My Celestial Ascension

“Are you going to make it difficult for us to enter?” Valeria spoke, her voice laced with seriousness and disdain toward the soldiers of the Holy Light Empire.

The soldiers could feel Valeria’s overwhelming presence—a pressure so powerful and suffocating that they had never experienced anything like it before. They immediately understood that a single rash move could result in their souls being shattered by sheer force alone.

They all exchanged glances before looking at Yuan and his wives, their bodies trembling in fear, already aware of the terrifying reputation the group carried.

“W-We wouldn’t dare do such a thing… You’re free to pass…” one of the soldiers stammered, his legs shaking as he barely managed to maintain his composure.

Yuan and his wives sensed the fear of death in the soldiers’ eyes and were satisfied with the response. The pressure was immediately withdrawn, and the carriage began to move forward.

Yuan quickly retrieved a small pouch filled with fifty gold coins, tossed it to the soldier with a serious look, and said, “If I sense anyone trailing us, I won’t hesitate to kill them. And I don’t care whether they’re from the Holy Church or the Imperial Family.”

“Do you understand what I’m saying? If not, it won’t end well for anyone who tries to stand in my way.” Yuan’s eyes turned cold as he released his pressure again—just enough to remind them not to disregard his warning.

The entire area fell silent. No one dared utter a word under the weight of his pressure. They only nodded, too terrified to speak.

“It’s good that you know what’s best for you… I hope you keep your word and don’t disturb my peace.”

Yuan uttered those words before vanishing from the soldiers’ sight in the blink of an eye, creating a powerful shockwave as he moved at terrifying speed—leaving the soldiers stunned.

Soon, he caught up to the carriage, joined his wives, and followed alongside it from the sky. As they traveled, they began to feel a shift in the atmosphere.

It became slightly colder, and a chilly breeze brushed their cheeks, refreshing them and filling their hearts with excitement for the journey ahead. Everyone looked forward to witnessing the beauty of the Holy Light Empire.

“It’s getting colder…” Leah mumbled softly, feeling the cool wind against her cheeks. A smile appeared on her beautiful face.

“Indeed. But it’s not cold enough for us to wear winter clothes yet. We’ll be fine with this much cold.” Yuan said with a soft smile as he moved closer to her. “And if you find yourself feeling cold, just use your Qi to surround your body. It will keep you warm.”

“I see… Then I’ll be fine too.” Leah nodded with a soft smile and immediately covered herself with her Qi, quickly feeling comfortable.

Meanwhile, a soldier guarding the border slipped behind the camp and quickly wrote a report before infusing the paper with his magic power.

“Go now. I’ve done my best to explain the situation clearly… but I can’t do anything beyond my ability. They’re far too powerful for me to follow.” The soldier muttered in a low voice before tossing the paper into the air.

Immediately, the paper transformed into a paper bird and shot off at high speed, leaving a glowing trail of light behind it.

Once he finished his task, he returned to his post right away so no one would become suspicious of him being a spy for the Holy Church.

“Where have you been? You were gone a long time, dude,” one of the soldiers asked with a confused look.

“I went to take a quick piss. I was barely holding it in when those people showed up. They were terrifying,” the man replied with a grin, making a funny face.

“Indeed. I feel the same. They’re incredibly powerful.” The soldier nodded with a heavy sigh and shook his head, still feeling a chill down his spine just thinking about it.

“I wonder how they plan to deal with the Holy Church. This is the Church’s territory—things won’t end well for them.”

“I-I have no idea… I don’t even want to imagine it.” The soldier muttered with a helpless look, slightly irritated by his friend’s remark.

—

Inside the Cathedral of the Holy Church, the Pope knelt in prayer before the statue of the Goddess. Before him stood two figures with beautiful white wings and silver armor.

They had silver hair and a mysterious glow on their skin, radiating a profound aura and powerful magical energy.

One was a strikingly handsome man; the other, a breathtaking woman—both looked at the Pope with cold, emotionless expressions, as if gazing at an insect.

Suddenly, the massive cathedral doors opened, and the First Commander of the Holy Knights entered, powerful magical energy radiating from him like he was ready for all-out war.

He narrowed his eyes the moment he saw the two angels standing before the Pope, their arrogant expressions matching the overwhelming magical pressure they exuded—it sent a chill down his spine.

‘Those two are strong! Incredibly strong! I doubt I could defeat even one of them, even if I used my full power… The Lionheart Empire would tremble before the might of the Holy Church! That’s for sure!’ Conrad thought, feeling his legs weaken under the overwhelming presence of the angels.

He had never felt this powerless before. It reminded him of his younger days, when he traveled the world seeking strong foes to challenge and defeat.

Back then, he wasn’t this powerful. He often encountered individuals far stronger than him—some had even beaten and humiliated him.

“Your Eminence, did you call for me?” Conrad asked, immediately kneeling before the Pope and paying his respects to the statue of the Goddess and the Pope himself.

The Pope slowly rose from the floor and looked at Conrad with a wide grin as he retrieved a letter from his magic pouch and handed it over.

“I see… So they’ve finally arrived in the empire. I didn’t expect them to cross the border so quickly. I thought I’d have more time to train my two new apprentices…” Conrad sighed after reading the letter, his grip tightening around it.

Suddenly, a flame burst forth and incinerated the letter, and the angels raised their brows upon witnessing the fire in Conrad’s hand.

“You already know what to do, don’t you?” The Pope asked with a creepy smile. His wide grin irritated Conrad, who found such expressions distasteful.

“I know. I’ll set out immediately and eliminate the threat… They made a grave mistake coming into our territory—and they’ll pay with their lives!” Conrad declared, his face full of fury. He couldn’t forgive the people who had killed Archbishop Gregor and Holy Son Arthur.

“Please do so. And bring that ungrateful bitch here. I’d like to see her before cleansing her from this world… I want to see her terrified face.” The Pope’s voice dripped with hatred and disdain toward Princess Livia.

How dare that child betray the Holy Church? Serving the Goddess of Light and Justice is an honor—a rare chance to become useful to Her divine will.

And yet, that ungrateful girl had cast aside such a noble, sacred duty… She even rebelled against the Holy Church. Unforgivable. A crime punishable by death!

She had to pay for the sin of betraying the Goddess with her own life—this was the only way to find peace in the afterlife. The Goddess would forgive her in death, for She was the embodiment of justice itself.

“By the way, Your Eminence… Are they the angels sent by the Goddess to aid us in the war?” Conrad asked, narrowing his glowing blue eyes at the two figures standing beside the statue of the Goddess.

“Indeed. They were sent to aid us by the direct order of the Goddess herself,” the Pope replied excitedly, quickly glancing toward the angels with admiration in his eyes.

“They are Valtheriel and Selvariel—both are incredibly powerful. Even you wouldn’t be able to defeat them. That’s how strong they are.”

“I can already sense that. You don’t need to tell me,” Conrad replied with a slightly annoyed tone, clearly irritated by the presence of two beings stronger than himself.

The Pope immediately stopped praising the angels, realizing it wasn’t wise to provoke the First Commander of the Holy Knights—Conrad. After all, he would be a key figure in the upcoming war.

“I understand, I understand. I won’t talk about it anymore. I just want to destroy the Lionheart Empire once and for all. That’s my only goal!” the Pope said with a wide, sinister grin.

“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll eliminate those sinners as swiftly as possible. So long…” Conrad raised a hand and quickly left the cathedral, feeling suffocated by its atmosphere.

‘Those damn angels and their arrogant smirks… Damn it! I should just focus on the task at hand. I have to deal with this so-called Yuan and his wives…!’ Conrad thought furiously, sighing softly as he headed toward where his Wyvern awaited.

Soon, he arrived at the place he had left the Wyvern and quickly mounted it before soaring off toward the Imperial Palace of the empire to pick up Kael and Zane—both of whom sought revenge against Yuan.

Upon arriving at the palace, he immediately ordered Kael and Zane to mount the Wyvern. As soon as they heard the command, they leapt onto its back without hesitation.

“Where are we going, Sir Conrad?” Kael asked, a curious look on his face as he settled on the Wyvern’s back.

Zane, though equally confused about their destination, remained silent and focused on putting on his armor.

‘Are we heading to some kind of special training session in the forest?’ Zane wondered inwardly, curiosity growing within him.

Noticing the puzzled looks on their faces, Conrad sighed. He decided to explain the situation—his students had the right to know. After all, they had suffered greatly at the hands of Yuan and his wives.

“Yuan and his wives have crossed the border and entered the empire. They’re currently heading toward the capital city,” Conrad said in a grave tone.

Both Kael and Zane were shocked to hear this. The image of the man who had humiliated and defeated them so thoroughly resurfaced in their minds, causing their blood to boil with rage.

“Are we going to kill them before they reach the capital?” Kael asked, his voice thick with anger and contempt, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

Seeing the looks on Kael and Zane’s faces, Conrad let out a wide, vicious grin and replied, “Indeed.”