Chapter 6

Chain of the Key Holder (2)

    "Oceanus," Esther murmured before a heavy black-covered book appeared. "I won't use you this time, Tartarus. But could you turn into a human for a bit?"

    "I refuse...tell me if you die," the other side teasingly replied, causing Esther to grimace.

    Though Tartarus did not transform into a human, the young man felt the chains lighten. His lost power began to return, and the chains lengthened enough to allow for high kicks.

    "Thanks."

     ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names, please, leave them on my tombstone!!!’

    With that thought, Esther immediately threw the book at the senior. The red-haired warrior grinned wickedly before raising his great sword to strike the improvised projectile weapon. In an instant, fire enveloped both the blade and the book, and the force of the strike sent the book flying back towards Esther. However, the newly awakened warrior showed no signs of letting go of his flaming sword.

    "Your trick is interesting, but fire magic should be like this."

    With that shout, a genuine lesson for the junior ensued.

    Orbs of fire of various sizes floated around the red-haired man, dozens of them, before they merged into his body, setting him ablaze as if being grilled alive. Yet, the man enveloped in flames simply smirked coolly, unfazed by anything.

    Sword against book, sword against kick. When Sanctus struck, Esther used the moment the sword was in motion to dodge and struck the senior's face full-force with the book he carried. The senior, not to be outdone, let the flames engulfing him act as a shield... it hardened against Esther's attacks, making them seem ineffective. The great sword was set aside as the wielder concluded it was unsuitable for this opponent, given its cumbersome maneuverability.

    Sanctus drew his katana, and the air around him stirred, intensifying the heat of the flames. The katana gleamed, resonating with the fierce fire. The sound of the blade clashing with its target could not halt the enemy's breath. Only a book separated the sleek blade from the head. The red-haired senior stepped out of the circle, slashing the empty air several times until Esther furrowed his brow but remained vigilant.

    In the final moment, Sanctus switched to a stabbing motion. As the tip of the blade touched the air, a magic array as big as a person appeared, unleashing a blade of void rapidly and silently. It swept the area like a storm filled with blades, with the target vanishing from sight.

    Caught off guard, Esther could only crouch down to dodge. His mind raced to find a way to defeat his opponent for his own survival.

    "Direct confrontation is disadvantageous. Sneak attack, go," Esther murmured.

    In a split second of thought, his personal thrown weapon was pulled out for use again, this time not for attacking.

    The book floated mid-air, aimed at the opponent’s redhead. Sanctus frowned slightly before drawing his sword to deflect the book, unaware that Esther had closed in on him. The latter charged straightforwardly before sliding into a blind spot swiftly.

    "The legendary low kick!" As soon as he shouted, the first-year student flicked his toe to strike at the unsuspecting senior. A soft thud was heard, along with the red-haired man's brows furrowing. Esther didn't care whether Sanctus could feel pain. He pulled his foot back, dragging the senior off-balance face-first onto the ground, then immediately used his other foot to kick the chain to wrap around the senior's neck.

    The sound of the ghost gasping for air resounded. The young man instantly knew that the other party was no ordinary ghost. Even though he was being scorched by the fire armor the other had conjured around his body, Esther paid it no mind. He shifted his weight and kept twirling the chain in his hand, tightening it around the neck of the older warrior. It seemed that Tartarus had added weight to herself, causing the senior ghost to be unable to rise. Eventually, he made a gesture as if tapping out to surrender; otherwise, he risked being decapitated.

    The fire that served as the senior's armor couldn't burn Esther. Since being strangled, the blaze engulfing Sanctus began to cool immediately, causing the young man with dark hair to be slightly scorched... but it also resulted in large, clearly visible burn scars on his face.

    Seeing the opponent surrender, Esther told his sadistic torture device to stop its fun for now.

    "Fools."

    A clear single word came in response, but nevertheless, Tartarus willingly released the chain.

    "Thanks for going easy on me," the junior said, smiling, in contrast to the senior who was glaring at him.

    'Combat skills: passed. Within acceptable standards.'

    'Likeability level: Annoying like this gets full marks.'

    "Okay, okay, at least now I know you're somewhat capable. Time for me to depart this world in peace," the senior ghost said with a bit of a pose. "But don't forget today's fight. Even though it was as short as a breath, I hope you gained more than just throwing a book. My duty ends now. It's time for me to rest for good."

    His gaze moved from Esther's face to his own grave. The look in Sanctus' eyes became a tad melancholic but vanished as quickly as it appeared. Esther, seeing this, didn't wish to comment much about it, knowing it must relate to the other's life.

    The young warrior looked at the junior in front of him, offering his personal katana and pointing to the great sword on the ground.

    "I leave these to you. Use them for whatever you see fit. I hope they'll be of use to the next keyholder. This forest will return to its essence. Remember... this place is friendly to you. Don't forget to use the key."

    Esther reached out and graciously accepted the sword, then picked up the giant sword from the ground.

    "And don't indulge that chain too much," the senior said with a smile.

    After he spoke, his body rapidly turned to dust, swept away by a fierce wind, before everything reverted to how it was before his arrival.

    The ground in front of his grave, which had been as if shattered, miraculously returned to its normal state. The flowers that had been cut emitted a faint glow and slowly returned to their original state. The entire forest glowed gently, as if bidding farewell to a departing friend. It seemed that the man who had just fought with him was dearly loved by this forest.

    "Come quickly, go quicker, indeed," Esther spoke as he gazed at the surroundings mourning for a while. Suddenly, he collapsed with a terrifying, cross-shaped gash across his chest, blood flowing onto the ground forming a small pool. The young man who was sneak-attacked smiled faintly before speaking painfully,

    "Heh, when did he cut me?”

    “The part where you went easy on me, that was true, huh?” the black chain remarked in astonishment. “What I’m wondering is how you’re still not dead.”

    The wound on his left hand, along with his chest, added another level of pain. He could barely stand up now, yet Esther continued to force himself. He used the katana to prop himself up, struggling to his feet. His gaze fell on the great sword with flame motifs lying beside him.

    The curving blade, etched on the inside, seemed to have some kind of energy flowing within it like a type of thermal power. The hilt was wrapped in old cloth, but the flame patterns were meticulously crafted.

    The point was, he didn't like using such a large sword. Honestly, he was more adept at martial combat or using something long like a spear.

    Esther looked at it for a while as if to memorize it before speaking,

    "Tartarus."

    "What, I'm not helping you this time," came the monotone reply, seemingly intentional to annoy Esther before his real demise.

    "Swallow it," he weakly pointed towards the great sword with his injured hand from the chain wound.

    "What!!!" This time it wasn't just one voice; Victoria's, who had been quiet for a while, also interjected.

    "Absolutely not, sir. The sword is a warrior's pledge. How could it be swallowed so easily?" came the polite voice from the disembodied entity. "That's to be used by you, sir. It's a weapon passed down from the keyholder."

    "Hurry up and eat it." His response remained the same, his black eyes glaring defiantly forward. He thought if the weapon that belonged to him were consumed, it might be more beneficial than staying with him. Deciding to command the dark chain to devour the weapon before him, he felt no regret.

    "As you wish..." The chain that locked his leg transformed back into the girl in rags. Her clothing now looked even more tattered than before, with a bandage over her right eye slightly bloodied, as if she had been severely beaten. The girl moved towards the great sword and picked it up.

    Clang!!

    The metal that made up the sword shattered into pieces, the fragments of the weapon floated into Tartarus's mouth, as if invisible hands were feeding them to her bit by bit. If a piece was too large, it would turn to dust and dissolve into her mouth immediately.

    Before long, Tartarus's form began to change little by little under Esther's gaze. The once ragged clothes transformed into a black gothic dress, with flame patterns elegantly embroidered around the dress. The chains that wrapped around her merged into her body, becoming a tattoo that moved as if alive for a while before gathering on her right arm, forming a black chain tattoo with a cross on the back of her hand.

    ‘My... goddess, adorable.’

    The entire scene unfolded under the eyes of the chain's owner, drenched in blood. The young man, having witnessed the transformation, was so stunned that he reconsidered his previous thoughts of her being okay-looking. The girl beside him... was very beautiful.

    Unafraid of his impending death, the young man spoke up,

    "Turn around for me, will you?"

    Tartarus, upon hearing this, froze for a moment, and Victoria was left speechless.

    For some unknown reason, the girl, who was almost at the brink of a deadly fight, complied gracefully.

    "Absolutely adorable," his once weak voice livened up surprisingly, accompanied by a smile that spread across Esther's face. He pointed to the katana supporting him and continued without regard for the other's reaction, "Then eat this too. Might as well get it over with."

    As he handed over the sword, Esther muttered, "I'm ready to die this time."

‘...’

    Both pairs of eyes looked at the dying man with disdain. Tartarus and Victoria now saw Esther as if he was garbage spilling out of an overflowing bin about to fall on them, prompting the accused man to instantly refute the ladies' gaze.

    "Don't look at me with those eyes," Esther protested with all the breath he could muster, his voice faltering, "I just wanted to see her in a different outfit."

    "Your wish is granted."

    Knowing that consuming weapons not only changes her outfit but also enhances her powers, Tartarus didn't hesitate. Her small hands swiftly grabbed the sword from the larger man without caring about its purpose, causing him to collapse immediately for lack of support.

    Once the sword was fully consumed, her outfit changed again. She seemed to grow slightly taller, and her attire transformed into a black kimono with white flame patterns fluttering around it. The sleeves were adjusted to be slightly shorter than usual, and the hem of the kimono was just the right length, reaching her knees. The obi belt was a vivid red, like blood, and the clean white bandage covering one eye seemed tighter. The one thing that remained unchanged was her glasses.

    Esther, far from thinking like someone about to die, mused, "A cosplay chain." The scene brought to mind stories and books from old worlds, where a girl from the underworld shared a similar appearance.

    "This looks quite good. A bit more comfortable than the previous one," the girl, now quick to joy, herself had only consumed leftover weapon scraps in the room, resulting in her tattered appearance. She hadn't noticed that consuming quality items would result in a different outcome.

    "Esther," Tartarus said as she walked over and transferred her spiritual power to him, rapidly healing the wounds on his body. The blood that had been lost seemed to be regenerated, leaving only the scars on his hand and chest. "I've changed my mind... after this, let's cancel the three-times limit. I want to be your full-fledged weapon."

    "Seriously?" the young man asked incredulously, amazed by his luck.

    "Seriously," she affirmed, her one grey eye shining resolutely, "But I'll transform into something else instead. I don't want to be at your feet; it gets bloody too often."

    "From now on, find me some tasty weapons or something else to consume," Tartarus said selfishly as she gently touched his hand. A dark, ominous aura began to emanate from her body, intimidating, yet charming. The smile on her face nearly melted Esther's heart.

    "Please take care of me, Master."

That was the first time she truly acknowledged him as a master.