Chapter 26

"Alright, Yuka, are you ready?"

"Of course, Lord Albert."

"Good. Then let’s begin!"

Lil and the other spiritkin joined hands, forming a circle around the company building. Slowly, they began to move in unison, their voices rising in an eerie, rhythmic chant.

"Kagome, kagome, the bird in the cage—when, oh when will it come out?"

"Why Kagome Kagome...?"

"It’s a spiritkin-exclusive spell. Songs are their medium, and the more deeply rooted the melody is in the land, the stronger the effect. And nothing is more universal than a nursery rhyme. Just watch—it’s about to start."

"On the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped—"

"Who is it, who is it behind you now?"

In an instant, the world shifted.

That was the only way to describe it. The scenery remained identical—yet everything was wrong. First, the sounds vanished. The hum of car engines, the distant roar of planes, the mechanical whirring of the city, the murmurs of people and animals—all gone. And then—

"There’s... no one here. What is this...?"

"This spell displaces the world. We’re in a parallel phase—a shadow of the original, identical in appearance but devoid of all other life. To put it simply, it’s not that people are missing. We’re the ones who’ve vanished from the real world. Everyone in this building included."

"W-Wait, huh...?"

The sheer scale of the magic was staggering. I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around it.

"...Is it like your teleportation magic, Lord Albert?"

"That only affects me. This rewrites space itself. Let’s be clear—even I can’t pull this off."

"E-Even you can’t?!"

"Spiritkin naturally exist across dimensions, capable of traversing worlds. Spacetime magic is their forte—this is just one application. My teleportation is a personalized derivative."

So Lil’s people were terrifying. That was the only takeaway. My brain was already short-circuiting. How was I supposed to focus on revenge like this?

"No more worrying about witnesses. Next step—go."

" "GROOOOAAAAAH!!!" "

Mil-senpai and El let out thunderous roars. I whirled around—

"...Dragons?!"

"I told you. Mil and El are dragonkin."

Two colossal dragons now loomed over us, their sheer size dwarfing the company building. The first had rugged, stone-like scales that shimmered an oceanic blue, slit-pupiled eyes glowing with reptilian intensity, and wings vast enough to blot out the sky. Its tail alone stretched dozens of meters.

The second resembled the first in build, but its scales burned a radiant gold, its eyes gleaming like molten suns.

"Fufufu. Surprised, Lady Yuka? This is our true form!"

"We rarely show this to anyone! Only Lord Albert and Lady Yuuka deserve the honor!"

The dragons spoke—the blue one was undoubtedly Mil-senpai (that smug tone was unmistakable), while the golden one’s playful lilt marked him as El. And my reaction?

"That’s... so cool."

"Huh?"

"SO COOL!! WHAT EVEN—THIS IS AMAZING!! HOLY SH*T, THAT'S INSANE!!"

My vocabulary evaporated. I was too busy geeking out over my first real-life dragons.

"W-Well, if you praise us that much, it’s... kinda embarrassing..."

"It's been a long time since someone wasn't afraid of our true forms..."

Mil-senpai sounded flustered, while El-kun seemed genuinely surprised. Ignoring their reactions, I stepped closer and reached out to touch them.

"They're real—actual dragons! This is incredible!"

"Honestly, the revenge hasn't even started yet. Save the sightseeing for later."

Lord Albert sighed in exasperation. Right—I’d almost forgotten our purpose.

"Ah! Sorry, I got carried away."

"Well, it is your first time seeing them. I suppose I can’t blame you. Now, back to business."

"Understood. But... what’s next?"

Lord Albert smirked. He was clearly plotting something.

"First, we annihilate their stronghold. Ready?"

"『YES!』"

Mil-senpai and El-kun took a deep breath—

"I’ve temporarily turned them undead. Restoration magic is also active. Kill them without worry."

And then—

A cataclysmic beam of light erupted from their mouths, vast enough to swallow the entire surroundings.

The building vanished in an instant, disintegrated into nothingness. Everything in its path was erased. A deafening shockwave followed, rattling my bones.

It looked like the end of the world—yet the aftermath felt oddly contained. Magic? Restraint? Maybe both.

As I stood there, stunned, chunks of flesh began raining down around me. The scattered pieces writhed, slowly reforming into human shapes.

Two of them were unmistakable: Kiyoharu and Kuzutani

"Welcome to hell, trash. Make yourselves at home."

The revenge had only just begun.