"Asura!?"


    The voice of Princess V sounded. While Lorem stood before Barbatos, her wounds healed, but the marks on her skin would take time to tan like the rest of her body.


    "I couldn''t defeat the demaster Siegfried Verheist,mander Barbatos. Forgive me, although he should be significantly weaker and won''t be the threat he was previously."


    ''I won''t tell them about Asura''s actions or changes. He is my husband and soulmate!''


    Lorem''s heart and mind didn''t exist to serve the kingdom of Silvara anymore—instead, she lived because her beloved had returned, and she wanted to enjoy life with him.


    Even if the kingdom tried to exile or execute them, she would never betray him.


    "Knight Lorem, may I ask what is wrong with student Fenix?" Barbatos asked, causing Princess V''s shoulders to shudder. She seemed to be confused, because he left suddenly with a small wave instead of waiting for her.


    "He suffered severe wounds during the battle, almost dying to save my life. As you can see, the healed wounds on my body are many and some in dangerous locations."


    Her eyes then turned to Asura, who faded into the ranks of students, his figure vanishing as she continued. "Thanks to Asura, I didn''t perish, but although I helped heal his wounds, he felt a little disorientated, so I gave him time to recover."


    "That''s true. You seem to have taken a beating. Why would a mage type like you always insist on fighting like a knight? So idiotic."


    Barbatos sounded harsh, but he saw Lorem as an older sister.


    She taught him how to fight alongside Lucretia in the early days until he surpassed her, at which point another trainer took over.


    "Knight Lorem, take a rest. I will give you half a day to recover before we n the next attack."


    "Understood, Knight Leader Barbatos." Lorem bowed before she twirled around and vanished towards where Asura had gone.


    ''Where is he? I hope he isn''t angry I left him to speak to Barbatos.''


    ***


    Barbatos stared at the figures walking away and then turned his attention to the mes, which would burn until there were only ashes remaining.


    [Princess V POV]


    Princess V frowned, although because she felt jealous that Lorem could chase after Asura, the others didn''t know this—rather, Lucia might, but Barbatos and the other male knights seemed to think the Princess doubted Lorem''s ims.


    "Princess, there is no doubt her words are true. The current state of this vige results from her mes when enraged. I have only seen these mes once before, in a previous war. When the enemy killed a vige and a small orphanage without reason."


    Lucia held V''s shoulders as she smiled at the Princess. "Don''t worry; I''m sure Asura will be fine. Knight Lorem probably has things to discuss with him in private. They just fought a harsh battle, and he risked his life for her, right?"


    "Mm. I know."


    ''But just because I know, it doesn''t make it hurt any less. I want to be beside Asura. He took my body and made me feel so obsessive towards him before being split apart so suddenly!''


    For V, the echoes of their first night together still felt familiar. She wanted to enjoy his touch and taste him again, but as the de facto leader, she had to stay with this group of old men and Cynthia all the time since the first assault.


    "Come, let us discuss ns with the other knights and Lady Cynthia." Barbatos motioned for her to walk forward, but V just gave a silent nod of eptance.


    ''At least I can have a rational mind while doing this. Asura, I will punish you for making me want you this badly.''


    The Princess followed Barbatos'' orders while thinking about thest moments with Asura in bed.


    She focused on his hard member and the sensations his kisses and touches created, especially on her breasts. While they spoke of tactics, the way to siege their former fort, her head filled with Asura crushing her castle walls beneath his body.


    ''No, why am I thinking about this at a time like this? Ugh, Asura, you bastard! This is all your fault.''


    *****


    In the forest''s darkness, beasts and monsters cried out in terror.


    A figure hid amongst the trees, panting as it whimpered in pain. The source of its pain was a deep gash on its side, and the target had vanished into the forest depths.


    Somehow, his wounds opened again the moment he tried to use his mana, as if someone nted a dark curse upon his body and twisted his core to copse the moment he used it to recover his body from damage.


    Siegfried panted as he crept forward, his blood spilling all over the ground. He couldn''t fight even at a fraction of his former strength, not from the wounds or the fact his arm no longer moved.


    "That kid, how did he take the power? I have held this power since before I became immortal. For thousands of years, this power helped me y the dragon, and now it''s gone!"


    Siegfried felt empty. He existed purely on that power alone, which meant he no longer had an immortal body and was back to what he once was: a dying human.


    ''Did that boy absorb my divine power through some spell or is he a monster in human form!?''


    Thoughts and conspiracies, the boy who once fought desperately to feed his mother long fallen into vanity and his sense of worth.


    That mother died thousands of years before. Despite him having the means to allow her to survive, he took the blood from the dragon''s heart for himself. Yet not he lost even that somehow.


    ''How did he steal the divine aura and my dragon blood heritage!?''


    *Rustle*


    Behind him, the trees rustled, causing Seigfried to freeze in ce as he turned his head to see what the noise was.


    "Who''s there?!"


    Nothing answered him. Just a few birds flying through the tree''s branches, ignoring the sweaty and bloodied human below.


    ''Fenix!? Did he follow me into the forest after being nearly beaten to death!?''


    Siegfried''s legs no longer had the strength to move as quickly as before; each step brought a sense of sharp pain from his many wounds. He held his gut as he finally came to a stop and looked around.


    "Damn it!"


    He felt tired and lost, without the power he had be ustomed to using for centuries. The world grew dark, and his body slowly closed his eyes. He fell to his knees, his head touching the grassy floor.


    "Not like this. Not here."


    His words came out weakly, the chilly air of the evening brushing against his back as the surrounding dark engulfed him. The sound of leaves rustling no longer caused him to feel fearful. He just breathed quietly, trying to recover enough to head south through the forest.


    "Will I have a chance? Should I just end it all?"


    Despite his feelings, something made him hesitate as he pondered his existence and his many ns hade crashing down around him.


    *Rustle*


    "Fucking birds!" Siegfried growled.


    "Birds? Well, I am a phoenix, so you''re not wrong."


    "Huh?" Siegfried raised his head in shock.


    To the side, a figure sat on a rock, one leg crossed over the other. The male, who appeared to be in histe teens,ughed with raven-ck hair and crimson eyes that pierced the darkness.


    "I just heard you are looking for a way out, Siegfried. Have you given up?"


    The figure tilted his head as his gaze bore into Siegfried''s. "You know, I''m also pretty pissed off at you for leaving me with so much pain, even wounding my beloved songbird."


    Siegfried felt something strange; an invisible force filled with negative emotions seemed to surround him. Fear and anxiety apanied the voice in the darkness, like a devil or demon tempting a sinner to the depths of hell.


    It differed from when they fought just a few moments ago. After losing the devil''s power, this male stole his dragon''s blood, which destroyed his unbreakable will and confidence.


    "W-what do you want? Why have youe?"


    "Why? Isn''t it obvious?"


    The figure raised his right hand, and his finger pointed towards Siegfried''s head.


    ''No, this boy is just a mere Stage Four at most, even wounded I have the magic of a Stage Six knight!'' A sense of determination and power filled the body of Siegfried.


    Yet that determination fell into despair as a surge of ck fire erupted from the male''s palm, and then, with a snap of his fingertips, the mes burned the face of Siegfried.


    "Aaaaahhhh!!!"


    He screamed in agony, copsing to the floor as he tried to extinguish the mes with the grass on the floor.


    "Did you think this was over just because you lost a battle?"


    "Did you think you could harm her beautiful face and skin and survive?"


    "Did you think abusing the gift I gave you wouldn''t end horribly?"


    "Feeble, little boy, too weak to feed his starving mother."


    "He who let his mother die, despite gaining power and the source of immortality."


    "The bastard Siegfried Verheist."


    "A sinner who abandoned his family for power. Do you really think you could live freely in my sight?"


    Asura walked towards Siegfried, who cried and pleaded for mercy while burning in the dark mes; each time Asura spoke a sentence, the mes, like a sharp dagger, prated his flesh, leaving a small circr hole bleeding profusely.


    "Please! Please, forgive me!"


    Asura kicked Siegfried in the stomach before pressing his foot on the man''s neck, causing him to cough as the pain left him gasping for air. Siegfried tried to use his superior strength. Yet, in reality, he couldn''t lift a single finger.


    ''He is so terrifying. How did this happen? What did he be?!''


    Asura knelt and leaned close to Siegfried''s face; their eyes met as Siegfried looked into a sea of darkness. There were no whites in his eyes, pure darkness with a crimson pupil gazing into his soul.


    "I am going to devour you, crush your kingdom and ughter your friends and ravish your daughter before I slit her throat."


    The darkness and eerie ck sclera of Asura''s eyes caused the seasoned demaster to swing back in desperation. As Asura stepped back casually with elegant steps, he avoided the broken de''s swing. Amused as blood spurted from Siegfried''s wounds, his face was red with blood and anger because of Asura''s words.


    "Leave her alone!"


    "Pfft."


    Asuraughed.


    "No."


    The zing ck mes burst from Asura''s body before condensing around his fists like zing gauntlets of fire.


    "If you want to save them, how about you defeat me here?"


    Asura punched Siegfried in the stomach before his ming fist mmed into his chin. Asura didn''t stop the attack there; instead, he grabbed Siegfried''s leg and began mming his body into the ground with immense force.


    "How dare you kill them, hurt those who called me their friend?"


    His fists rained down, each time mes enveloping his knuckles. Soon, Siegfried''s entire body fell on fire as the mes caused his flesh to melt off. He could no longer see the face of Asura, only the cruel mes of darkness that ate away at his flesh and bones.


    ''This monster!''


    "There are no gods to protect you or send your soul to the great beyond."


    "There is only the darkness. You will never escape it."


    "And when I find you in the realm of darkness, you will suffer tenfold."


    The rage seemed to consume Asura like he lost a limiter that kept his feelings and darkness in check.


    Asura''s devastating fists broke, tenderised and maimed the flesh of Siegfried, who no longer had a voice to scream from.


    ''Is this what it means to be a monster? Is this his true form?''


    Siegfried struggled and pleaded for mercy, yet that form remained in darkness.


    A frightening force with two huge horns, ck wings of fire and an aura of death caused his words and pleas to vanish, only terror before the final fist crushed his skull and ended the life of the famous demaster from Romantica.


    Silence remained as Asura ced his hand on the deformed face of the corpse and devoured the remaining magic, dragon blood, from within him.


    His devouring force was so strong it crushed and devoured the soul of Siegfried.


    "It''s over. The feeling of anger and frustration is gone. Finally," Asura whispered, kneeling before Siegfried''s skeleton.


    His eyes were still ck with red pupils, and a terrifying, intense pressure flowed around his body with an almost transparent crimson colour.


    "You shouldn''t have harmed her, fool. Lorem is the most precious woman. She is my first love."


    However, he felt that if it were any of his beloved women, he would react in the same way.