Chapter 4: The Queen’s Reminiscence: The Fall of the Hoffman Territory

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Keisha’s Perspective: The Throne of the Wrath-Sea, Tianren

Keisha, the King of Tianren, sat upon the cold and lofty throne of the Tianren. Her gaze, sharp as the most precise scanning array, pierced through the fire of explosions and the wreckage of warships. It locked firmly onto that flagship emerging from the rear of the chaotic male angel army like a quenched blade drawn from its scabbard—the flagship of Hefeng.

When that crystal-clear command, heavy with the resolve of no return—"All forces! Arrowhead formation! Target: Tianren!" "Pierce through them!"—echoed across the bridge of the Tianren, transmitted via the intercepted communication fragments cracked by Hexi, the fingertips of Keisha’s silver gauntlets tightened sharply against the armrests of her throne. The hard metal groaned under the pressure.

It was him. It was truly him. Only he could erupt with such precise and lethal sharpness in the face of this desperate situation, aiming directly at her, the supreme commander. This was not only the optimal tactical maneuver, but also... the most naked declaration of war against her, Keisha.

Watching the Second Legion rapidly shift formation, transforming into a massive arrowhead of energy that tore through space and charged ferociously into the heart of her ambush, a complex and fleeting ripple flashed deep within Keisha’s ice-covered, azure eyes. It was not fear, nor was it hesitation, but rather a sharp memory—one forcibly awakened, mixed with agonizing pain and monstrous hatred.

The battlefield of the Wrath-Sea blurred and twisted before her eyes. The silhouette of that charging flagship seemed to overlap with another sky in her memory, one consumed by the flames of war.

Flashback: The Fall of Duke Hoffman’s Territory (Time: Late Unification War, circa 2200, Heavenly Palace Calendar)

The once prosperous and affluent home planet of Duke Hoffman was now reduced to scorched earth. The castle, a symbol of the Hoffman family’s glory, was left in ruins under the orbital bombardment of the male angel fleet. Hefeng, leading an army of one hundred thousand male angels, had crushed this fortress, which the Duke had spent countless years cultivating, with overwhelming force.

Thick smoke billowed. On the ground, the sporadic sparks of resistance were quickly extinguished under the iron hooves of Hefeng’s elite legions. Hefeng, clad in blood-stained, gleaming silver armor, walked through the broken rubble and the uncooled remains of warriors like a god of war descending, followed by his grim, forest-like guard.

Ahead, Duke Hoffman—Keisha’s father—was pinned to the ground by several burly male angel warriors, his appearance wretched. The once-dignified noble’s luxurious robes were covered in dust, his face bruised, his eyes burning with unwilling rage, yet he was powerless to break free, utterly humiliated.

Beside the Duke, held by two expressionless female guards under Hefeng’s command, was Keisha. Her light armor was damaged in many places, revealing blood-stained skin, and her long golden hair was plastered messily against her sweat-dampened temples. There was no fear on her face, only a numbness bordering on a deathly pale, and a bottomless despair. Her gaze was nailed to the figure a few paces away—a figure both familiar and strange: Hefeng.

Hefeng’s eyes swept over the captives, pausing on Keisha for a fleeting moment. There was no triumph in his gaze, nor the warmth of a former lover; there was only the cold, mechanical calm of a soldier executing his duty.

"Take them back to the Heavenly City. Await the Heavenly King’s judgment."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority that echoed over the silent ruins.

"No—!!" It was as if these words had drained all strength from Keisha, yet simultaneously injected her with a final, desperate madness. She lunged, breaking free from the guards' restraint, and stumbled to fall at Hefeng’s feet.

This action caused all the surrounding soldiers, including Hefeng’s confidants, to subconsciously hold their breath and look away with complex expressions. They all knew the history between General Hefeng and the eldest daughter of the Hoffman family.

"Hefeng! Hefeng!" Keisha’s voice was torn with weeping. She was no longer the gallant female warrior of the battlefield, nor the noblewoman of high-society banquets, nor the scholarly student of the Angel Academy. She was merely a daughter in despair, pleading for a final shred of mercy.

She gripped his cold combat boots with both hands, lifting a face stained with tears and dust. Those azure eyes, once filled with love, now held only shattered supplication and bone-deep agony.

"I beg you! For the sake of our past! For the sake of... of when we were on Xianjian Star, the vows we swore, the love we shared!" Her voice trembled uncontrollably. "Spare my father! Hua Ye... he won't let him go! He will kill him!"

"As long as you let him go, I will agree to anything! I will return to the Heavenly City with you! I confess!"

"I am willing to endure any punishment! As a slave, as a servant! To serve you for the rest of my life!"

"I only ask... I only ask that you give my father a way to live!" Her words were like tears of blood, piercing to the core, every syllable laden with the most humble plea and the deepest love for her father.

Hefeng’s body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment. The cold touch from his ankles and her desperate gaze pierced into his deliberately closed heart like needles.

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The vows on the peak of Xianjian Star, her shy blushes, that pure kiss... countless images surged up uncontrollably. But he pressed his lips into a thin line, his jawline taut as a blade.

He could not. Hoffman was an important prisoner, specifically named by Hua Ye. To release him would be open defiance! It would be a betrayal of the hundred thousand soldiers who had fought through blood and fire behind him! It would leave a massive hidden danger for the Unification War that was about to conclude!

He believed Hua Ye was not foolish enough to execute an important prisoner for no reason before the eve of total victory. As an important hostage, Hoffman would only be imprisoned. As long as the war ended, as long as unification was achieved and a stable order was established, everything would get better.

Keisha’s hatred was something he could make up for later, using time and actions to dissolve. Everything would settle down; he would find a way... there would always be a way to make it up to Keisha.

He forced himself to look away, towards the still-smoking ruins in the distance, his voice cold and hard as iron.

"The King’s command cannot be disobeyed; the soldiers cannot be failed."

These ten words struck Keisha like ten heavy hammers. The light in her eyes extinguished by more than half, but she did not give up! Despair birthed even crazier actions!

The surrounding soldiers turned away to avoid the sight. Duke Hoffman, pressed to the ground, could only weep in grief and indignation. Keisha suddenly tore at her already tattered armor and undergarments!

*Rip—!*

The sound of tearing fabric was piercingly harsh in the silence!

The cold metal buckles were undone, the tough lining ripped away, exposing the pale skin beneath. She desperately tried to shed her last defenses, attempting to use this body, which had once belonged only to him and been cherished only by him, as a final bargaining chip!

Humiliated tears flowed in torrents. She kept her eyes shut, her body trembling violently from the cold and extreme shame, yet she kept her neck straight, like a lamb for sacrifice.

In an instant, she was stripped of all clothing! Her perfect form was exposed to the cold air and the complex gazes of Hefeng and his two female guards. She felt no shyness, only a desperate, sacrificial resolve!

"Look at me... Hefeng... look at me..." Her voice carried a broken allure and bone-deep despair. "As long as you nod... I... everything of mine is yours... forever... spare my father... please..." She even tried to touch the hand Hefeng held at his side.

Seeing no reaction, Keisha began to scream, "Hefeng! Look! You want me! I give myself to you! My body! My soul! Everything I have!" Her voice was filled with hysterical madness and extreme temptation, tears mixed with humiliation streaming down her face. "As long as you spare my father! I swear! I, Keisha, am your slave, your plaything for this life!"

"You can do anything you want to me! Anytime, anywhere! I will never resist! I only ask... I only ask that you give my father a chance to live!!!"

She roared the final words, her body shivering from the cold and the extreme humiliation. The surrounding soldiers, including Hefeng’s personal guards, remained with their backs turned. The air was thick with a suffocating heaviness and embarrassment. Only Hefeng stood there, his body taut like a bow drawn to its limit, his knuckles cracking, veins bulging at his temples.

He forced his gaze to stay away from her naked body, staring intently into those eyes filled with despair, madness, and a final, lingering plea. That body he had once held with tenderness and cherished above all else was now presented to him in the most humiliating way, as a bargaining chip.

This wounded him more deeply than any sword. But the scales in his heart were tipped: on one side, personal affection and the shattered dignity of his lover; on the other, the King’s command, military discipline, the trust of a hundred thousand soldiers, and the grand strategy of the entire war.

And most importantly, his dream of "peace"—to end the Unification War, to pacify the dukes, and to ensure the Angel civilization would never again suffer from the chaos of war. To ensure that angel children would not have to die as his own parents had. The latter weighed heavier than Mount Tai.

The final trace of reluctance in his eyes was covered by a deeper coldness—a cruel determination to crush something beautiful to protect something even more important. Clenching his teeth, he squeezed out those ten words, cold as iron and devoid of any room for negotiation.

"The King’s command cannot be disobeyed; the soldiers cannot be failed."

"Take her away." Hefeng’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse, a command of unquestionable authority directed at the female guards.

The two guards felt a flash of reluctance, but they stepped forward, roughly wrapping Keisha’s naked, trembling body in a spare cloak and dragging her away by force.

"Hefeng—!!!" As she was dragged off, the final scream Keisha unleashed was no longer a plea, but the shriek of a wounded female beast, filled with monstrous hatred and curses! The sound pierced the heavens, laden with the despair and madness of being utterly betrayed and having her dignity trampled into the dust!

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"You cold-blooded beast! You devil! I hate you!"

"I, Keisha, swear! As long as I live!"

"As long as I breathe for a single day, I will make you pay your blood debts!"

"I will see you and the corrupt Heavenly Palace you serve fall into hell forever!"

"I curse you! I curse you to never obtain what you love!"

"I curse you to be abandoned by all and die a miserable death!"

"Hefeng, I will kill you!"

"I, Keisha, will never cease until one of us is dead—!!!"

The vicious curse, like a poisoned ice-spike, stabbed deep into Hefeng’s ears and pierced his heart. He stood where he was, like a cold stone statue, letting that hate-filled voice echo and fade over the ruins.

He watched Keisha, who was being forcibly dragged away, her eyes filled with venom and devoid of any lingering affection. The naive fantasy in his heart—that he could "coax her back" after the war—was shattered into pieces.

Later, the escort team was ambushed by death squads led by Liangbing, and Keisha was rescued. When the news reached the Heavenly City, Hua Ye was furious that someone would dare challenge the authority of the Heavenly Palace on the eve of victory. To intimidate all potential rebels, he brazenly ordered that Duke Hoffman be executed in the most ancient and public way—the guillotine—in the central square of the Angel City!

When Hefeng learned of this, he was processing military reports. The pen in his hand snapped, and ink bled into a large, ugly stain on the document. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. He knew it was all over.

The last faint crack between him and Keisha, which might have been smoothed over by time, had been thoroughly flooded by the rolling head and spraying blood of Duke Hoffman, turning it into a bottomless abyss of hatred flowing with magma!

After that came the flames of the uprising on Merlo. The war of opposition broke out. Former lovers became the deadliest of rivals on the battlefield. For thousands of years of slaughter, the Tianren Legion she commanded crushed his deployments countless times, and the Second Legion he led slaughtered her sisters and comrades countless times.

The swords in their hands had pointed at each other’s cores countless times.

How deep was the love? It had long been buried under the ashes of blood, fire, betrayal, and revenge. How deep was the hatred?

Deep enough that they wished only to grind the other into dust, to make them perish in endless agony!

Reality: The Battlefield of the Wrath-Sea

"Report! Hefeng’s Second Legion arrowhead formation has breached the outer defensive fire-net! They are advancing at high speed toward our core area!"

"The speed is extreme; their objective is clearly the Tianren!" The adjutant’s urgent voice snapped Keisha out of that bloody memory.

Before her, Hefeng’s flagship was like a comet of vengeance, leading the charge. Behind him, the two hundred and fifty thousand silent, elite soldiers of the Second Legion followed like bone-eating maggots, tearing open a corner of the ambush circle the female angels had meticulously prepared!

That fearless charging posture, that terrifyingly precise tactical execution—all of it highlighted the resolve and power of the "God of War," Hefeng!

Keisha stood abruptly from her throne!

In her azure eyes, the last ripple caused by the memories was completely incinerated, leaving only a killing intent colder than the depths of the universe, and the absolute majesty of the King of Tianren!

The rolling head of her father Hoffman, her own body sacrificed in humiliation, Hefeng’s cold and heartless words, the screams of her sisters under the butcher knives of male angels over thousands of years...

All the hatred, like boiling magma, instantly swept away everything else!

She watched the flagship drawing closer, watching the figure charging at the front, slaughtering her sisters like a ghost among sheep, his silver-gray eyes also burning with the will to fight!

"Hefeng..." Keisha’s voice was like the collision of ten-thousand-year-old glacier ice, carrying enough hatred to freeze a soul and a monstrous will to fight.

It resonated throughout the bridge of the Tianren: "Well come! New debts and old, let us settle them all today here on the Wrath-Sea!"

She waved her hand sharply, pointing at the arrowhead of energy tearing through the starry sky: "Tianren Legion! Change formation! 'Divine Bastion'!"

"Pin him down here for me!"

"Kill him!!! —Hefeng!!!"

Not for any other reason, not for personal grudges, but to rid the female angels of the Heavenly Palace's strongest claw! Hefeng must die!

Above the Wrath-Sea, the fated duel erupted! Former lovers, now enemies, collided fiercely, carrying enough hatred to destroy the stars!