"'Why would you even ask such a thing? The flow of time in the Celestial Spirit Realm isn't the same as the human world! If the clock's off, just adjust it, right?' Beep, that's what she said."
Rhodes blinked as Lucy flailed her fists inside the clock's case, clearly panicking.
Now he felt even more curious. "Wait, how come her voice doesn't come out, but she can still hear everything I say?"
Horologium's pendulum swung as he replied, "'I told you, stop investigating weird things and pay more attention to your surroundings!' Beep, that's what she said."
"Oh?" Rhodes turned his head away innocently. "Then I'll remind you, sitting like that, you're completely exposed."
"'Ehhhhh?!' That's what she said!" Horologium mimicked Lucy's shriek perfectly, even tilting its hands in imitation of her expression.
Rhodes couldn't help but chuckle. This Celestial Spirit was surprisingly entertaining, he found it rather refreshing.
They continued walking for a while longer. Rhodes kept commanding his two Crabs to stay alert and patrol nearby, but they found no trace of anything unusual, no giant bees, no strange sounds, nothing.
Then Horologium suddenly spoke again:
"'Umm...I need to use the restroom.' Beep, that's what she said."
A moment later, Lucy popped open the door and stepped out of the clock.
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Can't you just… do that inside?"
"Of course not!" Lucy snapped, stamping her foot before marching toward the trees. Then she froze mid-step.
Rhodes sighed. "Wendy, go with her. Carla, you too."
Carla didn't move but muttered, "Your two purple crabs…"
"I know," Rhodes said, calling the River Crabs back just to be polite, though he had a bad feeling about it.
Sure enough, less than three minutes later, sharp screams pierced the air.
"Ahhhhhh—!"
"Help!!!"
"Wendy!" Carla shot into the air instantly, wings flaring.
Rhodes dashed toward the sound.
When they arrived, both Lucy and Wendy were frozen in identical poses, arms outstretched, running for dear life.
Rhodes and Carla widened their eyes, scanning the area, but there weren't any bees.
Rhodes could sense a heavy, oppressive magic emanating from the forest. He stepped forward, shielding Lucy and Wendy behind him.
"According to the usual plot… shouldn't I laugh first?"
"Don't joke around!" Lucy yelped, trembling. "It's not bees!"
"Then what is it?" Carla demanded.
"It's a giant snake!" Lucy shouted.
"It's a giant dog!" Wendy cried at the same time.
The two stared at each other in disbelief.
"I definitely saw snakes! Three of them!"
"But I saw a dog! A dog with three heads! It was huge!"
Before their argument could escalate, the ground began to tremble. Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed from the forest.
Then it emerged, a monstrous hound, as tall as a small building, padding out from between the trees as casually as if it were out for a walk.
Its entire body was pitch black, a thick mane of curly fur rippling around its neck as it moved. Its tail, long and scaly, looked more like a crocodile's than a dog's.
Three massive heads, each resembling a feral wolf, snarled in unison. Purple-black saliva dripped from their fanged jaws, hissing as it hit the grass. Wherever the liquid touched, the ground withered, blackened, and disintegrated into ash.
A single thought flashed through Rhodes's mind: Hellhound.
Of course. This was clearly the target of another guild's mission.
'Could I maybe catch this thing and hand it to Elfman?'
The thought made him smirk.
Raising a hand, he flicked his finger lightly. Three purple magic circles spun into existence, one before each head.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions burst out, engulfing the beast in fire and smoke.
But before the flames could fade, three deep growls echoed through the haze, and the Hellhound burst out of the inferno, charging straight toward them.
The Hellhound burst through the smoke completely unharmed. Instead of retreating, the blast seemed to enrage it. With a thunderous snarl, it charged straight at Rhodes in just a few bounding steps, its enormous paw swinging down with murderous force.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Rhodes couldn't shake the feeling that the blow wasn't aimed at him at all.
'Why do I feel like I'm standing right where the paw pad lands, and Lucy's the one under the claw tip?'
Sighing inwardly, he thrust out his palm. A violent gust erupted from his hand, catching the Hellhound's massive body mid-swipe and flipping it through the air like a toy. It crashed into the ground with a bone-shaking thud, flattening a wide stretch of grass and tearing up the damp soil beneath.
Before the beast could recover, a huge web of glowing silk descended from above, blanketing its entire form.
The Hellhound howled, thrashing and clawing at the strands, but the more it struggled, the tighter the web bound it, its three heads snarling and twisting as the web constricted.
"RrrrRAAAHHH!"
The middle head suddenly unleashed a torrent of flame, burning through the web in a searing explosion of heat.
Then, roaring in fury, it lunged straight at the group.
The inferno struck a thin golden barrier and scattered like a fountain of sparks, unable to even scorch the people behind it.
Rhodes didn't flinch. He had already gauged its strength.
"So," he said casually, "you two don't plan to fight?"
Before Lucy or Wendy could answer, the Hellhound pounced again, this time using both claws and fangs.
The impact shook the ground, but the razor-sharp claws and snapping jaws couldn't even scratch the transparent shield protecting them. Sparks flared and died on contact.
Lucy and Wendy both froze. From inside the barrier, it felt like standing in a cage while a beast raged just outside, its claws scraping and jaws snapping inches from their faces.
Even knowing the shield would hold, its sheer size and bloodcurdling roars made their hearts race.
But they were mages, not ordinary people.
Wendy clenched her fists. "I want to fight!"
Lucy followed immediately. "Then I'm in too!" She reached for the whip at her waist.
Rhodes caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and resisted the urge to sigh aloud.
'You really think you can whip that thing into submission? Fine. Do it your way.'
"Alright then, get ready. Three… two… one!"
He dropped the shield.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
Wendy shouted, unleashing a spiraling blast of wind that slammed into the Hellhound's chest, halting its charge and pushing it backward several meters.
The beast dug its hind claws into the ground, carving twin furrows before finally stopping its retreat, braced by its powerful tail.
"Now it's my turn!" Lucy dashed forward, flicking her whip with practiced grace.
The Starlight Whip, Star River crackled with blue energy as it lashed across the Hellhound's faces in rapid succession.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The glowing whip struck all three heads, then wrapped around one of its forelegs and chest in a flurry of motion.
The three heads recoiled instinctively under the onslaught, but then… stopped. Not even a single strand of fur had been singed.
Lucy wasn't done. She spun, wrapping the whip around the middle head's neck and yanked hard.
"Wendy, now...ahhhhhh!"
The Hellhound bit down on the whip, jerked its head violently, and sent Lucy soaring into the air like a ragdoll.
The whip recoiled back into her hand mid-flight as she let out a scream that echoed through the clearing.
Carla immediately shot upward, wings spreading as she flew after her.
"Honestly, what was she thinking!?" Rhodes muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Didn't she see how hard that thing hit a second ago?"
Wendy, watching Lucy spin through the air like a falling comet, could only manage a strained smile.
"Miss Lucy… really seems to like close-quarters combat…"