Carla smoothly caught Lucy and pondered, "Why not use the Star Spirits?"
"Because..." Lucy hesitated to admit that she had just seen Rhode flip that big dog with one hand, thinking she could give it a try.
Besides, the River of Stars is also a Star Spirit...
However, after her recent scare, Lucy did not dare to argue. She obediently took a key from her waist, "Open, the gate of the Taurus Constellation, Taurus!"
The black and white Taurus was summoned from the air, wielding a large axe that he swung downward: "Moo~~ Miss Lucy's fine figure will be protected by me!"
The axe blade struck the middle dog's head, which immediately drooped as if losing its power.
The dog head on the left immediately bit towards the center Taurus.
Taurus brought up his axe to block, the dog's teeth clanging against the axe's surface with a sharp sound, and Taurus was knocked flying by the immense force.
Is this one of those types where all three heads must be taken out to solve it?
Rhode looked at the drooping dog head's injury on top: "Taurus seems to be much stronger than before."
At least his attack power now surpasses the primary level of the Amaterasu Magic Array. However, it's not impossible that the Three-headed Dog is resistant to fire.
The remaining two-headed Three-headed Dog wanted to continue attacking Taurus.
But Lucy took out another key: "No way! Open, the gate of the Aries Constellation, Alyes!"
The second gate!
Simultaneously summoning two of the Twelve Zodiac Gates' Star Spirits was the achievement Lucy most wanted to show Rhode during this outing.
However, Rhode's current thought was: Lucy has finally caught up with the pace of a normal Star Spirit Mage.
So far, he had met five Star Spirit Mages and was now planning to visit the sixth.
Among these Star Spirit Mages, both Kono and Yukino could open two gates. And Lucy, despite having the most Golden Keys, was on the same level as those who could only use Silver Keys.
If she weren't a Mage of his own Guild, Rhode would feel her talent was wasted.
"Soft and fluffy, sorry!" The pink woolly Alyes shouted, with both hands spraying a large mass of pink wool.
The Three-headed Dog's powerful charge got entangled in the wool mass and lost its momentum.
It kept biting and attacking with its tail, but it was like swimming in water, able to move slowly but unable to harm the water.
Alyes struggled to maintain the wool mass while Taurus rolled on the ground, using his axe to stand up again.
"Now, Taurus!" Lucy shouted, "Carla, let me down too!"
"OK! Miss Lucy!" Taurus snorted, dragging his large axe, jumping up, leaping over Alyes's head, and slashing at the left dog's head.
Lucy descended from above, kicking the right dog's head in the eye: "Lucy Flying Kick! And... River of Stars!"
She drew her long whip again, accurately hitting the other eye.
"Awoo~"
"Ah!"
The left dog head whimpered and drooped down, while the right dog's head closed its eyes tightly, flipping Lucy off with force.
Taurus threw down his axe and lunged forward, eyes filled with hearts: "Miss Lucy, don't be afraid!"
But he missed, sliding far along the ground, embracing a pile of grass in his arms.
Because Carla had already caught Lucy and complained: "If this keeps up, you'll become as reckless as Natsu."
"No way, fighting alongside Star Spirits is my style!" Lucy proudly proclaimed, "It's not time to talk about this," she called out below, "Wendy!"
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art..." Wendy opened her arms, and a Wind Barrier rose around the Three-headed Dog.
The Three-headed Dog seemed uneasy hearing the sound, struggling inside the wool mass, and when it accidentally hit the barrier, it would be bounced back immediately.
As the barrier disappeared, Wendy's attack had already launched: "Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"
The high-intensity compressed Wind Magic Power was like a laser, piercing through the pink wool mass, extending upwards into the sky, even making a hole in a low cloud.
"We did it!" Lucy cheered.
Carla placed her next to Wendy.
But Rhode furrowed his brow and reminded: "It ran away, from underground."
He sensed that the two Stone Beetles hidden underground were taken out, and upon careful sensing, the Cerberus's magic power had disappeared.
"How could that be?" Lucy was incredulous, "Alyes, return, open, the gate of the Virgo Constellation, Balrog!"
The maid with shackles on her wrist appeared with the classic question: "Is it my turn to be disciplined, Princess?"
Lucy immediately countered: "No, quickly go underground and find the Hell Three-headed Dog!"
"As you wish, Princess!"
Balrog spun around on the spot, diving into the hole in the ground.
She soon popped up, then back down like a mole.
The last time she emerged was under Lucy, "Princess, I didn't find the target, please punish me."
Lucy fell on her rear, covering her skirt and complaining: "Don't come out from such places!"
Balrog remained expressionless: "Then, should I be punished?"
Lucy refused: "Return, now!"
Wendy sniffed the air: "Just a lingering scent remains; I can't smell its direction."
Rhode summoned two River Crabs, tapping their antennae: "Go, one here, one there, use 'Void Divination'."
The two swift River Crabs ran far off before stopping, releasing a faint mist from their antennae.
The mist passed through forests, through soil, and into rivers...
Rhode's vision expanded with the spreading mist.
He explored the forest's animals, plants, saw the underground soil, roots, and the tunnels Balrog had dug, and even the fish swimming, sand, and aquatic plants in the river.
But regardless of searching, there was no sign of the Hell Three-headed Dog.
Rhode speculated: "Maybe not only Earth Magic, but also Space Magic is involved; this could be troublesome."
Things that use Space Magic are the hardest to catch.
After searching the vicinity, Rhode released a large group of creatures for the search, yet to no avail.
Having no immediate solution, Rhode could only draw a Hex Flying Gate magic array on the spot, leave some creatures around to guard, particularly dispatching Xiaolan to squat near the village just in case.
After completing all this, the group continued on their journey towards Kerber Town.
...
Lucy and Wendy each went to ask around about the location of the Illusory Butterfly Wings, while Rhode observed the surrounding environment.
Kerber Town was clearly no match for Magnolia, as Rhode compared it to his own fiefdom's center, Kerland Town.
The area here might be smaller, and economically, it's hard to say, with the streets not as bustling as Kerland.
But in Magic Technology, this place should be stronger.
This probably reflects a difference in national strength.
A drunken voice came from not far away, "It's you again, after all."