Fairy Tail: Becoming stronger by spending money.

"Boom!"

Just when Blaise was thinking about how to escape, a powerful explosion suddenly erupted in the sky.

The deafening shockwaves reached Caesar, making him look up.

High above, Mirajane was thrown back, her body covered in wounds.

"Good opportunity!"

As Caesar's eyes flickered in concern, Blaise's gaze turned vicious. He quickly twisted the blood-red ring on his finger.

At that moment, his previously muscular body shrank like a deflated balloon.

A blood-colored aura erupted from Blaise and condensed mid-air into a sharp, gleaming blood sword.

The sword exuded a terrifying pressure, crossing the distance in a flash, aiming directly for Caesar's heart like lightning.

Caesar was momentarily stunned. His eyes widened as he watched the lethal blade rush toward him.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Everything turned silent, save for the piercing whistle of the sword slicing through the air.

This was Blaise's ultimate move. Many stronger opponents had fallen to it.

So he was confident.

"You won't be the first to die by this blade. Nor the last... hah!"

Just as Blaise was imagining Caesar's tragic end, his vision seemed to split in two.

Even in the final seconds of life, a confident smirk remained on his face—yet his eyes carried a trace of confusion.

Caesar looked at the blood sword embedded in his shoulder muscle, then gently pulled his left hand away from his neck.

Suddenly, his muscles tensed and a burst of power erupted. The blood sword was flung back violently as if launched from a slingshot.

"You hit an acupuncture point."

"Tsk... I let my guard down. I'm still too green."

Caesar clicked his tongue, glanced at his now-stabilized wound, then turned to look at Blaise—whose body had crumpled to the ground, half his head severed by Caesar's counterattack.

On the other side, Mirajane was being overwhelmed.

Lyon had completely transformed into a monster. His strength surged, allowing him to temporarily suppress Mirajane's Satan Soul.

Caesar didn't act immediately. He saw that Lyon had used a burst technique and would be weakened soon. Mirajane, though slightly injured, was keeping up and not in mortal danger.

It was only a matter of time before she turned things around.

More importantly, Caesar noticed that the being Lyon had taken over was a demon—matching Mirajane's requirements.

If she defeated him alone, she could fully take over that demon.

But if Caesar helped, the takeover wouldn't be as successful.

As he expected, Lyon soon exhausted his magic. Mirajane seized the moment, chained together a barrage of attacks, and sent him crashing into the ice.

"Need my help?"

Caesar asked with a smile as Mirajane landed slowly.

"No, I can do it myself."

She had finally found a demon that suited her.

Mirajane walked over, grabbed the barely conscious Lyon, and pressed her clawed hand to his face.

Dark energy surged around her, and a black shadow began to emerge.

No—it wasn't pulled out.

The shadow abandoned Lyon and lunged straight for Mirajane.

"Damn!"

Caesar moved instinctively, but Mirajane lifted a trembling hand to stop him.

Lyon's body shriveled into a mummy and dropped onto the ice.

"Ahhh!"

Mirajane let out a cry of pain, drawing Risley and Kagura over.

"What's wrong with Mira?"

Seeing her pained expression, they rushed over in concern.

"She got careless."

Caesar removed the pendant from around his neck and gently placed it on Mirajane.

"Lyon didn't take over a demon—the demon took over him."

He stepped back and explained, "Mira thought defeating him would let her perform a normal take over. But the demon inside was still conscious and struck first."

"Is it serious?"

Kagura asked, unfamiliar with take over magic.

"It's manageable."

Caesar replied, "If Mira can't handle it, I'll suppress it. But if I do, it'll affect her future use. It's best if she conquers it herself."

Right then, Mirajane's magic erupted. Her Satan Soul vanished, and her form shifted.

Her limbs were covered in scaled armor and clawed hands. She wore a striped swimsuit-like outfit with horned shoulder pads.

Ice-blue wings unfurled behind her, and a long tail lashed out, smashing the frozen ground and scattering shards.

Two sharp horns sprouted from her head, small scales appeared across her face, her ears lengthened into points, and a dangerous glint gleamed in her eyes.

"Wait a second... this form..."

Caesar blinked. Then it hit him.

This was Mirajane's Demon God Halphas form! Though only shown in the anime, its power level was impressive.

But...

Caesar looked at Lyon's remains with a strange expression.

Even with that level of transformation, Lyon had to rely on a burst just to hold back Mirajane briefly?

That was just sad.

No wonder she wanted to take it over. Demon God Halphas instantly ditched Lyon's body and tried to claim Mirajane's.

But Halphas miscalculated.

Mirajane was no ordinary host.

The moment the demon entered her, she sealed it within herself. Caesar's pendant gave her extra magic, allowing her to overpower Halphas from within.

A tragic end for Halphas.

Caesar saw clarity return to Mirajane's eyes and knew she had succeeded.

Not only did she conquer Halphas, but she also absorbed the power it had taken from Lyon. Now all of it belonged to her.

Mirajane felt her magic surge and smiled. In that demonic armor, the sight was oddly beautiful.

With a flash, she returned to her usual outfit—revealing her bandaged form in a hot top and shorts.

Caesar looked at her wounds and sighed.

"Take over: Healing Deck."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. A warm glow appeared, and Mirajane's injuries vanished.

"Thanks."

She smiled as the pain faded.

"Now give me that pendant back."

Caesar pointed to his necklace.

Mirajane blushed slightly, tucked it into her chest, and said coyly, "Here you go."

Then she puffed out her chest to show off.

Caesar: …

You really think I won't dare, huh?

He sighed. Right now, he really couldn't.

Mirajane noticed his hesitation. A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes, though she covered it with a proud smirk.

"Well, since it's hanging on my neck, that means it's mine!"