The magic power slowly faded, and Caesar's figure appeared before everyone.
His clothes were torn apart, as if shredded by a storm.
However, in sharp contrast to his tattered look, the ice around his body was quickly melting away.
Anyone could see that Caesar's injuries were minimal.
Serena's fierce attack had barely hurt him.
"You've gotten stronger, Serena."
Caesar calmly tore off his damaged clothes, showing his bare upper body.
He looked at Serena and spat out blood.
Seeing Caesar bleed made Serena grin with excitement.
The whites of her eyes darkened again.
"I became stronger just to take your life!"
Caesar nodded lightly.
"So, it seems if I don't use Take Over magic, I can't beat you. So... let's get serious."
A bright flash surrounded Caesar's body.
The next moment, he stood wearing battle armor.
Dog ears appeared on his head.
His hair spiked backward like blades, and his jeans had only one leg.
He closed one eye and smirked fiercely.
"Take Over — Altria, Inuyasha, Kenpachi, Kanzaki Kaori, and Zoro!"
Caesar's magic power didn't increase much, but his aura became razor sharp.
Just looking at him felt like being cut.
"Come on!"
Serena laughed wildly and charged forward, her whole body glowing.
She punched at Caesar without hesitation.
Hyorinmaru swung to meet her fist.
"Clang!"
The once indestructible Hyorinmaru was actually stopped by Serena's punch.
Unbelievable.
Serena's grin widened with arrogance.
He thought he had completely taken control.
But then, a tiny crack appeared on his fist.
It was small but clear.
Serena's laughter stopped instantly.
His eyes went wide, staring at the crack like he couldn't believe it.
"Let's fight."
Caesar grinned coldly.
His blade turned, and within one second, he slashed eight times at Serena's vital points.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew as Caesar's sword hit Serena's body.
But even that sharp blade failed to cut deeply.
Serena's body was as hard as diamond.
Still, under Caesar's fierce strikes, small wounds appeared across his skin.
They looked minor but burned with pain.
"One sword style — Iaiai! Only Flash! Excalibur!"
At that instant, Caesar's figure became light itself.
Serena only saw a silver flash before being struck and sent flying backward.
"This..."
As she flew through the air, Serena stared at the blood spraying before her.
The bright red color, the smell of iron, and the pain tearing through her body made her tremble.
She couldn't understand it.
Her strongest defense should have blocked that strike.
How could his sword pierce it so easily?
"Impossible!" Serena shouted.
How could her diamond-like body be injured by a simple sword?
But only Caesar knew the truth.
He had gathered all his energy — the ultimate power of the King's move — and with the one-hit sword technique "Wei Shan," focused it into a single point.
"What a pity," Caesar muttered. "Your body's tough enough. You're a perfect punching bag. Otherwise, that hit would've cut you in half."
Caesar watched as Serena used magic to seal her wound.
Her dragon-like body healed fast, but he didn't rush in.
Serena was like a walking experience pack — strong, persistent, and full of surprises.
To be honest, Caesar didn't want to kill her.
She was too useful.
Who wouldn't like such a perfect sparring partner?
"Caesar, you are strong indeed," Serena said as her wounds closed.
"But can you withstand this next move?"
She clasped her hands and shouted, "Dark Dragon!"
The eight elements fused together, forming pure dark magic.
Her body exploded with power, turning into a massive black dragon that lunged at Caesar.
Caesar's eyes narrowed.
He sighed inwardly.
Luckily, Serena only used dragon magic crystals.
She hadn't truly mastered Dragon Slayer magic.
If she had, she could've become a second black dragon someday.
She had the talent but not the destiny.
The black dragon roared, biting toward Caesar.
He raised his sword to block, but half of his body was swallowed.
"Prepare to die!" Serena yelled. "This attack uses the darkness and sin within your heart as fuel to corrupt you. As long as it lands—huh?"
Her words froze.
Caesar, still inside the dragon's jaws, began resisting the spell.
No darkness was surfacing.
No corruption.
Impossible.
"Doesn't this guy have even a little darkness or sin in his heart?!" Serena shouted in disbelief.
"I destroyed my home! I embraced magic! I bled for this power! Why won't it work?!"
"Darkness? Sin?" Caesar said coldly, gripping his sword tighter.
"The darkness in my heart was cut away by my own hands long ago! The people I killed deserved it! So what sin could there be?!"
"This kind of thing... is meaningless!"
Boom!
Caesar's magic burst outward.
The black dragon shattered instantly.
"Damn it! Eight Dragons—"
"It's over," Caesar interrupted.
Before Serena could react, there was a thud behind her.
The handle of a sword struck the back of her head hard.
Serena's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Should we kill her? Her bounty in Ishgar is still huge," Mirajane said as she descended with her bat wings, landing beside Caesar.
Caesar sheathed Hyorinmaru and shook his head.
"Forget it. Killing her would be a waste. She's a perfect training dummy."
He smiled faintly.
Why give up a great source of experience?
A few S-class jobs paid better anyway.
Leaving Serena alive was smarter.
He could come back to spar anytime.
Caesar and Mirajane turned and walked away, leaving the unconscious Serena behind.
Not long after, a man with spiral brown hair, dark skin, a white headscarf, red prayer-bead earrings, and baggy pants slowly rose from the sand.
"So, Serena's been defeated," the man said with a cruel grin. "Looks like the enemy's strong."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Let's meet him. This is my territory, after all."
Then he sank into the sand and vanished.