In the heart of the secret valley, a place so remote that it would take days for the nearest settlement to reach, there lay a silent, tangled wreckage. Charred remnants of the hidden base broke free from the fortified hideout as flickering embers warmed this freezing evening.
The air was thick with the acrid odour of flesh and bones, a lingering reminder of the massacre that had unfolded. Not a single soul remained, as scattered throughout the clearing were a mixture of shattered stone and burnt bodies. Wisps of fiery lights continued burning whatever remained of the wreckage, a fine reminder of the cataclysmic event just moments prior.
At the centre of the destruction lay the epicentre of the devastation–a gaping crater, its edges scorched and blackened by the intense heat. Molten rock bubbled to the surface, hissing and clicking, a testament to the infernal fury brought upon by Amon's strike.
About a third of the Demon Cult's base was incinerated by the young Solaris' one move. Traces of human sacrifices and the abhorrent idol that fed on their suffering were wholly eradicated. The bodies of the cultists were burnt beyond recognition, and the final chamber, which seemed to have held the highest level of protection, was reduced to nothing more than rubble.
As for the Greater Demon that Amon fought…
"Grrrr…"
It was on its final leg. Dropped flat on the floor, the vast majority of its body was cooked alive. Its mana had been drained as it attempted to protect itself from the fiery blast. And if that didn't kill it, the gaping hole which was opening from its chest to its waist was enough to seal the deal.
Contrary to the Greater Demon's physical state, Amon was perfectly unscathed. Even after being forced to use all Six of his internal Suns, the Solaris youth didn't look any worse than before. Casually walking over to the massive beast with an empathic expression, Amon's golden eyes observed the Blue-skinned Oni for the final time.
It was in complete tatters, and even if Amon didn't do anything else to it, it would lose the last embers of its life in a few seconds. Alas, the seasoned killer never left anything to chance.
Amon beheaded the dying Greater Demon with one clean swing of his blade, ending the final remnant of the Demon Cult's branch.
With his work done, Amon sheathed his sword and gazed up at the opened sky. His attack had blown open the ceiling, unveiling the glorious moonlight brightening the sky. It wasn't at the peak of dusk yet, so Amon could still see remnants of the Sun setting, creating a beautiful symphony of daylight, starlight and moonlight.
Amon couldn't sense any other adversaries nearby. The danger he'd felt tingle down his spine was nowhere to be felt, meaning the Demon Cult branch had been neutralised. Heaving a sigh of relief, Amon relaxed and watched earnestly at the rising Moon.
But his view was quickly blocked as, from seemingly nowhere, a divine lady levitated down through the opening, landing softly next to the baffled Amon.
"That's amazing, Amon! Your Solaris Mystic Arts have grown much stronger! To think that you could kill a Greater Demon in one strike!"
"... I was lucky."
To be completely honest, Amon was stunned as well. After condensing his Sixth Sun, He knew he would have enough power to defeat stronger enemies. However, to have so much destructive power that he could one-shot a Greater Demon? It was outside of Amon's calculations.
In some ways, he was even disappointed by his victory. Amon had spent the past eight years mastering every aspect of a warrior. Be it increasing his mana pool or perfecting his sword techniques. However, the most important facet that Amon trained extensively in has always been control.
Amon could only keep his identity and true strength under wraps due to his intricate attention to detail and inability to waste a single drop of mana whenever he was executing his strikes.
And yet, he had broken his cardinal rule. Amon had lost control over his power and unleashed his Solar Mana into the first Solaris Mystic Art he'd just executed. While it had soundly defeated his enemy, Amon had caused far more destruction than he'd intended.
Yue's ruby eyes beamed in glee while skipping around the stoic young man and observing his every move. Smiling delightedly, she replied:
"You know… Sometimes, to keep something under control, you'll have to let it loose occasionally. Even a tame dog will turn rabid if you don't bring them out for a walk."
"... What do you mean?"
"There's no need to worry about losing control over yourself there. Humans aren't perfect, Amon. And neither are you! After obtaining your Sixth Sun, it's normal to experience such explosive force!"
"That's true… Thank you…"
Amon waved his hand and agreed with the statement of heavenly beauty. In his opinion, there was much for him to learn, but otherwise, it was a perfect mission. They'd neutralised the entire hidden base without sustaining any injuries, and no witnesses were left to report about Amon's hidden strength.
"So what now?"
"Hmmm? What do you mean?"
"What are you going to do about this place?"
The former Transcendent asked a question regarding the destroyed base, knowing that the devastation here would cause major backlash from the Demon Cult. In addition, it may have been a smaller branch, but vital information worthy of being extracted and investigated was still present.
"Ah, if you're worried about the information gathering, I've collected everything while you were on your rampage."
"..."
For the first time tonight, Amon was genuinely astonished. Although he was busy massacring the cultists, his senses had been scouring the entire base throughout. And while he did sense Yue following after him, he couldn't sense her extracting documents or investigating anything.
But he wasn't going to argue with her. After all, asking a follow-up question would lead to another trap where she could find ways to tease him. Amon hadn't been idly sitting by while Yue teased him for eight years. He now knew a thing or two about how he should treat the girl.
However, Amon was too naive, for Yue was one step ahead of him.
"During your birthday, I will arrange for Bane to come and retrieve the information from me."
"..."
Hearing that name brought a chill down Amon's spine. Amon didn't feel such anxiety even when single-handedly facing off against a Greater Demon, and yet, the mere mention of that one name brought shivers all over his toned body.
"... Must he come? We could always send it over using encryption or even get a runner."
"Hehe, you still can't get used to him? He's the one who gave us the location of this base. The least you could do is give him a report."
"..."
Amon furrowed his brows and didn't answer. He folded his arms in akimbo, desperately trying to hide the twitching in his face. He knew very well that Yue was trying to tease him again, knowing he was uncomfortable with Bane. However, Bane was a crucial part of Yue's intelligence-gathering capabilities, and losing him would be a tremendous blow to their fight against the Demon Cult.
Eventually, the young Solaris caved in and replied:
"Fine… Just this time…"
"Hehe, don't worry! I will be there to help you throughout!"
"Yeah…"
Amon sighed and shook his head.
"So… What are we going to do about the base? Can we leave it half-destroyed like this?"
Amon then raised a more vital question. While they were going to decimate the Demon Cult eventually, Amon and Yue, as well as the organisations they'd built up, were still too weak to face the higher executives of the Demon Cult in battle yet. Currently, they still have the element of surprise up their sleeves. The Demon Cult doesn't know that anyone knew their existence, let alone that anyone was targeting them.
With that in mind, the destruction of this branch would trigger alarm bells in the executives' minds, and Amon would like to avoid it.
Fortunately, Yue had a solution for that as well.
"Nope, we're going to destroy it fully! If the base were completely destroyed, the Demon Cult would just suspect a natural disaster struck."
"Oh? Are you going to use your magic to achieve that?"
"I'm glad that you asked!!!"
At Yue's sudden high-pitched cry, Amon unknowingly took two steps back. His eyes twitched while hers sparkled. Grabbing a hold of Amon's hand, Yue excitedly said:
"Hey, Amon… I told you that occasionally, you would need to let loose, right? How else could you keep your massive power in check?"
"... so?"
"Hehe, you showed the power of your Six Suns. But you've yet to reveal your Six Moons." Yue skipped backwards with a mischievous smile. "And of course… you have yet to show me what happens when you mix those two together."
"... you know everything, huh?"
Amon wore a defeated expression as he solemnly replied.
Yes, the Solaris Mystic Arts weren't the only techniques he'd learnt over the eight years. With his own comprehension of his Lunar mana and utilising his past life's techniques, Amon created a new set of Mystic Arts.
Aptly named the Lunar Mystic Arts, it used Amon's Lunar mana compressed by the Nine Moon Heart Mantra to create powerful abilities comparable to that of the Solaris Mystic Arts.
The Sun and the Moon.
Two entities that lived in perfect harmony within Amon's body and soul.
And if he mixed the two together…
"Alright, stand back."
Amon gave up resisting and decided to destroy the base in one strike. After all, if Yue already knew everything, there was no point in hiding his trump card. Furthermore, if he delayed further, they would have been late for dinner, and he didn't want to miss his mother's signature chicken pot pie.
Drawing his blade once more, Amon gathered his mana from within. The Six Suns and Moons orbited around the young warrior, creating an optical illusion that his surroundings had become one with Outer Space.
Gravity was non-existent in this imaginary realm as heavy rocks and scattered debris began to levitate in place. An unweighted pressure mounted on every loose rubble, further destroying them into little pieces. Amon's Aura spiked to a degree where it was as luminescent as the waxing Moon, with a brightness only beaten by the dying Sun.
Energy was running rampant, causing the entire ruins to shake violently for the second time. The broken remnants of the base continued to shatter just by being in the presence of Amon's Aura, and yet, the young warrior had no intention of slowing down.
Fully unleashed, the great golden Aura was now mixed with a silver one. Both of them existed in complete balance, each magnifying the other. They continued to merge and split like a lava lamp, continuously boosting each other until they reached the sky. And finally… Amon opened his eyes.
His right… was dyed golden.
His left… was dyed silver.
The powers that merged within Amon, which had been constantly suppressed for the longest time, were now fully empowered. And now… they were ready to be unleashed with a vengeance.
[Eclipse]
On that day, the hidden valley in the middle of nowhere vanished. It took the Demon Cult weeks to realise that something was amiss, and when they sent their scouts to investigate, they could only widen their eyes in horror. The ravine was completely destroyed, and in its place, a massive crater the size of a mountain remained.
Unable to identify the cause, the Demon Cult hypothesised that a meteorite crashed into the valley, causing the senseless destruction that decimated their satellite branch.