Cling! Clang! Clung!
Kuro strikes the chains multiple times to no avail. He even utilizes all of his chakras in his katana. It seems that the chains were no ordinary chains.
Kuro started to feel tired after swinging for so long that he almost lost grip of his katana on the last swing.
Left with no choice, he calls upon his newest recruit, trying to bet if the glutton can eat the metal too.
"Gluttony!"
"YES! OH GREAT LORD!"
Kuro cringed at Gluttony before pointing his finger toward the chains.
"Can you eat those?"
Gluttony bobbed left and right before going toward one of the chains.
"Don't bother." Kisara then spoke, but Gluttony didn't stop.
"You're not LORD. I don't take orders from you." It responded.
"I am not trying to order you. I am just saying you cannot eat chains made by an Outer God."
"Outer God?" Kuro's brow furrowed.
Kisara nodded. "Yes, an Outer God."
Kuro grabs his head in frustration. "Why the hell are things getting more and more complicated?"
"Beats me," Kisara replied.
Soon, Gluttony returned depressed. "Sorry, my lord. The chains were undamageable."
Kuro just shook his head as Gluttony returned to his shadow.
"So what now?" Kuro asked Kisara. Kuro could see the hope in her eyes dimming, even though she tried to not show it.
"Guess I'm stuck here." With that, she lay down and closed her eyes.
Kuro scratched his head, trying to think of ideas. He felt thirsty so he brought out a bottle of water to drink.
He only gulped once before the whole bottle dropped to the floor.
"THAT IT!" He shouted out loud, drawing attention from Kisara.
"What now? Thought of a new idea?"
"A new idea? YES! Why did I think I needed to destroy these chains to free you? I don't need to destroy them at all!"
"You don't?" Kisara asks in confusion since the only way to be freed from the chains is to destroy them.
"Let me show you." Kuro doesn't elaborate as he walks up to Kisara and touches one of the chains.
"INVENTORY"
Kuro whispered with his eyes closed as he thought about storing the chains inside his system inventory.
Immediately, he felt drained and weak as almost all of his chakra disappeared. However, he no longer felt the cold chains in his palm anymore.
He opened his eyes and no longer saw the chain he touched. He stared at his hand in disbelief.
Kisara, still lying down, watched with wide eyes. "It… work?"
Kuro slowly took a step back, still catching his breath from the drain on his chakra.
"Yeah," Kuro said, his voice a mix of excitement and exhaustion, "I guess it worked."
Kisara was still processing what she was seeing. "So… you can just… store the chains in your so-called 'inventory'? Just like that?"
Kuro nodded, but his face twisted slightly in confusion. "I didn't think it'd work. But it did." He raised a finger to his temple. "I guess the system's not as limited as I thought. It can even store items made by gods. Then Again…"
Kuro brought out his katana. "This was also made by a god. I just never dive deep into it."
Gluttony peeked its head out of Kuro's shadow, its eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Can I eat the chains now, my lord?" It asked eagerly, its large mouth salivating just at the thought.
Kuro raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "You already tried it, don't you?"
"Yes. But I want to eat."
"Not now. Go back and rest. I have a feeling you will be eating a buffet soon."
"Aaaallrrrigght." Gluttony 'sadly' went back into the shadow.
Kuro watched as Gluttony slinked back into the shadow with a soft grumble, muttering something about snacks and missed opportunities. He shook his head with a grin before turning his attention back to Kisara, who was still eyeing the space where the chain once was.
"Yeah, I didn't think it would be that easy either," Kuro continued, his voice a little more thoughtful. "Since I need to recover my energy before I can continue with the other chains, let's talk about something in the meantime.
Kuro then brought out the ancient scrolls. "This here is the ancient scroll related to the White Dragon Emperor. Do you know anything about it?"
Kisara blinked, her eyes still wide from the earlier revelation. Then as if she was hit by a bolt of lightning, her head darted toward Kuro.
"H-how did you get that?" Kisara asks as her voice trembles and breaks. Soon, tears started dropping from her eyes.
Kuro looks at the scroll and Kisara. He don't think this scroll would cause such an emotional shift in her.
"Kisara… what's wrong? Why are you—?" Kuro trailed off, unsure how to phrase the question without sounding too abrupt.
She wiped her eyes quickly, trying to regain some composure, though the tears continued to flow. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "That scroll… you… you have no idea what it means, do you?"
Kuro frowned, a knot forming in his stomach. "From what I know, it can grant a portion of the White Dragon Emperor Power to the person who uses the scrolls?"
"True." Kisara was finally able to compose herself. "But it is also the last thing my father gave to my mother before asking us to escape. Me and my mother got separated during the escape. The scroll was with her. If you have it, then…"
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Kuro immediately raised his hand before a misunderstanding occurred. "I got this scroll from defeating Scaris."
"I know. You don't seem to be a person to kill someone for their things." Kisara nodded.
"So, you want the scroll." Kuro raises the scroll toward her.
"Really? You don't want the power of the White Dragon Emperor?"
"Well, I would be lying if I said no. Unfortunately, I am not too pressed to get a new power at the moment." Kuro shook his head.
"I... I appreciate that," Kisara said quietly, her gaze lingering on the scroll in Kuro's hand.
Kuro nodded slowly, understanding the weight of her words. "I get it. It's not just a powerful artifact to you. It's something personal. Something tied to everything you've lost." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "I can hold onto it for now. If you ever feel ready to take it back, it'll be yours."
"Thank you, Kuro," Kisara said quietly.
"Well, you did propose to me." Kuro rubs his nose.
Kisara was unsure whether to laugh or be embarrassed.
"Alright." Kuro then stood up. "It seems I have recovered enough for another chain."
"That quick?" Kisara looked at him with surprise.
"Yep!"
With that, Kuro stored a chain, recovered, talked with Kisara, stored a chain again, and repeated until all the chains were stored.