Allen's fist struck Erigor's body with the force of a meteor. In order not to destroy the city, Allen redirected most of the impact upward into the sky.
Erigor crashed miles away. He was in agony, yet despite his many internal injuries, he didn't die—or even lose consciousness. That was… odd.
The simplest explanation was that, while Erigor was unpleasant and a psychopath, it was an undeniable fact that he was an S-Class Mage. That could barely explain his survival… but even so, something about it felt too strange. Taking a hit like that should've been impossible to withstand.
...
The melody of death was about to play—Erigor had made his intentions very clear.
Allen dashed forward without hesitation, but he was one step too late. The One-Man Army could grant him terrifying speed instantly, but it wasn't a passive skill—it had to be manually activated by boosting specific stats. Allen hadn't had enough time to multiply his speed to the required level.
'Damn!' Allen cursed internally as the distance shrank. Erigor, unfazed, brought the flute to his lips. From Allen and the Chat's perspective, everything moved in slow motion.
"Lullaby" was a magical artifact—originally just a cursed flute capable of inducing death, but now it had become a demonic instrument capable of mass slaughter. That was all the intel Allen had. If he was lucky, the melody needed to be heard for a specific amount of time to take effect. If he were unlucky, it would kill with the first note.
No information...
Depend on luck?
Nonsense!
Allen had long ago learned never to rely on unknown factors—especially since luck was never on his side. Realizing he wouldn't make it in time, Allen had only a split second to react and figure out what to do.
"You're just like me…" Erigor sneered cruelly, mocking Allen. The legal guild mages always acted like the "good guys," but Erigor had seen the coldness in the young mage's eyes. He knew if Allen reached him… he would die.
Allen was stuck. Even being one second late could be too much. So he made a decision—one that had nothing to do with luck.
Time slowed even more. It became clear to everyone watching how Erigor's eyes and Lullaby mocked Allen's futile attempt to be a hero.
But they made a mistake—Allen wasn't a hero.
He was a monster.
He forced his brain to operate beyond its current capacity.
Even magic, which often seems like the power to perform miracles, follows logic and rules. One of the simplest rules is that magic originates from the mage. Whether it's fire, ice, a magic blast, a summon, a creation, a structure, an enchantment, a curse, an area-of-effect spell—it always comes from the caster, their ability, and their power.
However, Allen was too far from Erigor. It didn't matter if he could close that distance in one second, or if his magic took only a tenth of a second—it was still too far.
So Allen concluded that the real issue in preventing the tragedy was eliminating that distance.
"Position. Boundary. Output..."
This time it wasn't a physical effort—it was mental. As Allen flew through the air, he extended his hand toward Erigor, locking onto him with his eyes, which were now using Auris Arcanum at full capacity.
Allen then deployed a cube-shaped magic barrier around Erigor's location. He drew symbols in the air with his fingers using light—how did he do that?
The answer lay in the popular light pen from Fairy Tail's magic shops. Allen had the opportunity to analyze it, and now, using similar light properties, he wrote a word on one of the barrier walls—a spell, one far more powerful than the usual "silence" spell seen in Harry Potter. A magic specifically designed to cancel ancient enchantments.
> STILLICIUM (Deep Silence)
The world resumed its normal pace. Erza and Lucy watched in horror as Erigor began to play the melody of death—in the middle of the city.
With a cruel smile, the Shinigami Mage blew… but no melody came out.
"…?!" Erigor tried to curse, but couldn't speak. His face went pale. The silence was total, absolute—not even his heartbeat could be heard. Inside the barrier, he was stripped of all sound.
Allen landed heavily on the ground, and without pause—in a single, decisive and fluid motion—he swung his arm like a sword in a diagonal slash. "Sectumsempra!"
Erigor's arm, the one holding the flute, was severed mercilessly.
"…!" Erigor grimaced in pain but couldn't scream—he was still inside the barrier.
"Damn," Allen muttered, breathing heavily. It had been a long time since he was pushed this hard. Though, thinking about it... Compared to facing Lucifer, this was a walk in the park.
The Chat congratulated Allen for pulling it off, but at the same time, they couldn't understand how they had misread Erigor's personality. Not just them—even Gilgamesh, Esdeath, the Emperor, and many others had been wrong.
They were all wrong?
It didn't matter who thought it. It didn't matter who you asked—veterans of life, politicians, psychologists, kings, secret service agents—most would've agreed that Erigor had no intention of playing the flute himself. And yet… he did have it. And he was planning to use it.
[Irrational…]
Considering the possibilities and available information, most came to the same conclusion: the devil's hand had interfered.
"This must be because of the fourth condition, rule, or whatever you want to call it…" Allen looked tiredly at the magic barrier. Perhaps only a few would ever understand what he had just done—and how absurdly complicated it was. He released the barrier, and immediately, Erigor's scream was heard.
"AAAHH! DAMN IT! MY ARM!"
"Shut up, you psycho…" Allen walked toward Erigor with a look of contempt.
"Ahh! You disgusting bastard! Stop looking at me like you're better than me! I can see the killer's coldness in your eyes!"
"..." Allen stared at him expressionlessly.
Erigor felt fear. "Others might not see it, but I do. You've killed people—a lot of people! You're not better than me. You're just stronger! And because of that, you're still standing while I bleed out!"
Allen remembered his past. The countless Invincibles… the villains who refused to surrender… the Viltrumites, Angstrom Levy, alien races, the Heir Morlun, the god Loki, Stan Edgar, Black Noir, Homelander—and the further back he went, the more death there was. Until Doomsday… the first, and maybe the last, to whom he ever apologized.
Allen stopped walking, "You're right. I've killed many people. I could make excuses and say they were all evil. I could justify it by saying I never killed an innocent. But the truth is… a life is a life."
"What makes you better than me?!"
"Who knows... still, I have no regrets. This is the path I chose. I dealt with the moral dilemma a long time ago. I carry the weight of every decision I've made, without remorse. I trust myself—I trust that the Allen of that moment made the best decision. I trust that the Allen of the future will do the same. And I trust that, right now, I'm making the right call."
'I see, you're not the same as me, you don't escape...' thought Erigor frustrated.
Allen's gaze dropped all coldness aside, just a quiet calm, perhaps a little pity. "You can hate me, call me a hypocrite, spit on my actions… but you won't see me suffer for them. In the end, decisions have consequences—and I'd rather carry the weight of your death than let you wipe out an entire city."
Erigor's eyes widened. "You—wait, what are you doing?..."
"..." Allen raised his hand and pointed at Erigor. There was no doubt, no weakness. Just exhaustion. He had done this so many times before. Just another villain. Just another psychopath. Another madman bent on destruction, domination, or revenge. Just one more to eliminate… just a little more blood…
"Avada—"
The words were cut off by a hand. Unexpectedly soft, yet firm and powerful. The hand gripped his arm.
"…Erza," Allen murmured, without turning to look at her.
"It's not necessary," Erza whispered, her voice heavy.
"…You're right." Allen lowered his hand, offering no resistance. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Erza frowned.
Lucy, who had just arrived, noticed the tension between Erza and Allen. She smiled awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on, it's over now… there's no need to make it more dramatic than it is. Right, Allen? Erza-san, Allen was just—"
"Shut up, Lucy. He hasn't answered yet! Why are you apologizing? And why won't you look us in the eyes, Allen Walker?!"
Erza's words made Allen's eyes widen a little. He then turned to look at the furious Erza and the worried Lucy. Allen knew he couldn't remain silent, "When I first arrived at Fairy Tail, I had a different impression... I thought it was just a classic guild where you take on jobs and maybe spend some time drinking.," Allen smiled faintly. "But I was wrong. It was all too lively, too bright, almost like a fairy tale. Haha… but where I come from, I've had to make hard choices, the kind that led me to kill many of my enemies…"
To Allen, this world was far too optimistic and kind. Just thinking about Invincible where civilians were slaughtered constantly, where every week brought a new invasion, where an average person had a high chance of dying in a superhero fight…
Besides, Allen couldn't lie to himself. He wouldn't hesitate to kill again if the situation demanded it. He didn't know what world would come next, or what conditions the devil would impose. Maybe he'd end up in a dystopian apocalypse where circumstances forced him to kill hundreds—maybe thousands—or worse. A world like Warhammer where killing was just survival. Lucifer wouldn't make things easy, and every "challenge" would require choices. Many of them wouldn't be popular or accepted by everyone in their chat. That was inevitable. It was the price of weakness, of failure.
There would come a time when Allen would no longer have to worry about Lucifer—or he'd fail along the way. That was something only the future would reveal.
Allen looked at Lucy with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I'm no prince…"
Lucy felt her eyes filling with tears. Allen turned to Erza.
"The truth is... I wish you hadn't seen this side of me. I… I'll leave the guild—"
"Don't screw with me!" Lucy slapped Allen, leaving him stunned. He was expecting a punch from Erza—and in fact, she was about to do it—but Lucy beat her to it.
"Lucy?" Seeing the girl crying, he didn't know what to say.
"Who do you think you are?! You think just because you're strong, you have the right to treat us all like children?! You think that because you know so much, you can treat everyone like idiots?!" Lucy clenched her fist and was about to punch him but stopped. "You're… an idiot!"
Erza grabbed Allen by the collar with a serious expression. "That's right. You don't get to decide what to do based on what you think of us! Did you even ask if we would judge you for your past?! For your personality or your actions?! I'm a mage! It's not like I've never taken a life!" Erza moved her face closer, her eyes full of threat. "Listen! It's inevitable. It's something that happens in a mage's life! And more than anything—don't underestimate Fairy Tail! You're not the first bastard we've taken in, and you won't be the last! And do you really think I'm blind?! I know perfectly well what kind of man you are—and even so, I gave you my trust and respect! IF YOU EVER SAY SOMETHING THAT STUPID AGAIN, I'LL PUNCH YOU MYSELF!"
"…!" Allen nodded silently. How long had it been since someone scolded him like that?
...
Gwen – They got you, Allen. Haha.
Makima – I see. So that's how I should be handling you~
Kurumi – Master got scolded… hehe~
MJ – Oh, this time we didn't even have to say anything. I'm happy, but also a bit jealous~
Unohana – Ara Ara~ It's a little frustrating that Lucy-chan and Erza-chan stole the spotlight, but I'll accept it.
Natasha – I knew they were good girls~
Samantha – They're admirable~
Raven – It would've been easy to try and change Allen. But instead, they accepted him… not bad at all.
Rukia – Idiot! But I'll forgive him this time. Even we, who see you all the time, can barely imagine the weight on your shoulders.
...
'Thank you, everyone,' Allen thought, shaking his head before smiling slightly. "I feel like I lost this time."
"I'm glad you came to your senses, or I would've had to punch you!" Erza grinned and punched Allen in the stomach.
"Ugh!" Allen couldn't help but lower his guard in that moment. Without One-Man Army, Erza's punch actually hurt. "Okay, I deserved that…"
"…" Erza smiled, satisfied.
"What's wrong with you?! Allen is hurt!" Lucy scolded Erza as she knelt down and hugged Allen.
"Ah, sorry…" Erza, dazed, scratched her cheek and then knelt down to help him up.
"I'm not that hurt… just a bit of a headache," Allen complained. The mental strain of using multiple spells in a fraction of a second was enormous.
"Don't act tough!" Erza scolded.
"She's right!" Lucy added, helping him from the other side.
Allen stayed silent, not wanting to argue with either of them.
...
Natsu and Gray, who had finished their fights, were watching from a distance.
"Hey, Gray…" Natsu said with a weird look on his face.
"What?"
"Did you just see Lucy scold and slap Allen… and then scold Erza too?"
"What are you talking about? That's obviously your imagination…" Gray denied reality. Even if he were three times stronger, he wouldn't dare do what Lucy just did.
The situation from afar was far too surreal for them. But in the end, it didn't matter. Behind Natsu and Gray, Rayule and Kageyama lay unconscious. They had some injuries, but nothing serious.
Everything seemed to be over, and the army moved forward to arrest the dark mages. However, a cold sensation interrupted everything.
"Useless fools! Incompetent mages!" The voice echoed throughout the city. It was unnatural and monstrous, like a mix between a man's and a woman's voice.
Allen turned, leaving Lucy and Erza's support, toward the flute. It was now enveloped in a dark aura and began to float into the air. Allen created a fireball and launched it, causing a huge explosion.
"Ahh! That hurts!"
In the middle of the flames, a dark figure began to grow, quickly reaching the size of a skyscraper. It was a three-eyed monster with a twisted, black wooden body. This was the demon from Zeref's book—Lullaby.
"Humans…" There was no doubt. Lullaby smiled and began to play its deadly melody.
"This is bad!" Erza immediately realized Lullaby's intentions. It wasn't going to give them a chance to hurt its body before activating its melody—and it started using it right away.
"STILLICIUM!"
Allen responded by canceling out the sound, but unlike before, Lullaby's size was enormous, and it consumed a lot of magic.
"Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy—attack!"
At Allen's command, Natsu struck first with a Dragon Roar. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"…!" Lullaby tried to scream but could only suffer in silence.
Lucy didn't disappoint. She pulled a golden key from her pocket. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
"MOU!"
A muscular cow holding a huge axe appeared, leaving Allen speechless. Was this… a Celestial Spirit?
"Go, Taurus!" Lucy said excitedly, ignoring Allen's expression.
Taurus might've looked weird, but he was strong. He struck Lullaby at the base of its foot, almost toppling it.
Gray clasped his hands together as a cold aura surrounded him. "Ice-Make: Lance!"
Several ice lances struck Lullaby's body.
"…!"
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
Erza's base armor transformed into a bikini-style armor with black bat wings. She flew and slashed Lullaby's face.
"…?" Allen started to suspect the blacksmiths who made Erza's armor had ulterior motives.
"…!" Angered by the abuse, Lullaby decided to destroy the city with a blast—a massive energy laser from its mouth. In the original story, this attack could wipe out an entire mountain.
Allen, seeing its intent, moved his hand and whispered a chant that forced Lullaby's mouth shut at the last second. The demon looked at Allen in horror before its own head exploded from the redirected blast.
Everyone stood speechless. Lullaby returned to its flute form. Allen extended his hand and the flute flew towards him.
"This is a very powerful magical artifact... It didn't matter..." With a cold expression, Allen crushed it. Zeref's demon was pulverized.
"Huh?! with your hand?!" Lucy exclaimed beside him.
Gray, wide-eyed, stared. "You could've just beaten it yourself, couldn't you?"
"Nah…" Allen smiled a half-smile as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't mess with me—fight me!" Natsu, frustrated, attacked Allen, but with a single punch, Allen slammed him into the ground. "Ugyah!!"
"I don't want to..."
"Natsu!" Happy shouted.
"Well, I guess this ended well," Erza nodded.
"You think so?" Lucy replied, annoyed by Erza's outfit. Lucy didn't want to admit the truth about Erza's amazing, voluptuous body.
===
A/N: Six hundred chapters...
More chapters on patreon: Patreon.com/_Aizen