Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

In the midst of the brutal battle, Asura's wings fluttered high above the orcs, his gaze like a god looking down upon them, while he observed the tallest orc holding a huge axe.

'This must be their leader, and his gaze is full of conviction and power.'

Behind him, the assault on the walls intensified with Xavida's huge body crushing and smashing the enemy. However, she couldn't stop everyone from climbing the wall with magic.

'I cannot waste time on this... If I do not convince the orcs, then the knights and my lovely fiancée's might be hurt.'

Asura landed on the damaged ground covered in cracks and filled with pools of blood and fallen bodies. With the flutter of his wings, all the bodies and filth evaporated into ashes. With the flicker of his black flame, everything vanished, followed by a white flame.

The white flame.

A beacon of life that spread across the barren land. His flames transformed it into a vibrant plane of lush grass, blooming flowers, and countless colourful flora that danced in the gentle breeze.

"What witchcraft!?"

The tall orc spoke with a heavy accent. However, Grom's pronunciation and words in the common human dialect from the Silvara mainland were clear.

"I removed the fallen and dirty, replacing it with new life."

Asura didn't rush into combat despite the orcs frothing at the mouth, some with bulging bloodshot eyes. Yet he felt calm, just watching Grom'Gaius, trying to analyse and observe him.

"I am Asura Phoenix, Prince of Silvara. Who might you be?"

The orc straightened his back, almost taller than Asura in his phoenix form. However, falling short, his back cracked while holding a massive axe, his yellow teeth biting together.

"I am Grom. Grom'Gaius! The strongest orc!"

'This orc is a little funny.'

"Well, are we going to duel, or shall I fight all of you at once?"

He tried to sound neutral, but Asura's words came across as quite arrogant and offensive. Grom's forehead bulged with veins, seeming angered by Asura.

"Do you underestimate the orc race? I shall not stand for that insult!"

Grom's voice boomed out as he raised his axe high above his head, swinging it down with explosive force. Asura remained calm, watching the axe swing towards him with ease, only fluttering his wings.

'I have already seen your technique. Just a simple swing.' Stay connected via мѵʟ

Asura didn't dodge or move. Instead, he just lifted his arm, spreading his long fingers. The sound of Grom's axe howled as it slammed down towards Asura's head. However, he remained calm, instead just grasping the blade of the axe as they swung down.

"What!?"

Grom yelled out in shock as he tried to pull his axe back. Asura didn't move or exert any strength. He just stood there with his hand over the blade of the axe. Yet Grom couldn't lift his axe at all.

'Is this thing really that heavy?'

With a yank, Asura pulled the weapon from Grom's hand. This caused the orcs behind him to gasp, some of them visibly shaking in rage. The ones likely exposed to the drugs were now unable to control their burning rage. While the chemicals burned away their brains, turning them into disposable attack dogs.

"Hmph!"

With a snort, Asura threw the axe away with ease, causing it to crash into the ground far away. It landed in a pool of water, making a splash and sinking into the depths. Grom clenched his fists, almost shaking in rage.

"You!"

However, before Grom could complain, Asura swung his right fist with a hook. His fist smashed into Grom's jaw with explosive power. A cracking sound resounded as Grom's body flew through the air. With a loud crash, he collided with the ground, creating a small crater in the ground.

Asura was quite surprised.

'I didn't put too much power into that punch, and it still sent him flying.'

That became the trigger for the orcs to charge. Grom was no longer the strongest because he lost to a single punch. They charged forward with axes and blades while Asura flicked his wrist, summoning the huge black blade identical to his father's.

Asura swung it down, slashing across the first orc to reach him. The black blade cleaved through the orc's body with ease, leaving behind a massive gaping wound. The orc's body fell apart in two halves, with his organs and blood spraying out.

"Die!"

"Die!"

The orcs roared out like beasts as they attacked him, almost completely unafraid of death. The drugs had poisoned their minds, and their brains turned into mush.

"You're all too weak."

Asura swung the black blade again, beheading another orc. The shockwave caused five orcs to fling back, smashing against sharp rocks and dying in a pitiful state. Another orc charged forward, swinging his axe with explosive force. Asura caught it with his bare hands, crushing the weapon into dust.

"W-what are you!?"

The orc was terrified of Asura's strength. Yet before he could run away, Asura grabbed his head with his free hand and crushed it with ease. He couldn't afford to be gentle. His goal was to draw out the cultists waiting who set the trap. Although they cleared the palace, thanks to Lorem and Lucia, the primary force of cultists remained masked by strange magic.

Asura stepped forward, swinging his blade once more, killing another orc. Their corpses littered the ground as he killed dozens of them with ease. The orcs who didn't take the drugs became visibly shaken, some of them trying to flee. However, they were surrounded by the cliff face and the raging sea below.

"I thought you orcs were supposed to be strong?"

He continued to bait the ones who seemed unable to stop. Asura didn't care about becoming hated. Grom's eyes watching him seemed to gain intelligence. Those that were berserk died, while the ones unaffected, Asura would hit and send them flying towards Grom.

Grom, the strongest orc, now became confused. This man, supposed to be his enemy, only killed those who would soon become bumbling fools or complete invalids.

"Is this on purpose? To give them a warrior's death?"

Of course, Grom couldn't know that Asura gained information about him before. The strange maid told him about how he treated Alan and about the strange drug that only affected monsters—or orcs, in this case. Asura would use anything to crush Romantica and complete his task.

Grom watched as Asura killed hundreds of orcs with ease, even when they attacked him with all their might. Asura seemed to dodge as he swung his sword, never using magic. He just used his body and sword to kill them.

"This...isn't he a monster?"

Grom muttered as he watched the bodies of the orcs pile up. The cultists hid in the shadows, watching as Asura killed hundreds of orcs who rushed at him without fear. Some of them became visibly shaken, while others panicked.

"We should retreat. We can't afford to fight him!" The orcs with brains looked back to Grom, who looked at them and nodded.

Not only this strange monster but the dragon and the strange woman riding her. It caused Grom to realise that there was always someone above you in the world. He didn't loathe Asura. Instead, feeling a sense of desire. He wanted to speak to Asura to learn why he did not kill the ones not infected with the green plague.

However, when he tried to stand up, his legs trembled. Grom fell back to the ground, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Damn it! I must learn his strength!"

He remained silent and watched after the punch earlier injured his body. The other orcs realised he didn't want to leave, so they remained in place. All the normal orcs now out of the direction Asura pointed. Instead, just the ones infected continued to fight him in a brutal massacre.

Asura didn't show mercy, even if he felt they were innocent victims. The orcs attacked him with reckless abandon, and he needed to kill them all to prevent more suffering.

The flames of war burned brightly as he slew hundreds of orcs, one by one. Until only Grom and his three hundred troops remained.

"Haa... I am covered in their blood."

Asura felt nothing. He just looked around, waiting for the next stage of battle, the proper battle. There was a rippling wave of magic from all directions aimed towards him. Unlike Grom, Asura could sense it but didn't know why they waited so long to attack him.

At first, he thought they might attack him during his fight with the orcs... Now, their magic bloomed like gigantic roses in his eyes.

'Yet nothing... I wonder how many are there?'

He looked around, seeing only a few orcs remaining. The others had fled, but he sensed they didn't go far. Asura knew the cultists would soon reveal themselves.

"What is happening?" Grom's voice sounded before Asura noticed the surrounding corpses from all the drugged orcs glowed a bright green.

Before he could react, the corpses of over seven hundred orcs exploded. A massive blast of green gas erupted in a vast radius around him.

'W-what is this?'

Asura remained calm, yet he felt a slight tingle in his skin. The orcs screamed out in pain as they turned into charred black corpses, but he didn't feel pain at all.

Until the flash of light from all directions appeared.

The cultists revealed themselves, emerging from the shadows and revealing their magic. Asura felt a sharp pain in his chest as he coughed out a mouthful of blood. He felt a sharp pain in his body as if something pierced him.

He looked down, seeing a massive black spike stabbing into his chest.

However, the spike was more ethereal than real because his hands couldn't touch it. He tried to grasp the spike twice before their magic fired toward him.

Asura swung his black blade, slashing apart the incoming spells, only to see the spike in his chest vanish. However, his body felt weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

'What kind of magic is this?'

Asura realised he faced a foe far more dangerous than he imagined. The sight of Lorem and the others attacking the cultists at his side relieved him.

Until a white beam suddenly enveloped him as if absorbing all the gas and poison as its fuel. Asura felt the magic absorb the poison into his body, and he felt his strength returning.

"You bastards..."

Asura raised his hand, causing a black flame to erupt in a violent blaze that burned everything around him. The fire swept across the battlefield, burning everything in its path.

However, that seemed to be the trigger... An explosion enveloped Asura, sending him flying backwards with immense force. Asura crashed into the ground, rolling over several times before crashing into the cliff face.

The explosion left him covered in dust and rubble. He tried to stand up, only to cough up blood as he fell back to his knees.

"What the hell was that?"

His body felt strange, like a strange poison had invaded his body.

"Hihihihi, now you cannot use any magic, filthy false son!" The shrill voice of a cultist echoed while Asura rose to his feet.