21 Ability Assessment - Raise your guard, princess.

The assessment period would last until everyone had fought, and the instructors would grade everyone on several things: 

The stage of their core 

The level of their fighting techniques

How well they managed in a sudden battle.

Asura was sitting in the stands with Mu Xue, who fed him a sandwich she got before he knew he was hungry.

As they watched Xavida completely crush her enemy with a single attack, she struck the girl like a lightning bolt; her magic and body flow moved in perfect sync before she stepped off the ring in silence.

"Winner, Xavida Bahamot."

'It seems they are not keeping her identity secret, probably because of the prince and his nasty personality.'

Lucretia began strutting along the arena with beautiful magic particles dancing around her body.

Each step created a large shockwave that resonated from her foot, restoring the damaged arena to its former state, all crack and rubble like going back in time; it returned to the former pristine stone arena.

She raised her arms with a twirl as a golden light flashed from her fingertips.

"Now! The moment all you lovely boys have been waiting for!"

"The next contender for the assessment! Our beloved sword princess! Vela Silvara!"

Lucretia's fingertips showed beautiful golden sparkles as the princess descended the stairs, slowly with measured steps, holding her eastern sword in a silver sheath over her shoulder larger than Mu Xue's and closer to a nodachi in size.

Her white uniform fluttered in the afternoon breeze as all other fights stopped as if to worship the princess and her first official fight.

"With a record of two hundred and fifty duels with her peers and seniors, our lovely princess Vela is one of the most powerful geniuses of the future!"

"Give your affection to your princess!"

"Wooooah!"

"Princess, look here!!"

Asura smiled wryly, having almost forgotten how popular this princess was.

'I feel bad for her opponent... Her talent and hidden power will crush them... Stage Two at the young age of nineteen.'

Her talent in swordsmanship and how she didn't shrink from males and those more powerful earned her the ideal eldest sister title in the coming months.

He could feel the arena shaking from the people around him standing and cheering; her beauty, grace and humble attitude were why most commoners wished for her to become the future queen.

'Shame that she is trapped in a spider web of plot and treachery to ever surface as one.'

[Will you save her too? Like Xavida...]

Brian's voice was rather apprehensive, probably worried about something like changing time too much or something, but Asura just shrugged his shoulder and smiled, leaning down and kissing Mu Xue's lips while everyone was focused on the stage.

'I do not care.'

'If the chance arises, then I will do my best.' 

'My priority is revenge and making this woman in my arms happy.'

[...tsk...]

The communication began to distort as Asura swore that Brian had clicked his tongue and insulted him with vulgar language.

"Now then!"

"For all you wondering who might be the opponent of our wonderful princess!?"

"Worry not! I shall now announce them!"

Asura placed his hand on Mu Xue's cheek as their kiss deepened. Her arms wrapped around his back, coiling his tongue with hers, now intoxicated by the naughty feeling of kissing with so many people around who could watch in the blink of an eye!

A mixture of frost and flame swirled around their mouths as both benefitted more from their cultivation.

The ice element inside Asura grew denser and filled with the deadly chill of the lowest level of hell, and the fire inside his blood matched the ice perfectly.

His passionate flames filled Mu Xue's entire body, spreading through her veins like an intense inferno while her mana, like a raging blizzard, did the same for him.

"Behold! The Son of Earl Fenix! Asura Fenix, the heir to House Fenix!"

Her voice tried to sound enthusiastic, using her magic and charm to increase the hype, but when his name was mentioned, the hype seemed to shatter.

Instead, there was mockery, insults and even people complaining about the match being rigged so the kingdom could hide the princess's ability for the assessment.

Instantly, the arena looked back towards the seat where Mu Xue and Asura suddenly parted, the strands of saliva still visible as her eyes reverted to normal.

'Interesting'

"Master..."

"Do not worry, Xue'er. Let your husband show you exactly how much he has grown thanks to your dedicated love and affection."

His words made the surrounding people and males of the arena grit their teeth due to the amplified sound before the extremely handsome male turned to face the steps.

"Loser with no core!"

"Trash, merely a pretty face."

"How dare you stand where she is."

"I hope you die."

'Ah, nostalgic; these words should hurt but feel warm, almost comforting.'

Asura didn't speak back or let their words change his mind, so he continued.

The feeling of magic inside his body was swirling faster, each word, insult, and curse only increasing the speed, refining his body and magic to a level beyond their imagination.

'Tell me, Lumeris, Nova... which of you shall help me trounce the princess and make the kingdom nobles look at me with different eyes?'

He didn't rely on flashy displays of magic or revealing his entire power, strolling with an elegant and patient pace with a faint smile on his devilish face with his piercing crimson eyes, never leaving the face of the princess enduring her pressure.

"Asura Fenix greets the princess." 

A graceful bow, lightly lowering his chest with one arm across it, pointing towards the moonlight with three fingers1.

Vela didn't return a bow because she was royalty, but her eyes with contempt seemed to vanish due to the respect he showed. 

"Asura, please forfeit. You have no core and will be injured if we clash."

"Worry not, I shall be fine." 

"..."

"Do not say I didn't warn you; this princess will teach you to avoid danger in the future."

Asura didn't get angry or snap back like a foolish teen because he knew she was just awkward with words due to being in that type of situation for decades with no allies to back her up and only the sword to keep her safe.

Her mere aura would have been tearing my skin apart, so she warned me. 

'A gentle princess, but forgive me.' 

'Xue'er wants to see me shine, even though I want to remain low-key, and I want to crush that woman.'

'Let me steal your brightly shining light for my use!'

Vela took a stance, her long and heavy sword propped diagonally from her right shoulder to the left hip blade turned down with her beautiful eyes closed.

The silver sword with a long red strip down the centre, constantly filled with Vela's immense fire and earthen magic power, forming lava that bubbles inside the special blade.

"Everyone! Please enjoy the battle!" 

Lucretia vanished from the spot, returning beside Lorem, watching the stage with bright eyes, her normal moody look filled with a sharp gaze.

"Where is your weapon? Asura, please step down--!?"

"Come to me, Nova."

Asura's right hand stretched out, opening his fingers and grasping at the air, interrupting the princess as she looked at his body wide-eyed.

'Beautiful'

A beautiful sword appeared, the blade as if crafted with the purest looking untouched ice, more than eighty centimetres long with a straight dual-sided blade.

Its pristine black guard with black wings folding from the edge and a name written in strange language down the guard.

This was Nova

The devil blade of eternal frost.

"Forgive me, princess, I cannot hold back or go easy on you."

⟪Devil Arts⟫

—Soulfire Blade

A surge of blue and black fire 2swirled together as it danced from the tip of his fingers, wrapping the handle and dancing along his guard before enveloping his beautiful frozen longsword.

It should have melted, many exclaimed.

However, these flames were from the deepest layer of hell and burned colder than the most frigid tundra on the surface.

"Raise your guard, princess."

The moment his words finished, to the dismay of the entire arena, Asura Fenix vanished, and by the time they found his figure again.

His blade had already sent the princess flying backwards, covered in his blue flames, as she desperately cast a huge barrier of earth to douse the flame, only looking at Asura's idle figure with utter shock.

Only in the crowd was a single person celebrating as Mu Xue punched the air, her eyes sparkling as he used her element, and the sword somehow felt similar to her.

'A girl in love can be so cute.'

Not giving the princess time to recover fully, once again, Asura vanished.