Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Asura's lips parted while holding his chest.

The wet blood dripped down his fingertips as he panted slowly. He looked at the male standing before him with silver hair and golden eyes.

He asked Verana before entering for information regarding the trial. Only hearing that he would face enemies that reflected upon your past every ten floors.

'Then why is my enemy Auros?' He wondered to himself as he felt his strength slowly leaving him.

"Could the past trial include your current life and previous ones you know of?" He voiced aloud.

It was the only thing he could think of to explain his current predicament. He remembered only a few things about Auros: his swordsmanship was top-class, and he would kill without mercy.

However, the latter fact made him question his existence during the trial, seeing how the Auros in front of him didn't speak and stood as if waiting for Asura to draw his weapon after the initial attack.

'Well, whatever, let's fight this renowned swordsman with nothing but my weapon and body.'

With a flick of his wrist, Lumeris Nova's beautiful red lance appeared in his hand with the shining silver blade pointed towards the ground as he took a defensive stance.

He would have a much higher chance of winning if he were to use magic, but what would be the point of training himself to the limit if he were to rely on that strength against a pure swordsman?

Seeing that Asura was ready to fight, Auros exploded with a powerful aura, his sword glimmering with a silver light, pointed towards the sky as he stepped forward, his speed similar to Asura.

'Even his footwork is no joke... I wouldn't want to be hit by that.'

Asura tensed up as he watched the rapidly approaching figure, thinking about going in for a straight-up clash or feint.

Then, he recognised the movements and style.

It was the Void style, but it seemed more complete and perfectly mastered as the silver blade sliced through the air and threatened his life.

Asura raised his spear, a horizontal slash about to cut his head off.

The force created a loud clash of steel before the sparks fluttered in the tower's dark room. He twisted his spear, lunging forward at the shadow of Auros, the long blade causing his enemy to be forced back, breaking the clash.

The two separated, circling each other as they gathered information on the other's technique and strength.

Asura felt like he was fighting his master, their combat style almost identical, as they clashed several times, the blade and lance clashing in the air, a burst of silver and black lights emitting from both parties as sparks flew from the intense clashes.

They separated once again, their ragged breath reverberating through the large room. Asura wiped his chin, a small trickle of blood appearing on his finger from the cut along his cheek. Auros stood with a half smile, his lips curled into a cheerful grin, but he had not spoken a single word throughout the fight.

"What's your deal? Why don't you speak?" Asura asked with annoyance while still maintaining his composure.

Auros just smiled and exploded forward, his sword shimmering in silver light faster than before.

Asura braced himself for the upcoming attack, gripping his spear as he crouched down, enduring the pressure of Auros, who slashed at Asura seven times in rapid succession.

Each time Auros struck, Asura parried or dodged the incoming attacks.

'This is getting me nowhere. At this rate, I'll...'

Asura couldn't help but think that he was only on the defensive the entire time, and Auros was dictating the flow of their battle.

'Fine, I'm done playing around.' Asura thought as his spear became enveloped with a black aura resembling Auros and his Void style's silver aura.

"Fenix Flurry"

His movements blurred, his lance too fast for even Auros to see, as he took the initiative and attacked in rapid succession.

"Ha!"

The young Asura thought with confidence.

'Did he seriously fall for?'

His thoughts were immediately cut off when Asura felt something stabbing through his chest and out of his back, blood splattered all over the ground. He could feel the blood pouring from his wound, dripping down his now pale lips.

His legs trembled, his strength leaving him. He didn't want to turn around, but he had to. Behind him stood Auros. With his arm outstretched as if he had stabbed him with the silver sword, but all that penetrated him was the palm of Auros in the shape of a knife.

His eyes widened in shock at the revelation, how Auros had predicted his every move and counterattacked flawlessly as if he could read his mind.

Asura fell forward, his hands outstretched, his lance still in his hand.

"I won't fall!" Asura growled as his lance penetrated the ground, forcing his body to resume standing, blood bubbling from his wound.

Auros nodded in understanding as he exploded forward.

"Don't pity me!" Asura shouted as he stood up, charging forward, his lance in the shape of a cross ready to impale Auros.

His enemy dashed forward, his sword enveloped in a silver aura as it clashed with the lance.

But the winner was obvious as Asura's lance bounced back, deflected by Auros, whose sword looked to penetrate his chest a second time, before his left arm shot forward, covered in black scales as it grasped the blade.

Asura ignored the pain from the magic as he devoured the silver light rapidly, absorbing it into his palm.

'Ha, I can at least take a part of your technique with me to my death.' He thought confidently, and a smile on his lips.

"You can't steal everything," Auros said calmly as a silver light emanated from his hand.

"Watch me!" Asura grinned as the silver light left Auros, flooding into Asura's palm, causing the face of Auros to change for the first time since the beginning of the fight as his mouth parted in disbelief.

"Hehe, even though I'm about to die, it seems I took away your magic using a technique you cannot replicate."

"Cheeky brat!"

"Salty old man!"

"Hmph."

"Hmph."

Before Asura could absorb all the silver light, Auros held out his empty hand, and with a burst of silver light, he caused the magic in his body to explode, sending Asura flying backwards, smashing into the stone walls and breaking them.

He couldn't move, feeling his broken limbs screaming, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Auros appeared in front of him, his lips curling into a smile as he stood before him with his hand outstretched, but this time, it wasn't his palm that resembled a knife, but his index finger, shining with the silver aura of void style.

"It's been fun."

"To my soul, you go."

His fingertip descended upon Asura's forehead. hosted on m-v_l-e _m-p_y-r

"I wanted to beat you without tricks..." Asura sighed; he realised against Auros that his skills weren't enough; he needed to refine his swordsmanship and void style.

Auros wasn't the real thing; thus didn't understand what Asura meant by tricks and could only perform the task the tower gave, which was to eliminate the intruder.

His finger inched closer to Asura, the pressure of the magic dense enough to endure his devouring magic. Then, a whisper flowed along the wind, causing Auros to furrow his brows at the sudden explosive increase in Asura's Mana density.

"Liberacíon..."

The moment Asura finished speaking, his magic sent Auros flying back, a dense aura enveloping his body as he transformed.

Auros no longer smiled as he sensed danger coming from the boy. He witnessed the young man's hair changing colour from black to silver. His body became more robust with a black arm covered in scales and red marks, while his other white with strange runes and lines flowing with dense magic, as black scales sprouted from his skin like a humanoid dragon.

Auros smiled grimly.

He didn't expect Asura to have a trump card or the ability to learn his void style so quickly, or rather, the fact this strange boy knew the combat style he created baffled the silver prince greatly.

"Those are some nice horns... Boy." Auros complained, looking at the thick horns curling back over Asura's head, their surface oozing with a powerful magic.

"You're an interesting one indeed... We could've been good friends if born in the same era..." Auros said sadly, sighing as he pulled himself from the rubble, a strange feeling now existing between the two. "My name is Auros. I am the silver prince that will destroy all evils!"

Asura's liberated form stepped forward, a dense magic aura crushing the ground around him as he nodded, "It is my honour to fight you. I am Asura, the one who will devour all."

"A big claim, haha... Since we are in the tower of death. What am I to you?" Auros asked, his aura skyrocketing as he stood with a sword ready to clast with Asura.

Asura grinned excitedly as he raised his lance and replied with an equal amount of magic that soon surpassed Auros by nearly double.

"An enemy to devour! A past of regret! I, the future, will fix the failures of the past!"

"Very well! Then I, the phantom of the past, will beat my skills, devotion, and skills into your immature self!"

The two lunged towards each other as the floor quaked under the immense magic as they were about to clash. The tower vanished, leaving only the dark, endless sky behind them; two silhouettes exploded into action as the battle started anew.