Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix - Chapter 426

Chapter 426: My Master
The moment Ignis flew towards the transformed Asura in his monstrous state, neither dragon, demon, nor phoenix. Her wings began to illuminate the sky with a gentle red flame, flickering with a silver hue, forming a beautiful trail as if she were a shining star. She let out a shout in her frustration, which sounded similar to the screeching of a phoenix.

‘I will awaken you, Master.’

“Oi! Stupid girl, don’t just attack blindly!” Hera cried out in screeches; however, she couldn’t spare too much attention for Ignis.

Asura’s monstrous form, a terrifying sight, rocked its neck back before swiping at the pure red firebird, Hera’s wings desperately flapping to avoid the attack, but her wingtips were grazed by its claws, tearing off the top layer of her feathers. She then flew upwards, opening her beak wide as she released a stream of fire.

The moment the flame struck the demonic Asura, it was like water colliding with a cliff; the flame scattering away harmlessly, barely causing any damage.

Hera’s expression hardened as she flapped her wings to gain more height, trying to push herself at a distance. ‘How can this monster be fine?! My flame should be able to deal significant damage, yet how can a phantasm be so strong?’

Different from Hera, Ignis narrowed her body, decreasing her air resistance and boosting her speed to the limit. Like a shining gemstone, silver and red, she avoided Asura’s waving claws like a dragonfly.

Boom! Boom!

A massive explosion occurred right under her as Asura launched a continuous volley of black energy balls, exploding on impact.

“You idiot, it’s not like you’re an actual phoenix! One blow, and you will die!” Hera continued squawking to stop Ignis, who held a silver spear covered in crimson flames.

“Shut up!”

Ignis came face to face, Asure’s gigantic crimson eyes peering at her, empty gemstones void of emotion and will, but Ignis still stared into them with determination. “I will not allow you to die or remain like this, Master!” she declared, the crimson and silver fire coating her wings blasting out as she rocketed towards the Asura.

The size difference was like an ant versus a human, yet her agile and well-trained body granted a brand new power, avoided his magic, breath and claws like a maiden dancing upon a lake, her spear thrust towards the Asura’s eye, the silver fire illuminating the darkness surrounding them.

However, just before the tip struck its pupil, the Asura’s brow raised, its head tilted slightly to the left.

Clang!

‘Eh?’

It was a sound that shouldn’t have been made.

By sheer luck, her spear blocked his tooth, a single one larger than her body, as it created sparks dragging along her weapon.

“AH!” Ignis screamed as her shoulder dislocated.

The force was too strong, causing her to fly backwards like a meteor, colliding with the ground with a bang and creating a crater filled with smoke. Her body tumbled and bounced around, eventually stopping with the tip of her nose touching the ground.

“Ha….haaa…. it’s no good….. Hmm? Varum, Kerta! Aid me in helping master!” Ignis cried out.

“Ah?! Ah?!” Two voices echoed.

“Wha….” Another voice, feminine, spoke out.

“Come on!” Ignis’s face was bloody, her mouth bleeding profusely, but her eyes were still blazing with a burning desire. She bit her lips and forced her two dislocated shoulders back in place, her face twisting in agony, but after the initial pain, her expression relaxed, and she moved her arms.

“Master needs my help… needs our help!”

“!!!” It was at that moment, as the setting sun shone upon her face for a moment, that the two valkyries realised that this was their former comrade and captain! “Captain Ignis?!” they cried out, unable to believe their eyes.

“You… what did you do?!” Kerta cried out.

Varum remained silent, her body shaking in fear.

“I’ll tell you later; help me now,” Ignis said, picking up her spear. “Gather all Valkyrie, tell them to follow my voice, and we have to save master. Because he is trapped in pain and sorrow because too many of us died!”

Although she knew that her death was the tipping point. Her mind could understand Asura, that it wasn’t just her loss that he lamented, but all the lost soldiers, knights and Valkyrie. He was filled with darkness and sorrow, and they needed to pull him back.

“Call for Lady Sigurd, Noir, Lucia and Helliana! We need everyone to hold him down so we can help him wake up!”

“Haah… I can’t believe this….” Hera’s voice echoed as the flames on her wing flickered. “So be it. I, Hera, will give you my support!”

“Why…? You are not even our ally!”

“Tsk, this must be the male my master vowed herself to if you called him Asura.” Hera’s body began to glow bright red, hundreds of flaming ribbons flowing like streamers through the air, all wrapped around the huge monster currently destroying more villages of the empire, and the entire western forest was now a blazing ruin, the fire almost spreading to the central forest that leads to the Arachne Kigndom Arachneas.

“Please, if you don’t want your precious world burnt to a crisp, then make sure to stop him before it’s too late!” Hera said, her eyes reflecting the image of her target, his body wrapped in thousands of binding flames, throbbing with scarlet flames, his body falling to the ground with a resounding explosion, destroying 500 metres of forest.

The flames illuminated the sky, causing the world to tremble in fear and shock.

“Hahaha…. I am the flame of vengeance, and it is time to release the anger and sorrow within!” Hera’s streams began to kindle, growing brighter as flames from her mouth shot towards Asura.

Meanwhile, the women gathered together with the Valkyrie, with Ignis standing before Sigurd and Helliana.

“Eh…. what’s going on? Why…. why is Asura like that?!” Sigurd’s hands trembled holding her katana. However, she bit her lip, a sharp pain flowing through her body as blood dripped down the corner of her mouth. She knew it wasn’t the time to be like this, but even without understanding the language of his roars, she could see his crimson eyes leaking streams of blood. “We can deal with whoever you are later, Helliana, Lucia; we need to beat some sense into our husband, it seems.”

“Let’s go! Charge!” Helliana’s body was covered in black leather armour, and she carried a large halberd.

“Ugh… as long as we can keep him restrained, then that is enough,” Lucia said, her body cloaked in a beautiful blue dress. Her hands were coated in a greenish aura.

“Grab hold of him, and we will cast a grant spell!”

The other women nodded, the Valkyrie flying alongside them. They each let out a scream of their own, their bodies glowing as their armour was engulfed in a beautiful silver light.

Over 100 Valkyrie all formed multiple silver magic circles, glistening with divine light, as the entire army of angelic beings began to chant a beautiful song, all to strike down their master and set him free while floating above the battle. Meanwhile, Ignis followed Sigurd.

Like a stream of four deadly comets, the four women struck his body, now struggling to escape. Their blades cut his wings and sliced the gaps between his scales, yet they failed to land significant damage.

“Master! Please, come back to us!” Ignis’s voice echoed in Asura’s mind, her words mixing with the other woman’s voices.

“We cannot survive without you!”

“Wake up!”

“Arise!”

“Come back to us!”

“Return to us!”

Like frenzied wolves trying their best to survive against a pack of lions, the women attacked without relenting. Asura’s body was riddled with wounds, but his regeneration was powerful. It was only when the Valkyrie chant was complete did they were prepared to release their spells.

“Pull back!”

However… the firebird’s body seemed strange, her flames began to change colour, from scarlet to black…

“Ugh….how….why?! My magic… is being devoured!” Hera’s cries echoed in the air, her body trembling.

“This power, what is it?” Ignis cried out.

As for the other three, they quickly understood the source of Hera’s cry before she vomited a stream of blood before flinging backwards and falling to the ground; the moment the Valkyrie released their grand magic upon Asura, a silver light filled the eastern continent and wiped out the sunlight.

“Lady Hera!” Ignis cried out.

The female firebird began to revert to a humanoid state, her blonde hair fluttering as Ignis caught her and crashed into the empire’s lands, rolling like a pair of logs.

“Tsk… this isn’t good,” Hera muttered.

Finally, the divine magic crashed down, a bolt of holy lightning, striking Asura and destroying the entire area; the silver radiance was like an overwhelming bomb compared to the black beam from Asura’s lips, scorching the grassy plains beneath, the trees and beasts turning into ash.

An enormous explosion occurred, the world-shaking as if in fear of the magic just cast, with cracks and broken earth filling the entire area as all the Valkyrie landed, panting, their faces full of sweat and at their limits.

“Master!” Ignis yelled, running towards the smouldering crater, a crater miles across.

Sigurd, Helliana, Lucia and the other Valkyrie all followed suit, and finally, they arrived and peered over the edge, staring at the massive crater with a destroyed earth.

Inside the circle stood a man.

A man with long, glossy raven hair and fair skin that shone under the moonlight as if a god descended to the earth. Two thick, black and white horns grew from his forehead, pushing through his glorious locks and wrapping behind his head, while he staggered towards Ignis, his eyes still black, with small red slit pupils.

“Ugh…Ignis….”

“Master!” She cried out. “I have returned…”

“Return…” Asura’s face turned to face the blazing red light approaching him, his hand shakily pointing forward as magic circles formed one after the other, yet his eyes suddenly widened as her body twirled in the artificial moonlight; he noticed her face.

His lips slowly parted, “Ig….ni…s?”

However, the former Valkyrie’s speed was too fast as her body smashed into him like a meteor hitting a spongecake.

Bang!

They both fell to the ground, Asura’s back slamming into the ground with a loud bang, leaving an imprint.

“Master… master, master… I have returned!”

“Ignis?”

“Yes! It is me, master. Please forgive me. I should’ve been more careful; I should’ve not died. I shouldn’t have become a corpse.” Tears filled her eyes as she buried her face on his chest.

“A….dream?” Asura’s voice was like a weak breeze. His crimson eyes flickered, changing from black to red and then back to normal, his dull eyes slowly returning to their usual shine.

“No, it is not a dream,” Ignis said, lifting her head and before he could respond, she pressed her lips against his.

“Mmh?!” Asura’s eyes widened, but he couldn’t move. His strength was too weak.

The feeling of soft, warm lips pressing against his made him feel as if he were in a dream, their gentle, silky touch causing his eyes to awaken fully as she pulled away.

“I wanted to do that for so long; forgive me, Master. You can punish me later, okay?”

Asura looked confused. However, his weak, trembling hand reached out, touching the red feathers that grew from her cheeks, and let his fingers run through them, enjoying their glossy, smooth touch.

“You… came back to me, Ignis?”

“Always, from the moment we met, My Master.”

It was ironically the first time that Asura was swept off his feet, causing him to be lost on how to react.

The joy and delight of her living enough, even if he felt guilt for the losses…

She was still there.