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Chapter 25: The Phantom Slayer 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 Slayers 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 glanced 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 in laughter. “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 Slayers’ lives ‘fine’?” Tempest chuckled, then finally landed his gaze on Finn and Iris. “Oh…? Who are these two? Newcomers? 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 — she’s got a pretty face, but her legs are completely crippled, HAHA!”

Between fits of laughter, he pointed at the trio. “Hey, did you go from taking in weak kids to completely 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 glared 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, relax. Sheesh… so quick to get mad. Us Phantom Slayers use our heads to make decisions — not our ‘feelings’. You would do well to remember that, D-Class.”

“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 newcomer said, placing a hand on Archon’s shoulder, then glanced at Tempest’s group. “You. Leave.”

Tempest looked like he wanted to play 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 plans 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 Slayers HQ without sparing a single glance backwards.

“Tch…” Archon spat in annoyance, clenching his fists in anger.

“Relax. Don’t let his taunts get the better of you… or do you want a repeat of what happened last 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 newcomer, 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-class? 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 glanced at Finn and Iris, who were both keeping quiet because of being unfamiliar with this place, 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-class? 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 the latter 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 Slayers — 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 ding coming from within the elevator. They stepped out of the lift.

Lei turned right immediately after exiting. “This way.”

Finn and Iris followed obediently, with the latter 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 were completely alone in this place, the sound of their footsteps echoing across the wide marble hallway.

This place 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 newcomers who wish to join the guild, but their situation is… somewhat special, hence why I took them here.”

“I see… I’m not particularly busy right now. You can come 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 newcomers 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 relaxed air to her.

Finn tried to bow down as well, but with Iris riding him, it was somewhat difficult. The Guildmaster, seeing this, laughed 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 according to a reliable source of information, they took down a Titan-class 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-class 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. A commendable 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 accept. The Phantom Slayers 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 — 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.

“Welcome to the Phantom Slayers Guild, Finn. You’re one of us now.”