Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

'Although it sounds wrong, there are two women I have already stepped over the line with, should I seek the comfort of flesh. I cannot let the meat between my legs direct my relationships.'

"Do you like this fish?"

"Mm. It's crispy and sweet." Vela answered while munching on a seared scalfish.

He watched her soft pink lips, shining from the butters grease, only able to smile as she tried to eat it neatly like a princess but failed. 'She's so lovely. I will save her.' Asura's desire to save Vela changed from a kindness to something he needed to achieve.

'I never intended to fall for her, though—she felt nostalgic for me at first, but I don't know why, but it soon became a deep, lingering affection.'

Asura ignored the voices and flashing memories of his past lives and concentrated on the soft flesh in his mouth as he cut off a piece of fish with a knife and fork, smiling in satisfaction.

'It's delicious.'

A strange meaty texture, but the smooth butter and garlic changed the taste completely, a crunchy skin that used to serve as the fish's defensive structure.

'Why did it evolve to be so delicious if it wanted to use it like armour?'

The scales of the scalfish were hard but tasted sweet and suited the savoury fish meat well; most predators loved this fish because of that.

Scalfish enjoyed using their hardened scales to crush prey.

When fishing, their hide was so tough that fishing nets would snap, leaving the fishermen frustrated.

Asura couldn't remember if this tower had edible food, so he thanked Lucia and his mother for preparing many foods in his storage space when they met in Wolfsheim.

"Are you tired?"

"Mm... a little." Vela nodded with a soft sigh, staring at her plate and picking at the vegetables. It seemed this princess loved meat and fish but hated carrots and peppers. "I killed you a lot, but every time I did, it felt like I hurt myself."

'Can I still consider these feelings of guilt or another emotion?' Asura wasn't sure, but it felt like he couldn't blame her.

The scenes she described felt to him like she was seeing his past lives but living a different version where Auros, Sura and even his past no-mag self were all the current in him.

She fought him like this, which caused him to feel a sense of crisis and the realisation that he and Vela might bond deeper than their mutual affection and desires for each other...

'Destiny... huh?'

It was strange. Vela was also a piece of his destiny in his past lives, and she remained so in this one. He somehow felt that his life wasn't his own. A feeling as if someone's hand guided every single event, from this life to his past lives.

There was something that made him feel unsettled...

Because he felt fragile, Asura reached over the table and cupped Vela's hand. "It doesn't matter now. If you felt the pain of killing me repeatedly, then you just have to give me enough love and affection to make that pain vanish."

He squeezed Vela's hand, smiling tenderly as he saw her small, trembling fingers. He wanted to comfort her as best he could and told himself, 'I am not my past life. I am not Auros or Sura, but a new Asura. I need to support her. No, I need to support them all and find my path!'

Asura couldn't help but smile slightly. "Besides, I forgive you. You shouldn't worry about those past lives."

Vela blinked, her cheeks flushing lightly. She smiled happily and put a piece of fish in her mouth, her hand still enveloped by his, and watched him take the carrots and pepper from her plate, giving her a lovely smile.

"Aren't you tired of this floor? Are you still willing to fight?" Vela asked curiously. "I don't know how long I've been here, but this might be my limit. There is always time to come again in the future..." She added, a nervous look on her lips as she seemed to plead for Asura to let her stop, to give her an escape but...

"Fight on, Vela. Fight beside me; let us escape anything that might bind us and..." His hand brushed her cheek, gently kissing her slightly wet lips from the greasy fish. "Let us be together, with no one guiding or plotting against us."

"I can't do this alone..." Vela looked into his eyes with a smile that could melt anyone's heart. Her eyes were clear, and she seemed to have regained some of the fire from her usual self when she first met Asura.

"Okay then."

Asura said with a deep voice before his hand grabbed at his neck; slowly, he tore one of his black dragon scales and pulled a red feather that seemed to grow from his back, letting out a sigh of pain as blood spurted from the wounds left from the two items.

"Eh?! Asura, what are you doing!?"

He didn't respond, causing her to become worried; her lovely lips pressed together as they trembled, with eyes opened wide, pupils dilated, watching his blood drip down his chest.

Asura grabbed the two items as a black-and-white flame flickered from his palms. The warmth enveloping the room was greater than the huge bonfire beside them.

Asura pushed his palms together before searing the items.

The black scales now shone bright red, while the feather shone with a golden luminance as he wrapped the plume in a circular ring, then placed the black scale across the plume as his flames blew up, covering the entire thing, his eyes focused, as sweat dripped down his forehead.

'Just a little more, don't burn, don't destroy... work together.'

Soon, his flames slowly subsided, and a strange black and gold item rested on his palm.

It was a beautiful ring, and the combination of the plume and scale created a small cross on the front while the sides were scaly and armoured and a name written deep in the armour etched with his black flame.

[To my lovely, Vela]

"To prove my heart and as a symbol of our love, please wear this with pride," Asura said with a warm smile before taking Vela's hand and slowly placing the ring on her left hand as he enjoyed her funny reaction. Her mouth opened wide in shock. "With this, part of me will always be with you. Call it a symbol of my acceptance to becoming your fiancé."

[You are too kind to your many women. This will protect her from attacks below stage 6 countering with your flame of destruction and killing them... and that golden plume will revive her once after death!]

Helliana seemed upset at his actions, but he couldn't help it. This girl will die in the future, and he could only think of this way to protect her. Even if it meant he could not use his rebirth skill for another 24 hours.

The black ring's scaly surfaces were armoured and protective while the golden plume gleamed inside. Its soft feel, unique red glow, and powerful aura wrapped around the ring like a shining jewel.

Vela held it in the sky, the flames shimmering inside the beautiful gem-like scale and plume. Her lips quiver as her eyes close, trembling as tears stream down her cheeks again. "You..."

"My princess is such a crybaby," Asura smirked but felt relieved seeing her eyes lighten up compared to before. "Haha, don't worry. You have already captured my heart and body," he said as he kissed her again, hugging her tightly. "If you want to stop or keep going, I will support your choice. Vela."

"No... I will stay by your side. I will continue because I have you by my side now."

Vela clenched the ring close to her chest, her lips curled into a faint smile. While it seemed her wavering fighting spirit ignited as her amber eyes glowed with the same light as the plume of the ring, she looked determined.

"Shall we go fight in a dungeon, then?" Asura smiled, watching the beauty before him before nodding, "This ring will keep you safe no matter what."

"Yes! My saviour and love." Vela gave a soft voice before she stood up and blew him a kiss before entering the next-floor portal.

'I feel like Auros made me more of a lady-killer...'

[Heh... just wait till you seduce old women like Sigurd or Valerie because of it.]

He watched Vela vanish and then looked at the messy campsite, feeling she rushed to avoid cleaning up the mess.

With a shake of his head, he couldn't deny the lazy princess might have done so.

"Cleaning is so troublesome... I will just burn this place down and make sure nothing remains. Maybe it can be a torch to scare away monsters. Fufu,"

With a light touch of his finger, he touched the campsite, and flames burst out, burning everything clean.

[Did you just use the flames of destruction to avoid cleaning up?]

'....'

Asura wanted to avoid being scolded by the woman who knew him the best, so he rushed into the black vortex, noticing the higher they traversed, the darker the portal became.

From a bright purple to now, it became a midnight purple close to black.

'Darkness... is that a hint of what's beyond?'

Sighing to himself, Asura stood at the portal's entrance, touching the black flame on his neck.

The wound from losing his black scale soon vanished, replaced by a new shiny scale.

His two phoenix plumes flickered slightly whenever he used the flames of his bloodline—he noticed that this floor no longer carried the same sense of weight as past floors and stepped forward...

Prepared to face the next challenge.