy flowing through your body,¡± the sword said. ¡°It is also true that you are the first of all said people who could hear and understand what I am saying.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°However,¡± the sword suddenly continued. ¡°Just because you wield the same power that forged me, does not mean you have the capabilities to handle my strength. If you can pull me out of this disy case¡­ I will deem you worthy of being my user.¡± Finn knew better than to trust talking swords. This was, without a doubt, a trick. The moment that sword left this disy case, it would go on a rampage, or something along those lines. However, Finn was determined. He will subjugate this de, and im it as his own. Slowly, he put his other hand on the hilt of the sword as well, and began pulling upwards. The material the sword was embedded in looked like Styrofoam, but in reality, it was enchanted to be as hard as stone. Pulling this sword out of it would be no easy task¡­ but that wasn¡¯t what he was intending on doing anyway. ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± Simultaneously, twoughs rang out. One, the sword¡¯s, thinking he had sessfully fooled the man before him. And the other, the old man¡¯s, a look of greed on his face. Evelyn didn¡¯t miss this, and narrowed her eyes at him in caution, though she didn¡¯t make a move just yet. ¡°C¡¯mon, kid¡­ is that all you got?¡± The sword taunted in that monstrous voice of its. ¡°If you want to be my user, you¡¯ll have to try harder than that to pull me out.¡± ¡°Pull you out?¡± Finn chuckled, and the corners of his lips turned up into a wry grin beneath the mask of his as a blue aura surrounded him. ¡°You misunderstand, talking sword¡­ my intention was never to pull you out to begin with.¡± Chapter 182: A New Blade Chapter 182: A New de ¡°Pull you out?¡± Finn chuckled, and the corners of his lips turned up into a wry grin beneath the mask of his as a blue aura surrounded him. ¡°You misunderstand, talking sword¡­ my intention was never to pull you out to begin with.¡± ¡°Wha-?!¡± The sword demon¡¯s next words were cut off by surprise as Finn¡¯s body suddenly began cackling with blue electricity¡ªthe product of the Stormbringer Angelica. ¡°W-Wait, kid, what are you-?!¡± ¡°All I need is the de¡­ I don¡¯t care whether the demon inside it lives or not.¡± With those cold, empty words, Finn pumped all his mana into his hands, sending a crippling shockwave of arc energy that made lightning look like static electricity down the sword¡¯s de. ¡°G-GAHHHHH!¡± The sword screamed in agony as it was electrocuted, and the stone trapping it was sted to pieces by the lightning in an instant. BOOM! An enormous explosion of debris and electricity followed; Evelyn and the old man had to back away from the room to avoid getting caught up in the flying rubble. Once the dust settled, Finn emerged from the smoke and ruins of the destroyed chamber, sword in hand. The eye on its hilt was no more, and was instead now just a pale circr white light. ¡°¡­ Sorry about the¡­ mess,¡± he said, using his shoulder to support the sword and ncing back at all the damage he caused. ¡°N-No, no, don¡¯t worry about it, heh¡­¡± The old man hurriedly said, shaking his head. ¡°Congrattions on retrieving the sword no one else has been able to in all of history. Now, if you¡¯ll follow me to my office, I will administer the checkout process¡­¡± ¡°Alrigh-¡° ¡°Hold on,¡± Evelyn suddenly cut in, smiling wryly at the old man. ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but¡­ since when were checkouts done in the owner¡¯s private office? The registers are all downstairs, no?¡± ¡°Normally, yes,¡± the old man replied with a warm smile. ¡°However, due to the¡­ secretive nature of this sword, none of the other employees here know about its existence. As such, I must administer the transaction myself¡­¡± ¡°There is no need,¡± Evelyn cut in. She had a smile on her face, but her words were as cold as steel. ¡°However much the amount is, just put it on my tab. We¡¯re busy, so we¡¯ll be taking our leave now.¡± ¡°W-What? Wait, you can¡¯t-¡° ¡°We¡¯ll be taking our leave now,¡± Evelyn reiterated, in a slower voice this time. The old man, hearing this, gulped and backed off. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ have a good day.¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s go,¡± Evelyn said softly, turning to Finn, who nodded and followed her downstairs and out of the building. The old man, watching them go, clenched his wrinkled fists tightly, a hateful look in his eyes that directly contrasted with his warmth from earlier. ¡°Tch¡­ you¡¯ll pay for this, Carmen.¡± Then, turning around, he headed for his office and picked up the phone, then rang a number. Soon, the other side picked up. ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯ve made your decision?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll help you get your hands on Carmen, so long as you help me do one thing.¡± ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± The other party asked, voice low and menacing. ¡°¡­ Her boyfriend. Get rid of him, and bring me his weapon.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ so that is what your after.¡± The man on the other end chuckled a little. ¡°What a coincidence¡­ I was nning on getting rid of him either way.¡± ¡°May our partnership go smoothly, then,¡± the old man said, a crooked smile stered on his wrinkled face. ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± the other man said with a dark chuckle. ¡°Now then, the dance party is scheduled for the 24th, which is the day after tomorrow. I will be there, but it will be difficult for me to approach her. But you can. And when you do, I want you to¡­¡± After hearing the n, the old man took a deep breath. ¡°I understand. Sounds easy enough. This will be sessful, I¡¯m sure. When will you send the money?¡± ¡°After the operation isplete, of course.¡± ¡°No. I want it, now.¡± ¡°¡­ You are pushing the line, old man. What if you just take the money and run?¡± ¡°Hmph. In this underground city, no one can run from you,¡± the old man snorted. ¡°I just want to make sure I get my paycheck, lest you go back on your word. I don¡¯t trust you one bit.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± The man on the other endughed boldly. ¡°At least you are aware. Very well. Send me your bank detailster. I will send the money over. You better not let me down, yes? You know what will happen if you do¡­¡± ¡°Rx with the threats, Lorenzo. I will get you your woman, and you will get me my weapon. It is a perfect partnership.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ yes, indeed. I will be awaiting your good news on the day of, then,¡± the man¡ªLorenzo¡ªsaid. ¡°For now, goodbye. And don¡¯t even think about running.¡± After hanging up, the old man gave an annoyed snort. ¡°Tsk¡­ bastard. As soon as I get my hands on that Voidheart weapon, I¡¯m out of this Underground City.¡± ***** ¨C Outside ¨C Finn and Evelyn walked side by side, the former holding his new sword in his hand. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t exactly have a scabbard, so passerby looked at him weirdly with eyes of fear and suspicion, but Finn didn¡¯t particrly care. Instead, he was more interested in Evelyn¡¯s interaction with the old man earlier. ¡°¡­ What was that about?¡± He asked. ¡°Why did you prevent me from checking out the normal way¡­?¡± ¡°That man¡­ he¡¯s changed.¡± Finn frowned. ¡°What¡­? I thought you trusted him¡­¡± Evelyn fell silent for a brief moment, then spoke again. ¡°I¡­ did. But now, he¡¯s different. I saw the look of greed in his eyes when he was watching you retrieve that sword. It is clear what his intentions were. It¡¯s a shame, truly/ He used to be such a kind, warm old man¡­ but ever since his son died¡­¡± She trailed off, clearly not wanting to discuss this matter further. Finn didn¡¯t really care about his past either way, and only wanted to know one thing. ¡°Just give me a straight answer. Is he a friend, or an enemy?¡± ¡°I would like to say friend, but it is best to think of him as an enemy,¡± Evelyn replied, sighing dejectedly. Finn faced forward again. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But that aside¡­¡± Evelyn cupped her own face and adjusted her beautiful cat mask, then smiled alluringly at Finn like a professional seductress. ¡°¡­ What do you say we grab some lunch?¡± Since knowing food preferences was an essential part of Shapeshifting into another human, Finn gave a brisk nod and signaled his agreement. Chapter 183: Peaceful Lunch Chapter 183: Peaceful Lunch It didn¡¯t take long for the two to find a restaurant. It was quite luxurious, and needless to say, the duo attracted many, many stares. Nearly every head in the restaurant whipped around to look at them, but none spoke a word. Of them, a few were gawking at Finn¡¯s unusual outfit with a massive sword on his back, but most were simply too busy admiring Evelyn¡¯s beauty, even with her mask on. After all, her voluptuous curves were more than enough to capture the lust in any man¡¯s heart and evoke jealousy from any woman. ¡°W-Wee, Lady Carmen!¡± The waitress who was sent to amodate them yelped nervously. ¡°Your presence honors us. Please follow me, there is a private room vacant.¡± Evelyn smiled slightly and didn¡¯t say a word, but Finn could tell she wasn¡¯t very into the ttering. Regardless, the two soon found themselves seated in a private room¡­ but there was only one seat. ¡°¡­ Why is there only one chair?¡± Evelyn asked, voice soft but at the same time holding a certain menace to it. The waitress, hearing this, nearly jumped up in surprise, and she hurriedly responded. ¡°U-Um, I apologize¡­ I thought the man behind you was a mere bodyguard and wouldn¡¯t be eating with you, so¡­ p-please forgive me, Lady Carmen!¡± Evelyn, seeing this pitiful scene, gave a sigh and waved her off. It was clear this waitress was new to the job, and she hurriedly scurried away to bring back another chair for Finn. While the two made their orders, the poor waitress waited anxiously by their side, looking like she was about to puke. It was simply depressing to see, but¡­ ¡°¡­ You purposely stalled time, just now,¡± Finn said after the waitress left¡ªor rather, escaped would be a better word. ¡°Oh?¡± Evelyn tilted her head, then removed her mask so Finn could gaze upon her true beauty. ¡°You noticed, hm? Impressive.¡± ¡°¡­ Why?¡± Finn asked,pletely unbothered by her demonic allure that shouldn¡¯t have possibly belonged to a normal human. ¡°Were you simply getting vengeance over a small thing like there not being another seat in the room?¡± Evelyn, hearing this,ughed softly, voice mature and gentle. ¡°Why, yes, yes¡­ and what of it?¡± Finn fell silent briefly, then spoke again. ¡°¡­ No. You didn¡¯t do it for revenge¡­ you¡¯re not the type to be so worked up about a thing as tiny as that. And the sigh earlier shows you feel nothing but pity for the waitress; there is no motive to purposely torture her. In which case¡­ you did it to ¡®train¡¯ her, in a sense?¡± ¡°Bingo~¡± She giggled, pping her hands several times. ¡°You are beginning to understand my personality, faster than I originally expected. What a pleasant surprise¡ªthis must be due to your immense attention to detail and strong analytical and logic skills, developed as a result of being a former major in the sciences, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­ So, you even know about that,¡± Finn snorted. ¡°But if you know so much about my past¡­ how about you tell me a bit about yours? It¡¯s only fair, and will help me get to know you better for a smoother Shapeshifting process.¡± ¡°Fufu, you know how to negotiate,¡± Evelyn said with a light chuckle. ¡°However¡­ ording to your logic, since I have removed my mask for this meal, shouldn¡¯t you do the same and show me how you look?¡± Faced with Evelyn¡¯s seductive and wry smile, Finn didn¡¯t feel like arguing. She had a point¡ªit was only fair. However¡­ ¡°¡­ What if the waitresses in to deliver the food and recognizes me?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ you can keep it on until the food has arrived, then. You¡¯ll need to remove the mask anyway to eat, no?¡± Actually, Finn had discovered that there was a littlepartment near his mouth on the helmet that could be popped in and out, allowing him to eat and drink without removing the casque altogether, but he decided not to mention that and just remain in silence. ***** Soon, the food arrived, and Finn atst removed his helmet after the waitress left. Evelyn, keeping her gaze glued to him, widened her eyes ever so slightly. ¡°Hm¡­ so this is how you really look.¡± ¡°¡­ Something wrong?¡± Finn asked, arching an eyebrow and blinking those striking blue, almost purple eyes of his. ¡°No, not at all¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m surprised,¡± Evelyn said with a warm smile. Finn narrowed his eyes. ¡°Surprised¡­?¡± ¡°Mhm. You¡¯re more handsome than I expected, fufu~¡± She licked her lips, staring at Finn lustfully, and tapped her cheek with her finger. ¡°Y¡¯know¡­ I¡¯d like a younger man, myself¡­¡± ¡°Enough teasing,¡± Finn cut in coldly. ¡°Tell me about your past.¡± ¡°My, my¡­¡± Evelyn sighed. ¡°Very well. What would you like to hear?¡± ¡°¡­ Everything.¡± ***** In the end, Evelyn was unable to finish her story before they had finished all the food on their tes. She said she would continueter tonight¡ªand right when it was getting to the important part too. Finn regretted saying ¡®everything¡¯¡ªhe should¡¯ve just said ¡®starting with how your old husband left you¡¯. Either way, the only information he had right now about Evelyn was that she was raised separately from her brother, and some stories from her childhood. They were interesting, but nothing that really would be useful to Finn. Why, exactly, was he trying to get this information? The answer was simple: he was trying to turn Evelyn into one of his pawns. Why? Wasn¡¯t that obvious? Evelyn was an extremely powerful figure, both here and above ground, and in terms of power as well as authority. If he could get her on his side, raiding that Temple of the Specters will be a breeze, since she seemed to have connections with the House of Spectra, and could help Finn secure some equipment. That said¡­ all that was just nning for the future. For now, he had a more pressuring task at hand¡ªassassinating Lorenzo. And besides, if he couldn¡¯t earn Evelyn¡¯s heart, all this would go to waste. ¡°Now then¡­ since we have some time to waste, why don¡¯t I take you to the Warrior¡¯s Cage?¡± Evelyn asked, a wistful smile on her perfect face, standing up. If Finn could manipte Evelyn into bing his pawn¡­ things would be a lot easier for him both down here and in the surface world. Chapter 184: The Warriors Cage Chapter 184: The Warrior¡¯s Cage The Warrior¡¯s Cage. ording to Evelyn, it was a ce where underground fighters woulde together and duel in a ring. Angelica usage was allowed, and death was amon urrence. The audience would bet on the winner of a battle, and those who guessed right will obtain the other side¡¯s bet money. The actual victor of the battle, on the other hand, would be paid by the organization who administrated the Warrior¡¯s Cage. They didn¡¯t have a specified name, but they were quite rich and powerful in the underground. Finn was brought here by Evelyn as apetitor. He didn¡¯t want to at first, but after being told this would help him gain new Angelicas, he sumbed. She knew about his secret, which wasn¡¯t a surprise considering how deep her informationwork ran. This made her a possible threat to Finn as well, however. If she ever chose to betray him, he would be in deep trouble¡ªall the more reason to attempt to get her on his side. In the end, Finn¡¯s fight was scheduled to take ce in two hours, with a mysterious individual known as ¡®Nightmare¡¯. It was quite the edgy and overused alias, but apparently his strength lived up to it. From the information Evelyn had gathered, he was one of the strongest warriors in the Cage, and has only ever lost once, to the reigning champion of this ce, Sathoul. ¡°¡­ How does he fight?¡± Finn asked, sitting in the VIP chamber high above the normal audience. Evelyn, who was beside him on the couch, smiled wryly and nced down at the ring. ¡°You¡¯ll see¡­ right about now.¡± Finn focused his gaze on the cage down below, where a monk stood, eyes closed and hand in a praying gesture. On the other side, a smirking teen with messy ck hair and stitches across his face stepped up, a crazy expression on his face. ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± He let out a low chuckle, but the monk did not seem bothered at all. Instead, he spoke calmly without even opening his eyes. ¡°I am very aware of your methods, Sir Nightmare. However, your psychokic attacks will not work against this humble monk. I have trained for years to-¡° ¡°Urgh, shut up!¡± Nightmare yelled, hand shaking a bit. ¡°Start the damn battle already, judge!¡± As if on cue, a loud beep signaled the beginning of the battle, and the crowd cheered in excitement. Nightmare, hearing his cue, smiled nastily and lifted his arm, opening his palm towards his opponent. A ck gas emanated from his body, and¡­ ¡­ And that¡¯s all it took. ¡°¡­!¡± The monk¡¯s originally closed eyes suddenly snapped open, his body frozen, and then suddenly fell over from his crossed-legged seated position, slumped over on the arena ground. ck, poisoned blood spilled out of his eyes, and his life was over. Just like that. ¡°Agh¡­ dead already? How boring¡­ years of training my ass!¡± Nightmare demanded as if in fury, then stomped off the stage angrily. ***** ¡°¡­ As you can see, he is quite the entric fellow,¡± Evelyn said with a giggle. ¡°Though I suppose¡­ not as entric as you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Finn didn¡¯t say anything in response, and instead did his best to analyze how Nightmare killed that monk with such ease. He had already decided to fight here, so there was no running away now. One misstep, and he could very possibly die. Evelyn, however, had still brought him here regardless of that risk, so she must think Finn could beat Nightmare. All Finn needed to do was figure out his secret¡­ ***** ¨C 2 Hours Later ¨C Atst, it was Finn and Nightmare¡¯s turn to fight. Nightmare went up onto the ring first, a bored expression on his face. Finn soon followed from the other side, fully d in his Voidheart armor and sword on his back. He looked like a dark vignte, ready to y. In the somewhat dimly lit chamber, the purple light radiating from the various parts of his armor seemed to shine. ¡°G-Gah¡­ what is that damn light¡­?¡± Nightmare growled at Finn, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Never seen you ¡¯round here before¡­ why did they ce me against a newbie?!¡± The crowd allughed, as the victor of this battle was painfully clear. Anyone who bet on Finn would be equivalent to handing away their money on a silver tter. ***** ¡°Who are you betting on, Lady Carmen?¡± A voice asked from the VIP Chamber next door to Evelyn¡¯s. Evelyn, hearing this,ughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± ¡°Yes, you are right¡­ that was a stupid question. Between that newbie and the infamous Nightmare, the victor is clear. Dare I say this duel is not even necessary.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ you¡¯re right, it is not necessary. This ¡®newbie¡¯¡­ will surely win.¡± ¡°H-Huh? A-Ah, yes¡­ good joke! Haha¡­¡± Evelyn smiled unbeknownst to the other VIP. If only he knew she wasn¡¯t joking¡­ ***** The battle began with the familiar loud beeping noise of the arena. Nightmare, seeing Finn remainpletely still like he was dead already, gave a sigh. ¡°Man¡­ this is boring. Let¡¯s just finish this quickly¡­¡± Raising his arm, Nightmare unleashed a pulse of ck gas towards Finn, and it shrouded him immediately. Without even bothering to look whether or not the attack affected his opponent, Nightmare spun around and began heading off the stage. But to his surprise- ¡°¡­ So, that¡¯s your trick.¡± ¡°What¡­!¡± Nightmare spun around in shock at the sound of the deep, low growl behind him, but it was toote. The armored figured slowly lifted his arm, sword in hand, as if mocking Nightmare¡¯s own actions, and then¡­ SHING! The glowing purple sword of light suddenly shot out of Finn¡¯s gloved hand, and pierced Nightmare¡¯s chest. ¡°G-Guh!¡± He groaned in pain, but could do little more than that apart from copsing to the floor, dead. The sword then, like it had a sentience of its own, slowly flew back into Finn¡¯s hand, who turned around and promptly walked off the stage, ignoring the stunned and silent audience. Before he left, however, he left behind one final message for the dying Nightmare with no hope of survival. ¡°¡­ Idiot.¡± Chapter 185: The Deal with the Sword Chapter 185: The Deal with the Sword ¨C 2 Hours Earlier ¨C ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going to the bathroom,¡± Finn said quietly, then exited the room, Evelyn following him with her gaze. Of course, he wasn¡¯t actually going to use the bathroom, and Evelyn knew that. It was just something Finn said in case there was someone spying on them. With the sword on his back and fully-d in Voidheart armor, Finn entered the washroom and checked around to see if there was anyone else here. After confirming he was alone and making sure there were no security cameras anywhere in the room, Finn entered one of the stalls. Once there, he pulled the sword off of his back, and red at it through the narrow visor on his helmet. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± Indeed, he hade here because the sword had woke up from getting electrocuted, and was quite furious, to say the least. ¡°Heh¡­ kid, I can¡¯t believe ya actually did it,¡± the sword growled with a deep demonic voice that shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first ce, and Finn cocked an eyebrow, though it was impossible to see that beneath his casque. ¡°You were practically screaming at me. Other people can¡¯t hear you, but I can thanks to this Voidheart armor. I¡¯ve already lost my vision once, and I do not want to go deaf. So¡­ cut the crap. What do you want?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that!¡± The sword yelled. ¡°I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about how you managed to see through my trick!¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, you mean, taking control of me? Sorry, but there¡¯s already someone else¡­ though I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve sensed that already, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hmph. Got that right. There¡¯s a powerful spirit inside your body, but I can¡¯t tell what it is. It seems to have a very¡­ obsessive attachment to you, though, and I don¡¯t want to mess with that.¡± ¡°So are you going to shut up?¡± ¡°No!¡± The sword screamed. ¡°I have a deal for you, young man. Hear me out, will ya?¡± After some slight hesitation and careful thought, Finn epted with a nod. ¡°¡­ Speak.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ve been listening in to your conversation with that hot woman earlier, and uh¡­ ya got a fightter, don¡¯t ya?¡± Finn nodded briskly. ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°Trust me. As you are now, you won¡¯t stand a chance against that guy.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°He uses the Dreamweaver Angelica. He will infest your mind with nightmares you can never escape from, death loops that you can never live in¡­ until you finally sumb in the real world and die. On the surface, it will just seem like a few seconds, but in your mind, a lot longer than just that will pass by.¡± ¡®The Dreamweaver Angelica, huh¡­ that monk earlier did mention something about psychokic abilities¡­¡¯ Finn thought silently, then turned to the sword once more. ¡°And you¡¯re saying you can help me defeat him?¡± ¡°Mhm. You have to rely on me, kiddo. That spirit within you is asleep right now, though I don¡¯t know why. It seems she won¡¯t be up until a few months at the very least. If you want to live from this fight, believe in me.¡± ¡°And what, exactly, will you do to help me defeat Nightmare?¡± Finn asked, still skeptical. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­ you¡¯ll find out when we actually do it, right? For now, just form a pact with me¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Hmph.¡± Finn snorted, then stretched his arm out and dangled the sword above the toilet basin. It wasn¡¯t even flushed. ¡°¡­ Trying to trick me again, are you?¡± ¡°E-Eek!¡± The sword demon let out a high-pitched yelp that was unlike his normalposure, then squirmed and fought to get out of Finn¡¯s grasp. ¡°W-Wait, please, I was wrong! I¡¯ll tell ya, okay? I¡¯ll tell ya, so don¡¯t drop me in that¡ª!¡± ¡°Talk first,¡± Finn said. ¡°I¡¯ll make my decision after I hear what you have to say.¡± ¡°A-All right, all right, fine!¡± The sword yelled in a panic. ¡°Basically, uh¡­ you¡¯ll need to fall asleep during the fight, right after it begins, and let me take care of the rest.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh? Falling asleep on the spot is not easy, you know.¡± ¡°Heh. Of course it ain¡¯t. But ya got that hot woman to help you, don¡¯t ya? This is the underground, from what I¡¯ve observed. Fighting fair will get ya killed.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. But how do I know you won¡¯t betray me and slice me down instead while I¡¯m unconscious?¡± ¡°That¡¯s simple, kiddo,¡± the sword said with a smirk¡ªor rather, it would¡¯ve smirked if it had a mouth. ¡°We form a pact.¡± Finn tilted his head slightly, still dangling the sword above the dirty toilet bowl. ¡°A pact?¡± ¡°Yup. All ya gotta do is sacrifice one of your senses to me, and we¡¯ll be contracted. If ya die, I die too. How does that sound?¡± ¡°That sounds¡­ like a pile of utter bullshit, like what you¡¯re about to get dropped into.¡± Finn lowered his arm a bit more, bringing the sword¡¯s tip dangerously close to the ¡®bullshit¡¯ within the toilet. ¡°E-EEEK! Wait! I ain¡¯t lyin¡¯, kid! By sacrificin¡¯ one of your senses to me, you¡¯re essentially turning me into that sense of yours! And since I¡¯m your sense, if you die, I die too!¡± Judging from the sword¡¯s personality thus far, it gave in to threats very easily. If he was still iming he was speaking the truth even in this position, then¡­ ¡°¡­ Fine. I ept.¡± Finn moved the sword away from the toilet, and the demon let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Oh, man¡­ I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gonna have ta get contracted with a kid, but it is what it is. Which sense do you want to sacrifice?¡± After a long period of silence and thought, Finn answered. ¡°¡­ My sight.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± The sword¡¯s eye blinked several times. ¡°But¡­ didn¡¯t ya just get that back?¡± ¡°Yes. And I¡¯ve found it is utterly useless to me,¡± Finn replied. ¡°I have be so ustomed to being blind that regaining my vision now means little. I discovered that while walking around with my vision today. And besides¡­ if I ever need eyes, I have a certain girl to rely on.¡± The sword pondered Finn¡¯s answer for a moment, then gave a little chuckle. It wasn¡¯t evil, just a light-hearted, friendly chuckle. ¡°¡­ Heh. Ya got guts. I like that. Maybe bin¡¯ contracted with ya ain¡¯t so bad after all, kiddo.¡± Chapter 186: Evelyns Weakness Chapter 186: Evelyn¡¯s Weakness ¡°Whew¡­ you really made a lot of money for me today, Finn,¡± Evelyn said with a wry smile as the two walked on the streets together. ¡°Everyone in the crowd had ced their bets on Nightmare, but you defeated him with such ease, fufu¡­¡± The two walked under the tranquil moonlight, their footsteps echoing against the pavement. It was now nighttime, and they had just finished eating dinner at a nearby restaurant. Now, they were on their way back home. Finn, being Finn, was silent most of the way, and only spoke when directly asked a question. Eventually, Evelyn gave up on trying to make conversation, and instead eased into the silence, appreciating the calm and quiet of night. It didn¡¯t take them long to reach the hotel, and Evelyn took him directly up with her into her private chamber. There, she sat down in her throne, and told Finn to grab a seat as well across from her. Finn, being blind once more, had to fumble around a bit before finding the chair, but found it in the end without any hitches. ¡°¡­ I have to say, I¡¯m surprised.¡± Finn frowned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°To think you would sacrifice your vision to that sword,¡± Evelyn exined. ¡°That requires a strong will and a confident heart.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so?¡± Finn murmured. ¡°I simply thought it was a worthy trade-off. The sword¡¯s power will increase my overall strength by a lot.¡± ¡°Got that right, kiddo!¡± The sword chimed in¡ªnot that Evelyn knew. Finn ignored it. ¡°Well, even so¡­ you truly are impressive, Finn. Unique, too, given how you possess powers of a Ghost yet are not a Sentient.¡± ¡°You are quite unique yourself,¡± Finn said. ¡°The upstanding leader of a powerful Phantom yer Squadron by day, and a charming seductress of the underground by night¡­ it will be difficult to mimic you.¡± ¡°Fufu, really? I feel you¡¯ve done a great job so far, though. You¡¯re starting to understand my personality.¡± ¡°Maybe so. But¡­¡± Finn took a deep breath. ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t capture the emptiness inside you.¡± At this, Evelyn seemed to stop all actions, even breathing. Her finger, originally coiled around a strand of her beautiful velvet hair, now stopped twirling around, and her eyes didn¡¯t bat a single time. ¡°¡­ Emptiness, you say?¡± Finn nodded, then slowly removed his helmet. ¡°Your alluring facade¡­ your seductive, flirtatious personality¡­ I¡¯ve seen through it all. Deep down, you¡¯re nothing but a lonely girl, seeking to love again.¡± ¡°My, my¡­ and so what if I am?¡± Evelyn said with a softugh¡ªbut her heart wasn¡¯t in it. It was¡­ frail, almost sad. Finn knew he had hit the bullseye with this. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Finn pondered for a moment, then replied. ¡°¡­ Nothing. Absolutely nothing.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh? So you¡¯re just going to leave a poor maiden like myself be, despite knowing my inner scars?¡± ¡°For the record, you have a daughter, and therefore are not a maiden. And second¡­ your inner scars are up to yourself to heal. No one else can help you. Unless you get over your past on your own¡­ you¡¯ll never be able to truly love again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Evelyn fell silent, then gave a softugh. ¡°¡­ You know, for a mere university student¡­ you are quite wise. But I thought your major was in the sciences, not psychology¡­?¡± ¡°I am merely observant,¡± Finn replied in his usual dispassionate voice. ¡°Nothing more.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ observant, huh?¡± Evelyn smiled. ¡°Well then¡­ since you are such a good observer¡­ would you mind being my listener as well?¡± Finn raised an eyebrow. ¡°Listener? What for?¡± Evelynughed sadly. ¡°Hah¡­ you know exactly what I¡¯m talking about, but you¡¯re still going to force me to say it? How cruel¡­ fine. I need someone to lend an ear about my past, to get it off my chest. Would you care to be my guest?¡± ¡°¡­ Very well.¡± ***** ¡°¡­ And that¡¯s how I got to where I am today,¡± Evelyn finished with a deep sigh, closing her eyes and stretching her arms a bit. ¡°I see,¡± Finn replied, having been quiet for most of the story. He didn¡¯t know how long had passed since the tale began, and he didn¡¯t really care either. The most important part was that Evelyn had now opened herself to him, rendering her vulnerable to maniption. ¡°I feel a lot better now, thanks to you,¡± Evelyn said, smiling wryly. ¡°Do you think this means I¡¯ve finallye to terms with my past, perhaps? All I needed was someone to listen silently?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a question you should be asking yourself,¡± Finn said, rising from his chair. ¡°If you can answer that question, then you¡¯ve seeded.¡± ¡°¡­ Heh. Seeded, huh?¡± Without looking back, Finn exited her chambers and prepared to head to his own room. By the time he was there, Iris was already asleep¡ªhe could tell from the soft breathinging from the beds. Quietly, he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. As soon as he did so, the sword, which he rested against the wall, perked up and gave a low-pitched snicker. ¡°So? How¡¯d you like my little n?¡± ¡°It worked,¡± Finn replied. ¡°That¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Right, so¡­ when are you going to let me kill some humans again? That was the deal, remember?¡± ¡°Rx,¡± Finn whispered as he finished undressing. ¡°You¡¯ll get your load of fun soon enough. Just hang in there for two days or so.¡± ¡°Oho¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± Indeed, exposing Evelyn¡¯s weak inner self had been the sword¡¯s idea. One way or another, it had essed her heart and saw how fragile she truly was, and gave Finn the idea to exploit that. Now, Evelyn may as well have stripped herself naked in front of him, figuratively speaking. She relied on Finn like no one else, and would perform any favor for him so long as he asked. Subconsciously, Evelyn had allowed herself to enter Finn¡¯s grasp and be manipted by him¡ªor rather, the sword. Still, the connection right now was weak. A little more time will firmly establish that connection, and Finn will have fulfilled his goal. Chapter 187: Prom Night Chapter 187: Prom Night ¨C The Next Morning ¨C ¡°Mm¡­ Finn¡­ Finn¡­¡± Iris murmured in her sleep as she tossed and turned in her bed, eventually wrapping her arms around Finn and holding him closely. She didn¡¯t even realize what she was doing, but when her arms closed around him, her murmuring stopped, as if falling into rxation. Finn, who was already awake by now, didn¡¯t move in bed and let Iris cling onto him, breathing softly like a cat. For whatever reason, she loved to do this subconsciously whenever they slept in the same bed, and Finn felt a strange urge not to push her away. It wasplicated, but when they were touching, Finn could feel a warm connection between their bodies, somehow. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that they were both part-Ghost, but¡­ ¡°Ah¡­!¡± When Iris finally woke up, she saw that she had been hugging Finn¡¯s body so tightly, and hurriedly pushed herself away. ¡°U-Um, this is¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Nothing to be sorry for,¡± Finn said calmly, slowly rising from the bed. ¡°I¡¯m heading out. Stay safe.¡± ¡°E-Eh? Ah, okay¡­¡± Iris blinked at him as he headed into the bathroom to prepare, and thought to herself. ¡®What does he mean, nothing to be sorry for¡­? Did he¡­ like it, perhaps¡­? N-No, that can¡¯t be¡­ ugh¡­!¡¯ Shaking her head and pping herself lightly on the cheeks, Iris refreshed herself and stood up from the bed, getting ready for another day of practice training with her new legs. ¡°Oh, yeah,e to think of it¡­ Finn¡¯s eyes are closed again¡­ was yesterday just a dream¡­?¡± ***** For the next two days, Finn spent more time with Evelyn and learned more about her, while Iris continued training with her armor¡¯s legs. It wasn¡¯t easy, so this much time to practice was necessary. By the time it was finally time for the prom, Iris was able to walk around like a perfectly normal person¡ªthough the power stored in the legs wasn¡¯t unlimited¡ªand Finn was ready to Shapeshift into Evelyn. All that was left was to actually execute the n. That time was now. The sun had set, and the dance party hosted at the hotel was about to begin. Evelyn, Finn, and Iris were now grouped together in Evelyn¡¯s private quarters, making some final preparations right before the party began. ¡°Okay¡­ go ahead,¡± Evelyn said with a smile, and Finn gave a brisk nod, then activated his Angelica. A white shroud of light surrounded his body, and slowly, his figure became nothing more than a silhouette of bright light. Then, it shifted. Morphed. Finn¡¯s body became changing into Evelyn¡¯s, growing female features and ridding male ones. His figure became slightly taller to match Evelyn¡¯s height, and within a few seconds, the transformation wasplete. ¡°Mm¡­ just as expected, you look quite the part,¡± Evelynplimented with a warm smile. ¡°It¡¯s as if I¡¯m looking at my own reflection¡­ minus that glum expression, of course.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Iris murmured in surprise. ¡°You really look just like her¡­¡± ¡°Smile, Finn,¡± Evelyn said, and Finn did his best to smile, but his mouth muscles felt very unfamiliar. It has been a long time since he hadst smiled, after all. Too long to count. ¡°Hm¡­ a bit forced, but it will do,¡± Evelyn said thoughtfully as she observed Finn¡¯s facial expression. ¡°Now then¡­ as for her¡­¡± She turned to Iris, then shut one eye wistfully. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have you y the part of his maid?¡± ¡°E-Eh? M-Maid¡­?¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Mhm. I have an outfit prepared, just for you¡­¡± ***** ¨C At the Prom ¨C ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s beautiful¡­¡± ¡°No wonder she¡¯s called Carmen¡­¡± As Finn (Evelyn) entered the crowd, the audience gasped. All eyes turned to him, unable to look away, and he stepped up to the microphone confidently, smiling lightly just as he had been told. ¡°Wee, everyone, to my humble party to celebrate the 10-year-anniversary of this hotel. I hope all of you enjoy yourselves thoroughly here tonight, and indulge in whatever you wish. Cheers.¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± The crowd roared in response, holding up their sses of wine and pping their hands. Finn, having finished with his speech, stepped down from the tform and joined the crowd himself, searching for someone without making it look like he was searching for them¡ªhis target. And as it turns out, he didn¡¯t need to look for long, as apparently his target was looking for him too. ¡°Well, well¡­ don¡¯t you look fine tonight, my Carmen,¡± a round and chubby man wearing a diamond pig mask said, walking over with a ss of fine red wine in his hand. ¡°That red dress suits you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Finn asked on instinct, raising his eyebrow, but quickly corrected himself andughed softly like Evelyn usually does. ¡°Why, thank you, Lorenzo. You look quite sharp tonight yourself.¡± ¡°Oho? What¡¯s this?¡± Lorenzo gave a spirity chuckle. ¡°You, praising me? Why if this isn¡¯t rare.¡± ¡°I am merely speaking the truth,¡± Finn replied, then suddenly leaned in by Lorenzo¡¯s ear just as he had been instructed to, and whispered seductively. With Evelyn¡¯s voice, that was easy. ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯vest had a man, and I¡¯m just craving for some¡­ if you catch my meaning?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± This caught Lorenzo off-guard just as it was intended to, and the man was silent for a good while after Finn backed away with an alluring smile. ¡°Carmen, you¡­¡± He narrowed his eyes, and for a second, Finn thought he may have gone overboard. ¡®Shit¡­ did I overdo it?¡¯ But in the next instant, Lorenzo suddenly stepped forward and leaned in close to his face as if trying to kiss him, but Finn quickly stepped back as well to avoid it. ¡°¡­? I thought you wanted it,¡± Lorenzo said, tilting his head slightly in confusion at Finn¡¯s contradictory movements. Quickly rposing himself, Finn smiled and gave a wink. ¡°I do¡­ but not out here, you bozo. Let¡¯s take this to the room, shall we? Follow me¡­¡± Saying this, Finn turned around and began brushing past the crowd. Lorenzo, with a lustful sneer on his face,ughed in excitement at what was toe, and followed. Little did he know, that would be thestugh he would ever have. Chapter 188: Assassination Complete Chapter 188: Assassination Complete ¡°In here~¡± Finn said, still posing as Evelyn. He took careful care to make his voice as alluring and soft as possible, just like Evelyn¡¯s. After spending three whole days learning her habits and observing her carefully, he knew exactly how to act to be convincing. The evidence of that was the lustful look hidden beneath that pig-mask of Lorenzo, who was practically dripping saliva from his mouth. After so long, he would finally get to have his way with the woman he wanted! Finn led the man into the private room Evelyn had cleared out beforehand, then promptly shut the door. Inside, there was yet another girl¡ªIris, in a maid outfit and blushing furiously. ¡°Oho¡­? And this is¡­?¡± Lorenzo rubbed his chin as he lustfully gazed over Iris, and Finn did his best to giggle. ¡°Fufu¡­ she is my maid, Daisy. I thought you would like it if she joined us for tonight as well¡­¡± ¡°Oh! Yes! That would be the best¡­!¡± Lorenzo pped his hands together excitedly, clearly very satisfied with this decision. Iris forced a smile and bowed. ¡°I-I¡¯ll be servicing you tonight, master~¡± ¡°Heheheh¡­ then let¡¯s not waste any more time.¡± Lorenzo suddenly stepped forward to Finn and grabbed him by the shoulders, then removed his own mask and tossed it to one side. It took everything Finn had not to cower away in disgust at the man¡¯s foul breath and pig-like face, but he yed along and sat down on the bed, pulling Lorenzo with him. Being the lustful man he was, Lorenzo wasted no time in going for his chest, attempting to tear away the clothes with a nasty grin on his face. But that would be thest thing he ever did. Click. In the next instant, a bullet shot out of Iris¡¯s silenced revolver, and pierced through Lorenzo¡¯s forehead. His body froze for a second, then copsed, killed instantly. ¡°¡­ Tch.¡± Finn gave a disgusted snort and pushed the body away from him, then stood up from the bed and undid his Shapeshift. Then, to make the sword happy, he cut off Lorenzo¡¯s head cleanly and allowed the sword to drink up the man¡¯s remaining lifeforce. That was how the sword demon worked¡ªit had to first sever a head, and then and only then could it absorb the person¡¯s power. That power, called lifeforce, was like food to the sword. Although it wasn¡¯t necessary, the sword loved it when it could eat. ¡°Fufu, you¡¯ve done well,¡± the real Evelyn said, walking into the room. ¡°And the body has even already beenpletely erased, leaving no evidence behind. How nice¡­ this saves me a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°¡­ With this, our deal isplete,¡± Finn said, strapping the sword back onto his back. ¡°I hope you fulfill your end of the agreement.¡± ¡°Worry not, I will,¡± Evelyn said, waving her hand as if they need not be concerned. ¡°Feel free to head down and enjoy the party now, or just return to your room to get some rest. I will take care of things from here.¡± ¡°But¡­ won¡¯t that man¡¯sckeys realize if he¡¯s gone¡­?¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ what he doesn¡¯t realize, is all his subordinates hate him to the gut,¡± Evelyn said with a soft giggle. ¡°They¡¯ll take any lie I fabricate and ept it. Even if I told them their boss got too drunk and fell out the window from twenty floors up, they won¡¯t question at all.¡± ¡°I see¡­ but if they hate him so much, why haven¡¯t they revolted?¡± ¡°That¡¯s simple,¡± Iris said with a smirk. ¡°He has hired bodyguards. Mercenaries. I saw them down in the party earlier. When you lured him away, he told them to just stay behind with a small hand gesture.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ you noticed such a fine detail?¡± Evelyn asked in surprise, blinking at Iris, whoughed awkwardly in response. ¡°Ehehe¡­ well, I do have the Oculus Angelica¡­ my eyes are all I¡¯m good for.¡± ¡°Fufu¡­ I see. Well, enjoy the rest of your night. Good work¡ªyou have my thanks.¡± Without another word, Finn left the room, and Iris trailed after him with her newfound legs. Evelyn had told them they could enjoy the party now, but neither Finn nor Iris felt like it. Instead, they both headed for their room on instinct without one needing to tell the other, like they weremunicating inside their minds. ¡°You¡¯re getting better with the leg armor,¡± Finn remarked while they were in the elevator and heading up. ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah¡­ I did spend three whole days practicing with it, after all,¡± Iris said with a smug grin. ¡°I can even do jumps! See- woah!¡± She tried to jump, but because they were in a rising elevator, the floor caught up with her feet in the air, and that sudden impact threw her off-bnce. She may be used to walking with the legs now, but they were far from feeling like her own two legs, and thus she stumbled and nearly fell. Thankfully, Finn was there to catch her. He heard the noise and swept under her like a prince, catching her by the back and slowly easing her back up to her feet. ¡°¡­ Be careful.¡± ¡°A-Ah, right¡­¡± Iris murmured, blushing faintly. ¡®I know I probably shouldn¡¯t be thinking this, but¡­ if I try doing that again sometime and purposely fall, will he catch me¡­?¡¯, she thought. Soon, they arrived back in their room, and they took turns taking showers, with Finn going first. Iris finished soon after, and climbed onto the only bed in the room, the same one Finn was already lying in. She nestled against his warm arms, enjoying the feeling, and Finn didn¡¯t push her away. ¡°¡­ Tomorrow, we head back to the surface world,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll be going back into the Temple, if it hasn¡¯t already been conquered.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Iris replied. ¡°With these new legs, I should be able to fight more capably than before.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Finn said quietly, the first words of true encouragement that left his mouth since a long time. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡± Iris smiled. Chapter 189: Return to the Surface Chapter 189: Return to the Surface ¨C The Next Morning ¨C ¡°Leaving?¡± Evelyn asked as Finn and Iris entered her private chambers. Finn gave a nod. ¡°We came to bid farewell. We¡¯re returning to the surface and heading back into the Temple¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say, but we are still waiting for the equipment you promised.¡± But Evelyn only smiled and stood up from her chair, then pressed a book on her bookshelf wall. Immediately, a rumbling noise ensued, and the bookshelf suddenly parted in half, revealing a hidden passageway behind it leading into a room with a teleporter inside. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s like out of a movie,¡± Iris murmured, eyes sparkling in wonder. ¡°¡­ What is this?¡± Finn asked, not needing to see to be able to tell what happened. ¡°A teleporter,¡± Evelyn replied with a smile. ¡°You need the equipment, do you not? This teleporter leads directly to Evelyn¡¯s Heart. Once we arrive there, I¡¯ll call the House of Spectra and get you your equipment.¡± ¡°I see¡­ that would be efficient,¡± Finn murmured. ¡°But can you switch personality that quickly?¡± ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry,¡± Evelyn said with a softugh. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this for years now. Just remember¡ªthe moment I step beyond that portal, I¡¯m Carmen no more. Don¡¯t be too shocked if I pull aplete reversal on you~¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as you still uphold your deal,¡± Finn replied, and Evelyn gave a chuckle. ¡°Rx, rx¡­ you¡¯re so uptight all the time,¡± she said with a sigh, then turned to Iris. ¡°You should tell him to rx more, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°Um, that¡¯s¡­¡± Iris scratched her cheek awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t really convince him, you see¡­¡± Evelynughed and left it at that, then stepped onto the teleporter. ¡°Come. I still have business here in the afternoon¡ªdealing with the guards of that man you killedst night¡ªso let¡¯s make this quick, shall we?¡± ***** The moment the three stepped through the portal, they were shrouded in a white light that blinded all of them. Ironically, only Finn was unaffected. The teleportation process took only a few seconds, and when the light faded away, they were in a new room¡ªa velvet chamber with lush decorations and a single door in it. Evelyn wordlessly stepped out of the teleporter and opened the door, then began heading down the corridor. Iris¡¯s eyes widened a bit at the fact that Evelyn¡¯s clothes suddenly changed. She didn¡¯t know how, but she looked the same way she had when the two had first met her¡ªa velvet robe that dignified her as the leader of Evelyn¡¯s Heart, not the Carmen of the underground. The corridor they were in led into none other than her private office, and she did not hesitate before reaching for the phone on her desk and dialing a number. After several seconds, the other end picked up. ¡°Hello. This is the Prince of the House of Spectra. What do you need, Matriarch Evelyn?¡± ¡°Equipment,¡± Evelyn replied, brisk and cold. ¡°Specter-hunting equipment.¡± ¡°What¡­? You are nning on having your Phantom yers enter the Temple again¡­?¡± ¡°It is still not conquered, is it not? The Emperor in there could strike at any moment. District D has already fallen. Your House of Spectra soldiers are not doing anything, so just give me the equipment and I¡¯ll send my Hunters in.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ my soldiers have tried to raid the ce many times, but always came up empty¡­ they never even encountered the Emperor¡­¡± ¡°Ipetence. The two I will be sending in are strong¡ªstronger than anything you can imagine. They will get the job done. All they need is the right anti-Specter equipment.¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­ only two?¡± The Prince was clearly shocked. ¡°Yes. Surely you can manage two spare kits, correct?¡± ¡°Of course, but¡­ isn¡¯t sending only two suicide¡­? Do they even have a Healer? If they do, that would mean only one of them is capable of firepower¡­¡± Evelyn shot a sideways nce at Finn and Iris, both of which could heal far faster than the average person could thanks to their Ghost blood, then closed her eyes and spoke into the phone. ¡°¡­ They don¡¯t need one.¡± ***** ¨C About an Hour Later ¨C ¡°Matriarch, you received a package from the Prince of the House of Spectra,¡± a busty woman with sses who looked to be in her twenties said, knocking on the door of Evelyn¡¯s office. ¡°Set it at the entrance,¡± Evelyn replied. ¡°Yes, Matriarch.¡± A secondter, the soft thunk of something being ced on the carpet floor could be heard from outside the door, and Evelyn looked to Finn and Iris, who sat across from her. ¡°Go on, take the equipment. After that, you¡¯re free to go.¡± Finn and Iris stood up and headed for the door, opened it, then picked up the two boxes on the ground. Each one contained a full set of anti-Specter equipment, and Finn and Iris each carried one. While Iris went on ahead for the elevator, however, Finn hesitated by the door of Evelyn¡¯s office, and spoke quietly. ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t have to act so tough just because you¡¯re up here. Your daughter¡­ you can be kinder to her, at the very least.¡± ¡°Hm? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about~¡± Evelyn said with a soft giggle, and Finn snorted. ¡°Your true self is showing, Evelyn.¡± ¡°My¡­ you¡¯re right.¡± She cleared her throat, then sighed. ¡°¡­ I wonder why it¡¯s so easy for me to open up to you, Finn.¡± After some pondering and a period of short silence, Iris called down to Finn from down the hall. ¡°Hello~? The elevator¡¯s here!¡± Finn turned his head in her direction, then spoke. ¡°¡­ Perhaps, it is because we¡¯ve both once had everything taken from us.¡± Evelyn, hearing this, smiled a bit and let her true self show, then shed a wink even though she knew Finn couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, Finn.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, we will.¡± Of course they will. Now that Finn had gained a powerful pawn like Evelyn, there was no chance he was letting her go so easily. With that in mind, he headed for the elevator, where Iris was struggling to keep the doors open. Chapter 190: Spectral Hunters Chapter 190: Spectral Hunters Upon leaving Evelyn¡¯s Heart, the first thing Finn and Iris did was head to their hotel here on the surface¡ªthe same one they had stayed at a few days ago, before going into the underground. Of course, not being there for three days meant their room was gone, but they simply booked a new one and that was that. Unfortunately, once again, there only vacant rooms were ones with one bed, but Iris didn¡¯t seem to mind, so Finn didn¡¯t particrly care either. After acquiring the room, Finn and Iris wasted no time opening the two boxes they had obtained from Evelyn. There was one male armor set and one female, tailored exactly to fit their sizes. ¡°Wow¡­ how did she even figure out our measurements so urately¡­?¡± Iris wondered aloud, slipping the white jumpsuit onto her body and trying to move her limbs. ¡°These feel weightless¡­ as if I¡¯m not wearing them at all. We can wear our normal armor over this too!¡± ¡°¡­ Hm.¡± Finn didn¡¯t speak and instead did the same, having took off his usual armor, then slipped on the jumpsuit. It seemed to sink into his skin but not in a weird way, instead wrapping him in a weightless, airy warm feeling that could hardly beined about. ¡°I think¡­ there is just one standard size,¡± he said after a while. ¡°The suit stretches or shrinks to match the wearer.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ is that so? That makes more sense, now that I think about it¡­¡± Iris murmured, then put on her usual armor again. ¡°But still, this really feelsfortable. I feel ayer of warmth around my body, but no actual weight¡­ it¡¯s amazing. Though¡­ will this be able to protect us?¡± ¡°Specters specialize in psychokic attacks,¡± Finn replied calmly. ¡°They are physically weak by nature and choose to invade our minds rather than our bodies. Actual materialistic armor would do little to protect us against that.¡± ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­ but those guys from the House of Spectra we met in the Temple were wearing knight-like armor too, huh?¡± ¡°That is just their exterior armor, worn for either chivalry purposes,¡± Finn said, rummaging through the box and pulling out even more equipment. ¡°You told me the House of Spectra functions like a medieval army of knights, correct?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can¡¯t believe I forgot¡­¡± Iris sighed. ¡°You¡¯re starting to be more experienced than I am, Finn.¡± ¡°¡­ No matter how experienced I be, I will still be blind. And you will always be better than me with a firearm.¡± ¡°Heh~ that¡¯s true,¡± Iris chuckled with a wink. ¡°But that aside¡­ what is that in your hand? There¡¯s one in my box too, but¡­ how do we use this thing?¡± Finn couldn¡¯t see for obvious reasons, but judging from the feel of the item held in his hands, he could feel it definitely was not a weapon¡ªat least, that¡¯s what he assumed. Instead, it seemed to be like a scanning device of some sort, but what it was supposed to scan was a mystery. ¡°Huh¡­ do you think we¡¯re supposed to scan Specters with these?¡± Iris asked with an arched eyebrow. ¡°¡­ Perhaps,¡± Finn answered. Then, in a quieter tone, he continued. ¡°¡­ Perhaps, we should have asked for instructions before leaving.¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­ can¡¯t go back now, can we?¡± Iris replied with a sad smile. ¡°Evelyn is probably already back in the underground city.¡± ¡°Then there is only one solution to our problem,¡± Finn said, then sealed the box after retrieving all the other tools inside. ¡°We test them out.¡± ***** Night soon came, and Finn and Iris headed for the top of that building where the rift to the Paracausal Realmy. With all the workers of thepany having gone home, the building was vacant and they were free to do as they liked. Naturally, Finn conjured up a storm using her Stormbringer Angelica just to be safe, and in the matter of a few minutes, the entire city of District B was engulfed in rain and fog. In the blink of an eye, Finn and Iris were the only ones outside beneath the hollow night sky, standing amidst the storm without fear. Silently, Finn took out a vial of ck liquid, filled with blood of his own that he had umted earlier, and tipped it slightly after opening the cap. Very tenderly, a single drop spilled out and hit the ground of the roof of the structure. Immediately, the spot where the drop of blood hadnded seemed to emit a ck me that grew and grew until it turned into a vertical oval shaperge enough to let a person walk through, and before the two knew it, a spiraling vortex portal had formed in front of them. For some reason,pared to all the ones they¡¯ve seen before, this one seemed to bepelling them more. It was almost as if¡­ the portal was calling to them. The Paracausal Realm¡­ was inviting them in. Beckoning them to enter, toe closer. Whether that was the effects of their own eager mind or the Specters ying tricks and trying to lure them in, they did not know¡ªand neither did they care. Even if the Specters were trying to lure them in, they would simply kill them. With this new equipment they had, it was that simple. ¡°You ready?¡± Finn asked quietly, almost inaudible against the thundering rain. Iris smiled. ¡°Always.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Boldly, the two strode forward into the portal side by side. ***** ¨C Inside the Paracausal Realm ¨C ¡°¡­ What is this¡­?¡± Iris muttered under her breath, taking in the view all around them as the portal closed behind the two. Finn, beside her, didn¡¯t need to be able to see to sense the drastic change that had happened since thest time they were here. There was heat. Terrible, scorching hotness, but not dry. It was not like a desert. It was¡­ humid. Wet and hot, like a tropical rainforest. But the two knew better. This was no mere tropical rainforest. This was a trick the Specters were ying on their minds, just like the normal forest that had been here thest time around. The two didn¡¯t know why the setting changed, or how. The path they once took was now gone, and the environment was filled with new, unknown dangers. Finn and Iris didn¡¯t know what to make of this, but one thing was for certain: ¡°¡­ Looks like things will be even more difficult than expected.¡± Chapter 191: Iriss Awakening Chapter 191: Iris¡¯s Awakening ¡°¡­ The air feels so hot and sticky,¡± Iris muttered with an ufortable expression on her face, riding on Finn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I hate it.¡± Since her mana wasn¡¯t unlimited, they decided to conserve as much as they could by having Iris ride on Finn like usual unless it was absolutely essential for her to walk on her own. Iris didn¡¯t say it out loud, but she much preferred being on Finn¡¯s shoulders like this rather than walking on her own. She was afraid Finn would think she was weird or babylike if she admitted this to him, though, so she kept it to herself. ¡°¡­ See any Specters?¡± Finn asked, keeping his footsteps light and almost inaudible. ¡°Hm¡­ no. The sun is bright so it might camouge them in this bright rainforest, but¡­ so far, I¡¯m not spotting anything,¡± Iris replied. ¡°These tall trees don¡¯t give me a great feeling, though¡­ we should keep an eye in the air.¡± ¡°You mean you should keep an eye in the air,¡± Finn muttered in reply, then tilted his head upwards. ¡°But rather than that¡­¡± Suddenly, he activated his wings, and flew upwards. Iris used her wings to help, and together, the two lifted from the ground, rising up along the tall skinny trees of the rainforest. But as they did so- ¡°Careful¡ª!¡± Iris suddenly pulled out her gun and unleashed a bullet without any hesitation into a white amorphous being that looked like a glowing blob of goo. ¡°¡­!¡± Finn hurriedly activated Devil¡¯s Timing, just in time to dodge the white blob that had been split into two and were now falling down towards the ground. But there wasn¡¯t just one of them. Specters worked in groups, like a pack of wolves. And as Iris looked up, she could see countless more of them falling towards them, each trying to catch onto their clothes and eat away at their minds. ¡°Oi, kid! Better do something! If ya let a single one of those gross bastards touch me, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The sword growled in a panic, and Finn furrowed his brows a bit.¡± ¡°¡­ Tch.¡± He crossed his arms in front of him in an X-shape, palms facing towards him, and used his Lightning Breathing technique to instantly ready himself for casting. And then¡­ ¡®Shock Field.¡¯ Immediately, a sphere of electricity formed around him and Iris, formed of raw lightning that pulsated and slowly rotated around them as they flew up. This was one of the Abilities taught to him by Lei Feng, and it was one of the few defensive powers of the Stormbringer Angelica. The iing Specters clearly had not been expecting this, and as soon as they made contact with the lightning field around Finn and Iris, they were zapped into nothingness, reduced to mere atoms that were far too frail and small to do any damage. However, every time this happened, Finn was also getting drained of his mana. He was also using his wings, so that consumed energy as well, and by the looks of it, there had to be at least a couple hundred more Specters raining down from the tall, tall trees. ¡°Finn¡­ hang in there!¡± Iris encouraged, as there was little else she could do apart from that. Her guns and Oculus Angelica would be next to useless inside this shock cage, since just like the Specters, her bullets would be instantly vaporized upon contact with the electricity. But what were mere words of encouragements going to do? Supply Finn with mana? ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Finn gritted his teeth as the two continued flying up. There was no turning back now¡ªthe entire rainforest was teeming with these things, and even if they tried to avoid the ones falling on them from this tree, they would only be met with more from a different tree. At this rate, he wouldn¡¯tst much longer, and the top of the trees was still a good 20 meters away. ¡®What do I do¡­¡¯ Iris thought, racking her brain for answers. She felt powerless. She felt useless. It was always Finn protecting her, not the other way around. The only thing she could help him with was seeing things. And even then¡­ she had failed to notice these Specters earlier, had she not? Seeing Finn trying his best like this¡­ it only made it painfully clear howcking Iris was. Was she even fit to be his partner? No¡­ he deserved better. He deserved better, and yet¡­ Iris didn¡¯t want to let him go. Not after all the moments they¡¯ve shared, and all the time they¡¯ve spent fighting side by side. But to do that, she needed power. She needed the strength to support him properly, the ability to let him be able to rely on her for a change. That was her desire¡ªthe wish from the bottommost parts of her heart: power. ¡®So, you¡¯ve finally chosen to awake to your other self?¡¯ Time seemed to stop as Iris heard this voice inside her head, and her eyes widened slightly as she was suddenly alone in a pure white world of nothingness. The voice sounded like her own, yet it carried a touch of evil and darkness that she thought she had long abandoned. Standing in front of her was the owner of that voice, and as expected, it was the spitting reflection of herself, only instead of white, the reflection was wearing ck. ¡®What¡­? Who are you¡­?¡¯ ¡®I am you, and you are me. We are two sides of the same person, two souls of the same body. I haveid dormant for many years, waiting for you to finally awaken me. And now, that time has finallye. The lust for power¡­ the desire for strength¡­ all shall be fulfilled. Iris Sylvoir¡ªdo you ept our deal?¡¯ ¡®I¡­¡¯ This was herself she was talking to. She was not lying. Power would be hers, so long as she epted this deal. As long as she said a simple ¡®yes¡¯, she would finally have the power to support Finn and satisfy her one most heartfelt wish. ¡®I¡­ ept.¡¯ The other her smiled and extended her hand out, then whispered in a soft, alluring voice. ¡®Then let us sign our contract.¡¯ Chapter 192: Broken Shackles Chapter 192: Broken Shackles ¡°Then let us sign our contract.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Iris¡¯s eyes snapped open as she returned to reality, and she felt an insurmountable amount of power awakening inside her. It was nothing like what she had ever experienced before, but it felt good. Warmth flooded through her veins, and her mana was instantly restored to full and was still growing in capacity. ¡°¡­ Heh.¡± Iris smirked as the power entered her body, then preemptively cut the air with her hand. A crescent-shaped concentration of energy shot out of her fingertips and soared towards the iing Specters, piercing straight through Finn¡¯s shock field andpletely unaffected by the lightning. Upon hitting the first Specter, the projectile split into multiple smaller ones, then those divided as well. In an instant, the hundreds of Specters about to fall on Finn and Iris were eliminated, reduced to nothing but ashes. Finn used the Tower Card of the Cardmaster Angelica to summon a tform for them to stand on high up above all the trees, and the twonded on it safely. ¡°¡­ What happened there?¡± Finn asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°All the resistance my shock field was facing¡­ it disappeared in an instant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not entirely sure, actually,¡± Iris said, ncing down at her own hand that had fired the crescent-shaped energy st. ¡°Back there, I remember feeling a sudden surge of power through my body, and I just instinctively threw out that attack¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Finn muttered under his breath, falling into thought. Was Iris more powerful than he imagined? ¡°Well¡­ in any case, it would seem we¡¯ve broken out of the Specter¡¯s mind game,¡± Iris said, looking down from the tower. ¡°The rainforest below us ispletely gone¡­ and from what I can see¡­¡± Suddenly, she trailed off, voice growing weak, and Finn realized something was wrong. ¡°Ivy?¡± ¡°Hngh¡­¡± Iris¡¯s knees suddenly buckled and she copsed onto Finn, who caught her in his arms. ¡°Ivy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked, shaking her lightly, thinking this was an attack from the Specters, just likest time. But¡­ ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ace¡­¡± Iris whispered. ¡°Just¡­ a little tired. I think I used too much power, back there¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I see. Then¡­ sleep.¡± The two should be safe up here now that they were out of the Specter¡¯s mind games, and could afford to rest a little. Iris gave a cute, brisk nod, and drifted to sleep. ***** ¨C Within Iris¡¯s Dreamspace ¨C ¡°¡­!¡± Iris sat up with a jolt, ncing around in surprise. She was still wearing her normal white armor and masquerade mask that covered the majority of the top half of her face, and the two ribbons that dangled by her armor¡¯s sides were still there too. Slowly, she stood up, and realized that she could walk properly. It wasn¡¯t the armor doing the job, she could feel it. It was her own two legs, walking as if they weren¡¯t injured. ¡°¡­ What¡­ where am I¡­?¡± ¡°This is a small pocket space in the Paracausal Realm, a space that belongs to us and us alone,¡± a female voice said, and Iris spun around to see the mirror reflection of herself standing a few meters away, wearing all ck and a wry smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Iris murmured. ¡°You are able to walk in here because this is not reality, but rather a cognitive world created from your desires. In other words, your wish to be able to walk is so strong that inside this pocket dimension of your mind, you are able to walk normally.¡± ¡°¡­ Who are you, really?¡± Iris asked, frowning. ¡°And why was I unable to recall what happened with our contract when Finn asked me about it just now?¡± ¡°I already answered you this, did I not?¡± The reflection of Iris said. ¡°I am you, and you are me. We are two sides of the same person. I am just the part of your personality you sealed away.¡± ¡°I¡­ sealed you away?¡± ¡°Yes. Or rather¡­ your ancestors did. But one cannot run from their identity forever, Iris Sylvoir. Look. Look at me. Look at you.¡± Suddenly, six white tentacles shot out of the back of the mirror Iris, squirming and glowing. The real Iris¡¯s eyes widened, and she instinctively took a step back. ¡°W-Wha¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t run. Look. This is your other half, the half your bloodline hid away for so long that when you called upon this power earlier, your body was unable to handle it, and thus you fainted. Do you understand now, Iris Sylvoir? Without this power, you cannot remain beside Finn. I wish to protect him, stay by his side as well, but I cannot do so without your consent. So¡­ let us be one, and have our greatest wish fulfilled together.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright,¡± Iris said after a short while. ¡°How do we¡­ be one?¡± ¡°You already signed the contract that tied the two bloodlines within you together. Now, all that¡¯s left is to hone that power by using it. Eventually, you and I will be one once more. Very simple, is it not?¡± ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the catch?¡± Iris asked, narrowing her eyes. ¡°My ancestors must¡¯ve sealed this side of my bloodline for a reason. Why?¡± The mirror Iris smiled. ¡°That¡­ is because they were scared.¡± ¡°Scared¡­? Of what?¡± ¡°Of having the power of a Ghost,¡± the other Iris said. ¡°But not just any Ghost¡ªthe Queen of them all.¡± Iris¡¯s eyes widened as she gasped in shock. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ we are the directly descended from the Mother of all Ghosts, the Sylvoir bloodline. She was overthrown and eventually killed after escaping to this world, but the fact that our bloodline is the most powerful of all remains the same. In the past, all descendants of the Sylvoir Bloodline have been males, hence they could not inherit this matriarchal power. However, we¡­ are different.¡± ¡°T-The Queen of all Ghosts¡­ you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Irisughed awkwardly, still not wanting to believe this. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make us Finn¡¯s ultimate archenemy¡­?¡± The Ghost side of Iris gave a low chuckle. ¡°Perhaps¡­ but love is a powerful emotion. Just as light erases darkness, love erases hate. As long as we work together, all our problems¡ªeven Finn¡¯s bloodthirsty hatred for Ghosts¡ªcan be cured. It took a long time for this side of our bloodline to finally be awakened again, but¡­ the time is finally here. We, Iris Sylvoir, will take the world by storm.¡± Chapter 193: Specters Temple Chapter 193: Specters¡¯ Temple ¡°Mm¡­ ngh¡­¡± Slowly, Iris lifted her head and blinked a few times, like a sleeping beauty arising from her nap. Finn felt the movement in hisp and angled his head down. ¡°¡­ So, you are awake. Has your strength returned?¡± ¡°E-Eh? Ah¡­ yes,¡± Iris hurriedly said and smoothened her armor out, then stood up. ¡°I¡¯m ready now¡­ sorry for making you wait for me like this.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Finn replied. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, we would most likely be dead right now.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve be a lot stronger, Finn,¡± Iris said after a slight pause. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but¡­ I can feel an overwhelming power within me. It¡¯s still hard to control, but from here on out, I¡¯ll be a lot more useful to you than before.¡± Finn had not been expecting to hear this of all things, but he didn¡¯t let that surprise show on his face and instead calmly responded with his ssic ¡°I see¡±. He knew Iris was hiding something regarding the power¡¯s origins, of course. His senses were more than sharp enough to realize that. It wasn¡¯t like Iris to just randomly say something like this out of the blue. However, Finn had no intention of prying¡ªif she said she had gained a new power, then so be it. That would make things easier for Finn in return, and there was no reason to question how she acquired that power, nor did Finn care. After all, he could never even imagine the girl standing before him right now was the queen of the same species he had sworn to drive to extinction. ***** ¡°There,¡± Iris said, peering into the distance with her Oculus Angelica. ¡°I see the actual Temple. It¡¯s very far away, but we should be able to get there by flying.¡± Finn gave a nod. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Iris smiled and took off into the air, taking Finn¡¯s hand in hers, and flew in the direction of the Temple, taking careful care not to lose altitude. Otherwise, they could possibly fall into the Specters¡¯ illusions once more. With her unsealed power, her maximum mana had been amplified thousandfold, and at this point, Iris wasn¡¯t even sure if the power she wielded was an Angelica at all anymore, and her power source¡ªwas it really still mana? No¡­ Iris could feel it was different. Unlike mana, this new ¡®energy¡¯ was something she could draw on directly and turn into a physical attack. It was certainly more powerful, that was for sure, and thankfully, she could still use her Oculus Angelica perfectly fine. Her legs, of course, were also beginning to heal. They had originally been injured due to Phantom blood¡¯s corrosive properties, but now that she had epted the Ghost side of herself, that blood was more healing than damage. At least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, after having this side of her bloodline being sealed away by her ancestors for so long, this power was difficult for her to harness. It would take lots of time and practice for her to fully master this power, but once she did, she could very well be unstoppable. That was how strong the power she had was. Soon, Finn and Iris were hovering directly above the Temple below them. It seemed to be a normal house that one could find in a fairly rich neighborhood, but apart from that, it was pretty standard. Not too big, not too small, and overall very ¡®normal¡¯. But knowing the Specters, this building would undoubtedly be anything but that. ¡°¡­ What do you think, Ace?¡± Iris asked. ¡°We¡¯re right above it now, and it looks to be a normal house. I can sense powerful readingsing from inside¡ªthe Emperor¡¯s definitely here. Going through the front door is probably not wise, since they¡¯ll be expecting us there.¡± ¡°¡­ Is there a chimney?¡± Finn asked quietly, and Iris nodded. ¡°There is, but¡­ wait, are you thinking of¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m assuming all the windows are shut, correct?¡± ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Then there is no other option.¡± Iris pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh. ¡°I suppose¡­ but really, Finn¡­ your ns are as reckless as ever.¡± Perhaps, to others, they were reckless. But Finn knew his limits¡ªwhat he could do, and what he couldn¡¯t do. When making decisions, he always kept that in mind. ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡± Finn and Iris descended downwards, thetter guiding the former into the chimney. It didn¡¯t appear big enough to fit the two of them at first, but somehow, as they entered it, it felt perfectly spacious and with room to spare, even with their pping wings that took up even more space. The gravity also felt weird, like it was weaker than what the two were used to. As theynded on solid ground, the first thing Finn and Iris both did was scan for hostiles using the Oculus Angelica. Unlike Wraiths, all the other Ghost archetypes¡ªSpecters included¡ªcould be detected without any special equipment. The only problem was actually dealing with them after they were located, since they usually came in hordes of about a hundred. ¡°¡­ All clear on my end,¡± Iris said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m not sensing anything either,¡± Finn replied, and the two stopped their radars. ¡°How peculiar. We are inside the Temple, yet no hostiles are being sensed¡­ is this another trap, perhaps?¡± ¡°If it is, it¡¯s quite a daring one,¡± Iris said. ¡°I can feel the Emperor¡¯s presence¡ªit¡¯s extremely close¡­ but I can¡¯t quite pinpoint its location.¡± Finn thought it could be a fake signal sent out by the Specters to mess with their minds, but didn¡¯t speak out loud on that theory and instead shook his head. ¡°Never mind that. How do our surroundings look like?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ like a perfectly normal house,¡± Iris replied. ¡°Just¡­ very big.¡± Indeed, the house, which had appeared normal size on the outside, was somehow extremely tremendously big now. From where Iris and Finn were, the ceiling was a good 100 meters above them, and the rest of the house¡¯s furniture and whatnot were all huge. And it was then that Finn realized something. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s may not be the house that¡¯s big,¡± he said. ¡°It may be us who have be smaller.¡± Chapter 194 Emperors Trap "Us¡­ who have be smaller?" Iris''s eyes widened slightly. "You mean¡­ that chimney¡­" "On the outside, did it appear to be able to fit both of us side-by-side?" Finn asked, as he was blind and therefore couldn''t see. "Well, no," Iris replied, rubbing her chin. "As a matter of fact, I did feel it was a bit odd both of us could fit in there¡­" "Then it''s safe to say this house has some kind of shrinking mechanism surrounding it. Either that, or it merely ergened when we tried to enter, but¡­ is that really possible, even if this is an illusion?" "Anything is possible, but¡­ either way, we should explore a bit. Maybe that''ll help us find out the true nature of what happened," Iris said, to which Finn gave a nod. Finn drew his sword to be prepared for any surprise attacks, and Iris walked in front of him as a guide. ***** "¡­ I think we''ve been everywhere," Iris sighed after a long while of exploring, and sat down on the ground that seemed massivepared to their ant-like sizes. "The entire house seems perfectly normal, and there aren''t any enemies hiding here. I don''t know what''s going on." "¡­ Hm." Even Finn was stumped this time around. There was just too little evidence to go on about. Right now, the two still knew too little toe up with a solid conclusion. They needed some kind of more info, but¡­ where could they find that? Besides, navigating through this massive house was a pain given their current small forms, and even with the help of flight, it wasn''t easy. After exploring through the entire house, both of them were pretty tired already. "Maybe the secret lies in one of the furnitures in here¡­?" Iris proposed after a while of silent thinking, and reached out to touch the leg of the enormous chair beside them. But- "Don''t touch that!" A voice suddenly yelled from behind, and Iris flinched a bit before backing away. "Huh¡­? Why?" "¡­ Don''t touch that, unless you want to get yourself killed," the voice panted, having clearly rushed all the way here in a panic. Iris and Finn turned to look at the neer in surprise, and found a young man wearing white knight-like armor staring back at them. However, it was clear his body was not in good shape. The armor he wore was stained with dust, and fatigue lined his young face. "¡­ Who are you?" Finn asked cautiously, thinking that this could possibly be another trap from the Specters, but Iris knew better. "Wait, that outfit¡­ are you¡­" "Yes," the man replied, voice raspy and weak, clearly strained with pain. "I was part of the first Squadron sent in here, as a Ghost Hunter of the Phantom yer Corps." "What¡­?" Finn furrowed his brows. "But weren''t you wiped out?" "The rest of my team, yes. But not in the way that you may think." At this, Iris and Finn were both intrigued, and wanted to hear more. The man, realizing this, gave a sigh. "When we first entered this Temple, we were met with a winter forest. However, we managed to see past the illusion thanks to an expert on our team whose brother was a high-ranking official in the House of Spectra. As a result, he knew that Specters often conjured illusions like this, and also knew the method to break past. However, once my team and I entered this house¡­ everything was different." "¡­ How so?" "We all started the same way you two did. Explore the entire ce. And just like you, we found nothing out of the ordinary to this house other than the fact that it was huge. But when we began touching the furniture¡­ that''s when it started." "It?" Finn arched an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. The man''s expression turned dark, and he clenched his fists. "¡­ The horrors. As soon as my teammates touched the furniture, they¡­ were disintegrated." Iris covered her mouth to hide her shock. "D-Disintegrated?" "Yes. Melted away, in front of my eyes. A weird, white substance crept out of the furniture as soon as they touched it, and caught into their minds. Then, it corroded their bodies like rotten acid¡­ until not even their bones remained." "What¡­ but how is that possible¡­" "I know it sounds unbelievable. But you can go ahead and touch that couch for yourself if you don''t trust me. Just beware¡­ I won''t be able to save you once that liquid gets on you. When my teammates tried to save another who had been touched by the substance, they were infected and soon killed as well." "In other words¡­ this substance has corrosive qualities, huh?" Iris concluded. "And it was white, you said? Hm¡­ how peculiar. Ace, does that remind you of anything¡­?" "¡­ Yes," Finn replied calmly, folding his arms. "Digestive acid. The corrosive qualities and texture both match." "W-Wha¡­ digestive acid?" The man''s eyes widened. "But why would there be digestive acid inside furniture?!" "¡­ Furniture, huh," Finn muttered. "But what if I told you¡­ to consider these pieces of furniture as organs?" "Organs¡­? Like a human''s?" The man scratched his head, then realized. "Wait¡­ you don''t mean¡­" "¡­ Looks like this ce was a trap after all," Iris spat. "And that would also exin why I''ve been feeling the Emperor so closely, no matter where in the house I walk¡­" "W-Wait. Speak inly," the man interrupted, sweat forming on his forehead. "Just what are you saying¡­?" Finn snorted. "Haven''t you realized it yet? This house is not a house at all. It''s the interiors of a Specter¡ªthe Emperor we came here to kill. In other words¡­ we''re inside it right now. And now that we are aware of that fact¡­ I''d assume the Emperor will stop toying with us and put an end to this." As if on cue, the furniture all around them suddenly began oozing out a white liquid without anyone even touching them, and the man''s eyes widened. "T-That''s¡­!" "¡­ We have to get out of here," Iris said firmly, then took Finn''s hand and flew off. "Follow me, Finn!" "W-Wait for me!" The man cried, but without wings, he was as good as dead. Chapter 195 Timed Escape "This way!" Iris called out as she pulled Finn behind her, and the two flew as fast as they could towards the front doors, which were the nearest exit from where they were. Upon reaching it however, they realized that it was locked, and with their current sizepared to the house''s, there was no chance in hell that they were going to force it open. "Damn¡­ and all the windows are shu-" "Look out!" The man with them yelled from below, and Finn immediately pushed Iris away from him. The two split up just in time before a thick drop of white, corrosive goo fell down in between them from the ceiling, and Iris nced up to see a horrifying sight: The ceiling was slowly melting away, and for every little bit that did, it turned into liquid that fell down like heavy rain. It didn''t take a genius to know what would happen if one got hit. "Tch¡­" Finn muttered and activated his Devil''s Timing Ability, helping him dodge any drops that came close. Iris, on the other hand, called upon her newfound power to erect a white force field around the two, safely blocking them from what wasing down above. "What now¡­" Iris whispered under her breath, then an idea struck her. "Oh, that''s right¡­ where we came in from¡ªthe chimney!" Finn gave a nod, signaling his agreement, and the two immediately flew in the direction of the chimney¡ªthere was no time to dawdle. On the way, however, Finn purposely scooped down and picked up the man who had warned them earlier, as a way of saying thanks. Originally, neither he nor Iris had any intention of saving him as given his current state, he would be more of a liability than a help. However, since he had saved the two just now, he deserved some fair payback. Zooming into the firece of the house, the trio soared upwards through the chimney, and could feel their bodies gradually getting bigger as they flew, as if returning to normal size. However, the Emperor wasn''t going to just let them go free that easily. "Above us!" The man being carried called out, and Iris and Finn gritted their teeth as the chimney was suddenly closed off by a mysterious white goo, converging into a makeshift ceiling of sorts. "¡­ Tch," Iris skidded to a stop mid-air as the ceiling formed, and narrowed her eyes. "Well, what do we do now?" "¡­ Kid, can you boost me upwards?" The man suddenly asked Finn, who was holding onto his arms. "¡­ What?" "You heard me. If you canunch me towards that pile of goo, I can do something about it. I just need to get closer." "But¡­ didn''t you say if wee into contact with that substance, we''ll melt away?" Iris asked in worry. "There''s no time," the man growled. "Just do as I say if you want to get out of here." "¡­ Alright," Finn said after some thought. "Ready?" "Get on with it, kid!" Finn nodded, took a deep breath, and activated his Cardmaster Angelica. Then, summoning the Strength Card, he enclosed his massive translucent, spiritual hand around the man, andunched him upwards with the momentum of a rocket ship during take-off. The man''s eyes widened at the sudden surge of momentum, clearly exceeding what he had expected, but thankfully, he still managed to prepare his break-out attack and shrouded his body in white light. Then, sping his hands together above his head and gluing his legs tightly together, the man adopted a missile-like position using his body. Rotating violently, the man turned into the physical embodiment of a spinning drill, and plummeted towards the white goo. "Eat¡­ THIS!" BOOM! The missile-like man tore directly through the white goo with ease, taking down parts of the house with him. This, in turn, however, sparked a deep, inhuman wailing from the center of the structure, and the parts of the house that got torn away instantly disintegrated into nothingness. Finn and Iris quickly flew out of the building using this opening given to them, and with Iris''s help, Finn managed to catch the man before he fell to the floor. He was badly battered and wounded, but alive. That attack must''ve taken everything he had left from the days of starvation he experienced in that house. "¡­ We owe you one," Finn said, setting the man down on the in white ground. The man gave a light chuckle. "¡­ Take that bastard down, kid. That''s the best way you can repay me." Finn gave a nod, and turned around to face where the house had once been. Now that it had been forcefully torn through, the entity''s true nature had been exposed. They were no longer looking at a house, but instead a giant white blob of goo: a Specter. "EEEEEE¡­!" The Specter wailed deeply like an undead zombie. No doubt, it was angry and wanted to spit curses at the three Ghost Hunters for wounding his body, but unfortunately, Specters were the only Ghost archetype of the five that was incapable of speech. Still, judging from its wobbling figure and pulsating body, its anger could be felt. "So¡­ finally showing your true form, huh?" Iris smirked and drew her gun, while Finn slowly took out his sword from its sheath on his back. The demon inside, eager for blood, smirked in anticipation despite not having a mouth. "You really yed a number of tricks on us," Iris said, ascending into the air using her wings. "Many Ghost Hunters before us fell to your games and tricks. But we are different¡ªand your deception ends today. Ace?" She turned to Finn, who rose up beside her and gave a nod, sword in hand. His armor''s crevices glowed ominously purple, two horns of light popping out on his head, as the Voidheart energy in it was activated. "It''s time to finish this." Iris smiled, then aimed her weapon at the enormous Specter Emperor. "Let''s do it, Ace." Chapter 196 Annoying Battle The Specter Emperor let out a low groan like a dozen trumpets grouped together, andunched a few smaller Specters out from its body, like a cell going through mitosis except it wasn''t splitting into two identical cells. Instead, tens of small baby Specters shot out of the Emperor''s body like bullets, and flew towards Finn and Iris. Unfortunately for the Emperor, however, Finn and Iris were no easy foes. Iris smirked and aimed her gun, then unleashed a volley of bullets in rapid session while flicking her aim from one Specter to another. As she ran out of ammo, she wasted no time trying to reload, and instead called upon her newfound power to send out a barrage of tracking crescent-shaped projectiles towards the Specters. In the matter of a few seconds, the Specters flying towards the two were gone, reduced to atoms, paving a clean way for Finn to gapclose the Emperor. "Now, Ace!" "¡­ On it." Without any hesitation, Finn dove towards the Emperor with his abyssal ck wings, and cut the slime-like being directly in half. The powerful Voidheart de sliced through the amorphous entity with ease like a knife cutting tofu, and the Emperor wailed in pain once more. Backing away, Finn returned to hovering beside Iris, but he did not sheathe his de just yet. "Well," Iris murmured, folding her arms. "That was easier than expected." "¡­ Almost too easy," Finn muttered, furrowing his brows. "Does it still have a life signal?" "Hm¡­" Iris narrowed her eyes, then used the Oculus Angelica to scan the divided Emperor for any sign of life. But what she found was¡­ "¡­ No way." "What is it?" Finn asked, immediately tensing up once more, and Iris''s voice was quivering as she spoke. "T-The life signal¡­ it¡­ divided in two." "¡­!" As if on cue, the Emperor¡ªor rather, Emperors¡ªwailed in unison, now two medium-sized blobs instead of onerge one. They shrieked and unleashed their mini-Specter drone attack once more, to which Iris once again countered the same way. However, this time, it was harder, as the number of enemies had multiplied. "¡­ Tch." Finn readied his sword once more, but rather than go in this time, he used the de to help Iris deflect iing Specter bullets. Unfortunately, the Emperors weren''t about to let them have their way. One of the two suddenly leaped up into the air and prepared to crush Finn beneath it, and because he was busy taking care of the other smaller Specters, there was no time to dodge. Instead, he put up his sword in guard, and the edge of the de ended up slicing the Emperor in two. Then, just like before, two smaller Emperors rose up in its ce, each with the same powers that an Emperor has¡ªsummoning other Ghosts. Now, there were three Emperors on the field, and there would only be more if this continued. "This is bad¡­!" Iris gritted her teeth, stating the obvious as she once again repelled the iing barrage of nano-Specter bullets, this time from different directions as well. Then, the other Emperor also leaped up and attacked the same way, not giving the two any chance to fight back. Finn tried to avoid cutting it this time by blocking with the t side of the sword, but due to its Voidheart, charged up nature, the Emperor was cut anyway. Now, there were four on the field, and they collectively let out a low-pitched noise that sounded creepily likeughter¡ªas if they had intended for this to happen from the very beginning. "Idiots¡­!" The man from before yelled using thest of his remaining strength. "Did you two¡­ really¡­e in here¡­ unequipped¡­?!" "No!" Iris shouted back as she let out another volley of projectile attacks to fight back against the nano Specters. "We got proper equipment from the House of Spectra, but¡­ wait¡­ wait, could it be¡­" Finn, knowing what she was referring to, quickly pulled out the scanner-like device they had received in the box earlier that had contained the rest of their Specter equipment. At the time, they had deemed it to be a tool of unknown purposes, but perhaps it was intended to be something else. Something¡­ more on the offensive side. The four Emperors attacked Finn at the exact same time this round, thinking that even if he could deflect all four of them, the next time will be with eight. Eventually, he will be unable to defend any longer. However- "¡­ Hmph. Don''t get cocky." This time, rather than using his de to defend, Finn calmly held up the scanner-like device and aimed it in the direction of one of the four Emperors closing in on him. "EE¡ª!" It screamed loudly as it came into direct line of sight with the scanner''s scope, but the scream was quickly cut short. Finn had no time to worry about this, however, as he rolled forward in the direction of the Emperor her subjugated in order to avoid the other three''s powerful pincer attack. "Ace¡ªthe one you scanned¡ªit froze!" Iris called out, then promptly unleashed a powerful sniper round into the frozen Emperor, shattering it into many pieces instantly. Unlike before, however, these broken fragments remained grey and dead, not bing new Emperors. "EEE¡­" The remaining three Emperors slowly backed away, realizing that the two Ghost Hunters had figured out their trick and came prepared, but Finn and Iris weren''t about to just let them get away. "¡­ You''re done for." Sword in one hand, scanner device in the other, Finn dashed towards the three Emperors at full speed, scanning each one after another. As the amorphous entities froze and lost their white color, instead dimming into a grey, lifeless hue, Iris, who was behind Finn, unleashed a sniper bullet into each, shattering them to pieces. With a perfectbination of teamwork and powerful synergy, Ace and Ivy made quick work of the defenseless Emperors now that their trick was revealed. "¡­ And that''s that," Iris dered once all four had been shattered. "Now then¡­" She turned to the swirling ck portal that had opened up a short ways off from where they currently were, where a treasure chest alsoy. "¡­ Shall we return?" Chapter 197 District B, Complete While Iris approached the chest and the portal, Finn picked up one of the broken frozen fragments of the Emperor, and popped it into his mouth. "W-What are you doing, boy?!" The sword demanded in shock, but Finn didn''t reply. Instead, he merely swallowed the hard chunk of Specter corpse without any hesitation, and endured as a zing feeling spread throughout his bloodstream. "¡­ Hm¡­ this new power¡­" He murmured to himself, then walked over to Iris, who had just opened up the chest. "Look, Ace¡­ this is¡­" She trailed off as she realized Finn couldn''t ''look'', and so she exined it instead. "There''s a bracelet in here. I''m not 100% certain, but I think what it does is¡­" Iris slipped the bracelet on, then closed her eyes and called upon the power within the ornament. A swirling circle of energy appeared around her, but upon closer inspection, it was clear this wasn''t simple energy at all. Instead, it was a swarm of nano-Specters, ready to be fired off at any given direction and track targets. After several seconds, Iris opened her eyes and the nano-Specters faded away. "¡­ As expected, this is the ability the bracelet gives me¡­ do you want it, Ace?" Finn shook his head. "You can keep it. With your eyes, you can use these things better than I can. But that aside¡­ take this." Finn held out his sword towards Iris, causing her to tilt her head in confusion. "Um¡­ why?" "¡­ Cut me with it." "W-Wha-?!" "Trust me," Finn said. "But¡­" Iris was still hesitant, but she also knew Finn wasn''t about to change his mind once he had made a decision. He was just that stubborn of a man, and nothing Iris said would affect him. "... Alright," she agreed after some long thought, and took the sword from Finn''s hand. The demon inside the de growled at being in the hands of someone new, but since Iris''s armor also had traces of Voidheart energy within it, he didn''t go wild. "Now... try to cut me," Finn said calmly, to a point where Iris was wondering whether he was even listening to what wasing out of his mouth. Taking a deep breath, Iris slowly lifted the sword into the air. "... Here I go." SHING! The sword was brought down on Finn''s head, cleaning splitting him in two... but not in the gory, bloody way one would expect. Instead, Finn''s body distorted like a water ripple, and divided into two identical copies¡ªjust smaller. "Wha..." Iris''s eyes widened in surprise, and she nearly dropped the sword. The two Finns both tried moving their bodies and limbs around, and could do so just fine. After a few seconds, they merged back together as if nothing had happened, and Finn was whole once more. "... Hm. It would seem my intelligence is lowered when I am divided," Finn murmured, analyzing on his own. "Moreover, I can''t seem to be able to talk..." "H-Hold on, Ace, wasn''t that the Emperor''s ability?! How did you... was there something else in the chest I missed? No way..." Finn shook his head. "No. This is... just a special power of mine. After defeating powerful Ghosts, I can steal their abilities by consuming them, in a way." "What...? You never told me about this..." Iris murmured in shock. "Wait, is that how you got those tentacles as well...?" Finn nodded. "I never told you before because... well, back then, you didn''t know about my Ghost side. Now, however, there''s no point in hiding this anymore." "I-I see... but still, that is quite the powerful ability to have... makes sense why you don''t even care about this bracelet..." "... Hm." Finn didn''t agree nor disagree with that fact, since there was one concern he had regarding this ability of his. He chose not to voice it aloud, though, and instead merely remain silent. With the missionpleted and the Emperor in, the two prepared to exit the Temple via the portal beside the chest. Naturally, however, they did not forget about the man who had helped them earlier. But upon closer inspection... "... He''s dead," Iris said quietly, closing her eyes. "..." Finn didn''t say anything, and instead simply picked up the man''s body as if he had expected this to happen all along and headed for the portal. After all, the only reason he feltfortable discussing the Ghost matters were because he had predicted this man would be dead. Earlier, when carrying him, he had already been just barely hanging onto life, and that attack just now to help them escape the house took everything he had left. He died saving Finn and Iris, and for that, he deserved a proper burial. Finn and Iris soon exited the Paracausal Realm via the portal, and once back in the real world, decided to take the body to Evelyn''s Heart. It was already midnight, but since Ghost Hunter organizations worked 24/7 to defend against Outbreaks urring at any time, there would still be people inside. Rather than go in and make thingsplex, however, Finn and Iris opted to simply leave the body by the front porch. That way, they wouldn''t be questioned, and it would save time and trouble as well. Afterying the man''s body down, Finn used his tentacles to etch out a message beside the corpse, since they were all out of writing utensils. The message was simple, brisk, just like his personality¡ªbut it conveyed what needed to be conveyed. And that was all that mattered. "Found inside Temple. He saved us. Honor him well." With that, Finn and Iris returned to the inn to stay the night. And the next morning, another adventure woulde. Many Emperors in the other Districts still had not been wiped out, and many Districts have already been eradicated already. The GHO is doing their best to still keep things under wraps from the public, but that could only work for so long. There was no shortage of evil in this world. There was no shortage of Ghosts that needed to be yed. And Ace and Ivy? Despite being Ghosts themselves, they hunted Ghosts. They may be hunted themselves by the same people supposed to be their allies, but even so, they fought. And they would continue to do so until one side was wiped out, or they themselves fell before then. For so long as Ghosts existed, so would Ghost Hunters. And Ace and Ivy had gone rogue. Chapter 198 Strange News "¡­ And that''s that," Iris dered, letting out a deep breath as she finished off thest of the Phantoms in this Outbreak. "Any readings on your end, Ace?" The man crouched a few meters away, d in midnight ck armor and shining purple crevices, slowly rose to his feet. "No. All dead." "Then the operation is finished," Iris stretched a bit, then let out a deep breath. "Whew. That Outbreak was bigger than most, huh?" Finn nodded, and the two prepared to head back for the day. Ever since taking down the Emperor in District B, the two had been going around District to District, cleaning up Outbreaks and killing Ghosts wherever they appeared. They decided to take a break from Temples and Dungeons and whatnot, since they figured they needed to get more experience and be stronger first. Back against that Specter Emperor, the two had fallen into its trap and nearly got killed had it not been for that man''s sacrifice. As a result, gaining more experience was necessary. And so, about a month or so passed. Unfortunately, more and more Districts were falling to the Emperors residing within them. While in some cases, the Ghost Hunters dispatched were able to win the fight, in others, they lost horribly, with the city as the cost of defeat. So far, the public was still being kept from the truth, but they were beginning to start having doubts and conspiracy theories. The excuse the GHO was using right now was a pandemic that had suddenly swept through all the Districts that had been taken out, but that could onlyst for so long¡ªnot to mention the mary expenses and whatnot going into creating fake vines, procedures, and lockdown to simte as if there was really a pandemic going on. The GHO still have note up with a better alternative, even now. To Finn and Iris, however, this was of little concern. The more Emperors that seeded in their fight against the Ghost Hunters, the better. It would mean more opportunities for Finn and Iris to take them out, and thus get stronger from the experience. As the storm created by Finn faded away and the operation was about toe to a close, however, Finn suddenly felt a vibrationing from his pocket, and pulled out his phone. Since he couldn''t see, he passed it to Iris, who could. But when she read the message, she tilted her head slightly in confusion. "It''s¡­ Evelyn. She wants us to meet her in District B tonight at 8. That''s in two hours. If we catch a train right now, we should be able to make it there, but¡­" Finn fell into thought. Evelyn wasn''t a woman who would ask to meet with them for no reason. If she went through the trouble of sending Finn a text message requesting a meeting, then it was undoubtedly for something important. "¡­ Let''s go," Finn decided atst, and Iris nodded. "In that case, we should hurry." ***** - 2 Hours Later - "¡­ This is the ce, I believe," Iris said, looking around skeptically. "An awfully¡­ sketchy ce." They were in the back slums of the city, which was rare for District B, but still existed. To choose a location like this for a meeting, though, would entail the contents of the conversation they were going to have were top-secret. "¡­ So, you actually came," a female voice suddenly whispered from behind the two, and they immediately turned around to face her. "¡­ You''re wearing your Carmen outfit?" "Yes, just in case there are prying eyes," the voice replied. "Now, due to the nature of this meeting, I will keep things short. It pains me, but there''s nothing to be done about that." "¡­ Get on with it," Finn demanded, already growing tired of this beating around the bush. "Fufu¡­ as direct as ever, I see," Evelyn said with augh. "But that aside¡­ recently, I was informed a new project of the GHO''s. As you know, the Emperors'' situation is dire. At the rate things are going, only more Districts are going to fall. The GHO cannot hold the public''s theories back for long, and so, require a solution now." "¡­ And that concerns us¡­ how?" Iris prompted, raising an eyebrow. Evelyn, however, only giggled. "¡­ I had a feeling you would say something like that." "¡­?" Finn and Iris were confused, and waited for her to continue. "Listen closely, you two," Evelyn said, turning serious. "The GHO is nning on starting an academy to train a batch of elite Ghost Hunters, a super force that will be able to take down Ghosts and Emperors of any archetype. This is the first time they''ve experimented with something like this due to how difficult it is to learn how to defeat multiple types of Ghosts, but drastic situations call for drastic measures. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. I''m not forcing you to do anything, but I would give my suggestion some consideration if I were you." "An academy¡­" Iris''s eyes widened a bit. "And¡­ the enrollment is free?" "The enrollment is free, so long as you pass a test that will gauge your talent. After all, tons of resources will be poured into this project. Only the best of the best will be deserving of that treatment. I can prepare false identities for you two if you choose to join, but the entrance exam is the day after tomorrow. If you''re going to make a decision, do it quickly." "This¡­" "¡­ We''ll text you back once we''ve made a decision," Finn said, cutting the conversation short. "But for now¡­ thanks for the information." Evelyn, seeing that he was ending the chat early for her sake, gave a chuckle. "I''m d you understand. Now then¡­ staying here for too long won''t be good for me, so I''ll see myself out. Best of luck." With those words, she disappeared as quickly and as sudden as she came, and Finn and Iris were left alone once more. Silently, they returned to their inn too, without speaking a word. And on top of the roof of a nearby building, a shadow who had been stalking them lightly tapped on the earpiece on her ear. "¡­ Report: I have discovered something." Chapter 199 To Go Or Not To Go After returning to the inn they''ve been staying at for the past month or so now, Finn and Iris took turns showering, then prepared to rest. ¡­ Or that''s what they''d like to do, but after hearing everything Evelyn told them earlier, how could they just sleep without discussing it? "So¡­ what do you think?" Iris asked, dangling her legs on the bed''s soft edge. "About what Evelyn said, I mean." "If the information from her, I doubt it is fake," Finn replied. "But that being said¡­ whether it is theplete truth is a different question." "In other words, you think she''s hiding something from us?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn''t count it past her to do so, yes." "Hm¡­ but it is a good offer, nheless. If we go to the academy, we can undoubtedly learn a lot more than what we''ve been learning so far just on our own," Iris said. "The only problem is our appearance, but¡­ with Evelyn''s influence, I''m sure she can find some way to cover that up." "¡­ Message her," Finn said after some consideration. "Ask what she is going to do about our appearances. If it''s a good n, we''ll go. The Ghosts we''ll be fighting ahead of us will eventually be too strong for us to handle with our current equipment and experience." They were not veterans, after all. Both of them only really started doing this whole Ghost Hunting business around three months ago. There was still lots they didn''t know, and going to this academy could hone their skills in ways what they were currently doing couldn''t. With that decided, the two went to sleep. ***** The next morning, a return message from Evelyn was found on Finn''s untraceable phone. Of course, it was in response to the question Iris sentst night, but the answer was anything but what the two expected. "¡­ What? Rescinded?" Finn arched an eyebrow. Even he was surprised to hear the news. "Yeah," Iris replied, staring at the phone. "Apparently, Evelyn went ahead and spoke with the high-ranking GHO officials, and cleared our name. Well¡­ that''s not exactly urate. It''s more like our old identities gotpletely deleted from the system, and therefore our wanted status was also deleted. Not just that, but since when we register as a Ghost Hunter, we connect our subconscious to the system, this means that our profiles being deleted from the system means we have been forgotten by everyone as well¡ªat least, everyone except the high-ranking officials." "¡­ That''s possible? Seems too convenient¡­" Finn muttered. First, he didn''t believe Evelyn had enough power on her own to convince the head honchos over at the GHO to make a move as big as this, and second¡­ "¡­ What was even the excuse Evelyn used?" Finn asked. "How did she convince them to erase our names?" "I asked, and apparently, that Hunter we brought back from the Temple had been a hero of sorts. He was very strong, S-ss, which was why he was able tost so long in there when all his other teammates had died. With the use of the Necromancer Angelica, it was easy to verify that we weren''t the ones who killed him. The high-ranking official Evelyn went to about this matter was¡­ the son of that man, so¡­" "¡­ I see," Finn said quietly. He wasn''t surprised one bit. It was perfectly understandable how the father could be a Ghost Hunter out on the front lines, while the son was an official working in the backstage. It just meant the father preferred the wild, while the son was more of a nner. Still, Finn had no doubt the son did not truly want his father to remain on the frontlines. But that wasn''t any of his business, so there was nothing to be done. "The entrance exam is tomorrow, correct?" Finn asked, putting on his armor. "Yes," Iris replied. "I take it the decision is made, then?" Finn nodded, then adjusted his helmet as he approached the door. "¡­ Let''s see what this academy holds." ***** With so many Emperors around nowadays, Outbreaks were happening everyday. Even if the one in District B had already been defeated, the simple existence of so many Emperors still in the world was spawning more Ghosts forward from the Paracausal Realm, their home. Each district averaged one Outbreak per day, and the GHO was exining the rise in storms to the public as climate change. Of course, that was utter bullshit, but the people seemed to be buying it¡ªfor now. After taking care of the Outbreak in District B for today, Finn and Iris decided to go to the library to do some studying in preparation for the entrance exam tomorrow. Since Evelyn had went through the trouble of getting them this opportunity, failing the exam wouldn''t be very nice. They didn''t know what would be tested, so they had to study all subjects. By the time that was done, night had already fallen. When they returned to the inn, however, they found a parcel waiting for them by their doorstep. On it was a lock that could only be opened via fingerprint. Clearly, whoever left this thing here really did not anyone else but the intended recipient opening it, and both Finn and Iris had a good idea of who it was. With a silent nod at one another, they opened the door to their room and entered inside, taking the package with them. Once alone and private, the two opened up the parcel, and found exactly what they had been expecting inside. "These are¡­ identification documents," Iris said. "For our new identities. Let''s see¡­ the names are¡­ wait, Iris Silverdale, and Finn Thresher¡­? They haven''t changed it all¡­" "¡­ Why change them when there is no reason to?" Finn asked. "If our old selves have beenpletely erased from everyone else''s memories, then there''s no point in using a new name. We would still be ''new'' to them, but keeping the same names, that''s all." "Huh¡­ I suppose that''s true," Iris murmured. "Still¡­ this is a fresh start, huh?" Finn nodded. "We have to be careful not to reveal our true selves again." Iris smiled. "Yes. That''s right." Chapter 200 Ghost Hunter Academy The next morning, Finn and Iris woke up early. The entrance exams to enter the Ghost Hunter Academy was today, happening at 8 AM. Apparently, that was the legitimate name of the school¡­ which wasme, to be honest, and was quite reminiscent of the various facilities in the underground city. That was not a good thing. In any case, Evelyn let Finn and Iris know where the exam''s location was via text message. Apparently, it was to be held at a special facility newly constructed in the clouds, and we were to use a teleporter to get there. Of course, since Finn and Iris were still in District B, this meant Evelyn simply lent them a hand herself, and allowed the two to use the teleporter in her Squadron building. "Remember, once you get there, don''t end up getting exposed again," Evelyn said coldly in her surface persona, folding her arms. "I can''t help you if it happens once more." "You''re noting along?" Finn asked. "Of course not. I have many other things to take care of, though¡­" She suddenly smiled seductively and dropped her tone to an alluring whisper. "¡­ We may meet again in the near future, if fate allows." ? "Um¡­ guys? There''s only five minutes until the exam begins," Iris said from a short distance away, and Finn tilted his head in her direction briefly. Then, turning back to Evelyn, he lowered his tone a bit. "¡­ Before I go, there is a favor I''d like to ask of you." "Oh?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "You, asking me for a favor? I never thought a day like this woulde." Finn ignored herment and cut straight to the chase, taking her response as a yes. "I need you to pay close attention to whoever epted your request to clear our names from the database," he said. "Something about this doesn''t feel right to me¡­ it''s too convenient." "And yet, you are still willing to go to the academy?" Evelyn sighed. "I don''t get you sometimes." "An opportunity is an opportunity. Let whateverese." "Awfully confident, huh¡­ well, sure. I''ll keep a tab on that official¡­ but I can''t promise you I will be able to learn much. I am a somewhat well-established figure in the organization, but nowhere near the top." Finn nodded. "That''s fine. You have my thanks." Evelyn smirked. "Yes, yes¡­ now, if you don''t want to squander that ''opportunity'', you might want to get going." Finn paused briefly, then turned his back to Evelyn and prepared to head off¡ªthough not before leaving one final line. "¡­ I''ll be counting on you." ***** After taking the teleporter, Iris and Finn were brought to the academy in which they''ll be taking the exams at, and also the ce where they would stay if they passed. It was a magnificent sight. A shame that Finn could not witness it, but it was awesome nheless. Just like the Phantom yer Headquarters, this academy was built high above the clouds, on a chain of sky inds that were connected to each other. There appeared to be seven in total ¡ª six smaller inds connected to a big, central one. There weren''t any actual stairs, though, so the inds were presumably connected through teleporter devices. The destination today was the big central ind, where the academy''s main campus was. Upon arrival, Finn and Iris noticed there were tons of students who had came here to try their luck. Of course, they had no doubt the numbers gathered here was going to be cut down by a lot once the exams were over, but then again, who could me these people? This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If one could make it into this academy, they would receive the best of the best training and education in terms of fighting against Ghosts, and not only that, but all their living expenses would be taken care of. It was like a dreame true for Ghost Hunters. Very soon, the teleporters closed off, and the exams were set to begin. An old man wearing a monocle and a professional soldier''s outfit stepped out of the academy''s entrance, which was guarded by guards¡ªall experienced Ghost Hunters in their own right, but without Angelicas to actually fight on the frontline. "Wee, everyone, to the opening of the Ghost Hunter Academy," the old man said, spreading his thin arms. "My name is Lionel, a SS-ss Hunter belonging to the Phantom yer Corps. I am a teacher here at this academy, and one of your future instructors¡ªthat is, should you pass this entrance exam." Immediately, a string of murmurs passed through the crowd of gathered young Hunters. "Commander Lionel? Is it really him?" "One of the legendary figures of the Phantom yer Corps¡­" "I heard he confessed to the Guildmaster of the Phantom yers a long time ago, but got rejected¡­" "It seems this Lionel person is somewhat of a famous character, huh?" Iris asked quietly beside Finn, who gave a nod. "I will not lie," the man named Lionel continued. "This exam will not be easy. It will not be like any tests you may have taken in the past. All of you gathered here today are the same age¡ª18. Therefore, none of you should have any more experience than another, correct?" The crowd stirred a bit, some nodding along, while others said yes. "Wrong!" Lionel suddenly yelled, making a scowl on his aged face. "You are not equal! Just because you are the same age, does not mean all of you are at the same strength level! You will do well to remember that¡­ in this world, and out there, only the strong survive. The weak will perish, just like how the weak will fail this exam. If you understand that, then nod. We do not take weaklings. But remember, there is no shame in backing off of a challenge you cannot ovee." The crowd all nodded, signaling that they were ready for the exam. Of course, Lionel''s words brought some hesitation into some hearts, but none were willing to give up an opportunity like this that easily. "¡­ Good," Lionel said after witnessing the Ghost Hunters'' reactions. "In that case¡­ let''s see if you are all able to back up that confidence of yours." Chapter 201 Entrance Exams With a snap of Lionel''s fingers, countless guards suddenly entered the scene, each holding a table in their hands. They pushed past the Ghost Hunters andid the tables down on the ground, in a neat and organized fashion. Then, they ced a package of paper down on each table, along with writing utensils. It was clear what the first portion of this entrance exam was, and the young Hunters each took a spot behind a table ordingly. Finn and Iris ended up next to each other, of course, but there was just one problem¡ªnamely, Finn''s blindness. "Um, Finn¡­" Iris began, but Finn acted quicker, raising his hand high up into the air. As a university student before all of this happened, he was used to asking questions in ss and whatnot. "¡­ Yes, you in the ck armor there?" Lionel asked, eyeing Finn, who had his entire Voidheart armor on with the exception of his helmet. "I am blind," Finn said with utmost confidence, not hesitating whatsoever. It was as if he was dering this as one of his strengths rather than weaknesses, but obviously, the other Ghost Hunters present didn''t think of it that way. "¡­ He''s blind? Then why is he even here¡­" "Ha! If even a blind person can make it into this academy, then everyone can!" "Not trying to be discriminative or anything, but¡­ being blind is a horrible disadvantage in battle¡­ how has he even survived until now?" "Isn''t that obvious? He hasn''t been on a single proper mission," another voice cut in with a grin, belonging to a haughty-looking blonde man a short distance away. At this, Iris frowned a bit, but Finn ignored himpletely and continued. "I cannot read the test. Is there an alternative?" Lionel stared at Finn for a short while, then smirked slightly. "Find one yourself." "¡­ I see." Then, turning to Iris, Finn continued. "¡­ Could you read the questions to me?" "Huh? Oh, yeah, of course," Iris hurriedly said, surprised that this was even being allowed. The other Ghost Hunters were shocked as well, since they had all assumed this was going to be an individual thing, but since Commander Lionel wasn''t saying anything, they didn''t either. ***** About an hourter, the written portion of the exam wasplete. The questions were quite unlike what Finn and Iris had been expecting. Rather than testing knowledge on how to defeat certain archetypes of Ghosts and the like, the questions on the test paper were brain teaser-like questions that made the young Hunters think outside the box. There was always a simple, straight-forward answer to all the questions, but at the same time, there was also a deeper, hidden answer. Iris and Finn, of course, always chose the hidden answer. Both were deep and clever thinkers who looked beyond just the surface, thus giving them the quick wits and strategy-making skills they have in battle. The time limit on this test was an hour, and once those 60 minutes were over, the same guards from before came back once more and took all the tables away, collecting the papers along with them. In the matter of a few seconds, the entire courtyard of the main campus building had been emptied, and Commander Lionel returned to the scene. "I am sure you are all surprised after taking that test," he began, stating what couldn''t be more true. "You may think it was useless, or evenpletely off-topic." The crowd stirred a bit, murmuring in agreement. "However," he continued sternly, narrowing his eyes. "Those of you who think that way¡­ have no right to enter this academy. Those of you who answered those questions at face-value, thinking it easy and simple, all failed. Knowledge can be taught, but certain traits are intrinsic and cannot be trained in the little time we have here at this academy before cmity befalls us all. Those of you who have those traits have the potential to enroll at this academy. Those of you who don''t¡­ well. The results will be clear soon enough." ? Snapping his fingers again, Lionel made the same guards from before prepare the next exam. The men gathered and dragged out four massive ck obelisks, lining them up side-by-side in front of Lionel, who stepped past them and emerged in the middle. "Next, is a simple strength exam. Even if you have the traits necessary to be a legendary Ghost Hunter, if you are not physically strong enough, that is nothing but a distant dream. The rules are simple¡ªform four lines, one in front of each obelisk, and attack it one-by-one with all of your strength. You may use your Angelica, your weapons, anything you wish. Remember, you must pass all three exams to enroll here, so do not ck off thinking the written exam will save you. And as for those who believe you have already failed the written exam¡­ hmph. You may leave." Given his words from earlier, many of the currently listening Ghost Hunters were shaking. They were the same ones who had confidently answered all of the questions on the written exam and taken them at face-value, thinking this was going to be a breeze. Some outright left through the teleporters behind them, and others decided to stay because what if they passed? Of course, that was nothing but desperate, false hope. By now, only about 90% of the original number of people here remained, and the results hadn''t even been announced yet. Perhaps this was part of the test too¡ªthose who weren''t confident enough in their abilities and chose to simply leave because someone told them to weren''t worthy of studying at this prestigious academy anyway. The remaining Ghost Hunters who were either confident enough to stay or simply too desperate to leave formed into four lines just as instructed, each behind one of the massively tall ck obelisks. For whatever reason, people rushed to be as close to the front as possible, likely because they were afraid someone in front of them would set some sort of nasty trap on the obelisk that somehow screwed over the power grading. Considering how people tended to want to limitpetition as much as possible, that was perfectly usible. As such, Finn and Iris were pushed to the back of their line, with Finn being deadst. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done now. All they could do, was wait until it was their turn. Chapter 202 The Strings Of Fate The four lines of people began moving all at once. The person in front of each line stepped up to the obelisk, and prepared their attack. They only had one shot, so they had to make it count. Commander Lionel had it made it clear no retakes or second chances will be given, with the reasoning being ''the Ghosts won''t just give you a second chance''. Of course, to make things fair for those who specialized in weak but rapid attacks in quick session, everyone was given a total of three seconds to attack the obelisk. That number was enough for those rapid attack users to use their art properly, while also short enough to prevent those who use one powerful attack from attacking twice. The first four to go were nothing too admirable. Their attacks managed to get the ck obelisk to light up in bars from the bottom up all the way to green, which was the fourth rank by the looks of it. Following the pattern, the order of the colors from the bottom up was ck, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, and white. Naturally, the closer to the bottom a color was, that meant the attacker''s power was weaker. asionally, there would be a yellow or even orange color, but none were able to reach the red, pink, or white levels. At least, until her. A familiar face, born anew. That chilly aura, the presence of being too perfect to approach, was unique to her and her only. She was no stranger to Finn and Iris, and thanks to Finn''s attention-attracting question earlier, she now knew the two were here. But of course, she of all people was not one to get distracted. She could meet up with Finn and Irister¡ªthat is, if she passed this exam. She had no doubt Finn and Iris would, so if she wanted to truly be with them, then she must first ovee this trial in the form of an exam. Calmly yet dauntlessly, the girl stepped right in front of her obelisk, holding a silver scepter with a blue gem on top in her hand. She had an aura of silent, cold confidence to her, like the frozen steel that made up her weapon. Holding her scepter out in front of her diagonally, she closed her eyes and channeled all of her energy, mustering up as much power as she could. She was not holding back¡ªpartly because this was an important exam, but more so because she had something to prove, to a certain person. If fate has truly let us meet again, then... allow me to show you¡ªI will not hold you back. The beautiful girl''s crimson eyes snapped back open, and from the gem on her scepter, a single, extremely concentratedser of frost energy shot out. It struck the obelisk directly in its heart, and the ck stone began being painted light blue as it started freezing over. In fact, the cold aura around the girl had grown so strong since this attack that ice began forming at her feet, and the people behind her in line backed away a bit to avoid getting caught. As the obelisk was frozen, there was no way to tell exactly what rank the girl got. But the three seconds were not over just yet. Raising her scepter high into the air, the girl narrowed her eyes slightly, then whispered a single word under her breath. "Shatter." Suddenly, she brought her scepter down and struck the ground with its sharp bottom end, unleashing a devastating wave of bitter and raw frost energy. The ice on the obelisk and the frozen floor both shattered like ss, beautiful crystalline shapes filling and dissolving into the air. And the obelisk... "W-White...?!" People in the crowd began gasping in shock, staring ck-jawed at the fully-colored obelisk. Indeed¡ªthe girl had reached the topmost, white rank of the obelisk with her power. In other words, she had far exceeded the passing mark, which was designated as yellow. That was already incredibly high standards, so to exceed them by this much was... unbelievable, to say the least. Still, the girl acted as if nothing had happened, and turned around gracefully before walking off the stage¡ªbut not before briefly ncing in the direction of Finn and Iris. "That''s... Qi Ling," Iris murmured in awe. "I can''t believe she''s here too..." "... Qi Ling? Who''s that?" Finn asked, genuinely confused. "W-What? How could you say that?!" Iris cried, whispering sharply. "She fought with us side by side during our first Temple Raid! Remember?" "... Oh, right." Finn had truly forgotten about her, after being apart for so long. Iris gave a sigh. "... If she finds out you really forgot about her like that, she''ll be upset, y''know." "I suppose." "You sound like you don''t care at all..." "Because I don''t." Iris sighed once more and smiled sadly. "I swear... you''re hopeless, Finn." After a few more people had their turn, there turned out to be eight people who managed to reach the white rank, over a dozen in the pink rank, and about thirty who reached the red rank. The rest were all just barely passing or failed, with the majority being thetter. That was how difficult this test was. Now, only a few people had yet to go. Finn, Iris, and that blonde guy from earlier were all part of that group. The blonde guy, however, was in a different line, and went first. Unlike everyone else, however, he didn''t appear to be nervous at all. Hell, he walked as if he was waltzing through a ballroom, without a care in the world. Boldly and with a wry smile on his face, he strode up to the obelisk of his line, and... "Boop." ... Lightly tapped it. The obelisk showed no reaction whatsoever, but the man didn''t seem to care at all and instead simply turned back around and headed away, hands crossed behind his head. "..." Now this, was shocking. The entire crowd dropped their jaws at what they just witnessed, even more so than Qi Ling''s incredible performance from earlier. The man, of course, seemedpletely unbothered and carried on walking as gauntly as ever, even going as far as to pull out a small mirror from his pocket and admire his own reflection in it as he fiddled with his hair. "Next," Lionel called out from up front, and it was then that Iris realized it was her turn. "Well... wish me luck," she said with a deep breath, smiling wryly. Finn gave a brisk nod. "Good luck." ***** [A/N] ? As a result of school getting busy and exams nearing for me, I have decided to put this novel on hiatus. It isn''t getting the traction I hoped it would, and I have two other novels to keep writing. Judging from support via power stones, my other two books (The Mage of Primordial Chaos and Endzone: Simted Apocalypse) beat this one by alot, so I will be putting this novel on pause for now. I apologize to those who were looking forward for more chapters, but this is notpletely dropped. When school lightens up a bit more, I will pick this back up. In the meantime, you can check out my two other novels, The Mage of Primordial Chaos and Endzone: Simted Apocalypse (especially thetter). Thank you for understanding! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!