The Title Was Burned Away by Natsu
In that awkward, deathly silence that seemed to freeze the air, a surviving member of the Eisenwald spoke softly, in a tone filled with deep resentment, as if his emotions had been betrayed.
"You... you didn't say your name was Laxus?"
Jiang Bai couldn't hold back any longer. He slapped his face with his hands, wishing he could disappear into the ground right then and there.
This is the epitome of a social disaster.
Erza, standing nearby, instantly understood everything after hearing Natsu's question and the Eisenwald members' follow-up inquiries.
She finally understood why the Magic Council almost never received any complaints about Jiang Bai causing trouble whenever he went on missions.
But Laxus, that guy, always inexplicably gets several more complaints about damage to public property.
(If there are civilian buildings nearby, Jiang Bai will protect them. But if it's a mountain or similar area, Magic Council, Jiang Bai will leave it to them as they see fit.)
So that's the reason after all!
This guy has been impersonating Laxus and causing trouble outside!
Erza took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the urge to drag Jiang Bai over right now and give him a whole day of moral education.
No, not now.
Let's talk about it when we get home. In front of outsiders, we should still give our men some face.
So she forcibly ignored the extremely awkward atmosphere and turned her cold gaze to the leader who had been standing still the whole time, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
"You must be 'Shinigami' Erigor!" Erza's voice was resolute. "What is your purpose in hijacking the train?"
Erigor recovered from the shock Jiang Bai had caused. He glanced at Erza, then gave Jiang Bai, who was still covering his face, a cruel smile returning to his face.
Don't you know?
His body slowly floated into the air and flew to the huge loudspeaker of the station's public address system. He stretched out his finger and gently tapped it, making a "clanging" sound.
"There's such a good thing in this station."
Upon seeing his actions, Erza's expression changed drastically!
"Could it be... that you want to use the station's announcements to play that Lullaby?!"
"What?!"
Gray and Lucy immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and exclaimed in alarm.
"Ha ha ha!" Erigor let out a triumphant laugh.
"That's right! There are several thousand people gathered around this station! If I turn the volume up to the maximum, the sound can even cover the entire town!"
"Do you want to start a massacre here?!" Erza roared.
"Massacre? No, this is called 'purge'!"
Erigor opened his arms wide, his expression one of frenzy and ecstasy.
"This is a verdict! A verdict for those fools who don't know their rights have long been stripped away, yet still loudly advocate for power and protect their pathetic lives!"
"They live in such an unfair world, yet they know nothing of it—what a sin that is! Let me, the Shinigami, punish them myself!"
Even if you do that, it'll be pointless!
Lucy couldn't understand his logic and retorted loudly,
"This doesn't change anything at all!"
No, it can't be changed!
A fanatical flame burned in Erigor's eyes.
"It's come to this point. If I possess the power of 'Lullaby,' then I will possess supreme power! I will be able to dominate this world!"
Hearing this declaration overflowing with chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur), Jiang Bai couldn't help but almost burst out laughing.
How ridiculous.
Even Zeref himself, who created those demons, probably didn't know that simply possessing his own demons would be enough to rule the world.
A mere bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well dare to presume to gaze upon the moon in the sky.
We will absolutely not let you succeed!
Erza's voice was cold and firm. She took a step forward, releasing her powerful aura as an S-Class Mage without reservation.
Just as Erza and Erigor were at each other's throats, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Kageyama, standing at the back of the crowd, had been acting completely strange ever since he heard Natsu's innocent "Jiang Bai."
Jiang Bai...
Jiang Bai...
This name was like a devil's key, unlocking a long-sealed Pandora's box deep in his memory, filled with fear and awe.
As far as he knew, there was only one mage in the entire Fairy Tail, and even in the entire Kingdom of Fiore, with this name.
That name is always closely linked to another resounding title—"Infinity".
"No... no no no..."
Kageyama's face instantly turned paler than a corpse, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably, making a "clucking" sound.
"No... this is terrible..."
He stammered, unable to utter a single complete sentence.
"What's wrong with you, Kageyama!"
Erigor was on high alert towards Jiang Bai and his group when he heard this incompetent voice behind him and immediately rebuked them impatiently.
"Lord Erigor!"
Kageyama, as if grasping at a last straw, pointed at the man who was still awkwardly covering his face, his voice shrill and distorted with extreme fear.
"He... he's Jiang Bai! He's that 'Infinity'!"
"Infinity?"
Most members of the Eisenwald are somewhat unfamiliar with this title, which only gained fame a few years ago.
However, upon hearing this title, a senior member in the crowd had his pupils shrink to pinpoints, and the color drained from his face at a visible speed!
"'Infinity'? Who is that?"
A companion nearby, unaware of what was going on, asked in a low voice.
"You... you don't even know what 'Infinity' is?!"
The old member's voice trembled, as if he were recounting a forbidden myth.
"He... he completed that 100-Year Quest that had been hanging in the kingdom for a hundred years all by himself several years ago!"
"What?!"
This news was like a bombshell, exploding in the hearts of all the surviving members of the Eisenwald!
100-Year Quest!
That's a legendary mission that even the Ten Wizard Saints might not dare to take on!
And this seemingly carefree man actually accomplished it all by himself?!
"Because Jiang Bai completed that mission, the entire magic world was shaken!"
"Countless powerful mages flock to Fairy Tail, eager to join, and clients are going crazy, dumping all their missions on them!"
"Fairy Tail's current reputation is at least half thanks to him!"
"The title 'Infinity' began to resound throughout the entire continent from that time onwards!"
Another well-informed member seemed to remember something as well, and he looked at Jiang Bai with a complex expression that mixed fear and envy.
He added, "Moreover... he topped the 'Most Desirable Mage to Marry' list in Sorcerer Weekly's poll back then! He stayed on the list for several months!"
"However, this guy soon announced his relationship, and the object of his affection was two beautiful female mages from Fairy Tail... I don't know how many female mages were heartbroken at the time."
Jiang Bai's actions pleased Mira and Erza, and he enjoyed a few good days as a result.
Although several years have passed and the fervor of that time has gradually faded, it doesn't mean that people will forget this unforgettable fear and legend.
That man didn't represent power, but rather something "outside the norm."
It's mythology itself!