Needless to say, Yue wasn't going to simply give Aluria the power of the Ocean's Divinity with no strings attached. In the contract, she bound Aluria's soul to hers, giving her the option to dominate the future Ocean Goddess should the need arise.
Alas, that was only the beginning of their trials.
"I will begin the inheritance process. My lady, please assist me as promised."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll become the new owner of the Ocean's Divinity."
Yue promised with absolute confidence, making the task seem easier than it was. The transference of divinity was no simple feat; in fact, no one in living memory could claim to tamper with the divine. Yet, Yue was treating it as if she were pulling carrots from a garden.
"Amon, while I'm helping Leon's mother inherit the Ocean's Divinity, my body will be completely vulnerable. I will summon my spirits to protect me, but…"
"Rest assured," Amon stared right into Yue's ruby eyes and declared with a domineering tone. "No harm will fall upon you. Do what you have to do."
The ethereal beauty's cheeks flushed red as she scurried her eyes away. Ever since they'd opened their hearts to each other, Yue had become weak to Amon's forwardness. No, she was always weak to Amon's actions, but it was amplified after they promised to live together after the world was saved.
"Will Thalassa break free from the seal?"
"Yes," Aluria answered grimly. "My soul was forged from the drowned god's mana, and my body, crafted by its seal. Once I begin the inheritance process, the seal will weaken drastically. It won't be immediate, but the drowned god will try to stop my ascension, and eventually, it will break free of the seal."
"How long until it breaks free?"
"Unclear," Aluria shook her head. It was, after all, a scenario that had never played out in the past. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that the drowned god would be unsealed, and even more so, that she would be the one to inherit its divinity. The rıghtful source is novel⁂fire.net
"Just give me an estimate."
"Fifteen minutes, perhaps? But mind you, it won't be alone. It will send hordes of mermen to stop my ascension before it breaks free from the seal."
"Don't worry about that."
From the beginning, Amon asked the question not because he was afraid, but because he was confident.
"This will all end swiftly. So, just focus on your own state."
Aluria glanced back at her son only to see Leon shrugging his shoulders with a wry smile.
"Don't worry about Amon, Mom… He's always ."
Pulling out Ascalon, he stepped in front of his mother while Yue protected herself and Aluria in a barrier. At the same time, Yue's spirits started appearing one by one, like a divine legion designed to protect the heavens. Each one of them possessed strength equal to high-levelled Knights or Mages, and they alone could stop Thalassa's onslaught.
But the true cornerstone of the defence was…
"Trust in Amon, he's destined to become the strongest Knight the world will ever see."
Leon conceded this title to his friend and mentor, even though he was this era's Hero and also the actual protagonist of this world. Especially after the Solaris Founder, Idrytis Solaris, awakened his potential. He was able to sense the vibrations of the atmosphere, the shifts in mana, and the view that was hidden from the untrained eye.
And through those senses, he realised.
Amon… was a true monster.
"Mmmm, come back safe."
Amon swung Nyx and stood in front of the barrier like a parent guarding his child. At the same time, Leon and Lucas flanked his sides, both with their swords drawn and mana raised.
"This is the first time we've fought together, isn't it? I'm looking forward to seeing your growth!"
Lucas commented, his expression clearly far brighter than before. Now that he'd ascertained his wife's safety and seen his child return, Lucas felt like every burden in the world had been lifted off his shoulders. And it showed with his actions.
Bits and pieces of the former indomitable Knight who once swept the world with his genius were starting to show. His complexion instantly became more vibrant as the mana flow within his body stabilised.
It was clear that Lucas wished to fight side-by-side with his son for the first time, but unfortunately for him…
"Dad… I think we won't have much of a part to play in the upcoming battle."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Leon fixed his gaze on Amon's composed figure, and Nyx held loosely yet purposefully in a neutral stance. At first glance, Amon seemed the picture of serenity, his expression calm, his posture unshaken, but beneath that stillness lurked a quiet ferocity, perceptible only to those with eyes sharp enough to see it.
The once-chaotic mana that had roiled across the lake now lay utterly subdued, the air around him unnervingly tranquil, as though the world itself dared not disturb his presence. He did not need to release his Aura; even in restraint, his very being radiated power.
Leon felt it instinctively, a pressure that spoke louder than any display—Amon had ascended to a height far beyond what he had witnessed before.
'Something happened at Espandavale… He's far stronger than before.'
Leon's conjecture was accurate.
After fighting against Abomination, Amon's power had risen to another level. No, to be more exact, it was a combination of factors. Witnessing the Sword Saint powers live, using the Eclipse Mystic Arts against a formidable foe for the first time, and finally, accepting the true nature of his heart.
Amon's understanding of the world had deepened tremendously, and he shouldn't be compared to other Knights at his level.
At his current power, he was closer to the pinnacle of humanity… a divine being only breathed in legends.
Amon commented, not to ready Leon and Lucas, but to quell his accelerating heart rate. He wasn't nervous about fighting, nor was he afraid of the enemies that were about to rush his way… Amon was excited. Excited to test out his newly mastered strength.
The instant Yue and Aluria began the assimilation of the Ocean's Divinity, the ancient seal binding Thalassa shuddered and cracked, its strength unravelling in an instant. From the depths of the lake, malignant mana surged upward like a poisoned tide, churning the waters into a frenzy.
Out of the abyss, a horde of mermen emerged, their scaled bodies glistening in the dim light. Each bore a unique form—broad-shouldered warriors with jagged teeth, lithe assassins with fins like blades—but all shared the same vacant glare, their eyes stripped of will, consumed by a singular directive: halt Aluria's ascension at any cost.
Some hefted crude harpoons that gleamed with salt and rust, hurling them with deadly precision. Others conjured tidal waves, riding the crests like predators ready to strike. Mana fueled every motion, every breath, yet none spared so much as a glance at the lone figure barring their path.
It was their first mistake. And it would be their last.
The very first act Amon performed was seizing control of the battlefield. From the trembling lake below, a resplendent theatre descended, its grandeur eclipsing the chaos around it. Stardust shimmered in cascading streams, falling like silver moonlight from the towering arches of the lunar Athenaeum.
Overhead, seven radiant moons ascended in unison, crowning the open-air stage with celestial majesty. Beyond them stretched a boundless firmament, an ocean of stars that bathed the domain in ethereal light, transforming Amon's presence into something utterly otherworldly, as though the heavens themselves had bent to his will.
[Lunar Mystic Arts: Moonlight Sanctum.]
Amon's parallel to the Solaris Sanctuary using the Lunar Mystic Arts.
It boosts all lunar mana usage within the domain, as well as weakening any foe that was unlucky enough to find itself caught within it. And against the mermen that lived and died by the oceans, the lunar mana suppressing them was far more than what they could handle.
Most of them stopped, their instincts crying out at them to retreat from the monster that had taken over the battlefield. But the orders at the back of their minds were absolute. They had to rush forward, even if it meant throwing their lives away. That conundrum was what gave Amon the opening to strike.
Amon coated Nyx with a silver Aura as his eyes turned as brilliant as the moons that orbited around his body. And with a simple swing…
Half of the mermen found their heads on the ground, and the other half?
All of the mermen were sliced, no matter their strength or mana levels.
That action dropped Lucas's jaw. He wasn't even able to process that Amon was using lunar mana rather than the Solaris House's signature solar mana. All that was on his mind was the ease in which Amon dispatched the monster horde.
Lucas yelled, seeking an answer. But even his son, the one who studied under Amon, was at a loss for words. Leon had expected Amon to grow, but this was at a completely different level altogether. Using his superior eyes, Leon could grasp half of what had transpired, but even that was ridiculous enough.
'His mana… can cut through spacetime…'
That was all that Leon had caught. A sword that couldn't be blocked, no matter the distance. That was the nature of Amon's strike. A new technique that he'd created, inspired by the Sword Saint, culminated during the Abomination battle.
Contrary to Lucas and Leon's shock, Amon was standing still, not all that impressed by his one-sided slaughter. He glanced down at Nyx with a tinge of disappointment.
'Hmmm, it's still not perfect. I aimed to decapitate all of them, but some of the slashes went to their torsos.'
Rather than celebrate his accomplishment, Amon scrutinised his execution. But he didn't have time to reflect for long. For once, the first wave was wiped out, and a new one emerged from the lake depths.
'Well… Let me try this then.'
Amon planted Nyx to the ground and held both arms at the tip of its sheath. Both his eyes had turned silver, like the moon that hung over the darkened sky. The Moonlight Sanctum began to vibrate as celestial blades rained down from the heavens like starlight. At the deluge, most, if not all, of the mermen were eradicated, sliced to bits before they could even let out a bestial roar.
It was a replica of the Sword Saint's sword art, but moulded in Amon's style.
Celestial moonlight swords that seemed to hold the galaxy within their blades continued to eradicate all of the mermen without mercy, showing Amon's true mastery with lunar mana.
And that scene was too much for Lucas to comprehend.
"I-Is he really… A Solaris Knight?"
Leon couldn't answer his father's question, for he was thinking the same thing. Amon's mastery over the Solaris Mystic Arts was undeniable, unparalleled, even. But seeing Amon use the Lunar Mystic Arts in this fashion, Leon knew which was Amon's true nature.
As Amon bathed in the blood of his foes, Leon could only helplessly sigh.
"We won't have a role to play here."