Oshibana Station.
"Due to a train derailment, the station is currently closed! Everyone, please step back and stay safe!"
"What? A derailment? You've got to be kidding!"
The station attendant shouted through a loudspeaker, trying his best to calm the restless crowd. But no one was buying it. Everyone here already knew the truth — the station had been taken over by a group of unknown bandits. Trying to cover that up with a weak excuse like "a derailment"? No one was going to fall for it.
The passengers grew louder and more agitated, forcing the poor attendant to break into a nervous sweat.
At that very moment, Erza and her team arrived, jumping out of their magic-driven vehicle and sprinting toward the station.
"Damn it! We can't let Erigor blow that cursed flute — the Lullaby! If he activates the Death Magic, we're done for!"
Their faces were tight with urgency. When the team had found Natsu, they'd discussed the Lullaby, and Lucy had suddenly remembered reading something about it — a deadly curse that could kill over a vast area.
The moment the group heard that, Erza had gathered everyone, flooding the vehicle with magic power as they sped toward Oshibana at full force. They'd barely made it in time.
Upon arrival, she'd demanded answers from the station workers — but when they couldn't answer fast enough, she headbutted three of them in a row. Lucy, watching this, once again understood just what kind of woman Erza Scarlet really was. For her, her own sense of justice was the law of Fairy Tail.
Thud, thud, thud...
"The army seems to have gone in already," Gray said, glancing down a corridor. "But it looks like they haven't come back out... probably still fighting inside."
"Wait— they're all down!" Lucy gasped.
"Don't forget," Gray added grimly, "that's an entire guild we're up against. Every single one of them is a wizard. Ordinary soldiers don't stand a chance. We need to stay sharp."
The group dashed through the dimly lit hallways of the station, the air thick with dust and the scent of ozone. At the top of a stairway, they found soldiers sprawled unconscious on the floor.
As they reached a large hall, they were met with mocking laughter. Members of Iron Forest stood in a loose formation, grinning wickedly. Hovering above them in midair, Erigor sneered down at the Fairy Tail mages.
"So, you're Erigor," Erza said sharply, her voice firm. "Tell me — what do you plan to do with Lullaby?"
Her words were like steel, but the Iron Forest members only smirked.
"Heh. A bunch of pests. You're the reason I got beaten half to death by Erigor," one of them snarled, glaring at Natsu. "Especially that pink-haired brat!"
He was the same man who had fought Natsu on the train — the one whose slip-up had revealed the cursed flute and earned him a brutal punishment. He'd hated legal guilds before, but now his hatred for Fairy Tail burned even hotter.
That familiar voice was enough to jolt Natsu out of his dizziness.
"Hah! I'm awake!"
"Finally!" Lucy cried.
"Wait— what's with all these people?" Natsu blinked around.
"All enemies," Gray said flatly.
"Oh, now this looks like fun!" Natsu's grin widened, flames sparking around his fists.
But Erigor wasn't paying attention to the chaos below. He hovered higher, his voice dripping with malice.
"My purpose? Oh, it's simple," he said. "There are thousands of people near this station. All I have to do is channel the sound through the broadcast system— let the entire city hear the melody of death! Hahahaha!"
"You monster!" Erza shouted. "You'd kill innocent people just to prove a point?!"
Her fists clenched tight, eyes blazing. Gray, Lucy, and Natsu stepped forward beside her, their determination rising to meet hers.
"We're Fairy Tail's strongest team!" Natsu shouted. "You'd better be ready for us!"
Erigor smirked. He'd already achieved what he wanted — to lure them here while he prepared his real plan.
Floating higher, he looked down one last time. "I'll leave the rest to you," he told his subordinates coldly. "Let them taste the power of a dark guild."
My true revenge is for those arrogant guild masters… not these insects.
"You self-righteous fools," he hissed under his breath. "I'll come for you next."
His wind magic began to swirl, the currents twisting and roaring as they formed a massive vortex over the station.
As Erza and the others fought their way through the remaining enemies, she grabbed a nearby loudspeaker and ordered all civilians to evacuate the area. But when she turned back, she saw that the entire station had been swallowed by a towering cyclone.
Erigor's laughter echoed above the roaring winds.
"Hahaha! I'd love to fight you myself, Erza Scarlet, but I've got more important matters to attend to. Do me a favor and stay put, my lovely Fairy Queen."
"Wind Magic — Gale Wall!"
With a flick of his hand, a shimmering barrier of slicing wind slammed into Erza, sending her crashing backward. She gritted her teeth, trying to force her way out, but the wall repelled her again and again.
"Sorry, but this spell only works one way," Erigor taunted. "Try to push through— and you'll be torn apart."
"Erza!" Gray yelled. "Their real target isn't here— it's the Guild Masters' Conference! This whole place was just to block the railway!"
Erza's eyes snapped upward, locking onto Erigor with fury. "You…!"
Under Kael's training, both Natsu and Gray had grown far stronger than before. Within moments, they'd wiped out the remaining enemies and relayed the warning.
"Tch... Fairy Tail really is troublesome," Erigor muttered. "Those idiots couldn't even buy me enough time."
He rose higher into the air. "Well then, I'll just make sure none of you can interfere."
"Wind Magic — Double Gale Wall!"
A second, more violent storm erupted, doubling the force of the barrier. The sheer wind pressure tore chunks of buildings into the air.
"Now that's more like it! Farewell, Fairy Tail! Tell your master to start preparing for his funeral! Hahaha!"
Erza cursed under her breath. She tried once again to summon her magic — but after the frantic journey and the constant fighting, her energy was nearly depleted.
"Damn it... my magic power…"
Just then, a calm voice sliced through the howling winds.
"Oh? You seem to be enjoying yourself. Mind telling me what's so funny?"
Erigor froze. His blood ran cold. Slowly, he turned his head—
Standing behind him, floating effortlessly in the air, was Kael, his expression as cold and sharp as a blade.
"Y-You… one of the Ten Saints?! Kael! That's impossible! You shouldn't even be here!"
Kael's lips curved into a faint smile. "You can think about that— down there."
In a flash, he vanished. Erigor barely had time to react before a glowing leg slammed into his side, sending him hurtling through the air and crashing through several buildings below.
Kael straightened in midair, the light from his magic aura flickering around him like sunlight through glass.
"Yo, Erza," he called down, his tone suddenly light, a smile replacing the coldness from before. "Been a while, huh?"