A light flashed in Tono's hand. He looked at Caesar's new form and said, "It's cute, but be careful next time."
As he spoke, Tono waved his hand. "Arrow of Light."
In an instant, three arrows formed from pure light shot quickly toward Caesar.
Caesar's golden pupils narrowed. He pushed off with his feet, vanishing from his spot in an instant. As he moved toward Tono, the Soul-Scattering Iron Claw was already in his hand.
Clang!
The claw collided with the Arrow of Light, shattering it instantly.
Everyone watching was stunned. Some even looked at Caesar in disbelief.
"How old is this kid? He actually broke an Arrow of Light!"
Even though light magic wasn't known for destructive power, the Arrow of Light was still considered a solid offensive spell. The fact that Caesar broke it so easily showed his sheer physical power.
"His explosive strength and wrist control are amazing. But his attacks are still rough. Then again, at his age, that's normal," Makarov thought to himself as he watched carefully, quietly scoring Caesar's abilities.
"He actually shattered the Arrow of Light… looks like he's got some real potential," Tono said calmly. He clapped his hands, forming a wall of light that blocked Caesar's path.
When the Soul-Scattering Iron Claw hit the wall, Caesar felt his fingertips go numb. The wall was far too durable to break through.
Not ready to give up, Caesar struck the wall twice more with the claw, but still couldn't break it. Before he could act again, a cage of light dropped down toward him. Caesar jumped out of the way and transformed again.
Light burst from his body, and when it faded, Caesar had become a young man with short golden hair, and metal prosthetics on his right arm and left leg.
"Trying something different?" Tono muttered.
He waved again, and the cage of light transformed into glowing ropes that tried to wrap around Caesar.
Landing firmly on the ground, Caesar clapped his hands and slammed them down. The earth surged up, forming a wall of stone and dirt that blocked the light ropes.
"Modeling magic?"
That thought echoed through the minds of those watching.
But then, Caesar reached out to the ground again and formed a pitch-black short spear in his hand.
He aimed quickly and hurled it at the light wall.
Ding!
The spear was blocked.
Caesar didn't waste time. He transformed back into Inuyasha, rebounded off the ground, and slipped past the ropes and the stone wall.
"Stop struggling. You won't break through my wall of light," Tono said with a sigh. Makarov had told him to go easy, so he was holding back. If he used his full power, this kid would've been restrained already.
"Not necessarily!"
Caesar appeared right in front of the wall of light again. He pressed his palms together, then against the wall itself.
Tono looked confused for a moment, until suddenly a large hole opened in the wall.
"What?!"
Startled, Tono didn't react in time. Caesar dashed through the gap, spear in hand, and rushed at him.
"It's not disintegration… it's separation. He altered the structure of the light wall," Makarov observed, spotting an added section of the wall off to the side.
"Smart move," Makarov thought. "But that's enough."
"Tono, trap him now," Makarov commanded.
"Understood, Master."
Without hesitating, Tono raised his hand. Ropes of light snapped around Caesar like lightning and wrapped him up tight like a dumpling.
"It's over, Caesar. Now you understand—you've got a long way to go before taking on missions alone," Makarov said as he took a sip of wine.
"I haven't lost yet!"
Caesar's voice came from inside the ball of light. Suddenly, the ropes snapped.
Bursting out of the bindings, Caesar was still in Inuyasha form—but this time, he held a sword in his hand.
Wado Ichimonji.
As Caesar gripped the sword, a familiar energy welled up inside him. He tightened his grip and shouted, "Wind Scar!"
The moment he swung, a raging hurricane tore through the guild.
Tables, chairs, and even some guild members were blown away. Screams and curses filled the air.
Tono, caught in the storm, summoned a thick light shield just in time. The hurricane slammed against it, shaking it violently. Inside, Tono grimaced.
How had this kid suddenly pulled off a move that powerful?
Caesar's magic power was completely drained. He collapsed, no longer able to maintain his take over form. Still holding the sword hilt, he looked at the still-standing shield and realized just how far he was from defeating even a regular wizard.
Yet he also realized something else—he didn't need the real Tessaiga to perform Wind Scar. He only needed a blade and his own magic power.
In this world, techniques weren't limited by origin rules. Here, if you had the magic and the right form, it worked.
That was a major advantage.
Still, the technique drained everything from him, leaving him unable to even keep up the transformation.
Crack.
The light shield broke. Tono looked at Caesar, exasperated. "Kid, you're too intense."
"Seriously! Look at the mess you made!"
"Yeah, the chairs, the plates, the tables—this is gonna cost a fortune!"
"Money?!"
Caesar's ears perked up at the word. He looked at Makarov, who stood frozen with a pale face, clearly imagining the cost.
Caesar raised his hand. "Master, I can fix everything! Just pay me in jewels! I'll take care of all the damages!"
Are you kidding? With Edward's knowledge of alchemy, repairing tables and chairs was child's play.
Makarov's expression brightened. He jumped down and patted Caesar's head.
"Talking about money hurts our feelings. Caesar, you don't have a place to stay, right? There's an attic at the top of the guild. You can live there, rent-free. In exchange, just help fix things when they break."
Without giving Caesar a chance to object, Makarov finalized the deal.
Inside, he was practically laughing. With Caesar around, all the constant damage from guild fights could be fixed on the cheap.
He was going to save a fortune.