Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

"Forces, pull back. Run!" Ignis shouted to the retreating orcs. "Regroup outside the walls!"

"Quickly!

Asura's body tore through the beams of light, his blade a black blur as he spun rapidly. The more Asura's speed increased, the more devastating his force. His figure was a spinning top as his blade slashed through the beams of light and broke through the defence the archbishop created with his magic.

The Archbishop's face paled, and he conjured more beams of unholy light, creating an area of divine destruction that flashed below Asura.

"Your light cannot stop me!" Asura smiled and teleported beside the Archbishop. His entire body was a blur as he swung again and aimed his blade at the Archbishop, his movement completely unexpected by the archbishop, who raised his arms with a shout.

"We shall exterminate those who do not believe in our Lord!" The Archbishop's voice thundered as his figure disappeared in a flash of unholy light, vanishing as if he had teleported away.

"What?!" Asura's eyes widened, but he did not stop, and the sound of his sword ripping through the air resounded before it made contact with something.

Yes... the light a mere trick.

Blood and organs spurted from the Archbishop as he tried to teleport away from Asura to survive.

However, his actions proved futile.

The crimson blade tore straight through the chest of the archbishop. It did not stop as Asura's blade ripped through the Archbishop's body like butter, spraying a massive amount of blood across the ground. The archbishop's eyes widened in surprise, his last words a whisper: "Believe in our Lord."

The Archbishop's body fell like a tonne of rocks. His eyes were void of life as Asura's blade stabbed through his forehead with a sharp flash of steel. He didn't wish to take any chances. The body of the bishop became like a dried prune as Asura devoured his existence and soul, not leaving anything to fate.

The archbishop's death was inevitable, as even if he had left, he would have died of his injuries, and without him, the battle was as good as winning.

Asura sighed, but his brow furrowed, and his expression became tense.

"Amalia!" Asura shouted.

His voice caused an echo around the battlefield.

***

Meanwhile, Amalia's sword stabbed into the ground, and puddles of blood and torn flesh leaked more blood as Amalia stood riddled with wounds from the serpent Abaddon.

"Damn, I feel so weak, and my body feels hot..." Amalia muttered, her arms trembling as she stared at Abaddon. "I can't even control my body properly."

Abaddon did not seem any better—her scales tore in various places, and blood poured from the deepest cut in her underbelly caused by Amalia's divine blade. Yet, it couldn't close their gap. A Stage Six with the ability to force her power to Stage Seven for a moment could never defeat a Stage Ten abomination.

Amalia had clearly spent more divine energy than she should have. However, this did not mean that she was incapable of fighting. The divine power that allowed her to injure Abaddon so heavily had just caused Abaddon's body to become weak and broken.

"You are going to pay for this!" Abaddon's hoarse voice reverberated through the area, causing Amalia to cough up more blood, the violent vibrations affecting her wounds.

"Hahaha..." Amalia laughed at Abaddon, causing her rage to soar, and her body slithered in the air. "Stop laughing!" Abaddon shouted. Her serpentine body lifted and darted towards Amalia's sword as she wished to tear it from her grasp and annihilate Amalia for daring to defy her.

"That's enough... silly girl." A soft voice sounded while the world seemed to freeze.

Amalia's eyes widened as she was in someone's arms, and a black-haired woman stood facing Abaddon, stopping her strike with a single fist. "B-Brother... I did my best." In Asura's arms, she felt a sense of security, like the world had become simple and only he mattered.

"Lucia, buy me a few minutes," Asura asked the woman with black hair, who blocked the serpent's strike.

"Understood, Asura."

Immediately after, dozens of black shadows with the same figure as Lucia appeared, all of them surrounding Amalia and Asura protectively.

"Y-you...! How dare you interrupt me! You bitch!" Abaddon hissed towards Lucia, but Asura only raised his gaze towards Abaddon. "Return to the abyss where you belong, snake."

With his words, Lucia attacked Abaddon, her blows filled with devastating power, as her void clones teleported and wreaked havoc on the body of the huge white snake.

Abaddon wasn't weak. Despite being injured, her bloodlust erupted. She had been fighting two powerful creatures for long enough. Then she felt her bloodlust reaching its peak.

"Haha, you fools! I will kill you all, then snap your precious brother's limbs and force him to give me a child!" Abaddon shouted in their faces as if they had already lost. "I will tear your bodies apart and turn you into my mindless pets!"

Her power exploded, and a magenta-coloured aura burst around her, causing Lucia to leap back, sliding across the ground, her fists sizzling with corrosive magic while the snake's tail rushed forward. Her speed was too fast for Lucia to dodge or block with her body. So she blocked it with two of her clones before counterattacking.

"I am Abaddon... and my will is absolute!" Abaddon roared like an angry dragon as her body disappeared in a blink of an eye. "How dare you?! Your body will suffer forever!"

Lucia's fist smashed into Abaddon's jaw, rocking her like a hurricane, as she appeared dazed from the blow.

However, after that, the other ten clones all smashed her in the same spot like a bad dream. Abaddon screamed in agony. Lucia's fists brutalised her entire serpentine body. It seemed Lucia ignored the corroding power spread on her scales, causing her to shiver in agony and anger.

Lucia didn't let up and began her barrage of attacks. The serpentine body of Abaddon writhed in pain, and Lucia slammed her tail over the ground. Her deep impacts caused the snake's flesh and scales to bend inwards from the force.

Abaddon's blood dripped onto the ground in great volumes as her serpentine body squealed in agony before returning to her humanoid form, stepping back from Lucia while holding her trembling right arm.

Lucia wasn't any better. Her clones were now destroyed, and her arms were sizzling and bloody from the corrosive aura.

"Damn... why is she so powerful?!" Abaddon muttered, spitting out blood. "Your fists hurt... that is not how I imagined this fight would end."

"It's not over yet, snake," Lucia's voice was icy cold as she swiped her right palm to the side. "Eh?" But before she could attack, Asura's hands wrapped around her waist and arm, hugging her tightly against his chest.

"Don't fight anymore. You are going to hurt yourself," Asura whispered as he wiped away the blood and corrosive poison from Lucia's cheek.

"Baby..." Lucia's red eyes were soft and docile like a wolf pup when Asura's hand stroked her cheek.

"Abaddon, this isn't even your true body. Why fight so seriously?" Asura's gaze swept over Abaddon as she transformed into her beautiful form.

"If I use my actual body, that woman will find me, and then I cannot fight you without disturbance!" Abaddon hissed as if she was irritated at Asura's mocking gaze.

"Show me your true self," Asura muttered.

"Not without your promise!"

"What do you want?"

"Be mine! It doesn't matter if I cannot kill you. Our children will be legendary warriors, and we'll rule all of this land!" Abaddon exclaimed.

"I refuse," Asura replied immediately.

"Do you not want children?" Abaddon asked in a calm voice. "We are the only ones of our species to exist! If we do not mate, then our race will vanish forever! And a child born from our union would surpass all existences!"

Asura looked at her curiously, his gaze deep and filled with respect. "You really only fight for this reason. It's a little insane, but I can't help but respect your dedication. Why don't you just sleep with any other guy and continue your race?"

"Do you think I can force myself on another? I am Abaddon. My name carries a meaning. I am the progenitor of the corruption, the Great Destroyer! My species is the Ouroboros, the eternal-winged serpent! Only YOU are worthy.

I will not accept any other! Even their so-called divine god!"

"That doesn't sound like something the saintess of a cult should say. Do you mean it has to be me? The me right now and not some puppet?" Asura chuckled as he leaned forward and stared into her eyes. He found speaking to her amusing, and she wasn't as hateful this time; thanks to her, both Xavida, Verana, and Amalia improved.

Out of curiosity, he moved close, his face close to hers, observing her changes and actions with a faint smile on his lips.

"I have standards, ayuuu..." Abaddon bit her tongue by accident as Asura's closeness made her nervous. "I... do not lie!" Abaddon did not shy away, instead pressing herself close to him as her face flushed bright red.

Asura noticed the slight changes in her actions and expressions, but his focus was on Abaddon's actual body. He had to admit that even she was an unparalleled beauty; she was like the mature-looking Freyja yet different, a beauty with exotic features.

He inhaled sharply; the faint scent of her skin and blood was just right for him. Then he placed his hand on her abdomen and devoured her, the weakened state of Abaddon's form unable to resist as her magic and power flowed into Asura like a vacuum, sucking her dry.

"Next time we meet, if you are better behaved, I might consider it." Asura never revealed what it was, but the sheer thought of it completely shocked Abaddon, her eyes widening, not even resisting as he devoured her clone's existence.

A cruel man who gave her hope of success while killing her, it seemed Asura also started becoming a twisted existence.

Yet Abaddon's body shrivelled up with a smile on her face and a look of bliss.

'Somehow, I think that might have been a terrible choice of words... Why does someone who I killed look so happy...'