"You have tarnished the world that belongs only to me. A capital crime!"
Dimaria spoke coldly, raising her arms. "I am Chronos, the God of Time. The form that merges with this descendant of mine."
As she spoke, a ray of light shot from her fingertips toward Caesar.
Boom.
Caesar raised his palm and swatted the light away like it was nothing.
"Is that all you've got?"
Dark light burst out from Caesar's body as he grinned. "A god, huh? Then let me see how powerful the so-called God really is."
"Destroyer of Gods..."
Before Dimaria could finish speaking, a glowing fist slammed into her face, sending her flying.
"Capital offense!"
Dimaria flipped in midair and stabilized herself. She raised her hand high, summoning an explosive torrent of magic. The explosion spread in every direction, covering hundreds of meters and engulfing Caesar completely.
The earth shook. Brandish and Mirajane were forced to retreat by the violent shockwave.
When the roaring stopped, they stared into the massive cloud of smoke.
A flash of light shot from within.
"Counterattack!"
The explosion reversed direction like a laser and shot straight back at Dimaria.
Time stopped.
Dimaria ripped the attack apart with her hands and glared as Caesar appeared in front of her.
"Eula!"
With a shout, Caesar's invisible fist crashed into Dimaria, sending her tumbling through the air.
In a blink, she found herself surrounded by glowing sigils.
"This is..."
"Immortal Magic. The Great Jade Rasengan!"
A golden figure appeared before her, cloaked in divine light. Behind him were the words "Fourth Generation."
Before Dimaria could react, a massive blue sphere of energy slammed into her.
The blast sent her flying again. She steadied herself midair, teeth clenched.
"It seems ordinary moves can't do much to a god's body," Caesar muttered, watching her heal.
Dimaria was just as shocked. Who was this man? How could he overpower her even after she had taken on the Soul of a God?
"But that's enough," she sneered. "Let's see how you handle the attacks of time itself!"
Dimaria snapped her fingers. Every wound Caesar had inflicted instantly turned into her own counterattack. The energy she had endured surged toward him.
"Forget it. I'll let the professionals handle this."
Caesar sighed and vanished just as the attacks struck.
The blasts collided with empty air, filling the sky with smoke and debris.
Then, through the haze, a ray of dark light appeared.
"The Roar of the God of Light!"
A laser beam infused with black light pierced the smoke and shot toward Dimaria.
Time froze again.
But Dimaria knew that she couldn't stay safe forever.
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Caesar's deep voice echoed beside her ear.
A split second later, a crushing force slammed into her ribs.
Pain ripped through her body. Dimaria screamed, feeling her body fold under the impact.
She opened her eyes wide in horror as Caesar's hands began to glow. Two bright orbs formed and merged into a single, massive ball of light — over a hundred meters wide.
The sphere shone with enough power to destroy the world.
"Frederick..."
The name surfaced in Dimaria's mind — not her own memory, but that of Chronos, the God of Time within her.
Boom.
The giant orb struck the ground. The entire island shook violently.
Brandish cursed and expanded the land beneath their feet to avoid being vaporized by the impact.
When the dust cleared, a huge crater scarred the island.
Dimaria lay at the bottom, unconscious, her divine robe torn and her eyes rolled back.
"That's too much," Mirajane sighed. Their vacation hopes were officially over.
Caesar looked at Dimaria, then at his glowing status screen, satisfied.
If every member of the Twelve Shields could give him this much experience, leveling up would be easy.
But that was unlikely. This level-up must've been from accumulated experience, and defeating Dimaria just triggered it.
Still, if he could defeat a few more of the Twelve Shields, gaining two or three levels wouldn't be impossible.
After all, every new level required more and more power.
Caesar figured that by the time he gathered all the Merlin Cards, he might still not reach the max level.
"Dimaria!"
Brandish ran to her and stopped suddenly — the divine robe had burned away, leaving Dimaria's body bare.
Helping her up like that would definitely expose too much.
Brandish hesitated, thinking of shrinking Dimaria with her magic, when a shadow loomed overhead.
She looked up and saw Caesar standing before her.
"What do you want?" she asked, stepping back warily.
She had seen his fight with Dimaria. If she faced him, her only chance would be to shrink him before he moved.
"Relax. I just have a question."
Caesar placed a hand on Dimaria. Healing light covered her, mending her body and waking her up. He then released her.
As for her wounds — they could heal naturally.
Mirajane walked closer, curious about what Caesar wanted to ask.
"Brandish... where's that guy?"
Dimaria opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Brandish — and then she jumped up, shouting for Caesar.
"Uh..."
Brandish blushed, hurriedly pulling the divine robe over Dimaria's body.
Only then did Dimaria realize she was naked. Her bikini had been shredded during the battle.
"Don't look!" Mirajane yelled, covering Caesar's eyes.
Caesar sighed inwardly. He'd already seen what he needed to see. The divine robe she wore now had originally been his anyway.
To be honest, Dimaria's figure was impressive — only slightly less than Mirajane's.
After Dimaria wrapped the robe tightly around herself, she turned and saw Caesar and Mirajane standing there.
The words she spoke next made Caesar freeze and caused Mirajane's smile to turn dangerously sharp.