Amon and Carn's duel started light. Neither of them used their all as they were gauging each other with each strike. That was more true for Carn. As a super-inheritor, one punch from her dragon-blessed body was enough to cripple even the toughest of Knights. Hence, she was careful to hold her punches, afraid that one mishap would send her precious heir straight to the hospital.
However, it quickly beca apparent that such prudence was unnecessary.
The eighteen-year-old showed staggering poise, withstanding and deflecting all of Carn's punches as if he were sparring with a peer. Not to ntion, his facial expressions hardly changed even after clashing dozens of tis. Which implied he was still holding back so of his strength.
That calmness turned a switch in Carn's mind, and her clenched fists tightened.
'This brat! How much more can he surprise ?!'
The Grand Commander of the Black Order couldn't hold back her excitent. She had never seen such a talent, and neither could she fathom Amon's existence. Granted, Carn didn't use the full extent of her abilities; for a True Knight with rely Three Suns condensed to exchange blows with her was beyond comprehension.
'His mana control and swordplay improved yet again! Rotten brat, are you the reincarnation of a martial God?'
Carn didn't know that her wild conjecture wasn't too far from the truth. Regardless, now that she could roughly gauge Amon's capabilities, she was ready to up the ante. Conjuring a fireball to cover her fist, the Grand Commander raised the temperature of the combat arena. Sweat began pouring like rain, and Amon and Leon had to cover their eyes at the glaring light.
Rather than a fireball, Carn created a Sun and stored it in her fist. It wasn't a Solaris Mystic Art, and neither was it magic... It was just pure Solar mana condensed into a single sphere.
'... she's lost her mind.'
Amon instantly assud the worst. While he had more than enough power to withstand and even dismiss that attack, the rest of the world only knew him as a Three Sun True Knight. He must reveal the rest of his cards if he wished to take on Carn's strike. But fortunately, he had an alternative.
Twirling Nyx like it was weightless, he decided to trust his partner. Amon mustered up the strength to reveal Nyx's unique abilities by fully pushing three Suns' worth of Solar mana into the black katana. Almost instantly, a heavy pressure weighed down on Carn's shoulders. Not enough to lower her fist, but enough to make her raise an eyebrow.
Transcendent's Authority was evoked.
As a Heroic-grade blade that crossed dinsions, Nyx was an artefact with few peers. Soulbound to Amon alone, just by having the sword in his hands, was enough to intimidate weaker minds. And when he so desired, he could use the mory of the Fable he created that was etched deeply into the godlike blade.
The authority to dominate.
Based on the amount of mana Amon channelled into his sword, he could force those weaker than him to surrender without a fight and beg for his leniency. But for stronger enemies like Carn, while it may not be able to bring her to her knees, but it would at least give her constant discomfort.
"Interesting... You've already assimilated well with your sword."
"..."
Amon didn't bother answering. He couldn't tell her that Nyx would never reject his touch, and their assimilation rate was nearing a hundred percent.
"But that's not enough!"
Carn roared and flew over at breakneck speed. It was so fast that even Amon could barely follow her movents. Instinctively, he swung Nyx in an attempt to stop Carn's charge. The black katana t the Grand Commander's fists in an epic explosion that sent shockwaves strong enough to split the clouds. Wind currents gushed into an updraft and knocked Leon off his feet. The only reason why he wasn't sent to the heavens was because Ascalon was lodged firmly into the ground, giving him enough weight and balance to withstand the blast.
Leon had to take a few seconds to wipe the dust from his eyes. And when he recovered, all he could see was a broken platform with crumbling rock. The aftershock was still sending billowing winds, and at the centre of it all was a tall youth whose top had been badly tattered and burnt.
Amon's upper body was unveiled for the world to see, with only a sleeve and bits of his shoulder pads remaining. His physique was carved out of marble, and his abdon showed a well-defined, symtrical eight-pack. This was all to support his broad chest and well-developed shoulders.
Athletic would be a poor word to describe such a perfectly trained body. There wasn't a single wasted muscle, and all excess fat had been trimd off long ago. It was a physique of legends, and even Leon had difficulty believing his eyes.
But it wasn't just the obscene body fra that caught Leon by surprise.
After withstanding a forceful punch from the Seven Sun Carn, there wasn't a single injury on Amon's body. Let alone injury, there wasn't a scratch or abrasion... not even a mark.
"Phew, I knew you were chiselled, but you've trained even further! Is it because of your little wife?"
"... Commander, what's the aning of this?"
Amon ignored Carn's taunts and cut straight to the point. While he could begrudingly accept a sparring session with a Knight of Carn's calibre, using high-level techniques like the punch she threw was clearly crossing a line. If Yval hadn't blessed him, Amon would have been hospitalised by that single attack.
"Oh, don't be a crybaby!" Carn scoffed and laughed off his protest. "I know you're much more capable than that."
"... before we continue, I want to ask... what's your goal?"
"My goal? Haha, you can't guess it by now?"
Carn cracked her fists and bared her fangs. "You've summoned a new sword, so you must synchronise with it. And what better way to synchronise with a weapon... than to use it in battle?"
"..."
"What fun would it be if we only used martial arts and Aura? As Solaris, we should fight the Solaris way."
The Grand Commander took one step forward and summoned four Suns. However, even with just four Suns, it was enough to lt the ground and send pulsating waves flying throughout the arena, causing anyone weaker than her to experience a throbbing pain engulfing everything.
Amon's face visibly tightened, and his golden eyes now stared at the draconic woman, wary not to let her out of his sight.
"Don't worry! I'll limit myself to the sa amount of 'Suns' you have! So don't hesitate and throw your 'everything' at . I promise no one else is here to spy on us."
"..."
Carn's words hinted that she knew Amon's hidden strength well. However, judging from how she only summoned four Suns instead of Six, she seed under the sa misunderstanding as Alrock. But at the sa ti, it appeared that she was also aware of Amon's extraordinary mastery of the Solaris Mystic Arts.
Alas, it was a bait that Amon had to bite.
"Leon... I hate to act as your master now, but... This is my first order to you."
Before answering Carn, Amon shouted to Leon, who was still slackjawed at the sparring duel. Almost instantly, Leon clicked his feet together and gave a firm salute. Without missing a beat, Amon barked his order:
"Don't tell anyone what you're about to witness."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"... Grand Commander Carn."
"Hoh?"
Bemused by the turn of events, Carn couldn't help but break into a wide grin. It was the first ti since Amon called Carn by her full title, and the connotations it brought sent shivers down the seasoned Sun Knight's spine. All these years in the Black Order, Amon had never shown the true extent of his talent to her and the thought that she would be finally unveiling the mask behind the enigmatic troublemaker...
"I will be giving my all... So please take care of the aftermath."
It was all Amon needed to say. Four Suns orbited around the young man, enough to draw gasps from the two spectators. However, it was only the beginning.
'Well, I guess it works out... I've been using Nyx with my Lunar mana and have yet to test its limits with Solar mana. So...'
Amon's golden eyes sparkled with the dazzle of a shooting star. Mana surged from his inner core, and his mind focused on the Solaris Mystic Arts that he had honed into his bones.
Unaware of what was coming, Carn could only watch Amon's golden eyes glaring at her like a falcon stalking its prey. Pointing Nyx at his boss, Amon cracked a thin smile before declaring the familiar word Carn had spouted to all her enemies.
"Dawn."
❖❖❖
Four hours later.
Carn sat on her comfy lounge chair, kicking her feet up while emptying a gourd of the world's most aromatic wine. Staring out at the darkened sky with a relaxed body, her mind wandered into the abyss, unaware that a foreign presence had entered her chambers.
"Carn? Carn!"
"Hmmm? Ah, Oswin. You're here."
It took a shout from her Vice-Commander to break Carn from her daydream. Darting her eyes to the side, she gestured for her comrade to take a seat, but she didn't bother to get out of her chair. Still in between thoughts, she ignored the wizened gentleman as he made himself comfortable.
"It's unlike you not to notice ..."
Contrary to his alcoholic boss, Oswin preferred spicy tea. After pulling a swivel chair over, he sipped his freshly brewed tea and remarked: "Did the boy's growth surprise you that much?"
"..."
The Grand Commander didn't answer. Her golden eyes never once left the brilliance of the Moon, as if its beauty enamoured her. Oddly, she couldn't take her eyes off the loneso celestial body... as it reminded her of the young teen she'd just faced.
"Oswin, you know... I've always thought I was born in the wrong generation."
"Hmmm?"
"My strength isn't suited for an era of peace. Not to self-indulge myself, but I believe that given enough ti, I would beat anyone. That monster on the throne, those bastards in white and gold, and even foreign adversaries. I believe I would defeat all of them."
Carn was forty-six this year and just hit her pri as a Solaris Knight. Leading the Black Dragon Order, one of the most prestigious Knight Orders of the Solaris House, at such a young age was a testant to her talent. Condensing Seven Suns in her forties was also a staggering accomplishnt, so much so that the entire Solaris House eagerly hoped she could break the Eight Suns barrier that had eluded them for generations.
"But I now realise... What a fool I was... There's always a mountain higher."
'Amon... that boy... What did he do?!'
Oswin was smiling on the outside, but internally, he was panicking. To make the arrogant Carn Solaris, the most talented and mighty Knight of his generation, admit defeat!
"I'd thought I would be helping him synchronise with his sword... but as it turned out, he was helping instead. I still have much to learn as a Solaris Knight."
"... much to learn?"
"That brat, he mastered all nine Mystic Arts."
CRACK!!!
Oswin dropped his piping hot teacup and saucer on the floor, causing it to shatter into dozens of pieces. Yet, neither Carn nor Oswin reacted. Carn stared blankly out the window while her Vice-Commander froze on the spot with tea dripping down his fingers.
There were nine publicly known Solaris Mystic Arts, each with unique capabilities. So specialised in offence, others in defence, and so were purely auxiliary.
It was common for a Solaris Knight to master one to three. A good one could learn up to four. An excellent one may master five to six. Masters such as Carn and the other Grand Commanders would, at best, master seven or eight of the Solaris Mystic Arts.
But to master all nine?
It was nigh impossible.
Learning was one thing, but mastering a Solaris Mystic Art took decades. It was like learning multiple subjects in school. Learning them at the base level was simple, but as the level increased, so did the difficulty. Eventually, Solaris Knights would choose which Mystic Arts to specialise in, and that alone was an admirable feat.
As for mastering all nine Solaris Mystic Arts?
That was only reserved for the best of each generation. Alrock was one exception, and his son, Lucas, was another. And now... there ca another.
"T-T-That's... impossible... Isn't he eighteen?"
"..."
No answer ca. The silence in the Commander's office was deafening, and it was only broken after Carn heaved out a huge sigh. She raised her right fist over her face and watched it tremble, not by excitent or fear, but due to the injury, she'd sustained sparring against a re True Knight less than half her age.
Cracking into a smile, she said:
"That's why I'm glad... Glad to be born in this era."
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