Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix - Chapter 360

Chapter 360: The Battle Begins
Lorem stood amid the many catapults and various siege towers, her face filled with uncertainty. She wished that Asura or Maria would have returned by now. Her hands clenched tight, she stepped forward; behind her, thousands of troops were all about to listen to her orders; many could die, and for the first time, Lorem felt that burden.

Somehow, it’s different from the past.

It was a grim realisation. This time, she couldn’t hide behind her title as a Royal Knight, nor could she pass the blame onto others. This was the first major battle where she, and she alone, was responsible for the lives of more than three thousand people. The weight of this responsibility was a heavy burden she had never experienced before.

She could see the enemy army atop the walls in the distance, a rising black tide of human flesh stretching on for what seemed like an eternity. The orcs had not arrived, nor did her beloved return. Lorem’s fist shook as she felt the weight of her isolation, the burden of responsibility pressing down on her until a soft hand touched her shoulder.

“Why are you looking so serious, Lorem?” Helliana’s gentle and soothing voice echoed while her black hair and single raven wing fluttered. “Do not feel alone. We are here to endure with you.”

“Eh?”

Lorem didn’t realise before, however, behind her, armed and ready for battle. She saw every one of Asura’s most valued women and lovers, just like her, preparing for battle: Mu Xue, Xavida, Valerie, Verana, Lucia, Amalia, Ignis and at the front wearing her silver armour, Princess Vela, who smiled gently at the Royal Knight.

“You are not alone, and we are all together as one.” Mu Xue looked serene and ethereal in the moonlight as her arms glistened with blue crystals.

“Princess Vela should not be out here!” Lorem worriedly pulled the young princess close; the girl’s soft hand caressed her face, and she felt a strange and unworldly calm pass over her.

“It’s okay, Lorem. We will protect each other.” Vela’s smiling voice was sweet like honey while the silver emblem of a flower shone brightly from her chest. “We will show him what his chosen women can do even without him.”

The next moment, Vela’s hand lifted into the air as all the catapults and Valkyrie operating them began preparing to fire. “Come, my beloved sisters. It is time to bring the most amazing gift to our most important man when he comes home. Let us be his sword and shield.”

At that moment, the other women realised that Vela was born to be a princess. It was in her very nature, and as she called upon them to fight by her side, they understood why Asura loved the girl so much. Her voice was filled with authority but also had a heartwarming charm that inspired anyone who listened to her.

The princess then pointed at the wall filled with humans and monsters, her eyes growing sharp.

“These people may seem human, but their hearts are rotting pools of deceit and corruption. Our scouts have confirmed that they are using some bizarre magic to transform the people into half-monster abominations, as the princess of the Kingdom of Silvara and my husband’s first wife. I cannot accept their horrifying and disgusting acts! I shall drop the hammer of judgment on these cultists and save them in the name of myself! Vela Silvara!”

Her words roused the knights and warriors, but most of all the Valkyrie here to observe their young princess on her qualities and judge whether they would serve her as the Queen.

A flash of beautiful silver wings and ethereal mana surged from their camp before their catapults, filled with rocks now imbued with Divine magic, prepared to fire at the enemy city.

The moon was bright and full as the catapults launched, their load sailing through the air like a star-filled night. A rainbow of light blazed brightly as the rocks slammed into the wall, creating a shockwave that shook the land while a few of the Knights on the walls collapsed to their knees as if their minds had been crushed.

“Again!” Vela roared as her face showed the fury that burned within her heart, her hand holding the silver katana towards the wall, her chest tight while her amber eyes flared brightly. “Fire again! Take back their minds, even if they must die to be free!”

A second volley of shimmering silver rocks crushed the entire city wall, crushing and ripping the stone apart, smashing the black-armoured cultists into the air while the few remaining ones stood still like the mindless undead.

Lorem smiled warmly; she had never seen a princess like this before, and it encouraged her to see the beautiful young woman. Then she heard the Valkyries begin to chant.

“To the Lady Vela, Silver princess, Sword of Silver and defender of our hearts!”

“Follow our Lady of Silver!”

Before Lorem could even blink, a giant circle of magic formed; more than a thousand Valkyrie started chanting a territory-grade spell together while the enemy recovered; their catapults would soon rain hell down upon this army.

Vela’s shining silver blade extended into the air, and Lorem felt like the pressure was pressing down on her very soul. In an instant, thousands of shining silver orbs appeared around the army.

“Lady Vela is on the field, and she calls you to arms!” A loud and commanding voice rose into the air as Vela pointed her blade towards the city, and every Valkyrie in the magic circle drew their sword and copied her actions as their magic spell materialised above the city. “Show the world how a kingdom of Silvara fights! Show them the power of our Future Queen!”

Lorem looked on in awe as the young women’s beautiful voices roused the entire army. Even she was a little stirred up by Vela’s uniqueness. Her speech was aimed at the Valkyries, but everyone could hear her.

Immediately after hundreds of silver pillars of light descended into the city from the huge magic circle, the orbs rushed into them as they dimmed and faded. The very land itself shook as the brilliant beams bombarded the city.

The next moment, the entire city exploded into a glistening flash of silver, the screams and painful wails of those within echoing. It lasted a mere moment, but everyone on the walls turned into a pool of glittering silver dust while those who had escaped death fled in horror as their allies screamed in agony before they shattered into dust.

“What is this?!” one commander of the human cultists trembled in horror.

However… the next moment, darkness began spreading, its thick, dense tendrils slithering through the destroyed city streets, invading the fallen bodies of the dead, forcing the fallen to stand once more, their eerie bodies marching towards the walls and enemy.

Two figures stood on the walls, one with blonde hair and familiar to the women. It was the cult saintess Abaddon, while beside her was the man who caused this nation to fall and killed the king. It was Alistair Crowley, holding a black, corrupted sword in his hand, with a strange eyeball slotted into the hilt.

“Lorem, we should strike once more; the Valkyrie is exhausted from that spell. Only our flames can kill the undead quickly.” Helliana’s urgent voice sounded before the whistle of catapults and ballistas shooting towards the Silvaran army howled through the air.

Lorem clenched her teeth hard, her golden eyes locked on the man in the distance. Her body moved fast, spreading two beautiful crimson phoenix wings from her back, while Helliana grasped her right hand, the pair taking to the skies.

“Asura wanted him dead; let us burn his corpse a cinder with our flames!” Her voice was low but full of passion.

Helliana nodded as she and Lorem ascended further into the air.

However, the loud sound of the enemy attack crashing into their army echoed, the death cries of dozens of men and women from the knights protecting the front line, as rocks and ballista crushed and penetrated their bodies like a fork would a sausage.

“Mu Xue!” Helliana’s sharp cry and sudden surge of power surged from her body. A billowing wave of heat that felt like an ocean of fire flowed from her. “Cover the army. You must keep our princess safe!”

“Understood!” Mu Xue’s elegant voice sounded before the devil’s body became pale blue. Like a goddess of ice, she commanded her magic to form huge shields of ice in the skies, creating huge thin slabs designed to block and deflect the projectiles from the enemy while they gazed up and saw the two women swooping close to the enemy, their bodies enveloped in beautiful flames that illuminated the night.

Their mouths opened, releasing a flood of flame towards Alistair and Abaddon. Their beautiful red and white flames collided with the Saintess’s white aura, creating a fiery explosion that lit up the entire castle wall, the flames spreading to the undead, melting them into ashes, while the ground below her feet burst with intense fire.

“Have you forgotten about me?”

The next moment, a different voice sounded; Abaddon’s beautiful voice sounded once more than she stepped from the flames completely naked, her body filled with light damage and scratches while beautiful white serpent scales covered most of her body, and her long tongue flickered like a snake. Abaddon looked at the two in the skies, swiping her arm to distinguish the flames.

“Tell me, where is my beloved? He should be here, not you two.”

Abaddon’s figure was blurry before she suddenly vanished from where she stood; Lorem and Helliana’s eyes widened in shock. However, Abaddon appeared in front of Lorem, her beauty certainly beyond what they imagined from the past meetings, as she slapped Lorem into the ground with her tail, the force of her blow causing the ground to crack from the shockwave after.

“When will you bastards give up trying to take my beloved from me?” Her angry voice echoed as she watched Helliana descend, her black wing unable to keep her afloat for long as she landed beside Lorem, her nose, lips and forehead covered in blood.

“You hurt my sister!” Helliana’s furious roar exploded before she started firing a barrage of magic towards Abaddon, whose silhouette was blurry as she dodged each magic attack while the blasts left a trail of destruction on the city wall.

Helliana never showed her childish and irrational sides before, thanks to the monoliths, keeping her mind in control.

However, now overcome by fury, her hands flung fireball after fireball, rapidly making a huge barrage that just continued to explode where Abaddon stood a moment ago.

The flames grew more intense as Abaddon’s voice snarled at Helliana, “Is this your power?”

Bang!

Abaddon’s fist smashed into the stomach of Helliana, who puked blood and drooled from the blow.

Her eyes opened wide from the sheer force that impacted her abdomen, with a look of confusion at the difference in their strength before being slammed into the ground by Abaddon’s tail, causing the two phoenixes to leave the battle early.