Caesar and Mirajane didn't walk for long before they stopped again.
Feeling the sand slowly flowing beneath his feet, Caesar laughed.
Mirajane sighed and said, "Can't we just take a break and enjoy the scenery?"
When Caesar heard what she said, his smile faded. He quickly replied, "Okay, I'll solve it as soon as possible."
After saying this, light flashed around Caesar's body.
The next moment, Caesar, now with short-cropped hair, suddenly punched the ground.
With that punch, the entire desert began to boil.
From above, the desert looked like a giant pot of boiling water. The sand churned violently, creating ripples like enormous waves that rushed outward from where Caesar stood.
Ajir, one of the Twelve Shields who had been lurking beneath the sand, was blown away by the shockwave. He vomited blood, fell onto the sand, and passed out.
A loud buzzing filled the air. Caesar was stunned, then clapped his hands and pressed them against the ground.
"I used too much force. I almost broke the land. Let's fix it before it collapses."
Caesar sighed helplessly. The ground here wasn't as firm as he expected. In order to quickly deal with the pursuers, he had unleashed his full strength.
If he hadn't mastered alchemy or possessed the Philosopher's Stone and enhanced runes, half the desert might have collapsed into a sinkhole.
After repairing the ground, Caesar and Mirajane continued forward, unaware that Caesar's single punch had already defeated one of the Twelve Shields and sent shockwaves throughout the entire Alvarez Empire.
...
"Serena failed."
Inbel stood in the grand hall and spoke to August, who was seated on a high chair.
"Ajir went to chase them, but before he even saw his opponent, he was defeated by a single punch strong enough to shake the earth."
"This man is very strong," August said in a deep voice. "Comparable to one of the Twelve Shields."
He gripped his staff tightly. "We can't let them continue like this. Send someone to stop them. If that fails, Irene and I will go ourselves."
"You don't need to, old man."
Inbel's heart skipped a beat. The thought of those two fighting made him uneasy. If monsters like August and Irene clashed, the entire empire could be destroyed!
He decided it was best to keep those two from acting directly.
While thinking, Inbel contacted the other members of the Twelve Shields.
Few had shown up for meetings lately, but once they heard that someone was wreaking havoc in the empire, they all set out to intercept Caesar and Mirajane.
When Dimaria and Brandish returned to the empire, they heard that the Twelve Shields were being defeated one after another — like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandpa.
First Serena and Ajir fell. Then Jacob, Neinhart, and Wall followed.
None of them thought to attack together — each went alone to their doom.
If this were a game, it would have been a total annihilation. They were basically raising a boss who would end up defeating them all.
Meanwhile, Caesar was just as confused.
Why were these people so eager?
Everyone kept coming to him as if volunteering to be defeated. It was almost embarrassing.
At that moment, he and Mirajane had already left the desert and entered the empire. The change in scenery lifted their spirits.
They were enjoying themselves.
Meanwhile, in the Alvarez Empire's meeting room, Inbel looked around and asked, "Are we the only ones here? Where are Lacade and Bradman?"
"Leave them be," August replied coldly, clearly disgusted by one of the names. "Let's discuss what to do next."
He glanced around the room.
Including himself and Inbel, only Irene, Dimaria, Brandish, Ajir, and Serena were present.
"Jacob is still unconscious," Brandish said with a sigh. "Neinhart's shut himself away, and Wall's gone missing again. Nothing's changed."
"Irene, what's the plan?" Inbel asked.
Irene turned to Dimaria and Brandish. "You two fought them first. Do you have any useful information?"
Dimaria crossed her arms. "Caesar, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar. Serena probably knows him best."
"I fought him before," Serena said, rubbing the large bump on the back of his head. "He uses three main types of magic — Light God-Slaying Magic, Space Dragon-Slaying Magic, and Take Over Magic."
"The first two are difficult to analyze," he continued. "As for his Take Over Magic, it's called Heroic Spirit. It's very powerful. He can summon different heroic forms — swordsmen, warriors, healers, even ranged attackers. Each one can counter specific magics. It's hard to restrain."
"Then can we start with the woman beside him?" Irene asked calmly.
"Mirajane, the Demon Queen of Fairy Tail," Serena said. "She uses Take Over Magic: Satan Soul. She's Caesar's wife. Her strength isn't weaker than the Ten Wizard Saints, but she's overshadowed by Caesar."
He added with a serious tone, "Caesar loves her deeply. Rumor says that once, while they were on a job, Mirajane was injured. Caesar got so angry he wiped out everyone in the area — including three hills and four lakes. If you want to go after her, be prepared."
"Irene," August interrupted, tapping his staff on the floor, "stop scheming. This time, we'll go meet him personally."
"Is it really necessary to mobilize so many of us?" Irene asked, though she was already standing.
"It is," August said coldly. "For His Majesty's sake, the glory of the empire must not be tarnished."
He strode out of the room. Irene chuckled softly and followed him.
"Wait, I'll come too," Dimaria said, rising from her seat.
"Count me in," Brandish added with a sigh, not sure why she was volunteering.
"Let's go together," Inbel said firmly. "The enemy isn't weaker than us. Instead of attacking one by one, we should act as a group. It's safer."
"Huh? Inbel, all twelve shields going out at once? What about the glory of the empire?" Ajir asked in an annoyed tone.
"If we allow him to enter the capital unchecked, that would truly disgrace the empire," Inbel replied. "Do you understand now?"
Ajir grunted. "Fine, fine, I get it."
Serena clenched his fists and said coldly, "This time, I'll see just how strong that guy really is!"