The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 99: Reunion (2)

Amon and Leon’s spar continued, their blows getting faster and stronger by the second. Even though they weren’t using mana, the power behind their strikes was enough to shake the earth beneath their feet. The pair were showing why they were both considered martial arts prodigies, as their movements were refined and fluid, showing little to no signs of weaknesses.

With a sudden burst forward, Leon dragged Ascalon through the dirt and swung a forward swing that spewed dust into the air. It was a simple skill to impair his opponent’s vision and follow up with a visceral strike. Unfortunately, Amon kept his cool and could evade Leon’s forward lunge with a graceful sidestep and counter with his lightning-quick fist.

In the blink of an eye, Leon braced himself for impact and diverted the force from Amon’s punch through his entire body, creating a new momentum that led to a heavy counter. Feeling the strain, Amon swung Nyx with all his might, and a thunderclap erupted in the chambers once more.

This pattern continued for a bit longer. Their strikes only increased in intensity, and their movements became far more fluid, almost dance-like. Each movement was measured, a mixture of raw athleticism and technique, as they attempted to break down their opponent’s defences.

Leon was able to telegraph what Amon was going to do with his well-honed eyes. In many instances, he could see Amon’s muscle twitch, indicating which direction his sword swing would come from. But alas, even if he could telegraph the attack a millisecond prior, it didn’t matter.

Amon’s movements were far too quick, and his raw power was beyond comprehension. Even without mana, it felt like Leon was going against the raw physical strength of an elephant or two.

Before long, the duel that had begun with them being equally matched had now put Leon on the back foot. He desperately tried to stop Amon’s pressure while using whatever openings he could find to land a significant blow.

The duel seemed to have gone on forever, but barely five minutes had elapsed. Yet, the overwhelming mental toll of constantly calculating each movement, the stamina needed to swing a sword at full strength, and the constant willpower required to keep focused… were piling on waves of fatigue on Leon’s body and mind.

The amount of sweat dripping off his face made this clear. With his arms shaking and his body sore, Leon remained standing through sheer willpower. But that didn’t cloud his mind. On the contrary, with his entire body weary, his mind was crystal clear.

At that moment, Leon entered a subconscious state where the whole world slowed down for his observation and calculation. He could see all the potential ’futures’ that the duel would conclude in. After crossing swords with Amon thousands of times, he knew very well that the man in front of him was nigh unbeatable. Amon’s martial arts, physical strength, speed, and even combat experience far exceeded anything that Leon could amount to.

So, Leon could only rely on one factor if he wished to claim the victory.

Leon took one deep breath and stood still with his blade pointed in an orthodox stance. He quelled his shaking body and irregular breaths by slowing his heartbeat and focusing all his attention on his final dance.

Sensing the change in Leon, Amon cracked a wry smile and answered in kind. He changed his stance, holding Nyx in a reverse grip while he bent his knees to lower his centre of gravity.

Both the Knights and their spectators knew this would be the final clash of the battle. Amon patiently waited for Leon, curious to see what he had cooked up in his bag of tricks. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

Leon used whatever strength he had left to leap right at Amon in a forward dash. It seemed like a simple movement, but everything was perfectly timed and executed. There were no openings, and neither was there any escape. All Amon could do was face the strike right on.

And it was a challenge that he would gladly accept.

’It’s clean, but not enough!’

Amon was used to seeing perfect strikes from Leon. After all, it was what they had been training all this while. So, if Amon used all of his physical strength, he should be able to counter Leon’s strike, like he had done many times. But alas, Amon didn’t expect Leon’s willingness to take a leap of faith.

Leon let go of Ascalon’s grip as the two blades neared collision and fell speedily to the ground. Still caught in his upward swing momentum, Amon was half a beat too late to react. Nyx and Ascalon clashed again, but Leon wasn’t holding Ascalon this time, causing it to fly away. Instead, he was sending a flying fist right at Amon’s face, which had been laid bare and vulnerable from Leon’s element of surprise.

In most instances, that would have won the duel. But Amon was called the greatest prodigy in the Solaris House for a reason.

Evading the punch by tilting his neck, Amon pivoted his heels and sent a roundhouse kick onto Leon’s abdomen. The young Knight flew dozens of metres back, rolling on the ground until he eventually fell where Ascalon was.

Lying there, defeated and fatigued, Leon could barely move a muscle. He held his stomach painfully, with sweat streaming down all his pores. However, rather than feeling bad for himself, Leon started to laugh. Somewhat maniacally, in fact.

"Hahaha… Ha! Ha! Ha! HAHAHAHA!!!"

It seemed odd for a defeated Knight to be in such a good mood, particularly since he was rolling in the mud in an injured state. But there was a reason for his madness.

"I finally did it! I finally landed a hit on you!!!"

Amon blinked and reached for his cheek. There was a small cut at the place where Leon’s fist flew by. It wasn’t a significant wound by any means, and if he wanted to, Amon could heal it in one second. Though, what fun would that be?

Breaking into a smile, Amon walked over to the battered and bruised Leon before saying:

"Congratulations, you’ve passed."

"HAHAHA!!!"

Leon’s hearty laughter drowned out Amon’s words of adulation. Truthfully, Leon didn’t care about the test or the promotion to a Knight. The fact that he finally landed a hit on the infallible Amon was enough to send his mood over the Moon.

While Leon was basking in his victory, Amon created a healing sanctuary and fixed up their wounds. Most of it was superficial, so there wasn’t much to be done. So it wasn’t long until Leon was back up on his feet.

"With this, you’re no longer my squire."

"..."

Leon chuckled at that statement. It brought him both joy and regret to graduate from Amon’s tutelage. Alas, only when a chapter closes can another begin.

"And here…"

Amon chuckled and gleefully flipped a coin-sized medallion over to the young Knight. Leon took one look at it before breaking into a bigger smile. It was a medallion of a newly created unit explicitly made to hunt Demons and the Demon Cult. With Amon as its leader and the support of Alrock, Carmen and Horus, it was unquestionably one of the most prestigious units a new Solaris Knight could join.

In ancient Draconic language, it literally translated the word ’Hero’. A unit meant to represent hope was a task force that acted as the blade of justice and the executioner of evil.

"Welcome to Eldorin."

"Good to be here!!!"

The pair exchanged a handshake, which didn’t go unnoticed by the spectators. Jumping out from their viewing spot, they merrily congratulated Leon for passing. And no one more so than everyone’s favourite grandfather.

"Young’un! You’ve improved! In no time, your martial arts will surpass mine!"

"G-Grandpa! You flatter me too much!"

Leon blushed at the compliment. But unfortunately for him, that was just the beginning of the adulations.

"Leon, you’re amazing! How did you improve that much?" Gale grabbed his buddy’s shoulders and jokingly shook him from side to side. Beside him, Adelia and Rufus were likewise confused, but they didn’t say much as Gale was already speaking their thoughts.

"Was it because of the training with Amon? How absurd…"

Lydia, who hadn’t seen her cousin since the Demonic Beast Purge incident, frowned and shot meaningful looks at Amon’s direction.

"Haha, you shouldn’t be too surprised. My brother’s training sessions are borderline torturous. I’m amazed that Leon was able to handle it so far."

Arya walked over, shaking her head. Just thinking about how the unit would be formed with Amon leading the charge disorganised her mind. She didn’t want to fathom the weeks of brutal torture that she would have to endure just to meet her brother’s ridiculously high standards.

"Still, all of you will be joining this unit starting today. Whether as a cadet or not, we will expect the same commitment level."

Carmen, the only female Commander of Eldorin, strolled over and gleefully held the shoulders of the gossiping ladies. Breaking into a hiccup, Arya robotically turned her neck back and replied.

"Y-Yes, ma’am! You can count on me!"

"Haha, don’t be so tight!"

The more she looked at Arya, the more Carmen liked the girl. Unlike a particular uncute subordinate of hers who kept disobeying the rules, Arya was an adorable little critter who was docile and subservient. Much better than her mischievous older brother, who kept going AWOL.

While his sister was getting teased by his superior officer, Amon was simply watching the group he gathered with a prophetic lens.

’Leon, Gale, Adelia and Rufus. The four core members of the Hero’s party in [Bright]. Lydia and Arya are good additions, too, given their talent. We also have Horus, the Knight who trained and protected Leon to the very end. But other than them, we must gather the last three members and expedite their growth. Speaking of which, it should be about time…’

Amon glanced at the clock as if waiting for someone to arrive. While distracted, a young lady approached him with a sly smile.

"Amon, it’s a pleasure to work with you again…"

"Hello, Lydia. Yes, it’s a pleasure."

Amon lightly nodded, half-hearted and absent-minded. However, that didn’t deter Lydia one bit. She knows of this sinful man’s attitude and is willing to spend time breaking his walls.

"How did you train Leon up so quickly? Was it difficult?"

"... Not really."

"If that’s the case, could you train me like you did him?"

"..."

At this point, Amon raised his eyebrows. He didn’t understand what Lydia was getting at. Since they would be part of the same unit, it was only natural that they would train together. So why was she asking him this now?

"You see, I have some swordwork I’m unsure of, and I may need additional training. Preferably, one-on-one?"

"Ermmm…"

Amon wasn’t sure how to reply; fortunately, he didn’t have to. By the time they reached this point in the conversation, the doors of the training chamber slammed wide open. An ethereal beauty strode through them, brushing her white hair as she sashayed. Eventually, she made her way towards Amon, confidently locking her arms around his in a show of ownership.

That woman was none other than Amon’s fiancée and the mastermind behind most of his actions.

"Sorry, I’m late."

Yue whispered, but loud enough for Lydia to hear. She glanced down at her victoriously, not an ounce threatened by her love rival’s snooping. Knowing when she was defeated, Lydia turned her back to the pair, but not before locking eyes with Yue once more.

The two beauties shared a knowing glance, and a thousand words were said between them in that split second. Most of them were likely curses, but nevertheless. Eventually, Lydia left Amon and Yue to communicate on their terms.

"No, you’re on time. Have you brought her?"

Blissfully unaware of the catfight, Amon focused on the task at hand.

"Did you think I would disappoint?" Yue answered with a laugh. "Shall I bring her in now?"

"Well, it seems a good a time as ever."

"Alright."

Yue chuckled before heading towards the door. At the same time, Amon approached Leon, who was now surrounded by his friends, and brought him aside.

"Yeah, what’s the problem?"

"No, there’s someone who would like to meet you."

"Hmmm?"

While confused, Leon waited at the door with Amon, who was suspiciously secretive. But, it didn’t take long for the young lad to figure out why.

Following Yue’s lead, a breathtaking young lady walked through the doors. She is a vision of quiet grace, a woman whose presence could only be described as gentle and soothing. A cascade of vibrant light brown fell down her dainty shoulders and reached her thin waist. Like leaves of an ancient tree, they formed a richness and majesty that made the girl look beyond her years.

Her eyes were emerald, flashing a comforting gaze at those who locked eyes with her. But that was just the beginning of her charm. Her features were delicate: a milky round face with an aquiline nose and cherry lips that screamed adorable.

Although she dressed simply, her priestly robes betrayed her origins. Each step she took seemed to bloom flowers, and her innocence was on full display when she rapidly made her way through the crowd and straight to the one person she cared about the most in the world.

Stunned by her appearance, Leon could only stammer as he cautiously breathed out her name:

"E-Ella?"

At that point, Saintess Ellahan Araquiel could only flush her cheeks and shout her lover’s name as she jumped into his arms.

"LEON!!!"