Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Asura thought back to last night's romp with Valerie, who would be staying behind to protect Utgard. His legs felt light and weak after they lost control. However, his face looked delighted, and his skin shone like the sun.

'I managed to fix one of the many knots in my heart... Valerie, the sly woman, felt the same and wanted to get pregnant to show how she felt. Such a fool, I would have done that anyway if she asked.'

Asura stood tall on the ramparts, the day of departure finally upon them. The morning was a hurried blur with a rushed breakfast, and training was abandoned. Today, he would embark on a journey with half the orcs and several hundred Valkyrie, a day that would shape his future.

"Westrin..." Asura's voice was masked by the aggressive winds blowing atop the walls.

Knights were performing the morning training with Lorem and Helliana, their gazes moving to Asura every so often. The two women understood why he asked them to remain in Utgard while he left with the minimal troops and took only Xavida and Lucia with him.

'I originally intended to take Verana and Vela, but I felt a bad premonition and decided to change who would come with me.'

With his thoughts feeling clear, Asura took a deep breath and left the wall. He watched the orcs and Grom standing in a neat formation, all gazing at him with fiery eyes. They would be taking back Westrin and wiping out that dreaded drug.

The city gates soon opened, revealing several hundred Valkyrie on their steeds. The women had bright silver eyes as they awaited the signal to leave.

"Are you not riding with them, Asura?" Lucia appeared from Asura's shadow, her lovely raven locks swaying as she wrapped herself around his shoulders. Her eyes of pure darkness gazed into Asura's heart.

"I have many personal mounts—why should I use a horse." Asura kissed Lucia on the cheek and smiled. "I will not ride any steeds until they are all mounted."

"Did you not have fun with Valerie yesterday? It is not good for you to still have pent-up urges; let me help you out, lover boy." Lucia enjoyed teasing Asura, her soft lips touching his neck with a slight cold sensation before she vanished into his shadow once more. The sight caused many orcs to feel both envy and pity because she could hide in his shadow, always watching his deeds.

"Grom, how are your brothers feeling?" Asura turned to the orcs who mounted mutated wolves with large fangs and thick fur."

"We're itching for freedom, our feelings only suppressed due to our battle lust," Grom replied, his brother's moods visible through their faces.

"Good. You guys should relax on this journey. I will allow you to run wild once we reach Westrin." Asura laughed in his heart when he saw their eyes burn with fierce killing intent.

Asura gazed towards the palace. He could see Vela standing in a beautiful white dress with a frilled bottom and high neck while Mu Xue and Valerie stood beside her in a blue Eastern robe and red ballroom dress. 'They look amazing. Valerie looks so calm now. Is last night really that big a change for her?'

Sadly he couldn't stop Verana and Helliana from following, as he noticed they snuck into the unit.

"Asura!!!" A lovely voice sounded before a colossal figure crashed into the ground; Xavida, carrying Amalia, appeared from the dust; in her dragon form, Xavida offered to carry him to Westrin. At first, Asura felt bad, but somehow Xavida said she loved being mounted by him, which sounded equally erotic as it did lovely.

'A dragon offering to let you mount them is a tremendous honour, after all.'

"Get on, Asura. Then we can go." Xavida was no longer a simple white dragon. Her body had expanded and grown larger, her wings longer, and she had a slim physique with shimmering horns. She seemed to have grown more mature over the past few weeks, slowly at first. Then, suddenly, her form became so refined that it shocked everyone.

Asura shook his head before jumping onto Xavida's back. He watched Amalia rush to join with the two hundred Valkyrie led by Ignis and his sister before kicking Xavida's neck, her wings flapping at top speed.

Xavida soared into the skies with a force that sent gusts of wind crashing against the ramparts. With her brothers back in view, a loving expression appeared on Amalia's face, one that she would not hide anymore. She would follow Asura and support him through and through.

"March!"

With the call from Ignis. The orcs and Valkyrie all followed Asura, who flew at a low altitude just ahead of the group. The beautiful mountains that wrapped around Utgard in a horseshoe shape came into view as they departed.

They could see the clear streams of water flowing in the rivers below, the lands covered in lush greenery, and the various strange birds and beasts that lived in the land of Utgard.

Such a beautiful land, the orcs felt regretful trying to destroy it, reminded of their beautiful forest homeland. Maria soon caught up with her summoned eagle, over two metres in size, and she flew just beneath Asura. Her gaze fixated on the direction of Westrin. She held an innate hatred towards the cultists that caused this situation.

They were the ones responsible for the attack on her beloved and herself.

The air whistled as the party made their way past the towering trees, their leaves shifting due to the winds. A clearing soon opened in the forests, the company taking their first step onto the expansive plains that wrapped around Utgard and the centre of the land.

"Romantica is so beautiful, Xavi." Asura's hands stroked between her scales, massaging her skin, causing Xavida to let out delighted noises as she flew across the air, twirling around, almost making him fall. "Oi... I am lucky that I can use magic to remain attached."

"Hehe, sorry~ it just feels so good."

"What does?"

"When you stroke my neck so gently, hehe. It feels like a date flying together."

Asura's ears felt hot as Xavida's adorable voice sounded in his mind. She would make it so that only he could hear her dragon voice while riding her, something she seemed to have learned only recently, which made Asura curious.

"So, who taught you how to do that?" Asura questioned, his hand stroking her neck as he kicked her neck and nodded.

"Ehehe, I just wanted to say something only to you and practised a lot!" Xavida's reply caused Asura to have a smile on his face.

"My dragon wife is too cute."

"Really? Ehehe~ then I'll reward you later."

Asura's smile deepened as he looked down, seeing the speeding horses and orcs racing along the ground, forming clouds of dust and dirt, their determination and focused faces calming him down, while Maria, on her eagle, looked quite heroic.

There was a strange sound, but Asura couldn't quite make it out due to Xavida's chirping voice and the noise from below.

'What was that sound? I can't see anything because of the mist from the many rivers and water sources.'

"We will arrive at Westrin in half a day, Asura." Maria's voice sounded beside Asura as the eagle flew close to the dragon, bringing his attention back to her. "I have never been here, so I'll rely on you."

"It has been a long time since I have come to Romantica..." Asura added.

"Don't worry, I know the area well. Once we cross the river below us, we will enter the vicinity of Westrin, the largest city in Romantica's eastern territory, once home to the most loyal of our kingdom." Maria seemed proud of her kingdom, even knowing Asura's plan; maybe she wanted him to honour their traditions and former ways if he became the king.

The next moment, as Asura turned to reply, he felt a strange fluctuation from the surrounding mountains... However, it was too late.

Over a dozen hidden ballistic shot toward them, their bolts hidden by strange magic hurling through the air towards Xavida and Maria, while a large troop of footmen ambushed the orcs and Valkyrie from both flanks.

Asura's eyes opened wide when he saw the people donned in black armour with a black rose design on their chests. There were several hundred of them.

"Maria!!! We are under attack, a hidden force!" Asura shouted to Maria. He didn't think that a hidden force would appear here before the bolts had almost reached Xavida.

"WHAT!?"

"Damn it..."

The two responded with a frown. The eagle screeched as it dashed upwards, one bolt piercing through its chest, knocking it downwards as Maria's hands glowed in red light. The next moment, three fireballs rushed through the air, sweeping through the figures in black.

Maria's flames instantly crushed dozens of the troops on the ground as the eagle and Xavida circled towards the others. Xavida's jaws released a ball of white light that consumed many of the other attackers.

"Come back. Grom and the rest of the army will handle them!"

Xavida and Maria instantly reacted to Asura's order. However, a strange crackle sounded before a beam shot from the ground. Its black and green light was eerie and filled with death as it penetrated Xavida's right wing.

The beam tore through the air, but the following sound was not the sound of flesh tearing but rather the sound of earth-shattering as the beam blasted the surroundings.

Xavida's body trembled, becoming paralysed from the beam, falling from the skies as Asura hopped off her back and transformed.