Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Lorem's body trembled the moment the sky turned black and everything exploded in a mass of flames and pure darkness.

The sensation felt strange when she crushed the skull of a skeleton knight under her foot, her abdomen, and chest tightened, before a cold sensation travelled up her spine.

The next moment, an explosion so huge it swept up the entirety of Ulvar followed.

"Asura?"

"Asuraaaa!" Lorem screamed the moment she saw the direction and magnitude of the explosion.

Her body shuddered, before she rushed towards the burst of smoke, before a pair of delicate hands grasped her shoulders and pulled her back.

"Helia, let go!"

"No, I cannot."

Two dear friends wrestled in the air, both carrying a precious seed inside them, a hope for the future of their endangered race. They could only watch in horror as Asura's figure was swallowed by the strange black star's explosion.

"He'll be fine. You said it yourself, right? He can't die."

"But look at that, how can he be fine, you know what he's like always pushing himself for us!"

Helia paused.

She didn't know what to do. She understood the danger and sensed the explosion even from the far distance. A primal instinct told her not to approach it.

The black phoenix wanted to say that she knew Asura wouldn't die, but even then. The strange black star's power was too strong, even for Asura. Moreover, she could feel a faint yet distinct aura from it. An aura of pure death. The power was not only meant to kill, but to annihilate any trace of life.

If Asura were to be caught in it.

'No, I cannot lose myself. We cannot miss this chance to seize the land.'

Helliana didn't wish for their efforts to come to nothing.

How long did they fight this war?

How many died just to approach this beach.

Even now, the western forces of Drakkur fought against the main army of the undead. Without their necromancer and leader, they became weaker, and less organised.

'But it's still hundreds of thousands of them.'

And So she slapped Lorem, who struggled to rush to the black sphere that remained after the explosion.

Pah

"Ouch, damn it that hurt. Helia why did you hit me?"

"You're too stupid, we cannot approach that place now. I can feel the death aura even from this distance. If you approach it, we will both die."

Lorem paused.

"I would rather not leave him there, alone."

"But you must, we are the future of our people."

Lorem remained quiet for a moment, but as she stared at Helia's serious expression.

"Do you believe he is alive?"

Although Lorem acted confident, the truth was that she worried more than most and her affection for Asura continued to grow, even more after conceiving his child. The eggs in her abdomen were special, a sign of their love for each other.

"I do, but we must complete his goal. To prove our beloved man was correct. He is being judged by the people, the former queen and the knights who fought. If we don't win here, it will make Asura look bad."

Helia knew Asura well enough. She knew he did it not for himself, or even them, he was doing it for the people. And if they failed, he would look like a madman trying to take over a continent for nothing. That would not be his legacy.

'I want you to become our hero, Asura. Please don't die on me, you are the only hope for our race and our hearts.' Helliana thought to herself, feeling the struggle of Lorem decrease, the scarlet flames flickering from her feathers as she gazed at the remaining enemy units now fleeing.

"Helia, let's destroy them, go all out and then destroy the black sphere and ask for a big reward."

The Black and Scarlet Phoenix nodded to one another before both exploded into a massive flame. They flew high in the air and looked over the enemy that was fleeing in chaos.

They swooped down from the skies, two giant flaming meteors fell from the skies and exploded over the ground, wiping out tens of thousands at a time.

.

.

.

It took a few hours before they destroyed most of the undead forces and returned to the damaged destroyer, most of the phantasms and horrors now slain. Many of the crew were performing repairs, first aid or trying to catch their breath.

Meanwhile, in the centre of the port city formerly known as Ulvar the black sphere still existed, though it seemed to be gradually fading.

Now anchored to the south-east of the former city, many of the ships and soldiers stood on the beaches, setting up camps and logging trees.

Lorem and Helliana also took a momentary rest, now sitting on the deck of their main warship and looking at the sphere, as a member from the western fleet arrived on a fast travelling dragon.

Xavida sleepily closed her eyes, and looked at the female soldiers who brought the messages, before she leaned against the ship's banister gazing at the dark sphere.

"Communications from the west! Our troops have secured a major victory, after the command of the enemy suddenly became chaotic we managed to sink over half their forces."

The two phoenix looked at Xavida, who nodded to them, before her head dropped back, and she snoozed off once again.

"Thank you. Have our men prepare a defensive perimeter. And have half the force rest, so when that sphere vanishes we can have a look at the city's state."

The female soldier saluted Lorem with her sword and left. Lorem looked more dignified the moment she realised Asura's plan ended in success.

"It seems we have really done it. We won."

"Hahaha, but we need to find that old bastard who lusted over our cute little dragon, please remember, Lorem."

"Ah, that fool, cannot believe he thought this would work."

Lorem and Helliana looked at one another and nodded.

A few days passed before the sphere of darkness faded and revealed the state of the city.

The city of Ulvar had been destroyed. Nothing remained except for crumbled rocks and debris.

The port itself had collapsed, along with many of the buildings. Only the outer perimeter was left relatively untouched.

Though the centre of the explosion created a deep crater, at least twenty metres deep. And the only thing that remained was the faint flickering black flames in the shape of a gigantic egg and a pile of bones in the centre. All of them charred black.

There were thousands if not more corpses in the area. The battle for Ulvar, however, was finished. The next step was the extermination of the undead, and to create a new city.

"Shall we enter the city, and greet our husband?"

Lorem gazed back to the sleepy Xavida and Helliana, now with dark bags under her eyes after days of continuous fighting and no sleep. Still, they wanted to see Asura and his return from that dark egg.

Though they didn't know how much longer he would remain asleep.

The egg flickered for some time after that. But as time passed, it slowly dimmed and vanished. The moment it did, a man stood naked and gazing up at the moon with a calm atmosphere. His eyes were half opened, with a devilish charm, while his black hair fluttered around in the wind.

"As expected, this is the look that suits me most." Asura muttered to himself, now able to change between any colour and shade of eye and hair colour, though he didn't understand why. Continue your saga on empire

"Is it over? It is actually over? Did we win?"

Asura felt like he was in a strange dream.

"Asura?"

"Darling?"

"Husband!"

Lorem, Xavida and Helliana called out to him, the depth of the crater difficult to enter for normal humans, but their wings fluttered, helping them land close to him.

The bodies of all three women suddenly wrapped around him, with a soft and warm sensation.

"It is good to see you all. I missed you." He said in a low tone.

"I am so glad to see you back, my darling."

Asura smiled and held them, as they embraced one another in a deep kiss. It felt like a lifetime since he had kissed any of his lovers.

But after the embrace and the kiss finished. Asura looked around and sighed.

"It is really all over. Now it is just clean-up and rebuilding."

"Yes. I don't know how much of your plan worked, but the main army was defeated, and the western forces won as well." Helliana hugged his back, stroking the faint scars from the battle, gently pressing her lips against them as she enjoyed his warmth.

"Though, I have heard a rumour that the bastard is alive and well, and fled towards the capital." Lorem added to Helliana's words.

The bastard was, of course, Xavida's uncle, the man who caused all this issue.

'I knew from the start he would one day become my enemy, but if I knew how many lives would be taken because he chose this path.'

Asura could only regret that his lack of speed caused hundreds of thousands of people to die, and that wasn't including the poor innocent people forcibly killed to create his army.

"I have to let them rest easy, we have to kill him."