Nick took a while to come to terms with what he had just seen.
This was a Specter, but the Containment Unit that was supposed to suppress it didn't do anything to it.
Even more, Nick had believed that he was safe, but he actually wasn't.
There were Specters that broke out of their Containment Units, but Nick wasn't sure if he had ever seen one that was just allowed to leave.
"My authority outranks the Emperor's authority," the Pure One said. "I can overrule any of your decisions if I choose to."
Nick furrowed his brows. "Why?"
Naturally, his question wasn't "how" but "why".
Why would the Empire allow this Specter to outrank the Emperor?
"I am the last resort," the Pure One said. "If the new Emperor doesn't value humanity, it is my duty to get rid of them."
"In the Empire, while I could also outrank the Emperor, his advisors could outrank me, while he could outrank the advisors."
