"Where are the bees, huh?" Bacchus grumbled, stomping on an innocent daylily. "I told you, our bad luck started the moment we went where they pointed us."
Rocker and Seemes stared nervously at the crushed flower for several long seconds. Only when it stayed perfectly still did they finally exhale in relief.
Rocker muttered, "Seems you're right. Nothing good ever happens when we cross paths with Fairy Tail."
Seemes frowned. "Do you think all the bees got lured away? Will they be okay?" His concern wasn't really for the group as a whole, mostly for Wendy, the small healer who'd patched him up earlier. She looked so young and fragile. What kind of guild dragged a little girl into a mission like this?
Bacchus shot him a look. "Don't start worrying about them. Worry about yourself."
Rocker nodded. "Yeah. They've got a Saint Ten leading them. Pretty sure they're safer than we are."
Seemes agreed with a quiet "True."
Bacchus froze for half a second.
'Safer than us'? What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm the dangerous one here, you brat?
He was about to retort when Seemes pointed toward the left.
"Brother, look! There's an apple tree."
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the forest canopy, dappling the ground in gold. Ahead stood a sturdy apple tree, about three meters tall, its branches thick with green leaves. A single large fruit hung from a low branch, shimmering golden in the light.
"Oh, nice! A yellow apple, my favorite!" Rocker grinned and stepped forward eagerly. "I'm parched. I'll grab a few."
Bacchus raised his gourd and took two swigs. "Troublesome... Why don't I feel thirsty?"
"..."
Seemes stared at him flatly. 'Maybe because you never put the drink down.'
Before he could say anything, Bacchus suddenly hurled the gourd aside, his body blurring forward like a wildcat.
"Rocker! Don't touch it!" he roared.
Rocker, already reaching out with his foot to pluck the apple, turned his head in confusion, and found himself staring into a pair of slitted eyes and a flickering forked tongue only a foot away. Two pairs of fangs gleamed in the sunlight.
"Th-this is...!" Rocker's face went pale. He tried to dodge, but pain seared across his shoulder, followed by dizziness.
As his vision blurred, one last absurd thought crossed his mind:'Good thing I wear the guild's collar. If that thing had hit my throat, I'd already be dead...'
"Damn it!" Bacchus lunged, his palm striking out with explosive force.Pigua Palm, Falling Mountain Strike!
His blow landed square on the snake's neck, sending a shockwave through its body.
But the creature was unnaturally resilient. Its torso, thick as an arm, absorbed part of the impact, coiling gracefully as if to redirect the momentum. In a sinuous motion, it slithered up the tree trunk, circling to a branch above.
"Rocker!" Seemes grabbed his fallen comrade and tried to pull him away.
Two more serpentine heads suddenly poked out from the canopy, jaws opening wide as they lunged toward Seemes.
"That's enough!" Bacchus barked.
His right palm swung horizontally, striking the trunk of the apple tree.
Boom!
The tree shuddered violently, not splintering, but tearing free from the earth, roots and all. It toppled backward with a crash, dragging a tangle of dirt and vines.
The two snakes' ambush failed, and Seemes managed to drag Rocker to safety.
When the dust settled, the tree lay on its side, but the golden apple hadn't fallen. Not one.
Instead, three serpentine heads slithered out from the foliage, gliding down the trunk toward the exposed roots. Three crimson tongues flickered in and out, and six cold, gleaming eyes fixed on the three mages.
Bacchus stepped forward, feet sliding into stance, hands raised and open, the starting form of Pigua Palm. His sharp gaze narrowed.
"What the hell… is this thing?"
The serpent hissed, its three heads weaving in eerie unison. From the root to the tip of its tail, it was one body, one monster.
Not three snakes. A Three-Headed Serpent.
"Looking for a Three-Headed Dog, but end up with a Three-Headed Snake first?" Bacchus snorted, flexing his wrist. "Guess that's supposed to be a good omen, huh?"
"Hissss..."
The serpent let out a chilling, layered hiss. Its three heads darted toward him from three different directions.
Bacchus didn't meet them head-on. Remembering the first snake's agility, he slipped into Palm stance.
His body moved like flowing water, left hand sweeping down, right hand arcing up, striking the right and left heads in a single breath. His torso twisted sharply to the right, letting the middle head's fangs cut through empty air.
Before the movement even ended, his waist snapped again in a brutal rotation. He chained the technique mid-motion into Green Dragon Emerging from the Sea, gathering power through the torque of his hips.
With explosive strength, he slammed his palms outward, forcing all three snake heads to collide together. He locked his arms around their thick necks, twisting and pressing them forward.
"How can a snake beat a Drunken Hawk?" Bacchus smirked.
The serpent writhed violently, its heads snapping back to bite, but Bacchus's grip was too precise, the angle too awkward. Its fangs couldn't reach him no matter how it twisted.
"Brother!" Seemes shouted in panic. "Rocker's getting worse!"
Bacchus gritted his teeth, muscles bulging as he forced the writhing beast down. He stomped on the creature's tail, pinning it to the trunk to keep it from coiling around him.
"Take him north!" he barked. "Find Fairy Tail, the kid can treat him!"
Seemes didn't hesitate. He hefted Rocker onto his shoulder and sprinted into the forest.
Bacchus exhaled sharply. "Alright… now it's just you and me."
He braced his arms to crush the serpent's necks, but suddenly felt his grip slipping. A strange vibration ran through his palms, followed by pressure pushing his hands apart. The flesh beneath his fingers was swelling, hardening, sprouting coarse black fur.
The serpent's skin rippled like water, and in an instant, both it and the apple tree vanished.
What stood in their place was a massive Three-Headed Dog.
Its enormous paw swept out, striking Bacchus squarely in the chest.He spun midair, one hand grazing the ground before landing smoothly on his feet, wine gourd swinging at his waist.
He stared up at the beast, astonishment flashing across his face, then a crooked grin.
"So it's you," he said, almost relieved.
The Three-Headed Dog roared, its middle maw belching a torrent of fire straight toward him.
"Brother Bacchus!" Seemes cried, glancing back.
But the flames split apart in midair, carving twin streams past either side of the drunk.
Bacchus stood calmly at the center, left palm raised, a faint shimmer of magic rippling in the air.
"Do what you need to," he called without turning around. "Once I'm done here, I'll catch up."
He flicked his foot, sending his discarded wine gourd into the air, caught it on the return, and took a long drink, emptying it in one go.
Seeing that familiar gesture, Seemes's panic eased.
If Bacchus still had the presence of mind to drink, everything would be fine.
He turned and sprinted north, carrying Rocker through the trees.
The Three-Headed Dog's three eyes followed their movement, flames flickering in each throat, hesitating on which prey to pursue.
"Where are you looking, mutt?"
Bacchus's voice came from its flank.
Before the beast could react, he was already there, his palm slammed into its shoulder blade with devastating force.
"Drunken Palm: Under the Moon!"
BOOM!
The impact sent the beast skidding across the ground, gouging deep trenches in the soil. Trees splintered like matchsticks as its body plowed through them, finally crashing to a stop dozens of meters away.
Bacchus stood at the start of the skid mark, body poised like a soaring eagle mid-flight. His face was flushed red from drink, his breath hot and steady.
"You've got three heads," he said, grinning crookedly, "but I'm still..."
He raised his hand high and roared into the fading light,
"WILD-FOUR!"