In the middle of the street, Cassiel looked around the corners, seeing that he could collect many memories in that place; without a doubt, he had picked a good opponent. Saul, on the other hand, was also looking around with a completely expressionless face.
"I think that place is the reformatory where I was… how nostalgic."
The reformatory he spoke of rose as a cold and oppressive structure. High walls and iron bars isolated the place from the world, while the main building, heavy and unadorned, looked more like a small fortress than a space for youth rehabilitation.
[What do you mean nostalgic? Focus on the fight.]
Looking at himself in a mirror, he realized that things seemed to go back a little in time, and his appearance became younger, the most important part being the appearance of seven-year-old Saul. In front of him, Cassiel took on the clothes of a police officer.
"So you're afraid of that guy?"
"Actually, it's not fear, it was more caution back then."
That police officer in front of him, as far as he knew, was a good man who was just doing his job, but he was always the one who captured Saul when he failed his parents' theft requests. So it really wasn't fear.
"Whatever, let's start and see how far your fear goes."
"I already said it's not fear."
Cassiel's memory magic was capable of creating an entire world according to the opponent's memories, where they would go through some memories he chose, but this ability had a limit according to his level. By the constant magic he always let out of himself when he wanted to demonstrate superiority, he was a sixth circle.
'Looks like they increased his level just like they did with Velka's opponent… bunch of—'
[Calm down, I'll give you a reward too, so don't be like that.]
'Well, if you're really going to give me something, I can let it slide.'
Since Cassiel was a sixth circle, he could create an entire city with his magic. Around them passed many people, cars, motorcycles, buses, and from time to time an airplane in the sky that disappeared when it reached the limit of that memory.
'Normally he always chooses the opponent's worst memories and the appearance of someone who caused a problem to keep progressing phase by phase, but as I said, that won't work on me.'
With that small body, Saul already appeared behind Cassiel with his ego weapon in hand. Pulling the string, his arrow pierced the arm Cassiel raised to defend himself. A second later, an explosion occurred, throwing Cassiel into a crumbling house. Saul seemed to recognize the house for a second.
"Shit, good thing the neighbor isn't here."
[Actually, I think she was.]
He noticed the body of an old woman bleeding and dead under the house. The system thought Saul would feel sad or something like that, but he simply ignored it, jumping up and firing ten ash arrows at high speed toward where Cassiel was.
[Don't you feel anything?]
'Why would I feel anything if these people aren't even real? Besides, as far as I remember, back then I wanted to do this to that disgusting old woman.'
"What an interesting weapon. Is that how it works?"
Now it seemed to be Cassiel's turn to attack, as he appeared behind Saul with a pistol in hand. Normally, at the level Saul was at, he wouldn't even care about a normal weapon. There was only one problem: this weapon was not normal in the hands of a guardian.
"Mana shot."
Turning his head to the side, he managed to dodge in time a mana bullet the size of a cannonball. Behind him, more than seven houses were easily destroyed by the magic. This was the other face of Cassiel's resentment: he could use everything present in the opponent's memories as a weapon, and if a weapon already existed, he could enhance it to his level.
"Let's see this now."
He pulled out the baton he carried at his waist and gripped it firmly with both hands. With a bit of mana, it was covered in magic, and a blue blade grew thirty centimeters.
Raising his hand, he thrust forward, making the mana blade grow at great speed. Moving to the side, Saul received a cut across the front of his chest wall. The blade kept growing and split a dark two-story house in half.
"Fire lines."
From his fingers, a thousand lines spread around him, cutting everything in their path, with cars and motorcycles being split into pieces. As he said, they were only illusions, so he shouldn't care. Just as they were about to hit him, the memories changed with a snap of fingers, and he disappeared from the middle of the attack.
"Tsk, this ability is going to give me trouble."
Saul seemed to grow a bit more and was now in a cage in the Vale Tudo arena where he fought to earn money when he still believed in protecting that person.
'So now the traitor.'
In front of him, Cassiel had taken on the appearance of his first traitor friend. Not caring much, he assumed his characteristic fighting stance and advanced toward him.
"Maximum CC impact."
Immediately, his punch reached Cassiel's surprised face. He moved his head to the side, making Saul's fist hit the bars. An explosion happened behind him, and the people behind were immediately carbonized.
'Looks like your traumas won't work on you.'
From his cheek, a cut that healed immediately after being made by Saul's fist as it passed close by began to disappear.
"But of course, I don't care about my past."
Grabbing Cassiel's hand, he threw him over his shoulder into the ground, causing a crater that made the entire structure of that place collapse on top of both of them. Outside, the fake people were reacting to the destruction caused by the fight to try to make Saul hesitate, but since the fight began, he had kept a neutral face.
"I guess I'll have to use my trump card then."
Saul didn't remember him having many surprises. It was quite possible it was something new, since he was at the sixth circle. Taking on a more defensive form, he carefully observed every movement the guardian might make.
'What surprise is he going to—!'
[Enrico, what happened?]
Saul fell to his knees, clutching his chest tightly. He didn't understand what was happening because he hadn't seen any movement from Cassiel; he hadn't even moved a finger. As he recovered, a kick hit his face, sending him back to the reformatory from the beginning. Saul was now almost the same age he had been when he ended up in that place.
"So, did you like my new ability? I discovered it recently."
Biting his lips, Saul was starting to feel something he hadn't felt in years, especially as he saw him taking on the appearance of the man who raised him—something he shouldn't care about anymore.
"This is my ability of emotional regression through memories. It's really cool, right—"
"How disgusting."