Abomination yawned again, causing thousands of makeshift demons to form beneath its massive body. Black clouds shrouded the sky as a faint pressure, like rain, pulsed onto the virgin land beneath it. Only Amon and Yue stood within the pressure, unbothered and blank-faced.
"We need to hurry, it'll only grow stronger from here!"
Yue remarked and gestured for Amon to act. At the same time, she moved her fingers like a conductor leading an orchestra, and her summons willingly danced with increased vigour. The first to move was Ceres, the Cloud Qilin. Yelping like a warhorse charging into battle, the Qilin galloped through the skies and pierced through the darkened clouds.
Forging itself in a maelstrom of lightning and thunder, the Monarch-tier Spirit unleashed torrents of electric force, instantly clearing away the darkened sky. At the same time, it called upon thousands of thunderbolts that struck violently onto the ground as if a celestial god had unleashed its wrath.
Not to be outdone, the other monarch-tiers also moved.
Yaru, the Mist Spider, descended in ghostly silence, her many legs weaving intricate, shimmering webs spun from threads of enchanted fog. These ethereal snares clung to the earth like ancient sigils, luring the Abomination's twisted creations with an irresistible pull. As the grotesque beasts stumbled into the mist-laced traps, their minds grew heavy, their malformed limbs slackening as Yaru's webwork lulled them into an unbreakable, eternal slumber.
High above the chaos, Anima, the Rainbow Butterfly, unfurled her luminous wings, releasing a radiant cascade of kaleidoscopic light that shimmered like fractured gemstones. The blinding brilliance bent reality itself, scattering colours that pulsed with disorienting rhythms. The Abomination and its demonic progeny reeled in confusion, their senses overwhelmed, staggering as their perception of time and space unravelled beneath Anima's dazzling brilliance.
Vaeltrix, the Infernal Kitsune, surged forth like a living blaze, her nine burning tails trailing arcs of crimson flame. With a roar that cracked the air, she unleashed torrents of Hellfire that devoured the monstrous flesh of the Abomination. Each infernal burst tore through sinew and shadow, searing through the creature's corrupted armor and leaving it exposed—its defenses crippled under the Kitsune's relentless assault.
Kaethon, the Stone Sentinel, rose from the bedrock with thunderous might, his titanic frame sculpting mountains from the very bones of the earth. With clenched fists, he carved a towering range that stretched across the horizon—an impenetrable wall of jagged peaks and cliffs. This newly forged barrier halted the demonic advance, shielding the sacred land of Espadavale from corruption while Arya and Bawi led their people to safety.
In the gloom beyond the fire and stone, Nyssara, the Shadow Revenant, emerged like a whispered secret. Cloaked in veils of dusk, she drew a spectral flute to her lips and played a melody that rippled through the battlefield like a ghost's sigh. The tune, haunting and sublime, penetrated Amon's troubled mind, stilling his inner turmoil and infusing him with renewed strength. As he stood tall once more, the song also coiled toward the Abomination, siphoning its lifeblood with every note—each chord a wound, each refrain a curse.
And finally, Serilune, the Tidal Mermaid, called upon the ancient depths. From the oceans, she summoned vast surges of water that crashed upon the land like furious tempests. Roaring tides swept through the battlefield, drowning legions of land-bound demons in merciless currents. Amid the watery chaos, Serilune anchored herself within Yue's shimmering barrier, her voice echoing with power as she defended the sacred ward that kept the Sword Saint untouched by the darkness beyond.
"I'll support, you target the main body!" The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel-fire.ɴet
With the opening that Yue created, Amon charged into battle with Nyx, the power of his Eclipse Mystic Arts aiding him. Slipping through the innumerable tendrils that stood in his path, Amon found his way to the thick skin of Abomination and swung his blade with all his might.
The Demon's thick hide was pierced instantly as Amon found a way into its inner core. With his senses, he could tell the location of the vessel, but it was far too deep for him to reach through ordinary means. Even if his blade could get that far, the rapid regeneration of Abomination made it impossible for him to launch a final attack to sever the connection.
Amon was forced to retreat as the Demon summoned more tendrils and nefarious beasts. Roaring with pain, it exploded as thick black goo contaminated the lands, making it even harder for Amon to breathe. Forced into a corner, he could only retreat to Yue's side as she attempted to contain Abomination's corruption.
Each of Yue's monarch-tier spirits acted with as much power as a top-ten magician. With that force at her disposal, Yue seemed capable enough to annihilate Abomination single-handedly. Alas, the monster was far from spent.
It yawned once more, and the fires that engulfed its body were extinguished without warning. The Bone Sword in its arm, now the size of a tall tree, was swung mercilessly. It first struck Yaru, the being closest to it. Unable to react, the spider was severed in half by the blade, and the numerous webs that spun beneath it were vaporised without a moment's mercy.
Yue fell backwards, forcing Amon to grasp her shoulders tightly. Widening his eyes at the rare moment of weakness, he asked worriedly: "Yue, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine… That bastard… He severed my control over Yaru!" Yue cursed while panting.
"Severed? What about your soul connection?"
"I-It's still there… thankfully."
Yue took a second to check and heaved a sigh of relief. Creating a contract with a monarch-tier spirit was just as tricky as it was sacred. If Yue's soul connection was broken, it meant that she could never summon Yaru ever again.
"But it takes a few months for me to recover my summoning over Yaru in that capacity… That monster… I didn't think Abomination had the power to sever summons!"
In [Bright] and in Yue's original timeline, Abomination never possessed the power to affect souls. This was a significant variation, one that threw all of Yue's plans into disarray. Given the circumstances, Amon could deduce a reason why.
"You weren't present, but… Malachi gained the power of death during our battle. Perhaps that's what elevated Abomination's power."
"Death? The Apostle became a Death Knight?!" Yue widened her eyes in horror, unsure of how to feel. But then a flash of understanding illuminated her mind, bringing clarity to her previous doubts. "No wonder you were forced to use the Eclipse Mystic Arts."
Amon's face turned cold as he glanced up at the monstrous being that pulsated with the putrid power of death. If he had been stronger, this situation would never have happened. He would have decapitated Malachi in a single stroke, and Abomination wouldn't have evolved.
Yue, being Amon's number one observer, could sense the shift in his emotions and gently placed her dainty white fingers over his hand.
"Don't be too hard on yourself… It was my mistake for releasing the Demon Count early, too. If I had more faith in your abilities, Abomination wouldn't have descended. Besides… It's better than letting Abomination possess the Sword Saint."
If Abomination was summoned using the Sword Saint as the vessel, they had no chance of defeating it, especially without the Holy Sword Ascalon or the Saintess present.
"But still… If Abomination can sever my summons, my combat ability is going to be reduced significantly. The most I can do is use long-range attacks and buffs to support you."
"... no, there is one way."
Amon shook his head slowly, casting off the last remnants of doubt like dust from his shoulders. The air around him grew tense, vibrating with a strange pressure as he stepped forward—once, then again—each stride echoing with purpose across the war-torn earth.
His eyes ignited with blazing intensity, one a brilliant gold, the other a piercing silver, both burning with a luminous fury that seemed to pierce through the veil of reality itself. From his skin, mana surged outward in pulsating waves, raw and unfiltered, flooding the space around him with ancient power.
Behind him, the faint mirage of an eclipse sharpened into breathtaking clarity—an ethereal alignment of celestial forces that cast no shadow, only awe. The sun and moon hung suspended behind his form, locked in a cosmic dance that defied the rules of the natural world. As golden light met silver shadow, the energies within him fused in a way no mortal should survive, let alone command.
His body began to shimmer and blur at the edges, as if existence itself could no longer contain him. Limbs faded to translucent outlines, and his form flickered between worlds, teetering on the threshold of ascension.
Amon was no longer merely a man.
With each heartbeat, he transcended the limits of flesh and magic, becoming something other—something divine.
"Amon! Y-You! If you use that power, you would be crippled for a month!"
"So be it… I will end it all now."
Yue cried, no, begged Amon to stop, but he wasn't going to listen. In his moment of frigid determination, Amon was about to unleash the most destructive attack he'd ever created. The ability he forged with two lifetimes' worth of experience. But alas… before he could finalise his mana to move his fingers.
A blinding beam of light erupted from the heart of the ocean, lancing skyward with such force that the clouds themselves parted in silent awe. The heavens seemed to hold their breath as the radiant column connected sea to sky, a divine bridge between realms.
From within its incandescent core, the unmistakable presence of a celestial blade revealed itself—its power so absolute that even the earth quaked beneath its arrival, trembling not in fear, but in reverence. The very atmosphere shifted, thick with sanctity and raw majesty.
Amon and Yue—titans in their own right, paragons standing at the very summit of mortal potential—found themselves humbled beneath the overwhelming splendour. The light was not harsh, but absolute, a purity that stripped away pride and left only silence and awe.
They could do nothing but stare, breath caught in their throats, hearts thundering in quiet surrender.
Then, as if walking between time and reality, an old man emerged from the heart of the pillar—a figure clad in quiet dignity and ancient power.
Each step he took shimmered with weightless grace, the light parting gently around him as though the elements themselves sought not to hinder his path. Unlike before, his eyes weren't shrouded with doubt. They bolstered an indomitable will, unbreakable by corruption and fear.
It was as if… the God of War had descended.
"The Sword Saint, he…"
"... regained his former mind."
Watching the Sword Saint's perfected self, it finally made Amon realise why he was the undisputed most powerful human in the world. It was hard to imagine that there was anyone who could beat the Sword Saint in his current state, and why the Demon Cult was so adamant about bringing him over to their side.
But of course that failed spectacularly as he now stood against them as…
The Lord Protector of the Realm.