My Celestial Ascension

"I'm surprised that Miss Valeria is able to keep up with Darling's speed, but he is trying his best to hold back his strength. But for a mere mortal to keep up with him is still surprising, to say the least." Grace muttered, visibly surprised by General Valeria's performance in battle against Yuan.

"Is Yuan really so powerful?!" Mireya nearly couldn't believe Yuan was reserving 90% of his might against General Valeria.

'If he is indeed holding back his strength, how will he battle with full strength? Will the surrounding area be destroyed just by his sheer pressure?' She didn't want to consider what would happen if Yuan used his entire might against Valeria.

"No wonder he didn't want to lower his head against the Holy Son; everything makes sense now. How could someone so powerful bow his head to someone so insignificant?" Sylvia murmured. In a bewildered voice, she suddenly understood why Yuan had not shown respect to the holy boy.

Meanwhile, Yuan's strong blow knocked General Valeria back, sending her body flying and causing her to slide a few meters on the ground before she could stop herself from being thrown back.

"So powerful!" General Valeria exclaimed. "This is the first time I've been pushed back by someone like this, and it makes me very happy! This is so much fun!"

General Valeria's grin broadened, and her eyes sparkled with delight as she exchanged blows with Yuan. She has never felt this strongly for someone of the opposing gender before.

'He's incredible; I've never been so excited before. Fighting against him like this is a lot of joy.' She had a thought.

"Yuan! Prepare for my next attack! I am confident that I will take your time with this one!"

Suddenly, the long sword in her grip gleamed, and the entire sword was bathed in golden light, causing the air to vibrate as an inconceivable pressure began to emanate from it.

'Interesting!' Yuan lifted his brows and smiled as he wondered what else she was hiding from him.

'No matter, I'll gradually have her expose each card to me. She is the Lionheart Empire's most powerful and ruthless general; she must be up to something.' Yuan reflected inwardly.

"Haha~! Come at me, Miss Valeria. I'll show you actual strength...!" Yuan yelled as he prepared to counter Valeria's onslaught; despite her mortal status, the attack she was planning was no laughing matter.

Yuan sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the strike, which threatened to slice him in half. It was as if an extremely sharp sword was headed his way, ready to cleave him in half like butter.

'She isn't a farmer, but her knowledge of the sword is rather extensive. It even rivals my own understanding of the sword.' Yuan pondered, and his amazement was clear on his face.

Bang! General Valeria's sword clashed with Yuan's sword, resulting in a large explosion and powerful shockwaves that swept over the area.

The entire region was blanketed in thick dust, making it difficult for Anna and the others to observe the aftermath of the tremendous explosion.

At this point, the shockwaves from their conflict attract a lot of attention since they are too intense for others to miss or ignore.

Many people gathered around the spot, surprised to witness General Valeria being forced back by Yuan, and her powerful attack appeared impotent against Yuan.

"Impossible! How are you still standing after my attack?! This should be impossible." General Valeria was taken aback when she saw Yuan still standing and her attack appeared to inflict no damage to him at all.

"It's actually fairly straightforward. It's because I am stronger than you, Miss Valeria." Yuan quickly answered with a slight taunting smile on her face, causing General Valeria's face to curl in frustration.

However, as a knight, she cannot contradict Yuan's assertions; he is significantly stronger than her. Despite her reluctance to face the truth, she accepts that Yuan is far stronger than she is, and she has little chance of winning this duel.

She looked at Yuan for a moment before letting out a loud sigh. "Although I'm loath to acknowledge it, you're right: I'm nowhere near your strength..."

"I admit my defeat, Yuan," General Valeria said, securing her sword in the scabbard and hanging it about her waist. "You have won the duel...as well as myself."

"Oh! That's awesome...wait, what did you just say?!" Yuan was stunned and stared at General Valeria, appearing speechless.

Seeing Yuan's stunned expression, General Valeria nodded her head and added, "You heard me properly; since you won the fight against me, I present myself to you. My body, my emotions, everything is yours now, my beloved."

Yuan blinked a few times with a blank expression on his face, in complete disbelief at what he had just heard from General Valeria, a strong lady who relied solely on herself.

And yet, the same woman offering herself to him and even addressing him as 'dear' is absolutely unbelievable to him.

"Miss Valeria, you must be joking about offering yourself to me; that is simply outrageous," Yuan said a second later, with an uneasy look on his lips.

When General Valeria heard this, she furrowed her brow and exclaimed, "Why would you believe I was joking with you, my dear? I am quite serious about this."

She then continued, "You see, my love, I promised myself that if a guy could defeat me in a duel without dirty tricks, I'd marry him and bear his kid."

"And so far, no one has been able to defeat me in a fight; many powerful men from all across the continent have come to challenge me to a duel, even before I received this big scar on my face, but none of them have been able to force me to unleash my full ability."

"But, on the other hand, you not only forced me to utilize all of my power, but you also defeated me, thus I'm now your wife, as promised to myself." General Valeria said with a serious expression on her face, her tone tinged with affection for him.

Meanwhile, others watched the event in bewilderment. They couldn't believe General Valeria, often known as the 'Ruthless Lioness,' lost the duel to someone so young.

"Did War General Valeria lose the duel with the young man?!"

"It's unbelievable!"

"How could War General Valeria lose to such a young man?!"

"This is a wonderful example of the expression, 'Looks may be deceptive.'"

"Indeed, that young man must be pretty strong to convince War General Valeria of her defeat."

"Hey, look! Isn't that the guy named Yuan? Who is the leader of the Celestial Blades Hunter party?"

"That is indeed him. Without him, who could beat General Valeria? After all, he could battle hundreds of corrupted monsters on his own."

People murmured nearby, startled that General Valeria had admitted defeat.

Everyone thought she was an unstoppable wild woman who could think of nothing except killing her in the most heinous way.

Crown Prince Daniel arrived at the scene and looked at the warped landscape in bewilderment.

"M-My aunt lost to that young man, Yuan? Impossible! This is completely impossible!" He almost couldn't believe his aunt had lost the duel; after all, she had never lost a duel, not ever.

Meanwhile, The Holy Son's head is in complete disarray after learning that Yuan, the person he despised the most, defeated the most powerful lady on the continent in a duel; this is nothing more than a massive slap in the face.

'I can't believe this bastard is that strong; it comes as a surprise. But that doesn't matter; the holy church has many fighters with the same strength as War General Valeria.' The Holy Son Auther reflected inwardly.

'Against so many formidable warriors and the church's influence, there is no way he could win, and he will lose badly.'

A malicious smirk emerged on Aurther's face as he pictured Yuan's miserable situation when confronted by the church's troops.

The holy Church of Light and Justice has thousands of such fighters at its disposal, each of whom is rigorously educated to combat demons and remove them from this planet.

Some of them are powerful enough to destroy a nation on their own, and the Holy Son Aurther has command over such terrible forces at his fingertips; simply one instruction from him might turn Yuan's life into a living hell, but only according to him.

Meanwhile, Anna and the girls looked at General Valeria. They couldn't believe General Valeria would offer herself to Yuan.

"It appears that we obtained another daughter-in-law, albeit unexpectedly." Anna and Grace exchanged a short glance and whispered in hushed voices, just above a whisper.

Mireya gripped her fist hard in fury and jealousy, gritting her teeth instinctively, while glaring at General Valeria with an angry expression.

'How is this possible? How could she unexpectedly offer herself to Yuan? Is this even allowed?' When she saw General Valeria's loving gaze on Yuan, a lot of questions came to mind.

She appears more like a perfect loving housewife than the merciless War General; she is as if she is a new version of herself with a different perspective.