— — — — — —
"Hey, after this we—"
A member of the Eisenwald Guild started to speak, but before he could finish, a dark figure emerged silently from the shadow behind him.
In an instant, the shadow ninja clamped a hand over his mouth, slit his throat, and dragged the body into the darkness—swift, precise, and utterly soundless.
"Huh?"
Another guild member, having heard a faint noise, turned around. Nothing. But before he could react, three pairs of inky black hands reached out from behind him—and he was gone, swallowed whole by the shadows.
The same scene played out all across the station. One after another, members of the Eisenwald Guild vanished into darkness, without a scream, without a trace.
The Shadowkans didn't even need to use the magic bombs Kazuma had given them.
As the minutes ticked by, fewer and fewer guild members remained. Finally, someone noticed something was off.
"Stay sharp! Something's happening in the station!"
Rayule's face tensed as he looked around the now eerily empty hall. Magic surged in his hands, condensing into black cords as he barked out orders.
At once, the others snapped out of their relaxed state. Only then did they realize—half their companions were missing.
"Someone's assassinating us!"
"No way! We're Eisenwald! The strongest assassin guild around! No one could sneak up on us like this!"
"Then where the hell did they all go?!"
They could no longer lie to themselves. The missing weren't just elsewhere—they were dead.
"Everyone focus! We've got a real enemy this time!"
"Whoever's doing this killed our people right under our noses—no noise, no blood, no bodies. Nothing left behind!"
"This isn't random. We're dealing with professionals."
At that moment, Byard suddenly thought of something—Erigor's sudden disappearance earlier. His face twisted in anger.
''Damn it. That bastard must've realized something was wrong and ran off! He couldn't even bother to warn us first?''
''If he slipped away without a word, that means... whoever's here might be too strong even for Erigor to handle!''
''He left us as bait... cannon fodder to slow them down!''
Byard's eyelid twitched. He didn't think much of Erigor as a person, but he respected his strength—and if even Erigor fled, then he sure as hell wasn't sticking around to die.
He glanced around, looking for an opening. Quietly, he edged toward a blind spot in their line of sight, planning to slip away.
But as he watched other guild members, something else was watching him. The moment he stepped into a shadowed corner—
A pair of black hands reached out and pulled him in. Not a sound. It was as if he'd never existed.
"Byard's gone! Damn it! Stop hiding, you cowards! Come out and fight us face to face!"
"Circle up! Watch every direction—the enemy could be anywhere!"
"Stay alert, everyone!"
The Eisenwald members huddled together, weapons drawn. Outwardly they shouted with anger, but inside, fear gnawed at them.
The enemy was among them, invisible, killing one by one—and none of them had even seen the killer's face.
No one knew who'd be next. Maybe the guy beside you. Maybe you.
That unseen pressure was suffocating. The fear of the unknown—of a death you couldn't predict—was far worse than any visible threat.
The shadow soldiers stared at the terrified group, their crimson eyes cold and empty.
They pulled out the magic bombs Kazuma had given them, slipped into the guild members' shadows, emerged silently—and detonated them.
Boom! Boom!Boom!Boom!
...
The whistle of a distant train drowned out the explosions and screams.
---
After ten minutes, Kazuma, Lucy, and Erza stepped off the train.
"Whew, that scared me for a second. I thought we were about to run into a whole army here," Lucy said, letting out a shaky laugh. "Guess I was overthinking."
Kazuma chuckled. "You thought too much, Lucy."
Lucy looked around the now-empty platform, her hand relaxing away from her keys. "You really had me going there. For a second I thought you somehow sensed enemies all the way from the train."
She smiled, teasing him. "So you were just guessing, huh? And got it wrong. Maybe I'll remind you of that next time."
Kazuma only smiled. "You've still got a lot to learn."
He stepped forward, eyes narrowing. He used the Eagle Eye Spell.
In the distance—far, far away—Erigor's fleeing form came sharply into focus.
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean—'I've got a lot to learn'?!" Lucy started to retort, but stopped when she saw Erza crouch near the corner of the platform.
Erza touched the ground, then stood up again, a smear of red on her fingertips.
"Kazuma was right," she said quietly. "There were a lot of Eisenwald members here. At least a few dozen."
"But in less than ten minutes since we arrived… they're all dead."
"The blood's been cleaned. The damage to the floor's been filled in. Every trace of battle—gone."
"Except one thing. The air is still thick with magic residue. This is what's left after a magic bomb detonation."
She turned toward Kazuma. Once, she'd believed they were equals in strength. Not anymore.
"Ten minutes... dozens of people..." Lucy muttered, eyes wide. "How is that even humanly possible?"
"Killing a mage like it's nothing—no, easier than killing chickens..."
She looked at Kazuma, who was already aiming his gaze at something far away, and suddenly remembered what he'd said when they first met: that he once wiped out an entire dark guild by himself.
She'd thought he was just bragging.
But now—seeing the aftermath with her own eyes—she knew it was no joke.
"Maybe I should've started sucking up to him sooner..."
---
Meanwhile, far from the station, Erigor was still running.
"Danger... danger... danger!"
His heart pounded wildly, like an invisible hand was squeezing it tight. His throat felt constricted, his breath shallow.
He could feel it—death closing in.
That wasn't fear or imagination. It was real. The monstrous aura from afar pressed down on him, so strong it crossed the distance between them.
.
.
.