NABC Chapter 23: Eight Years Later (2)
Chapter 23: Eight Years Later (2)
Chapter 23: Eight Years Later (2)
The Nine Suns Heart Mantra.
The Solaris House's signature cultivation ability is one of the reasons why they are lauded as the greatest Knight's House ever. During the age of the Dragons, humans were infinitely weaker due to their low ability to store mana within their bodies. It wasn't even a contest. A Dragon's Heart was several times more abundant and powerful than a human's.
Even when the Golden Dragon Sovereign first blessed the Solaris Founder, his enhanced body and mana weren't enough to give him a fighting chance against the mighty Dragons, who possessed infinitely more mana.
Therefore, the Solaris Founder came up with a brilliant technique to bypass the limits of humanity, allowing him to hunt Dragons by the dozens, earning him the title of the world's greatest Dragon Slayer.
If he didn't have a large enough heart to store mana, that would equal the Dragons... Why doesn't he make more of them?
Naturally, the Solaris Founder was still bound by the limitations of a human body, and he couldn't grow extra hearts. However, he could accumulate mana into multiple cores within his body and store them within it to gain additional mana and power.
And hence, the Nine Suns Heart Mantra was born.
Members of the Solaris House would condense their mana into miniature "Suns" within their bodies, and the "Suns" would empower their hearts, the core of all mana circulation. It was a risky strategy to create thermonuclear bombs within one's body, and the only reason why people bearing the Solaris Bloodline could do so was due to their affinity with Solar Mana and their inherently enhanced bodies.
But it paid off.
Throughout the years, the Solaris House would use the Nine Suns Heart Mantra to great effect, essentially towering over their peers. Even if there were more skilful Knights in Hyades, none of them could match the mana output of Solaris Knights.
That one technique determined their longevity during the warring eras, and it was even apparent in the modern age, where the Solaris House is still considered one of the most powerful Houses in the world.
"The Sixth Sun... I wonder if anyone in Solaris' history has condensed it before eighteen."
Yue lauded Amon's achievements while considering the ramifications of his breakthrough. Due to Yue's magic, Amon could hide his actual cultivation level from the prying eyes of the Solaris House, as he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.
To others, Amon was just a talented youngster who had condensed his Third Sun before the age of twenty. Mind you, the Third Sun alone was an amazing accomplishment, given that all you needed to do before you graduated the Knight's Academy was to condense Two Suns.
Amon's father, a Guardian Knight, was considered to be part of the elite forces of the Solaris House. One Guardian Knight could overpower ten regular Knights with ease. But even then, all you needed to become a Guardian Knight was Five Suns condensed, a level Amon had reached long ago.
Anywhere from Six Suns onwards would be a rarity, even for the Solaris House. Perhaps only one or two could leap to the Sixth Sun among a hundred Guardian Knights. And from there, the difficulty only gets exponentially harder. After all, it was difficult to keep one thermonuclear bomb from detonating, let alone six.
Just for reference, the current Lord of the Solaris House, Lord Alrock, had only reached Eight Suns in the twilight of his life. And in history, only two humans have reached the elusive Ninth Sun. The Solaris Founder and the Solaris Saint—two of the greatest heroes mankind has ever known.
However, not even they condensed their Sixth Sun before eighteen.
"If you add in my previous life, I'm nowhere near eighteen." Amon nonchalantly added.
Before he transmigrated to Hyades, Amon had lived twenty-five years as Number 23. If he had included those years, Amon would actually be forty-three. Mentally, that is.
"Still! A tremendous accomplishment!" Her future husband's achievement visibly animated Yue. "We still have several years before the Calamities begin, and you're already at this stage! Once we go through the canon events, won't you become stronger than the Demon Lords?"
"Becoming stronger than the Demon Lords would be a stretch..."
But Amon wasn't an average Solaris.
The Golden Dragon Progenitor herself blessed him, and his mana was as pure as the Solaris Founder. And that's not all...
"Six Moons... Amon, you crazy bastard!"
Yue's crimson eyes sparkled as her body involuntarily trembled at the phenomena Amon was creating. Six luminescent Moons orbited the young man, creating an illusory mist that shrouded his visage. It wasn't enough that he was the youngest ever Solaris to forge Six Suns, but he also used the Lunar mana that dwelled within his soul to form Six Moons, creating a perfect balance between his soul and body.
Yue was once again reminded of the genius that was Amon Solaris.
He used a technique that could only be used by the Solaris House and modified it for his own betterment. The Nine Moon Heart Mantra was the perfect answer to the Lunar mana that dwelled within Amon's soul. Utilising its properties, Amon could condense 'Moons' in the same way that the Solaris House would condense 'Suns'.
The alteration was so perfect that it was borderline terrifying. Whenever a Sun would attempt to go rogue and disrupt the peace in his body, a Moon would tame it. Whenever a Moon seemed to overwhelm his soul with its gravitational pull, a Sun would put it in its place.
It was a symbiotic relationship, a yin-yang of sorts, which made the ascension far more peaceful than it should have been.
And now, with Amon's mana reaching perfect harmony, it was time to witness the birth of a new Sun.
Six Suns and Six Moons orbited Amon's inner being, each one possessing its own unique flair and power. They all possessed a tremendous amount of mana, and it was seemingly impossible for an average human to contain them all within their body. However, Amon calmly did just that.
Taking deep, even breaths, Amon ended his cultivation state and gradually flickered open his eyes. And he was greeted with Yue's resplendent irises blinking happily at him.
"Congratulations, Amon! Your achievement will be written down in the history books!"
"I'm not looking for such accolades."
Amon slowly stood up and reached for the wet towel by his side. He noticed that it had been cooled down with magic, possibly through Yue's interference, but he brushed it aside and wiped the little sweat that accumulated on his face.
"I'm still too weak. Considering the Calamities that will occur in the future, condensing my Sixth Sun is nothing."
"Hehe, always so modest!"
Yue laughed it off but didn't change Amon's thoughts. She, above all others, knew the severity of the Calamities. And while there was a rush for both of them to become more powerful, in her opinion, they were way ahead of schedule. After all, there were still many events before the world-ending Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Calamities began. There were still plenty of opportunities for them to grow stronger and overcome the adversities that lay before them.
"If you're not too tired, why don't we go for an evening stroll?"
"An evening stroll?"
Amon raised his brow at the sudden question, not because of the stroll but because the Sun was still up. He had probably only spent a few minutes condensing his Sixth Sun, and it was probably only three in the afternoon. To go for an evening stroll now was quite illogical.
Unless...
"Yes, I have a place I want to show you!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn