Mr. Hogg was a burly man, enormous enough to rival Elfman.
He had a thick purple beard on his face, enjoyed wearing a black pointed hat, and had pointy ears.
Of course, his most distinctive feature was the horizontal eye on his forehead, making him look unlike an ordinary human.
According to the survivor's recollection, when faced with the attack of Tongzi Cut Ethel, Mr. Org engaged in a heroic battle with him.
Unfortunately, not only did he fail to defeat the enemy, but the fight also affected many buildings in the town and innocent residents.
That was certainly not his fault, and no one would blame him for it.
The wrong one was the demon from beginning to end.
In the hearts of the town's residents, Mr. Hogg was always a righteous evaluator, just somewhat aggressive on some issues.
Especially when dealing with certain disruptive guilds.
Rhode had never directly met this evaluator before and didn't expect their first meeting to be after his death.
Kana said guiltily, "Sorry, if only we had arrived a little sooner..."
"Didn't you already rush here?" Rhode didn't think his companions were to blame, "If you had used magic all the way here, we'd be too exhausted to do anything once we arrived.
"Alright, let's rest for a while. I'll go help Wendy; we still have battles ahead of us."
With such a major incident occurring, the mayor had long since come to preside over the situation.
The deceased's remains had been properly collected, prepared for burial at dawn.
The wounded were gathered together, with minor injuries treated by the town's doctor and the seriously injured being systematically depetrified by Ibarglin and given emergency treatment by Wendy.
After confirming that Hogg was indeed dead, Rhode joined in healing the injured.
One by one, he and Wendy pulled the seriously injured back from the brink of death, sending them to the hospital or home with friends.
As for the reconstruction of the streets, it was naturally arranged by the town and didn't require compensation from Fairy Tail.
By the time Rhode and Wendy finished their work, it was already the early morning hours.
Rhode greeted the mayor, then used the Hex Flying Gate to bring his companions and Ethel's statue back to the guild.
Considering everyone was exhausted, this time Rhode didn't play any tricks but advised them to close their eyes beforehand, so they landed relatively safely.
Rhode supported a still-dizzy Wendy and saw that the guild's flying ship had already docked in the lake behind.
Laxus and his group should have already returned.
Makarov and Yajima were listening to Lady Beluno recount the events, while others gathered around Travessa, who was locked in an iron cage and barrel.
"Is this guy the demon?"
"Can't see anything but nostrils."
"Why lock it up so tightly?"
"I heard that it's because there's no way to restrain his internal power like you would with magical power."
"Mmm, mmm!!!" Travessa, aware that he was being watched, was distressed by his predicament, making clanging sounds in the iron cage as he struggled.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught Makarov's attention.
He turned and saw Rhode carrying a four-armed, six-legged bizarre statue, pausing before saying, "You're back, well done."
"If we're talking about being well done, Kana, Jubia, and Wendy worked the hardest," Rhode said, praising the three.
The other two were more of enjoying themselves, not really working hard.
Rhode first greeted the guild's extra guest, "Lady Beluno, I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks to your guild's protection," Lady Beluno looked at the statue Rhode brought down, "Is this the demon that attacked Hogg? Hogg he..."
Rhode shook his head, "Unfortunately."
Lady Beluno just sighed. She had already heard from Makarov about this matter, but upon seeing the people who returned, she couldn't resist asking once more.
If it weren't for Laxus and his team's timely appearance, perhaps she too would have met the same fate as Hogg. Lady Beluno felt a bit melancholy.
Rhode set down the statue, allowing his companions to explore freely, then asked, "Any news from Lucy's side?"
Makarov said, "We contacted them once, they arrived successfully, and Mr. Mikhailo is fine, but he doesn't seem very welcoming to them."
Which is understandable, considering Loki's misdeeds.
Actually, Natsu and Gray both aren't fond of that grumpy, orange-haired, cat-eared old man either, but for Feis's safety, we can only brazenly stay put.
Fortunately, Mikhailo's granddaughter has a good attitude and comes out to entertain guests for her grandfather.
"Additionally, we received news from Blue Pegasus," Makarov added, "They encountered a guy claiming to be a necromancer, targeting Mr. Reggie.
"Hibiki said they managed to protect Mr. Reggie, but failed to capture the necromancer."
This could be considered a piece of good news, One Night and his team are still quite reliable.
"Then we'll have to interrogate these two for now," Rhode said with some regret.
He still wanted to see if he could get Gemini to transform into one of these two captives, although he wasn't sure if demons, who didn't use magic power, could be transformed by Gemini.
Ibarglin lifted the petrification on Ethel, and Gajeel custom-made the same iron shackles and manacles for him.
Travessa had long since started making a ruckus inside his cage. He just heard Ethel's name; that guy was captured too?
Unfortunately, his mouth was sealed with iron bars and could only make muffled sounds.
The interrogation began quickly, with Ibarglin drawing a whip and Laki providing some additional tools.
The interrogation process was a bit brutal, with Ibarglin conducting it while Makarov, Laxus, Rhode, and Mira presided over the scene.
But despite half a day's torture, the two demons refused to confess, merely jeering that the interrogation was no different than a tickle and asking to be killed quickly.
Outright killing them was not an option, and Rhode suggested really trying to tickle them.
Unfortunately, even as the two laughed to the point of losing breath, they refused to give in.
Rhode looked at Mira, "Shall we get serious with them?"
"Sure," Mira stepped forward, placing her palm on Ethel's head.
Elfman had described the other party's 'Demon Blade Curse' in detail, and Mira had observed this guy for long enough, already almost fully 'understanding' it.
'Understanding' was the prerequisite for Receiving Magic.
The subject's physical and mental state also influenced the success rate of Receiving Magic.
And the current situation offered Mira the best conditions possible.
"Give up, humans! All of you will die!" Tongzi Cut Ethel, though lacking strength, continued to curse and swear, "No matter what you do, I will... What are you doing?!"
He didn't yet know what had happened but felt a power slipping away from within him.
"Just took a tiny bit of your power," Mira chuckled softly, her body unchanged, but her two arms turned into black longswords.
Mira gently swung her arms, and a cross-shaped slash landed near Ethel's feet, "Five Swords of the World·Ghost Ball—is this how it's used?"
Though not very powerful, Ethel recognized it as his own curse.
"You... you..." Ethel finally felt fear, "Are you a demon too?!"
Mira tilted her head, pretending to think, then chuckled softly, "You could say that... So now, can you tell us how to find the Gate of the Underworld?"