My Celestial Ascension

Nicolas's agonizing scream echoed throughout the entire Blank Clan estate, sending chills down the spines of those nearby. Everyone's brows furrowed upon hearing the inhuman sound that came from the direction of the Frozen Palace.

"That was the Clan Head's voice!" "What's going on inside the palace? That didn't sound ordinary at all…" "Could he be under attack? Should we go check it out?" "Definitely. Let's go, now!"

The clan elders exchanged grave looks before swiftly rushing toward the Frozen Palace. The guests from the Drake Clan had just arrived not long ago—there was a possibility they were involved in whatever was happening. After all, the Drake Clan had a notorious reputation. They were known to be volatile and quick to turn against allies over petty reasons.

Out of the Ten Great Families, the Drake Clan was considered the most unruly and unpredictable, often causing strife and clashing with the other major powers.

The elders' expressions were tense as they made their way to the palace. Though not everyone in the clan liked Nicolas or approved of his actions, he was still the Clan Head—and his life represented the stability of the clan.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the members of the Drake Clan had also heard the chilling scream. Their eyes widened in alarm, and a sense of confusion spread among them like wildfire.

"Father, that scream… wasn't that Lord Nicolas?" Denise asked nervously, turning toward his father, Enzo, with a worried expression.

Enzo took a deep breath and nodded, his face stern. "Yes… that was definitely his voice. But I don't understand what's happening. It came out of nowhere."

He furrowed his brows, then suddenly frowned deeper. "And more disturbingly… I can't expand my Magic Sense. It's as if something is suppressing it entirely—an otherworldly force."

"What?!" Denise's eyes widened. "You mean your senses have been completely blocked?!"

Enzo's face turned grim. "Yes. Whoever—or whatever—is behind this… they've cloaked the entire area with a power strong enough to suppress even my senses. This isn't something ordinary."

"This… this is unreal," Denise muttered, disbelief written all over his face.

Enzo sighed, rubbing his temples. "And if Nicolas is truly in danger, our alliance might be on the verge of collapse before it even begins."

The thought of their carefully constructed marriage plan crumbling made both father and son anxious.

Denise steadied his breathing and said, "Should we check on him? He might genuinely be in trouble."

"You're right," Enzo nodded. "If Lord Nicolas is under threat, we must at least appear to be offering assistance. Let's go."

Just as Enzo stood up from the sofa, the doors to the hall swung open—and several Blank Clan elders hurried into the room with hurried steps and serious expressions.

"Lord Enzo, you're still here? Do you know what's happening? Why is the Clan Head screaming like that?" one of the elders asked, surprised to see Enzo, Denise, and the rest of the Drake Clan calmly seated inside the Frozen Palace's living area.

"No. We're just as clueless as you," Enzo replied with a sigh, shaking his head. "How about we go check together?"

"Definitely. We shouldn't waste any more time," the elder said with urgency.

The clan elders nodded and quickly led the members of the Drake Clan toward the source of the scream. No one knew what was going on, and anxiety gripped them all as they rushed forward, fearing for the Clan Head's safety.

But when they arrived at the scene—what they saw made their blood run cold.

Everyone froze in horror.

Nicolas lay on the floor, drenched in his own blood. Both his arms had been torn from his body. His mouth hung open in silent agony, blood and tears mingling as he convulsed in pain. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he was biting his lip hard enough to draw more blood, struggling to stay conscious.

Standing above him was Yuan—with a wide, cold grin plastered across his face. He looked far too composed for someone who had just maimed a Clan Head. No, he wasn't just composed—he was enjoying it.

"Now stop screaming like a girl and savor the pain," Yuan sneered, his tone twisted with cruel amusement. "After all, this is what you gave my mothers when they were young!"

With that, Yuan slammed Nicolas's body again using his Qi Manifestation. The impact sounded like a tree being split in half.

"Cough! Cough! Aghhh!" Nicolas wheezed, his body writhing in agony as though it had been crushed under a mountain. Blood splattered from his mouth, and his groans pierced the hearts of everyone watching.

"Hahaha! That's more like it!" Yuan burst out laughing. "Scream to your heart's content. No one's going to save you now!"

His sinister laughter echoed through the room, sending chills down the spines of the elders. Even Enzo could barely keep his legs steady—he was trembling from head to toe.

Denise, who stood beside his father, stared at Yuan with terror written all over his face. He would never forget that man—the man who had nearly ended his life once before.

'W-What the hell is 'he' doing here…?!' Denise screamed in his mind, a cold sweat forming on his back as fear gripped him.

Yuan suddenly turned his attention to them, his eyes scanning the crowd with twisted amusement.

"Oh? It seems we have a captive audience to watch the show. How interesting," he grinned wider, his eyes glinting with mockery.

Then he turned back to Nicolas and said, "Well? Why don't you entertain our guests with more of that sweet screaming? Wouldn't want to disappoint them, would we?"

Nicolas, his body twisted in pain, spat blood as he growled, "Y-You… You're a monster… a psychopathic bastard!"

Yuan's smile only deepened.

"You're just realizing that now?" he whispered, his voice cold enough to chill bone.

Yuan laughed maniacally, his voice echoing like thunder in the chamber. "Weren't you the one saying earlier that the strong have the authority to do whatever they desire? Well then—I am strong, and I desire to make you suffer… to make you feel pain deep into your bones!"

Yuan's sadistic laughter rang throughout the Frozen Palace, chilling everyone to the core as they watched Nicolas writhe helplessly in his own blood and agony.

Never in his life had Nicolas imagined such a scene. Not even in his darkest nightmares did he foresee this—being broken and reduced to a screaming wretch by a mere youth. All his ambition, his greed for power, all his sacrifices—meant nothing in the face of this brutal reality.

He had given up his humanity for strength, severed love and emotion for power, and he had dreamt of ruling the entire continent with his perfect bloodline. But it all came crashing down the moment Yuan walked into his clan.

A "mere brat"—that's what he had thought of Yuan. And now that same brat stood over him like a demon of vengeance. Even the greatest Emperors once bowed to Nicolas, and yet today, he could not even lift a finger in defense.

After inhumanly torturing Nicolas—breaking him in body and soul in front of his former wife, his daughters, and the entire council of clan elders—Yuan finally brought an end to his agony.

With cold precision, Yuan drove his dagger—Slaughtering Abyss—straight into Nicolas's heart.

But not before he ripped his legs from their sockets.

Not before he skinned him alive like an animal, peeling his flesh as though he were a goat prepared for butchering.

Nicolas's agonized screams were so raw and blood-curdling that many elders turned pale, some even retching at the horrific sight. And when the final thrust came, the room fell into a deadly silence.

Nicolas was no more.

Yuan stood tall over his lifeless corpse, the twisted smile never leaving his face.

Then… his gaze shifted.

Toward Denise.

A terrifyingly calm grin crept onto Yuan's face as he laid eyes on the man who once dared to approach his women.

"Well, well… quite the small world we live in, isn't it?" Yuan said in a cold, taunting voice. "Young Master Denise… of the ever-rotten Drake Clan."

The blood drained from Denise's face as Yuan's eyes locked onto him. His body trembled uncontrollably. His memories—ones he tried so hard to suppress—flooded back in an instant.

The Grand Auction.

The moment Yuan had slaughtered Gordon—his most trusted servant—right before his eyes.

The same day Captain Seth was also wiped from existence.

The same day Denise was defeated, stripped of his dignity, and tossed naked onto the streets of the Lionheart Empire like garbage.

People had thrown waste at him, mocked him, laughed at him like he was a clown in the middle of a street festival. That humiliation had burned into his soul.

That wound had never healed.

And now, standing face to face with the monster who did it… that pain had returned tenfold.

"Do you know him?" Enzo asked with a raised brow, glancing at his son in confusion.

He was surprised to learn that the man who had just murdered Nicolas in cold blood knew Denise.

Even the elders of the Blank Clan remained silent, stunned beyond belief. None dared to raise a question. How could they? When the Matriarch Angela herself stood beside Yuan, seemingly supporting every action he took, there was nothing anyone could say.

Besides, not many of them had liked Nicolas.

And the idea of forming ties with the Drake Clan had never sat well with the majority. The clan's notorious arrogance, backstabbing tendencies, and volatile temperament were well known across the continent.

The moment Yuan's grin widened further, Denise's rage snapped.

"F-Father… that's him!" Denise shouted, his voice breaking, eyes burning red. "He's the one! The one who killed Gordon and Captain Seth! It's him!"

A heavy silence followed, and all eyes turned to Yuan once more—now aware that he wasn't just a terrifying stranger…

He was the very demon that haunted the Drake Clan's nightmares.

Upon hearing his son's words, Enzo Drake looked at Yuan with wide eyes, as if thunder had struck right in front of him.

His body tensed.

His heart raced.

The person he had been seeking for months—the mysterious, arrogant youth who dared to humiliate the Drake Clan and bring shame to its proud legacy—was standing right before him the entire time.

The one who killed his men…

The one who stripped his son of all dignity before an entire city…

He was here.

And he had just murdered the Clan Head of the Blank Clan right in front of everyone—without fear, without hesitation.

A terrifying silence filled the air.

And then—Boom!

In the blink of an eye, Enzo released a violent surge of Mana from his body.

The sheer force of his power created a shockwave that threw several Blank Clan elders and even some Drake Clan members off their feet. They were knocked back several meters, some slamming into the walls, others crashing onto the cold floor with pained grunts.

Aisha and Angela stumbled, dizzy from the sudden spike in pressure.

Their faces turned pale as they struggled to breathe under the weight of Enzo's overwhelming aura.

The entire Frozen Palace began to tremble—walls creaking, ice cracking, and the air thickening with killing intent.

Enzo took slow, deliberate steps forward.

His gaze locked on Yuan like a predator preparing to devour its prey.

"So… you're the one," Enzo growled, his voice seething with fury. "You're the bastard who humiliated my son in front of the entire capital and killed two of my most trusted men."

"I've finally found you at last…"

With each step he took, his tyrannical pressure intensified, shaking the very foundation of the palace.

And yet—Yuan stood still.

Completely calm.

Completely unaffected.

His eyes locked with Enzo's, unwavering and cold, like a silent abyss staring back into a raging inferno.

"So… you're that idiot's father, huh?" Yuan said, his tone casual, even mocking. "Figures. Always stirring up trouble… how typical of you, father and son."

A sinister smirk curved his lips.

The contrast was terrifying.

While Enzo's body radiated wrath and destruction, Yuan looked unbothered—as if Enzo's power meant absolutely nothing to him.

The people watching couldn't believe their eyes.

How could anyone withstand Enzo Drake's full power without flinching?

But Yuan… he didn't even blink.

He stood there like a sovereign being—untouchable, unmoved, and utterly dominant.

The real monster… was not Enzo.

It was the calm youth standing before him.