Amon’s mind was racing a thousand miles an hour.
There was no mistaking the man who had stopped his blade—Malachi, the Bone Sword. As the Prophet’s right-hand man, he was one of the most powerful Apostles in the Demon Cult. His sheer strength and skill made him a terrifying force in the later stages of [Bright], and even Amon had no idea where his actual limits lay.
Amon knew he didn’t stand a chance against the Apostle, even if he used everything in his arsenal to fight toe-to-toe with him. At best, Amon could hold back the man for a few moments while the rest escaped. But, looking at the posture of the seasoned Demonic Swordsman, Amon could tell that the man had no intention of letting anyone escape.
"Son, are you this generation’s hero? If so, is that sword the infamous Ascalon? Doesn’t look like it."
Malachi raised his brows and carefully examined Amon from head to toe. He’d believed that the person responsible for reducing the Twin Brutes into a pile of rubbish must have been this generation’s Hero. But as he cooled down, the Apostle started to see flaws in his logic.
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Firstly, Amon didn’t emit a speck of Holy Power, the energy most poisonous to Demons. A fair amount of Solar mana was expected from a Solaris Knight, but that was about it. Also, as a man who had seen countless battles, Malachi could size up an opponent with a glance.
The Hero was meant to be a warm presence that inspired and guided others by example. He was a shining beacon in the swamp of despair and the prime example of what hope was.
But as Malachi stood face-to-face with Amon, he felt a bittering cold. It was as if he was challenging a killing machine that only knew how to annihilate its enemies ruthlessly. Even though Amon was enveloped with Solar mana, Malachi could discern his true nature.
A soulless ghost that killed without mercy.
"How intriguing, you aren’t the Hero, are you? What’s your name, son?"
"..."
Amon narrowed his eyes. Just as Malachi could size him up, Amon could do the same thing. Every part of his dragon-blessed body screamed to run away, and his Dragon Form was already feeling the pinch from Malachi’s dominant presence. Yet, Amon didn’t budge. He stood firm and watched silently, and his instinct realised one thing…
’I can’t beat him with Solar mana.’
Amon couldn’t explain it, but his wealth of battlefield experience advised him that Malachi was unbeatable when it came to a direct confrontation. Solar mana and the Solaris Mystic Arts were powerful tools, particularly for a head-on collision. Almost nothing on the planet could contest with a Solaris Knight’s bloodline, and most of the time, Solar mana would be enough to deal with their opponents.
But what happens if the opponent’s bloodline or power exceeds the Solaris Knight?
Malachi was once a formidable Knight, regarded as an equal to the Sword Saint and Alrock Solaris. Now, with the Demon King’s direct blessing elevating him to an Apostle, he was likely among the world’s five most powerful beings.
So what happens when Solar mana fails?
"Son, I asked you a question."
"..."
Amon didn’t answer, dispelled his Dragon Form, and closed his eyes. From the outside, it looked like he’d given up, cowering in fear over the overwhelming disparity in power. The sudden act caused Amon’s comrades to falter, too, and they panicked, thinking that the Apostle had gotten into Amon’s head. Ellahan even attempted to cast a spell at the man, hoping to wake him from his stupor.
But Yue stopped her from doing anything stupid.
"Don’t! Trust in Amon!"
"B-But…"
"Don’t worry," Yue didn’t look back, her eyes practically glued onto Amon’s back. She’d seen a back multiple times in her previous life. A back that she had counted on and believed in wholeheartedly.
"My man would never give up so easily."
"..."
Ellahan’s eyes widened, stunned at Yue’s faith in the seemingly paralysed Amon. At that moment, she was struck with an epiphany.
’Ah, is this what love is? Is this why they are called the Fantasy Couple?’
A tinge of jealousy wenched in Ellahan’s heart as she thought of her relationship with Leon. However, whatever goodwill she had evaporated instantly after Yue’s ludicrous following words.
"Ah, do me a favour, will you? Take this recording crystal and record Amon’s next move for me! Although unexpected, this is an S-tier event where he challenges an Apostle! I can’t miss this for the world!"
"..."
Ellahan’s warm heart quickly turned cold as her eyes returned to calm. She sighed as she recalled the other nickname the world had for this Fantasy Couple.
’Crazy…’
Ellahan didn’t know why, but her hand naturally reached for the recording crystal and obliged her good friend’s request. And it was just in time as Amon finally moved from his seemingly frozen state and swung Nyx in the air.
Silvery energy lingered, flickering in ethereal waves as six luminous full moons hovered above. Though not as dazzling as Amon’s six suns, their presence was no less commanding. Shifting between a soft silver sheen and an eerie radiance, a celestial glow spread through the atmosphere, casting an otherworldly aura as the afternoon sun’s brilliance waned in their wake.
Dark clouds gathered overhead as the day turned to night, significantly reducing the temperature of the forest mountain into a blistering cold. Feeling the change, Malachi broke into a frown, unable to make sense of what had just occurred.
"Lunar mana? Son, aren’t you a Solaris? How can you wield Lunar mana?"
Once again, Amon didn’t answer and focused on himself.
The six Moons gathered with ethereal lunar dominance as Amon coated himself in a silver Aura. His black hair flowed effortlessly in his human form while the signature golden irises of a Solaris gradually shifted into his original silver majesty.
Amon’s mere presence was enough to distort the space around him as the air became heavy with an unfamiliar cosmic energy. Sensing the shift, Malachi instantly realised that something was amiss. He adjusted his posture, no longer looking down on the youth before him.
And yet, at that exact moment…
Amon vanished.
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Malachi’s brow rose, completely flabbergasted by the sudden change. He’d anticipated an attack, but never in his wildest imagination could he have imagined that Amon would disappear. Not only that, even with his heightened senses, he couldn’t tell where the man had gone.
It was as if… he were a proper ghost.
"What’s going… SHIT!!!"
As he gathered his thoughts, Malachi sensed something sinister approaching his neck. By sheer instinct alone, the Apostle turned and blocked the descending blade, deflecting what would have been an instant kill.
’There’s no killing intent?! How’s that possible?!’
The Apostle’s eyes widened in horror as he realised just how close he had come to suffering a mortal wound. In all his years as a Knight, Malachi had never encountered a living human capable of completely erasing their killing intent. Even newborns and infant animals carried traces of it—let alone a battle-hardened warrior. Assassins were trained to suppress their intent, but none had ever managed to erase it entirely.
But Amon’s strike just now… was utterly void of any intent. It was as if he were a force of nature, a tornado or meteor strike.
The only reason why Malachi could react to it in time was due to his superhuman senses and years of combat instinct.
’What a monster!’
Malachi had thought that Carmen would be the most regrettable kill, but as he watched Amon disappear into the shadows again, he changed his mind.
’It’s a shame, but… this boy mustn’t live!’
Malachi slammed his sword onto the ground and spiked his sinister demonic mana. Instantaneously, the illusion of the night shattered, and the wretched, pungent stench of demonic energy took its place. Amon’s body was flung out of the shadows as he forcibly spat out a mouthful of blood.
A suffocating pressure that couldn’t be compared to anything he’d felt before cracked the ground and decimated the land. The world felt spinning as Malachi wielded his blade with every intent to kill.
’New Moon Veil… shattered? I shouldn’t have expected anything less.’
Amon cursed inwardly, but his exterior was utterly calm. He’d expected to lose to the Apostle, and this result was part of his calculations. But he knew he couldn’t wallow in despair if he wished to survive. Inhaling deeply, he channelled all six of his Moons and gathered all the Lunar mana he could.
Pillars of starlight descended upon the rubble and manifested a divine domain that ushered in the tranquil yet overwhelming brilliance of the Moon. The backdrop of the broken mountain turned into a serene nightscape with six radiant Moons orbiting the sky and an ocean of stars birthing a divine sanctum.
The desolated ground turned into an unbelievably stunning mirror lake, as the reflection of the stars and Moons made the arena seem otherworldly. Malachi was naturally confused by the move, but just by sensing the overwhelming amount of mana spent, he could tell that this was Amon pulling out all the stops.
"You… what is this?"
"Lunar Mystic Arts."
For the first time in the battle, Amon replied to the Apostle. He didn’t even understand why his mouth opened. Perhaps it was respect to a fellow Knight of the highest calibre, or maybe Amon never once had a chance to show his signature abilities and wanted someone to recognise it.
Either way, Amon revealed his trump card to his enemy, not by choice… but with the intent to exterminate.
’To debut my most powerful Lunar Mystic Arts so quickly… Fate sure is a funny thing.’
A direct parallel to the Solaris Mystic Arts, Amon created the Lunar Mystic Arts as a trump card against the Demon Cult and hadn’t anticipated that he would use it so early on. He’d hoped to develop them for a few more years before finally killing all of the Apostles with it in its most mature form.
But alas, fate forced his hand.
’Then again, to use it against the Apostle of Subservience… I guess this is a good debut.’
From the start, his goal was to eliminate the Apostles. So, nothing changed.
Closing his now silver eyes, Amon emptied his Lunar mana in preparation for the battle ahead. The [Moonlight Sanctum] that enveloped him responded to his wishes, and torrents of starlight erupted from its ever-expanding sky. So did his [Reflections]. Everything that happened above ground was reflected in the other dimension.
Both powers resonated deeply with each other, and when Amon opened his eyes, he felt like the whole world was under his control.
And hence, he pointed Nyx at the frozen Apostle and said:
"Dusk."