Amon and Carmen's battle left a deep impression on Leon.
The Grand Commander's immense mana pool was something out of this world. Rather than a human, it felt like she was a force of nature, a powerhouse that no mere mortal could contest. Going against her would be like running towards a typhoon. There was no way a human could win.
And yet Amon Solaris did the unthinkable.
He charged straight at the hurricane with merely four Suns and emerged victorious. Well, the sparring session wasn't official, and her restrictions limited Carmen. Neither officially 'won' in a traditional sense, but the results were apparent even without a referee present.
Amon's display of strength was enough to defeat the Grand Commander.
The Solaris Mystic Arts that Amon used were perfected in ways Leon thought impossible. His movements, strength and overall mastery put every instructor Leon had to shame.
As Leon recollected the otherworldly battle he'd witnessed, only one thing was on his mind...
'I can reach that level.'
Carmen's mana and Amon's skills. Both were attainable for the young squire.
Like Carmen, Leon possessed a unique physique. He could condense far more Suns than the Nine Sun Heart Mantra suggests and could equal, if not surpass, Carmen's mana pool.
At the same time, his comprehension ability wasn't low either. After entering the Knight's Academy, he'd learned the Solaris Mystic Arts in record time. Not to mention, he now possessed Ascalon, the icon of the Solaris House. Being Ascalon's owner was enough to give him a further affinity for solar mana, and his mana accumulation rate was much higher.
Hence... Leon was determined.
Leon sat meditatively in the middle of Aldrich's Fields, silent as the night before him. Focusing solely on reconstructing the duel he'd just witnessed, the young Hero looked for any clues to improve his skills. Mana-wise, it wasn't enough even though he had condensed his second Sun with two more miniature Suns orbiting them. Technique-wise, he knew he lacked and sought to emulate Amon's skills.
But alas... He didn't know where to start.
Even after meditating for several hours, he felt stuck in the same place, like he had not taken a step forward. Fortunately, his fate was about to turn. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel_fіre.net
"Leon, it's three in the morning. What are you still doing up?"
Amon approached his squire with a sleepy yawn. After duelling with Carmen, he took a restful nap to recover from all his fatigue. Yet, even after the long rest, his muscles were still sore from crossing strikes with a Seven Sun Solaris Knight, and he sought to do some post-workout stretches to relieve some pain, only to find Leon remaining entirely still in the arena.
"Amon! You're awake! Ah, I was just reflecting on your battle with the Grand Commander! It's awe-inspiring!"
"The way you held your ground against an opponent far above your level... I was thinking if there's a way I could emulate that."
Leon's words unknowingly broke Amon from his sleepy spell. All this time, he was pondering how he would begin teaching the future Hero and to guide him on an expedited path to greatness. And now, the perfect opportunity had fallen onto his lap.
"So what do you think?"
"... To be honest, there's just so much I could improve on! Mana pool, control, martial arts, comprehension, there are many lacking parts in my arsenal that I've reached a personal problem."
"Well..." Leon rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "I'm not sure where to begin."
Amon recalled that in [Bright], the young Leon once faced this problem too. After summoning Ascalon, he was assigned to the Golden Dragon Order and was made a squire to a prominent and famous Sun Knight. That Sun Knight knew of Leon's worries and patiently guided him whenever he wanted. That was the reason why Leon managed to grow exponentially after the Sword Bestowment Ceremony.
However, in this timeline, Leon asked to be Amon's squire. So, the task now fell to him.
"Leon, would you like to listen to my advice?"
"O-Of course!" The young teen's blue eyes sparkled with joy as he heard Amon's words. "Wait, aren't you my master now? You have every right to lecture me!"
Amon was still not used to their master-disciple relationship. Nevertheless, it was the perfect excuse to give Leon a good guidance.
"Then, let me tell you what I think you need to work on the most now."
"The Nine Suns Heart Mantra."
Truth be told, Amon wasn't worried about Leon's skills in the slightest. In the books, he was always a talented figure who could master every Solaris Mystic Art and eventually surpass most high-level Knights in pure swordsmanship. The issue Leon had always struggled with in [Bright], has always been the core of his mana pool. And the reason for that was...
"I saw that you've managed to evolve the Nine Suns Heart Mantra into something unique to you."
"Don't worry about secrecy. Grandpa Alrock told me all about it. You call it the Eighty-One Suns Heart Mantra, don't you? And the reason why you're able to do so, is because of your unique constitution."
"A-Ah! S-So you're aware of it!"
Leon shifted his eyes like a kid who had been caught pranking. He knew it was a secret he couldn't keep for long, but he still felt guilty for breaking his father's cardinal rule.
"I'm aware... I'm also aware that you possess dual nature affinities. Solar and Hydro?"
"... as expected, you saw it during the Troll subjugation."
The young teen had his suspicions, but this all but confirmed it. All of his secrets were laid bare for Amon to see. However, upon reflection, perhaps having Amon aware of his abilities was good. After all, how could Amon begin teaching him if he didn't know all of Leon's strengths and weaknesses?
"Yes, I possess two affinity types. Because of my mother's blessing, I have obtained Hydro mana. That's why my eyes are blue instead of gold." Leon pointed at his pure cerulean pupils while brushing his golden hair up.
"I see... Would you mind demonstrating a little?"
Without hesitation, Leon channelled the Hydro mana within his body and created a sphere of water. He didn't cast a spell and neither did he use any magical artefacts. It was just pure mana creating water, a feat few magicians could ever hope to accomplish. And yet, Leon performed it as if it were second nature to him.
"Your affinity with Hydro must be high then."
"Yes, I get that a lot."
"And do you use it when honing the Nine Suns Heart Mantra?"
The youth gave Amon a perplexed side eye, as if questioning whether he was talking sense. Needless to say, Amon wasn't offended. Instead, he doubled down and asked:
"When cultivating the Nine Suns Heart Mantra, do you use your Hydro mana?"
"No... Is that even possible?"
Leon's question was in line with the common sense of Hyades. Theoretically, no two mana sources could exist in one body. Instead of supplementing each other, the two mana sources would collide whenever the user draws upon them, and the chaos within would crush the user's body from the inside.
And yet, Leon was a living specimen of someone who possessed dual mana sources.
Lucas, Leon's father, had warned him not to use his Hydro mana unless absolutely necessary. Possessing the dual mana sources was risky enough, but if he used them both at the same time... There was a high possibility that he would perish through an internal clash.
Hence, when he returned to the Solaris House, he focused on mastering Solar Mana and the Nine Suns Heart Mantra. Leon largely ignored his Hydro mana, but he could tell that with each stage he crossed, his Hydro mana increased, too.
"It is," Amon declared without hesitation. "In your case, it may be even helpful."
"Water counters fire and fire tames water. They are contradictions, yet they balance each other out. If you manage to keep them under control, your power would increase tenfold."
Raising his brows at Amon's suggestion, Leon seriously contemplated his words. The logic was sound, but the execution was easier said than done.
"Why don't you give it a go? Try using the Nine Suns Heart Mantra and circulate your Hydro mana simultaneously. Don't worry, I will watch you."
While sceptical, Leon trusted Amon wholeheartedly. He had just witnessed a monster battle between the man and Carmen, so if there was anyone who knew how to grow stronger, it was Amon. Falling back into his lotus position, Leon closed his eyes and circulated his mana. The Two Suns he created and the two miniature Suns that orbitted them appeared before him, burning brighter than they'd ever been.
Solar mana radiated wildly, causing Ascalon to react, too. A golden light enveloped the meditating Leon, protecting and feeding him like a mother's embrace.
Watching it all unfold made Amon squint a little.
'Ascalon is a Solaris treasure indeed. Just by meditating, Leon's mana accumulation rate has increased twofold.'
As Leon's synchronisation with Ascalon increases, eventually he would be able to use the full range of its capabilities. Supernatural healing, greater mana accumulation, and even boosting his comprehension... They were all cheat codes that made Leon the strongest Knight in the world.
But right now, he was still at the starting line.
While Ascalon gave Leon a golden string of energy, the youngster attempted to tame the floating Suns with a blue river stream that emerged from his inner core. However, before he could even touch the Suns, his control wavered, and everything exploded into pure light.
Falling to his back, Leon was sweating as if he had been in a typhoon. His muscles convulsing and heart palpitating. Fear overwhelmed him as he felt like he had escaped death by a hair's breadth.
"I-Impossible... It's impossible, Amon. If I didn't stop it in time, my body would have exploded."
"Hmmmm, what makes you think that? From what I observed, you were perfectly fine."
Leon could hardly believe his ears. He had just escaped Hell's Gates, yet Amon told him something completely different.
"If you didn't hesitate, you would have merged your two mana sources. And even if you experience a backlash, you won't perish. So why did you stop?"
Amon was genuinely baffled. Merging two mana sources was difficult, but everything was hard in the beginning. Learning a bicycle was much the same way. The best way to learn it, was to ride it repeatedly, getting up when they fall. If Leon were willing to take the plunge and fail, he would be able to learn much faster.
"What do you mean? If I experience a backlash... won't I die?"
"Hmmm, why would you?"
As the pair stared blankly at each other, they realised what their disconnect was. Amon folded his arms and replied: "Leon, your body is that of a Solaris. What makes you think you would die if you mixed mana?"
"... how would you know that?"
For the first time, Leon bared his fangs at Amon. As someone who didn't have dual mana sources, how could Amon realise the difficulty of what he was asking Leon to do? A seed of resentment was sowed as Leon watched Amon nonchalantly while asking him to do the impossible. Alas...
"Hmmm, well. Since I know one of your secrets, it's only fair that you know one of mine."
Nodding affirmedly, it didn't even take half a second for Amon to decide. Confused, Leon watched with a raised eyebrow as Amon raised his right hand and channelled a foreign power from the depths of his soul.
A silver light ascended, eclipsing the dominating Solar mana that remained in the arena. It congregated into a luminous white sphere that copied the celestial body that towered over the night. As he watched the transcendent ball congregate in Amon's palm, Leon couldn't help but drop his jaw.
"Yes, just like you. I'm a dual mana source user."
Holding a Moon, Amon casually revealed his secret card to Leon, instantly shattering his earlier bias. With a flick of his wrist, he created a Sun using his Solar mana. And the cherry on top of it all...
Dissipating the Moon into Lunar mana and the Sun into Solar mana, Amon mixed the two to create a staggering union that sent a pulsating shockwave throughout the arena. All the while, he treated it like a walk in the park.
"Merging the two sources is easy... And if I can do it, you can do it too."
Releasing his mana, Amon slapped his hands on his pants and dusted them off. Amon wished for this display to motivate Leon to imagine the possibilities for dual mana. He hoped that by unveiling his secret, Leon would realise the path forward and emulate Amon's success.
'Huh? Why is he so quiet?'
Amon's plan... may have backfired.