Silence. Real silence—the kind that makes your ears ring because the world forgot its noise.
The mist still swirled faintly over the ruined clearing, broken fragments of the council hall half-buried under collapsing dust. Moonlight filtered through the haze, cutting the scene in pale slivers. For a long, breathless moment, no one spoke.
Natsu's voice broke first, cracking the spell.
"What the hell… was that!?"
Gray's eyes darted between the crater, the shattered remains of Lullaby, and the lone cloaked figure standing calmly in the settling dust. "Oi, oi… who is this guy?"
Erza's tone was steady, but even she couldn't hide the awe edging into her voice. "Such power… in a single strike."
Lucy's knees gave out completely. "Kyaaaaa—! A guy even more monstrous than the monster just appeared!" she squeaked, clutching Happy like a stuffed toy as her legs wobbled uselessly.
Happy nodded gravely. "Aye… he's scary strong."Then, a beat later, grinned. "But he's got cool cloak points!"
Farther back, Bob's usual theatrical calm faltered. Sweat ran down his temple as he tried to fan himself, his hand trembling slightly. "My, my… talk about dramatic entrances…"
Beside him, Goldmine's hat had flown off in the chaos. He bent down to pick it up, fingers shaking as he brushed off the dust. "That… wasn't even magic, just pure magic power," he murmured. "I didn't feel a thing until it was over…"
Makarov stood silent, gaze fixed on the cloaked man at the center. No magic signature. No hint of killing intent. And yet, the power he had just witnessed… It was beyond overwhelming—it was absolute.
Shadow, feeling their stares like stage lights warming his skin, resisted the urge to grin.(Hum… that's how you should react.)
He kept his posture elegant, head slightly tilted, cloak rippling faintly in the wind. (What a perfect entrance. The timing, the atmosphere, the reactions—textbook perfection.)
But then…
His eyes twitched as faint movement stirred from the rubble. A low rumble, like a buried heartbeat, rose beneath the shattered stone.
(Eh?)
The debris shifted. Dust puffed upward. A pulse of sickly purple magic crawled through the cracks.
(What the hell—again? Did I just hit a regenerating boss?! Seriously? The very first boss that appears for my announcement to the world is a cliché? What a letdown!)
He sighed inwardly, shaking his head. (Still… I guess he's tough enough for this stage of the plot. That'll do.)
A deafening BANG tore through the clearing.
Stone and dirt exploded outward as the massive form of Lullaby—half skeletal, half smoke—lurched free of the rubble, its roar shaking the ground underfoot. The earth shivered, sending small rocks tumbling down the nearby slopes.
The demon's body steamed from deep cuts and burns, purple energy leaking like blood from its cracks. Its hollow eyes burned with rage.
First, it thought furiously, someone sends a wave to crush me! Then I'm boiled alive in some cursed water prison that only my immortality could withstand! And now—now—something hits me hard enough to send me flying?!
Its claws gouged the ground as it rose, snarling. You humans…!
The demon's gaze darted across the field. It saw the fainted girl in the black cloak lying near the epicenter—the one whose magic had scalded it—and its fury twisted into cruel delight.
"Ha… ha-ha-ha-ha!" It laughed, voice grinding like metal. "That's right, human! Even strong ones like you are still nothing! Against my immortality, you are powerless!"
Its head turned slightly—and froze.
Standing just a few strides away was another human, also in black. Cloak drifting in the wind. Calm. Still. Watching.
The Lullaby's smile faltered. Its burning eyes traced the trail of destruction backward—the gouge through earth and stone that ended squarely at the feet of that man.
Realization hit. Its throat went dry.
"Y-you…" it growled, forcing its voice steady. "Even if you're strong, you can't kill me! I am immortal! I will crush you all—every puny human on this cursed land! I am a superior being! An immortal race!"
Shadow sighed, rubbing his temple. What a cliché. First regeneration, now race superiority? What's next? A tragic flashback? Maybe a last-second plea for mercy from a bronze-tier boss?
The demon spread its arms, gathering magic again, the cursed melody building low in its chest. The air thickened, rumbling faintly, purple light swirling like a storm.
Shadow exhaled.
"Unfortunately," he said softly, voice barely audible yet somehow filling the space between heartbeats, "I cannot allow such an ugly sound to appear in this world again… Mr. Demon."
A black blade shimmered into being in his hand—long, slender, and utterly silent. The light around it bent slightly, as if afraid to touch its edge.
Then Shadow was gone.
No flash. No sound. Just absence.
The Lullaby raised its head, triumphant, opening its jagged mouth to sing. Nothing interrupted its spell this time—no water, no wave, no restraint.
But before the first note could leave its throat—
SHLICK.
The world blinked.
The demon's body froze mid-motion, still grinning, still triumphant. Then its grin split in half. Lines of shadow traced its form like cracks through glass.
Its head fell first in countless pieces. Then the rest of it followed, collapsing into shards that struck the soaked ground with a series of wet, dull splashes.
For a brief instant, all was still—until thin streams of purple magic began leaking from the severed fragments. The cursed energy writhed like smoke, crawling over the remains before erupting in sudden bursts of violet light.
Each piece ignited from within, crumbling into fine, glowing ash that rose gently into the air. The fragments shimmered once—then scattered, dissolving into the mist like dying embers.
Within seconds, there was nothing left of the demon but fading traces of purple light drifting skyward.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Then Makarov whispered, almost reverently, "That speed… I couldn't even follow it."
Gray swallowed, his mouth dry. "Oi… oi… did he just—finish a demon like that? In one hit?"
Natsu stared blankly, his bravado momentarily gone. "...That's not normal. That's definitely not normal."
Erza stood stiff as a statue, sword still drawn, her eyes wide but her jaw firm. "Even with all my senses active… I didn't see it. Not a step, not a flicker. What a fast sword!"
Lucy, still halfway between fear and disbelief, finally looked up from behind her arms. "W-wait—did it just… vanish?! What the hell is happening here?!"
Her words echoed through the clearing, the only sound daring to exist after what they had just witnessed.
And through the mist and drifting dust, Shadow stood perfectly still—his blade dissolving into black motes that vanished like ash.
(Hmm. Yes. That was cool. A silent one-shot is a pretty nice finishing move!)
His lips curved faintly, invisible beneath the shadow of his hood. (Truly… the perfect first scene for the Eminence in Shadow.)