Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

His words were purposely used to upset Sigurd, causing her to grumble while biting her lips. A thin red line oozed down her chin, and she seemed overwhelmed with anger.

She probably understood that if she wanted to crush him with pure power, her true strength would obliterate him.

It wasn't the strength of her body, mind or spirit that would be the most dangerous, but the sword itself. Even though he destroyed that tower and its monsters, he couldn't defeat her, even if he used his phoenix manifestation.

"You bastard, you say this knowing I cannot fight you with everything!" Like a wail of anger and lamentation, Sigurd's thick voice echoed throughout the training room, filling his ears and soul with her heartfelt sadness and fury.

Her delicate eyes glared at Asura, causing him to know that he should take the next attack seriously, but he doubted her current emotions would allow her to use all her strength.

However, she would use all of her technique, skill and abilities to show her respect and honour towards him.

Asura smiled, causing her anger to rise as her thoughts became messy and chaotic, unable to understand or predict his movements.

"You will be like Auros if you keep going like you are... Perhaps not the same as him, but something far more dangerous."

"Then stop me. This time, don't run away." Asura once again pushed her.

Sigurd's aura exploded in a large sphere and became terrifying. Unable to hold back, she shot towards him with her sword held high. It seemed he wore out her patience, and she attacked.

'She thinks of me as Auros... I have to separate us in her mind and have her kill Auros so she can only hate me and love me...'

Asura's thoughts and desires seemed complicated, but his heart and feelings from being Auros agreed. He didn't hold some strange obsession; none of his past lives did because they accepted he was them, and they were him.

Yet Sigurd couldn't be like this, and the two of them knew it and forced this situation so they could start from zero.

His blade blocked her blow, but she regained her balance and power when the steel collided. Her body twirled over his blade, and she slashed a second time at point-blank. Her speed caused Asura to throw himself back against the wall.

Sigurd's sword then tore apart the ground like paper, slicing it in two and causing it to crumble.

Then, before he could blink, she was in front of him again with a single step; her connecting combo was so deadly.

Now, with her blade descending into his body, Asura knew she didn't hold back.

'Too quick!'

The movement caused his eyes to widen while his heart pounded in his chest like a hammer striking a nail. He reacted quickly and crossed his body with the blade.

Her free hand extended towards his neck, creating a flicker of wind, and she instantly cast a wind spell.

'What!?'

A gust of air-pressured blades pierced his flesh before Sigurd grabbed his throat, her fingers curling around his neck with such strength that Asura struggled to breathe, let alone think.

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However, he knew this was her test for him, so he didn't think but let his instinct guide him—he spat a fireball directly at her face, followed by a brutal knee to her abdomen and an elbow to her throat.

His crimson blood stained her white hair and Sigurd's flawless cheeks.

"That is too shallow!" Asura said, reaching out with his palm and touching her cheek, creating a black flame.

Sigurd's body erupted into a hurricane, blowing the fire away from her body as that fire even destroyed the roof above them before setting the building ablaze.

"You reckless... bastard... haa..." Sigurd breathed heavily. The sudden spell caused her to sense danger despite her advantage and injuries taking a toll on her. For a moment, Asura was thankful that he fought against her at this level, not when she reached the true Saint level.

"Haha... I am still alive."

The truth became apparent to Sigurd that although she might be slightly faster, his defence, offence, and toughness surpassed her even though she was much older and trained for much longer.

'But to her, I am like a child, haha.' Asura thought as he stepped forward.

'How long have I been in that tower? Months, years, decades? It was the dream world's time, not real-time. So even though I did not age or seem to change that year allowed me to train and temper my body using my flame of destruction and rebirth to destroy and repair myself relentlessly!'

Sigurd's atmosphere changed. Her gaze toward Asura became sharp, no longer the hint of worry.

"Since your body is so tough, let me beat some sense into you."

Asura's muscles tensed at her words.

The two of them stared at each other silently. Sigurd's facial features looked gorgeous but refined and had a traditional look. With her long white hair and flawless white skin, her blue eyes and full lips were utterly charming.

Then, with a flick of her sword, the flames vanished as if they never existed. "I will now fight you with a power that befits your current prowess. Asura Fenix."

"Sigurd..."

"I will not hold back." Sigurd's body blurred.

'She is getting serious now...'

Asura's blade moved swiftly to meet the blow.

The wind collided with the sword's edge, sending sparks of crimson flames and black ash into the air, forming a temporary dust cloud between the opponents.

⁜ Sigurd POV

Despite coming to her and forcing her to face the past that hurt her so badly, she felt a sense of comfort the more they clashed. His feelings towards her became more apparent, and Sigurd could only greet that with her seriousness.

'Come at me, Asura. I will never let you become like that man!'

Her power and magic density, now using something close to Stage Six, his physical body, caused her to feel threatened. Despite the slight smile on her face, he was sure that she was not laughing.

Asura's heightened senses could feel she was using wind magic to manipulate her sword, increasing its damage and speed and hiding the trajectory to send devastating attacks towards him.

His eyes blazed with bright crimson light.

"Come!" Asura held his blade forward with his right hand, pointing towards her. He lowered his waist slightly and pointed his sword towards her heart. His blade became a mirror of hers while waiting for the next exchange.

'Such an amazing growth... Ah, how handsome you are right now, Asura.' Sigurd felt she couldn't follow his movements for the first time and find flaws before his body emerged from the shadows and his blade sliced towards her cheek.

Even when using the Auros Sword Style, Asura made it his own with the flames and darkness fusing with the techniques as if they were natural, causing her to miss his blade with a parry.

But simultaneously launching a kick towards his body, only for him to avoid it by leaping into the air while the blade swept at her body in mid-air, tearing her white robe but missing her face.

Her clothes split open as a scratch formed on her snowy skin.

Asura suffered from her kick, the wind magic imbued, causing a deep bruise and internal bleeding as he stopped to watch her dancing figure.

Sigurd smiled before lifting her torn clothes, seeing Asura's gaze devouring her almost bare figure.

"Thank you for protecting my face."

'This stupid boy, he changed his sword's power the moment before he hit me... Does he like this old woman's looks that much?'

Asura stared at her with his mouth wide open. She didn't move while releasing her grip on her sword, which floated above the ground with a white wind forming.

"I come!"

"Let's fight!"

Clang!

Slash!

No longer relying on tricks or magic, their blades, one silver covered in black flames, the other ice blue with wind dancing around the edges, continuously clashed, the strikes faster than a normal eye could see. Each slash sent ripples into the air, and their bodies became blurry.

Their weapons swept forward in a relentless barrage of slashes that aimed for their vital points, yet each time, Asura's flames and Sigurd's wind or flame would counter one another until they locked their blades together in a stalemate.

The same style and feelings clashed with egos in the centre of the training room as Sigurd's power continued to rise. Her magic density broke the Stage Six limits, reaching Stage Seven.

Asura felt the weight, his knees and joints aching from the heavy weight on his body, yet his blade danced the pair together like a pair of swords destined to be.

"Haa..... Ha..... You should not be able to use stage seven. That's cheating!" Sweat dripped from Asura's brow, and crimson blood fell from the corner of his lip.

"That is the same... Why is your body so damn tough?" Sigurd's hair was messy, her robes filled with holes, and her lovely skin covered in shallow wounds. Her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes glowed like jewels as she huffed and puffed to control her breath.

"I won't... lose..."

"Neither... will I... idiot."

"Asura!." Sigurd pushed harder, causing his body to break momentarily as she attacked. Her sword swept upwards towards his jaw, cracking his jawline and causing him to stagger backwards.

"Ahhhh!" Asura roared like a beast. The two shared a strange sense of familiarity and closeness, which caused him to smile at her even though his body bled profusely from the exchange.

Asura's sword collided with hers once more, sparks of darkness and light covering the room while the smell of burning ash filled their nostrils.

"Asura! Asura! Asura!" Her voice echoed as Sigurd's hand touched his cheek. He allowed it to touch him, letting it brush against his skin. Her icy cold and soft hands brushed against his skin while they still fought, and his rough, large hand did the same as they felt each other's feelings.

'You...'

'Such a jealous and stupid brat!'

Sigurd couldn't help but feel the warmth in her heart as she felt the youth's mind. She wasn't angry. It was only natural for the young to be jealous and short-tempered.

She was angry that Auros hurt her this way and left her alone for so long. But also hated herself for never seeing the things in front of her.

'Asura... Amalia...'

No...

Because she let him remain on her mind for so long that even now, such a wonderful man was trying to reach her while she hid in her palace in the sky, she still lingered in the past, a past long gone.

'Will there be another man like him, like Asura?'

'There will be none...'

Sigurd felt a strange sensation in her chest, like a crack forming in her frozen heart as a brutal flame forced its way through the long-closed doorway.

"Asura... you will die if you keep fighting..." Sigurd whispered.

"I won't. Your lonely swordsmanship can not destroy this body, nor are these emotions fake," Asura answered, pushing forward as their swords danced, the wind becoming their accompaniment.

"Ha! I know they are not." Sigurd's lips parted, revealing a pretty smile that filled his heart with pleasure. It caused him to feel strange before she winked and attacked, taking advantage of his opening.

'Such a cute man. You fall for my charms so easily that I want to tease you more.' Sigurd's thoughts relaxed her, her blade moving faster, and the doubt and restraint from before were all but gone.

Her heart felt freedom as she accepted what had happened to her. To accept this moment she was having with this handsome young man, she somehow fell in love with and felt comfortable around.

'That's right. An old woman shouldn't keep a pathetic, one-sided love this long. We never even kissed—how pathetic!'

Sigurd wanted him to struggle, to force her to feel and face everything that she avoided, to remove her escape from reality and past pain.

"Try to survive. I have only reached a quarter of my full power, so I will let you live if you can withstand the next attack. The last attack, for you and you alone!" Sigurd smiled.

Asura saw her smile and knew it was real—it was free of worries and regret, just a simple and joyous expression.

—Manifestation Divine White Tiger