"That was a close call. I almost did something that would have let Mira down."
Caesar breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he realized who the owner of those white tentacles was.
Lacade Dragneel, the demon from the Book of Zeref, was an experiment created by Zeref to resurrect Natsu and form the strongest demon, END. He was given the Dragneel name because he was closer to perfection than all the previous demons.
"Racked?"
"It's fine. I've found his weakness. I just need another try, and I'll succeed."
"Okay, I believe you."
"Come and help me! I can't take it anymore!"
While Dimaria and Lacade were communicating, Brandish let out a desperate shout.
At that moment, Mirajane, who had taken over the Demon God Halfas, unleashed her full power and completely suppressed Brandish.
Even after Brandish shrunk her, Mirajane's strength wasn't much weaker. Her smaller form made her more flexible, so Brandish could only enlarge herself again after being beaten down.
If no one helped her, she would have been finished.
"Let me handle it."
Lacade sighed and stepped in.
Instantly, countless white tentacles swept toward Mirajane.
However, with the power of the Demon God Halfas, Mirajane could destroy an entire village with a single strike.
No matter how many tentacles attacked, she destroyed them all.
But with Lacade's interference, Brandish finally felt some relief.
"You're all such troublesome people! Just faint already!"
Brandish touched a tentacle, using her magic to enlarge it.
"Ah?"
As soon as it grew larger, a wave of desire surged into her body.
"Damn it, Lacade! You better tell which side is which!"
Brandish fell to the ground, gasping for breath, her face flushed and body trembling.
"Sorry, this is a new spell. I'm not used to it yet. If I stop it, I'll stop it for everyone. Just bear with it."
Lacade ignored her complaints and used the enlarged tentacles to attack Mirajane instead.
He didn't care about damage. As long as they touched Mirajane, that was enough.
Meanwhile, Caesar watched Timalia rush toward him again. He wasn't wary of her attacks — he was wary of Lacade's magic.
Magic tied to human desire was dangerous. It could make anyone lose control. Even with the Philosopher's Stone canceling it out, there was still a brief gap — and Dimaria could strike during that time.
"What a disgusting combination."
Caesar summoned Escanor through Take Over.
The night sky above suddenly brightened. The sun that never sets blazed to life inside him, and he instantly gained Escanor's full power — as if it were noon.
"The Sun Without Mercy!"
A burning sun appeared and dropped toward the ground.
Countless white tentacles surged toward it like moths to a flame.
With sheer numbers, they managed to contain some of the explosion, but the ground erupted, leaving a massive crater.
More than sixty percent of Lacade's tentacles were vaporized.
Caesar smirked. Another small sun formed at his fingertips.
This time, Timalia tried to use time magic to compress the explosion.
But Caesar anticipated it and detonated it early.
The island shook violently. The ground split apart. Tentacles and debris burst into the air.
Looking at the destroyed area, Caesar exhaled slowly.
"Much better. Those tentacles were really disgusting."
Suddenly, small pieces of white flesh rained down from above, landing on him.
"Got you."
Lacade laughed. A rain of tentacles fell again, striking everyone on the island.
Desire magic flooded into Caesar once more.
He tried to use the Philosopher's Stone to cancel it, but before he could, a powerful suction pulled at his body and soul.
He suddenly felt himself separating — his consciousness and physical form torn apart.
When he came to, his soul was glowing faintly, held in Lacade's hand.
"Success."
Lacade grinned, staring at the small ball of light.
Caesar sighed. "I suggest you put me down right now."
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Even though I could at any moment," Lacade said with a chuckle.
"Alas, it's hard to persuade an idiot. I just hope Mira's okay."
Lacade blinked, not sure what he meant.
Suddenly, the island trembled. Lacade froze in place, unable to move.
A burst of blazing light shot past him, nearly burning him to ashes.
The ground cracked open. Lava erupted, and even the nearby sea began to boil.
"You were almost burned to dust," Caesar said mockingly.
Right now, he was in a Take Over state — not in control of his own body. The forms he took over acted like automatic combat in a game.
Anyone who's played a game knows — in auto mode, you don't save your skills. You use your strongest attacks right away.
If Caesar were fighting manually, he could've held back.
His soul form trembled as he sensed the devastation.
"It's over. This island's finished. The Magic Council will be furious again."
Then he paused.
"Wait, this isn't Ishgar's territory, is it? Oh, right. The Council has no authority here. Good. Let it all burn."
Caesar relaxed, letting the chaos continue.
"Damn it, the Desire Magic is overflowing!"
Lacade tried to pour more power into his spell, but it was useless.
Caesar's unconscious form had gone berserk, completely ignoring the temptation and unleashing destruction in every direction.
"Do you still want to continue?" Caesar asked calmly.
He wasn't panicking — because Lacade clearly was.
"You—!"
Before Lacade could finish, a beast-like figure appeared right before him.
In Nine-Tails Mode, Caesar had seven tails unfurled, three of them protecting Mirajane and the others. He silently lit a candle in his mind for Lacade.
A moment later, beams of energy and Tailed Beast Balls rained down on Lacade.
Even before he could react, he was blasted away by the Roar of the Space Dragon.
With Lacade gone, Caesar's soul returned to his body. His rampage stopped instantly.
The Philosopher's Stone canceled out the lust magic, and Caesar sighed in relief.
But then, three warm, soft bodies suddenly wrapped around him.
He froze. They weren't hurt, but they were definitely affected.
At that moment, Caesar finally understood Charle's prediction.
Up or down.
That was the problem.