My Celestial Ascension-Chapter 712: Chaos Brewing In The Imperial City

Immediately after receiving a direct order from the Holy Son, the Holy Knights began searching for the Princess of the Holy Light Empire within the Imperial City.

Confusion spread among the citizens as armored knights swarmed the streets, storming into homes one by one. Some even destroyed personal belongings in their relentless search, leaving chaos in their wake.

Outrage quickly followed. The Holy Knights of the Holy Church acted less like protectors and more like marauders, violating homes and seizing anything they deemed valuable.

"If they find something valuable in a citizen's house, they take it as if it belongs to them!" one man fumed.

"What the hell is the Holy Church doing?! Why are they treating us like this?"

"They're no better than barbarians, taking whatever they please!"

"They took my hard-earned gold coins without a second thought! How is this justice?"

The citizens' anger spread like wildfire, their furious cries echoing through the city. Within hours, unrest had erupted into full-blown chaos.

Inside the Imperial Palace, Emperor Philip sat on his throne, his expression dark and contemplative. A suffocating chill filled the hall.

Beside him, Empress Selena remained poised on her throne, her gaze cold and unreadable. Her piercing eyes swept across the gathered officials, making them shift uncomfortably.

"Your Majesty," Minister Vesta spoke urgently, his voice firm. "The Holy Church's men are terrorizing our citizens without cause. They invade homes, seize valuables, and trample on our laws. The people are enraged."

He paused before continuing with even greater conviction. "Right now, they are no different from a band of looters. Their actions insult the Empire and cannot be ignored."

"And countless people are complaining about their barbaric treatment of ordinary citizens! They act as if those people aren't even human! This time, they've truly crossed the line."

"We must punish them to quell the fury of our thousands of citizens, Your Highness," Minister Vesta concluded, his voice firm as he finished his report on the chaos caused by the Holy Knights of the Holy Church.

Emperor Philip remained still, his expression unreadable. His calm demeanor only deepened the tension in the throne hall—no one could tell what he was thinking.

Even Empress Selena, his own wife, found herself puzzled by his silence. She studied his face, but his composure revealed nothing.

"Husband, please don't keep everyone waiting." Her voice carried both concern and barely restrained fury. "This is a grave offense—we must teach those church bastards a lesson for daring to create such chaos in our empire."

For a few agonizing moments, the hall remained silent. Then, without warning, Emperor Philip's rage erupted like a volcanic explosion. His voice thundered through the throne hall.

"How dare the Holy Church create such disorder in my Empire! They'd better have a damn good reason for this—otherwise… I'll publicly execute their so-called Holy Son!"

A heavy silence followed. Every official in the throne hall stood frozen in shock.

No one had ever seen Emperor Philip this furious before—not even in the face of serious crimes. But this… this was different.

For another empire to act with such blatant disregard for his rule, trampling over his authority and his laws? Unforgivable.

'This time… the Holy Church of Light and Justice has truly overstepped,' Empress Selena thought, exhaling deeply. She knew now—Philip would not let this go unpunished.

'Things are about to get serious,' Minister Vesta thought, his heart heavy with the weight of the situation. 'His Highness will never forgive them for treating the citizens of the Imperial City like this.'

Emperor Philip turned to Minister Vesta, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

"Minister Vesta," he commanded, "take some of our finest Magic Knights and escort the Holy Son here. If he refuses… drag him here by force."

"Understood, Your Highness! We'll drag that bastard here for you!" Minister Vesta nodded firmly before vanishing from the throne hall.

Once he and the other imperial officials had left, Empress Selena turned to her husband, her gaze sharp and unwavering.

"Husband, we must ensure that the Holy Church never dares to act arrogantly in front of us again. We must make an example of them—one they'll never forget."

"Indeed." Emperor Philip's expression was just as resolute. "They believe they can do as they please across the continent, unchecked. But I will make them understand their place. This offense is unforgivable."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

A heavy silence settled over the throne hall.

The Holy Church had finally crossed the line. Emperor Philip had tolerated their arrogance for far too long, but now, his patience had run dry.

As the ruler of the Lionheart Empire, he would not allow anyone to threaten the peace of his people. And more than that—he had always despised the Holy Church.

—

"Valeria, are you sensing the chaos in the city?" Yuan asked, a wide grin spreading across his face as he observed everything through his Divine Sense. "The Church's dogs are running rampant like someone unleashed them from their chains."

"Those lowlifes…" Valeria sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "They're acting no better than bandits—looting innocent citizens and committing unspeakable acts against them."

"I can't believe they would do such a thing to peaceful people… How utterly ridiculous," Vanessa murmured, her voice low as she sighed, taking in the severity of the situation through Yuan's words.

"This is exactly why I've been secretly fighting against the Holy Church ever since I learned about their dark secrets," Princess Livia spoke, her expression dark with disgust. "They have a side they don't want the world to see."

The Holy Church had been conducting illegal and inhumane experiments—especially on children who had been sold as slaves by bandits.

The Holy Church was attempting to create powerful Holy Knights—warriors capable of defeating anyone on the continent, stripped of human emotions, and bound by absolute loyalty to the Church's commands.

Countless test subjects perished in the process. The death toll had already surpassed ten thousand, yet the experiments continued, driven by the Church's ruthless pursuit of success.

When Princess Livia first uncovered this horrifying truth, she was beyond shocked—utterly dumbfounded that the Holy Church would resort to such inhumane methods.

She had once believed that the Church stood for righteousness. But now, she saw the truth—they were playing with human lives under the guise of "saving the world."

"I see… no wonder they were searching for the Silver Dragon Shield," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes in frustration. "That shield grants a massive power boost and provides near-impenetrable protection against both magic and physical attacks."

"They must be gathering every possible advantage at their disposal," Mireya added, her expression grim as she looked at Yuan. "And from the way things are unfolding… it seems like they're preparing for war."

Valeria nodded. "The only problem is—we have no clue who their enemy is."

"That's the only missing piece," she admitted, her brows furrowing.

Yuan, however, simply grinned. His voice carried a hint of amusement as he said, "One thing is certain… that pathetic idiot is going to die today."

His grin widened.

"He's grown arrogant ever since returning to the Holy Kingdom. Perhaps the Pope gave him some kind of powerful magical artifact."

"Something that could save his life… or something dangerous enough to seriously harm an attacker. That's the only explanation I can think of after seeing his confidence," Valeria said, her expression serious. But then, a wide grin spread across her face—she was looking forward to whatever amusement Holy Son Arthur might provide them.

"That's certainly a possibility," Yuan agreed, his voice calm. Yet, there was an undeniable weight behind his words, a powerful will that left no room for doubt.

"Unfortunately, none of that matters—because I've already decided to kill him."

Hearing his words, Princess Livia felt a chill run down her spine. She could tell—Yuan meant every word.

—

"So, how's the search going? Got any leads on where that bitch is hiding?" Holy Son Arthur asked as he turned to the Captain of the Holy Knights—the strongest knight under his command.

"No, Holy Son," the Captain replied, his tone both confident and apologetic. "We haven't found any leads yet, but our search is progressing smoothly. We are certain we will uncover her location soon."

"I see…" Arthur leaned back slightly, his gaze sharp. "Continue the search. Leave no place unchecked. We cannot let her escape this city—no matter the cost. We must capture her and seize the Holy Weapon from her hands."

"Understood, Holy Son," the Captain said before bowing and taking his leave.

A few moments later, another Holy Knight rushed toward Arthur, his face pale with anxiety. Sweat dripped from his brow as he struggled to catch his breath.

Arthur smirked, assuming the knight was bringing him good news.

But then—

"Holy Son, this is an emergency!" the knight blurted out, his voice shaking. "Minister Vesta has arrived—with fifty extremely powerful Magic Knights!"

Arthur's eyes widened in shock. He stared at the Holy Knight in disbelief—unable to comprehend why the Emperor would send someone to confront him, even after knowing he carried the Holy Order.

"What?! Why are they here? Did they say anything?" Arthur demanded, his voice frantic. Panic flickered across his face, as if something about this unexpected turn of events felt terribly wrong.