Arthur retrieved the satchel from the unconscious Erigor, but his Super Focus immediately registered the discrepancy.
His knowledge of the original plot—combined with the magical residue—confirmed the truth.
"This is the fake Lullaby,"
Arthur stated, his voice ringing clearly in the silent aftermath of the fight.
"The actual magic flute is the one Kageyama had."
The Fairy Tail mages instantly snapped out of their stupor.
Erza rushed forward, her mind already moving at light speed.
"The target is the Guild Masters in Clover Town! We've wasted too much time!"
They didn't need to ask Kageyama.
The defeated Dark Mage, now watching his leader defeated by a conceptual attack he couldn't even comprehend, was completely broken.
As the team rushed past the scene of the quick battle, Kageyama, lying battered nearby, yelled out a plea for absolution.
"Wait! It's true! I have the real Lullaby!"
He painfully handed the deadly flute—a grotesque, skull-adorned wind instrument—to the nearest person, which happened to be Natsu.
The sheer guilt of his actions and the terror of facing the power of Arthur's group compelled his confession.
"We missed the last train,"
Gray noted grimly, looking at the time board.
"There's no way to reach Clover Town today."
"There is,"
Arthur said, his smile returning. He turned to his group.
"Rimuru, Milim, Shion, Shuna. Prepare for dimensional transport."
He then looked at the Fairy Tail team.
"I offer you a one-time express service. We don't need trains."
Before anyone could protest, Arthur placed his hand on Erza's shoulder, and used his Reality Blending to define a path.
With a powerful flash of golden-green light, Arthur pulled the entire team—including a stunned Natsu, a nervous Gray, and a wide-eyed Lucy—into a pocket of space-time, instantly bridging the massive distance.
They materialized with a soft thud on the outskirts of Clover Town, right outside the building where the Guild Masters' meeting was underway.
"Let's move,"
Arthur commanded.
"Now we have saved the day."
They burst into the meeting hall just as Erigor, who had used his own magic to escape the station after his defeat(Arthur allowed him to go for plot progression), was making a last-ditch attempt to intimidate the gathered Guild Masters.
The appearance of Erza's team, coupled with the shock of seeing Erigor defeated easily again, caused a ripple of chaos.
Makarov, the Fairy Tail Master, instantly recognized the seriousness of the threat.
The immediate crisis was quickly averted as Natsu, fueled by residual energy from Arthur's cure and a burst of adrenaline, incinerated the deadly Lullaby flute—destroying the cursed relic once and for all.
Once the danger was neutralized, all eyes in the hall—eyes belonging to the most powerful wizards in the kingdom of Fiore—turned to the massive, unusual group standing by the door.
Makarov's gaze, however, locked instantly onto Arthur.
The Guild Master, whose power was colossal even on the Sixth Floor, felt a sensation he hadn't experienced since his youth: A true challenge.
Makarov and the other Masters—especially Goldmine and Bob—were profoundly shocked.
They felt the power of Rimuru, which felt like the universe itself; the raw, unbridled destruction radiating from Milim; and the disciplined, S-Class level strength of the Onis. But it was Arthur who truly unnerved them.
Makarov peered at Arthur, his own immense aura probing. He couldn't assign a rank.
Arthur's presence felt like an endless, calm void—a power that was simply stronger than their concept of strong.
He was as strong as them, or even stronger, they simply couldn't tell.
"Who are you, young man?"
Makarov asked, his voice low and serious, no longer playful.
"You carry a power unlike anything in Fiore."
Arthur offered a respectful bow.
"Master Makarov. It's a pleasure. My name is Arthur Leywin Stark, and these are my associates."
He then cut directly to his mission.
"We assisted your young mages with the Eisenwald crisis as a gesture of goodwill. We are travelers, and we have come to the Fiore with the intention of creating a new legal guild in Magnolia Town."
The revelation caused a collective gasp among the Guild Masters.
A new guild, led by a man whose power defied their understanding, establishing itself right in Fairy Tail's hometown?
This was the beginning of a major shift in Fiore's magical landscape.