My Celestial Ascension

The news of Archbishop Gregor’s death inside the Imperial Palace spread rapidly throughout the Imperial City. Soon, every citizen was aware of the situation—and they rejoiced upon hearing it.

“Finally! The Archbishop of the Holy Church is dead! Who’s going to save the Holy Son now? That bastard’s fate is sealed!”

“Exactly! That’s what they get for messing with the Lionheart Empire. Serves them right!”

“How about we celebrate with a drink? This is the best news I’ve heard in years!”

“Count me in! Let’s have a celebration!”

The people were thrilled. Their excited whispers quickly filled every street, and laughter echoed across the entire Imperial City. Even visiting outsiders were drawn to the commotion.

For years, the Holy Church had oppressed the masses, and no other nation dared to challenge them. Most feared the Church and those tied to its power.

But now, the Lionheart Empire not only defied the Church’s laws—they killed the Archbishop, the second most powerful figure within the Holy Church.

Meanwhile, the Holy Church did not take this news lightly. Chaos erupted across the Holy Light Empire, and the Imperial Family issued a special decree to mourn the Archbishop’s death.

Citizens were stunned. Among the most affected were the devout followers of the Holy Church, who struggled to accept the grim news.

The idea that their Archbishop was killed—by a woman, no less—within the Lionheart Empire was an unbearable humiliation.

To make matters worse, the Heroes they had summoned from another world were also defeated by a single individual. It was a devastating blow, compounding their shame and leaving them in disbelief.

If those Heroes couldn’t even handle one person, how could they hope to face the Demon Emperor’s army? Could they really defend the Holy Light Empire in the looming war between humans and demons?

—

Inside a solemn chamber, the Pope sat with other high-ranking officials of the Holy Church. Powerful Holy Knights stood nearby. The atmosphere was suffocatingly silent—so heavy that everyone could feel it pressing on their chests.

No one dared to utter a single word. Everyone was grieving the death of Archbishop Gregor. The news had shaken them to the core, and none could believe it at first.

But gradually, they were forced to accept the truth—Archbishop Gregor was gone. Killed, and brutally so—in one of the cruelest, most heinous ways imaginable.

It was a humiliation the Holy Church could never erase—unless they destroyed the Lionheart Empire and made an example of them. Sadly, that was impossible for now, especially since the Heroes had also been defeated by the Lionheart Empire.

“Your Eminence, what action shall we take in response to this vile offense? We can’t possibly let them celebrate unchecked!” A Holy Knight of the highest rank stepped forward, fury etched on his face.

“That’s right! We demand justice! The Archbishop wasn’t just a member—he was the backbone of the Church!” Another church official, clad in the traditional cape of the clergy, echoed the sentiment. His voice trembled with barely contained anger as he looked to the Pope for guidance.

“We demand justice for Archbishop Gregor! The Lionheart Empire must pay for this!” One by one, voices rose in outrage, all demanding retribution for the fallen Archbishop.

Meanwhile, the Pope’s face turned pale. The humiliation brought upon them by the Lionheart Empire was unbearable. They had crossed a line that should never have been crossed.

“The Lionheart Empire… they’ve gone too far,” the Pope said at last. His tone was calm, but underneath it surged a deep, controlled fury.

Everyone turned toward him at once. From his voice alone, they knew he was seething with rage.

After a long breath to steady himself, the Pope continued, “But first, we must recover Archbishop Gregor’s body and grant him a burial worthy of his life’s service.”

“We cannot forget—he was one of the most devoted servants of the Holy Church. We must honor him with a farewell that reflects his unwavering loyalty.”

“For all he gave us, we owe him that much. That is why, before anything else, we must find a way to retrieve his body from the Lionheart Empire,” the Pope concluded, his voice calmer now. He understood that anger alone would not serve them in this moment.

After taking a deep breath, the Pope shouted, “Once we’ve given a proper burial to our dear comrade, Archbishop Gregor, we will bring the Lionheart Empire to its knees! And make sure the Imperial Family pays for such a heinous crime!”

“That’s right! We must make them pay for what they’ve done to Archbishop Gregor!”

Everyone agreed with the Pope’s decision—it was crucial to recover Archbishop Gregor’s body from the enemy and give him a burial with all the respect they could offer.

“First Commander Conrad, would you be able to recover Archbishop Gregor’s body and return him to his homeland so we can give him a respectful burial?” the Pope asked, turning to the First Commander of the Holy Knights, a powerful man clad in heavy armor.

“Your wish is my command, Your Eminence. I’ll bring his body back safely—and I’ll also bring the Heroes with me,” First Commander Conrad said with a determined look on his face, kneeling on one knee while gripping his massive magic sword.

“Your determination is promising. Go now and bring back Archbishop Gregor and the Heroes to this land,” the Pope ordered with a serious expression. Seeing Conrad’s unwavering resolve brought him some relief.

—

Inside the dark prison chamber of the Imperial Prison in the Lionheart Empire, Arthur sat on the hard concrete bed with a lifeless expression. He looked defeated—utterly hopeless and broken.

“Look at this fool… Once a Holy Son of the Holy Church, and now he’s reduced to nothing. Pathetic!”

“Right? He thought that just because he was the Holy Son, he could do anything. Now he’s paying for his stupidity and arrogance.”

The prison guards sneered at Arthur. This had become a daily routine for them. However, their insults no longer affected him.

His once-confident face had completely shattered. He looked nothing like his former self—more like a broken puppet whose strings had been cut. After so many days in this dark chamber, he had long forgotten what freedom even felt like.

The guards then opened the cell door and entered with huge grins on their faces, their eyes filled with mockery.

“Come with us. His Majesty has ordered us to take you outside. There’s something he wants you to see. Not that you’d believe us if we just told you,” one of the guards said with a grin as he removed the shackles from Arthur’s legs.

With that, the guards took Arthur out of the prison cell and brought him to the throne hall of the Imperial Palace, where the Archbishop’s corpse still lay on the floor.

The air inside the throne hall was cold, and the shocked murmurs of Imperial officials filled it with heavy tension.

They were still reeling from how effortlessly War General Valeria had taken down the second most powerful and influential figure in the Holy Church—killing him in the cruelest way imaginable.

As soon as Arthur and the guards entered, all eyes turned toward the Holy Son, who remained clueless about what was happening. The guards had refused to tell him anything.

“Hey, isn’t that the Holy Son of the Holy Church? Look at him—he’s nothing like the man he was before being imprisoned.”

“It’s his own fault for underestimating our Empire’s strength. He got what he deserved.”

“Serves him right. He insulted the Imperial Family and caused chaos in the Imperial City. His foolishness brought this on himself. Honestly, I almost feel sorry for him now.”

Soon, the throne hall was filled with murmurs, and every word struck a nerve in Arthur’s heart. Rage boiled within him as everyone dared to look down on the Holy Church.

‘These bastards will pay for this humiliation. I’ll make every single one of them pay for mocking me and the Church!’

Arthur cursed them in his mind as he kept walking forward. But then, his eyes landed on the summoned Heroes, gathered together in silence.

They looked bruised and terrified. One of them lay unconscious, his body covered in severe injuries. Fear clung to all of them like a shadow.

Arthur’s gaze then caught something even more disturbing—scattered human limbs strewn across the throne hall floor. His mind reeled. Whose limbs are these? But then his eyes focused on the clothes.

‘Those robes… I recognize them. They’re from the Holy Church!’ His breath caught. He knew immediately what he was seeing, and the shock hit him like a lightning bolt.

Heart pounding, Arthur rushed toward the Heroes, confused by their defeated expressions. They no longer carried the aura of champions—they looked utterly broken.

“What happened here?! Why is Kael in such a critical state?! Did something—” His words died in his throat.

His eyes had fallen on the corpse of Archbishop Gregor, lying in a pool of blood, split in half.

“A-Archbishop Gregor…?!”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!