My Celestial Ascension

"You're here at last. I thought you'd take ages to come and show yourself in front of me. I guess I underestimated you quite a bit, kiddo."

Yuan immediately turned his head upon hearing the mysterious voice. It felt strangely familiar, like he had heard it somewhere before. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember where he had heard it.

'Why can't I remember where I've heard this voice before? Just who is this person?' Yuan thought, a confused look on his face as he stared at the figure emerging from the darkness.

As the figure came closer, Yuan could finally see him more clearly.

The man was wearing a pitch-black set of armor, and most of it appeared to be made from bones—also pitch-black in color. Yuan was shocked at the sight of such strange and unsettling armor.

He had never seen armor like that before, and yet, for some reason, it felt oddly familiar to him. As if he had seen it somewhere before. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember when or where he had seen it.

"Still can't remember my voice? How tragic. I didn't expect this… how tragic for both of us," the man sighed before revealing his face to Yuan, a wide grin spreading across his lips.

"Perhaps this will help you remember who I am!"

As soon as Yuan saw the man's face, he was shaken to his core. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Y-You…" Yuan's voice trembled as he pointed a shaking finger at the man's face, eyes wide with shock.

What he saw was his own reflection—though older. The man before him had a mature appearance, and when Yuan looked closely, he realized that not only their faces, but even their physiques, were exactly the same.

"You… Who are you? And why do you look exactly like me?"

Yuan asked in a trembling voice, struggling to believe what he was seeing.

"Haah… Seems those curses really did a number on you. I should've expected this sooner."

The man sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head with a defeated look on his face.

"What are you talking about? I don't have any curses on me," Yuan said in a confused voice, trying to make sense of what the man before him was talking about.

However, the man ignored his words and stared at him with a serious expression—one that sent a chill down Yuan's spine.

"Don't you remember anything—about me—us?! You really don't remember?!"

"What are you saying? Why would I remember someone I've never even met before?" Yuan asked, clearly confused by the man's question.

"It seems those curses really did a number on you. No wonder you can't recognize me… now everything makes sense. You're weak," the man muttered in a low, disappointed voice, finding it hard to believe.

"Since you still don't remember me… I guess it's not time yet."

The moment the man said this, Yuan's vision blurred. His body went numb, and he couldn't do anything about it. He had countless questions he wanted to ask—about the man, about what he meant—but he didn't get the chance.

Shortly after, Yuan opened his eyes, feeling as though nothing had happened. However, he found himself in the warm, comforting embrace of his beloved mother. She was holding him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Mom? Why are you crying like that?" Yuan asked in a confused yet gentle tone, gazing into her eyes with a soft smile.

"Darling, you're okay… I'm so relieved…" Anna Grace sighed with a wide smile on her face, then began planting kisses all over his cheeks while hugging him tighter, refusing to let go.

A few moments later, Anna Grace calmed down and explained everything—how Yuan had suddenly fallen unconscious, terrifying everyone.

Yuan was surprised to hear this, and he even started to question whether the strange man in that unknown space had been real at all. Was it just a dream? Or… was it something else entirely?

'Just who was that man… the one who looked like me?' Yuan wondered, staring at the clear sky above with a dazed look on his face.

Without warning, Lily pulled Yuan's head into her soft chest and stuffed his face between her breasts, hugging him tightly.

"We were so worried something had happened to you. Thank goodness you're okay. Don't ever scare us like that again, you big dummy," Lily whispered with tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice gentle and full of emotion.

"It's alright, Big Sister. I just suddenly felt something weird in my body, that's all," Yuan said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

After comforting all his wives, Yuan began training with his wooden sword, continuing to refine his techniques. With his talent, it was easy to improve his mastery over the sword.

However, increasing his power and control over his Sword Aura was much harder. It was a completely different concept.

Once he finished practicing his sword techniques, Yuan turned his focus to enhancing his control over his Sword Aura—a force beyond mortal comprehension. If used skillfully, it could sever the heavens and had nearly limitless growth potential.

He spent hours training with his Sword Aura. At this point, Valeria also began sensing its presence, something that had been practically invisible to her before. Now, she could feel its overwhelming power—and it amazed her.

She closed her eyes and tried to mimic the Sword Aura Yuan was emitting from his hands and wooden sword. Before long, she entered a state of Enlightenment, a profound aura surrounding her.

Everyone quickly noticed this change and immediately stopped what they were doing, not wanting to disturb Valeria during her Enlightenment.

Minutes turned into hours, and Valeria remained motionless, still immersed in her attempt to awaken the Sword Aura.

However, Yuan could already detect faint traces of it leaking from her body. Though incomplete, it was clear to a sword master like him.

'She's learning it… She's learning Sword Aura. I can feel it—even if it's not yet whole!' Yuan thought with a wide grin, beaming with pride and joy for Valeria.

Anna Grace and the others raised their brows when they noticed Yuan grinning to himself without saying a word.

"What is it, Darling? Why are you smiling like that?" Anna Grace asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You won't believe this—but Valeria is learning Sword Aura. And she's learning it quickly, though it's still incomplete," Yuan replied with a proud smile.

"I see…" Anna Grace nodded with a warm, understanding expression.

A couple of hours later, Valeria opened her eyes and looked at Yuan with a smile. She lifted her hand, revealing a faint but visible Sword Aura wrapping around it.

"There's still a long way to go before I fully master Sword Aura," she said softly, "but for now, this will do quite well."

Not long after, Yuan and his wives returned to the mansion and headed for the bathroom to clean off all the dirt they had accumulated during training.

—

A couple of luxurious carriages sped forward, hovering a few inches above the ground, kicking up thick clouds of dust behind them as they moved.

Inside the carriages, the heroes sat comfortably in plush seats, chatting happily. They were filled with excitement—it was their first time traveling outside.

"Do you have any idea how long it will take to reach the Capital City of this Empire?" one of them asked the coachman, starting to grow slightly bored from the ride.

"It'll probably take another hour. We're very close now. Once we cross that mountain, the city will be in view," the coachman replied politely.

"I see… Then keep moving at the same pace."

"Understood, Lord Hero," the coachman said with a respectful nod and continued driving the carriage.

Not long after, they crossed the towering mountain, and the Imperial City came into clear view.

The heroes gasped, stunned by the city's breathtaking beauty. None of them had ever seen anything so majestic. Their eyes widened in awe, as though they were gazing at an ancient city straight from a fantasy novel.

"Beautiful… unlike anything I've ever seen," a female hero whispered in a dazed tone, unable to look away.

"Even if it's beautiful, don't forget—we're in enemy territory," Kael, the leader of the heroes, warned with a firm voice. "Those bastards captured the Holy Son. We're here to rescue him—and Princess Livia."

'I promise you, Princess Livia… I'll save you from that wicked Emperor,' Kael swore silently, his eyes locked on the distant city, filled with resolve.

The female heroes exchanged knowing glances and shook their heads, already aware that Kael had fallen for the princess the moment he first saw her.

'A man in love can be reckless,' they sighed inwardly, seeing the fire in his eyes.

Nearly an hour later, the heroes and Archbishop Gregor finally arrived before the massive gates of the Imperial City. The entrance was heavily guarded by a squad of Imperial Magic Knights.

Each person entering the city was being carefully inspected before being allowed through, and this sight caused Archbishop Gregor to fume inside his luxurious carriage.

"That foolish Emperor… I'll make sure he pays for making us wait in line with commoners. This is absolutely humiliating!" he growled under his breath, his fists clenched in frustration.