I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

"Then I woke up."

"You're the one who woke me up."

"I've followed you all this way, watching how you humans live, how you love, and how you die."

"I have learned your things."

"I've also learned... about your reluctance to part."

She looked at Gu Yan, and her voice suddenly became very soft, so soft that it seemed as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

"Gu Yan".

"Could we have this planet for now?"

"We will try our best to find a new planet."

"We just need some time."

"It won't be long."

"I promise."

Her voice carried a hint of pleading.

That was the first time Gu Yan had ever heard her speak in that tone since she had known her.

The angel who once flipped through books in a wicker chair, laughed out loud on a swing, and said under the moonlight, "If you die, I will take you with me," now stands in the sky like a homeless traveler, reaching out her hand to her only friend.

The riverbank was deathly quiet.

Everyone was looking at her.

The soldiers gripped their guns, their fingers frozen on the triggers.

The mothers shielded their children behind them.

The girls stood behind Gu Yan, no one spoke, but everyone was holding their breath.

Gu Yan looked at her.

His throat was blocked by a lot of things.

He remembered her helping him stabilize his mental strength in the spiritual spring, remembering her holding off pursuers for him at the gates of the English royal family, remembering her squatting on the aircraft carrier deck and asking him, "If humanity goes extinct, I'll take you with me," and remembering her shaking his arm and coaxing him to go play on the swing with her.

Those images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

She saved his life.

She has helped him countless times.

She was one of the people he trusted most.

But now, she stands opposite him, with her people, demanding his home.

He smiled.

That smile was faint, but the bitterness within it was so intense it couldn't be dissolved.

"Elena".

He called her name, his voice a little hoarse.

"You taught me."

You said this is my home.

"You said that if you're going to protect something, you can't back down."

"do you remember?"

"You're the one who told me that my hesitation was paying the price with other people's lives."

"You're the one who made me stronger, so I could protect everyone."

"Now you want me to give you my home."

"Tell me, can I agree?"

Elena did not answer.

She just looked at him, the light in her golden pupils slowly dimming.

The angels behind her raised their weapons, holy light gathering on their blades.

The lights grew brighter and brighter, so bright they were blinding, as if they were going to burn the entire sky white.

"Lady Elena."

A six-winged angel stepped forward, his voice cold and respectful.

"Humans will not agree to this."

"They are like calamities, ungrateful creatures."

"We don't need to ask for their consent."

"Our people are waiting."

"Please give the order."

Elena did not turn around.

She simply shook her head very, very lightly.

"Wait a little longer."

Her voice was very soft.

"Let me say a few more words to him."

She looked at Gu Yan again.

There was so much churning in her eyes: guilt, reluctance, pleading, and something deeper and more painful that Gu Yan couldn't quite understand.

"Gu Yan".

I know you hate me.

You can hate me.

"But I have to do it."

"Many of my people have died."

"If we can't find resources, we'll become wanderers in the universe, just like a calamity."

"I don't ask for your forgiveness."

"I only ask you... to give me a chance."

"We will go find a new planet."

"real."

I swear.

"We'll leave once we find it."

"I won't bother you anymore."

Gu Yan's hand holding the Demon-Slaying Blade was trembling slightly.

It wasn't anger, it was something else entirely.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no more hesitation in them.

"Elena".

"You helped me."

"I will remember this kindness."

"But this is my home."

"This is a place my grandfather risked his life for."

"This place was bought with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people."

"I won't give in."

"We won't give an inch."

He slowly drew his demon-slaying sword.

The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"If you want to take your people away, then take them away."

"If you want to stay, you're welcome."

"But if you want to steal it, then come and try."

Elena stood in mid-air.

The wind was strong, blowing her long hair in all directions.

She looked at Gu Yan, her golden pupils churning with a turbulent mix of emotions.

It took her a long time to speak.

The sound was very soft, as if afraid of startling something.

"Gu Yan".

"You and I...we've already gone that far."

"According to your human terms, I am your wife."

"Besides, I'm also your savior."

"Are you really that heartless?"

Her voice trembled slightly on the last few words.

The people on the riverbank all fell silent.

They looked at the silver-haired angel in the sky, and then at Gu Yan on the river.

They didn't know what had happened between the two, but they could sense the weight in those words.

An angel king is showing weakness to a human.

The image itself carries a suffocating weight.

Gu Yan did not move her hand holding the Demon-Slaying Blade.

He looked at Elena with a deep, dark gaze, as deep as a frozen pool of water.

"You saved my life."

"I remember."

"You are indeed...my wife."

"I admit it."

"But that's precisely why I can't agree to your request."

His voice was steady, each word sounding as if it had been carved from stone.

"We both know that."

"This planet has just experienced a series of wars, and most of its resources have been depleted."

"It cannot support the inhabitants of two planets."

"Even if we agree to coexist, some people will still die."

"Humans are my race."

"I will not allow anyone to be betrayed."

Even if that person is you.

Elena's body swayed very, very slightly in the wind.

It's like a tree whose roots have been cut off; it's still standing, but it's already teetering on the brink of collapse.

"king!"

A four-winged angel stepped forward, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Why are you still wasting your breath talking to him?"

"As the king of the angels, you should not humble yourself like this."

"With just your command, we can raze this place to the ground."

"These humans struggle so much even in the face of calamities, why should they negotiate with you?"

Elena raised a hand and stopped him.

That hand looked exceptionally slender in the wind, yet it carried an undeniable strength.

The angel retreated unwillingly, but the killing intent in his eyes did not diminish at all.

He stared at Gu Yan as if she were an insect he could crush at any moment.