Amon woke from his slumber, his mental state drowsy and his eyes groggy. Unable to fully understand his bearings, the young man wiggled in place as his consciousness slowly returned to him. The first thing he felt was a soft cushion supporting his neck. It was smooth and warm, bringing comfort and peace to the sleepy Knight.
As Amon regained his senses, it didnât take long for his eyes to flicker open, and he finally realised the reason for his extreme comfort.
"Awake?"
Yue looked down at Amon with a motherly, loving smile. Her fingers gently stroked Amonâs pitch-black hair as she comforted his head on her lap. Watching two good-looking individuals in a caring position made the scene somewhat picturesque as if they were acting in a movie.
"... How long was I out for?"
With his strength returned, Amon sat upright while escaping Yueâs soft embrace. The young beauty pouted begrudgingly, but she didnât pursue the manner. She just looked at her lap longingly with regret before replying:
"After you absorbed Yvalâs blessing⦠maybe thirty minutes?"
"You did good, child. Last time you absorbed this oneâs blessing, you fainted for far longer!"
Only after hearing Yvalâs voice did Amon realise he was still in the familiar garden. The night barely changed, and his surroundings werenât different. The only thing that changed was internallyâ¦
Circulating mana within his body, Amon checked if anything had changed. Sure enough, the first thing that Amon realised was that his physical state was now on another tier. Muscles were toned beyond anything a human could achieve, and his skin hardened to a point where it could deflect a strike from a steel sword.
Mana had seeped deep into his flesh and bone, making them far more resilient than any other humanâs. It was as if he had evolved into another creature altogether. A more extraordinary being that had the strength of a hundred men.
As for mana itself, Amon realised he had an abundance of it. Solar mana, that is. Amon felt he had enough left to form his Seventh Sun even after reforging his vessel.
Finally, the path heâd thought was blocked had now pried open.
"This is⦠far greater than Iâd imagined."
Amon commented in awe. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the entity responsible for his current state. Yval, who was like a kid on Christmas morning, was ecstatic for Amonâs new body. All these years, she hadnât seen a human like Amon. Absorbing so much of her mana wasnât enough to kill him and he had forged his own body that surpassed humanity.
"Thank you, Yval."
"Do not thank this one. Your improvement will aid in preventing the Titans from emerging again. This one is just looking out for the future."
"Nevertheless, thank youâ¦"
Amon couldnât hide his gratitude. If Yval hadnât provided her blessing, lord knows how long Amon would have been stuck on the bottleneck of a breakthrough. Now, with the excess Solar mana, he could see the path towards the Seventh and even Eight Sun.
However, Yval had another proposition.
"Child, after seeing your new constitution, this one believes you have a chance of greater potential."
"What do you mean?"
The young Knight raised an eyebrow. He wasnât sure what the ancient Dragon meant, but luckily, he didnât have to guess. Yval approached Amon with genuine experimental interest and explained:
"This one wants to teach you Dragon Arts."
"... what?"
"Dragon Arts, my child. You may not see it yet, but your body has evolved into a Dragon hybrid. Especially after reforging your vessel, you can be considered more Dragon than human. You can reach heights that no other human could before you!"
"..."
Amon realised what the Golden Dragon Progenitor was getting to. Ever since he woke up, Amon knew his body had changed drastically. His already acute senses were heightened beyond comparison. His physical body state was now the best it had ever been. And finally, his Solar mana was far more abundant and pure. As Yval had mentioned, Amon was now closer to an evolved species than a regular human being.
"Dragon Arts⦠Itâs something that Iâd never heard of."
"Not to worry, my child. It wonât affect your current skills one bit. All you need to do is supply your excess Solar mana to learn this oneâs techniques."
"I seeâ¦"
There wasnât much to consider. Dragon Arts seemed like a powerful tool but was also a lost technique. If Amon could master it, it would be a lethal weapon against the Demon Cult, who only expect human techniques to appear in the war.
"If you would teach meâ¦"
"Not to worry, my child."
With permission, Yval pointed her finger to Amonâs forehead and gently tapped it. At that instant, knowledge flowed into his brain like a waterfall of information. The memories of the Dragon Arts were directly implanted into Amonâs mind, giving him a proper understanding of how it worked.
And oddly enoughâ¦
âItâs relatively simpleâ¦â
The techniques passed over by Yval werenât overly complicated. It was just⦠one needed to possess a Dragon body with mana pure and dense enough to contest a Dragonâs.
Basically, techniques that were impossible for anyone but Amon to learn.
"Any questions?"
"No," Amon replied while escaping his stupor. "It will take some time, but I can master it."
"Yes, this one believes you can!"
The exchange lasted one, maybe two minutes. However, those two minutes were enough to forge a new path in Amonâs mastery and likely turn the favours in humanityâs favour. Knowing this, Yue grinned from ear to ear, delighted that Amon was shown a path that no other human had seen before.
"Sister Yval, about what we were sayingâ¦"
"Ah yes, the seal on the Necropolis, isnât it?"
With Amonâs problem settled, Yue wanted to move on to the pressing matter. While Amon was sleeping blissfully on her lap, Yue and Yval had been discussing the potential threats to the planetâs futureâmainly, the weakening of the seal on the Necropolis of the Gods.
"This one is embarrassed. To think that the Herald could weaken the seal without this one noticing!"
Yvalâs expression showed regret and slight anger. At the same time, part of her was genuinely impressed by the entity called the Herald.
"She is a sly one, after all. No one expected her betrayal until the very last moment."
Yue ground her teeth, showing her absolute disdain for the woman named the Herald. In her timeline and in [Bright], the Herald appeared as an ally and guided the Hero and his party through the turbulence created by the Demon Cult. However, that is all a ruse. The Heraldâs true goal was to resurrect the Titans sealed in the Necropolis, heralding the start of the Fifth Calamity.
"Though, this one has added precautions. This one estimates that the Necropolis can last a thousand more years without interference."
"Thatâs good⦠But I doubt the Herald would just leave that be."
"Yes, we wonât be able to stop her plan just because we strengthened the seal."
Amon and Yue added with grim tones. They knew the Herald wouldnât just lay down and leave the Necropolis, especially since she had been planning the Titanâs resurrection for thousands of years. It was only a matter of time before she came up with another plan or, even worse, partnered with the Demon Cult to launch an all-out assault on the Necropolis.
"Since it has come to that, is there a way we can eliminate the Titans before they resurrect?"
"This one can, but is it wise? Many of the Titans are one with nature. If this one kills them, their deaths would leave a hole in the planetâs defences. The Demon Cult that you fear so much will take that opportunity to invade."
"..."
They were genuinely stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they left the Titans alone, the Fifth Calamity would come to pass, and their way of life would be threatened. If they killed the Titans, Hyadesâ defences would be so weakened that the Demon race could invade anyway.
"I have an idea."
While Amon and Yval contemplated their options, Yue raised her hand and offered a third alternative. She opened her mouth and explained her plan for a good ten minutes. The other two remained silent and gradually comprehended Yueâs new path. After many small back-and-forths, eventuallyâ¦
"That⦠might work!"
Yval exclaimed with shock.
"Yes, and I already narrowed down the candidates. If we can pull it off, the threat of the Titans will be neutralised forever."
"... thatâs a good plan."
Amon was likewise shocked. He was baffled by Yueâs ingenuity and somewhat pissed that he hadnât thought of that option himself. However, Amon quickly got over it as he had admitted that his thought process was inferior to Yueâs.
"Then letâs plan for that then!" Yue beamed as she interchanged her glance between Amon and the ancient Dragon. Yval, in particular, looked exceptionally jumpy, as if she was ready to leap into action.
"If thatâs the case, this one shall make haste back to the Necropolis! There is no time to spare!"@@novelbin@@
Just as quickly as she arrived, the Golden Dragon Progenitor disappeared into light particles. Seeing her enthusiasm brought a playful smile to Yueâs face as she zoned in on her lover.
"Sister Yval sure is excited."
"Itâs a path that could free her shackles as the Guardian of the Necropolis. Of course, she would be happy."
Likewise, Amon broke a smile before observing the young beauty from head to toe. Oftentimes, Yue would play the fool in front of him, most likely as an act to appear cute or coquettish. But, the girl was a bona fide genius, far more than himself. Amon knew that better than anyone in the world.
"Good job, Yue."
"Oh? OHHHHH!!! Is the great Amon praising me?! Argh, I should have brought a recording crystal. No, I have one actually. Could you please say that again?!"
"Hahâ¦"
If only she werenât so⦠weird.
"Never mind that. Have you prepared for our next destination?"
Amon quickly changed the subject, much to Yueâs disappointment. However, she quickly regained herself to say: "Of course! Weâre going to deal with the Foolish Lich, right?"
"Yes," Amon nodded. "Itâs all going to happen in Alverton."