(The Ministry of Defence was mentioned in the anime but does not directly appear; it primarily serves as a meeting location.)
— — — — — —
"What kind of joke is this? Who the hell are you, buddy? You got a death wish or something?"
"Outta nowhere you start talking about killing us? Screw that—I'll take you out first!"
"Mr. official, this guy's not with your team, right? If not, we're wasting time now!"
In an instant, everyone in the room had drawn their weapons, all pointed at the dark figure standing before them. But no one pulled the trigger yet—they turned toward the official for confirmation.
"This man isn't with us. He's not one of the invited agents either."
"Just who the hell are you?"
The official stared at the stranger—his face hidden, only a pair of blood-red eyes glowing from the darkness—and tried to recall his earlier words. Came in talking about killing everyone here, like it was nothing. Who was this man?
"You were just talking about me a second ago, weren't you? Guess none of you are too bright."
He tilted his head, tone lazy but his eyes sharp as knives. "Fine, I'll do the honors. My name is Kazuma, the guild master of Fairy Tail. You know—the guy you said you wanted to eliminate."
"Well, that's introductions done. Now, I'll give you three seconds. Kill your official, and I'll let you live."
Bang!
"You think this is funny, bastard? You won't walk out of here alive!"
One of the promoters snapped and fired. The bullet tore through the dark figure's head—but before anyone could even process it, a shadow rose up behind the shooter.
A long blade shot out from the darkness and sliced straight through his heart.
"Attack!"
"Watch your shadows—they're moving!"
Panic broke loose. The promoters dove away from where they stood, and a heartbeat later, another black blade sliced up from the floor, right where someone had been standing.
"What the hell are these things?!"
Cold sweat drenched one man's forehead as he stared at the shadowy soldier climbing out of the ground where he had been seconds ago. One step slower, and he would've been dead too.
He turned—half the people in the room were already lying in pieces.
"Monsters…!"
"They attack from the shadows without a sound. No killing intent, no warning—just death!"
The survivors tightened their grips on their weapons, scanning every dark corner. But no matter how sharp their senses were—no matter how many times they'd cheated death before—their instincts couldn't pick up anything from these things.
The shadow soldiers had no emotions. They didn't want to kill. They simply executed Kazuma's orders. No malice, no bloodlust—just the cold efficiency of death itself.
"Guess you don't value the chance I gave you," Kazuma's voice echoed from a speaker on the floor. "Fine then. Let your blood pave the road ahead for me."
The last words had barely faded when the shadows exploded to life. Dozens—no, hundreds—of dark soldiers emerged from every corner, clutching glowing magic bombs. They stepped from the darkness and detonated themselves without hesitation.
In seconds, this Ministry of Defense was obliterated. No survivors.
A single shadow soldier remained, mop in hand. He dipped it in the pooled blood on the floor and scrawled words across the only remaining wall.
{Let the red lilies bloom — let the world die..}
{You can only... prepare to meet thy doom}
{—Left by Kazuma, Guild Master of Fairy Tail.}
Task complete, the soldier melted back into the darkness—silent as he'd arrived.
Moments later, the blast drew warriors and staff from across other buildings. When they arrived, they found the carnage—bodies strewn across the floor, blood splattered like a red spider lily, and that message on the wall.
"Fairy Tail Guild… isn't that the group of cursed children?"
"This meeting was supposed to be about how to deal with them—how to wipe them out!"
"And before we could even act, they came for us first. Arrogant bastards!"
"Arrogant? I'm terrified. The Ministry is stuffed with top agents—and they were all slaughtered like pigs."
"If they didn't stand a chance, what makes you think we would?"
A chill rippled through the crowd. The same thought echoed in their minds—Monsters weren't the real threat. You could fight them, or at least run. But humans? Humans held grudges.
If you couldn't kill them, they'd come for you again—and again—forever. In your sleep. At your dinner table. Even in bed with the person you love.
They all could almost feel Death breathing down their necks.
"Let's inform the higher-ups."
Next, they sent an urgent report—to Tokyo's ruler, Seitenshi, and her advisor, Kikunojo Tendo.
...
"Tendo-dono… what do you think?"
Seitenshi covered her mouth, trembling as she looked at the photos. The sheer brutality made her stomach turn.
She'd heard of Kazuma before—thought he was just a reckless protector of the cursed children. But now, staring at the devastation he'd left behind, she could only think one word: Devil.
"Your Excellency," Tendo said coldly, "this man is extremely dangerous. I recommend immediate elimination—not just him, but every one of those cursed children under his command."
He didn't hesitate. He nearly died on the way there—only his elite bodyguards had saved him from the earlier explosion. He knew it wasn't luck that spared him, just delay. And if they struck once, they'd strike again.
"I don't object to eliminating Kazuma," Seitenshi said softly, "but the children… they're victims. Can't we capture them instead? Teach them how to live like humans again?"
Her voice wavered. The thought of killing those girls—those little girls—tightened her chest. "They're still human, after all…"
"Your Excellency," Tendo replied gently, but his words cut like steel. "Mercy will destroy us. We must show absolute strength. Let every dissenter know—defy the law, and there is only one end."
Seitenshi fell silent. She was young, idealistic—still believed kindness could change hearts.
But she knew she couldn't protect these kids anymore. After all, they'd done something unforgivable — they killed a lot of people.
"...Very well," Seitenshi sighed. "Do as you see fit."
"I'll have the bounty posted immediately."
Tendo turned to leave, bodyguards surrounding him in tight formation. He wasn't taking chances.
But before he even made it out of the compound, the shadows struck again. A squad of dark soldiers lunged forward—each clutching a glowing soul bomb—and detonated themselves.
Physical attacks or energy blasts couldn't harm Tendo much right now. But the spiritual shockwave hit him where no armor could protect.
"Tendo-Sama!"
"Seal the area! Protect Seitenshi-Sama—don't let anything happen to her!"
Chaos erupted. The mighty Kikunojo Tendo—the man just one step below the ruler herself—lay sprawled on the floor, eyes vacant, his power gone.
No one wanted to believe it. But his still body told them the truth.
"Tendo-dono!"
Seitenshi froze. Her voice trembled as she stared at the man who'd always stood beside her, now sprawled lifelessly at her feet. Death had never felt so close before.
She'd heard about people dying every day, but witnessing it up close was different—especially when it was him.
Her mind went blank. Then a line from that photo she'd seen earlier echoed through her head:
"Let the red lilies bloom — let the world die."
Before, she hadn't really understood what it meant. Now, she did.
The "red lily" wasn't something beautiful—it was death, known as corpse flower. Kazuma's message was clear—Blood.
Blood blooming like a red spider lily that connected this world to death itself.
And the color of that flower… was the same as the eyes of those cursed children.
When those children bloomed under the man named Kazuma, others had only two options: Submit. Or become part of the corpse flowers themselves.
For a moment, Seitenshi felt as if she could see it—an ocean of blood-red petals blanketing the sky. Tokyo drowning in that same crimson hue.
And for the first time, she felt real fear. Not of monsters, or corruption, or chaos—but of him.
If she ruled Tokyo with compassion and mercy, then he ruled his world with terror and fire. A tyrant who crushed everything that dared to resist.
That night, death spread like wildfire. By morning, the name Kazuma was on everyone's lips—a name that chilled the spine.
Just hearing it made people glance over their shoulders, half-expecting to find him standing there, staring with those cold, indifferent eyes.
And where was Kazuma at that moment? Taking the little girls to get cleaned up, buying them new clothes, treating them to a good meal.
Then, like it was nothing, he led them to ambush the government convoy transporting more cursed children.
He smiled as he opened the doors of the transport, looking at the frightened girls inside. "Well, little ones, how about it? Wanna come home with me?"
"I'll go!" one shouted.
"I want to too—but… are you really telling the truth?" another asked hesitantly. "Can we really live however we want?"
"Will you really accept us… give us a home?"
They'd once clung to hope—believing the government saw them as human. But that illusion had died with every experiment, every command, every chain. To the authorities, they were tools. Nothing more. Tools didn't think. Tools didn't want.
If they did, their "errors" were erased.
"Of course he means it!" Enju piped up, cutting in before Kazuma could speak. "Guild Master is the best! He teaches us how to live, how to fight, and how to survive in this messed-up world!"
She puffed her chest proudly. "He even helps us bathe and brush our hair! I like him the best!"
Mika Sanae stepped forward next, her voice soft and shy as ever. "Our lives aren't fairy tales. We have to fight, we have to take risks. But we can choose our own missions. Guild Master doesn't command us—he guides us."
Then Kayano stepped up, her eyes glowing faintly red. "Join us. Join our guild. Our family. Be one of us."
Enju, Sanae, and the others all stood beside her, their scarlet eyes shining like tiny lanterns in the dark. Those eyes—their curse and their pride—burned bright.
The new girls hesitated, then looked at them again: their bright clothes, their laughter, their warmth. They looked into those red eyes and, for the first time, didn't feel shame.
Their own eyes began to glow.
"We want to join."
"Yeah... We want to live. I-I just want to sleep without getting beaten."
"I want family."
Their voices overlapped, firm and sure.
Kazuma grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Let's go home."
He led them toward the outer Areas. Life in the inner city might have been easier, but this—this was where their real home was.
---
In the outer area, the girls introduced themselves, handed out food and water, and helped one another settle in.
Kazuma stood aside, watching, already thinking about how to train them… and what his next move should be.
That's when a quiet girl walked up to him. "Hello. My name is Kayo Senju. I'm an Initiator—dolphin-type genetic strain. Just so you know, I'm very intelligent. My memory and reasoning ability surpass most adults, so please don't treat me like a child."
She paused, then looked him dead in the eye. "I came to ask something."
"Go ahead."
"Will I… have to kill people?"
Her voice trembled despite her calm face. She tried to sound composed, but fear flickered in her eyes.
"If the mission's an assassination, then yeah," Kazuma replied casually. "If a client stiffs you, you kill him too. If someone bullies you—kill him. If someone plans to bully you—kill him first."
He gave a half-smile. "When you have a problem. Delete the problem."
"I see…" she whispered. "You've killed… a lot, haven't you?"
Her eyes dimmed. She didn't want to kill anyone. But she had nowhere else to go. This was the only place left that would take her. If that meant doing what she hated, then so be it.
Kazuma scratched his cheek. "I dunno how many. Lost count. A lot, probably. Doesn't matter though."
Kayo stared at her hands, whispering, "I guess… I'll try to get used to it too. Maybe I'll stop feeling bad then."
Kazuma couldn't help but laugh.
He reached out and ruffled her hair. She stiffened, but didn't pull away.
"You said not to treat you like a child, but all this stuff you're thinking about—it's exactly what a kid would think."
He laughed again, a deep, warm sound. He wasn't numb. He wasn't "used to" killing. He just knew what he was doing—and why.
"If you don't want to kill," he said finally, "take the missions that don't involve it. Hunt Beasts instead. There's plenty of work that doesn't mean spilling blood."
Kayo blinked, surprised. "I… can choose my own missions?"
"Of course. Didn't I tell you when I brought you here? You can do what you want. But doing nothing isn't an option. I won't babysit you forever. You all need to learn how to survive on your own."
Kazuma smiled faintly as she nodded, still wide-eyed with disbelief. Freedom—something so simple, yet so rare for children like her—had just been handed to her, as casually as a gift.
.
.
.