Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

"Are you alright, Asura?"

Lucia's voice echoed from the shadows. Although she could hear everything, she didn't know why he felt so strange. There was a sense of confusion towards Asura's anger and current state as her invisible hands hugged him.

"... I'm okay, just feeling a little confused," Asura said softly, his eyes closing as he tried to refresh his mind and let the other parts of his mind deal with it. "Thank you."

The corridor was beautiful, filled with large, vibrant bouquets across the walls adorned with stained glass windows as tall as the walls. He felt a sense of calm as he walked. Or perhaps it was Lucia's hug that made him feel at ease.

"Why does the scent of blood still linger in this place?"

He turned the corner and found a massive and beautiful garden terrace, which he was unprepared for. His eyes widened with surprise as his gaze turned to the pool of blood covering the floor and walls. The scarlet covered the ground, an abyssal glow beneath the surface.

The fragrance was so thick in the air that he could not breathe easily. "What!?"

However, it transformed into a beautiful garden the next moment, and only a charming pool of fresh water remained. "A hallucination..."

Asura slowly returned to his senses. He took a deep breath while he remembered the smell, a familiar one that he would never forget; the feeling of their mother biting his neck was still fresh in his mind.

"That damn old woman," Asura muttered as he closed his eyes, replaying the scene in his mind, but the instant he did, he saw Lucia's face in the pool's reflection, pouting. "Are you jealous?"

"Maybe..." Lucia's voice was soft and timid. "The old woman is dangerous, so keep your distance, or she might drink all your blood. Or force you into her bed!"

"You shouldn't worry. I won't let her succeed a second time. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing." Asura chuckled, his lips curling into a smile as his magic washed and burned away the blood from his neck. His eyes glowed slightly as he remembered the cute expression of Valerie as she endured his devouring."

"Really~?"

"Yes..." Asura opened his eyes and reached a hand to her, gently stroking her cheek as it phased through. "What made you follow me, anyway?" He felt regretful that he couldn't touch her body easily during the day when her clones were active.

"Mhmmm... I just wanted to see how you would react~" Lucia giggled before her presence vanished again.

Asura smiled faintly; he was slowly getting used to Lucia's antics. Still, he wished her adventurous side would stop leading him to a small slither of danger.

However, unknown to him, Lucia watched his figure closely, her mind reflecting on Asura's experience today. 'Verena...' She felt confused after seeing and hearing his reaction to that woman's name. Her only thoughts were that a woman who looked like Verana caused him to become so aggressive and crazed, wanting to know the reason.

****

Princess Vela finally reunited with Asura a few minutes after he left the garden and wandered. She then skipped to his side and escorted him to the assigned room near Valerie's meeting. "Asura... Tonight, there will be a banquet..." Her face seemed displeased at something that worried her. "It's for your engagement with that woman."

"Something bothers you?" Asura asked with a frown as he sensed her nervousness and irritation.

"Oh... Nothing... It's just that I am your Fiancée too; why should she steal you away?" She sulked cutely, making him laugh.

"Then let's celebrate our engagement tonight, okay?" Asura smiled faintly as Vela's mood suddenly improved. She stroked his arm before hearing him whisper. "We can sleep together if you want; my mother said it's okay."

"What?" Vela's ears twitched before her face blushed red; she nervously fiddled with her fingers and shyly glanced at Asura. "You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to..."

"I didn't think you were such a lewd girl..." Asura whispered seductively, making her shiver while imagining their first night together. She didn't know why his words made her mind stir with lustful thoughts.

"Asura... Stop teasing me... I am an adult!"

"..."

"Sorry," Asura coughed with a shameless smile as her answer slightly disappointed him. "So, where is our room?"

Vela didn't answer with words but took Asura's hand and dragged him a short distance, passing through a corridor covered with ornate dragon statues, before reaching their room. It was quite a large entrance, with double blue doors, and a vast room inside, with a gigantic bed.

"This is our room..."

Vela stood silently, but her gaze drifted towards Asura as she felt her heart pounding. "I have something to do now! So... I will meet you at the banquet later." She quickly pulled away from his tempting gaze and disappeared before he could react.

"Huh? How come you're running away so quickly?" Asura smirked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice as he approached the bed and sat down on it.

Asura closed his eyes, trying to use all of his mind and parallel thought skills to analyse the information he gained today despite his happiness over his engagement with Vela. He felt he missed too much in his past life, causing him to feel a sense of crisis. How many things did he misunderstand because of his limited viewpoint of a victim?

'Why is this happening?'

'Maybe I shouldn't have accepted the proposal and killed that woman...'

'Or is there another reason?'

Asura lay back on the bed as he sighed softly and attempted to enter meditation to organise his thoughts and evaluate everything he had experienced. However, something drew his attention to the other side of the room as the sound of water hitting stone filled his ears.

'Is this... a bathroom?'

Asura's golden eyes gazed at the corner of the room opposite the bed, where a wall hid what appeared to be a door. He squinted his eyes before they glowed faintly with golden light; suddenly, the wall became clear as a pale beauty washing in thick, soapy bubbles appeared...

"..."

He watched the figure with great interest; it was the haughty princess, but unlike before, Vela's figure became exposed to his gaze. The soap bubbles hid little, and neither did the long silver hair. Her rosy, bubbly, plump buttocks and sensual, round breasts made his eyes narrow with fascination.

Her flawless skin glistened as the water cascaded down her back. Vela's wet hair clung to her shoulders and breasts, revealing the vibrant nipple that had hardened because of the cool water. "Damn this princess, doesn't she realise how sexy she looks?"

Asura clenched his teeth as his mind wondered why he never noticed in his past life. Why did this vision of beauty fade away? "I'm lucky as hell."

His body rose as he walked towards her, and just as she turned around, he instinctively approached the bathroom while he seemed to be in a trance entering the room. His clothes melted off his body as they entered the water while Asura's figure appeared naked before Vela.

"Ah... A-Asura?"

Vela gasped, her face blushing a deep crimson red as her body shivered. However, as she saw him appear naked before her, she couldn't help but stare at his muscular body and the marks of battle.

"Hey, Vela." Asura didn't seem shy or embarrassed, reaching past her body as their skin touched. He grabbed the same soap she used, lathering himself in bubbles as she stood like a terrified rabbit. "I am just washing up before the banquet. Don't mind me."

"Wait... Asura... What are you doing..." Vela's voice trembled as he glanced at her face, their eyes meeting for a moment as she struggled to keep her gaze from leaving his handsome face, as they were closer than an inch together.

****

Meanwhile, as Asura and Vela were exploring each other in the showers...

"Mother!?" Verana's voice echoed through the quiet resting room beside the greeting room. She entered, filled with concern as Asura vanished, and the faint scent of blood was inside the greeting room. She knew it was Asura's blood; there was no other blood that delicious in this universe.

"Honey, why are you in such a rush?" A familiar and tranquil voice sounded as the beauty lay on a bed of luscious cloth and wool, her expensive feather quilt peeled back as she wore a simple black gown. Her face looked pleasant, while a strange scent filled the air.

"Mother, what happened? There is blood..." Verana asked. She was anxious, as she could not understand what was going on.

"Relax, child..." Valerie smiled faintly, her face relaxed as she watched her daughter and could only chuckle with an elegant laugh, but it made Verana even more confused... Her more hadn't laughed since she was a child and first learned to wield her bloodline powers.

"Mother... Tell me... What happened here? I smelt blood; your scent is so strong even..." Verana stepped closer, her crimson eyes hinting at anxiousness and hostility toward her mother. "Are you okay?"

"Fufu, are you jealous that I tasted your future husband... I must say, you were right. He is more of a man than meets the eye; I've never..." Her voice trailed off as she seemed to enter a dreamlike state, her eyes watery while biting her lips. "Mother is so jealous of you..."

Verana's eyes widened in shock and horror; her bloodline surged as a black fog surrounded her and formed blades. "Mother, you've done enough; how could you touch him? His blood is only mine!"

"Oh my, are you angry? I had to make sure he was worthy of you." Valerie smiled gently, but a crimson flame ignited in her pupils as it nullified Verona's rage, forcing the child to fall to her knees as though paralysed by a poisonous snake. "As long as you've woken up... That boy, you will not let him die, swear upon your name or I will take him for myself!"

Verana trembled while watching the appearance of the transformation from a beautiful woman to a demoness, a force beyond her reach. She gritted her teeth and bowed. "Mother, what have you done... Why are you so obsessive towards him!?"

"I am your mother. Did you think our tastes would be so different?" Valerie sighed softly, but the flames faded away as she returned to normal again, reaching over and pulling Verana close. "He is too precious to our bloodline to lose; the boy, no, the man himself, is also extremely valuable. Verana."

Valerie's soft voice soothed Verana's nerves, "I will tell you more later, but the boy is special. Even his blood is like a delicacy I have never tasted before... Me, a damned witch who lived thousands of years!"

Verana trembled as she heard her mother's voice... Her tone was more enthusiastic than ever before. When she spoke of Asura, the look in her eyes made Verana wonder who the real Valerie was. "But mother... he might hate me..."

"Hate you? Honey... Fufu..." Valerie sighed, rubbing Verana's head like when she was a child, "If he hates you... then change his heart. It's not like the world will end tomorrow. As long as there is time and you make the sincere effort."

"You know the past between us. Even I do not understand my emotions; he's another person from my memories..." Verana replied with a sad voice that her mother found cute and gentle.

"Is he the boy... that your sister?"

"Mmm..."

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"Understood, no wonder he almost killed her on the spot... But it seems he doesn't know the details... in the tower of death, tell him everything, that long journey with the two of you, make sure you tell everything about yourself." Valerie whispered in Verana's ears. "As long as there is hope, then nothing else matters."

"Do you believe he will forgive me? He has no reason to..." Verana asked.

"He doesn't seem to be a devil, but a kind man; he forgave me drinking his blood and didn't once denounce our bloodline as monsters." Valerie chuckled, recalling the images as she smiled and closed her eyes. "He is also handsome; his soul is the most delicious I have tasted."

"Mother..."

"Don't worry, I won't steal him... maybe a few bites here or there." Valerie laughed, "Go, child. Spend your time with him. I will handle things here."

Verana sighed; her expression became complicated, yet her mother was right. "Thank you, Mother, and forgive me for being stubborn..."

Valerie watched her daughter leave the room with a soft smile, speaking as the door closed.

"Oh, my child, I could never be mad after meeting him; no wonder he drove you and your sister mad. Maybe it's the fate of Drakkur women to attract such a man. To think it was the same man... Born again."

Even Asura could never know; Verana and her mother remembered their past life; it was a particular skill of the Drakkur family, only inherited by the first daughter.