Chapter 412: Overflowing Martial Virtue
"Elysian Realm? A memory construct?"
Kevin frowned, offering an uncertain guess.
Compared to the vague, almost illusory notion of resurrection that Sigurd had mentioned, pulling a memory construct out of the Elysian Realm and back into reality—while still incredible—was something Kevin found far easier to accept.
Elysia's smile deepened. She spun lightly on the spot, like a fairy descending into a world of ice and snow, and said with a giggle:
"Oh my, as expected of our Leader No. 1—figured it out so quickly! But what I'm really curious about is—Su, you actually have eyes? I always thought some Honkai beast had eaten them!"
Su gazed at her with a pair of beautiful eyes—crimson irises surrounding emerald-green pupils—and remained silent for a long while.
In the end, he smiled, narrowed his eyes again, and said:
"I've been waiting fifty thousand years for that line. I knew that one day, you'd say it to me."
Elysia tapped her lips lightly with a finger and gave a sly smile.
"Mmh~ As expected of my best friend—you really do understand me. That aside, it's truly been a long time since we last met. For me, it feels like just yesterday that I was watching Eden's performance with all of you, but still… it really has been a long time. A very, very long time."
She said "long time" twice, then took Kevin's and Su's hands in turn, greeting them warmly, without the slightest sense of distance between herself as a reborn memory and them as living originals.
Kevin and Su accepted her closeness passively, without any resistance.
To them, a memory construct was also a continuation of their former companions. They would not treat a memory Elysia as completely identical to the original—but neither would they deny that she was Elysia.
After letting go of Kevin's hand, Elysia brushed away the white frost lingering on her fingers, brought them to her lips, and breathed on them softly.
"Haa…"
By all rights, she should have cracked a joke at this point. But she didn't.
The extreme cold meant that Kevin had never once been able to hold or embrace Mei—not even a single time. This was an unhealed regret between the two of them, something almost all of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers knew. Elysia would never poke at this particular wound.
"Why leave the Elysian Realm?" Kevin spoke bluntly.
"This was not a choice you needed to make."
Elysia was considerate of Kevin's pain, yet Kevin still voiced his doubt directly.
Each Flame-Chaser had their own twisted past. Perhaps because of that, the memory constructs felt little attachment to the real world. Most were content to remain within the Elysian Realm, rather than interfere with a world where the Previous Era had already perished.
"Well… that's easy!" Elysia replied cheerfully. "Of course it's because I miss my best friends! This elf treasures her bonds very deeply, you know. Ehehe~"
She deliberately played cute.
Kevin kept a deadpan expression and replied with three words:
"I don't believe you."
"...You're going to lose this beautiful elf's friendship if you keep that up."
"So why did you come out?"
"Alright, alright, I give up!" Elysia sighed. "The main reason is that Mobius was released too. You know what she's like—someone has to keep an eye on her! Kevin's a stiff block of wood, Su's a perfect gentleman, Hua has her own affairs… when you count it all up, the only one left is mysterious and adorable little me, who can effectively restrain that naughty Mobius!"
She planted one hand on her hip, flashed a V-sign with the other, and sent a wink their way.
Su's eyes widened once more. Kevin's mouth fell slightly open.
Looking at Elysia's radiant, flower-like smile, the two ancient veterans arrived at the same thought in perfect unison—
If it was Mobius, then yes, having someone watch over her was absolutely necessary.
"And there's also this," Elysia continued. "The choices that would be made, the things that would be done—another 'me' has already done them. The times have changed, and I don't have that many lingering obsessions anymore. So please don't worry. This time, I'll be very well-behaved."
She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled warmly.
"So please take good care of me, my dear Kevin and Su!"
Elysia smiled, then slowly spoke the message she had truly come to convey—the reason she had rushed over at the very first moment to see her old friends.
The pulse of this era was different from that of the Previous Civilization. Just as Su had witnessed, Elysia too had seen something in Sigurd and the girls around him—something called hope. She did not wish her old friends' wariness of herself to become a hidden danger within that hope.
After a brief silence, Su and Kevin each nodded.
"Welcome back, Elysia."
"…Alright."
Different words, different tones—but the same acceptance and trust.
Elysia was whimsical and mischievous by nature, but when she was serious, her old friends could always tell.
…
At the very same moment the three Flame-Chasers reached their understanding, on the edge of the New Continent, atop a seaside cliff over a hundred meters high, a massive black robot stood knee-deep in the ocean.
The machine bent down, extended a colossal finger—thick like a palace support pillar—and caught a fledgling that had fallen from a tree.
Chirp! Chirp chirp!
The sparsely feathered chick lay atop the hard, broad fingertip, letting out a series of cries—whether from curiosity or fear, it was impossible to tell.
"Private Tanya, what are you spacing out for?" A cold, low male voice rang out.
"Was there alcohol in last night's cream stew, so you're still not sober, or are you hoping I'll issue you a dismissal order?"
"Ah! Sorry, Captain! I'm coming right away! Right away!"
Inside the giant machine, a white-haired girl clad in a black, skin-tight pilot suit jumped in fright.
She hurriedly stopped examining the chick, gently placed it back into its nest, then urged the machine forward. With one heavy step, it climbed up the sea cliff and onto land.
Boom!!
Boom!!
BOOM!!!
If one were to raise their viewpoint, they would see that today's ocean looked especially turbulent—and crowded.
Yes, crowded.
Countless robots of every conceivable type crisscrossed the sea or strode over the waves toward land. From the far edge of the horizon, they filled the entire ocean as far as the eye could see.
Advanced technology. Overwhelming martial might.
The immense presence radiating from each moving machine intertwined and merged, forming a suffocating pressure that hit the observer at a glance.
Whoosh!
RUMBLE——!!!
The spectacle was not limited to sea and land.
In the sky, high-speed aircraft streaked past incessantly, carving luminous trails like an unending meteor shower. Towering aerial fortresses also advanced inland—seemingly slow and composed, yet in truth chasing the wind and racing the sun.
"Hey! Aren't you guys from the Ninth Branch?"
"Last time with the Herrscher of Corruption, you really bailed us out. We never got the chance to thank you!"
"No need. When our jurisdiction had that S-rank disaster half a year ago, you were the first to arrive with support. We're comrades—no need to keep score. How about a meal together afterward?"
"Deal! I've got a few bottomless pits in my squad, so be ready to bleed your wallet dry."
"Oh? So it's already decided we're the ones paying?"
Dense communication signals flew nonstop between units. The data flow was enormous, yet everything remained orderly—without the slightest distortion or delay.
"Attention! Attention!"
"A Honkai beast swarm signal detected in the inland region, 26 kilometers from the coastline. Coordinates: xxx."
"Frontline units, prepare for engagement! Frontline units, prepare for engagement!"
At the very front, the vanguard that had already pushed more than ten kilometers inland adjusted their machine forms, deploying heavy cannons and massive guns.
If one were to scan the area with energy-detection equipment, they would undoubtedly see terrifying energy signatures scattered across the display—like countless miniature suns.
"Since it's trouble on land, there's no need to slow down the air force." The supreme commander of the frontline paused mid-order.
"All units, initiate long-range vision sharing, prepare for beyond-visual-range strikes… wait. Looks like that won't be necessary."
With that, he retracted the twin colossal cannons mounted on his machine's shoulders.
In the next instant, thrusters extended from the back and joints of the massive black robot. Accompanied by brilliant blue exhaust trails, the machine skimmed low over the ground and shot forward.
Behind him, hundreds of machines of various models followed closely, maintaining precise formations as they raced across the land toward the distant battlefield.
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