Chapter 40: The Three Kings in Accord: Announcing the Council's Decree

Liangbing’s breathing was somewhat rapid as she stared at the vast stellar region belonging to her on the star map, the turmoil in her heart difficult to calm.

The temptation of independence was simply too great; it meant she could unleash her ambitions freely without needing to consult or defer to Keisha in every single matter.

Yet, at the same time, she felt a heavy sense of responsibility and a faint, lingering apprehension toward the unknown.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately refrained from immediate opposition, plunging instead into an intense internal struggle.

Hexi, meanwhile, looked at her own "Sky-Base Stellar Region," emotions churning within her silvery eyes.

To distance herself from the core of power and dedicate herself entirely to her most beloved technology and knowledge... this seemed like a perfect sanctuary.

She would no longer have to directly confront those complex gazes and inner torment stemming from her brother, Hefeng.

She could immerse herself in formulas, experiments, and the mysteries of the cosmos, temporarily escaping those weighty responsibilities and harrowing choices.

She could emulate the current lord of Deno—the former Super-Genome civilization scientist, Space—and his Chrono Engine, thereby constructing the Angel civilization’s very own celestial supercomputer.

A quiet sense of relief crept over her, but closely following it was an even deeper desolateness and bewilderment regarding the future.

She gently stroked the metal ring in her palm, as though it were her sole anchor at this moment.

"I know this is sudden, and hard to accept."

Keisha’s voice softened, carrying a trace of unperceived earnestness. "You might think I am acting cowardly, that I am forsaking my duty."

"No, quite the contrary. I believe that concentrating everything in a single direction is the most dangerous path of all."

"A singular model cannot cope with the complex and ever-changing cosmic landscape of the future. We need different paths to explore, different wisdoms to collide, and different powers to counterbalance one another!"

"Only in this way can the Angel civilization truly radiate robust vitality, avoiding the repetition of Huaye’s disastrous mistakes and preventing total ruin from a single leader's miscalculation!"

Her gaze swept over Liangbing and Hexi, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "This is not a negotiation; this is a decision."

"I am the supreme commander. Until the war ends and the new order is established, I still possess the authority to lay the foundation for our civilization's future. The 'Era of the Three Kings' begins today!"

Keisha’s voice resonated like an oracle through the silent council chamber, carrying the force of creation itself.

She slowly sat back down in the primary seat, no longer looking at the position symbolizing supreme power, but leaning against the back of the chair with a mixture of exhaustion and unyielding resolve.

That invisible crown had been pushed away by her own hands.

She had chosen an unprecedented path paved with thorns, all for a future she firmly believed would be brighter.

Liangbing clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white, her chest heaving violently.

Shock, incomprehension, the indignation of feeling offended, and an intense craving for the promised vast territories clashed fiercely within her heart.

She stared fixedly at Keisha, as if trying to unearth traces of madness or hypocrisy from that calm face, only to find a profound resoluteness she could not yet comprehend.

"Non-interference?" Liangbing’s voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a sharp edge of skepticism. "Sister, are you certain?"

"What if... what if my 'free' exploration touches the bottom line of your 'justice'? Or what if Hexi’s 'technological' research creates a 'monster' you cannot tolerate?"

"Will your 'non-interference' still hold true then? Must we wait until disaster strikes before pointing fingers?"

Keisha met Liangbing’s aggressive gaze without the slightest flicker of evasion. "Liangbing, the boundaries are anchored in the cornerstones we established when we overthrew the Heavenly Palace order—equality, freedom (free from depravity), the protection of life, and the rejection of oppression."

"As long as these fundamental principles are not violated, and the survival of the entire Angel civilization is not threatened, I, Keisha, will never interfere in the affairs of your Dawn Stellar Region!"

"Even if your methods appear radical, adventurous, or downright foolish in my eyes!"

"Likewise, the same applies to Hexi’s Sky-Base Stellar Region. This is both trust and a trial."

She paused, her tone growing heavier. "However, should anyone cross the baseline and threaten the foundations of the entire civilization, the other two kings hold both the responsibility and the authority to unite and stop them!"

"This is one of the foundational stones of the Era of the Three Kings—mutual supervision and mutual counterbalance."

Liangbing fell silent. The baseline Keisha had drawn was simultaneously a constraint and a grant of vast, unprecedented space. She needed time to digest this massive shift.

Hexi, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke. Her voice was as cool as a stream under moonlight, yet possessed a peculiar, penetrating clarity: "Technology... has no inherent good or evil."

"The key lies in the heart of the person who wields it." She raised her silver eyes to look at Keisha. "I accept the Sky-Base Stellar Region."

"I will focus on what I understand as... evolution and guardianship. But Keisha, the hidden peril you mentioned... Hefeng... he vanished into the unknown universe two hundred years ago carrying the Angel civilization's most core spark of fire."

"My Sky-Base computing system will continuously scan all abnormal data and energy fluctuations in search of his traces. Would this... be considered crossing the line of interference?"

At the mention of Hefeng’s name, the air in the council chamber grew perceptibly heavier.

A flash of pain and gravity crossed Keisha’s eyes as she slowly shook her head. "No, Hexi. Hefeng... and everything he took with him, is a sharp blade suspended over the entire Angel civilization."

"To search for him, to monitor any threat that might be related to him, is the shared responsibility of all three kings, as well as one of the core functions of the Meiluo Court's coordinated defense."

"Your research capability is precisely the eyes we need most. This is not interference; it is duty."

Hexi gave a slight nod and said no more.

Incorporating the task of finding her brother into the framework of "common threats" provided her with a complex sense of release.

She no longer had to bear this heavy burden alone, and she could legitimately mobilize resources, though it also meant that once he was found, it might lead to a clash of arms.

Her slender fingers once more unconsciously stroked the cold metal ring.

"Then... is this settled?" Liangbing took a deep breath, seemingly arriving at a final resolution, and a fire relit in her eyes—the light of a pioneer.

"The Dawn Stellar Region... Fine! Keisha, I will show you that my path is not necessarily inferior to your 'justice'!"

"I will build a vibrant, ever-evolving new world!" Her tone was brimming with challenge and eager anticipation.

Keisha looked at Liangbing, a trace of gratification in her eyes alongside an imperceptible worry.

She knew that releasing Liangbing was akin to unleashing an unpredictable storm. Yet she believed this storm might well be the driving force the civilization required to move forward.

"Hexi?" Keisha turned toward the silver-haired monarch.

Hexi stood up, her long silver hair cascading like a waterfall. Her gaze swept across the massive star map, finally resting on her own stellar region, which glowed with the light of pure rationality.

"The Sky-Base Stellar Region will provide the most solid foundation for the future of the Angel civilization."

Her voice was calm and tranquil, yet imbued with profound confidence and a solemn vow. She had chosen to guard through knowledge and reason, while also opting for a temporary refuge and inner mending.

Keisha rose as well, stepping between her two sisters. She did not touch the seat of supreme power, instead walking toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Beyond the glass lay the magnificent starry expanse of the Meiluo Court and the crystal-like brilliant city below.

Countless female angels shuttled through the streets and skies, their faces radiant with the peace brought by tranquility and a longing for the future.

Keisha raised her hand, her slender fingers gently tapping empty space.

An invisible ripple instantly spread throughout the entire Meiluo Court, and via the angelic communication network, extended across all territories of the Angel civilization.

The next moment, massive holographic projections covering all major planets, space cities, and warships of the Angel civilization lit up simultaneously. The figures of the three monarchs—Keisha, Liangbing, and Hexi—appeared clearly before billions of angels.

Keisha’s voice resounded through the most powerful angelic communication array into every angelic corner of the known universe—calm, clear, and carrying the epoch-making power of creation:

"Children of the Angel civilization!" "After thousands of years of struggle and sacrifice, the darkness of the 'Heavenly Palace Order' has been buried by our own hands! The bell of the 'Great Trial of Justice' has cleansed the sins of the past!"

"Today, we stand at an entirely new starting point! A future belonging to all angels, brimming with infinite possibilities!"

"To ensure that this hard-won light endures forever, to explore the broadest future landscape of the Angel civilization, and to prevent power from corrupting and repeating past mistakes!"

"I, Holy Blade King Keisha, together with Dawn King Liangbing and Sky-Base King Hexi, jointly decree—"

Her voice abruptly heightened, sounding like the proclamation of an oracle: "From this day forward, the Angel civilization officially enters the—Era of the Three Kings!"

"The angelic territory shall be divided into three major stellar regions: the Blade Stellar Region, the Dawn Stellar Region, and the Sky-Base Stellar Region!"

"The Three Kings shall stand co-equal, each fulfilling their respective duties! Keisha rules the Blade, guarding the core of the new order!"

"Liangbing rules Dawn, pioneering the frontier of free evolution!"

"Hexi rules Sky-Base, leading the pinnacle of technological wisdom!"

"Each of the Three Kings possesses supreme governance within their respective stellar region, with non-interference between them! The Meiluo Court shall serve as our spiritual symbol and supreme coordination organ, jointly defending against enemies that threaten the survival of our civilization!"

"A new era has dawned! May every angel bloom with your own brilliance upon the path you choose! May our civilization march toward eternal glory through diverse exploration and shared guardianship!"

Keisha’s words crashed into the minds of tens of millions of angels like the first roar of a newborn universe.

A split?

Three kings?

Non-interference?

After a brief, dead silence, a tremendous uproar swept across the entire Angel civilization!

Astonishment, incomprehension, bewilderment, confusion, followed instantly by massive waves of discussion!

Some felt a sense of loss that Keisha had not been solely crowned, others were thrilled by Liangbing's "free evolution," some yearned for Hexi's technological sanctuary, while a greater number fell into deep contemplation and debate over the future trajectory.

Inside the Meiluo Court council chamber, Liangbing looked at the boiling civilization outside the window, a wild and expectant smile curving the corner of her mouth, her eyes burning with a hunger for new frontiers.

Hexi remained quietly in place, her silver eyes reflecting the starlight and clamor outside the window, resembling an detached observer. Only the metal ring, warmed by her constant rubbing in her hand, betrayed the ripples within her heart.

With her back to them, Keisha gazed out at the surging river of stars and the countless upturned faces below, her long golden hair shimmering like flowing molten gold under the starlight.

Her silhouette was upright yet solitary. Having cast aside that invisible, heavy crown, she seemed instead to be bearing an even vaster and more uncertain future.

The act of cleaving the crown was done; the Era of the Three Kings had begun.

The colossal ship of the Angel civilization, having just sailed out of the bloody vortex of the Wrathful Sea, did not steer toward the solitary lighthouse where Keisha alone reigned as anticipated, but instead cleaved through the waves into a vast sea full of unknowns and possibilities, guided jointly by three stars.

Would the waters ahead be calm or filled with new treacherous breakers? None could tell.

Only "God of War" Hefeng, who had vanished to the edge of the universe, and the "spark" he took with him remained like a ghostly backdrop, shrouding the dawn of this new era and reminding everyone that while the war might have ended, the threat had never truly gone away.

As for the true reason Keisha pushed away her throne—her deep-seated vigilance against absolute power hidden beneath "misjudgment" and her profound wariness of Hefeng's terrifying potential—perhaps only her own heart knew best.

The first page of the Era of the Three Kings was slowly turned amidst the astonishment, anticipation, and debates of countless angels.

The great wheel of history drove toward a brand-new, entirely unpredictable course.