Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

Lucretia's clones relentlessly attacked Asura until sweat drenched his clothes with a sour, manly scent. His body ached so much that he struggled to stand.

He felt like he had gained a lot from Lucretia. Her clones weren't solid like Verona's but shadows that could attack, block and defend. They also had a limited time to exist before returning to her body.

Da Da Da! Pah!

Her body, like a dancing swan, dealt a brutal combo of six kicks before pushing against his cheek with a palm attack.

However, Asura's eyes were gleaming with a golden light, and twisting his body, he subconsciously mimicked her style, a very primitive copy but enough to surprise Lucretia as Asura's foot landed on her abdomen.

'He copied me!?' Her eyes widened in shock before her clones attacked him, forcing him back, but Asura didn't stop as he copied her footwork, darting with a smooth transition from counter to defence. He took three of the seven blows from each clone as if calculating that amount of damage was something he could endure, surprising Lucretia further.

Lorem watched with sharp eyes, her lips curving into a wicked smile, "little bastard copied Lucretia's special technique with a few dozen glances and beatings... damn monster."

Lucretia felt her heart beating faster as Asura copied her footwork and style, slowly changing them to fit his body better.

'It's not perfect... but it's only been an hour since I met this boy in battle, and he copied my signature techniques, my phantasmal dance, and Shadow Swan Kick!'

It was a strange feeling for Lucretia... she was the one who was used to using her charm and genius to shock the masses, man or woman, child or elderly, all of them contributed to her growth as a dark magician. 'It feels strange to have my heart become disturbed by a boy half my age!'

As if because of flustered emotions, she activated a third clone and shot towards Asura, using her own body and the clones in sync, not delaying their attacks anymore, wanting to push him further... to see his limits, more... her heart desired more!

'Asura Fenix... I want to force out your limits!' Lucretia thought, landing four hits before Asura twisted his hand and tilted to the side, changing her fighting style again, blocking more than she expected while countering with his unique footwork, creating a gap where he kicked both clones at once with a chain of black lightning causing two of them to explode into dust.

"Oh, no... that face... she's serious," Lorem whispered as she stood up, her body ready to step in and stop the fight; otherwise, he might die.

Lucretia wasn't like most dark magicians; instead of focusing on their charm or clones, she focused on herself... since being a young woman living in the slums, she trained desperately to avoid being sent to the brothel. It was Lorem herself who discovered this woman's prowess when they met drunk, and Lucretia was only in her teens.

She taught Lucretia martial arts, allowing her genius and skill to grow rapidly, realising that she would one day surpass her in melee combat alone, and now rising to her current position.

Yet Asura's performance threatened her image as Lucretia finally revealed her true fighting style.

Like a raging hurricane, her blows never stopped, and the sound of her feet hitting the floor vanished as Lucretia and her five clones attacked without mercy. There were no gaps; her fist struck, followed by five kicks, into her spinning kick and double jab. None of her moves repeated, and her blows overwhelmed Asura!

His clothing split, showing bruised muscles beneath as he moved as fast as possible, using the magic of Xavida to increase his speed through lightning and wind magic, but Lucretia, with precise movements and timing, pushed him hard!

Xavida couldn't help smiling widely as she could sense the magic Asura was using, and he fought without hesitation, using their bond together, trusting in her completely.

Crack! Boom! Crash! Bang! Thump! Whiz!

Their battle became a blur as Lucretia pressed harder; taking advantage of Asura's growing fatigue, she unleashed a final blow with her leg raised over his head, ready to stomp downwards, her last clone vanishing as she faced him directly.

"Surrender!" Lucretia ordered coldly as Asura coughed up blood... he couldn't win in this state, but the princess shouted excitedly, "Asura... use that move!"

Her voice was so vibrant that Mu Xue frowned first, then Xavida and the others as she blushed and turned away, forgetting that it wasn't just her and Asura anymore.

Lucretia, too, stared at Vela as Asura, who should have lost, smiled brightly before gathering his bearings and stepping back—he had been practising the same technique as his genius sister, empowering attacks with magic, allowing weaker attacks to break through barriers or pierce armours!

"Instructor Lucretia, please give me everything you've got!"

Those words sounded childish, yet Lucretia sensed the confidence in his tone, a confident challenge she couldn't deny as her leg dropped, and she stood with both hands at her waist, and dark mist covering her body, wrapped around her arms like a serpent her eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"Understood—if you don't resist this blow, you won't stand for a week, and I won't train you again and consider it the price for your overconfidence."

'This boy... I want to fight him... grow up... match me, show me how far you can go!'

Asura's body lowered. He felt the elements trembling around his body, wrapping his left arm in Mu Xue's ice element, his right arm in the blazing fire of his phoenix and dragon bloodline, and finally, his legs flickered with lightning from Xavida. Unlike his sister, he benefitted more from a rapid combo of multiple heavy blows than a single hit attack.

Magic swirled through his body, dancing around his limbs while his eyes glowed golden, and his aura exploded!

Boom!

'Good! Asura More!'

Both fighters launched forth, Lucretia's shadow and Asura's golden flame exploding outward before a wave of energy rippled across the campus, shaking the grounds and blowing the windows wide open!

"Hahaha!" Lucretia's beautiful laugh was eerie as she punched and took blows from Asura.

There was no way he could win, but as his left arm collided with her right hook, his right jab smashed into her left guard, but their blows became a blur, both using the same style as they attacked countless times.

Crack! Bash! Boom!

The sounds of intense battle echoed through the training room as Mu Xue looked at Lucretia with wide eyes, realising Asura wasn't copying Lucretia's techniques anymore but changed them completely to suit his slower, more power-based style!

'Did he adapt... to my entire fighting style!?' She thought with disbelief before Lucretia's leg rose, smashing into Asura's abdomen, causing him to spit out blood as his knees almost buckled. His right arm grasped her leg and swung her down before his leg smashed down towards her body.

However, Lucretia rolled backwards and jumped to her feet before unleashing an explosion of magical power; dark purple mist covered her figure as she suddenly launched forwards, and her power far exceeded Stage Two.

'Are you trying to make me steal you from Lorem... from anyone that tries to take you?'

Her blows no longer pulled back and caused Asura's body to lift from the ground as she punched him rapidly, over seventeen times in a few seconds, before smashing him into the wall!

Yet Asura clenched his fists and punched out—the last attack of a huge fireball from his fist shot towards Lucretia and hit her face, burning her clothes as she stepped back, looking at Asura with her figure vanishing before her fist almost smashed his unguarded face when she re-appeared.

'Eh... He still stands... my blows didn't kill him?'

"Phew..." Lorem was standing to the side of Asura, holding her arm, as the wall behind him exploded into dust... The power of Lucretia using Stage Three mana density was beyond his imagination...

"L...Lorem, I need this boy. Give him to me."

Her words caused many of the maidens at the training to misunderstand, while Lorem knew she meant both ways. This woman wanted to mould him into the perfect male.

It was like she saw her genius in him... Like the day that Lorem met her.

"Ugh...." Asura stepped forward, his body like jelly, as he could barely stand with his power.

However, it was obvious he was near his limit.

"Instructor Lucretia, I look forward to more lessons!" He bowed, with eyes lacking any image of defeat, a hunger... a brilliant light of determination.

Lorem and Lucretia knew those eyes. The eyes that Lucretia showed Lorem when she swore to defeat her.