In the abyssal depths of an ancient ruin that no human has touched in hundreds of years, an epic battle between man and Demon took place. The feats the Knight pulled off were akin to magic. Colossal flaming orbs of molten energy hurled like baseballs. Sword movements that were so clean and crisp that one would mistake them for a figure skater skiing on a frozen lake. And the dense amount of mana emitted just by showing off his presence.
When Yue said that Amon alone could defeat Malgathor, she wasn't kidding.
Watching her future husband make fun of the Greater Demon through his superior skills caused her heart rate to jump. Yue lamented that she couldn't record it and wished to have kept a spare recording crystal in her storage. However, just watching Amon do his work was already a feast for the eyes.
There was a reason why, in her previous timeline, Amon was considered a one-man army and became humanity's last hope.
Amon's mastery over the Solaris Mystic arts was second to none, and he combined his combat experience from his previous life to attain greater heights. Against a Greater Demon like Malgathor, whose speciality wasn't one-on-one combat? The Greater Demon didn't stand a chance.
From an outsider's perspective, heaven and earth were being twisted. Darkness and light combated for ultimate supremacy as if it were the advent of the universe. The darkness of Malgathor was enough to corrupt the entire continent, while Amon's Sun could bring light to even the dark abyss. However, it became clear that there was a clear winner.
Bit by bit, the Solaris Knight chipped down the defences of Malgathor until eventually…
The Greater Demon's massive form lay in a twisted heap on the cold dungeon floor. Its skin was dark and mottled. Covered in a latticework of cuts and scars, viscous block ichor seeped from its wounds and tainted the ground it laid upon.
Malgathor's centipede body had been dissected cleanly and scattered throughout the dungeon. Its massive human-like face was the only one showing the slightest trace of life as it stared menacingly at Amon, waiting for the man to deal the final blow.
And that… he did.
"..."
With a single slash of his blade, Amon took the final breath of the ancient Demon. The last remnant of its mana dissipated into nothingness, effectively ending the beast's wretched life. However, Amon didn't feel any pride in his work. He set the Greater Demon's body ablaze and nonchalantly returned to his companions.
"You did well!"
Yue welcomed the warrior with a pleasant smile and a warm, wet face towel. Amon had long become accustomed to her handy ability to pull out anything from her storage and happily accepted the towel to wipe some sweat off his face.
"It's nothing. I could have killed him quicker."
"Don't be such a downer! You did amazing! Malgathor isn't an easy opponent, even for you."
"I guess…"
Amon reflected on the battle and could only be hyper-critical of his skills. Although he controlled the situation, there were dicey moments during the battle. Truthfully, Malgathor was a bad matchup for him and if it weren't for his Solar mana and the enclosed vacuum arena they were in, it was hard-pressed to say who would have won.
At the very least, Amon would be powerless to stop the Greater Demon if it wished to escape.
By his standard, Amon felt that he should have the power to one-shot Malgathor by now. But not everyone thought the same way.
"Amazing… You single-handedly killed a Greater Demon! At the age of eighteen, no less! Not to be rude, but young master. Could you perhaps be the reincarnation of the Solaris Founder or Saint?"
"... no, I'm not."
"Oh, don't be so modest!"
Bane couldn't help but puff his chest out. He thanked his lucky stars for having the foresight to partner with his two patrons. With Amon and Yue around, his future as a Spymaster was effectively secured.
"The only thing missing in your arsenal is the Holy Sword! Who knows? During the upcoming Sword Bestowment Ceremony, we might witness the birth of a new legend!"
By now, Bane was convinced that Amon was the third hero who would claim the Holy Sword and lead a new era. But little did he know, his callous words caused the young Knight to freeze.
'Sword Bestowment Ceremony… That's right, Leon will summon the Holy Sword in six months.'
Leon summoning the Holy Sword was essentially the starting point of [Bright]. Once the Demon Cult realised the new hero was born, they would ramp up their activities and trigger the Calamities faster. Basically, Amon and Yue were now racing against the clock.
"Yue, how many more sealed Greater Demons are there?"
Feeling a sense of urgency, the transmigrator probed the regressor. Yue blinked twice before smiling with a reply:
"Sixteen, possibly seventeen. However, I only know the rough location of where they'll be. We'll still need to rely on Bane and Echelon to triangulate their location."
"Good, let's hurry then."
Before Leon summons the Holy Sword and the Demon Cult catches onto their plan, Amon is hellbent on weakening their forces as much as he can. He'd already failed once during Yue's original timeline. There was no way he was going to fail again.
"For the Demon Cult's branches, let's deal with them after we eliminate all the remnant Greater Demons."
"Gotcha," Yue chuckled. She found Amon's determination and single-mindedness adorable, and she couldn't help but feel proud. "Bane, you'll have to work overtime then."
"..."
Bane looked at the pair as if they had lost their minds. Didn't they just eliminate one Greater Demon? Why were they so eager to go onto the next one without even a moment's rest? Nevertheless, he was under their payroll and couldn't object to his patron's desires. Especially since they were expending their energy to eliminate the evil plague of Hyades.
"Fine, give me three days. I'll find the next sealed location."
The Spymaster rolled his eyes begrudgingly and disappeared with a shadow step. The next time he would meet the pair would likely be at the next dungeon, and he secretly lamented that he wasn't even given time off.
Amon's golden eyes intensified, and only after he was certain that Bane had disappeared did he finally glance down at Yue.
"With the timeline messed up, shouldn't we prepare for the worst? What if the Blood Demon makes his appearance earlier than usual?"
The first major arc in [Bright] was the Awakening of the Blood Demon. It was a significant point in the storyline as it was the first time Leon faced an enemy of that stature. By that time, Leon would have gotten the Holy Sword from the Sword Bestowment ceremony and it played an important role in subjugating the Blood Demon.
The difficulty will increase exponentially if the Blood Demon appears before Leon summons the Holy Sword. Naturally, if everything went awry, Amon could attempt to eliminate the Blood Demon alone. However, Leon Bright, the protagonist of the story and the key to saving the world, wouldn't be able to grow.
"Not to worry. I have placed informants in Mistwood. The moment we hear even a whisper, we will drag Leon over even if he's not ready."
"That's not reassuring…" Amon frowned and fell into deep thought. "Could we influence Grandpa Alrock to push up the ceremony date?"
"No, it would be too suspicious. If we break tradition and awaken the Holy Sword early, the Solaris House will suspect we know something."
"Tch, there's no other way, huh?"
"Don't worry," Yue said, bringing her face closer to the young man and embracing him from behind. Amon raised his eyebrow but didn't push her away in the slightest. Rather, he opened his ears and patiently awaited her next words.
"The Blood Demon has nothing to do with the Demon Cult. He's one of the rare variables that will remain constant. No one knows where the Blood Sword is in Mistwood, not even the Prophet from the Demon Cult. It will only appear after the earthquake that occurs once every ten thousand years, and without the Blood Sword around to parasite other living creatures, the Blood Demon will never appear."
"... I hope you're right."
Amon finally calmed down.
Yue's logic was sound, and in the deep recesses of his mind, he had probably come to the same conclusion. The problem was that since Leon had broken the timeline and appeared in the Solaris House early, Amon's heart was uneasy, unlike the former cold-blooded Transcendent.
Gazing up through the door and far into the distance, Amon only had one thought in his mind.
'I wonder what Leon is doing now?'