Chapter 74: The Silent Princess and the Burning Nation

The sun was already sinking when the Academy grounds emptied after the duel.
Rinko sat alone on the edge of the training field, her head bowed.
The cheers of victory had long faded—replaced by the low hum of evening wind.

Kanata approached quietly, hands in his pockets.

“Rinko, are you okay?”

She glanced up, eyes red but defiant.
“Okay? What a ridiculous question.”

Kanata smiled faintly.
“You did well today. That fight wasn’t about winning—it was about growing. I used to be just like you, weak and angry, but—”

“Don’t compare your suffering to mine.”
Her voice cracked like ice.
“You don’t know anything about me.”

Before he could reply, she turned and walked away, her shadow swallowed by the corridor’s dim light.

Celestine appeared behind him, her tone soft.
“Let her be, Kanata-kun. Some walls have to crumble from the inside.”

He nodded slowly.
And when night fell, he sat by his window, scrolling through his phone.
A new message blinked from Itsuha.

[Be careful. The Undead plague’s spreading across Anvill. They say it can’t be contained.]

Kanata’s brow furrowed.
He exhaled, set the phone down, and closed his eyes.

Sleep took him.
But not for long.

A blinding white room.
Endless, empty—and at its center stood a familiar figure cloaked in shadowed scales.

Obsidian, the Black Dragon.
His father.

Kanata’s heart tightened.
“Father… where have you been all this time?”

The dragon smiled, the kind that held both power and warmth.
“You could say I went traveling—to another world.”

“Another… world?”

“Yes. I met a young man there. Remarkable one.”

Kanata tilted his head.
“Wait, you went there in your dragon form?”

“Of course not, you fool. I borrowed your human body.”

Kanata froze.
“…Excuse me, what?!”

Obsidian laughed, his deep voice echoing like rolling thunder.
“Relax. Your soul slept safely here while I borrowed your image. That boy I met—he sought to unite five Divine Heroes. His world was chaos, boy. Worse than any you’ve seen.”

Kanata’s eyes narrowed.
“He sounds… familiar.”

“Perhaps one day you’ll meet him. You’d get along.”

The dragon’s grin softened as the white space began to fade.
“Remember, Kanata—worlds are bound by choices. Yours has many yet to make.”

The sound of an alarm shattered the dream.

Kanata jolted awake, the siren still ringing—from his phone this time.

A message from Alyana and Naomi flashed across the screen:

[Be cautious. Undead activity detected near Tokyo’s coast. Evacuations underway.]

Kanata rubbed his eyes.
“Just what we needed…”

He dressed quickly and hurried toward the Academy.

The school gates were crowded with security.
Black cars lined the driveway, flanked by armored guards.

Rinko was already there, arms crossed.
“What’s with all the noise? Don’t tell me—”

Gasps spread through the students.

“No way… Princess Kaguya Kurenai?!”
“The Prime Minister’s daughter?!”

From the central limousine stepped a girl of quiet grace.
Long jet-black hair tied with a crimson ribbon.
Eyes red as autumn maple leaves.
A ceremonial katana hung at her waist, wrapped in wards that shimmered faintly.

Even among the nobles, she radiated something different—calm, composed, dangerous.

Celestine descended the front steps to greet her.
Her tone was formal yet kind.
“Welcome to Tokyo Magical Academy, Lady Kaguya.”

The princess bowed slightly.
“Thank you, Headmistress. I came because I heard he has returned.”

Celestine paused.
“You mean… Kanata Tendou?”

Kaguya’s faint smile was all the answer she needed.

Kanata, watching from afar, felt a chill.
“Please… anyone but my class…”

As the commotion faded, Rinko turned toward him, cheeks tinted pink.

“Sensei… about yesterday.”

Kanata blinked.
“Hmm?”

“I overreacted. You didn’t humiliate me. Celestine-sensei came to my house last night and explained everything to my parents. They cried, you know.”

Kanata chuckled awkwardly.
“Parents tend to do that when they’re proud.”

She took a breath.
“I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Teach me that spell—the one you used in the duel. The splitting magic. <Gamma Illusion>. It was incredible.”

Kanata’s face hardened.
“That spell isn’t for show, Rinko. It’s dangerous. It tears through timelines and minds alike.”

“I don’t care. I want to learn.”

He studied her eyes—no longer arrogant, just determined.
Finally, he sighed.

“Fine. But only if you reconcile with Asuna first. No rivalry. No grudges.”

Rinko hesitated… then nodded.
“Deal.”

Elyana popped up behind them, holding an ice-cream cone.
“If you’re learning from Sensei, then you’re learning from me too! I’ll teach you <Multipurpose>!”

Rinko blinked.
“What’s that?”

“A spell that lets you do everything—if you can bribe me with enough ice cream and chocolate biscuits.”

The nearby students burst into laughter—and envy.
Within minutes, half the class had lined up with sweets in hand, begging Elyana to teach them too.

At that same moment, Celestine poured tea for her royal guest.

“Are you certain about enrolling here, Princess Kaguya? There are safer institutions for someone of your lineage.”

Kaguya’s crimson gaze didn’t waver.
“I’m certain. I saw yesterday’s duel. I saw him. I need to be where he is.”

Celestine sighed quietly.
“Then… which class would you like?”

“Tendou Kanata’s.”

Celestine almost dropped her teacup.
“Of course you would…”

Half a world away, the city of Anvill was burning.

Flames devoured steel towers; black smoke turned the sky red.
Commander Aine Kisaragi tightened her helmet as her team dragged the last survivors onto the evac helicopter.

“Is that all?” she asked.

A soldier saluted weakly.
“Yes, ma’am. No one else made it.”

She looked back—at streets filled with crawling corpses, at the walls collapsing under their weight.

“Then we’re done here.”

The helicopter rose.
From above, Aine watched as a missile streaked toward the heart of the city.

BOOOOOOM.

A nuclear-white explosion blossomed, swallowing Anvill whole.
The shockwave turned night into day.
Every undead burned to ash.

Aine clenched her fists.
“Goodbye, Anvill…”

Far below, amid the ruins, a lone figure in a mask watched the mushroom cloud rise—and smiled.

“Let the world think it’s over. The real game is just beginning.”