"You're one to talk!" Looking at the shirtless Gray, Natsu couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
"All right, Erigor, hand over the Lullaby!" Erza walked up beside Erigor, her expression stern.
"Hahahaha!" But Erigor burst out laughing. Xi Feng frowned at the sight.
"Did you think I wouldn't have a backup plan? Your guild master might already be dead!" Erigor's face twisted into a vicious grin.
"What?!"
Everyone looked shocked at Erigor's words. Natsu was furious and punched Erigor in the face.
Meanwhile, Kageyama appeared on the mountain behind the Regular Council Meeting venue, carrying the Lullaby.
"Perfect! Haha! At this distance, the Lullaby's melody will definitely reach them. Then I can take back everything that belongs to me!" Kageyama said excitedly.
When they left the station, Erigor had handed the Lullaby back to Kageyama, using himself as bait to create an opening for him.
As Kageyama pondered his plan, a lecherous laugh came from nearby. It belonged to a little old man. "Hahaha! Gravure printing really is the best!"
The little old man noticed someone beside him and hurriedly hid the book behind his back. "D-don't get the wrong idea. This is a kind of studying, too. Yes, that's exactly what it is." Despite his desperate attempts to cover it up, his expression betrayed him.
Kageyama took a closer look. This was Makarov, Fairy Tail's guild master!
"And who might you be, young man? What are you doing out here alone at night?" Makarov asked Kageyama sternly.
Kageyama's eyes widened, and he was at a loss for a moment. But Makarov's question immediately gave him an idea.
"I-I'm a patient at a nearby hospital, but they don't allow musical instruments there, so I wandered out here by chance." Kageyama suppressed his nerves and tried to steady himself. "Would you listen to me play a song? I'd like someone to hear it..."
"Oh?" Makarov glanced over Kageyama's carefully composed face before fixing his gaze on the Lullaby and its three skulls. "That's quite a creepy flute."
"It may look that way, but it can play a lovely melody." Kageyama tried hard not to give himself away, but how could he fool an old hand like Makarov?
"I have something urgent to attend to, but one song won't hurt."
"Please listen carefully." Kageyama struggled to contain his excitement. Victory was already within reach.
As the Lullaby drew closer to his lips, Kageyama grew more and more excited. He unconsciously glanced at Makarov, who was still watching him calmly. "Hurry up and play. I have urgent business." Those words made Kageyama hesitate.
Why can he stay so calm? No, play it. As long as I play it, everything will be over! Still wavering, Kageyama brought the Lullaby a little closer to his lips.
"Nothing will change." Makarov watched Kageyama calmly, sighing over the boy's misguided path.
"Ah!"
"The weak remain weak, no matter when. But weakness isn't always a sin." Makarov looked straight into Kageyama's eyes and continued in a low voice. "Humans are weak creatures to begin with. Being alone makes us uneasy. That's why we form guilds. That's why we have comrades!"
"To live with strength, we fight side by side, support one another, and move forward together. Those who stumble may hit a few more walls or take the long way around, but as long as they believe in the future and keep moving, strength will naturally well up within them."
Makarov suddenly gave him a warm smile and said gently, "Only by living with strength can you smile brightly, even without relying on a flute like that." His gaze was peaceful and forgiving, as though he were looking at a child who had done something wrong.
Clatter! Unable to hold the Lullaby any longer, Kageyama sank to his knees, trembling. "I give up..." he said remorsefully.
"That's our master. What you just said moved me to tears." Erza ran over and hugged Makarov, pressing his head straight against her chest. With any other girl, it would have been quite a treat, but Erza was wearing cold, rigid armor, so there was no treat to be had.
Bang!
"So hard!" said Makarov, whose head had struck the armor.
Chapter 35: The End of the Lullaby (Please Give Flowers and Bookmark)
"Ah, my adorable, handsome little Xi Feng! It's been so long. I'm so happy to see you!"
Bob approached Xi Feng and spoke in a seductive(?) tone, sending a chill through him.
"Master Bob, please don't do that. I really can't take it." Looking at Bob's flirtatious manner, Xi Feng felt his stomach turn.
"Have you given it any thought? Would you like to join my guild?" Bob kept pressing close to Xi Feng, batting his eyes at him.
Faced with Bob's overflowing affection, Xi Feng truly had no idea what to do and stood there at a loss.
"You may be an old friend, but poaching my members right in front of me is a bit disrespectful!" Makarov jumped up angrily.
"Now, now~ It's perfectly fine~ Our guild would love to welcome Xi Feng~" Bob said, waving a hand.
Just then, the Lullaby lying on the ground suddenly began emitting an eerie glow. A gigantic magic circle appeared overhead, covering almost the entire night sky!
As the magic circle flashed, an enormous demon nearly a hundred meters tall appeared before them, its body seemingly made of dead wood. Vast amounts of dark magical power flooded the entire venue, and the eyes of its three skulls shone with an ominous purple light. The Lullaby, a demon created by Zeref, had awakened!
"You spineless mages! I've had enough of you! I'll devour you myself and swallow your souls!"
The demon stamped its enormous foot, shaking the earth. The weaker guild masters could barely stay on their feet.
"Oh dear, oh dear~ Now we're in trouble~" Master Bob said in his peculiar tone, though his face showed no sign of panic.
"Ah, so this is the Lullaby, the demon Zeref created," Master Goldmine said, studying the enormous creature intently.
"Why was that monster inside the flute?" Erza asked Goldmine.
"Because that monster is the Lullaby itself. In other words, it's living magic. All of Zeref's magic is like that," Goldmine explained to Erza.
"Ah, the dark mage Zeref, the most evil mage in the history of the magical world." Goldmine's expression was complicated. "To think a sinister legacy from centuries ago would appear in this era," he said gravely.
"Well then... whose soul should I start with?" the demon, the Lullaby, continued to shout arrogantly.
"Hm? Its strength is only S-Class?" Sensing the magical power inside the Lullaby, Xi Feng paused in surprise, then understood. After all, its seal had only just been broken. Though it was a demon created in Zeref's time, it hadn't been particularly high-level to begin with. After spending so long sealed away, the Lullaby was now remarkably weak. A single S-Class Mage might be able to defeat it, and there were two S-Class Mages and three A-Class Mages here.
"All right, let's finish it here. Any objections?" Erza asked the members of the strongest team.
"I'm fired up!"
"Heh, this should be fun!"
"I'll do my best."
"S-so scary..." That last line had clearly come from Lucy.
"Then let's go!" Erza drew her sword, ready to take on the boss.
"Wait!" Xi Feng stopped Erza. "Watch out for the Lullaby's death-song magic. We need to finish this quickly and stop it from singing. If it unleashes that spell, we'll be in serious trouble."
"Right, got it! Requip-Heavenly Wheel Armor!"
"Ice-Make-Lancers!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Projection-Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet!"
"Swift Wind, Steel Arm Power, Armor Power!" Seeing everyone charge forward, Wendy refused to fall behind and cast buff after buff on them.
Swords, fire, ice, and wind conjured by all kinds of magic intertwined, forming a beautiful yet dangerous picture. In video-game terms, the Lullaby had entered an enraged state and was preparing its ultimate move.
"Graaah! You wretched insects! How dare you do this to me! I'll absorb your souls! Sing! Death awaits you!"
"Careful! It's going to use its death song!"
"Pfft..."
Just as everyone scrambled to prepare their defenses, a fart-like noise rang out overhead. Lucy, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help commenting, "That's just a fart."
Everyone: "..."
"What?! What have you done to my magnificent voice?!" Refusing to believe it, the Lullaby tried its death song again, but all that came out was another string of farting noises, making everyone laugh.
"I see." Xi Feng's lips curved slightly. "The Lullaby is essentially a flute. Our attacks punched a few extra holes in it. It sounds much better than before."
"Anyway, now isn't the time to laugh. Everyone, finish it in one shot!" Erza commanded, wiping the smile off her face.
"Requip-Thunder Emperor Armor!"
"Fire Dragon's Blazing Flame!"
"Ice-Make-Ice Geyser!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Boost-Cannon!"
Finally, as Xi Feng unleashed his magic, a massive explosion erupted where the Lullaby stood.
"See that? Those are Fairy Tail's mages!" Makarov boasted to the other guild masters, drawing their envy.
Then Makarov saw the enormous crater and the vanished villa that had housed the Regular Council Meeting. His face turned deathly pale, and he fell to his knees, something white drifting out of his mouth.
"Master, there's no time to stand there petrified. If you're not running, we're leaving without you." With that, Natsu immediately took off.
"You little brats! Wait for me!"
Chapter 36: The Magic Council Arrives
"Only 70,000 J to rent this place? That's really cheap. You found yourself a nice place. Hey, Lucy." At some point, Xi Feng had settled onto the sofa in Lucy's room. His words startled her just as she finished writing in her diary.
"Trespassing!" Lucy threw a punch at Xi Feng.
"What trespassing? I came in openly." Xi Feng shook his head and caught her fist.
"Go home!" Lucy shouted, pointing toward the door.
"That thing we talked about last time is happening today. I was worried you'd forget, so I came to remind you," Xi Feng said.
"That thing?" Lucy looked puzzled, unsure what Xi Feng meant.
Xi Feng turned his head. "You really did forget. Didn't we talk about it before we left? Natsu and Erza's duel!" Only then did Lucy remember, and she hurried off with Xi Feng toward the place where Natsu and Erza would fight.
Before you continue