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The dungeon trembled violently as rubble fell in a continuous stream.
The ethereal blue Magic that had surged like a tide dissipated like a breeze, revealing a two-meter-deep crater in the center of the dungeon. Noah stood at the bottom, shaking his wrist. The wooden flute lay quietly at his feet.
The Magic flute that had once claimed countless lives was now just an ordinary wooden flute with a peculiar shape—nothing more.
Noah lifted his foot and crushed the wooden flute that had carried so much sin. Simultaneously, the Wish completion prompt sounded in his mind.
[Local Wish completed.]
[Reward: Magic Legacy Devil Slayer Magic (Wind).]
[Requester's comment: Thank you, nameless successor. Please don't mind my limited remaining power.]
After receiving the reward, Noah felt his Magic Power suddenly grow stronger, with a new, considerable surge of wind-attribute Magic. Previous Wish rewards had always been abilities or Magic insights—this was the first time he'd directly gained power.
But wasn't the reward Devil Slayer Magic? Why did he gain Magic Power out of thin air?
Soon, Noah understood.
It turned out that Devil Slayer Magic was different from other Magic. The method of learning this Magic had long been lost.
However, a Devil Slayer could transfer all of their power to another Mage, thereby allowing Devil Slayer Magic to be passed down.
The cost of doing so was that the one transferring the power could no longer cast Magic, losing all of their strength in an instant and causing irreversible damage to their body.
If they were lucky, they'd become a physically weak ordinary person. In severe cases, their life would be in danger—or they might even die directly.
Devil Slayers were a group of people who fought against demons with their lives.
But not everyone was qualified to bear Devil Slayer Magic. Strict aptitude and Magic Power requirements made it difficult for Devil Slayers to even find a barely suitable successor.
Moreover, not every Devil Slayer had the opportunity to pass on their power. Many Devil Slayer Magic types were buried in the long river of time due to various reasons.
This Wind Devil Slayer from over two hundred years ago, had sealed Lullaby with his life, carrying such regret.
Noah finally understood why there was a "Magic Legacy" prefix in the reward column. The Magic Power he'd just gained came from his "legacy."
With reverence, Noah closed his eyes and carefully sensed the power of Devil Slayer Magic…
Eh~ Is that it?
Lucy and Happy peeked out from behind Natsu. They weren't strong enough to even see how Lullaby had disappeared—they'd only seen Noah standing motionless after the battle ended.
Natsu, however, had clearly seen the battle process. He said, somewhat eager to try, "It was defeated in two punches. I feel like this Curse demon isn't as powerful as the rumors say. I could do it too."
Lucy and Happy simultaneously scoffed, thinking Natsu was bragging. But he was always reckless like this anyway.
"No, Natsu isn't bragging."
Erza said thoughtfully, "Most of Lullaby's power lies in its terrifying Curse Magic. The Curse Song, which kills upon hearing, is a devastating threat to ordinary people—which is why there are so many terrifying rumors."
"As long as you find a way to stop the Curse Song in advance, or your Magic Power is strong enough to withstand it, Lullaby is nothing to fear." Through observing Noah's battle, Erza had thoroughly analyzed the Curse demon.
"Nonsense!"
Hearing his revered "messenger" being so sharply criticized, the Black Priest Dachiru suddenly burst forth with unknown strength and exclaimed, "That is a demon created by Lord Zeref! How could mere humans…"
Mirajane swung her Magic chains, firmly restraining the frantic Dachiru. She hadn't expected this Black Priest—who always thought of running away when faced with trouble—to have such a fanatical side.
What kind of Magic Power did the Dark Mage possess to still have such ignorant fanatics over four hundred years later?
Thinking of this, Mirajane suddenly had a mischievous idea. "Since you don't believe Lullaby was destroyed, then I'll let you meet 'it.'"
The girl's playful and cute voice fell on Dachiru's ears like ice, making him shiver involuntarily.
He wasn't blind—he'd seen the Curse demon being destroyed. He was just acting a little excited for the sake of his faith. It shouldn't be enough to send him down to meet that demon, right…
Just as Dachiru was thinking about which kneeling posture would be least embarrassing to beg for mercy, he saw Mirajane wave her hand. A dark purple Magic circle appeared behind her.
"Take Over: Lullaby Soul!"
"Nani!!"
In Dachiru's shocked gaze, the ruthless Satan demon disappeared from the Magic circle, replaced by an elegant girl in a classical white dress.
Her white hair cascaded to her waist, and the plain silk skirt was ruffled by tiny currents of Magic Power. Mirajane lightly tapped her finger in the air, and an ancient bamboo flute appeared in her hand.
When Noah had defeated Lullaby, Mirajane immediately sensed the Curse demon's shattered soul and used Take Over Magic to seize it. The Curse Song naturally became Mirajane's power.
The white-haired girl's crimson lips parted as she played notes, and a gentle flute melody drifted through the dungeon. Erza and the others felt as if they were immersed in a lingering fairy melody, utterly captivated.
"Wah!"
A scream brought their attention back. Unlike the others, Dachiru only felt demonic sound piercing his ears, and he writhed in pain on the ground. The flute sound was like a knife, severing his nerves one by one.
Not until Dachiru was tormented by the flute sound to the point of passing out did Mirajane stop playing. She was able to control her newly acquired power with precision—in terms of being a "demon," Mirajane truly had a lot of talent.
"So the Curse Song can choose its target? It seems I need to retract my previous statement. Lullaby still has something to it."
Noah slowly walked over. He'd noticed the commotion at the dungeon passage earlier, but he'd been sensing his new power and hadn't come over to watch the show immediately.
Mirajane smiled, raising the bamboo flute in her hand toward Noah. "Thanks to you, I picked up a good one. Lullaby is a nice toy."
It wasn't an exaggeration for Mirajane to call "Lullaby Soul" a toy. She wouldn't use the dangerous Curse Song on ordinary people.
And in battles between Mages, other than clearing out minor enemies, Mirajane could mostly solve problems by taking over the more powerful Satan Soul.
If even the "Satan demon" couldn't handle an enemy, then switching to Lullaby's power wouldn't have any effect either.
Noah believed that the greatest benefit of "Lullaby Soul" for Mirajane was that it transformed her from being utterly clueless about playing the flute to being a master, giving this former delinquent girl a touch of artistic flair.
He wondered if Mirajane could apply this to other instruments, like playing the guitar or something…