Chapter 21: The End of Hell: A Reunion of the Tsuru Siblings

Deep within the Road to Hell lies the Blood Sky.

This region, which Hexi describes as "relatively stable," resembles more of a vast ossuary—a burial ground left behind by the death of some colossal cosmic beast. Countless fossils, immense beyond imagination and glowing with a ghostly, bone-white light, hang suspended in the dark purple void like shattered mountain ranges, forming a grand and deathly silent cemetery. Viscous nebular matter, akin to congealed blood, flows slowly between the crevices of these bone mountains, emitting a faint, phosphorescent glimmer.

Absolute silence reigns here. Even the turbulent energy currents seem cowed by these ancient remains, becoming docile and sluggish.

A figure, like a meteor tearing through the darkness, descended silently onto the largest platform—a fossil shaped like the skull of a dragon.

Hefeng, clad in the majestic armor of the Heavenly King, with the ancient Sword of Kings hanging at his waist, had retracted the ghostly, snow-white wings behind him. Only the star-core gold armor remained, casting a restrained, stellar radiance into the gloom. His gaze, sharp as lightning, instantly locked onto the figure standing quietly beneath the arch of a massive ribcage at the other end of the platform.

The Heavenly Base King—Hexi—his sister of 8,500 years.

She wore only a simple, moon-white casual gown, her long silver hair draped over her shoulders. In this desolate land of bones, she appeared exceptionally fragile, and yet… profoundly real. There was no majesty of the Heavenly Base King, no detachment of a master researcher; there was only a sense of peace that came from shedding all disguises, tinged with a deep, lingering exhaustion. She tilted her head slightly, watching the twisted, magnificent nebula floating above the plain, as if admiring an ancient mural.

Hefeng’s mental power, like an invisible tide, instantly swept across the entire platform and its surrounding space. No ambush, no traps; the energy readings were as clean as a vacuum. His sister, Hexi, had truly come alone.

This realization caused the taut string in Hefeng’s heart to slacken slightly, yet it was followed by emotions far more complex. The risk of exposure hung over him like a sword of Damocles. If he were to draw the Sword of Kings, in 0.1 seconds—or even less—he could completely extinguish this sole threat. With his current strength and the sharpness of the sword, Hexi would have no chance of survival. The Seed Fleet would return to absolute safety and secrecy.

The thought grew in his mind like a cold, poisonous snake. His reason roared: *Strike! For the future of three million seeds! For the hope of a new civilization! This is the most cold-blooded, yet most correct choice!*

However, when his eyes truly landed on Hexi’s familiar profile, which carried a trace of desolation, a warmth from the deepest depths of his bloodline violently breached the icy dam. She was his sister, whom he had watched grow up! The little one who would tug at his sleeve for candy; the helpless girl who cried herself to sleep in his arms on the rainy night their father went missing; the genius girl whose eyes shone like stars when she rushed out of the lab to show off her breakthroughs…

The cold intent to kill, gathered on the hilt of the Sword of Kings, melted like snow the moment it touched her presence.

Hefeng’s figure vanished from where he stood, and in the next instant, he appeared silently half a step behind Hexi. He did not draw his sword; instead, he slowly raised his star-core gold gauntlet, his movements so gentle and cautious, as if afraid to startle a fragile dream. His fingertips brushed lightly against Hexi’s smooth, cool cheek.

Hexi’s body trembled imperceptibly, but she did not dodge, nor did she turn around.

"Little sister…" Hefeng’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying the weariness and tenderness of one who had traversed long ages and bloody battlefields. "Long time no see… you… you’ve become more beautiful."

His gaze fell upon her exquisite profile, the features that inherited their foster father’s resolute contours and their foster mother’s delicate lines. Under the ghostly light of the bones, she truly radiated a cold and noble temperament.

"…More and more like a king."

Hexi turned slowly, her silver-gray eyes finally meeting Hefeng’s deep, abyss-like icy gaze. Gone was the majesty and slaughter of the battlefield; there was only the complex light of a brother gazing at his sister, filled with heartache and nostalgia.

"Brother…" Hexi’s voice was very soft, with a trace of imperceptible choking. She looked at the Heavenly King’s armor that symbolized supreme authority, and at the sword that once hung in the depths of the Heavenly Palace and now felt perfectly attuned to his presence. Her eyes were complex and unreadable. "You, too… you look more and more like… what Father expected you to be." Powerful, majestic, invincible, capable of protecting a realm.

This double-edged statement was like a stone cast into a calm lake, instantly awakening a river of dormant memories. The ice in Hefeng’s eyes melted completely, and a warm arc pulled at the corners of his mouth as he withdrew his hand. He sat down casually on a massive fossilized vertebra and patted the space beside him.

Hexi hesitated for a moment, then sat down in silence. The giant dragon-bone platform became their temporary seat; beneath them flowed the "blood river" of nebulae, and above them hung the twisted, magnificent star chart.

"Do you remember?" Hefeng’s voice was filled with reminiscence. "When you were three, Father took us camping at the Star Tear Lake. You insisted on catching fish yourself, fell headfirst into the lake, and nearly drowned. When I pulled you out, your little face was purple from choking. You were still clutching a fish smaller than your palm, crying, 'Brother, my fish!'"

Hexi’s pale face finally flushed with a hint of color, and she couldn't help but rebuke, "Brother! Why bring up such an embarrassing thing! …And didn't you end up burning that fish to a crisp? It tasted terrible!"

"Hahaha!" Hefeng laughed heartily, a rare sound that echoed across the silent plain, dispelling the gloom. "It was terrible! But didn't a certain little glutton eat it all up while calling it names? You had tears and snot smeared all over the fish bones!"

Hexi couldn't help but smile, her eyes misting over—the softness struck by the most precious of memories.

As the laughter faded, the atmosphere softened further. Hefeng looked at the outline of the distant bone mountains and continued, "Later, when you were older and in the academy, those noble children bullied you for coming from a scholarly family and snatched your data pads. I happened to be at the academy and caught them…" His gaze turned cold for a fleeting second, then melted back into a helpless smile. "I beat those boys until their noses were bruised and their faces swollen—I beat them half to death—and ended up getting a major demerit. That night, I dreamed of Father. When he found out, he didn't scold me; he praised me! He said, 'Well beaten! Protecting your sister is only right and proper!'"

"I know…" Hexi’s voice dropped, thick with guilt. "After that, no one in the academy dared to bully me again… Brother, you were always like this… for my sake…"

"Don't say such foolish things." Hefeng interrupted her, his tone filled with unquestionable indulgence. "You are my sister; who would I protect if not you?"

Memories flowed like a warm spring. They talked about the time Hexi completed her first independent micro-wormhole calculation model, and Hefeng had been so happy he spun her around the house like a child; they talked about the day Hefeng was promoted to legion commander, and Hexi stayed up all night crafting a precision energy shield generator cufflink for him; they talked about the garden at the Duke of Hoffman’s estate, where Hexi would pester Sister Keisha and Brother Hefeng to tell stories of cosmic adventures, and the three of them would dissolve into laughter.

Those pure days, without sides or wars, filled only with family, friendship, and innocent affection, now seemed so distant and precious.

At some point, Hefeng stood up and walked to Hexi. His tall figure loomed over her, the pressure of his armor completely suppressed. He lowered his head and pressed a gentle, solemn kiss to Hexi’s smooth forehead—a brother’s deepest protection and blessing.

Hexi’s tears finally spilled over. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Hefeng’s neck, and pressed a hot, tear-stained kiss to his weathered cheek. It was a sister’s deepest attachment and reluctance to part.

Time seemed to stand still. The silence of the bone plain became the backdrop for their wordless bond. The siblings embraced tightly, as if to pour all the longing, worry, and pain of these years of separation into this one hold. They were no longer enemies to the death on the battlefield, no longer opponents with conflicting ideologies. At this moment, they were only Hefeng and Hexi, a pair of siblings not connected by blood, yet deeply in love after enduring so much hardship.

However, the veil of tenderness was destined to be torn by the cold reality.

Hexi slowly loosened her arms and stepped back, pain and determination churning in her silver-gray eyes. She looked up, staring directly into Hefeng’s deep, complex eyes, her voice trembling slightly but clear:

"Brother… come back with me."

Hefeng’s body stiffened imperceptibly; the warmth in his eyes faded rapidly, replaced by the encroaching ice.

"Surrender, brother." Hexi’s voice carried a plea, and a worldly, mournful pity. "The Heavenly Palace Order… has completely collapsed! Hua Ye has become a prisoner, and his rule has been proven to be rotten and catastrophic! The female angels have proven the necessity of the new order with blood and fire! The Angel civilization… has shed too much blood and suffered too much pain! This war… must end!"

She took a step forward, her gaze burning. "As long as you put down your sword and come back with me! I will stake everything on my guarantee to Sister Keisha! I swear on my life! She… she will spare your life! You will lose your power, you will lose your freedom, but at least… you will still be alive! We can be like we were when we were young… I will visit you every day, keep you company… we will… still be brother and sister…" By the end, her voice choked up again, and tears fell silently.

Hefeng listened quietly, his face devoid of expression, only his frozen eyes churning with crashing waves. *Surrender? Lose my power? Languish in Keisha’s cage? Live on my sister’s pity and guarantees?*

*No! Absolutely not!*

*I, Hefeng, have traversed the universe all my life; I will never be a prisoner!*

He shook his head slowly, with absolute firmness. The movement was slight, but it carried the resolve to sever all hesitation.

"Little sister," Hefeng’s voice was low and calm, yet contained an undeniable power. "Thank you for your kindness. But… I cannot."

He raised his hand, pointing into the depths of the void behind him, where the mist of the sea of blood churned, toward the faint outline of the Eternal Canyon, toward the Boundless Sea that symbolized the absolute unknown.

"Look, the path left by Father is right ahead." Hefeng’s gaze pierced the silence of the bone plain, as if seeing the distant future. "Behind me are not routed remnants, but the final fire of the Angel civilization! Three million lives yearning for rebirth and freedom! The hope to rebuild a stronger, more equal, and more glorious civilization upon the ruins!"

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the tearful Hexi, his eyes filled with a brother’s expectations and a warrior’s devotion to his ideals.

"I will lead them along the path Father pointed out, to the other side of the Boundless Sea. To establish a kingdom… truly worthy of the name 'Angel'! A kingdom without oppression, without injustice, without endless internal strife! This is the best inheritance of Father’s spirit of exploration, and this… is the true salvation!"

He paused, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible weight. "As for Keisha’s new order… perhaps it has its unique merits, but it is a 'new order' bought at the cost of completely erasing the dignity and future of our bloodline! I… cannot accept it."

The negotiations had completely broken down.

The last glimmer of hope in Hexi’s eyes extinguished, leaving only bottomless despair and cold grayness. Although the answer was expected, hearing it in person was devastating. She looked at Hefeng, at his armor symbolizing the old power, at the sword that had severed all paths of retreat, and at the resolve burning in his eyes… she knew she could no longer change him.

Hefeng looked deeply at his sister, as if to carve her face into the depths of his soul. *If we part here… it will be hard to meet again…*

He did not speak again; he simply turned and began to walk in the direction from which he came. Every step landed on the cold bones, emitting a dull echo. He did not kill her. The risk of exposure remained, but he chose to let her go—to spare the only relative he had left in this world.

Hexi stood still, as if turned to stone. Tears flowed silently, dripping onto the bone fossils at her feet. Hefeng’s figure grew smaller and smaller in the gloom of the bone plain, eventually disappearing into the edge of the blood-mist.

Silence enveloped the area once more. Hexi’s body began to tremble violently, as if all her strength had been drained. She slowly raised her hand, looking at the black pointer left by her father in her palm, which now felt heavy as a mountain.

A battle of heart and mind! On one side, the sisters and the civilization she had built, for which she would live and die; on the other, the brother who had been a mountain of grace to her, and the kinship she could not cut away! No matter which side she chose, her soul would be torn asunder!

"Why… why must you force me…" She closed her eyes in pain, her nails digging deep into her palm until they almost drew blood. She feared such dilemmas above all else!

Suddenly, a thought coiled around her heart like a snake in the dark. Her fair hand tightened!

*Crack!*

She crushed the only "final pointer."

*If my brother enters the Boundless Sea, no one will be able to catch him, and he will survive.*

Hexi opened her eyes abruptly, a light of near-manic relief flashing in her silver-gray eyes! She moved her trembling hands to her private communicator, her fingers flying across the virtual screen to access a highly encrypted public tactical intelligence node—one that did not point to Keisha or Liangbing.

She took the data regarding the entrance coordinates of the "Eternal Canyon" from her father’s star map fragments, combined it with the likely arrival window of Hefeng’s fleet (based on the speed calculated from her father’s map), and information on several structural weaknesses of the Eternal Canyon.

As if discarding a hot potato, she packed it all together and sent it out via an untraceable, anonymous signal!

The target—the public reception port of the Intelligence Analysis Department under the command of the Heavenly Revelation King, Liangbing!

After doing this, Hexi seemed to have exhausted all her strength; the communicator slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. She staggered back a few steps, leaning against the cold, giant rib fossil, and slowly slid to the ground.

Tears continued to fall, but the soul-tearing struggle in her eyes had strangely calmed, leaving only a cold, near-numb emptiness.

She had told Liangbing Hefeng’s destination. Liangbing and the 1.2 million elites under her, who were like madmen, would smell blood like sharks and rush toward the Eternal Canyon at top speed! Given the size and sluggishness of Hefeng’s fleet, they could not possibly be faster than Liangbing!

But once Hefeng entered the Boundless Sea, even if Liangbing had a million armies, or a billion, she would never be able to catch him.

Would Liangbing catch up and destroy Hefeng, or would Hefeng rush into the Boundless Sea before being surrounded? Life or death? Survival or extinction?

This choice… this blood-stained final judgment… would no longer be borne by her, Hexi.

She had only… provided a lead. That was all.

Hexi buried her face deep in her knees, curled up among the cold bones like a lost child, weeping silently, letting the silent universe swallow her final weakness and evasion.