Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix - Chapter 443

Chapter 443: Brief Victory – The Battle Wages on~

The moment Asura’s magic engulfed the left flank of the enemy, Sigurd and Gaius instantly reacted. Without delay, their forces assaulted the remaining guards protecting the barrier machines. Thanks to the hole in their formation from the explosive barrage, the enemy was powerless.

They were like ants in a storm, utterly overwhelmed by the sheer power of Sigurd’s aura and the orc’s brutal strength, crushed under their might.

‘This is it! I can destroy it… This foul machine!’ Sigurd’s eyes shone with a silver light as she gripped her blade. A feeling of pain as she poured her magic into the blade and sliced across the horizon, creating a tremendous arc of pure sword energy.

Silver light glowed in the day—like a flash of moonlight.

Her attack tore through the enemy guards and destroyed the machines as they exploded and began falling apart. Flames and electrical flickers arced around them as the blue field began to distort and weaken.

It was an explosive end.

“My Goddess… Thank you.” Sigurd whispered, dropping her bloodied blade on the ground, her body shaking and covered in cuts, her strength exhausted. Though it was such a brief battle, only six hours of using her magic and physical body at her maximum level for so long caused her to become exhausted. With only the desire to remove that barrier, her goal, she was now spent.

“We did it…”

Gaius held a grim smile as he stood protectively at the side of the woman who had become like a war goddess. His respect for Sigurd and Asura was unwavering, not just for their strength but for how they used it. They didn’t force others to follow their will, a rare quality in their world. “Rest well, Lady Sigurd. I will have my brothers clear the area and prepare for our retreat.”

“Ah, good work, Gaius—your brothers were of great help. Make sure you take those parts from the barrier so we can figure out what and how they could target people like my husband.”

The tall orc nodded and smiled. He was fond of Asura because he gave them a home, one that wasn’t hidden in shame but where the surrounding humans treated them like equals and friends.

Thus, when he saw Asura’s sudden state, the barrier made Gaius furious, a pain in his chest, because his people would one day mix with humans and this barrier might harm their future offspring. ‘Not to mention they might create one to hurt any non-humans…’

“Sister?”

A familiar voice suddenly called out.

Sigurd turned around, looking a little dazed. “Ah, Lucia… I’m fine. Just tired.” Another of Asura’s lovers with eyes filled with concern as she rushed to the side of the saintess.

“I’m so glad… I wish that I could have helped more… but the barrier…”

Because Lucia’s race was now half shade, a form of demonic spirit from the abyss, and her human form that could use light magic, the barrier affected her greatly, almost instantly destroying her clones and shadows.

“Don’t worry, Lucia. You did enough.”

“Shall we clean up the battlefield and prepare for the future? Asura said there would be more enemies next time and wanted to figure out a way to defend against that barrier field.” Lucia’s hand carried several messages and notes—although her other shadows would take a full day to recover, she still had three remaining to help pass the information on to the others.

The battle slowly died down after the barrage of Asura and their barrier machine was destroyed. Thankfully, Asura avoided fainting or losing consciousness despite his heavy wounds. Though keeping morale up, he remained silent, pretending to be fine.

“Let’s head back to meet the prince, okay?” Sigurd’s eyes narrowed into a soft gaze, causing Lucia to nod, the pair heading back to the distant wall where he stood at the centre his magic flowing across the wall, all to help the wounded heal.

“Our beloved is rather gentle, don’t you think, Sister Sigurd?”

Asura’s beautiful figure appeared on the edge of the stone wall, his robes flickering in the wind as the skies turned red, nightfall approaching. He looked like a fallen angel or the embodiment of death with his beautiful red eyes and raven colours hair, a dazzling image for all the females in the army despite his being covered in blood and wounds.

Sigurd couldn’t help but giggle, finding his expression slightly silly.

“He is indeed.”

“When you speak of him, your eyes sparkle, and the colour of your cheeks becomes a little deeper. Sister is much cuter than I thought possible. You seemed to be someone obsessed with only swords in the past.” Lucia teased the saintess while increasing her pace towards the walls.

“Well, who wouldn’t when they have such a handsome husband? Look at him. Like an evil fairy from the forest of spirits.”

“I know.”

“Eh?”

“Because my heart also feels the same.”

The two women seemed to have bonded during the battle, though they still weren’t the best of friends. After all, Sigurd had a little grudge against the many women who swarmed around Asura. Yet she seemed able to accept Helliana and Lucia far easier than the rest.

‘At least we’re on good terms.’

The two didn’t approach Asura straight away. Instead, they waited for the injured to be healed and the remaining soldiers to clean up the battlefield and destroy the enemy armour and weapons.

***

Two hours after the battle ended, all forces were quite exhausted, but thankfully the nocturnal arachne warriors would be watching the walls at night, allowing most of the army to eat, rest and recover for one night.

Although they would have to remain on alert for the following nights, Asura felt this would be the best course of action because they couldn’t keep everyone on high alert for days on end.

‘I pray the enemy doesn’t have more of those barriers—if I cannot help my people again… how can they stand against the main force of the empire?’

Asura closed his eyes and started to use his sonar magic, allowing an unpleasant feeling to flow through him as he searched for the enemy forces. A soft flicker of light traced across the lands travelling into the distance, causing Asura’s body to tremble, the amount of magic used to increase the distance making him endure a pain similar to a groin cramp in his organs.

“Thirty thousand… Fifty miles away, damn, it’s much more than last time.”

His words fell upon the ears of those close by, causing their expressions to change. The nearby soldiers trembled, the numbers large enough to break them even if the enemy didn’t use the barrier, and the city wasn’t large enough for them to hide from such a tremendous force. A feeling of defeat loomed over the wall.

‘Only three days… We will lose a lot of people.’

“Stand firm. We will defend this place and never let the enemy enter. My Prince, you must tell us how to win—we will follow you into battle!” The surrounding men were those he healed and saved with his determination, knights of Fenix.

The first to approach was Danos, his fiery hair wet from washing as he knelt before Asura. “My lord, lady Helliana is resting in the capital; she was worried at first, but after we explained, she has agreed to remain there.”

“Good work, Danos—how are the others? I heard Vergil’s chest was cut open?”

“That idiot is fine, a little shaken but fine. He wishes to speak with you if he can, and I am to inform you that he is with the guy, Alexander.”

“I see, Alexander, are they getting along? I believe they would make an excellent combination.”

“Ah, I hope so, too.”

The youth bowed his head before turning around and leaving.

“So, why are you still here, Asura?”

The man’s voice caused Asura’s expression to become a little odd. Although he couldn’t hear his exact location, he could feel that the person was quite close.

“Gaius, why are you hiding in the shadows, you big oaf? My brother, I saw your valiance today.”

Asura smiled at the orc, who seemed to be embarrassed because his rough skin flushed. He was a simple orc who didn’t know how to respond to compliments.

“I saw you in that battle, and my respect has reached new heights, little prince.”

“Who is a little prince? Want me to beat you again?”

“Any time, Asura, I will beat you one day, hahaha!”

“Hmph, it’s a good thing I like you, Gaius, but please get some rest. You and your brothers are the hope of our army.”

Gaius remained silent for a moment and turned away, his cheeks a little dark because it was rare for the orcs to receive compliments from other races. Especially someone that they admired and worshipped, ‘to be called his hope… brother, I will not let you down!’

Before Asura could hear a response, Gaius jumped off the wall with a loud bang and then vanished into the night.

Asura became silent, watching the evening sky, with millions of stars shimmering their soft light down upon the wall. He thought to himself and tried to think about how to counter the barrier.

‘The barrier targets those with human and other mixed bloodlines… Is there no way to avoid that situation again?’ The scene where Helliana began suffering replayed in his mind before he felt the devouring monolith resonating and causing his body to tremble.

“Ugh…. what’s happening….”

The moment he tried to recover, his body slipped and fell, leaning over the stone wall. He could feel his devouring monolith taking something from him.

A feeling of pain as his veins almost felt like they were on fire—the word tree that bound the monoliths also began to glow brightly before he felt his mind slipping into darkness.