The Legendary Ghost Hunter
chapter-194

"Us… who have become 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 enlargened 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 massive compared 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 to come 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 newcomer 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 Slayer 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 place. 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 place was a trap after all," Iris spat. "And that would also explain why I've been feeling the Emperor so closely, no matter where in the house I walk…"

"W-Wait. Speak plainly," 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—the 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.