My Celestial Ascension

"Unbelievable… Agatha, is your mind in the right place? What nonsense are you spouting? Don't you care about the lives of your children—our children?" Emperor Philip stared at Agatha in disbelief. Was this the same woman he had fallen in love with, married, and later taken as his concubine? Her entire demeanor had changed.

At the mention of the word 'children', Agatha's aggression waned. Her expression softened, and without uttering a word, tears began streaming down her cheeks.

'Will they really kill my son and daughter? But they promised they wouldn't harm us as long as we cooperated with their plan…' Doubt began to creep into Agatha's mind as her husband's words echoed.

As if reading her thoughts, Empress Selena spoke with a grave expression. "You should already understand the situation. If the Empire falls into the enemy's hands, everything will be over. Every member of the Imperial Family will face public execution—including your 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son."

But Agatha remained unresponsive, lost in her daze.

Seeing her silence, Emperor Philip grew irritated. "If you refuse to speak, we'll have no choice but to use… other methods to make you talk. Believe me, Agatha, you 'don't' want to experience that. It's worse than death."

"I… I…" Agatha stammered, her voice trembling as her mouth opened and closed without forming words. She didn't know what to say.

Fear gripped her. If she revealed anything, the conspirators behind the coup d'état might come after her and her children. But if she stayed silent, there was no guarantee they'd keep their word.

'What should I do? Should I tell them? Or should I stay quiet? Either way, my children's lives are at risk…' Agatha's mind raced, desperate to find a solution.

She had already lost one child, and the pain of that loss still haunted her. She couldn't bear to lose another.

Empress Selena's patience snapped. "Tell us who is behind the coup d'état! I swear we'll keep you and your children safe."

"I… I'm sorry… but I can't tell you anything," Agatha sobbed, her tears falling freely. "They'll kill us… they'll kill my children… They're too dangerous…"

"I see," Emperor Philip said with a heavy sigh, disappointment evident in his voice. He turned to Yuan. "Yuan, use your methods to make her talk."

Yuan nodded and signaled Emma to begin.

With a faint smile, Emma rose from her seat and approached Agatha. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and chilling. Agatha's anxiety spiked as she watched Emma's cold smile draw nearer.

*What… what is she going to do to me?* Agatha's throat tightened as she swallowed nervously. A shiver ran down her spine, her instincts screaming that danger was near.

"Soldiers, restrain her," Emperor Philip commanded.

The soldiers immediately obeyed, securing Agatha in place as Emma prepared to carry out the Emperor's orders.

"Let go of me! What are you trying to do to me?!" Agatha screamed, her voice trembling with fear and panic as a deep sense of unease gripped her.

"Just shut up and let me do my work," Emma replied coldly, her tone dripping with disdain. Without hesitation, she extended her hand, her sharp nail slicing lightly into Agatha's skin.

The cut was barely visible, almost imperceptible unless inspected closely. Yet Emma's poison was so potent that even this minor injury was enough for it to invade Agatha's bloodstream.

"Huh? I don't feel anything… What did you do?" Agatha asked, her voice laced with confusion as she stared at Emma, unsure of what had just occurred.

But a moment later, her confusion turned into pure horror. The small cut on her skin turned a deep purple as the poison spread rapidly through her veins, darkening them and making them clearly visible.

"W-What did you do to me?! Make it stop!" Agatha cried out, her eyes wide with terror. Her voice cracked under the weight of her rising panic.

Emma, however, didn't respond. She merely smiled—a cold, unsettling expression that only amplified Agatha's fear.

"Mak—Aghhh!" Before Agatha could finish her sentence, a wave of unbearable pain overtook her. It was as though her entire body was being torn apart, though outwardly she appeared unharmed aside from the darkened veins.

"Aghhhhh!!!" A guttural, inhuman scream tore from Agatha's throat, sending chills down the spines of everyone in the room—except for Yuan and his wives, who remained unperturbed.

Yuan retrieved a talisman from his system and tossed it into the air. It activated instantly, forming a soundproof barrier around the room to trap the horrific screams.

'This will keep her voice contained. Little Zoe and the others won't hear a thing,' Yuan thought, letting out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Agatha writhed in agony, the pain worsening with each passing second. It felt as though her body was being slashed, stabbed, and torn apart repeatedly, even though there were no physical injuries other than the ominous discoloration of her veins.

Thankfully, the soldiers holding her restrained her movements. Two additional soldiers secured her legs, preventing her from thrashing so violently that she might injure herself further.

After letting Agatha endure the torment for several minutes, Emma approached her slowly, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Emma asked, her voice unnervingly calm. "Or should I make you feel this pain again? Next time, it'll be twice as intense."

Almost as if the poison obeyed Emma's unspoken command, the unbearable pain vanished instantly. It was as though Agatha had been hallucinating.

'W-What just happened? Why does the pain feel like it never existed?' Agatha thought, her mind reeling from the sudden shift.

"Why are you silent?" Emma's voice snapped her out of her daze. "Speak now, or I'll make you suffer a pain far worse than what you've just experienced. Choose carefully."

At this, Agatha's face crumpled in terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to sob.

"Please… I beg you… Don't make me go through that again…" Her voice trembled, her entire body shaking as she pleaded.

"I—I'll tell you everything! Just please, don't make me feel that horrible pain again!" Agatha cried out, her resolve completely shattered.

'I can't go through that again…' she thought, the memory of the pain sending shivers down her spine.

"Good. Now start talking before I change my mind," Emma said, her voice cold and unyielding.

Agatha hurriedly nodded, terror clear in her wide eyes.

Emperor Philip, Empress Selena, Concubine Priscilla, and even the soldiers were shocked by how quickly Agatha yielded. She was now ready to reveal the truth about the group plotting a coup d'état.

Seeing her compliance, Emperor Philip gestured for the soldiers to release Agatha and help her sit on the sofa so she could speak comfortably without interruption.

Agatha took a deep breath, steadying herself before she began. "There's this group of people who approached us when we were visiting my father's estate…" Her voice trembled as she recounted the events.

She revealed everything about the group that had planted the dangerous idea of overthrowing the throne into her son Fedrick's mind.

Emperor Philip, his two wives, and the soldiers listened intently as Agatha detailed the involvement of the most infamous criminal organization on the continent—the Golden Skull.

According to Agatha, one of the high-ranking members of the Golden Skull approached Fedrick with an offer. The deal was simple but sinister: Fedrick would slowly leak information about the palace's defenses and secret passages in exchange for their support.

Their plan? To overthrow the empire, shake the world once more, and begin their conquest of the entire continent. Their ultimate goal was world domination—governing through fear and destruction.

Yuan listened to the explanation, already piecing together the organization's ambitions. To him, their goals were simple and predictable. The Golden Skull wanted to conquer the world, establish puppet rulers in every nation, and manipulate them from the shadows, ruling the world without anyone daring to defy them.

"I see…" Emperor Philip muttered, his face pale as sweat trickled down his temple. "So, it's that notorious group—the same one that once terrorized the entire world with their forbidden magic, destroying kingdoms and turning an entire empire to dust. Killing millions."

It was no wonder Agatha hadn't stopped her son from dealing with them. Refusal would have meant certain death for her and her family. Denial wasn't an option.

"And just as they promised, they gave Fedrick a down payment—the location of the Wyvern was their gift to him," Agatha added, her voice breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"So, they're planning something like this…" Yuan murmured to himself, his voice low but steady. "I've witnessed the power of forbidden magic before… It's terrifying, to say the least."

Yuan's words trailed off, and he sighed. "But honestly, despite its destructive power, it's just magic. Weak. Pathetic. Not even worth talking about."

"…"

Emperor Philip, Empress Selena, Concubine Priscilla, and Agatha froze, their jaws dropping. They opened and closed their mouths, struggling to process his dismissive words.

Yuan ignored their astonishment and shrugged. "If you want, we can deal with those pathetic vermin. Honestly, we can take them down whenever we feel like it. If they dare come here, we'll just kick their asses."