"Damn!"
Kaien stomped forward with his left foot, then heaved his body—tossing the entire locomotive straight at Erigor.
WHOOSH———!!
The train engine tore through the air like a high-speed bullet train, rocketing toward Erigor at terrifying velocity.
"Wind Palm!!"
Erigor's expression twisted. He thrust his palm forward, releasing a violent tornado.
BOOM———!!
The whirlwind clashed against the locomotive, slowing it down slightly.
Using that moment, Erigor dodged.
WHOOSH—!
The train engine grazed right over his head. Just feeling the air pressure left his heart pounding. A direct hit would've either killed or crippled him instantly.
"Monster…"
Erigor stared at Kaien, eyes filled with dread. The man had not only lifted the locomotive—he'd thrown it. What else could he be but a monster?
"Eh? Missed again? Man, your luck really is something."
Kaien's mocking tone made Erigor fume.
"You damn bastard!! Don't get cocky!! Now I'm getting serious!"
Erigor crossed his arms and shouted,
"Storm Mail!!"
A vortex of violent wind spun rapidly around his body, forming a suit of armor made from gales.
"Whoa! Now that actually looks kinda cool."
"Hmph! Take this!!"
Erigor dove toward Kaien like a living drill.
Kaien lightly tapped his toes and floated backward.
BOOM!!!
The spot Kaien had just stood on exploded, leaving a deep crater.
"Hmph! Trying to run? In all my years of assassination, no one who's seen this magic has ever lived!"
"Storm Shred!!"
Erigor raised his hand and unleashed a flurry of wind blades—faster, sharper, and more concentrated than before.
Kaien didn't move from his spot, swinging the railway beam he'd ripped off earlier.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every wind blade was cleanly deflected by the iron rail.
"Damn it!"
Frustrated that Storm Shred didn't work, Erigor launched another barrage of wind blades.
Kaien still looked relaxed, blocking every strike while slowly closing the distance.
Just as he got close—
"Storm Waltz!!"
Gales burst outward from Erigor's body, blowing Kaien backward.
"See that?! This is the power of Storm Mail! The wind blows outward—you can't get close to me!!"
"Huh? That's it? I expected more. So this is what all the fuss was about?"
Kaien's disappointed tone stabbed at Erigor's pride.
"Damn it! That expression again! You bastard! If you're so eager to die, then I'll show you my strongest magic!!"
"Watch closely! The wind that shreds all—Emerald Gale!"
Erigor pressed his index and middle fingers together. Magic energy swirled and concentrated into them.
"No matter how strong you are—if this hits you, you'll be torn to pieces!!"
"Die, you damn monster!!"
Erigor thrust his spinning fingers forward, unleashing a storm of razor-sharp wind blades. Everything in their path was shredded into splinters.
"Heh!!"
Kaien grinned with a hint of excitement. Instead of dodging, he spun the rail in his hands like a staff.
BOOOOM—————!!
A massive explosion ripped through the area, leveling everything nearby.
"Hmph! So much for the 'Tyrant.' In the end, he still fell by the hand of the Grim Reaper. Don't worry—your old man's next. I'll send him to keep you company."
"Oi, oi! I'm not dead, so stop padding your kill count."
A voice echoed from the smoke.
"What?!"
Erigor's eyes widened. Inside the dissipating cloud, a figure stood tall—completely unharmed. That same arrogant smirk still hung on his face.
"No way! There's no way someone could take my Emerald Gale head-on and come out unscathed!! That's impossible!!"
Kaien sighed.
"Looks like that's all you've got. Well, I'm tired of playing around. Let's end this boring little fight."
Erigor's face contorted in rage.
"You bastard! Just because you tanked one attack doesn't mean you've—"
WHOOSH———!
Kaien appeared right in front of him, both hands gripping the rail like a baseball bat.
Kaien's grin widened.
"Didn't quite catch that—what were you saying?"
Before Erigor could react, pain exploded in his abdomen. His stomach flipped, acid surged up his throat, and his whole body curled like a boiled shrimp. Tears and spit burst from his face.
BOOM————!!
He was sent flying, smashing through train car after train car.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Until finally, his body blasted a crater into the far end of the railcars, his eyes rolled back in unconsciousness.
"Home run!!"
Kaien looked very pleased with himself.
"Ah… crap. I lost track of time again while playing."
"Hey! They're all down now—you can come out, Lullaby."
Now that Kaien recalled the plot, he also remembered Lullaby's true identity. That flute wasn't a demon from the Book of Zeref, just one of Zeref's discarded failures—tossed aside the moment it was made.
And yet, even a failure like that had brought endless trouble to the continent.
"..."
The air was still. Kaien simply stared at where Erigor had fallen.
Suddenly—
A three-eyed skull-shaped flute flew out from Erigor's body.
"Jieh jieh jieh!! So you noticed me, huh? What a bunch of useless trash!"
"I can't take it anymore. I'll handle this personally."
Green smoke wafted from the skull flute's mouth, coalescing into the form of a monstrous creature—dozens of meters tall and seemingly made of writhing tree roots.
Kageyama, who had just regained consciousness, went pale.
"W-What the hell is that?! I didn't sign up for that!!"
"I'm starving… Let me taste your souls!"
The monster opened its maw, ready to cast Lullaby Magic.
SHLNK!!
But before it could, a railroad spike shot straight through its mouth and pierced out the back of its skull.
"Oops! Sorry to interrupt. But your voice was just awful. I figured your singing would be too."
"Now, I've got no problem with you singing in general, but crawling out here just to ruin everyone's day? That's where I draw the line."