As Idrytis Solaris took over Leon's body, the atmosphere started to shift. The first to notice the change was Ellahan. She could sense that something had changed in Leon, and she wasn't able to exactly pinpoint the cause. But her caution level was raised as she watched Leon's body gradually surge in mana.
"Ah… Fresh air… Not. My first time awakening, and I'm treated to this stale battlefield air… My junior couldn't have chosen a worse time to wake me."
"Leon? No, who are you?!"
Ellahan readied her weapon and aimed it at Leon's neck, thinking that the Clay Emperor had somehow gotten control of her lover. Fortunately, she didn't need to pull the trigger.
"Relax, child. I'm just borrowing your boyfriend's body for a bit. I'll return it once we're out of this predicament."
"Heh, I'll let my junior answer that question after I'm done."
The Solaris Founder ignored Ellahan's desperate cries, allowing the mana surging from Ascalon to engulf and reshape Leon's body. In an instant, his blonde hair darkened to pitch black and grew long, while his golden eyes gleamed with the radiance of the Golden Dragon Sovereign.
But the transformation didn't stop there.
Leon's physique began to shift, his frame grew taller, more imposing, and his once youthful build matured into something far more formidable. He had already borne the body of a Hero, one forged for battle and hardship, yet there had always been a trace of unrefined potential.
Now, that potential had been realised.
Leon stood like a Demigod—an incarnation of the God of War made flesh.
"This body's potential ain't bad… To think that it could emulate my peak human form this quickly."
Leon, no, Idrytis Solaris spoke using Leon's mouth, his lip gently curling into a satisfied smile.
[You… what have you done to my body?!]
Within the Solaris Founder's subconscious, a nagging voice erupted. While Leon had temporarily swapped bodies with Idrytis, he was still fully awake. And if it weren't for the Solaris Founder's immense presence and assurance that he would protect them, Leon would have done everything in his power to regain control over his body.
"Ah, since you're the owner of this body, I guess I can't force you to sleep. And here I'd thought I could have some fun, make out with this young chick with your body."
[Y-You! And you dare to call yourself my ancestor?!]
"HAHAHA, relax! There's no way I would do such a crude thing!"
The Solaris Founder continued to poke fun at Leon, but his teasing didn't sound pleasant in the slightest for the young Hero.
"As for your body, it would return to its original state when you regain control… probably?"
"Heh, this is the first time I took control over someone else's body using Ascalon's power. Your predecessor wasn't that easy to take over after all."
[... predecessor? The Solaris Saint?]
Before Leon, there were two wielders of the Holy Sword, Ascalon.
The Solaris Founder, the one who began the mighty Solaris House and the man who ended the Great Dragon War, eternally cemented himself in the history books as one of the most influential men who ever lived. But, just as he was great… There was one greater.
The Solaris Saint, Agios Solaris.
Often touted as the most powerful human who ever lived. Agios was the woman who single-handedly ended the Great Demon War as she took the seat at the right hand of the Goddess. She was the only human to be ever considered 'divine' and many faithful worship her as an entity second only to the Goddess Hyades herself.
"Yeah, by the time Agios awakened me, she already had full control over her powers. She was even strong enough to force my consciousness into submission. As expected of someone chosen by Ascalon!"
"HAHA, you'll find out more about her when you awaken her! For now… Let's deal with this mess."
The Solaris Founder raised Ascalon and directed its tip toward the Asuras prowling across the battlefield. That single gesture was enough to draw the eyes of the Demigods. As beings forged in war, they could not ignore such a blatant challenge, especially from one they deemed beneath them.
Pride flared into fury, and their divine egos demanded retribution. But fate had already sealed their legacy. Tonight, their so-called prestige would be shattered.
"Observe, junior… The reason why you were chosen to be this generation's Hero… and the apex form your body will reach."
With a surge of mana, the Solaris Founder forcefully awakened the full extent of Leon's dormant potential. Golden flames erupted from every pore of his body, forming a blazing aura that burned like an eternal inferno.
Taking two deep breaths, Idrytis Solaris exhaled powerfully, his breath tearing through every barrier that had once restrained Leon's growth. Agonising pain surged through every inch of his Adonis-like frame as he surpassed the limitations of mere mortals.
And then, the dragon blood within him ignited.
It boiled with divine fury, and shimmering golden scales began to spread across his skin. Leon was no longer just a masterfully trained Hero; he had become something transcendent.
And to celebrate his ascension, Ascalon started to hum a tune Leon had never heard before.
[W-What… did you do?]
As Idrytis took a few moments to catch his breath, he smiled and answered Leon's question.
"Did you think… Ascalon chose you for your looks? No, this bitch is picky. Each wielder of Ascalon must fulfil a strict criteria. They must possess the blessing of the world and a body with the potential of ascension. I had that… Agios had that… and now, you have it."
Leon had multiple questions, but he chose to forgo them all. His mind was still in awe of his transformed state, as well as the dense influx of mana that was flowing into his soul. The Eighty-One Suns Heart Mantra began to beat like a war drum within his heart as an illusory form of Eighty-One Suns appeared around Leon.
"Hoh? Eighty-one Suns? The Solaris House has improved on my Nine Suns Heart Mantra, I see! Heh, it brings me joy to see my descendants surpass my standard."
The Solaris Founder took to his stance and channelled all the energy within the Eighty-One Suns. And with a subtle smile, he whispered:
The sun that rose within the realm of the Asuras was unlike anything recorded in recent history. Born from divine fury, it erupted with the explosive force of eighty-one suns, turning the entire world into a sea of radiant gold. The ground crumbled and splintered beneath its might, reduced to molten shards, while the heavens themselves were bleached white by its blinding brilliance.
The realm trembled as everything, earth, sky, and life, was affected… consumed by the blazing inferno. And at its very centre stood Leon, transformed and divine.
The Asuras, creatures forged in arrogance and war, were struck with a rare sensation: fear.
Their skin blistered under the relentless heat, and their pride gave way to instinct. They abandoned their offences and scrambled to defend themselves, constructing barriers of dark energy and spectral steel. Even in their conceit, they recognised power when they saw it.
The force now inhabiting Leon's body, Idrytis Solaris, was no mere challenger. He was an existential threat, a godlike adversary who demanded their full might just to survive.
Leon's comrades could hardly believe their eyes. No one, not Amon, the boy genius of their generation, or Alrock, the Solaris Lord and the most powerful human they'd ever seen, could use such a divine power. Yet, Leon was shattering the realm of demigods as if it were the most natural thing for him.
Even Manon, the ancient spearman who had participated in the prehistoric battle of the gods, raised his eyebrow at the awe-inspiring scene.
"It's only temporary," Idrytis Solaris replied as he brushed his hair up. "I can only use this power once, so observe. As a service, I'll even open your 'eyes' for you."
"Yes, the 'eyes' to see the world the same way a Golden Dragon Sovereign does. With our blessing, you can do just that."
Without warning, the Solaris Founder channelled a surge of mana into Leon's now-golden eyes. His pupils narrowed into sharp, reptilian slits, shaped like golden stars, and in that instant, Leon's perception of reality was forever transformed.
The world unravelled before him in exquisite detail. He could see the flow of atmospheric currents, the subtle tremors in the air, and even the delicate ripples threading through the fabric of spacetime. Compared to this, his previous vision felt like blindness.
But such clarity came at a cost.
The flood of sensory input would have shattered a normal mind. Fortunately, Leon's brain had evolved alongside his body, reshaped to process this overwhelming data without faltering. What he gained was more than sight.
It was insight, precision, and foresight. A battlefield advantage that elevated him far beyond the realm of ordinary warriors.
"Amazing, isn't it? It's amazing how much of the world our human eyes don't see. But now that we can see it… We will never know defeat."
To prove his point, Idrytis Solaris charged right at one of the Asuras, identifying its weak point with shocking precision. Using the flow of mana, he managed to amplify a mere swing into a catastrophic strike that cleaved the demigod in half.
The Solaris Founder used every ounce of mana within his soul to create the ultimate Solstice Sanctuary. At the same time, he held onto Ascalon in an old-fashioned stance, one that wasn't flashy, but retained its effectiveness. And with a kick, the ground beneath his feet exploded, propelling him right at the dozens of war demigods.
"It's been a while since I stretched my muscles, so… Let's dance, shall we?!"
And thus began the one-sided beating of the Solaris Founder against the ancient Asuras.