"Finally, I will be recognized…" Clarus said, staring directly at Sekai. In his hands were two black swords formed from the whips emerging from his body.
I have a really bad feeling about this… Sekai thought as he faced Clarus. The boy was nervous in front of the spirit's aura. If he could, he would run away from there. But there was no guarantee the spirit would let him escape, and escaping with Jessyka would be even more difficult.
Meanwhile, Jessyka remained deep in thought in the bleachers.
"Clarus… Clarus…" she thought hard, trying to remember more information about the spirit. "Ah, I remember! Clarus was Sir Lancelot's apprentice. He was considered a candidate to become a knight, but he never managed to become one. He was impulsive and never followed his master's teachings. If I remember right, Lancelot said he wouldn't call him by his name again until he became strong enough to earn the title of knight. At some point, Clarus was accused of murder and his master, Sir Lancelot, was tasked with punishing him. Since he showed no remorse for what he'd done, he was killed by his master." Jessyka murmured to herself.
"You will be my final challenge, boy. I will take your key and be recognized as the great knight I am!" the spirit said, staring straight at Sekai. His voice was imposing and confident.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about… But if you want something from me, then come and get it, spirit!" Sekai said. His voice trembled, and the worry on his face was visible.
Clarus narrowed his eyes in disdain. "I already told you… My name is Clarus!" he snapped angrily.
The spirit tightened his grip on his swords and rushed toward Sekai. The boy prepared himself to defend. Clarus closed in and began attacking repeatedly. Sekai managed to block, but only barely. Clarus then kicked Sekai's sword, opening his guard. The spirit took the opportunity to strike downward with both swords, but Sekai blocked at the last moment.
"Huff… This sucks!" Sekai said, panting.
Barely managing to withstand the vertical pressure, Sekai struggled. Clarus kept the pressure with his right-hand sword but swung his left horizontally, aiming for Sekai's abdomen.
"Oh, come on!" Sekai realized the attack and used his foot to stop the sword. He managed, but ended up in a very uncomfortable stance.
Thank goodness the armor blocked it… Sekai thought as he endured the pressure of both blades.
"Heh." The spirit smirked. Suddenly the left sword softened, and several whips emerged from it, coiling around Sekai's leg.
"AAAH! Damn creature!" Sekai flinched, but it was too late. His leg was trapped.
Now holding Sekai by the leg, Clarus lifted him upside down and smashed the boy on the ground repeatedly, side to side across the gym floor.
"AAAHH! AAHH! AAAH!" Sekai screamed with each impact, his cries echoing across the gym.
"SEKAI!! NO!!" Jessyka screamed from the bleachers. "LET GO OF HIM, YOU DAMN ZOMBIEEE!!!"
Clarus stopped smashing the boy and threw him forward several meters. Then he turned to Jessyka.
"I said I HAVE A NAME! What's wrong with you people? Why won't you call me by my name?!" the spirit roared at her. His eyes burned with rage.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR DAMN NAME!! GO TO HELL, UGLY THING!!"
"What?! Then I'll just take care of you first, and then get the key." The spirit began walking toward Jessyka, sword in hand, with several of whips writhing around him.
"Jessy, no…" Sekai, lying on the ground, was extremely weakened, but he grabbed his sword and forced himself to stand.
Sekai saw the spirit advancing toward the bleachers. Jessyka glared back with anger — but also fear.
"Jessy…!" Sekai rushed toward the spirit to attack him, but the whips wrapped around him again.
"Ah… damn it…" Sekai was trapped by his hands and feet. Clarus turned back toward him.
"You're already weak. I can take the key whenever I want." Clarus wrapped one whip around Sekai's sword and began pulling it. "Give me this weapon. I want to kill that girl with a real sword, so she understands my greatness as a knight!"
Sekai gripped the sword with what little strength he had left. "N-never!" he said through gritted teeth.
"Oh? Then it'll be the hard way." Clarus raised his sword, preparing to strike Sekai vertically.
Sekai was out of options. Bound hand and foot, and on the verge losing his weapon — he couldn't defend himself.
Suddenly, Clarus felt pressure on his back — someone grabbing him.
"Let go of my Sekai, you ugly freak!" Jessyka, seeing Sekai's desperate situation, clung tightly to the possessed girl's back.
"No, Jessy! Get out of here, hurry! It's too dangerous!" Sekai shouted, panicked.
Jessyka began hitting Clarus repeatedly on the head.
"Let go! Let go, let go, LET GO!!" she shouted, but her blows only enraged the spirit.
"You insolent girl!" Clarus dropped Sekai's sword, and used the whip to grab Jessyka's leg, throwing her several meters across the gym.
"AAAHHH!" Jessyka screamed in pain as she hit the ground hard. "Ah… Ah…" She lifted her head with difficulty, reaching out. "Se-Sekai…"
Sekai noticed the spirit had loosened the whips around him when it turned. The boy twisted his arm and successfully cut the whips, which vanished instantly.
"What?!" Clarus turned back, but it was too late — Sekai's sword was already piercing through its torso.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!" the spirit screamed as a blinding light filled the gym.
When it faded, a girl collapsed unconscious on the floor, faint black wisps still drifting from her body.
"Haa… Haah… Looks like… it's finally over…" Sekai ended his transformation and fell backward, exhausted.
Jessyka, sore and holding her left arm, approached the fallen girl. Sekai lay about a meter away on the opposite side.
"Jessy! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine! Thank you for worrying about me." Jessyka gave him a warm smile, making Sekai blush.
Jessyka looked down at the unconscious girl, still emitting faint black particles.
"I don't know if everything from the legend was true… but you carried a lot of resentment." Jessyka knelt beside her. "I hope you can rest now, Clarus."
She touched the girl's arm gently with her right hand.
Suddenly the girl's eyes shot open — pure white, just like the spirit's.
"No! Jessy, get away from her, now!" Sekai yelled, clutching his golden pendant.
A black energy surged from the girl, grabbing Jessyka's right arm. The darkness wrapped around it — specifically around the pearl bracelet on her wrist.
"What the—"
Jessyka froze, terrified and confused. Before she could finish speaking, the energy vanished completely.
"…What?!…" She stared at her arm — nothing seemed wrong, though she was still bruised and hurt.
Sekai looked at the girl on the ground — still unconscious, no more black particles drifting from her body. Then he looked at Jessyka, who was equally confused.
"What the hell just happened…?!" the boy asked.
Around Jessyka's wrist, one pearl on her bracelet had turned black.