My Celestial Ascension - Chapter 745

Chapter 745: A Blatant Refusal
“I never thought he would be such a coward, sacrificing his own friend like that. This is quite unbelievable…” Lily mumbled in a low voice as she looked at Zane’s lifeless body, blood dripping from his neck where Valeria’s sword had sliced clean through.

“He wasn’t just a coward—he was also a betrayer. He turned on his own friend… and if it ever came to it, he’d probably betray his own family too,” Vanessa responded with a soft smile, feeling a little uncomfortable watching such a horrific scene.

However, as the former Empress of the Lionheart Empire, she had experienced countless such events in the past—some even worse than this.

Thus, she managed to hide her discomfort behind the faint smile on her face, and deep down, she was relieved that a threat like Conrad had been eliminated by Yuan.

This would significantly reduce the battle power of the Holy Church. After all, Conrad wasn’t just a strong warrior—he was their most powerful member and the First Commander of the Holy Knights.

With such an important pillar now gone, the Lionheart Empire wouldn’t have to suffer as much to defeat the Holy Church and break its influence over the people.

Now the question was—how would the Holy Church react to this shocking loss? What would be their next move? Would they turn to the goddess they serve for guidance or support?

Even though a major threat had been neutralized, there were still many things to worry about. The Holy Church was the most powerful organization in the entire world, and there was a high chance they would retaliate fiercely.

What worried Vanessa even more was the fact that they were currently inside the Holy Church’s territory—and that meant the Church would be keeping a very close eye on them, since they now posed the greatest threat to its dominance.

Shortly after, Yuan retrieved the magic pouches from Conrad, Kael, and Zane’s corpses, hoping to find something of value that could be sold for money.

With Aisha’s help, Yuan checked through their belongings and discovered a large sum of money inside Conrad’s pouch, along with several powerful weapons and many high-grade magic potions.

He gave the weapons and potions to Aisha, as her clan could make good use of them. Yuan himself had no need for magic gear, as only those who use mana could wield them properly.

When he checked Kael and Zane’s magic pouches, he didn’t find anything useful—only a few hundred gold coins given to them by the Holy Church as a regular allowance.

After all, they weren’t adventurers or hunters who explored the world and gathered valuable monster parts to sell in the market.

“These two idiots were really poor… only a few gold coins,” Lily mumbled under her breath, clearly displeased by what little they got from Kael and Zane’s magic pouches. “And despite that, they acted like they were the most powerful and influential people in the entire world.”

“Aside from that Holy Sword and the Holy Thunder Sword, there’s nothing else with them,” Yuan added with a heavy sigh. He was also disappointed by the meager wealth inside Kael and Zane’s magic pouches.

Princess Livia approached Yuan with a serious look on her face, her eyes focused on the two legendary swords lying on the ground.

They were, after all, natural treasures of the Holy Light Empire—and rightfully belonged to it. Those swords had been passed down through the Imperial Family for generations.

“Yuan, can I ask you a favor? It’s something very personal,” Princess Livia said, her tone solemn. Yuan immediately turned toward her upon hearing her voice from behind.

“Yes? What is it?” Yuan asked with a confused look, curiosity showing in his eyes.

“I want to take their weapons with me. Those two swords are treasures of the Imperial Family, passed down from generation to generation. I want to return them to their rightful place,” Princess Livia said firmly, locking eyes with Yuan.

Yuan looked at her for a few seconds before nodding. “Sure. Since those swords belong to your family, you can keep them.”

Upon hearing this, a beautiful smile appeared on Princess Livia’s face. She immediately thanked Yuan for the huge favor and promised to repay him once everything settled down.

She quickly stored the two legendary swords inside her magic pouch and used a separate pouch to store the corpses.

She had chosen to take the dead bodies with her to the capital city of the Holy Light Empire—Solarael. The city where most dreams came true… until the Holy Church took over and imposed its own rules.

The Holy Church had always been the greatest enemy of the Imperial Family. But before the family realized the magnitude of the threat, it was already too late—they had lost their authority to rule the empire.

Now, they had become nothing more than puppets of the Holy Church, forced to comply with every order, regardless of how senseless it was. The Imperial Family was reduced to mere figureheads, stripped of any real power to govern.

Yuan and his wives erased all evidence of the battle by burning the area down using Fang Xiaoyan’s powerful flames. However, this made Xi Meili a little annoyed—Yuan hadn’t asked for her help this time.

She had always been the one to help him in such situations. Now that he had chosen Fang Xiaoyan instead, she was furious, stomping her feet in anger.

Shortly after, they all went to sleep, as it was still nighttime and not ideal for traveling through the forest. The cold had also grown more intense.

The next morning, Emma and Miss Zara prepared breakfast for everyone. Yuan, meanwhile, slept a little longer, accompanied by Anna and Grace.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Yuan was greeted by Anna and Grace, both smiling warmly at him. Their eyes were filled with love and compassion.

“Good morning, Mom Anna and Mom Grace,” Yuan greeted them with a gentle smile before kissing them both on the lips.

“Good morning, Darling,” Anna and Grace replied with loving smiles and kissed him back. Then they got dressed and exited the carriage.

Yuan also changed into a fresh outfit, stepped out of the carriage, washed his face, and then joined everyone for breakfast.

After finishing their meal, they resumed their journey toward Solarael—the capital city of the Holy Light Empire, where the Imperial Family resided.

It would take a couple of days to get there, but considering the distance, it was completely understandable.

While Yuan and his wives traveled toward the capital, chaos erupted within the Holy Church.

They had just received news of Conrad’s defeat.

The moment the report reached them, a heavy silence fell over the Church. The atmosphere grew dense and oppressive, as no one had expected such an outcome.

Conrad, who had been undefeated for over two hundred years, was now dead—defeated by a mere 19-year-old boy.

And it wasn’t just a simple defeat—it was a complete humiliation for the Holy Church. Conrad hadn’t just lost; he had been killed effortlessly, without even managing to put up a proper fight.

“This can’t be happening… How could we lose the First Commander of the Holy Knights to a mere brat?!” the Pope shouted, crushing the letter in his hand as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

They already had enough problems to deal with, and now this—an enormous blow that completely destroyed the plans they had so carefully crafted for the Heroes.

The leader of the Heroes, the most powerful one chosen and recognized by the Goddess herself, was now dead—along with Conrad, the strongest man in the entire world.

To make matters worse, Hero Zane had also been killed alongside Conrad and Kael, shocking everyone in the Church. Something like this had never happened before—and all of it was done by a single person.

“How could they all die like that? Weren’t they supposed to be strong and capable? Yet they couldn’t even defeat a mere Hunter party? Is this some kind of joke?!” the Pope roared in fury, hurling the crumpled letter across the cathedral.

“The war is coming, and we’ve already lost the most capable man on our side. How are we supposed to recover from this? There’s no one who could replace him!”

The Pope’s voice resounded throughout the cathedral. The angels standing behind him said nothing, silently observing with expressionless faces—completely calm.

‘Yuan… that fucking brat! I’ll make sure he pays for ruining all my plans! He has to pay for everything!’ the Pope swore in his heart, a grim expression on his face as he struggled to suppress his boiling anger.

Everything seemed to be falling apart for him. He had crafted these plans for a very long time—every move calculated carefully. Yet, ever since this ‘Yuan’ appeared, everything began to unravel.

His schemes became worthless, crushed one after another. Yuan was interfering with the Holy Church at every turn. This had to stop. Otherwise, even with the help of the angels, the chances of winning the war would be dangerously low.

After all, one of Yuan’s women was the Princess of the Lionheart Empire—Valeria Lionheart. And there was no way she would remain silent during the war, especially given her love for battle.

She would definitely join the war, and so would Yuan and his other wives. If that happened, the Holy Church would be left with only a sliver of hope for victory.

“Do you need us to take care of them, if they are truly that dangerous?” Valtheriel asked. His voice was calm, yet carried such strong magical power that it felt as though it alone could kill someone.

“No need. We should conserve our strength for the war. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks at a critical time like this,” the Pope responded firmly, immediately declining the offer. His main focus now was the war.

‘I’ll let him enjoy his numbered days for now. Once the war is over, I’ll have these two angels eliminate him once and for all. After that, I’ll establish a great nation and declare all-out war against the other races of this world!’ the Pope grinned inwardly, already lost in the fantasy of his imagined future.

“Fine. If that’s what you want,” Valtheriel said with a nod, though the displeasure in his voice made it clear he did not approve of the Pope’s decision.

“Since this mortal doesn’t want our help, so be it. It’s his loss that he rejected our divine grace,” Selvariel muttered coldly, her soft voice laced with thinly veiled anger, evident in her expression.

But the Pope ignored their remarks and began praying to the Goddess, asking for her blessings and for the souls of Conrad, Kael, and Zane to find peace in the afterlife.

—

Three days had passed since the deaths of Conrad, Kael, and Zane.

Many had now learned of the deaths of these three highly important figures of the Holy Church. After the earlier deaths of Archbishop Gregor and the Holy Son Arthur, the new wave of tragic news shocked everyone to their core.

Whispers spread among the people. They mourned sincerely and prayed for the souls of Conrad, Kael, and Zane, hoping the Goddess would welcome them into the afterlife.

After all, most people in the Holy Light Empire were devout followers of the Holy Church and held deep faith in the Goddess.

Meanwhile, Yuan and his wives were nearing Solarael City. The towering city walls were already visible ahead.

Looking at the massive city in the distance, Yuan spoke, “So that’s the Imperial City of the Holy Light Empire… it looks pale in comparison to the Imperial City of the Lionheart Empire.”