Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

His eyes open to view the surrounding walls covered in flesh and pulsating meat. A crowd of strange existences with various broken forms... Instead of flesh, their bodies used magic elements and strange materials to create their bodies.

A musky, thick scent came to the man\'s senses, sweet with a tinge of metal and earth. It was blood, but the blood wasn\'t red but blue.

"My King, are you well?" asked a soft voice. The man tried to control his head to face the voice, but his cries and efforts only amplified his feeling of being trapped and unable to do anything but think and despair.

\'Strange, the language isn\'t one I know... Hmmm? How do I know who I am?\'

Unable to move his eyes, the man\'s thoughts became paranoid before the soft voice sounded again, and he felt her touch upon his cheek.

"My beloved master, can you not look at me once more? It burdens my heart to know you suffer and cannot act... Tell Muru who to slay, and she will see it done!"

It was at that moment a miracle happened.

His eyes lowered, able to see the woman who tried to approach him... but what the man saw caused his mind to remember everything.

A beautiful woman worthy of being called a goddess. Or maybe, in this form, she would be a demon goddess?

Azure hair sparkled like morning dew, and her soft cheeks were the colour of ice, sparkling like gemstones. Despite her entire form being created by what seemed to be a mixture of soft flesh and ice, the figure in his eyes shocked the man\'s mind, and for a moment...

He could control his hand, wipe her cold, exquisite cheek, and brush away her frozen tears.

\'My name is... Asura, but why does this woman look so familiar, like...\' The thoughts turned black, and he lost all connection to the strange world.

Suddenly, his eyes opened...

The brilliant lights and soft sensation beneath his neck became comfortable and soothing as the scent of jasmine filled his nose. "Nnn... where am I?"

"Brother!?" a vibrant voice replied, the soft cushion beneath his head moving slightly as the scent of her body became more intense.

"Rosam?"

The moment Asura spoke in his befuddled state, the body of this beautiful fairy with silver hair trembled a moment of her true essence betraying her attempt to hide...

Yet, at a moment\'s respite, she recovered.

"Brother...!? How many girls let you sleep on your lap? It\'s Amalia! How cruel... I might cry!"

"Ah... Amalia?"

\'I almost forgot my sister. Is it because our connection as siblings who share the same blood no longer exists? Or rather, the fact it never existed caused me to feel so strange waking up on her lap?\'

"Ah, Amalia? Is that all you have to say, Asura!? You disappear for so long. Then Master tells me you fought her and got hurt. Your body was a mess, and I thought you might die! Then you keep whining about another woman\'s voice while sleeping on my knee...

Who is Muru!?"

Her voice caused Asura\'s dizziness to fade instantly, the desire to stop her tears overwhelming him even more than hearing the name of that strange monster from his vague dream.

"Forgive me Amalia, brother is a fool who dreamt of a strange woman."

She gently stroked across his cheeks, twirling his raven hairs around her fingertips while gently bouncing his head as her legs kicked out, but her grip didn\'t allow him to sit up, so he gave up and let her keep him prisoner.

After all, her thighs were soft and smelled nice...

\'How is it possible for a being made from flesh to smell so divinely? How come there are no women like my sister in the world?\'

Amalia giggled and asked, "Brother... why does your face look so strange?"

He could only open his sore eyes, the feeling of the light hitting them for a moment intertwined with that dark space where the distorted world greeted him.

Beautiful blue curtains danced from the breeze, with lovely decorations and toys spread around the gigantic bed.

The scented candles emitted a faint scent, and the fireplace was ablaze. Yet, despite these luxuries, all Asura could see was the hazy image of that strange monster\'s teary and tormented eyes.

\'Who is Muru? Why does this name cause my chest to feel so much pain? I barely remember what happened, but something tells me she is important for my chest to feel such a substantial force is crushing it.\'

"Brother, you are ignoring me!"

"Sorry, Amalia, brother was just thinking... but he promises he won\'t do it again."

Asura stroked her cheek, noticing that Amalia had changed more than he remembered.

She was becoming a glamorous woman, like the pictures of their mother. Amalia looked identical to her, like a younger twin rather than a daughter. He couldn\'t help but look away briefly, breathless from how pretty she had become in their time apart.

\'Do I have an Oedipus complex?\' His thoughts passed like a summer breeze as he tried to stop these thoughts.

He wished he could keep the promise... but he had a strange feeling inside his gut, the feeling of having lost something so precious he couldn\'t help but desperately try to regain it.

\'What have I lost? Did I gain anything in return? Where am I, anyway? This bed isn\'t Sigurd\'s, for sure. Why are there women\'s underwear all over the room?\'

Asura glanced around his room, decorated like a Princess with beautiful fabrics and carpets. Even the small figurines of various mythological creatures were lifelike.

"Is this your room, Amalia?" At first, it felt awkward—sleeping on his sister\'s lap and then looking around her room with her underwear tossed around.

Yet the first thought that came to mind made him feel shame, \'her bra is huge...\'

She fidgeted momentarily, her eyes glancing at her legs as she avoided his gaze. Amalia saw her brother\'s gaze and noticed that he said nothing but stared. "B-Brother... It\'s a little dirty. I will clean upon now."

\'I planned to stay quiet! Of course, I want to leave because it\'s strange, but I won\'t make my sister cry.\'

He couldn\'t help but smile, stroking her cheek, "Forgive me, brother\'s vision is still a little blurry; I saw nothing. I promise."

However, his words did the opposite, as Amalia bit her lower lips and trembled with red cheeks. Her voice was a whisper as her hand suddenly pinched her bra through her nightgown. "Brother... do you like my breasts?"

"Amalia? Why are you asking for something like that!?"

His body instantly rolled off her lap, and she felt a strange sensation.

Their relationship had always seemed strange from the moment they were young. She insisted on bathing and sleeping together, and they distanced themselves only after she became Sigurd\'s apprentice.

So Asura, who knows more than he should, struggled with the situation.

He told himself, \'My sister is just an affectionate girl... nothing else.\' to deal with her strange actions in the past, but now knowing some secrets related to her birth and the fact she is more like a clone of his mother than his sister caused his heart to struggle to deal with her.

\'No... wait, why do I know this? That memory had no relation to Auros, Sura or my past life!?\'

Asura\'s body trembled, and a cold sensation flowed down his back as he covered his face with both palms. He felt confused. Where did he learn these things? Whose memories did he have, and what did he remember?

\'Forget it. I need to get out and breathe some fresh air. Now isn\'t the time to fall apart.\'

Amalia\'s voice resounded in Asura\'s ears, "Brother?" Her nose almost touched his as her brilliant eyes shimmered a piercing grey, so close that he could see her reflection within them.

"Are you alright? Don\'t be angry, Asura. I am wrong, okay!"

"Huh? Why would I be angry with you?"

Her voice lowered to a whisper, "Mother said men love large breasts... why does brother seem so against them..."

He pretended not to hear her words, his body pulling apart, the images of two women constantly colliding when he looked at her... the beautiful princess Rosam, the half sister of Auros and his lovely sister.

Amalia was a completely different person from her, but their appearances and actions were too similar sometimes.

\'Am I looking for her in my sister? I always knew how Rosam felt about Auros... No, I am just confusing myself and need to take a moment to recover—that dream and the strange memories I have no recollection of are the issue!\'

"Amalia, where is Sigurd?" Because he couldn\'t fix the situation easily, he threw the subject and asked about Sigurd.

He still needed to speak with her, wondering how she felt and dealt with their clash.

Seeing Asura\'s slightly pale face, Amalia no longer insisted on pursuing the question and answered his question obediently, "Master is making a feast."

"A feast, why?"

"I don\'t know. She seemed so happy in the kitchen and kicked me out when I tried to steal some of the food. But they are all your favourites... I hate sweet and sour with crunchy pork!"

"I see."

Asura lowered his head, feeling lost for a moment before he stroked her cheeks again.

"Amalia, brother, isn\'t angry; I am slightly embarrassed. He needs a little more time to adjust after returning from the tower. It might have been a month for you, but it was over a year for me... and I didn\'t expect you to become so beautiful so soon. Brother is jealous some nasty boys will come take you away."

He mixed the truth with some lies—his feelings that she became beautiful were true, but he would never let someone he didn\'t accept take her away.

Or maybe he just fooled himself with this answer, as Amalia felt the same way: Nobody was good enough for her brother. She wouldn\'t give him to any woman.

She pushed the bra-peeking question away and replied to his words, "Nn, I understand, brother. Master said dinner would be ready soon, so we shouldn\'t keep her waiting anymore..."

Amalia then seemed curt as she dashed away, her eyes only leaving Asura when she left the room and the door closed.

"Why is everything becoming so complicated?" Asura sighed, realising that making everyone happy wasn\'t as intelligent as he thought.

Instead, maybe just picking Mu Xue in the past would have made life easier. Then, the faces of all the women who had become close to him over the past few months caused his eyes to clear.

\'No... I wouldn\'t give up Xavida or any of them, even if it means my life becomes hectic and confusing.\'

"After all, I carry nine lives of baggage on these shoulders..."