10 Lumeris Nova - Scarlet Sword Lance

Mu Xue kept her strength to the limit of stage one as her sharp ice blade danced through the air, clashing with Asura's heavy greatsword with deep, resounding blows, causing him to slide backwards but take no damage.

Deep dragon-like growls constantly emitted from Asura's throat when attacking, revealing a burning ember inside his irises alongside his confident and charming smile, surprising Mu Xue so much she nearly missed an attack and flew backwards across the ground, sliding across the frost like she was gracefully skating on it.

His wide yet elegant movements were familiar and nostalgic as he rushed towards her.

Gritting her teeth as happiness overwhelmed her mind, Mu Xue darted forward while twisting like a delicate flower in the wind and slicing upward with a glimmer of ice magic, crashing harshly against his scaled muscular arm but damaging neither the scale nor his flesh before breaking, her lips parted slightly as she dodged Asura's fist followed up by an overhead cleave.

Her heartbeat drummed heavily inside her heart as her body shuddered powerfully, feeling the moves he was using, which were those she had used at the start of the fight; Asura was learning her movements as if they were natural to him.

"Although he lacks finesse, grace and speed... He makes my heart quiver! I cannot hold back against him!"

Willing away the thick mist she unleashed as a diversion, Xue'er vanished from sight, her blue blade encased in ice, slicing through his scales as a deep wound formed across his chest, followed by a fountain of blood, his crimson eyes dazed at her movement.

The mist reformed around Xue'er as she dashed sideways, gazing at Asura, whose wound swiftly closed by itself; a mere thin film remained.

They locked eyes as he felt unwilling to lose; Mu Xue tightened her grip before rushing forward again.

Asura roared, his dragon-like voice echoing throughout the mist as he rushed forward; they crossed blades before he grabbed her ice sword with his bare hand, the ice covering his arm in an instant before pulling her into a deep embrace, his large hands embracing her hips and lifting her high into the air, spinning rapidly before throwing her far away.

Xue'er flipped gracefully through the air as Asura rushed after her, slamming his greatsword downward, piercing the ice below, sending a shockwave of frost and ice magic, forcing her to hastily block and counterattack, her elegant attacks unable to penetrate Asura's strong defence.

His eyes shone red as he darted forward, with his greatsword held high, almost copying her attack when she vanished from sight. 

However, because his exhaustion was too great, even with his speed, the blade only sliced through her right forearm before she deflected the blow and countered it. Penetrating his chest with another sharp attack and filled the training room with blood.

Now, the entire room filled with the scent of excitement, sweat and blood.

Their battle continued for twenty minutes as Asura collapsed to the ground, with half his body frozen and blood flooding his chest, yet a smile was on both faces.

"Haa...ha... it seems you are a fast learner, Asura..."

"Nnn....ha.... Xue'er, you are so amazing!"

This time, Mu Xue hugged him first, her lips pressing against his, knowing it helped them both recover and increase their cultivation; her tongue slipped into his mouth before greedily sucking on his mana.

His warm hands embraced her waist, slipping under her clothes and massaging her soft snow-white buttocks. The sensation of his warm, moist hands gripping and squeezing them firmly caused a jolt of excitement and mana to flow through her body, flooding her core.

 Xue'er moaned between kisses, her mana recovery increasing greatly before she pulled away, her glowing azure eyes staring at Asura lovingly.

"Let's take a rest, Asura. I will make you something for dinner... It's been an hour!"

"Alright... Haa...."

His crimson eyes dimmed slightly, causing Mu Xue to giggle and stroke his cheek, kissing him once more before standing up and helping Asura to his feet, his wounds healing slower than usual as he sat on the black chair facing the outside view.

'When she used her full strength, I felt my weaknesses more than ever, but the exhilaration of fighting her, feeling my chest torn by her blade and desperate to counter felt amazing.'

Asura never loved fighting in the past, or maybe it was because he couldn't fight that he avoided conflict. 

However, facing Mu Xue in the training room made him feel like his entire life up to this point was just a corpse walking and pretending to be alive, feeling the cold icy blade cutting his flesh, watching as his attacks sent her flying, enduring the aching pain using his black scales... 

'It was amazing... Is this feeling better than sex?'

He leaned back in the chair, constantly closing his eyes and reviewing the battle.

His Devil and Devouring Arts were amazing, but he could feel something wasn't quite right...

"My range is too short... the weapon is too bulky."

Asura tried his best to understand what was wrong before he suddenly found himself sitting in the centre of the monoliths.

"Eh? Why am I here suddenly."

Inside his soul palace, he noticed that the old man was sleeping against the unknown pillar with a peaceful face, snoring away.

"Are you awake?"

"Oi Brian!"

He shouted while pulling himself up, noticing that his physical wounds and injuries were reflected and noticed the wounds healed in tandem with his body on the black obelisk.

'So it doesn't stop healing, thank god.'

Brian seemed to awaken, but the eyes were different for a moment. They were a beautiful golden colour. It made Asura feel strange to think a man's eyes were beautiful, so he didn't say anything and looked toward the screen to avoid the subject.

"Oh, you finally stopped brandishing that incomplete weapon and realised your errors... What a good little boy."

"I'm not little..."

"Don't worry. I am merely data, so don't feel embarrassed. It was just a jest."

"Tsk... old man, what did you mean about incomplete? Isn't this weapon my soul weapon?"

Asura assumed it was a soul weapon because it changed shape when he held it with the intent to battle like Mu Xue's Hyōka.

"May I hold it?"

Since it was just a hologram, Asura thought his weapon might drop to the floor.

The blade was identical to the artefact he had bought before death, and he wondered why this old fool thought it was incomplete.

Brian grasped the crimson greatsword with a black base before it transformed into a mere iron sword, causing Asura to feel delighted that it wasn't something he could lose. The look on his face was obvious to Brian, who just smiled gently before letting out a cry.

"Hah!"

The iron greatsword suddenly began to break apart, causing Asura's heart to shatter.

This sword helped him fight Mu Xue almost on equal terms in her limited first stage and for twenty minutes in her second stage.

Yet this old man just destroyed it!?

"O-Old man.... my sword...!?"

In the palm of Brian was a small blue orb and a large crimson orb with a black sphere inside, just like Mu Xue's sword, but the colours were opposite, and he had a strange black orb inside both of them.

The eyes of Brian flashed with several colours before he looked at Asura seriously with a stern face.

"Call the weapon in your heart and ask her to return to you."

"Eh?"

"How..."

He was a little unsure before closing his eyes and picturing holding the blade and cutting down the bandings, feeling the exhilarating thrill as he fought against Mu Xue.

Because he closed his eyes, Asura missed the beautiful scene as the red and blue orbs recreated the battles in the air with a blue and red colour letting Brian watch and smile as the rookie Asura defeated the bandits and spent most of two hours being beaten by the pretty blade knight before he started to absorb her moves and abilities.

"He learned her moves by instinct? What kind of brain does this damn lady killer have!"

With a roar, the orbs became extremely hot and cold before tearing from Brian's hands and fluttering through the air before dancing around the body of Asura.

His eyes closed tightly, yet a smile came to his face.

'Come back to me! Let us fight together. Always, never letting anyone part us.'

'I swear to give you the same affection I would to my wife!'

Taking deep breaths, his feet seemed to hover off the ground as all five monoliths began to pulsate and hum with a beautiful melody, echoing for the entire span of his spirit palace, causing even Brian to feel enchanted as the two orbs began forming two different weapons that began to fuse.

"Two!?" Brian exclaimed with wonder. 

Her golden eyes watched the sight of his movements, unable to stop her true appearance from flashing each time the unknown monolith pulsated, which forced her to hide behind it to stop Asura from seeing.

'I can feel you were calling to me, gentle and affectionate, but with a deep fear you cannot protect me in your current state... do not worry. Let us grow together, from the bottom to the top of the universe!'

"Come to my side, little Nova!" Asura's voice seemed to be something deep within, like his soul calling.

Before the blue sphere began to form a beautiful longsword, a blade close to ninety centimetres long and over ten centimetres wide, sharp but solid.

'You are fiery, confident, and insist on being together... I feel the same, but please allow her to join. This girl also wishes to join and support us.'

'Will we let our power be incomplete due to arrogance and her being of a different element?'

"Accept your new sister! Lumeris."

Then, the red sphere formed a long shaft with a golden blade at the end, only short but likely a counterweight that aimed to become a true blade.

"Lumeris Nova. Come to your master!"

Then the two weapons merged, the long red shaft with golden dragon and strange runes that matched the unknown monolith and a golden blade extending from the tip only around seventy centimetres now.

A huge black dragon with flames appeared momentarily, just like when Xavida released her powers in fear due to the guards and the presence of so many enemies.

The monoliths continued to pulsate for several moments while Asura slowly lowered his body, touching the ground with a soft tap and opening his glowing red eyes with fluttering lashes.

"What... happened?"

He felt a voice in his heart, two gentle voices that called out to him... So he answered honestly and sincerely...

Now, inside his hand was a heavy but powerful weapon.

⟪Soul Weapon⟫

—Lumeris Nova - The Scarlet Sword Lance

"Brian... I don't know how, but you were right... My power and the crystal of love from my dear Mu Xue seemed to have caused the weapons to become lost..."

Meanwhile, Brian was still shocked...

"Two weapons... Transforming, nonsense... what love...!?"

"Then where is min-" Mid-sentence, his old deep voice stopped before he came from behind the monolith with a wide smile.

"Congratulations, that weapon can never be stolen, never be broken and will always answer your call no matter where, when or how you do so."

His eyes looked to the square board, finally realising that one of the runes, which now showed a negative number, seemed to be his Anima.

'Brian seems a little strange, but I am too tired... these girls ate a lot of my Anima.'

While feeling dazed, Brian's words seemed to sound but seemed to be burned into his ears with magic.

"You must learn to control the Devouring Factor; during combat, you stopped absorbing and couldn't absorb mana during combat unless she directly touched you!"

"Try to learn to absorb it even away from your body!"

A moment later, Asura lost consciousness, sleeping soundly on the black sofa while Mu Xue was cooking a delicious meal with many stamina and energy-boosting ingredients, her eyes gently watching her master and boyfriend, now sleeping on the chair with a gentle snore.