The Legendary Ghost Hunter

"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 his lap 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 become 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 classic "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—if 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—was 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 accepted 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 become 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 readings coming from inside—the 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 plans are as reckless as ever."

Perhaps, to others, they were reckless. But Finn knew his limits—what 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, the latter 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 flapping wings that took up even more space. The gravity also felt weird, like it was weaker than what the two were used to.

As they landed 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—Specters included—could 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—it'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 become smaller."