My Celestial Ascension Chapter 911: A Huge Crisis

Nerith reached the spot where her brother and his wife were waiting. The moment she stepped inside, Rhex and Varia turned toward her, wearing odd smirks on their lips.

"Why are you staring like that? Do I have something ridiculous on my face?" Nerith questioned, arching her brows in confusion.

"Oh, nothing at all. We were merely chatting about you choosing to start a romance with a guy at last. After all, you're old enough to have raised a few kids by now," Varia replied with a mischievous grin.

"That's right," Rhex agreed, nodding while flashing a broad smile. "Without your headstrong nature, your offspring would already be building their own households."

"Sadly, you've shown no desire to seek a mate..." He let out a gentle sigh, shaking his head slowly.

At these words, Nerith's face shifted, and she rolled her eyes with clear frustration.

"Cut out that silly talk when I'm around... haven't I stated plainly that I'll devote myself to gaining more power? Kids would just add duties that drag me back," she declared with a sharp glare, her irritation plain to see.

She went on, "Plus, I'd never wed anyone below my level. He needs to be powerful enough to equal me or beat me in a real fight."

"If a guy lacks all those traits, he's not fit to clean my footwear," Nerith wrapped up her statement before settling onto the vacant couch.

"Hmm... with that in mind," Emperor Rhex gazed at her, grinning widely, and remarked, "Didn't Yuan just overpower you? You two even spent some alone time in the bath."

"..." Nerith stared at her brother, her mouth hanging open a bit, as if she couldn't believe it.

Noticing her expression, Varia broke into a big smile. After all, they'd finally pinned Nerith into a corner with no way out.

"I've never witnessed you getting near any guy, let alone bathing with one..." Varia chimed in, stoking the flames even more.

Emperor Rhex eyed her with a playful smirk and asked, "So, what's the deal between you and him? Have you fallen for him right after losing, despite this being your very first encounter?"

"T-That... I... er... um..." Nerith stammered, struggling to form words; her mind was too jumbled to think straight.

’Am I truly drawn to him? Did I behave like some lovesick girl? How is this possible? We just bathed together, and it's no huge thing...’ She mulled over it silently, baffled by her actions.

Prior to encountering Yuan, she'd never bathed with another soul. Not even females. And men had never caught her eye.

Yet now, Yuan had sparked a strong interest in her. Initially, it was simple curiosity, since he was the first human she'd seen in a millennium; that was perfectly reasonable.

But post-duel—after suffering an unforeseen loss—her perspective on him flipped entirely.

The shift started during the fight itself. His power had stunned her, sparking questions about his practice routines, his past journeys, and his exploits across distant lands before arriving here.

Still, reflecting on it, she'd gotten remarkably intimate with him on their debut meeting today. No opposite-sex individual had ever captivated her like this.

Of course, his looks were striking—maybe the finest she'd ever laid eyes on in her long life. But it went beyond his face; his presence was what truly intrigued her.

’Am I really into him? Do I love him?’ she questioned herself, feeling like a clueless young woman clueless on romance.

’Being near him felt so easy... I've never been that at ease with anyone, not even kin... it's bizarre. I even allowed him to see me bare...’ she reflected, recalling the bathroom incident.

The instant that memory surfaced, a peculiar warmth spread in her heart, quickening its rhythm in her bosom.

’Such an odd sensation... I've never experienced this... what's going on with me...?’ she pondered, lost in the novelty of it all.

"What happened? Why'd you go quiet?"

Out of nowhere, Rhex's voice echoed, snapping her to the present, and her cheeks burned crimson at once.

"It's none of your concern, so close that foul mouth of yours. It turns my stomach," Nerith snapped back to her senses swiftly, her tone laced with annoyance.

Yet inside, embarrassment flooded her, like she'd been busted in a forbidden act. She knew deep down she was powerfully drawn to Yuan, though she couldn't quite grasp or articulate it.

"Ahem!" Nerith coughed lightly and announced, "I've come to share some crucial information, and it's bad."

"Does it involve those monsters beyond the frontier?" Rhex grew solemn right away, grasping the gravity fully.

"Yes," Nerith confirmed with a nod, her gaze turning somber as she detailed, "Scouts of ours uncovered something horrifying in the wasteland—enough to chill anyone to the bone."

"What's happening out there?" he inquired, steeling for the direst report.

The room's mood darkened, thick unease hanging in the space.

Varia gripped her dress's edge hard, her features strained while anticipating Nerith's full disclosure.

Nerith drew in a steadying breath before declaring, her words slicing the heavy quiet.

"Scouts detected a vast horde of undead troops advancing on us... they number more than a million."

"More than a million..." Rhex paled instantly at the news, his breaths growing ragged.

Varia, stunned beyond words, pressed both hands to her mouth, eyes bulging in shock.

"Yes. The second the report hit me, I hurried straight back," Nerith affirmed, her tone steady.

She pressed on, "But we've got a window. They'll hit the border in weeks. Every warrior must be rallied, and war prep started now. Delay means they overrun us unchecked."

"This... it's unbelievable... How do we stand against a million undead? Our forces barely reach a hundred thousand..." Varia inhaled deeply, her thoughts in turmoil from the shock.

"Stay calm. They haven't arrived; there's still hope," Nerith urged, aiming to soothe Varia's rising panic. "We need to alert the neighboring realms at once. That's our sole path to enduring this threat."

With determination etched on her features, she concluded, "I'll head out tomorrow to the Vampire Kingdom to warn them pronto, before it's potentially too late."

"This isn't a fight just for us... once they breach, every creature on the continent faces doom." She uttered this, then rose from the couch and exited, abandoning the pair to themselves.