Manon's overwhelming strength crushed the clay gods within mere minutes, his every movement precise and unrelenting. The once-pristine golden palace beneath his feet now bore deep, jagged cracks, spreading like veins across the floor, a testament to the sheer force unleashed.

Towering ancient structures that had withstood the trials of millennia now lay in shambles, their sacred walls reduced to rubble and dust.

Though triumph was his, there was no pride in his posture. Manon stood still amidst the wreckage, his golden spear gradually lowering as the fury ebbed from his limbs. His brown eyes, usually calm and resolute, shimmered with unshed sorrow. He scanned the battlefield, gaze lingering on the shattered remains of the clay gods, creatures who had once been his comrades-in-arms, now nothing more than broken statues.

Anger and grief clashed in his throat, forming a lump that refused to go down, as tears stung behind his eyes. This was not a victory worth celebrating… but a tragedy that he had to overcome.

"His Majesty… I will save you…"

As Manon comforted himself with burning loyalty, he felt a few familiar presences approaching cautiously. Turning his neck back, he locked eyes with Eris, who wore a pitiful expression.

"Death Witch, you spoke the truth. Foreign actors are targeting His Majesty."

"My condolences."

"No, His Majesty's eternal rest mustn't be disrupted. Even if it means I'll need to awaken my brethren, I will displace the invaders with everything I've got."

"And we will help you," Eris declared while looking back at Leon. "Lord Manon, I have someone to introduce to you. This here is my… leader?"

The necromancer thought for a moment on how best to introduce Leon to the ancient man. And in the end, she settled for the simplest term.

"Leader? So he's the man you serve?"

"No, not that… Well… yes, but not like the serve you mean…"

"Speak clearly, Death Witch."

"Hmmm, he's like an army commander. I hope that explains it."

"Ah, I see!" Manon grabbed onto Leon's hands and gave it a firm shake. "It's a pleasure to meet the Death Witch's commander! You must be learned and wise!"

"It's an honour to meet you, Sir Manon."

Leon was usually a chirpy and personable guy, and he would make friends with anyone he met. However, it was hard for the young Knight to forget the nigh-invincible scene he'd just witnessed moments prior. The man who was shaking his hand was the same person who felled the mighty clay gods.

"Consider yourself honoured! My name is Manon, the Sky Spear! Loyal servant of His Majesty Justus Argillian, Emperor of the Sekhmet Empire."

"R-Right…"

Leon glanced back at his comrades, hoping to seek some semblance of help from this weird interaction, only for them to let out a wry smile. Even Gale was mouthing out: 'Just bear with it.'

"Sir Manon… As you may be aware, we are fighting an external force called the Demon Cult. We have suspicions that they are targeting your… emperor. We will help you drive them out, so please… grant us safe passage out of your home and we won't trespass again."

"And how will you do that?"

As with any sceptic, Manon sought proof. Guessing his intentions, Leon gestured to Ellahan, who crept forward and coated her hand with holy power and touched one of the corrupted clay soldiers. In a few seconds, the demonic mana that once forced the soldier into a frenzy instantly vaporised, and the soul within it passed on peacefully to the afterlife.

"My partner here… she has the ability to purify your brethren. If you allow us the honour, we will give your kin peace." Spot an error? Visit the original post on M&VLEMPY&R.

"Hmmm… That's a good offer!"

Fortunately, Eris and the rest had managed to win Manon over to their side. If the ancient man were antagonistic towards them, this conversation would have gone awry much sooner.

"Follow me! I'll lead you to where His Majesty rests!"

With the Sky Spear on their side, their passage into El Dorado turned smooth. Leon and Eris led the group as they followed Manon deeper into the ancient city, the group awed by the remnants of the great dynasty. And while the others were enjoying being tourists, Leon focused solely on the invincible man.

"The Demon Cult that you speak of… do you know why they are targeting His Majesty?"

"T-That, we have no idea," Leon panicked internally.

'D-Damn it, Amon! Couldn't you at least tell me why the Demon Cult is involved here?!'

For the first time since accepting this assignment, Leon cursed his friend and mentor. Not that he was awake to hear it.

"We believe that they are seeking to use your emperor to strengthen their cult, and… that they are seeking a treasure. But we don't know what kind of treasure."

That was all he'd got from Amon. They knew that the Demon Cult was targeting El Dorado and that they were seeking a treasure. But they had no clue what it was. Of course, this was true in [Bright] and in Yue's previous timeline. By the time they arrived at Olavaguel, the Clay Emperor had already been corrupted and was wreaking havoc as a demonised puppet of the Prophet.

Fortunately, in both timelines, Manon was incorruptible and joined forces with Leon to defeat the Clay Emperor and bring peace to the slumbering souls of the Sekhmet Empire.

That was how the Sky Spear joined the Hero's party. And it was also the reason why Amon was comfortable sending Leon without his protection.

As he was, Manon was currently one of the most powerful entities in existence. Even Alrock Solaris would lose against him, let alone Amon or a mere Apostle. The only one who could come close was the Sword Saint, but even then, it was hard to tell who would win.

If Leon could befriend such a powerhouse, it could only be a good thing.

Amon and Yue didn't know the extent of the Demon Cult's influence, and they'd even downplayed the event due to their lack of information. Furthermore, if the events played out the same way, the Clay Emperor wouldn't emerge for another few years, so they believed that they had sent Leon here earlier than expected.

Alas, the seemingly omniscient couple were fatally wrong this time.

If they had known the Prophet's true purpose of corrupting the Clay Emperor, they would have set this as a priority, instead of tackling the First Calamity.

"Treasure… As expected, it must be the fragment…"

"Fragment? What's that?"

"... something that should have disappeared a long time ago."

Manon spoke grimly, but didn't give any answers. Ultimately, the fragment was still his liege's secret, and he didn't feel obliged to share it with strangers he'd just met.

"Damn it! I told His Majesty to keep me awake! If only I had been awake, no one would have disrupted his rest!"

"... Sir Manon, if you don't mind me asking… You've been alive for thousands of years, correct?"

"Thousands? Perhaps? Time flows slowly when you don't see the Sun."

No one knew the actual age of the Sekhmet Empire. After all, the Eternal Storm had been around since the Age of the Dragons, and the history books went no further. But even then, the Eternal Storm must have been around for at least a hundred thousand years.

"T-Then… Pardon my rudeness… How are you alive?"

"..."

The Sky Spear paused, his silence sending shivers down the spectators' spines. They'd been curious too, but none of them dared to ask so openly. They gulped as impatience crept in; all eyes were fixed on the ancient, tanned man, who seemed no older than forty.

"You think me human?"

Manon let out a faint, wry smile before he began to remove his ancient garb, piece by piece. The men watched with impassive stares, their expressions unreadable, while several of the women turned their gazes away, cheeks tinged with a subtle blush.

When the final layer slipped to the ground, the room fell into silence.

Before them stood a figure carved in disciplined strength, veins like cords beneath bronze-hued skin, muscles defined with an almost artistic precision. It was the physique of a warrior, one that most bodybuilders could only dream of achieving.

Yet, it wasn't his human form that held their attention. All eyes drifted to the centre of his chest, where a sapphire orb pulsed faintly with light. It shimmered with an ethereal glow, not divine in the way the Goddess Hyades' blessings were known, but undeniably otherworldly.

It radiated an ancient power, calm yet unfathomably deep, as if it had watched the turning of eras from within his very soul.

"I just look human… I'm His Majesty's finest creation. The Sky Spear."

"..."

The surroundings were stunned silent. They hadn't expected that the ancient man… wasn't a man at all. But another one of the clay soldiers that attacked them.

"His Majesty calls me… the Perfected Clay. I breathed life from his mastery. My power, derived from his imagination. And my loyalty… unbreakable. As long as His Majesty exists in this world, I will serve his will until all mana is spent from my core."

"Sir Manon, you…"

"That's why… I will break anyone who disrupts his rest. Even if it were the heavens themselves."