Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

The realms used for training were mysterious. Their weather was often different from the continents. It could rain one moment, then become a searing inferno the next.

Princess Celine's eyes turned misty as she looked into the distance. The cold winds following the heavy downpour caused her to feel isolated, and she could not return to sleep in the darkness.

"My first trip to the mysterious realms was a disaster!"

Her eyes looked at the wounded Asura under her blanket. His body convulsed, causing him to suffer from the countless bloody wounds on his body. The movements caused them to reopen and leak blood from the effects of enduring the Elven grand magic 'Divine Smite.'

'Will he die, even after saving me?'

She wondered while opening her item storage and taking out a pink crystal the size of her fist.

The pink crystal was an 'Elven Spirit Crystal' containing a sliver of the divine sap from the world tree in the Elven capital city, despite being a single drop of the magical nectar.

It could save the life of Asura, who was on the brink of death.

Celine didn't know whether to give something away. Then she remembered her mother's words to use the sap only when she found herself in a hopeless situation.

Her pink crystal contained one of the last remaining drops of sap from the world tree because it no longer produced sap. She remembered the stories of how her ancestors used to produce it freely, using it to rejuvenate the lands and people.

Celine hesitated for a moment but made her choice. Her hand hovered over his mouth, but because of the pain he suffered, Asura kept moving, and she realised it wouldn't enter his mouth.

'It's going to spill. What should I do!?'

Princess Celine looked around the cavern, a small safe area created by her renowned Ancestor and her beloved, though his name seemed to have vanished from the history books.

The tales of her Ancestor caused Celine to seek the adventure of leaving the palace. Her fingertip traced her lips as she remembered a romantic story told by her grandmother as a young girl.

For a moment, it seemed she resisted, showing a sour look while gazing at Asura.

"Don't think this is anything more than saving your life... Hmph!"

Celine puckered her lips and pressed them against the cold crystal before sucking. She allowed the fluid from the crystal to flow into her mouth before leaning down.

'Why are his eyelashes so long?..'

Her soft lips pressed against Asura's mouth as her cheeks flushed a vibrant pink. "Please swallow."

The moment she spoke, the sticky ambrosia dribbled from her lips, causing the poor princess to panic. Worried it might fall onto the floor, she closed their lips tight. Celine wasn't the type to become close to the opposite sex.

'He smells fantastic...'

However, in her mind, the feelings of flying in the skies and being taken away when in danger were too vibrant, and it clouded her mind.

'Like the magical stories grandma told us...'

She gently forced her tongue into his mouth, and it felt like sparks had erupted from her stomach, causing her to flush with an unfamiliar sense of embarrassment.

'No... It's like when he touched me, that wonderful feeling spread through my entire being. It was so comforting and wonderful.'

Celine lost any trace of her regal bearing. In her mind, it was the only way to save him.

'My body feels like it is on fire again.'

However, she found herself craving more, and her lips could not stop. Her tongue pushed the remaining thick drops of sap further into Asura's mouth.

'It's not enough!'

Celine revelled in the delicious taste of the sweet sap and Asura's saliva while entangling her tongue with his.

The kiss was so intense that she lost focus and sense of time, falling prisoner to the comfortable sensation of dual cultivation.

'More...'

Asura swallowed the Elf Nectar from Celine's mouth, and his wounds healed slowly, yet he still didn't awaken.

Only the quiet sound of a kiss and the princess's heavy breathing filled the cave.

*****

⁜ Asura POV

Hours passed before Asura began feeling his thoughts forming again—a sweet and welcoming taste lingered in his mouth. His eyelids twitched as the burning pain from before was becoming distant.

When his eyes opened, he found himself lying down on the cave floor while Princess Celine lay asleep in his arms. Her breathing was low and serene.

'What's going on? I only remember falling... Is this lovely girl that cocky princess?'

He watched her face for a moment, interested in her Elven features.

The elves seemed to have even fewer faults compared to the women he knew best, an ethereal look close to what he imagined a fairy to be: soft cheeks, a smooth chin, pretty shaped eyes and golden blonde hair like the morning sun.

'Did we survive?'

Then, a small smile appeared on the sleeping beauty's face. Princess Celine's beautiful lips formed an 'o' shape as she released a sweet exhale, and his eyes lingered on them for a moment before he could avert his gaze.

Asura recalled what happened.

A dreamy vision, the sensation of something warm and sticky touching his lips, both nervous and awkward, clearly without skill but sweet.

'Thank you, princess. For saving my life.'

He might have recovered thanks to his natural recovery; however, from the swollen lips with smeared lip gloss, Asura would not have made the princess feel her actions were worthless.

'Still, I can't believe I've done such a thing...'

Asura checked his condition and was delighted to see it was a miraculous recovery—although curious, he wouldn't pry into how she saved him. Instead, he just wanted her to wake up.

Their time was limited, and he wanted to know if they could meet again.

'Verana is going to be angry. Imagine I came back wounded. She might never let me go again.'

"Princess?" He tried to shake her awake gently, but his attempt caused the sleepy girl to rub her cheek against his chest. It was then she moaned. "A few more minutes."

The girl's response caused him to raise his eyebrow. 'Nope, she's not waking up soon.'

However, Asura found her actions cute.

They reminded him of Amalia before she left to study and still followed him around like a clingy sister.

Because of this, he took out a new pair of clothes from his storage. Many of the items Asura kept were clothes and spares for his various women; although a little less curvy, her height matched a few of them well.

"It's not like I can dress her myself, though."

After covering the princess with a blanket, Asura began changing into some fresh clothes. His training outfit became tatters, and parading around naked didn't seem like the right thing to do with this haughty princess.

'It seems today's taste is Mu Xue...'

Asura kept several outfits in his storage, but he asked the girls to arrange them, and this one seemed to be Mu Xue's choice.

A handsome and neat noble look, or, as some books call it, 'The Royal Prince' style, with expensive and neat cuts and smooth, high-quality material, a sleek silk noble-style jacket, a soft shirt underneath, and black pants.

'Not the colour I'd choose, though.'

The pure white jacket had small flower-like patterns on the cuffs and collar, and it was a bit too flashy for his taste. Still, he wore it because Mu Xue bought it and liked him wearing these types of clothes.

Since he felt a little better, Asura began stretching to check his body and noticed that the blanket continued moving, and the princess kept secretly peeking at him.

"Are you awake?"

Asura didn't hide his physique when changing because he spent a lot of time around strange women with perverted tastes. Mu Xue, in particular, loved to make him fight her shirtless. So it just happened naturally with this princess.

"Guh!?"

When Celine realised, he noticed her peeking, and she made it blatant with an amusing sound effect.

"Ahem. I am awake. Thank you very much."

The shy princess sat up and bowed her head after collecting herself. Her soft-spoken voice sounded at odds with the sarcastic attitude she had toward him, but honestly, her pink cheeks removed many negative feelings toward her attitude.

'She's just a spoilt princess.'

Asura grinned slightly. "You can sleep some more if you're tired. I am about to go out and do some training while I have the time."

His voice was not harsh, nor did he want to continue as he walked towards the exit.

"Huh!? Wait! You're going to fight after being so badly wounded!?"

However, Asura felt his ears perk up at her surprised and remorseful expression. "What's wrong?"

Celine sighed, placing her hand on her forehead. She fixed her posture and attempted to regain her calm demeanour.

"How can you think of training after suffering such wounds? Are you some kind of..." She seemed to think of something and stop herself before watching him with a worried look.

'Hmmm?'

"I'll be fine."

He smiled. Asura didn't have the energy to explain the differences between their bodies, and the more time passed, the less progress he would make.

"Then, wait!"

Princess Celine hurriedly stood up and rushed to the side of the cave, hiding behind a hanging cloth. Asura wondered what she wanted, only to see the girl now wearing elvish leather armour and holding a beautiful glaive.

"I'll help you... okay?"

For a moment, Asura questioned her seriousness; however, Celine's face was too solemn and tense for him to think it was a joke. "Help?"

"Mmn." The princess nodded her head while rolling her eyes as though asking why he repeated it.

"Training is tough. I like to fight group fights, still okay?" He wanted to test how serious she was.

"It doesn't matter who you train against as long as it is beneficial, right? I'll try my best!" Celine's body was too tense, but her eyes showed her determination.

'Is she a novice...?'

He would not doubt her lineage, but she came across as the spoilt and loved type, rather than Vela, who fought from a young age.

Nevertheless, Asura took the princess with him. If she couldn't fight, he would just kill the enemy alone.

"Okay, follow me."

The princess's face turned radiant immediately. Her gaze at him was no longer arrogant or standoffish, as before.

Now, following him with an excited and hopeful gaze. Asura wasn't sure if this was the right path to take. Still, he didn't feel there was any harm in allowing this elf girl to become stronger.

Princess Celine misunderstood that Asura's idea of group fighting wasn't just a few goblins or wolves.

He was about to fight the entire goblin settlement alone!