Chapter 24: The Foggy Mukuro and the Fairy Queen (4)
Kunugi Station, located two stops from Magnolia.
Just before the train was set to depart, the Dark Guild Eisenwald launched a surprise attack, seizing control of the train.
"Hiiik!"
"Aaaah!!"
"Everyone off! Passengers, conductors—get out! This train now belongs to Eisenwald!"
Panicked, all the passengers scrambled to grab their belongings and fled the train as fast as they could.
Once the chaos settled and the train was empty, Kageyama stepped forward to greet Erigor.
"Lord Erigor."
"Ah, there you are. I was dying waiting for you to come back on this train, Kageyama."
"The seal's been undone—more or less."
Despite the earlier scuffle with Natsu, Kageyama had managed to return safely and respectfully handed over Lullaby, which he had guarded carefully inside his coat.
As Erigor took the flute and heard that the seal had been broken, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
The other Eisenwald members, watching from nearby, erupted into cheers for Kageyama.
"So this is… the forbidden magic, Lullaby…"
"Whoa!!"
"That's our Kageyama!"
"With this, the plan is perfect!"
Erigor raised a hand to silence their excitement, then spoke again—reminding them of their mission.
"Originally, this flute was just a tool for execution. But the great dark wizard Zeref evolved it into something far more powerful…"
Holding Lullaby high for all to see, Erigor continued, triumphant.
"The sound of this flute slays all who hear it… a Mass Execution Spell—Lullaby!! Let's begin. Commence the operation!"
At his command, the train roared to life with a thunderous whistle and began speeding toward their target: Oshibana Station.
...
While Eisenwald raced toward Oshibana, Natsu and the others pursued at full speed in their Magic Four-Wheeler.
As they raced down the tracks, Lucy suddenly remembered more about Lullaby and explained it to the group.
"A mass execution spell?! If that thing's really in Erigor's hands…! What the hell is he planning?!"
"I don't know exactly… but whatever it is, it's clearly dangerous!"
Their vehicle hurtled forward along the tracks.
On the way, they passed by Kunugi Station, where they saw kingdom soldiers gathered with a large crowd, murmuring anxiously.
"A bunch of guys with huge scythes stormed the place!"
"I know them! They're a Dark Guild from around here!"
"I left my tools for work on that train! They're more important than my wife!"
Hearing the commotion and complaints, Lucy's suspicion turned into certainty.
"Those guys… they hijacked the train?!"
"Seems like it."
"If it were a carriage or ship, maybe I could understand… but why a train…?"
"Yeah… trains can only run on rails. Stealing one doesn't really give them much freedom."
"True, but it is fast. They must be rushing to carry something out."
"Now that the military's involved, they're bound to get caught eventually, right?"
Gray calmly shared his thoughts, and Lucy nodded, agreeing with his assessment.
But Erza—feeling an increasing sense of dread—couldn't help but push them harder.
Even if the military was now on the move, their opponents were powerful wizards.
And Erigor, in particular, possessed enough strength to wipe out non-wizard soldiers with ease.
Worried that heavy casualties could follow, Erza poured her magic into the vehicle, pushing their Magic Four-Wheeler to its absolute speed limit.
"...Let's hope we're not too late…"
...
Oshibana Station.
The train carrying Eisenwald finally arrived at the station.
Erigor led his subordinates off the train and into the station building.
"…What is this?"
"Something's wrong… This doesn't feel right…"
As Erigor and his men stepped inside, they were met with a strange sense of unease.
What should have been there—wasn't.
"Where are the staff? The passengers? Why is the place empty?"
Erigor's subordinates looked around, but the building was devoid of life.
Something was clearly off.
Their plan had been kept secret. Aside from the minor run-in with Fairy Tail, there should have been no interference. That was just an incident—nothing more.
So why was this station, which should've been bustling with people, completely deserted?
That question was soon answered.
"Kufufufufu…"
"Who's there?!"
A mysterious man appeared out of nowhere—without a sound, standing right before them.
He wore a pristine white outfit, white gloves, white hair, and a smooth, expressionless white mask.
On his collar glinted the insignia of the Magic Council.
Only then did Erigor realize: this man had caught wind of their plan—and was here to stop them.
Erigor's face contorted with rage, veins bulging as he pointed his scythe at the stranger.
"The Council… You're one of the Council's dogs!"
"What?! Did he say the Council?!"
"No way! There's no way the Council found out about this!"
"Calm down, you idiots! Think!"
Silencing his panicking subordinates, Erigor assessed the situation.
This man claimed to be from the Council. Erigor had initially assumed he was backed by a squad of Rune Knights. But now, seeing that the stranger was completely alone, his anger turned to smug confidence.
"You… whoever you are, you're acting alone, aren't you?"
"Lord Erigor, what do you mean?"
"The Council never moves alone. When they take action, they come with lions and entire squads. They never show up solo—they're hot-house flowers who can't handle battle alone."
"Exactly right."
The masked man clapped lightly in mock applause, seemingly amused by Erigor's deduction.
"I intercepted your plan on my own. As you said, the Council wouldn't send someone alone to fight."
"You're awfully bold for a Council member. Who the hell are you?"
"Just someone who wanted to welcome you properly."
At that moment, the air in the station turned icy, and a pale white mist began to rise.
Startled by the sudden fog, Eisenwald wizards panicked—firing off spells in every direction in a wild frenzy.
But it didn't last long.
"Tch… mist? This trash won't stop me—!!"
Erigor swung his scythe, summoning a powerful magic circle that unleashed a howling gust of wind.
The swirling wind cleared the entire station of the thick fog in an instant.
And yet, as the air cleared, the masked man was still standing there, right in front of Erigor, unshaken, calmly staring at him.
In a teasing tone, as if scolding a child, the man spoke:
"Kufufufu… That was just like the Reaper of Wind, Erigor, indeed."
"Trying cheap tricks like that on me…"
"If that's how you'd prefer it—"
Erigor raised his scythe once again.
In response, the masked man raised his hand, summoning a long spear into existence. His once-white gloves began to darken, turning pitch black.
"Then I'll welcome you with pure strength—no tricks."
"DIE!!!"
...
Meanwhile, just as the Magic Four-Wheeler reached its mechanical limit, Erza and her team arrived at Oshibana Station.
Without hesitation, Erza sprinted toward the building.
Gray and Lucy followed behind, helping the still-weak Natsu, but they noticed something strange: the area was deserted. Not a soul in sight.
As they approached the front of the station, they spotted station staff trying to barricade the doors.
"What's the situation inside?!"
"W-who are you?! …Wah!"
"J-just a moment! What do you think you're—UURGH!"
"Tell me what's going on inside! If you don't, I'll knock you out!"
"Eeeeek!!"
Erza headbutted her way through the staff one by one, demanding answers as she marched forward.
The station staff flinched in fear at Erza's intensity, but one bold new recruit managed to muster enough courage to respond to her relentless questioning.
"I—I'm not sure what exactly happened, but… we were ordered by a high-ranking member of the Magic Council to evacuate civilians and lock down the station. He said a terrorist attack would occur…"
"The Magic Council…?!"
Erza gripped the young station worker's arms tightly, demanding a more detailed explanation.
Watching this, Lucy and Gray both swallowed dryly, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads.
"If you can't give fast answers, you're not needed."
"Now you see why we avoid going on jobs with Erza?"
"I never heard anything about the Council deploying. Where's the captain of the Rune Knights? I'll speak to them myself."
"T-the Rune Knights aren't coming. The Council representative said… he would handle it personally…"
And then—
A thunderous explosion echoed from within the station.
Erza immediately tossed the station worker aside and charged toward the source of the sound.
Gray, reacting instantly, flung Natsu—still weak—onto Lucy's shoulders and sprinted after her.
"Let's go!"
"Lucy, take care of Natsu!"
"W-wait! Why am I the one stuck with this?! Wait for meee!!"
...
The explosion inside the station left no room for hesitation.
I charged inside.
From what the station staff said, a high-ranking member of the Magic Council had foreseen a terrorist act and took early precautions.
That in itself made no sense.
The Council never moves alone. They wouldn't send a single person to stop a terrorist attack.
This only deepened my suspicion.
Among the Council members I know, none are capable of fighting solo at that level.
So then… who inside is fighting Eisenwald?
That question was answered the moment I stepped inside.
I found wizards—clearly members of Eisenwald—collapsed across the floor, bloody and broken.
Thankfully, they didn't seem dead, but they were badly wounded—unconscious and clearly out of commission for days to come.
In the midst of the wreckage, two men were engaged in close combat:
One wielding a massive scythe—that had to be Erigor.
"Hah… hah… Who the hell are you?! You said you're alone, but you took out this many wizards… even countered my wind magic?! Are you really telling me there's a monster like you in the Council?!"
Erigor wheezed as he swung his scythe, but the other man—holding a spear—remained calm and composed, effortlessly matching his attacks and landing a clean kick to Erigor's chest.
White uniform. White hair. A smooth white mask.
Only his gloves and spear were black.
But as I watched him fight, as I saw the way he moved—I felt a chill run through my entire body.
My expression twisted with disbelief.
That movement… that spear…
"Armor of the Frenzied Black Bull!"
"Another one?! Who now?!"
"Tch…!"
Donning the Black Bull armor, I rushed in and forced Erigor back. I immediately swung my sword at the spear-wielding man.
It was a surprise attack—yet he blocked it without flinching.
We exchanged three, four strikes.
His defense was flawless. He never attacked first. Every time I struck, he calmly blocked, then countered—but never with lethal intent. He only grazed the armor—carefully holding back.
And I recognized it.
His technique.
That spear.
That style.
It couldn't be… but it was.
My sword trembled in my hands as I pointed it at him and asked:
"Answer me. Who the hell are you…? Why—why are you using Ciel's spear and his techniques?!"
The man standing before me…
Was using the exact spear and combat style of Ciel Illusion, the Fairy Tail wizard who no longer existed in this world.
My S-Class partner.
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