The Lullaby flute lay cracked and silent on shattered stone, its three eye-holes staring blankly at the ruined hall. For a heartbeat, all was still—until a low, discordant hum vibrated the air.
A sickly darkness oozed from the flute's mouthpiece, swirling into a dense, oily fog. The flute shuddered, then split with a sickening crack. The eye-holes flared, glowing red.
Without warning, the flute erupted.
Tendrils of dark, fibrous material burst outward, swelling and twisting in a grotesque bloom. The wood warped and tore, expanding in every direction. Roots and limbs exploded from the core, slamming into ground and walls, sending debris flying.
In a single, horrifying instant, the flute was gone—replaced by a towering abomination. Its body was a mass of gnarled, root-like limbs and jagged apertures, dark as petrified wood. Three blazing eyes glared from its head. Cavernous mouths yawned open, each one a gaping wound ready to unleash death.
A suffocating, ancient aura pressed down on everyone present. The sky outside seemed to darken, recoiling from the demon's presence.
From its central maw, Lullaby's voice thundered, cold and certain:
"You played with death… but lacked the resolve to finish the song.
If you will not use me, I will fulfill my purpose alone. All who hear my song… shall perish.
Let despair be your requiem. Listen well—this is the song of your end."
A wave of sound magic, thick with rot and old curses, poured from Lullaby's mouths—a melody that clawed at the soul, promising death to all who heard it.
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Lullaby's monstrous form loomed, sixty meters of gnarled limbs and glowing eyes casting a shadow over the shattered hall. Its voices rumbled, echoing across the battlefield:
"Run, scream, fight—none of it matters. Your souls are mine. Let the concert begin!"
The gathered wizards gaped as the demon burst forth from the smoke.
"Allow me to consume them…your pitiful excuses of souls!"
"THAT'S what possessed me?!" stammered Kageyama.
"You were possessed?!" Natsu and Gray shouted in unison.
"Not relevant at the moment," Erza warned, eyes never leaving the demon.
"Countless centuries have passed since I have been sealed, flies. I'm absolutely famished, so your souls will have to do and serve as my first decent meal," sneered the demon.
"Souls are edible?! Do they taste good?" Natsu asked, earning a smack from Gray.
Lucy's voice trembled, "Why did a demon emerge from the flute?"
Goldmine answered, "Because Lullaby is a devil. Zeref enchanted it—turning a magic tool into living magic, as was his specialty."
Erza stared in awe. "Living magic…"
"Zeref?! You don't mean the one from centuries ago?!" Gray exclaimed.
A large, scowling man added, "The dark mage Zeref—most atrocious in all history…to think his legacy survives…"
The monster smiled toothily. "Who shall be my first appetizer? You? Or you? Or…how about ALL OF YOU!"
Magic surged around Lullaby's maw, the air vibrating with a deadly melody.
The demon's mouths opened wide, unleashing a wave of cursed sound. The ground trembled, the air itself seemed to shudder.
Erza's eyes narrowed, swords orbiting defensively.
Natsu ducked falling debris, flames flickering on his fists. "This thing's massive!"
Gray conjured a shield of ice, bracing against the sonic onslaught. "We need a plan—fast!"
For a heartbeat, the three stood together, battered but unbowed, the world a blur of dust, splinters, and magical aftershocks.
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Suddenly, a streak of darkness cut through the chaos—a barrage of explosive rockets detonated against Lullaby's bark with a thunderous blast. Splinters and black smoke filled the air, momentarily obscuring the demon's face.
The explosion was so loud and sudden that everyone—Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Happy, Kageyama, and even the Guild Masters—froze, their attention snapping from Lullaby to Yume.
Yume's Pandora orb twisted and expanded in his grip, transforming into a massive, triple-barreled rocket launcher. He took aim at the demon's chest and fired.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield was silent save for the settling dust.
Yume's voice rang out, calm and cold:
"Let's see if you can swallow the dark."
Shadows pulsed at his fingertips. His aura flared, swirling around him as the launcher shimmered, shifting into a pair of sleek gunswords, blades gleaming with inky energy.
Yume dashed forward, darkness reinforcing his every step. With a leap, he was airborne, slashing at Lullaby's nearest limb while firing shadow bullets into the demon's glowing eyes.
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The Guild Masters stared in disbelief. Natsu's jaw dropped, then he grinned, fire flickering in his eyes. Erza's expression hardened, impressed by Yume's resolve. Gray whistled, "Not bad, new guy." Lucy clutched her keys, wide-eyed. Happy zipped around, shouting, "Aye! That was awesome!" Kageyama could only stare, realizing he was witnessing magic on a whole different level.
As Yume landed, shadows coiled around his feet, and the battle's tempo shifted—Lullaby's attention now fixed on this new threat.
Erza: "Natsu, Gray, let's go!"
Without another word, the trio moved. Erza, already requipping into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, transformed mid-stride, a whirlwind of steel and resolve. Natsu, flames already licking his fists, shot forward like a rocket.
Gray: "Well, can't let him have all the fun."
Natsu: "I'm fired up!"
The battlefield was chaos—craters, shattered stone, and Lullaby's monstrous shadow stretching over everything.
Yume's feet left the ground as obsidian disks materialized beneath him, humming with dark energy. He hovered above the chaos, the disks leaving shimmering trails as he weaved between Lullaby's flailing limbs and blasts of cursed sound.
With a gesture, the disks expanded, merging into a gunmetal platform bristling with missile pods.
Shadows rippled as Yume rose above the fray, standing atop floating, rune-etched disks. His Pandora orbs spun, twisting and snapping into a missile battery that unleashed a storm of dark projectiles.
"Pandora: Mobile Battery!"
Missiles erupted in a storm of violet light, arcing through the smoke and slamming into Lullaby's torso. Each impact sent splinters and shockwaves across the battlefield, lighting up the demon's bark with searing flashes.
The sky lit up with explosions. Lullaby staggered, bark splintering under the assault.
"What magic is that…?" Erza breathed, momentarily stunned.
As Lullaby reeled, Yume's platform shifted again, barrels extending and runes flaring.
"Pandora: Laser Cannon!"
A beam of condensed darkness screamed from the cannon, slicing through Lullaby's root-like limbs and leaving trails of smoldering ash.
Gray whistled, "Remind me never to get on his bad side."
Natsu laughed, "Let's go! While it's distracted!"
The team surged forward, their magic weaving with Yume's in a symphony of steel, fire, ice, and shadow.
Erza's swords rained down, Natsu's flames roared, and Gray's ice lances struck exposed joints—each attack coordinated with Yume's barrage from above.
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Lullaby bellowed, a monstrous roar of frustration and pain. It tried to raise its root-like arms, mouths opening to unleash another wave of cursed sound, but only a guttural, disharmonious shriek emerged. The cracks and holes torn by Fairy Tail's relentless magic disrupted the dark melody, a cacophony of failing power. The death concert was off-key, broken by their combined might.
"STAY OUT OF THIS YOU SMALL FLIES!"
Lullaby's massive arm crashed down, the ground cracking, shockwaves sending debris flying. Its attacks were wild and overwhelming—each movement a calamity, each roar a threat.
A glowing magic circle spun before Lullaby's central maw. With a deafening shriek, it fired a colossal magic beam. The torrent of energy carved a burning trench through the landscape, vaporizing everything in its path. The distant mountains exploded in a flash of light. Rune Knights scattered, terror-stricken.
Upon witnessing this terrifying display—the mountain's destruction—the Rune Knights' resolve shattered. They retreated, leaving the task to Fairy Tail.
Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Yume barely dodged the blast, the heat and force nearly knocking them off their feet.
"It's not even aiming—it's just destroying everything in sight!" Erza shouted, wings of steel slicing through the air.
Yume's mind raced.
"Its size is its armor—but it's slow. If we keep moving, we can find an opening!"
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Yume's Pandora orbs flared, morphing into black rods and chains that lashed around Lullaby's ankles, slowing its advance.
Erza soared high, swords raining down to draw its attention.
Natsu darted in, flames blazing, targeting the demon's joints.
Gray conjured ice barriers to shield the Guild Masters and launched lances at exposed weak points.
Lullaby roared, unleashing a barrage of magical orbs at Natsu.
Erza's swords intercepted some, but a few slipped through—
"Gray!"
"On it!"
Gray spun, conjuring an "Ice-Make: Shield." Yume sent an orb to become a barrier around the Guild Masters, blocking the deadly attack.
Natsu, never missing a beat, called out:
"Erza, cover me!"
Erza requipped again, Black Wing Armor gleaming. She soared above, wings slicing through the air, distracting Lullaby as Natsu gathered flames in both hands.
Yume, reading the flow, amplified their assault:
"Pandora: Defensive Net!"
His orbs linked, forming a dome of shadowy energy around his allies, absorbing a wave of cursed sound.
Yume's eyes sharpened, spotting an opening.
"Now! While it's distracted!"
Gray formed an "Ice-Make: Lance" and hurled it, piercing Lullaby's core.
At the same moment, Natsu roared:
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
A torrent of fire engulfed the demon's wounds.
Yume, synchronizing perfectly, unleashed his finisher:
"Pandora: Chains!"
Black chains erupted, binding Lullaby's head and mouths, silencing its song.
Erza, Natsu, and Gray pressed the attack, their magic weaving with Yume's darkness in a dazzling display—steel, ice, fire, and shadow crashing together.
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Enraged, Lullaby broke free, its massive body buckling under the combined assault. It unleashed another magic beam, carving a fiery scar across the battlefield.
"It's just a monster… but we're Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted, unleashing Fire Dragon's Roar.
Erza, battered but unbowed, led the charge.
"All together—now!"
"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray called, spikes of ice slamming into the monster's side. The demon lurched in pain.
Erza struck below in her Black Wing Armor, and Natsu's Brilliant Flame nailed the monster directly in the face and chest.
Yume's eyes glowed with resolve.
"Black Hole: Oblivion!"
He channeled all his darkness into a single orb, compressing it until it shone with a hungry void. He launched it point-blank into Lullaby's core.
Yume, Erza, Natsu, and Gray unleashed their strongest attacks in tandem. The explosion of magic—shadow, steel, fire, and ice—engulfed Lullaby.
The demon convulsed, its monstrous form collapsing inward as the dark magic devoured its essence.
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Aftermath ~
When the shadows faded, only dust and silence remained. Yume stood with Erza, Natsu, and Gray at his side, the battlefield scarred but the town saved.
Lucy, Happy, Kageyama, and the Guild Masters stared in awe. The Rune Knights, having witnessed the mountain's destruction, lingered at a safe distance, their terror slowly giving way to bewildered relief.
The air crackled with residual magic, thick with the scent of ozone and pulverized stone. A stunned silence hung over the battlefield, broken only by the settling dust. Lucy, Happy, and Kageyama, along with the Guild Masters, stared at the spot where the colossal demon once stood. Yume, Erza, Natsu, and Gray, battered but triumphant, stood amidst the debris, the undisputed victors.
"They... they actually did it!" whispered one of the Rune Knights.
"That was incredible! Truly the strongest team!"
A murmur of agreement rippled through the onlookers, growing into a chorus of cheers.
"Fairy Tail! The strongest team!"
Master Makarov, mid-flex with a triumphant grin, shouted,
"See?! That's the power of Fairy Tail! Who's the best guild now, huh?!"
Gray smirked, crossing his arms. Erza, wiping a smudge from her cheek, allowed a rare, small smile. Yume, his Pandora orbs dimming, let out a slow breath of relief.
But as the last tendrils of smoke cleared, a collective gasp swept through the crowd. Lullaby, inert and petrified, hadn't vanished. It had toppled, a titanic timber falling directly onto the Guild Master's Meeting Building. The grand structure, symbol of unity and authority, was now a flattened ruin beneath the demon's colossal bulk.
Happy, pointing a tiny paw, chirped, "Aye? The building!"
Master Makarov's triumphant grin froze. His eyes widened, and with a faint 'pop,' his soul, a tiny, translucent version of himself, floated cleanly out of his mouth.
"Master!" Gray yelled, scrambling forward. He snatched the ethereal form of Makarov's soul out of the air and, with a grimace, shoved it back into the Master's mouth. Makarov shuddered, coughing as his soul reconnected.
Yume, ever observant, let out a soft, resigned sigh, shaking his head. "Of course. This is how it always goes, isn't it?" he muttered, a dry smile on his lips.
"Our... our meeting hall!" someone shrieked.
"My antique quill collection!
My historical tapestries! You barbarians!"
"Do you know how many years of paperwork went into that grand hall?!"
"They destroyed it! Fairy Tail destroyed it!"
The adulation turned on a dime. Faces contorted from awe to fury. The Rune Knights, emboldened by the Guild Masters' wrath, snapped to attention, fear forgotten.
"Seize them! Fairy Tail is responsible for this wanton destruction!" bellowed a stern-faced Guild Master.
The cheers of victory transformed into shouts of condemnation.
"Criminals!"
"Irresponsible!
"They'll pay for this!"
"Lock them up!"
"Run!" Erza shouted, already requipping her default armor for speed. "We need to go, now!"
Master Makarov groaned. "Oh, for the love of Mavis! Everyone, move! We're leaving! This is going to be a massive bill..."
Lucy grabbed Happy. "I knew it!" she cried, panic on her face "I knew something like this would happen!". The four main mages, their Master, Lucy, and Happy bolted, leaving behind the ruins and the enraged mob. Their hard-won victory was overshadowed by the very destruction they had wrought in saving the day.
End of Chapter 11