Devouring Monarch: Rebirth of the Profane Phoenix

"Mu Xue, take control of the knights and warriors along with Vela, and have Xavida protect the princess at whatever cost." Valerie's voice sounded nothing like her usual flirtatious state as her crimson hair flickered in the wind.

Beside her, Verana's black hair started to transform to match her mother's as she began channelling her blood magic. "Mother, that woman is extremely powerful! I cannot even read her current strength!"

"I know, she's on the brink of surpassing the mortal limit. This woman is going to be difficult, even if I was in my heyday, Ana. This battle, without Asura and Maria, will be tough." Valerie's eyes narrowed as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "I feel that they really got us good this time."

"Don't worry, Mother," Verana spoke with a sharp look in her eyes, "we'll do this."

At that moment, Verana's hair fully transformed, and her figure no longer gave off the air of a little girl.

"S-since when was my little Ana this... fiery?" Valerie couldn't help but say as she noticed the changes in her daughter who used to seem stoic and uncaring. "She's changing... that's good," she muttered in satisfaction.

While the two Vampires were busy preparing for the coming battle, everyone else was quietly getting ready, for they could tell just how much danger was in front of them. It wasn't just their future in question but also their lives.

Thankfully, the attacks from Lorem and Helliana allowed them to destroy the enemy's catapults and most of their troops. However, Abaddon watched them from the wall, her gaze almost piercing them from hundreds of metres.

Xavida, Mu Xue, Vela, and all the other women were exceptionally on guard as Verana and her mother dashed forward. It wasn't just them, though, as Mu Xue took command and gave out orders to all the knights and warriors they had under them to take up their bows and continue the assault on the city.

At the same time, the Valkyrie stood in front of the normal soldiers, protecting them from stray magic above Stage Seven that might flow across from the battle.

"Intent on stopping me yourself? You are far too presumptuous for a couple of filthy Vampires!" Abaddon yelled with a fierce scowl, "How dare you interfere with my fun."

"Don't push your luck. Asura is not here!" Verana shot back with a smile as she drew a spear of blood. "Mother, prepare to cast a spell!"

"You heard the girl," Valerie chuckled, "time to have some fun!"

Abaddon watched as the two women dashed forward like twin spectres. She frowned, and a blood-red shield appeared in front of her to block any vision of their advance.

However, even with the shield blocking them, the two didn't care as Valerie lifted her hands. Suddenly, blood vines erupted from the ground, shattering the stone and earth in front of Abaddon.

Her expression finally turned to a smile, and with a calm step, she dodged to the side, allowing the blood vines to ram straight past her, while her eyes darted to Verana, who appeared in the air from behind the shield, thrusting her spear towards Abaddon. "Is that all you have, my old rival?"

Without saying another word, Abaddon grabbed the spear and, with one arm, stopped Verana in her tracks. "Your blood magic is lacking! Did you truly think I would get taken by such a rudimentary technique?"

Valerie appeared in the air, and in her hand was the same blood spear spell Verana used. However, its aura and atmosphere are on a completely different level. The aura seemed to draw in everything, almost like a black hole. "How about this, then?!"

"How troublesome." Abaddon frowned as she placed a hand on her face and tapped her temple. "Even with those weak spells, you're giving me a bit of a headache."

Before Abaddon could do anything, though, Valerie thrust her spear forward, pierced through the air and penetrated Abaddon's shoulder, drawing a bit of blood.

Abaddon glanced at her shoulder with a hint of surprise in her eyes. "So you can injure me. Not bad. However, it's a pity that you have already run out of time."

Valerie felt a pang in her chest as Abaddon's words came through to her. The white snake's body had already vanished from her vision before a palm grabbed her face before she could react.

"You'll need more than one vampire elder if you want to beat me!" Abaddon spat out as her entire hand crushed Valerie's face with ease. "Your blood magic does not affect me." She then tensed her arm and slammed Valerie into the castle wall. The moment Valerie's body impacted the castle wall, a loud crack rang out as her body caused a crater.

Rocks and debris exploded from her impact as Abaddon's white tail smashed her into the stone six times with a ferocious force, cracking the very foundation of the capital city walls.

"M-mother!" Verana's voice trembled as she watched her mother fall from the sky in such a state. She immediately stopped her attack on Abaddon and rushed to Valerie's side, where she was lying on the ground. "Mother!"

Verana ignored everything else and focused solely on her mother.

"Y-you damn Bitch!" Verana yelled in a rage as she tried to lunge at Abaddon. However, just before she could attack, an icy grip wrapped around her leg as if an invisible hand pulled her back.

"Foolish daughter, how can you defeat her with such a clouded mind?" Valerie's bloody face, her left eye closed while dragging herself out of the rocks. "Losing control like that will only hasten your death!"

"Mother! Your eye... I'll-" Verana wanted to speak, but Valerie cut her off.

"It's only an eye. It's time you learn to save your hatred for when the time is right!" Valerie calmly spoke as she cleaned the blood from her face and stood up.

"Oh? Your body seems more durable than in the past; a shame your eye is gone. I bet he won't want you now. It's been destroyed~ hahaha!" Abaddon's tail swayed behind her, the eye of Valerie impaled on its sharp tip.

"Idiot... I am a vampire; if I drink his blood, it will regenerate in seconds. Are you retarded after so long stalking him?" Valerie would not give Abaddon the pleasure of seeing her shocked.

"Fool, I know that," Abaddon retorted as her eyes narrowed and her figure vanished from everyone's sight. "That's why I was saving this punch."

She was suddenly behind Valerie. However, her target was Verana, her fist carrying an unbelievable amount of power.

Verana, sensing danger, swung her spear in defence.

'Verana!" Valerie exclaimed, trying to save her daughter, but could only watch as Abaddon's fist collided with Verana's spear and tore straight through it without even stopping.

However, before it reached Verana, black feathers and the scent of death burst from the body of Verana. Her skin turned pale, and her hair a mixture of raven black and crimson red. It was the first time she tried to use both her vampiric and undying phoenix powers at the same time.

The force of Abaddon's blow nullified because her entire fist became rotten and decrepit before she collided with Verana's chest.

"Ugh." Verana spat out a mouthful of blood as she was blown away, only to be caught by Valerie and dropped to the ground.

"See what I mean about getting angry in the heat of battle?" Valerie crouched down beside her daughter, checking to make sure she was all right. "You did good, but this form it smells like Asura, but... if he became a corpse."

Valerie wasn't sure if what she said was correct or not as she turned to look at Abaddon. "Come then. This is what you wanted, is it not?" Find adventures at empire

"Hmph, how boring. This false vessel is being eaten alive by your filthy daughter's power... Yet it stinks of him. Why do you smell of him!" Abaddon laughed in a condescending tone at first before it transformed into a hysterical and aggressive screech. "I thought this would be interesting, but no, all it's doing is making me feel nauseous!"

The next moment, Abaddon vanished from where she stood and appeared in front of Valerie before the two clashed in an explosion of blood and dust.

Abaddon looked up and laughed at their efforts. "Pathetic!"

Yet before she could intercept them, Valerie and her daughter attacked her from both sides. The body of Abaddon seemed to have a time limit because of the effect of Verana's power, allowing them to stop her.

'Tch." Abaddon clicked her tongue.

She unleashed her huge magic aura to avoid the attacks and deflect them with energy blades. But neither Valerie nor Verana was easy to deal with, for both had auras and power on par with the people at the peak of Stage Eight or Nine of the Central Empire.

Her hands filled with dark balls of magic, and she began shooting them from her hands, rapidly aiming for where Verana fell.

"F-filthy monster!" Valerie was not willing to see her daughter die again and tried to stop Abaddon, but just as she was about to reach her, Valerie found herself dealing with something else.

"It seems you are struggling to win, Abaddon." A male with a pleasant voice blocked the spear of Valerie with his palm, while thousands of knights in black armour charged from the gates towards the army of Mu Xue.

It was Alastair Crowley in person, his aura distorted and wrong.

"Just clearing out some pests." Alastair replied with a light chuckle as his eyes scanned the battlefield, "Nothing more."

Abaddon looked at the army that was advancing and looked conflicted. "He still isn't coming... What's going on?" She muttered to herself, forgetting about Verana and the battle instead of looking around as if searching for something.

"Where is Asura?"