Chapter 25: The Foggy Mukuro and the Fairy Queen (5)
"...."
The man stood in silence, unmoving. He gave no response, no reaction to my question.
A man who should no longer exist in this world.
The one I admired and respected second only to the Master.
There's no way Ciel Illusian's spear should still exist in this world.
The only one left was the one laid to rest in his grave, blooming from a lotus—a weapon meant never to be used again.
So then, who is this man?
Could it be Ciel himself?
…No. That's impossible.
Ciel was consumed by a magical explosion so powerful, it carved canyons into the frozen plains.
There's no way he survived. Even if he had, his body wouldn't be intact.
As I stood locked in a standoff with the man, Gray and Lucy finally arrived, carrying the groaning Natsu between them.
"Erza! What the hell happened here?!"
"Eeek!! These people are all covered in blood?! What the heck is going on?!"
Both of them widened their eyes at the fallen Eisenwald wizards, then followed the direction of my blade—to the man standing ahead of us—and instinctively shifted into battle stances.
"So that's Erigor?"
"Gray! Stop!"
"Huh? Erza?"
"I'll ask again. Who are you? And why are you using Ciel Illusian's spear and spear techniques?!"
"W-wait! Did you just say Ciel?!"
Gray's eyes went wide, and he stared at the spear. The disbelief was clear on his face as he stepped beside me and prepared his magic.
"...Yeah. That spear… it's the exact same one Ciel used. But that can't be. There's no way it still exists…"
"..."
"Who the hell are you…?!"
But before we could demand further answers, Erigor—who we had foolishly ignored—slammed his massive scythe into the ground.
"Maelstrom Wall!!"
"Urgh…?!"
"Waaaah?!"
"Eeeeek!"
"Ughhhgh!"
A violent gust of wind surged out from Erigor's scythe, tearing through the area.
In the blink of an eye, a storm of sand and wind blinded me.
By the time I wiped the grit from my eyes and regained focus, both Erigor and the spear-wielding man were gone.
"Tch… So that was Erigor? He used that opening to escape…"
"Natsu! Are you okay?!"
"The ground is spinning… I think I'm gonna hurl…"
"Not on my clothes!"
So Erigor ran away…
Or so I thought—until his voice echoed throughout the entire station.
"Keh keh keh… Looks like I was about to fail, but you little fairies ended up helping me out."
"Erigor!!"
"You're not leaving this station. My Maelstrom Wall has surrounded the entire place."
"What?!"
"Once inside, there's no escape. Anyone who tries to leave will be sliced to ribbons by the wind itself."
"You bastard…!"
"It's not a birdcage, no—more like a flytrap. Though… a pretty big one, wouldn't you say? Hya—hya—hya—hya—hya!"
His hideous laughter echoed across the walls, gradually fading away.
We rushed toward the tracks and looked outside—just as he'd said, a massive swirling wall of wind surrounded the station, howling violently.
"Erigor!! This conversation isn't over!!"
I shouted after him, but it was too late.
He had vanished—right in front of our eyes—while we were distracted by the man from the Council.
No… We'd actually interfered with the fight. We helped Erigor escape.
"Hey, Erza. That masked guy from earlier—who was he?"
"...I don't know. He had the Council's badge, so I assume he's one of them…"
"But why did he have Ciel's spear?"
"...I don't know. But his combat style… his speed… everything was exactly like Ciel's."
"Then maybe… could Ciel actually still be alive…?"
"No. That's impossible. We never found his body, but Ciel is dead. I went to Snowplate once. I saw the place with my own eyes—and I knew there was no way Ciel could've survived."
One month after his funeral, I'd traveled to that Plain—the presumed site of Ciel's death.
The seemingly endless snowy fields had been torn in two, a deep canyon stretching as far as the eye could see.
When I saw that rift, I was finally able to give up on the miracle I'd hoped for.
So who… who is that man?
...
Meanwhile, not far along the tracks from Oshibana Station—Clover Town.
High above the tracks leading into the town, Erigor soared through the air, riding the winds.
"There it is. I can see it now."
At his waist hung a flute adorned with a skull-like carving.
Lullaby.
From the beginning, Erigor's goal wasn't to kill the people at the station.
His true objective was retribution—punishing the official wizards who had cast them into the darkness.
Erigor's real goal was to activate Lullaby in Clover Town—where the Guild Masters' regular meeting was being held.
Right now, the town was hosting many local Guild Masters, all gathered in one place for the council.
If Lullaby were to be activated there, not even the strongest wizards could escape death.
And in doing so, the members of Eisenwald would be seen as the agents of divine retribution—those who punished the "righteous" wizards.
That was the plan Erigor had devised: Operation Lullaby.
After soaring through the skies for a while, Erigor descended in front of the meeting hall in Clover Town.
With a wicked grin, he pulled Lullaby from his waist and charged straight into the building.
"Kuhahahahahaha!!"
"What the—?!"
"An intruder!"
"Who are you?!"
The Guild Masters were caught off guard by Erigor's sudden assault. They tried to launch spells at him, but the magic was useless against the barrier of wind swirling around him.
Delighted, Erigor burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
To make matters worse, the key figures—Makarov, Bob, and Goldmine—had all conveniently stepped out for the restroom.
The remaining Masters didn't have the power to stop Erigor.
"Kuhahahahaha!! Hear me, you foolish wizards of light! We've been trapped in the darkness for six long years! But now—now is the time for judgment!"
He raised the flute to his lips, ready to unleash Lullaby.
The Masters could only watch in fear and confusion, frozen as Erigor prepared to play.
But just then…
"W-what…? My body…"
The flute was inches from his lips—but suddenly, he couldn't move.
An invisible pressure had wrapped itself around Erigor's body, rendering him completely immobile.
And before he could process what was happening—
[That's far enough.]
A chilling voice spoke from behind.
Erigor forced his head to turn, and saw a misty purple fog swirling behind him, binding his limbs.
But what truly shocked him—was the figure slowly forming from the mist.
It was the masked man from the Council—the one who had interfered before.
"Y-You… How did you get here…?"
[The wind may scatter the mist. That much is true.
But…]
The man's icy, spine-chilling voice made sweat drip down Erigor's back.
The mist crept into Erigor's ears—and suddenly, a bizarre, excruciating pain spread through him.
It felt like every nerve in his body was being torn apart—raw pain shot straight into his brain.
Even though the fog binding his limbs disappeared, Erigor collapsed, rolling on the floor, clutching at his body.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!!! It hurts!! IT HURTS!! What is this pain—?! GYAAAAAAAAH!!!"
His vision blurred from the agony.
He screamed, but no one came to help.
The Guild Masters—stunned by the sudden shift—could only stand there, unsure of what to do, watching Erigor writhe in torment.
Soon, his nerves were shredded.
He lay flat on the ground, unable to move, eyes wide open.
Paralyzed.
Yet the pain continued to pour in.
In the midst of that unbearable torment, a voice echoed inside his mind:
[Mist merely gathers. Like the wind, it can exist anywhere. You thought your plan was nearly a success? That was your biggest mistake.]
"Ah… Ahh…"
[Your one and only mistake…]
As the man's voice grew colder and sharper, Erigor finally remembered.
Six years ago—the man who had attacked his guild alone.
The one who obliterated their executives and the Master in a single night…
The one hidden within impenetrable mist, shrouded in mystery…
The one who didn't just defeat opponents—but broke their spirits.
The Illusion Demon — (Phantom King).
[…Was choosing me as your enemy.]
And with that final whisper, Erigor's consciousness was completely severed.
He fell into an eternal abyss—from which he would never return.
...
"What in the world just happened?"
The sudden intrusion of Erigor.
And the masked man who overwhelmed him with sheer power.
The Guild Masters attending the conference stared at the masked man, demanding an explanation.
In response, the man silently showed the badge on his collar.
"I'm from the Magic Council. I received intel that a dark guild planned to attack the Guild Conference and took on the mission alone. The man lying here intended to assassinate you all using Lullaby, one of Zeref's demons."
"Lullaby...?!"
"You're saying a demon from Zeref's Book is here?!"
After briefly explaining the incident, the man bent down to pick up Lullaby from the floor.
But just then—
"Hold it right there."
Makarov appeared at the entrance to the hall. The usual gentle smile was gone, replaced by a sharp gaze directed at the masked man.
Behind him, Natsu and his companions stumbled into the room, panting.
Makarov walked up to the man, stopping him from picking up the flute, and questioned him.
"You said you're with the Council?"
The man remained silent.
"That's odd. I've never seen someone this powerful in the Council. Are you with the Rune Knights?"
Still no answer—just a shake of the head.
Unable to hold back, Erza stormed forward and grabbed the man by the collar.
"Council or not—I don't care! Who are you really? What's your connection to Ciel?!"
"Erza, let go."
"But—"
"I won't say it twice."
Reluctantly, Erza released her grip and stepped back, glaring at him.
At that moment—
[Kuhaha... You so-called wizards lack all backbone.]
"Wh-What?"
"The flute… it spoke, Happy!"
"That smoke—it's taking shape!"
The Lullaby flute began speaking on its own. From the skull-shaped ornament, smoke rose and began to form a figure.
The masked man noticed his body starting to fade and quietly stepped back.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"...It seems my time here is up. I'll leave the rest to Fairy Tail."
With those final words, the man's figure grew fainter.
Erza called out to him—but he was already vanishing.
Before he disappeared completely, Makarov asked,
"At least tell us your name."
The man paused just long enough to respond:
"I am Mukuro… a wizard who commands fog."
As he vanished, Makarov murmured to himself, voice laced with concern.
"The Foggy Mukuro… huh…"
[I've had enough. I'll devour you myself—your souls, that is.]
"Ah, crap! I got caught up in the mood and forgot about that!"
While everyone was distracted, Lullaby's seal had completely unraveled, and the demon from Zeref's book revealed its true form.
...
A forest near the Guild Conference Hall.
From the branch of a large, ancient tree, I watched as Natsu's group fought and defeated Lullaby, even as the meeting hall crumbled in the background.
Removing my mask, I let out a sigh of relief.
"Natsu, Erza, Gray… you've all grown. To think you managed to defeat a demon crafted by Zeref…"
I chuckled to myself, praising them softly, then leaned back against the tree trunk and sat down.
Watching my own body slowly blur into mist, I smiled wryly.
"Kufufufu… I may have pushed myself too far. At this rate… I won't be able to appear again for some time."
A wind wizard who could dispel illusions and fog…
He was a poor match for me—my magic relies solely on illusion.
Six years ago, I had instilled fear in them all…
But this whole incident stemmed from my own mistake—one of mercy. I had let him live.
No helping it now.
Still, I used more power than expected. I'll need time to gather magic again before I can return.
"Honestly… I guess I can't help but get soft in front of those kids…"
As the strength left my body, I slowly closed my eyes.
"Natsu… Gray… Erza… and Lucy… I feel like… we'll meet again someday…"
And with that final thought, my form vanished completely, dissolving into mist, as I returned to the deep darkness—and sleep.
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