Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Blue Shackles and the Book of Contracts
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Thankfully, the grimoire written by an Outer God didn't pull any nonsense like repelling another Outer God. The moment Leah ascended the stairs, Ian snatched the manifesting grimoire out of the air.
Ching.
Thin, short iron chains dangling from its edges scraped across the floor as they slithered out. It was an eerie sight—a book adorned with chains—but it wasn't all that heavy. Lighter than a feather, no, more like a slim guidebook.
The grimoire vibrated briefly in his grip, stuttering like it was trying to speak.
His body didn't explode, nothing went wrong anywhere. His mind was clear, his mood unchanged. No urges to grab and tear someone apart, no hatred or resentment bubbling up.
Pure calm. Fortunately, his compatibility with the grimoire seemed pretty high. Ian nodded once and leaned against the wall, glancing back at his companions.
"Got the grimoire. But hang back there for a sec. Looks like it doesn't like sharing space with others."
"......Hmph."
"Not pleased."
The two Outer Gods narrowed their eyes, glaring at Blue Shackles and the Book of Contracts. Sensing their stares, the grimoire shivered and burrowed deeper into Ian's hand, almost like it was breaking into a nervous sweat.
"......Uh, Ian? Something's coming down from upstairs in droves?"
That was when Lee Seo-ah spat it out, drawing her bone knife after getting word from one of her ghosts. Leah, who'd been standing there indifferently, looked up.
"Ah, Anomalies. They must be pissed we found the grimoire."
"What?"
"Why the surprise? I told you. The grimoire is the foundation of this space. Of course they'd be mad when their house is about to vanish."
"Even so, there's too damn many......"
"They're weaklings anyway. Just a numbers game. If it's a problem, ask that fish over there for help, bug. Quantity's her specialty, right? Lucky she's got at least one useful trait."
Leah's "fish" referred to the Master of the Outer Sea, and "bug" was Lee Seo-ah. The self-proclaimed fish scowled unpleasantly.
"Why should I help some human who's not even my husband? You think I'm that merciful?"
"He's standing in the underground corridor right now. Holding the grimoire that's the core of this space. If this place gets breached, who do you think those parasites will latch onto? Use that head of yours—if you can call it that. Oh, sorry. It's tentacles, right? My bad, octopus."
Leah smirked mockingly. The Master of the Outer Sea wiped the expression from her face.
"Don't talk about my true form in front of my husband."
"Unbelievable. You brought up your true form first in front of him last time, and now you don't want to hear it? God, your intelligence level is just...... Makes me want to puke every time I see it."
"Shut up."
Crackle.
Half the Master of the Outer Sea's face was engulfed in black seawater. Crimson eyes bloomed like flowers amid it. After a moment, she remembered Ian was right there and reverted to human form.
"Hoo......"
"Pfft, so she knows her true form's disgusting, huh?"
"Wish that eight-armed freak would shut it. Before I make her a one-armer."
"Try me."
"Think I won't?"
Their gazes clashed in midair. Lee Seo-ah, who'd been waiting for their spat to end, finally lost her patience and shrieked.
"Hey, you two! I get you don't like each other, but help out! While you're bickering—hiiik!"
A thick steel pipe plummeted down with a whistle right in front of her. A split-second slower, and her head would've split in two.
"There's a ton of them! I can't hold alone— we'll get overrun! Ian dies too!"
"She says so, fish."
Leah said, massaging her face. The Master of the Outer Sea glared at her, side-eyed Ian, and sighed.
"......Just so we're clear, this isn't for you. It's all for my husband."
She ignored any reply, scooped up a few nearby Anomalies' corpses, slammed them against the wall, and muttered.
"Come out and kill them all."
With those words, the wall oozed red slime. From it crawled five small Messengers.
The weakest creatures listed in the grimoire, yet more than enough to rip Anomalies apart. They started to greet Ian warmly, assuming he'd summoned them, but froze trembling at the crimson girl's glare. The Master of the Outer Sea intoned lowly.
"Kill them. Or do you want to die?"
The Messengers veered sharply toward the Anomalies. The Master of the Outer Sea snorted, and Lee Seo-ah sighed in relief as she manipulated her Evil Spirits.
Ian paid them no mind. Instead, he slowly read the grimoire's contents.
That was the intro at the very front of the slim volume.
Like other grimoires, a standard description. Ian meticulously memorized every word, nodding at the final sentence.
He'd half-expected no previous owner. It was a newborn grimoire, after all—freshly born, so no prior owner made sense.
The spells covered contracts, concealment, and suppression.
Contracts and concealment clicked right away, but suppression was unclear. Probably magic to unilaterally crush or collar a target. He'd have to study the grimoire slowly to find out.
'The standout is contracts. Unilateral deals with organics or inorganics alike—means I can grab 'em by the scruff regardless of their will.'
Impressive in one sense, underwhelming in another. But he hadn't skimmed the full spell list yet, so best to reserve judgment.
The key takeaway: 100% compatibility. Like Hand of Recreation and Deep Sea Chronicles, this grimoire was harmless to him—just a book. It had ego, sure, but that wasn't an issue.
'No worries about Madness.'
Ian chuckled lightly, stroking the chains dangling from the bottom. Despite the light weight, the texture was pure iron chain.
"Planning to head back to reality. Mind closing this space now?"
He addressed the grimoire. As if understanding, it rustled its pages to a specific one.
A page detailing contract termination. Ian tapped the cover with a finger and pushed off the wall.
"So, do what it says here?"
"Got it."
Just vibrations, but with experience from two prior grimoires, Ian instinctively understood. He drew the magic circle on the floor as instructed—complex, time-consuming, but completed accurately enough for a first try.
He pocketed his pen, gripped the grimoire firmly, and began chanting.
"Hear me, wretched thing ensnared by my shackles."
⟨ Contract Termination Ritual ⟩
Boom!
The school shook once. With a grinding crack, the underground ceiling—no, the entire school—flew away. Incoming Anomalies were swept up and shredded, unveiling the dark night sky.
The sky brimmed with moon and stars. At its center, something small swam languidly through the night.
A statue. Three women bound together as one.
The classic mythic depiction of Hecate.
'So the school ghost story's true form is that goddess fused with various Anomalies.'
Intriguing, but no time for curiosity. Ian gazed impassively skyward and continued the chant.
Boom!
The night sky tore open. Hecate's massive, demonically warped face emerged between the rifts.
Ignored.
Ching!
The chains from the grimoire's bottom elongated, coiling around Hecate's neck.
"I terminate the contract."
Crack!
As the final words left his lips, the chains snapped taut—then broke. Simultaneously, the bonds around Hecate sharpened into blades, shredding her stone body.
The night wailed. The goddess of night, queen of the moon, sang a beautiful a cappella in blood instead of voice. Ian watched, lips curling faintly.
Unilateral contract termination. An Outer God's pact, shoving all burdens onto the other party.
A spell truly befitting an Outer God.
......
By then, he and Lee Seo-ah stood at the high school's entrance.