The demon beasts felt the skies around them darken, a heavy shadow rolling over the ocean before something like a rising sun flared into being above them.
The attack struck so fast that the beasts barely had time to understand what was happening before Amon's strike cleaved more than ten of them cleanly in two.
In a single motion he cut down ten feral beasts and an awakened beast, their bodies splitting apart in the same breath.
Blood fountained outward, splattering across the waves and dyeing the ocean a deep, violent red.
The reek of it surged into the air around Amon, thick and metallic, sharp enough that he wrinkled his nose.
And because of that blood, the demon beasts surrounding him began to lose whatever composure they had left.
The scent drove them into a frenzy, their emotions slipping into pure instability as guttural growls broke from their throats.
One by one they lunged at him, driven by instinct, fear, hunger, and rage.
"Sunset Sword Art," Amon muttered, then swung his blade again.
Darkness seemed to swallow the vision of the demon beasts all at once, and in the next moment his attack descended like the fall of a blazing sun.
A fiery wave of heat burst out from Amon's body as more than ten additional demon beasts were cut down where they stood.
Metal clashed against metal, harsh and ringing, echoing through the ocean air, and Amon felt his blood begin to heat.
The limitless physique.
His limitless physique was acting up again.
Amon had long understood that it was because of this physique that he could grow so fast, that he could grasp sword arts as naturally as breathing.
It was also why he loved fighting. Combat awakened something in him.
This was one of the moments when the physique was most alive.
A wave of excitement and pure thrill surged through his limbs.
His primordial energy roared from three of his cores, almost as if they were moving of their own will.
Amon caught sight of a feral beast at the edge of his vision.
It crouched low, preparing a sneak attack on him while he seemed distracted.
A slow grin crept across Amon's face before his figure simply vanished.
Stunned gasps echoed from the surrounding beasts as they tried desperately to locate him.
They failed and the ocean fell eerily silent.
Then a crescent shaped glow tore open the air above them.
Along with it came a cold whisper. "Unholy Crescent Moon Sword Art."
Over the last ten years Amon hadn't mastered just one sword art.
The sword art James taught him contained six unique sets of techniques, and he had mastered all of them.
But the one that consumed the most time to perfect was the sword art Light had given him. He understood the moment he received it that it was a lethal, unforgiving art.
The surroundings lit with an icy blue glow as Amon's sword swept forward like a violent storm.
SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.
Blood erupted from bodies as more than ten feral beasts were cut apart, their forms freezing slightly before collapsing into the ocean.
Amon's eyes swept across the water, taking in the oceanic demon beasts encircling him.
Fear and terror filled their eyes as they stared at him, completely unprepared for the brutality he had shown.
Grinning, Amon lifted his gaze toward them. "Don't give up on your ambitions. You want to kill me, right?"
A wild, unrestrained laugh ripped from his chest.
"Then bring it on."
He lunged off the beast he'd been standing on, his steps light, almost weightless, as an ethereal glow rippled beneath his foot.
"Calm Cloud Steps Art," he murmured, using another battle art he had mastered.
It was a movement technique meant to raise one's speed.
There were only three forms of the sword art, but each one was deceptively sharp.
After activating it, Amon stood atop the ocean surface as if it were solid ground.
Looking down at the demon beasts with his sword in hand, he resembled a god passing judgment on insignificant creatures.
He swung his sword to the right, and a Sunset Sword Art burst outward. Then he swung to the left, unleashing a Sunrise Sword Art.
It looked as if two suns erupted from him at once.
Their brilliant glow exploded violently from Amon's blade, making him appear like some peerless expert descending from legend.
SPLASH.
The water tore open beneath the force of his strikes, and both sword arts killed more than twenty beasts in an instant.
Panic rippled through the demon beasts so suddenly it felt like a shockwave.
They possessed enough intelligence to understand their situation, and they looked at Amon with bottomless horror.
Was he a monster wearing human skin?
Dozens of fins slapped the water as the beasts scrambled back, pushing against each other in a frantic retreat.
Amon blinked, baffled, then shouted, "Don't run. The fun is only getting started!"
Hearing the madman's words only made the beasts flee faster, some shoving their own kind aside in desperation.
Amon picked a direction and blurred forward, chasing after a cluster of retreating beasts.
…
Meanwhile, everyone's focus remained on the five massive screens. Their attention stayed fixed on the names displayed there because they were the strongest of the group.
Mei Aiko. It was said she had single handedly explored more than three grade 1 ruptures and survived each one.
She always returned injured, but she also always returned with valuable gains.
Then there was Li Mingxuan, whose unique talent earned him a reputation for taking down all kinds of heretics.
Beside those two stood the mysterious Natasha. She was a blind woman, yet not inferior to any of her peers.
In fact, she was so strong she earned a unique title.
God of Combat.
Able to wield any weapon, she was definitely a force of nature.
And she was blind. A blind woman accomplishing such unbelievable feats was enough to astonish anyone.
And then there was Helena.
Nothing truly needed to be said about her. She was the only daughter of the emperor.
The emperor.
The strongest acknowledged expert in Europe.
To be his daughter meant Helena was far from ordinary.
With figures like these present, no one spared a glance for the seventh screen, where Amon was displayed.
Since Amon had never performed any known feats, no one considered him someone worth noting.
However, a few instructors still allowed their eyes to drift across all the screens, just in case something unexpected appeared.
One of them glanced lazily across the screens when something caught the corner of his eye.
He didn't pay it much attention at first. Then his eyes widened.
"Wait… what did I just see?"
He snapped his head toward the leaderboard.
His voice drew the attention of the instructors beside him. They turned to look in the same direction.
Then, their expressions morphed into one of astonishment.
[Rank 1.]
[Name: Amon Adam.]
[Points: 557.]
Shock rippled through the group, and one instructor couldn't stop himself from shouting in disbelief.
"Wh... who is Amon? And how does he have so many points already?"