"Well, I'm sorry," Crux said apologetically, rubbing his cross-shaped beard, "but that's information I cannot disclose."
Even if the Hellhound and Bee were abandoned Star Spirits, their powers had long since been inherited by other Spirits. Revealing their weaknesses now would be the same as leaking the private data of existing ones.
In short, Old Man Crux was firmly abiding by the Star Spirit Realm's Individual Information Protection Law.
Carla's tail bristled. "But they're causing trouble in the Human World right now!"
Crux frowned deeply, his cross-shaped nose twitching. "Even so… sharing that kind of information requires special authorization from the Star Spirit King."
"Carla, there are rules even Spirits must follow," Lucy sighed, patting the cat's head before brightening suddenly. "How about I just go ask the Beardy Old Man myself?"
The "Beardy Old Man," of course, referred to the Star Spirit King, and Lucy was the only person alive brave enough to call him that.
But Rhodes immediately waved his hand. "Do you want to go missing for half a month again?"
"Ugh." Lucy drooped like a wilted flower. The memory of being lost in the Star Spirit Realm for two weeks straight still haunted her.
Rhodes chuckled, rolling up his sleeve and revealing the glowing guild mark on his arm. "Going to the Spirit Realm will take too long. We'll figure out their weaknesses ourselves. If someone's beaten the Bee Zodiac before, so can we."
That single confident grin of his seemed to light up the whole group.
Lucy and Carla exchanged looks, both smiling. Wendy, who had just finished meditating, clenched her small fist and shouted, "Whether it's bees or Hellhounds, bring it on! We're Fairy Tail wizards!"
Even Seemes, caught up in the mood, raised his fist too. "WILD~~~!"
Rocker, still unconscious on the ground, twitched his lips faintly, whispering something that sounded suspiciously like "…FOUR."
Lucy refocused on Crux. "Old Man Crux, our job is to drive these Star Spirits back where they belong. Even if you can't share their weaknesses, you should at least tell us how to send them back to the Star Spirit Realm, right?"
Crux nodded gravely. "Although they were exiled, they still retain the essence of Star Spirits. If you completely defeat them, they will be forcibly banished back to the Star Spirit Realm."
He folded his arms, floating higher. "I'll return now to report this matter to His Majesty and investigate how they managed to cross over. It's likely a breach in the realm's boundaries. Once we've repaired it, we shall offer formal apologies to all affected."
And with that, Crux shimmered, turning into threads of starlight before vanishing.
As the glow faded, Wendy's magic had nearly recovered. She immediately began healing Rocker again, her palms glowing a soft sky-blue.
That was when a staggering figure appeared over the ridge, Bacchus.
His left armguard was shattered, and his hair was a disheveled mess.
"Brother Bacchus!" Seemes ran forward to support him. "Are you okay?"
Bacchus didn't answer. Instead, he raised his head weakly and asked, "You got any wine?"
Seemes shook his head guiltily. He never carried alcohol on missions.
Without missing a beat, Rhodes pulled a bottle from his pack and tossed it over.
Bacchus caught it midair, popped the cork, sniffed, and downed several gulps straight away.
Seeing he wasn't too badly hurt, Rhodes crossed his arms. "What's the matter? Did the Four-Headed Dog get taken out by the Three-Headed Dog?"
"How could that happen?" Bacchus snorted, wiping his mouth. "And this wine, damn, it's good stuff!"
Rhodes grinned. "Naturally. It's royal stock from the Joya Kingdom. Only two hundred thousand J a bottle. A bargain."
"..."
Bacchus wasn't sure whether to laugh or punch him. For that price, he could've bought a small vineyard.
He sat cross-legged beside Rocker and watched Wendy's healing spell at work. After a moment, he began to recount what happened.
"That mutt wasn't much to look at, just annoying with all that venom spraying everywhere. I took out two of its heads easy."
He flexed his left arm, grimacing slightly. "Then I circled around to finish off the third head… and the first one suddenly came back to life and blindsided me."
The cracked armor told the rest of the story.
"After that, it kept shifting between snake and dog forms, probably testing me. We traded a few blows, and just when I was about to finish the job, it used some kind of spatial magic to escape, just as you said."
Bacchus took another swig of wine, sighing as the taste settled. Even if the drink wasn't worth the absurd price Rhodes had quoted, it definitely wasn't cheap either.
Glancing around at the scorched earth and shattered trees, he asked, "How's your side? Did you settle things?"
Rhodes shook his head. "No. The situation's far more complicated than we expected."
That answer instantly lifted Bacchus' spirits. Misery loved company.
"Oh-ho, so even you have missions you can't handle?" he teased with a grin.
"You're laughing too soon." Rhodes gave him a sharp look. "That mutt isn't an ordinary magic beast. Let your little brother explain."
Seemes immediately recounted everything, the apple tree, the snakes, the transformation, and the final escape.
While they talked, Rhodes and Lucy stood to the side, quietly discussing how to deal with the Bee Zodiac.
"Actually, that old man already gave us a decent clue," Rhodes said thoughtfully. "He mentioned the Bee Zodiac has thirty-three main celestial bodies, which means there should be thirty-three special bees among the swarm."
Lucy tapped her chin. "So if we defeat those thirty-three bees, the constellation collapses?"
"In theory," Rhodes said, "but the question is, how do we find them?"
"That's for you and Wendy to answer," he added, looking at them. "You've been fighting these things nonstop, did you notice any that stood out?"
Carla tilted her head, thinking. "Maybe the larger ones? I had the feeling they were giving commands, like they were leading the swarm."
Lucy frowned. "But the numbers don't make sense. Between us, Mister Bacchus, Phil, and Doru, we've already taken down way more than thirty-three."
Rhodes nodded. "Exactly. Which leads to the second problem, I suspect the Bee Zodiac works like the Hellhound Zodiac. Those thirty-three main bees might act like its thirty-three heads. If you don't eliminate all of them in a short span, the defeated ones regenerate."
Lucy clutched her hair. "That's totally cheating! How are we supposed to find thirty-three specific bees in a swarm of thousands, and take them all out at once? That's impossible!"
"If they stayed grouped together, we might manage it," Carla muttered, crossing her paws. "But if they're scattered across the mountain…"
She didn't finish. The implication was obvious. If even one escaped, the whole battle would reset.
"Rhodes," Wendy spoke up softly, "do you… have any kind of magic that could handle that many targets?"
Rhodes' eyes flicked toward Rocker, who was lying nearby. "Has he recovered yet?"
"Almost," Wendy said. "The poison's gone. He'll wake up soon."
Rhodes nodded. "There is one kind of magic that could do it, Fairy Law. It wipes out all enemies indiscriminately."
Lucy's eyes lit up. "Right! Should we ask the Master to help?"
Rhodes shook his head firmly. "No. Fairy Law isn't something you use lightly. Against a small group, it's fine, but once the target count exceeds a certain number, the spell starts consuming life force instead of magic power."
He crossed his arms. "With a swarm this massive, whoever cast it would die instantly."
Lucy's excitement deflated.
"Unless," Rhodes added, "the Bee Zodiac itself counts as one being with thirty-three avatars, like the Hellhound. In that case, Fairy Law might only register a single enemy."
Carla's ears flicked. "That's still a risky gamble."
"Yeah," Rhodes agreed. "And I don't like betting lives."
On the other side, Bacchus suddenly shouted, "Really now? This kind of mess is way beyond S-rank difficulty!"
Then, muttering under his breath, "I knew nothing good ever comes from running into Fairy Tail!"
Four sets of eyes turned toward him, Rhodes, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla, all radiating dangerous intent.
'Oh crap.'
Rhodes casually picked up a Void Worm and flicked it straight at the back of Bacchus' head. "You'd better pay me back for that wine, or I'll break your legs and deliver you to the Magic Council myself."
"Hahaha, s-sorry! My bad!" Bacchus raised both hands, laughing awkwardly.
It wasn't that he feared Rhodes' title as a Ten Wizard Saint, he just had enough self-awareness to realize drinking another man's wine and badmouthing him right after was… a bad look.