The wind force of Erigor's Storm Mail suddenly intensified, pushing Natsu backward continuously.
"Let me be frank, my Storm Mail blows strong winds from the inside out. Do you understand?" Erigor sneered. "Flames absolutely cannot burn against the wind! That means your fire can never defeat my wind, hahaha!"
The fierce wind created by the Storm Mail ravaged the surroundings, and Natsu was continuously cut by the invisible wind blades.
"Understand now, Fairy Tail brat? Mere flames can't overcome strong winds."
After another attempt to break through the gale, Natsu was repelled and fell to the ground.
"Damn it!" Natsu knelt on one knee and punched the railway tracks in frustration.
"Who says fire can't defeat wind? Besides, what kind of wind is this? I've seen much stronger ones!"
"I refuse to believe this! If I can't break through Raizel's strong winds, I won't accept being unable to break through yours either!"
Natsu had been trying to use Raizel's wind magic to train his explosive power for years, but he still hadn't succeeded yet.
Success, in his eyes, meant successfully landing a clean punch on Raizel.
Grabbing the railway tracks, Natsu roared continuously.
The temperature of his flames rose drastically, fueled by his anger.
'Strange magic... emotions can actually transform into tangible flames,' Erigor thought, unnerved.
"Erigor's wind is flowing in a strange direction!" Happy observed clearly from the sidelines, watching Erigor's wind continuously flow toward Natsu instead of away.
"Natsu, just give up. Let Gray handle this. You can't defeat Erigor," Happy said, waving his paw dismissively.
"NANI?!"
After a moment of stunned confusion, Natsu grew even more furious.
"DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME!"
His angry emotions continuously transformed into flames, forming a pillar of fire centered around him that expanded rapidly.
Natsu's super-high temperature heated the surrounding air, creating rapid updrafts that generated a localized low-pressure zone.
Since wind naturally flows toward low-pressure areas, Erigor's defensive wind was forcibly drawn toward Natsu, nullifying the defense.
"Watch how I deal with you!"
"Fire Dragon's... SWORD HORN!"
Natsu launched himself like a missile, headbutting Erigor with the force of a dragon.
WHAM!
Erigor was knocked completely unconscious by the attack, falling from the sky.
"Happy, what were you saying about me earlier?" Natsu asked, panting.
"My cat memory has always been quite poor, you know."
"Didn't you say I couldn't win against this guy and that we should let Erza handle it?"
"Your memory is worse than a cat's... I clearly said Gray..."
"Erza! You guys came too late. It's already over," Natsu said with a grin, crossing his hands behind his head as the others arrived on the scene.
'How is this possible? Erigor was actually defeated!'
Kageyama, who had been hiding nearby, broke out in a cold sweat as he looked at Natsu in terror.
Watching the Fairy Tail members immersed in conversation, Kageyama noticed that no one was paying attention to the flute, Lullaby, lying beside the fallen Erigor.
"I'll be taking Lullaby then, hahaha."
Using his Shadow Magic, Kageyama snatched Lullaby, jumped into the Magic Mobile, and sped off toward Clover Town.
"..."
"Oh no! He stole the car! Let's chase after him!"
"What's going on? And here we even saved his life!"
Even Ultear had let her guard down, mainly because Kageyama had looked half-dead earlier.
"It's fine. Just take your time to Clover Town to watch the show."
"That's Raizel's voice... did you all hear it?" Ultear turned to look at Erza and the others.
Using Archive Magic, Raizel had sent a telepathic message to the group from Clover Town.
After separating from Ultear and the group earlier, Raizel had gone ahead to the villa where Makarov and the others were holding their meeting and briefly explained the situation.
Now, he was simply preparing to watch the show unfold.
After receiving confirmation from everyone, Ultear nodded.
"If Raizel says it's fine, then it's fine. Let's head to Clover Town at our own pace."
...
Outside the Guild Masters' Meeting Villa, Clover Town—
Kageyama found a high vantage point on a cliff overlooking the meeting hall.
'Perfect. From this distance, Lullaby's flute melody can reach every corner of the building.'
'This moment... this moment has finally come.'
"Both this girl and that girl are quite pretty. These days, Mages keep getting better-looking inside and out. Photo models are the best!"
A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Kageyama. He turned to see a short old man sitting on a rock, looking at a copy of Sorcerer Weekly.
"No... no time for this kind of thing."
The short old man suddenly stood up from the rock and hurriedly put away the magazine.
"Who are you?!" The short old man seemed to only notice Kageyama's presence now, jumping in surprise.
"No, wait... this is also a form of learning! I'm researching modern trends!" The old man waved his hands while explaining defensively.
'Well played, Gramps. You're quite the actor.'
Raizel, lying on a tree branch high above and watching the show, observed Makarov's performance with amusement.
Kageyama looked at Makarov and sighed, unimpressed. "Are you a patient from a nearby hospital? What are you doing sneaking around here?"
'Wait... isn't this old man Makarov, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail? seems like i really have some connection with these flies.'
Kageyama finally recognized the short old man's identity.
"Um, excuse me... would you listen to me play a tune? The hospital forbids us from playing instruments inside, so I came out here."
Makarov, with his hands behind his back, turned to look at Kageyama without speaking.
"I... I just want someone to listen to me play."
"That flute looks rather disgusting. Can it possibly sound good?"
"The appearance isn't much, but the tone is beautiful."
Makarov squinted his eyes and replied, "I'm in a hurry, so I can only listen to one tune."
"Please listen carefully then."
Saying this, Kageyama brought the flute to his lips.
As he prepared to blow, memories flooded his mind. He remembered the Eisenwald members' complaints about official Guilds.
'Even if you do this, you still won't get your rights back. Can't you view life more positively?'
Kageyama then remembered the words of the black-haired mage who liked taking off his clothes on the train.
'Why are you doing this? Aren't you comrades from the same Guild?'
He also remembered Natsu's anger when he was attacked by his own people.
'Why?!'
Ultear, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy finally arrived at the foot of the hill.
They looked up and saw Makarov facing Kageyama.
"There he is."
"Master!"
"Gramps!"
"Shh! It's getting to the good part, keep quiet," a voice hushed them.
"But you're all so adorable, I absolutely love you!"
A large man in a flashy suit appeared, trying to hug the group.
"Who is this person?!" Lucy recoiled, looking as if she'd seen something terrifying.
"Master Bob..." Erza greeted him awkwardly.
"Erza, you've grown so much!"
"I never imagined this person would be the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus," Lucy whispered, horrified.
...
On the Cliff—
"What's wrong? Hurry up and play, I'm in a rush."
Makarov stood with his hands on his hips, calmly watching Kageyama, who had the flute pressed to his lips but was trembling.
After swallowing hard, Kageyama steeled himself and brought the flute to his mouth once more.
---------
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