Mr. Hog was a man of imposing build, burly enough to rival even Elfman.
A thick purple beard framed his face, and he favored a black, pointed hat that cast a shadow over his sharp, pointed ears. Yet his most striking feature was neither his size nor his attire, but the horizontal eye embedded in his forehead, a mark that made it immediately clear he was no ordinary human.
According to the survivors, Mr. Hog had fought with everything he had when Ezel the Dojigiri descended upon the town.
Tragically, his resistance was not enough.
Not only did he fail to defeat the demon, but the battle spilled through the streets, destroying buildings and claiming innocent lives.
No one blamed him for that.
From beginning to end, there was only one party at fault: The demon.
To the townsfolk, Mr. Hog had always been an upright and uncompromising Council Member. He could be radical at times, especially when dealing with guilds notorious for causing trouble, but his intentions were never questioned.
Rhodes had never met the man in person.
He hadn't expected their first encounter to be like this.
Cana lowered her head, guilt written across her face.
"I'm sorry… If only we'd arrived sooner..."
"You were already moving as fast as possible," Rhodes said gently, cutting her off. "If you'd used magic to force your way here, you'd have been exhausted when it mattered most."
He shook his head.
"This isn't on you."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Get some rest. I'll help Wendy. This won't be the last fight."
The scale of the incident had drawn the mayor long before dawn. Emergency efforts were already underway.
The deceased had been carefully gathered and prepared for burial at first light.
The injured were brought together in the central square, those with minor wounds treated by the town's doctors, while the critically injured were carried to Evergreen one by one. She released their petrification only long enough for Wendy to stabilize them with healing magic.
After personally examining Mr. Hog's body and confirming there was nothing that could be done, Rhodes joined Wendy.
One by one, they pulled people back from the edge of death.
Those who survived were transferred to the hospital or settled into the care of friends and relatives.
As for the shattered streets and ruined homes, the town took responsibility for reconstruction. No compensation was demanded from Fairy Tail.
By the time Rhodes and Wendy finally finished, dawn was already beginning to creep over the horizon.
Rhodes bid the mayor farewell and activated a Hex Gate, transporting everyone, including Ezel's petrified body, back to the guild.
This time, he didn't play any tricks.
"Close your eyes," he warned them beforehand.
They arrived safely.
Rhodes steadied Wendy, who was still a little dizzy, and looked up to see the guild's airship already docked on the lake behind them.
So Laxus and the others had returned.
Inside, Makarov and Yajima were listening as Belno recounted her ordeal. Nearby, a crowd had gathered around Torafuzar, who remained sealed inside an iron barrel and cage.
"That's a demon?"
"All I can see are his nostrils."
"Why is he locked up that tight?"
"I heard curses can't be restrained like magic power."
"Mmph...mmph!!"
The demon struggled violently, the iron clanging in protest as he realized he was being treated like an exhibit.
Footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Makarov turned, and froze for a moment when he saw Rhodes carrying a bizarre stone statue with four arms and six legs.
"You're back," he said at last. "Good work."
"If we're talking about effort," Rhodes replied, setting the statue down, "Cana, Juvia, and Wendy did the most."
The others had fought hard, but they'd also had moments to breathe.
Rhodes turned to the guest who didn't belong to Fairy Tail.
"Ms. Belno. I'm glad you're safe."
"Thanks to your guild," Belno said quietly. Her gaze drifted to the statue. "Is that… the demon who attacked Hog? Hog, he..."
Rhodes shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
Belno exhaled slowly.
She had already heard the truth from Makarov, but seeing someone who had just returned from the town made her ask anyway. If Laxus and the others hadn't arrived in time…
She didn't finish the thought.
Rhodes left the statue where it was, allowing the guild members to examine it, then asked, "Any news from Lucy's side?"
Makarov nodded.
"We've checked in once. They arrived safely, and Mr. Michello is unharmed."
After a brief pause, he added dryly,
"Though he doesn't seem particularly welcoming."
"It's normal they wouldn't welcome us," Makarov said with a sigh. "After all the trouble Loke caused."
Natsu and Gray, standing nearby, both nodded internally.
To be honest, neither of them liked that ill-tempered, orange-haired old man with cat ears either. Unfortunately, for the sake of appearances, and diplomacy, they had no choice but to stay there and endure it shamelessly.
Fortunately, Michello's granddaughter had far better manners. She often came out personally to receive the guests on her grandfather's behalf, sparing everyone from further awkwardness.
"There's more," Makarov continued. "We've received news from Blue Pegasus."
Everyone's attention sharpened.
"They encountered someone calling himself a Necromancer. His target was Mr. Reggie."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow.
"Hibiki reported that they successfully protected Mr. Reggie," Makarov went on, "but the Necromancer escaped."
That was… acceptable.
Ichiya and his squad were strange, but undeniably reliable when it counted.
"Then we'll have to start with the ones we do have," Rhodes said, a hint of regret in his voice.
He had been hoping to test whether Gemini could transform into the captured demons, though he wasn't certain Gemini could copy beings that didn't use magic power at all.
Evergreen released the petrification on Ezel.
At the same time, Gajeel got to work, forging a matching set of iron stocks and shackles with practiced ease.
Nearby, Torafuzar had already begun thrashing inside his iron cage.
He had just heard Ezel's name.
'That idiot got caught too?!'
Unfortunately for him, iron bars sealed his mouth completely. All he could do was glare and produce furious, muffled "mmph mmph" sounds.
The interrogation began without delay.
Evergreen cracked a whip experimentally. Laki quietly laid out a selection of… additional tools.
The process was not gentle.
Evergreen handled the questioning, while Makarov, Laxus, Rhodes, and Mirajane observed from the side.
Half a day passed.
Despite everything, neither demon yielded.
Instead, they laughed hoarsely, shouting that this level of interrogation was no different from being tickled, and demanding to be killed already.
Killing them outright was off the table.
So Rhodes, after a moment of thought, suggested actually tickling them.
The result?
Both demons laughed until they were nearly unconscious.
They still refused to talk.
Rhodes turned to Mirajane.
"Should we try the real thing?"
"Okay."
Mira stepped forward calmly and placed her palm against Ezel's forehead.
Elfman had already explained the details of the man's Katana Curse, and Mira had been watching him for quite some time now.
That was enough.
Understanding was the prerequisite for Take over Magic.
The target's mental and physical condition also mattered, and right now, Ezel was exhausted, restrained, and furious.
Perfect.
"Give up, humans!" Ezel snarled weakly. "You're all going to die! No matter what you do, I-I-"
He froze.
"What did you do?"
Something was wrong.
A power, his power, had disappeared.
"I just borrowed a little," Mirajane said gently.
Her appearance barely changed, but both of her arms transformed into sleek black longswords.
She swung them lightly.
A cross-shaped slash struck the ground at Ezel's feet.
"Five Swords Under Heaven: Onimaru."
She tilted her head.
"That's how it goes, right?"
The attack itself wasn't very strong.
But Ezel recognized it instantly.
It was his Curse.
"You...You!" For the first time, real fear surfaced in his eyes. "You're a demon too?!"
Mirajane paused, genuinely considering the question.
Then she smiled.
"You could say that."
She leaned in slightly, eyes soft, and utterly merciless.
"So now," she said sweetly, "would you like to tell us how to find Tartaros?"