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It was a wooden flute with exposed bones, and a skull with three eyes. This was the legendary Curse Kill Demon: Lullaby, modified by a Black Mage.
On the altar, Kageyama caressed the wooden flute in his hand, his heart filled with excitement. As long as he played it, he could kill everyone around him with music, and even awaken the demon slumbering within.
Now, he would surely receive a reward from Master Erigor.
According to Erigor's plan, they would then use the Lullaby to eliminate all the Legal Guilds, and even the Council would have to bow down to their Eisenwald.
At that time, Eisenwald would dominate the Kingdom of Fiore, becoming a Dark Guild on par with the Three Great Dark Guilds.
And he, Kageyama, would get everything he desired, reaching the peak of his life.
Just thinking about it made him so excited!
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Try playing it," Noah said, interrupting Kageyama's fantasy. He didn't know why this man was holding a killing weapon and grinning foolishly.
Snapping back to reality, Kageyama wiped his drool and looked at the white-haired young man beside the altar. "I've been meaning to ask, you're a member of a Legal Guild, you could've stopped me, so why did you let me unseal the Magic flute?"
"Why? Of course, to witness the power of a demon."
However, Noah initially didn't want to see the Magic flute unsealed, as it would be very troublesome. The reason he later allowed Kageyama's actions was due to a suddenly triggered Wish commission.
[Local Wish Commission:]
[Wind Devil Slayer Mage Dadarion (Remnant Soul) wishes to completely eliminate the Curse Kill Demon.]
[Reward: Magic Inheritance Wind Devil Slayer.]
His companions were easily cutting through everything, but no one came to deal with Kageyama on the altar, precisely because Noah had reserved him.
Hearing Noah's words, Kageyama sneered. "Arrogant! How can a demon created by Zeref be compared to a mere Mage like you!"
However, Kageyama also knew that even the Black Priest had been heavily defeated, and if he, an ordinary Mage, didn't use the power of the Magic flute, he wouldn't be able to escape the grasp of Fairy Tail.
"Since you're looking for death, then let the Curse Song see the light of day again in this underground palace where the Lullaby was sealed two hundred years ago!"
Just as Kageyama was about to play the Magic flute, Noah interrupted him. "Wait a minute, you said this underground palace is where the Lullaby was once sealed?!"
"Otherwise? Why do you think we collaborated with Everlue?"
Kageyama spoke righteously. When they first found the location of the underground palace, they were worried about how to get in. Who knew that Everlue himself wasn't clean—publicly a Kingdom Baron, but secretly deeply colluding with the Black Magic Cult.
Through the connections of their superior Guild, Oración Seis, Eisenwald successfully contacted the Black Magic Cult.
Upon hearing that a small Guild wanted to unseal an item of a Black Mage, the Cult, born out of reverence for the Black Mage, naturally offered assistance.
The Black Magic Cult, Eisenwald, and Baron Everlue—these three parties thus temporarily cooperated, each with their own ulterior motives.
After learning the origin of this underground palace, Noah nodded. He wondered why there was suddenly a Wish order from a Revenant—it turned out this was the resting place of the Devil Slayer Mage who'd sealed the demon with his life more than two hundred years ago.
Due to the arrival of the Magic flute, the remnant soul of the Mage named Dadarion awakened, but what could a remnant soul do? Hence, this Wish commission.
After more than two hundred years, he was still determined to eliminate the demon—truly a respectable Mage.
"Stop dawdling, quickly bring me the Lullaby."
Listening to Noah's urging, Kageyama cursed angrily. "Why are you rushing me! Wasn't it you who told me to wait a moment just now!"
"Why are you shouting! When I tell you to stop, you stop. Are you my dog or something!" Noah suddenly realized Kageyama was actually an honest person, and couldn't help but smile.
Kageyama was furious and simply said nothing more.
The confined space of the underground palace was the perfect environment for the Curse Song to unleash its power. At this distance, as long as he played the Lullaby, these people would be doomed!
Kageyama took a deep breath and played the Magic flute in his hand with all his might.
Melodious music began to play, but things didn't unfold as Kageyama imagined. The wooden Magic flute suddenly grew thorns and rooted itself in his hand.
The roots deeply pierced Kageyama's flesh, entwining around his bones. His flesh, his Magic, all would become nourishment for the Lullaby.
The immense pain caused Kageyama to faint on the spot, but the subsequent bone-deep agony woke him up in despair.
"How could this happen... how could this happen..."
"Save me! Save me!"
Kageyama reached out to Noah, but the continuously growing withered wood broke his arms, severing his last shred of hope.
The parasitic withered wood twisted relentlessly, growing larger while consuming Kageyama's blood and bones, even devouring his soul completely.
A giant figure emanating an evil aura appeared.
On its skull-like head, the eye sockets were hollow and glowed deep red. Its jaw could open exaggeratedly, revealing an abyss-like throat within. Dark brown, hard carapaces covered in eerie, bumpy textures.
This was the true form of the Curse Kill Demon: Lullaby.
Due to the limited space in the underground palace, Lullaby's massive, twisted, withered wood body was forced to crouch, but the oppressive feeling was still immense.
"This... this is a demon..."
At the entrance of the underground passage, Lucy fearfully shrank back. "With a monster like this, can Noah really handle it?"
"Don't worry, Noah rarely actively seeks trouble—he must be confident to do this," Erza said, comforting Lucy while restraining the restless Natsu.
"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant brats, Master Lullaby will kill all of you in a moment!"
Although he was captured by Mirajane, the Black Priest Dachiru was incredibly inflated at this moment. He was a follower of the Black Mage, and demons were messengers of the Black Mage in his eyes.
Sealed for a hundred years, Lullaby harbored great resentment, and it urgently needed a slaughter to satisfy itself.
The patterns on its withered wood body lit up, and a shrill scream echoed. That was Lullaby's Curse Song, capable of inflicting immense damage to any creature that heard it.
However, an even greater commotion covered up Lullaby's Curse Song.
Infused with the "Spirit of the Evil Whale," Noah suddenly punched the air. High-frequency dark energy vibrated the air, erupting in a deafening whale cry.
The whale cry was so sharp that even Erza and Mirajane, who were watching, had to cover their ears, naturally suppressing Lullaby's shrill curse sound.
With the conditions for the Curse Kill not met, Lullaby angrily swung its giant withered wood fist, smashing toward the obstructive human Mage.
Noah didn't dodge or evade, simply stepping forward and throwing a punch.
Before the punch landed, the air already surged like a raging sea, and the ground cracked like thin ice. Blue Magic Power, carrying shattered rocks, condensed into a giant whale phantom, which collided head-on with the withered wood giant fist.
The violent force pulverized the eerie patterns on Lullaby's body, and the Curse Kill Demon's aura instantly weakened considerably.
"A demon, nothing more than this."
Having ascertained Lullaby's limits, Noah no longer held back, erupting with full power. "Whale Slayer Punch!"
Azure Magic Power condensed into a thousand-meter giant whale phantom, its gaping maw swallowing the few remaining lights in the underground palace.
The punch contained the vastness and ferocity of the ocean. Ocean-like Magic Power condensed between his knuckles, merging with the wildness of the giant whale, as if it could crush everything in its path.
Towering waves, hollow whale cries, withered wood crushed, the demon's soul dragged into a lightless abyss.
Clang ~ Clang ~
The wooden flute rolled onto the ground.