The collective return of a million Ancient Angels was like dropping a star-level piece onto the chessboard of the known Universe, causing shockwaves far beyond expectations.
After the initial silence, panic, and confusion, the various factions finally regained their senses and began to frantically probe, analyze, and speculate—what exactly did the Angels want?
The Merlot Heavenly Court provided an official response at the opportune moment, drafted personally by Heavenly Base King Hexi and approved by Holy Keisha, broadcasting it to all civilizations in the known Universe that had reached aerospace level via the Angels' public information channel.
The wording of the announcement was a model of diplomatic language, maintaining the Angels' consistent elegance and strength while cleverly leaving huge room for interpretation.
The core content of the announcement can be summarized as follows:
First, Legitimacy: The returning Angel Warriors were all responding to the call of the "Angel Civilization's" ancient glory and responsibility, gathering spontaneously with the aim of "protecting the kindling of civilization and responding to future changes." The announcement specifically emphasized that the banner they returned under was "Angel," not any individual. This was a reasonable explanation for the call of the "kindling" agreement and also implicitly sent a signal—the loyalty of these ancient warriors was first directed towards the entire civilization, which to a certain extent diluted external speculation about the "extreme expansion of Holy Keisha's personal authority."
Second, Characterization: This gathering was defined as a "necessary preparation for non-offensive strategic force reorganization and generational succession." The announcement claimed that in the face of an increasingly complex cosmic environment and the critical period of the Angel Civilization's own succession of new and old generations and technological upgrades, it was necessary to integrate all available loyal forces to ensure a smooth transition of the civilization and to make "full preparations" for potential challenges. This provided a seemingly reasonable "defensive" reason for the existence of the million-strong army.
Third, Deterrence and Reassurance: The announcement clearly stated that the Angel Civilization had no intention of breaking the existing cosmic order and would continue to abide by the basic principles of "Justice." But then the tone shifted, declaring in an unusually tough tone: any attempt to take advantage of the Angel Civilization's internal adjustments to commit provocations, aggression, or harm to the safety of Angels and their allies would be regarded as a declaration of war against all Angel Warriors and would inevitably suffer "swift and thorough devastating blows." At the same time, the announcement also "kindly" reminded all civilizations that focusing on their own development and maintaining regional stability was the greatest contribution to universal peace.
Fourth, Obfuscation: The announcement said nothing about the specific reasons for the return, the existence of new technologies, or even the key variable, Artoria. Instead, it spent considerable space reminiscing about the glory of the Ancient Angels, emphasizing their attachment to "home" and their expectations for the "younger generation," packaging a strategic shift that could trigger a massive upheaval into a warm "veteran returning home" and "civilization inheritance." This emotional appeal under the grand narrative effectively diverted some attention and made the truth even more confusing.
After the announcement was released, public opinion in the Universe was in an uproar, but there was more deep confusion. This explanation sounded reasonable, yet it always felt like something was wrong. For "civilization inheritance" and "responding to the future"? Was it necessary to awaken more than a million ancient elites? This move was too big. But the Angels insisted on this statement, and even if other civilizations had questions, they dared not, and did not have the ability, to investigate further.
Just as the outside world was still struggling to digest this official announcement and trying to analyze the true intentions of the Angels, a top-secret, directionally sent dark information communication crossed the endless sea of stars and arrived silently at the Styx Galaxy, Death Song Academy, directly presenting itself in the "consciousness" of the God of Death Karl.
The sender of the information was not signed, but the pure and domineering will of war contained within, tempered by blood and fire, as well as a trace of sharpness unique to the Ancient Angels legion, as if carrying the breath of rust and stellar embers, made Karl instantly confirm the source—a certain Commander in the Ancient Angels legion known for being unruly and tough.
The content of the information was extremely short, but every word was like a knife, carrying an unquestionable chill:
"God of Death Karl, you study your Void, we, do not interfere."
"The'script' of the known Universe can continue to run. Earth, Power of the Galaxy, demons, Taotie... those who should take the stage will take the stage, those who should perform will perform."
"But, remember."
"If something I don't like appears in the script—for example, certain clowns acting too engrossed, really thinking they are the protagonists; for example, those who should be whetstones, but delusional about becoming executioner's blades; or, certain guys hiding behind the scenes, reaching out too far, touching pieces they shouldn't touch..."
The information paused slightly here, as if the sender was appreciating Karl's possible reaction, and then, the last sentence poured down like a frozen galaxy, carrying a pure, undisguised will of destruction:
"...I don't mind walking to the Styx Galaxy myself. Using your Death Song Academy and those void servants of yours that are like toys, to test whether the blades of my subordinates, which haven't tasted blood in ten thousand years, are still sharp."
There was no threat, no warning, only a calm statement. It was as if saying something taken for granted, like not going out when the weather is bad. But the meaning contained within made even an existence like Karl's phantom body fluctuate slightly.
This information almost tore open the gentle veil of the official announcement, revealing the cold and sharp fangs beneath it.
It clearly told Karl: We know what you are doing, we are too lazy to care about you for now. We also know your script, and even tacitly allow you to continue performing. However, there is a premise—the script must be within a controllable range, it must be the version "we" approve of. Power of the Galaxy and those children from the Super Seminary can be protagonists, but they can only be "growth-type" protagonists, the "whetstones" used to hone the new generation of Angels and let them see blood. Demons and Taotie can be villains, but they can only be "qualified" villains, the sparring partners used to increase the difficulty for the "whetstones."
If the "whetstone" jumps too much, or if you, the "director," want to add some scripts that shouldn't be added, such as really making Keisha "fall"—even if it's a fake body, it needs a reasonable way to "fall," or wanting to take the opportunity to cause unacceptable losses to the Angel Civilization, or, wanting to touch certain existences marked by the Angels as "forbidden"—like Artoria, like certain key knowledge...
Then, sorry. The Angels don't mind flipping the table in advance and ending this "game." And the first one to be cleared out would very likely be you, God of Death Karl, and the Styx Galaxy you have painstakingly managed. The blade of a million Ancient Angels will tell you what is called "one force overcomes ten skills."
As for the sentence "our Angels also need to be tempered by iron and blood," it nakedly revealed part of the Angels' true intentions—the return of the million-strong army was not only for deterrence, not only for protection, but also for training! Using real war, using demons, Taotie, and even other enemies who might jump out, to temper the sharpness of the new generation of Angels, accelerate their growth, and complete the integration and succession of new and old forces! Power of the Galaxy and Earth, on the Angels' strategic chessboard, might have been, from the very beginning, not just "investment objects" or "allies," but excellent "actual combat training grounds" prepared for the Angels' younger generation!
Karl quietly "watched" this information, silent for a long time. There was no expression on his eternally calm phantom face, but the surrounding void seemed to become more viscous and dark.
"Things I don't like... whetstone... walk to the Styx Galaxy..." Karl repeated these words in a low voice, with no joy or anger in his voice, only a deep sense of exploration, as if dissecting some rare specimen.
"It seems my old friends are... more direct and more interesting than I imagined." Karl's gaze cast into the distance, as if penetrating the heavy curtains of the Death Song Academy, seeing the star field shrouded in golden light, "Tacitly allowing the script, yet drawing red lines. Regarding the disputes of the known Universe as a sandpit to hone the younger generation... Good spirit, and good calculation."
He knew that the one who sent this message was not necessarily Keisha herself, but very likely the "Judgment" knight known for being unruly and tough, or an Ancient Angel from the radical faction whose ideas were similar to hers. But for this information to reach him, it must have been acquiesced by Keisha and Hexi, or even instructed by them, using this "unofficial" and tougher channel to convey the core warning.
"Since that's the case..." Karl's fingers tapped lightly in the void, and complex star maps and data streams appeared in front of him, "Then, the script will continue to perform according to the expectations of the 'audience'. It's just that..."
His gaze fell on the blue Planet in the star map, swept across the hidden light spot representing Demon One, and finally rested on the heart-palpitating golden area representing the "Guixu Barrier."
"A whetstone must also have the consciousness of a whetstone. Too blunt, and it won't sharpen the blade; too brittle, and it will shatter at the slightest touch, which is also boring." The corners of Karl's mouth seemed to bend very slightly, forming an arc without any temperature, "Morgana... my dear Morganas true name, you must 'perform well'. After all, it's not just your sister who is watching you now. If you don't 'perform' well and make those old antiques feel 'unlikable'... the outcome, I'm afraid, will be worse than falling into your sister's hands."
He waved his hand again, and a new order was issued silently. The War Machine of the Styx Galaxy, that Taotie fleet that had already turned to silence, received a new, more obscure, and more "performative" order. Demon One also received a "top-secret intelligence" about the Angels' "internal differences" and "attention being diverted," which had been carefully edited and misled.
The curtain on Earth's stage seemed about to rise. But this time, sitting in the front row of the audience, holding the "script" and the "remote control," in addition to the original screenwriter Karl, there seemed to be a group of more impatient and domineering "special guest judges."
And at this moment, in the "Dawn" Council Hall deep in the Merlot Heavenly Court, Keisha and Hexi, who had just finished a high-level meeting, were standing in front of the observation window, looking at the vast and orderly "Guixu Barrier" military camp in the distance.
"Was the message from Judgment sent?" Keisha asked lightly.
"Hmm, used her exclusive dark code, added a bit of 'personal style'." Hexi played with a strand of silver hair, a playful smile on the corner of her mouth, "Should be able to choke Karl quite a bit. However, with his IQ, he should be able to understand what we mean."
"As long as he understands." Keisha's gaze was distant, "Power of the Galaxy needs to grow, and our Angels also need to be tempered by iron and blood. Being too comfortable for too long is not a good thing. Since there is a ready-made whetstone, it would be a pity not to use it."
"It's just that this whetstone must be chosen well." Hexi looked at Keisha, "The intensity and the sense of proportion must be grasped well. We cannot let them hurt our bones, but we must also let the young warriors feel real pressure, and even... taste necessary sacrifice. This degree is not easy to grasp. Especially since there are so many eyes watching now."
She was referring to the returning Ancient Angels. They respected Keisha and were willing to submit to the big picture, but their understanding of war, sacrifice, and "Justice" was different from the new generation. If the cost of "training troops" exceeded their expectations, or if the process made them feel "weak" or "child's play," it would likely cause dissatisfaction.
"Therefore, a 'qualified' performance is needed." Keisha turned around, her eyes like electricity, "Demons, Taotie, Styx... let them all move. Tell Yan to let go and lead the young warriors to face it. When necessary, they can bleed, they can fail. But the core cannot be lost. The bottom line cannot be broken."
"Then what about the 'infiltration team' requested by Judgment and the others?" Hexi asked.
"Approved." Keisha did not hesitate, "Let them go. Hide in the dark, and do not take action unless necessary. Their duty is to ensure that the'script' does not deviate from the track, to ensure that certain 'accidents' do not happen, and at the same time... to see up close what the current Universe and the current war are like. This is also an opportunity for them to re-understand the era."
"I understand." Hexi nodded, "Then, the trip to Earth..."
"The fake body is ready." A deep light flashed in Keisha's eyes, "I will arrive 'on time' at the 'appropriate' moment. This big play must have a sufficiently weighty 'opening', and... a sufficiently shocking 'twist'."
The two queens looked at each other, and everything was implied. On the chessboard of the Universe, the fog was deeper, but the hand of the chess player seemed more stable, and the moves were becoming more composed.
The storm was coming, and the Angels had already sharpened the blades of both new and old generations, waiting quietly for that fire of tempering, and... the blood that might splash.
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