"Hiss~ It looks painful just to watch."
Rhode had heard the term "bleeding from seven orifices" before, and today he finally saw a live version.
Makarov watched the giant being beaten and felt a chill down his spine.
Natsu, Gajeel, and Elfman, those three guys, were specially targeting Ikusazunaki's eyes, ears, and nostrils, causing him to be unable to even stand properly.
Finally, it was Uluvheim who climbed to the top, delivered a few heavy punches, and ended Ikusazunaki's suffering.
The massive body fell, disappearing without a trace before even hitting the ground.
The clouds in the sky dispersed gradually as if nothing had happened.
Yaloke lay on the ground, his eyes wide open, muttering words like "impossible", "monster", and "nightmare".
Most members of the Black Magic Sect stood in a daze, partly because they had lost the courage to resist and partly because they hadn't expected that they themselves would be the sacrifices.
A few cultists tried to escape amidst the chaos, but Erza was prepared, directing her companions to block everyone in all directions.
Rhode thought for a moment, took out a Communication Magic Crystal, and contacted Lahar to bring people over to wrap things up.
"Thank you, Mr. Uluvheim."
Seeing the old man with his hands behind his back approach, Rhode greeted him.
Uluvheim looked at Rhode with a strange expression: "Why thank me, you are the ones who worked hard."
He felt like his coming here was unnecessary, like he was just here to steal credit.
The young mages of Fairy Tail displayed strength far beyond expectations.
If only the young people from the Council were half as good...
However, the personalities of these guys are quite troublesome too… Is this the secret to their strength?
Thinking of this, Uluvheim looked at Makarov with a sympathetic gaze.
He now slightly understood the difficulties Makarov had faced before.
Makarov was unnerved by his gaze and asked worriedly: "Did nothing go wrong?"
Uluvheim shook his head: "No, they performed exceptionally well, you have a great guild."
If certain factors were ignored, Uluvheim was now increasingly appreciating Fairy Tail.
Makarov obviously breathed a sigh of relief, glad not to have caused trouble.
"Do you know about that Ikusazunaki?" Rhode asked, "What exactly are the Eighteen Demon-Fighting Gods?"
Uluvheim thought for a moment and replied: "They were eighteen gods once worshipped by the Demon Race long ago. It's said they could use the power of gods on the battlefield, thus being invincible."
"Demon Race?"
"An ancient race, but they almost disappeared a hundred years ago, beyond this, I don't know much."
Uluvheim looked at Yaloke, who was tied up, "That guy might know something, you can join the interrogation if you're interested."
Rhode nodded and asked: "Are these eighteen Fighting Gods the same as Ankseram God?"
Uluvheim shook his head: "No, they were only considered gods by the Demon Race, outsiders rarely worship them, or rather, outsiders almost know nothing about them."
Looks like I'll have to wait for the interrogation, Rhode thought, perhaps I can chat with Minerva and see where she learned her magic and if it's related to the Demon Race.
He roughly assessed Yaloke's magic power level, disappointedly realizing that Lucy might still be too weak, and fearing Gemini couldn't transform.
…
"Mr. Rhode, I want special training!"
After the lively celebration, Lucy found Rhode and said this.
Rhode asked: "Haven't you been in special training lately? You want more?"
"Yes… No, no!" Lucy said in frustration, "Not the regular special training."
"Then like Natsu and Gajeel?" Mira said with a smile, "Fighting dragons whenever they have free time."
"No…No." Lucy swallowed nervously, she had seen the scenes Mira described, and they were brutal.
At this point, Lucy suddenly asked: "Speaking of, why haven't I seen Natsu today?"
Rhode said: "He went to the mountains to train with Hapi, saying he wants to develop a new special move."
Curious, Rhode had checked the Book of END, it seemed Igneru had quietly done something in the previous battle, letting Natsu experience new powers.
Natsu thought it was normal and that progress after a battle was natural, so he decided to train hard for a while.
When he returns, I'm afraid his strength will have significantly improved.
"Ah! That's it!" Lucy said excitedly, "I need a new special move too!"
After this time of special training, Lucy could feel her magic power steadily increasing.
Thus, the Star Spirits she summoned were stronger than before.
And she herself liked to fight alongside the Star Spirits.
This led to her discovering a problem in this battle — she was somewhat holding the Star Spirits back.
Simple magic power enhancement hadn't improved her physical combat techniques to the level of the Star Spirits' power.
If this continues, she will only be able to stand behind the Star Spirits in the future.
So Lucy wanted to learn new magic, preferably related to Celestial Spirit Magic, a magic that could synergize with the Star Spirits.
Rhode laughed: "I still have a Dragon-Slaying Magic Crystal, want one?"
Lucy shook her head: "It doesn't feel right for me."
If it were a Celestial Dragon Slayer Magic, Lucy might want to learn, but she had never heard of such a dragon.
"I see..." Rhode pondered and said, "Why not put more effort into increasing your magic power to... about Kana's level, and then I'll teach you Fairy Radiance?"
Lucy was thrilled: "Really? That's one of the guild's three great magics!"
Rhode said: "You did say it is one of the guild's three great magics, so of course, everyone in the guild can learn it."
"But how long will it take for me to catch up to Kana's level?"
Rhode estimated, uncertainly said: "With some effort, probably... a year?"
Lucy was a bit discouraged: "That's a long time..."
Mira smiled and comforted: "After all, Kana is Kildas' daughter, and she's older than Lucy."
Lucy then asked: "What about Fairy Law?"
Rhode shook his head: "That also requires a sufficient magic power foundation, without enough magic power, it could be fatal."
Lucy dejectedly laid on the table: "I want a magic that I can start learning right now.
"Because you're also a Summoning Element, Mr. Rhode, I thought I'd ask if there's a way."
Rhode said: "My Summoning Element is a bit special... surely you wouldn't want to learn Receiving Magic, to receive Star Spirits, would you?"
Lucy said: "Of course not, generally speaking, when received, the other party disappears."
Mira seriously thought and said: "Maybe it's indeed feasible, but not receiving, more like re-equip... or something in between?"