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"Ladies and gentlemen, with profound sorrow, we gather today to bury our fallen comrades."
"They were vibrant, charming young women, gentle, kind-hearted, and beautiful, deserving every joy life has to offer. Yet, they were also great Valkyries, exceptional and fearless warriors. With their own flesh and blood, they stood defiantly before ruthless Honkai Beasts, safeguarding the safety of humanity."
"They rest here eternally, bidding farewell to their loved ones and this beautiful world. Yet, they will forever live on in our hearts, becoming an everlasting source of pride for generation after generation."
"Heroes immortal! Glory eternal!
"Lower the caskets! A moment of silence!"
With Welt's solemn and resonant voice, the funeral ceremony commenced.
At the vast, somber, and majestic white cemetery by the East Shenzhou Sea, friends, teammates, or superiors carried the coffins. Slowly, the fallen Valkyries descended into the earth, embracing their final rest and peace.
Too many Valkyries were burying their comrades while openly weeping, their tear-stained faces resembling smudged cat masks. Yet, no one dared to mock them.
This scene was broadcasted live to every corner of the world, leaving countless viewers silent.
Welt stood there, having just concluded his brief eulogy, with visibly red eyes.
He had initially intended to say much more, but as the funeral began, he found himself unable to articulate it all. Instead, he could only express his grief through a few short and inadequate words.
"Don't be too distraught. At least, we saved more people than not," Zeke comforted him expressionlessly, patting his back.
Welt took a deep breath.
"Do you know, when I entered the battlefield, I saw a dying Valkyrie? Her lower body had been reduced to pulp, and she was struggling to breathe with her teammates by her side... There was nothing I could do to save her; at that moment, there simply weren't adequate medical resources to help."
"I didn't know her name or where she came from. Only through her grieving teammates' words could I guess that she must have been a kind-hearted, just, caring child who loved food and music... And then she died, right before my eyes. She was so young, appearing no older than sixteen or seventeen. She shouldn't have died, but I was powerless to prevent it."
"There were 7983 children like her... How much pain did they endure? I don't even begin to comprehend it, nor dare I think about it... Zeke, if only you had been there at that time, surely you would've found a way to save her, to save many more!"
Zeke opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Whether there could have been a way to save her or not was already too late; he hadn't been at the scene, so there was nothing he could do. The numerous sacrifices were now an unchangeable reality.
Welt closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, tears rolling down from their corners.
Welt could face his own pain and even death with a smile. For any meaningful sacrifice, he wouldn't shed a tear or even raise an eyebrow.
But confronted with these young girls' sacrifices, multiple times, he felt an overwhelming urge to weep uncontrollably.
If only he had been stronger, if only he could have done just a bit better, might these girls still be alive, laughing as they continued their youthful journey?
"I'll design some emergency medical equipment. When it's ready, make sure you study them thoroughly and replicate them," Zeke sighed.
It wasn't just Welt; his worker bees also needed enhanced medical modules urgently.
"Agreed!" Welt nodded firmly in response.
He had never been fond of war. Compared to creating destructive weapons, if it meant crafting tools to save lives, he would gladly work himself to death with a smile on his face, filled with immense pride.
"Sniff..."
"Sniff..."
Next to him, Kiana's sniffles grew louder.
Zeke turned and saw that the girl couldn't hold back her tears anymore; large droplets streamed down her cheeks along with sobs.
She wiped away her tears continuously, stubbornly pursing her lips without letting out any wails, as if determined not to break down completely.
"If you want to cry, don't hold back," Zeke said gently, placing a hand on her head, his voice unusually soft.
Kiana looked up at Zeke, hiccuped once, then grabbed onto his clothes and burst into tears, throwing herself into his embrace.
"Waaaah!"
"They're gone... So many people died..."
"Why... Why did this happen...?"
"Zeke..."
"Sob! Sob!"
Her tears and snot soaked Zeke's shirt, reminiscent of the day she discovered she was a clone.
In Kiana's sobs lay uncontrollable grief and frustration. She wanted to save people; she thought she could rescue many lives. But in the end, she couldn't change the fact of so many sacrifices.
"Ahhh..."
Zeke stroked her head, holding the trembling, sobbing girl tightly against his chest with a long sigh.
"It'll be okay. Just try harder next time. It's alright, it's alright..." His eyes overflowed with tenderness as he clumsily tried to comfort her.
The nearby Valkyries, some wiping away tears with red-rimmed eyes, others masking their pain with blank expressions, all turned towards the crying little girl embraced by Zeke. Their faces softened at the sight.
The funeral lasted over an hour, primarily due to several Valkyries becoming too emotionally drained while burying their comrades. Perhaps they simply couldn't accept reality, slowing down the burial process. Yet no one rushed them.
Once the last fallen Valkyrie was laid to rest, Welt erected two massive thirty-meter-tall rectangular monuments at the center of the cemetery. One bore the names of the martyred heroes, while the other commemorated civilians affected by the tsunami.
"To the heroes who sacrificed themselves in the East Shenzhou Sea campaign: May they forever be remembered!"
"To all heroes who gave their lives combating Honkai throughout millennia: May they forever be remembered!"
"To every hero, from human history's dawn till eternity's future, who sacrificed for humanity's civilization: May they forever be remembered!"
As Welt inscribed these words on the monuments, his voice echoed loudly, trembling uncontrollably towards the end.
Facing away from the vast ocean and directly towards the peaceful and prosperous Shenzhou continent, the monuments would eternally honor the Valkyries' sacrifice.
On the day of the funeral, no discussions took place. It was a solemn occasion to mourn the sacrifices; nothing else should have interfered with the collective grief.
The following day marked the public signing of a friendship pact between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
As this monumental event would significantly impact the global landscape, it was broadcast live worldwide from the desolate Chi You Continent.
In truth, the continent had yet to be officially named, and plans for its management were still in development. "Chi You Continent" was merely a provisional designation.
At 8:00 AM, the stream went up prominently on the public network, allowing anyone to tune in.
However, upon entering the livestream, many viewers found themselves staring at a barren, scorched wasteland, prompting complaints about how utterly pointless it felt.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
At half past eight, the earth trembled as a dark blue steel tide marched precisely into view—a silent, battle-scarred legion of Titans.
These were members of the Titan Legion that participated in the recent campaign. With their imposing stature bearing fresh marks from the battlefield, they formed a meticulously aligned formation reminiscent of obsessive-compulsive precision—silent yet iron-willed, stirring both awe and a surge of excitement within observers.
Bullet comments like "Anti-Entropy is awesome!" flooded the screen.
Three days had passed since the battle. With the decision to go public, both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal conducted extensive educational outreach, providing clear explanations of Honkai and detailing the origins of their respective organizations.
Nowadays, if you asked someone on the street who the country's leader was, some might not know the answer.
However, mention Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, and only those living in remote villages without internet or television access would be clueless.
At the forefront of the mighty Titan procession, Cocolia and Raiden Ryoma stood tall atop speeding armored vehicles, holding high the AE Banner with its distinctive S-shaped symbol, announcing Anti-Entropy's presence.
Simultaneously, sleek figures streaked across the sea like shooting stars. A squadron of silver-white Divine Machines, adorned with Schicksal's golden cross emblem, led the aerial entry, landing precisely in the wilderness below.
Swiftly, the Titan Legion of Anti-Entropy faced off against Schicksal's human-machine collaboration force, standing hundreds of meters apart on the vast, darkened expanse.
In the tense silence, an undercurrent of suppressed tension hung heavy in the air.
Cooperation aside, over six decades of rivalry couldn't be entirely erased overnight.