The suit of armor lumbered towards me. Each step it took shook the floor, reflecting the weight and heft of its metal body. Nobody could mistake its identity, for it was a Hunter Armor – one of the most dangerous enemies in Spirit of Darkness. They were on a level closer to mini-bosses than that of regular enemies.

“Why... are you wearing Arma?”

It marched towards me, unperturbed, and swung its mace. I jumped out of the way as the mace crashed into the floor and blew away the planks. It felt like a miniature explosion. You'd expect to see that from a spell, but this was a simple physical strike. That level of strength was definitely abnormal.

I swung at the creature, who blocked the hit with his empty hand with no apparent damage. Just like in the game, Haunted Armors possessed a great resistance to physical damage. One could hypothetically strip away their armor after hitting them enough, but that took so long as to be considered impractical. Enchanting one's weapon with fire could help, but not by much. The go-to option was a magically-enchanted weapon, with magic spells coming close second.

However, I couldn’t use any of these strategies. I was currently completely out of mana. I could hypothetically enchant a weapon with a vial of Blue Slime, but I did not possess any of those. No matter which way you looked at it, this was a terrible match-up.

“Lacerta! Snap out of it!” I yelled.

She was lying in the corner of the room, still shaking with fear. It was a long-shot, but I thought that might have had a chance of jolting her out of it. If I had magic support on the side, then this encounter would be doable. The extent of her fear, however, appeared to be beyond my comprehension. Not only will she not provide assistance, she is effectively a hostage which prevented my escape. I would have to fight this opponent alone while protecting her at the same time. With these conditions, I concluded that victory was impossible.

I jumped back and put up a defensive stance.

“I yield, ghost. There is no reason for us to fight. Let us put down our weapons and leave in peace.”

The suit of armor stopped in its tracks. Instead of coming forward, it brought a hand to its forehead and began laughing.

“No reason to fight? Pompous words coming from you, human! I decline. You will die here.”

It began marching once more with its lumbering steps. It swung at me with its mace, and I blocked the attack with my own weapon. The force the hit was incredible, as even with my enhanced strength I could feel my knees starting to buckle. The ghost continued laughing.

“You slaughtered my companions without a second thought. We have meant no harm for anyone, and yet you still came here. You break into our home, violate our sanctity, and kill us in cold blood. You are nothing but a villainous brute, and for that you must face the retribution of justice.”

I jumped back out of the way and let the mace hit the floor once more. I did not have much room left to retreat, as I was quickly hedged in to the corner. The only thing I could do is attempt to negotiate with him.

“I only attacked those hostile to me. If the ghosts did not attempt to harm me first, then I would have left them alone. I only acted in self-defense, and self-defense is a completely justified reason to fight,” I said.

The haunted armor stared directly at me.

“Is that what Arma said before you murdered her?”

“I...”

The ghost slugged forward. I put a defensive stance once again.

“I didn't kill Arma! I've only known her for a short time, but I cared for her. I would never murder her,” I said.

“YOU LIE.”

The suit armor stared intently, its gaze piercing through my body.

“I can tell from your eyes. Those soulless untrusting eyes which only the lowliest of humans would possess. You never cared for anyone your entire life. The only person you ever think of is yourself. You killed my companions, and you killed Arma. Even your vile mind comprehends that truth.”

“I just...”

The creature swung once more, and I did my best to parry the attack. The strike was even more monstrous than the last, and I put every ounce of strength into holding it back.

I could not think of how to respond. I couldn't deny his allegations, as I never did trust or care for anyone besides myself. If it did help someone, then it was because that person was of use to me. It's the reason why I kept Lacerta around – she was a valuable resource. It's also true, no matter the circumstances, that I was the one who killed Arma. My words led to her demise. I didn't strike her down with my weapon, but in my heart there was no distinction.

Why did I even tell her those words? Normally I wouldn't bother, and would only talk to her if I desired something in return. But that wasn't the case. I didn't expect to gain anything, and instead only helped out of good will. I would normally do meaningless gestures of hospitality like thanking people and holding doors open, but anybody would do that. Talking from my heart and convincing her to move on with her life, however, was completely unnecessary.

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Of course, I knew the reason. I could sympathize with her situation because it was similar to my own. Despite rejecting others, I couldn't help but relate to those who were similar to me. I wanted to help her because I could see myself in her shoes. I would have loved for somebody to be there for me and give me advice or a motivational speech, but it never happened. Due to this unusual circumstance, I ended up helping another person in a way I normally could not.

The ghost pushed on with even more force than before. I couldn't afford to let him go any further, and so I pushed back to match it. I couldn't take much more, but I didn't care.

“So what!?” I yelled.

New-found energy was flowing through me. I took a step forward and actually pushed back the heavy mace. The ghost recoiled in surprise, as he couldn't understand how I was capable of such feat.

“So what if I only think of myself? There is nothing wrong with that. Every living thing ultimately only cares about their own survival. I am selfish, but I am not a villain. I have always treated others as I would expect to be treated myself. Yes, it's true, I am the one who killed Arma,” I said.

“You-”

I interrupted the ghost before it could speak back.

“But that is what she wanted. In her last moments, she was happy. She overcome her fear and followed her passion, no matter what the consequences were. Despite leading to her demise, that is not something I regret. This armor on my body is proof of legacy of her will.”

I thumped my chest with my free hand.

“That is justice. You may hold a grudge against me, but that is due to your own petty regret. I will accept that, but I will not accept being judged. I am different from normal people, and hold myself to a higher standard that only I can fulfill. That is proof that I am strong. There will be retribution here, as I am the one on the side of justice, not you,” I said.

The haunted armor stared down at the floor before looking back at me.

“Ha. Might words coming from a mere puny human. You think this is a battle of justice? That your brand of justice is superior to mine? Then so be it. There is only one way to sort this out,” it said.

The ghost pointed its mace at my head.

“Prove your will with your strength. Can you defeat me, human? Are you confident enough in your words to back them up? I went easy on you before, but I will not make the same mistake."

I pointed my halberd forward, mirroring his own pose.

“Bring it on, ghost.”

As we stared at each, ready to pounce forward, a different voice sprung forth.

“That's enough. You can stand down, Bonitas.”

A different ghost phased through a set a doors on the third floor. It was similar to the ones in the graveyard, but larger and dull-gray colored instead of white. It also possessed functional hands and a hood covering its head. In Spirit of Darkness it would be classified as a Wraith.

“But leader...”

“Bonitas, did you actually think you could win this fight? This man defeated a lich single-handily, and was the one who slayed Arma. If he was serious, he could have defeat you long ago. We are lucky he does not intend us harm.”

I could have won earlier?This was news to me, as I was on the edge of my ropes the entire time. I was acting all tough, but it was a desperate last stand more than anything. I should consider myself lucky that the wraith thought so highly of me, as otherwise I would most likely be doomed.

“Come forth, adventurer. You came here for a reason, did you not?” said the wraith.

Instead of showing my sudden sense of relief, I played along.

“Yes. What I came here for is information. Am I correct in assuming you are the leader of this establishment?”

The wraith signaled me to follow him.

“Come with me. Bonitos, you stand down for now. Make sure no harm comes to his companion while we talk.”

The armor begrudgingly accepted the command. Wraiths were stronger than ghosts, but much weaker than Haunted Armors. However, this did not seem to have any bearings on their command structure. This armor, Bonitos, was obviously loyal and followed orders even if they conflicted with his personal desires.

The wraith led me to a study room on the third floor. All the final rooms in the dungeons I've explored turned out to be study room. The ghost floated near the desk and instructed me to sit down.

“What do you wish to know, adventurer?”

Many possibilities flashed through my mind. This is the first time I've been able to converse with a dungeon leader, meaning he could be a source of invaluable information.

“Many things. I wish to know more about this mansion, this world as a whole, and specific people too. I wish to know about the one known as Arma, I want to know more about the Demon Lord.”

Reacting to the last name I recited, the ghost sighed.

“Very well. I will do my best to answer your curiosities.”