The Extra Can't be A Hero

Chapter 42: Amon’s Homecoming (1)

Chapter 42: Amon's Homecoming (1)

A young man sat silently in a desolate, rocky valley under the crimson hue of the first daybreak, not uttering a word as if he were mute. Underneath his heavily armoured body was a mountain of disfigured corpses, each more grotesque than the next. His armour, once gleaming with the shine of impeccable mithril, had been worn away after numerous hard-fought battles.

Scratches and scars, smeared with his enemies' dark, tar-like blood, had turned his shiny armour black. His chest plate and pauldrons were nowhere to be seen, likely destroyed after the final carnage he plunged himself into.

His face was weary, and his hair dishevelled. Matted with sweat and grime, the young man seemed to have gone through a thousand tribulations with no rest, earning himself an unapproachable atmosphere that terrified any lesser souls.

The air around the young man was thick with the pungent stench of sulphur and burnt flesh, and it was for good reason. Otherworldly Demons and Demonic Beasts lay dismembered around the Knight, their aberrant forms contorted in death. Clawed hands, jagged horns, and gaping maws with razor-sharp teeth were some of the many dismembered body parts which littered the land.

And that wasn't all.

Luminescent golden embers flickered all over the scorched earth, the remnants of the heavenly battle that purged the Demonic creatures from this planet. The young man rose to his feet as the Sun emerged from the horizon to bring light onto the forsaken battlefield.

The illumination from the Sun gave the Knight a divine halo, making him look like an agent sent from the heavens to eradicate evil. But the man wasn't holy in the slightest. Looking down at the skull of the foe he spent so much energy dispatching, he stomped his feet down mercilessly and obliterated the final corpse.

With his work done, the young man raised his right hand, which held a broken sword, leaving only the hilt and bits of metal behind. Furrowing his brows, he spat:

"Another one broke again..."

Amon threw the broken sword away and leapt down from the mountain of corpses. The final battle he had with the Demons was more challenging than anticipated. Instead of one Greater Demon, there were three. And there was a small battalion of members from the Demon Cult supporting them.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps the Demon Cult had caught on to the fact that they were actively hunting sealed Greater Demons and weaker Demon Cult bases. Nevertheless, the battle forced Amon to unveil some of his hidden cards, which led to yet another blade of his being shattered.

Sighing, he thought out loud:

"Should I invest in a better sword?"

A sword was a Knight's lifeblood. All this while, Amon has been using inferior swords, as he was hiding his strength from the world. But throughout these five months, Amon had gone through twenty swords. At this point, buying an expensive sword would be better than breaking every inferior sword he touched.

"You could, but what's the point? It'll just break again."

Amon had meant his thoughts to be rhetorical. Never did he expect someone to answer his question. He glanced over his shoulders and saw a pristine young woman floating down from the upper ravine. Unlike Amon, she was all dolled up with not a speck of dust dirtying her clothes. Her clear, ruby eyes sparkled with the rising Sun, and her glorious white hair fluttered with the wind.

Amon rolled his eyes and approached the woman who had become his travelling companion for the past five months.

"Doesn't the Elune House have a treasured sword or two? Perhaps you could loan it to me."

"Huh? A member of the Solaris House is asking the Elune House for a sword? Haha, the Sun must be rising from the west today!"

"..."

Ignoring the derisive tone Yue used, Amon couldn't rebut her words. The Solaris House was the premier place for Knights to get powerful weapons. And it wasn't limited to swords. Bows, maces, hammers, shields... There were countless precious artefacts housed in the Solaris House.

And Yue knew that.

"Haha, are you that worried about Leon?"

"..."

"You know, I'm kind of shocked. Could it be that you're into guys? Rather than taking care of your beloved bride-to-be, the only thing on your mind is another man."

"You know that's not the case."

Amon rolled his eyes in protest; even after spending five months with Yue hunting Greater Demons and the Demon Cult, he was still unable to get used to her constant teasing. In his opinion, the woman was just trying to get on his nerves to solicit a reaction. Though, it wasn't in his personality to bite.

"Hehe, if you're into guys, you must tell me, okay? I may not be good at it, but I could attempt transformation magic to change my gender."

"... please, let's get back on topic."

"Hah... Always the straight-laced Knight."

Yue shrugged her shoulders and acquiesced to Amon's plea.

"Well, even without the Demon Cult's intervention, we needed to return this month anyway. The Sword Bestowment Ceremony is upon us, and Leon has been forced to participate in the Demonic Beast Purge to prove his worth."

"Ah."

Hearing the news, Amon's golden eyes lit with understanding. However, he wasn't surprised. This was part of Leon's story when Amon read through [Bright]. After returning to the Solaris House, the Elders weren't convinced to let Leon attend the Sword Bestowment Ceremony. They feared Leon obtaining a precious weapon and leaving the Solaris House immediately.

Essentially, they were questioning Leon's loyalty.

"The Demonic Beast Purge... That's when Leon showcases his skills for the first time. Inherently, there won't be any dangers, barring any deviations to the timeline."

The first Chapter of [Bright] didn't see Leon face life-and-death situations. Most of it was his awakening and showcasing his powers to the Solaris House. He would gain allies and enemies until he eventually became the centrepiece of the ancient House by obtaining the Holy Sword, Ascalon.

Of course, that's if there weren't any deviation.

"Leon should be fine, but just in case, you should watch over him."

Yue mirrored Amon's worry. They had failed terribly during her previous timeline, and one of the critical factors for their success this time was Leon's growth. If Leon and Ascalon were to grow exponentially, fighting against the Demon Cult would be infinitely easier, and they would prevent the final calamity that triggered the Apocalypse.

"Okay, then."

Amon gazed back at the carnage behind him and heaved a huge sigh. He dropped his guard and stared into the distance before saying:

"Let us return to the Solaris House."