Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix - Chapter 286

Chapter 286: The Last Morning as a Free Man
Asura continued through the night. He practised the swings he stole from his new mother for hours. From the moment he took the monoliths into his body, he discovered the ability to use Animus to replace his sleep.

“Haa… Haa….”

Though it meant he no longer needed sleep, the limit for him now was three days.

His body dripped with sweat, while small swellings appeared on his hands, hard skin from the number of times he swung the gigantic sword in succession.

Today, he would marry Vela, and the feeling of happiness and excitement caused him to blow his steam off in the training room.

‘I should head to my room and shower, and those maids will want to put that damn stuff on my face again.’

It might have felt strange, but seeing Vela’s face blush after he put on the makeup would make it worth it. Asura didn’t mind fulfilling her desires. Despite her upbringing and usual actions, she seemed to be quite the maiden.

“Let’s go.”

“Commander! Here is a towel.”

“Hmm?”

Ignis stood at the entrance, along with another shorter girl with silver hair. It seemed all Valkyrie would be born with silver hair and eyes.

However, they changed their hairstyles to add individuality.

“Ignis, who is this cute lady?”

“Magna, the strongest fire magic user in our unit, sir.”

Asura looked her up and down. He noticed two red hair clips with little flames in her hair. He wondered if that was her style and couldn’t help but reach out and stroke her head.

“I’ll be counting on you, Magna. Do your best, okay?”

“Ah!? Nn! Y-Yes, Sir!”

Magna blushed a deep red before running off while covering her face with both hands.

“How adorable.”

“Commander, Magna is thirty years old, I think…”

“Don’t worry Ignis, you are plenty adorable too. Age doesn’t matter when you girls are so attractive.”

Ignis froze with her mouth wide open and her twin tails swaying as she seemed stunned.

“A-Anyway, here’s a towel.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Asura grabbed the towel and wiped his body. The poor Valkyrie in the Seventh unit gained a rather troublesome commander, making their usual cold exterior difficult to maintain.

The primary cause of this was that Asura’s body was alluring to the Valkyrie because of his method of birth being like theirs. His face was on the level of deathly charm. However, his well-built, muscular body that had muscles visible from under the tight training shirt seemed to make all Valkyrie eyes fixate on him while their minds trembled.

They wouldn’t admit it, but most of them found him attractive.

“Commander, The head maid has called for you. She said to hurry and get dressed in the clothes she prepared and wait in the hall for her.”

“I need a shower first. Can you have someone prepare me a bath?”

“Already done, Commander. Come on, let’s hurry!”

Ignis recovered from his words and returned to her usual self. She guided him back to his room while the maids and others who passed looked at him with strange eyes.

“Why do they look at me so strangely?”

“…”

“Ignis?”

“Master, your clothing is something one wouldn’t wear in public normally. Your muscles, reproductive organs and many alluring details are visible to the naked eye as if you were naked.”

“?”

Asura looked at his clothing. Though he didn’t understand the logic behind his attire, he still felt this clothing made his body move so easily during combat or training, though he noticed it revealed a lot of his body. He wondered who arranged for him to wear this, but he didn’t give it much thought as they arrived in his room.

“Ignis…”

“What is it, Commander?”

“Did you enjoy looking all night?”

The poor Valkyrie walked into the door and opened it, hitting her face before falling back and covering her nose that oozed with silver blood.

“I-I didn’t look! I swear I didn’t look! Please believe me!”

“It’s fine, Ignis.”

Asura walked past the malfunctioning Valkyrie and made his way to his private bathroom, the water inside already drawn for him. A thick steam filled the room while the scent of berries mixed with the clashing of artificial waves.

“Let’s get perfect for Vela.”

He unwrapped the towel around his waist and slowly lowered his body into the water.

“Haa… What a relaxing sensation.”

Asura had trained himself to practice meditation, which he did whenever he felt bored or frustrated. This meditation differed from the spiritual stuff taught to commoners—he would collect all the Animus in his body, then mould them into shapes, from the women he loved to dogs and cats, in order to train his magic manipulation and the flow of his Animus.

‘I really need to find someone who understands my current state. Helliana is still a bird, so Lorem is the only one, but she’s in Romantica.’

The first Layer of the Sea Cycle created the ocean, which changed his Anima into Animus, the power and quality doubling as it went from a gas or energy into a liquid.

‘Yet when I reached the Second Layer, it split the vast ocean into smaller parts, some bigger and more volatile, which made the Animus flow at different speeds and intensities through my body.’

He watched the waves of the pool while focusing on his core, which mirrored the same act.

The changes since Anima became Animus were various. First, its power and quality doubled as it went from a gas or energy into a liquid. Then, thanks to watching carefully, he discovered that his magic power would decrease, but his physical body and magic resistance would increase when the tide pulled back.

Then, once the tide flooded the land, his magical power exploded at the cost of his magic resistance. Asura learned this by casting magic on himself…

To test his thought, it took everything he had.

He reached them only thanks to having five layers of parallel thought.

Asura theorised that the next layer might be rivers and the final lakes, which would bridge the gaps and prevent him from losing power when the tide came in or out.

‘Let’s forget this on my wedding day.’

Asura relaxed his mind, slowly immersing his body in the pool of steaming hot water.

“Ahhh…”

His skin tingled at first contact, but he ignored it and fully submerged his body. The water seemed packed full of muscle relaxants and healing herbs because he felt them tingling before his bones cracked and his muscles churned.

‘Ah, this feels fantastic.’

The herb-infused water continued to heal him, and the tingling sensation tickled his skin and his sore hands. The swollen flesh peeled away to restore his soft, delicate skin.

‘I could sleep here. I can’t believe how good this feels.’

The temperature of the water was just right.

“Hmm?”

The bubbles from the water jets suddenly increased in size. They travelled along his spine, causing a pleasant feeling with each burst, a slight crack, and a shift in his current posture.

“Commander!”

Ignis’ panicked voice came through the door, forcing Asura to sit up. He looked at the open door and wondered what the issue was.

“What is wrong, Ignis?”

“Y-You were making strange sounds…”

“Are you sure you didn’t just want to peek?”

Asura responded with a smirk. However, the Valkyrie standing outside his bathroom shook her head.

“I-I would never peek! I swear! I heard strange sounds when I was guarding the room, so I came here.”

“Okay, I believe you, Ignis. Just… Stop shouting, and let me rest. It’s my wedding day. Can you pass me a robe?”

“Y-Yes, Commander.”

“C-Comander!?!?”

“What?”

He climbed out of the bath and stepped towards her, wondering what she thought was so strange about his question.

“Please remember we are still women!”

“Hoh?”

Asura looked down, realising his mistake.

“Oh, sorry about that. I forgot.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle while wrapping himself in the towel and robe, stepping into the main room and waiting for the maids to arrive.

***

Asura stood in his uniform, a solid white that hugged his muscular body in all the right places.

The maids stood behind him, applying strange liquids that looked like oil and coloured water to his face and body. They then used warm clothes to wash his skin before applying a beautiful set of white robes with golden strands woven into the silk.

They added a long silk collar to his neck and cuffs on his sleeves.

Asura’s eyes closed for a few moments before opening again, fixing on the mirror and looking at his appearance.

They pulled back his raven hair and styled it into a rather handsome half-up, half-down ponytail, with his bangs dangling at his cheeks, the makeup on his face adding to his natural beauty, fair skin with soft cheeks and peach lips with focus on his crimson eyes.

He truly looked like a prince or god from a higher realm.

The maids in the room dropped to their knees at the sight before them and gave a solemn bow.

This man would be their future king, now their crown prince beside the princess at the order of the Queen. His treatment would not be like someone who married into the family, but he would hold the same power as Vela.

The male standing before them was as beautiful as a god, so attractive that it hurt their hearts.

“Why do you all kneel? I am not your master yet!”

“We apologise! Please forgive us, your majesty!”

“All of you are quite adorable. So be good and help Vela too, okay? I am grateful for your help.”

Asura’s gentle words caused all the women to blush, making them doubt their ears. Is their future master so gentle and kind? Would he truly say something so sweet to them?

“Did you say something?”

“Nope, not at all.”

All the women stood up and helped finish his makeup while the clock ticked down to the moment the Valkyrie would escort him to the grand hall. All thirty of his Valkyrie would be in charge of protection and escort.

Though Ignis and Magna looked at him with a similar gaze to the maids, they quickly swallowed their saliva and headed out the door.

Asura stepped out the Valkyrie, his guard of honour surrounded him from behind and marched.

“Let’s go.”

“Hhaaaaaa!”

The Valkyrie smiled, and all the women wore bright faces and faint smiles chanted, following behind Asura, whose presence was ten times that of before. No, it was incomparable. His aura transformed in a way that seemed close to divinity.

“Commander!”

“Stop calling me that. For now, call me My prince.” Asura said with a smile, but Ignis nodded along with many of the Valkyrie.

“Yes, My Prince!”

The biggest moment of his life, soon to be complete, was different from his marriage with Verana, which seemed pathetic due to them keeping it a secret.

This one, he could feel pride as he stepped through the huge doors and the melody of his father played from the great Silvan orchestra.

A well-known song that paid tribute to his father’s deeds for the kingdom.

‘They accepted my request!’