"The World of Elysium? Memory fragment?" Kevin furrowed his brow, cautiously guessing.
Compared to Zeke's vague promise of resurrection, retrieving a memory fragment from the World of Elysium, although still implausible, seemed more plausible to Kevin.
Elysia's smile grew wider as she spun around on the spot, resembling a sprite dancing amidst icy landscapes. With a delighted giggle, she exclaimed:
"Oh my, living up to your reputation as our No. 1 leader, you guessed it so quickly? But what Miss Fairy finds more intriguing is—Su, I didn't realize you still had eyes! I always thought some Honkai Beast must have eaten them!"
With his beautiful red irises and emerald-green pupils wide open, Su gazed at Elysia, remaining silent for a long moment.
Finally, he broke into a smile, once again squinting his eyes as he said,
"I've been waiting five whole millennia for that line. I knew there would come a day when you'd say this."
Elysia tapped her lips lightly with her index finger, wearing a sly grin.
"Hmph, no wonder you're my best friend; you truly know me well. Speaking of, it's been such a long time indeed! Although for me, it feels like just yesterday we were watching Eden's performance together, it really has been... far too long... far too long!"
Exclaiming "far too long" twice, Elysia promptly shook hands with Kevin and Su, showing no hesitation despite being reborn from a memory fragment while they were their original selves.
Kevin and Su passively accepted this closeness without any resistance.
To them, the memory fragment represented a continuation of their past companion. While they didn't equate the memory fragment with Elysia's true form entirely, neither did they consider her any less than the real Elysia.
After shaking hands with Kevin, Elysia waved away the lingering white chill from her hand and blew warm breath onto it.
"Hah..."
Theoretically, Elysia should have made some sarcastic remark at this point, but surprisingly, she didn't utter any quips.
Due to extreme cold temperatures, Kevin had never been able to share even a single embrace or handshake with Dr. M—an everlasting regret for both of them. Most of the Thirteen Heroes were aware of this, so Elysia refrained from touching upon Kevin's sensitive topic.
"Why leave the World of Elysium? This wasn't the choice you should have made."
While Elysia was mindful of Kevin's sorrow, he bluntly questioned her decision.
Each Heroic Spirit had their unique, winding journey, which likely contributed to why most memory fragments held little attachment to the real world. They preferred staying within the World of Elysium rather than interfering with the fallen remnants of the previous civilization.
"Oh, that's simple... Of course it's because I missed my best friends terribly! Fairy maidens highly value their relationships, you know—hee hee~" Elysia deliberately acted cute.
Kevin maintained his stern expression and uttered simply: "I don't believe you."
"...With that attitude, you might lose this fairy maiden's friendship."
"So, why did you come out?"
"Alright, fine! I admit defeat! Mainly, since Mobius was also released, you both know how she is; someone has to keep an eye on her! Kevin is as rigid as a wooden post, Su is too agreeable, and Hua has her own matters to attend to... Sigh, counting everyone, only the mysterious and charming me can effectively rein in mischievous Mobius!" Elysia placed one hand on her hip, made a peace sign with the other, and playfully zapped them with lightning.
Both Su's eyes widened again, and Kevin slightly parted his mouth.
Seeing Elysia's radiant smile, the two Old Antiques shared a tacit understanding—they indeed realized the necessity of having someone supervise Mobius.
"Also, I wanted to let you know that the choices and actions my other self has already made won't be repeated here. The era is different now, and I don't carry the same obsessions anymore. Please rest assured, this time, I'll be very well-behaved. So, kindly take care of me, my dear Kevin and Su!"
Smiling warmly, Elysia slowly conveyed her true message, which prompted her to rush and meet her old friends right away.
The pulse of this era differed from the previous civilization. Just as Su had observed, Elysia too saw hope in Zeke and the girls around him. She didn't want her past actions to create mistrust among her old friends, potentially jeopardizing this newfound hope.
After a moment of silence, Su and Kevin nodded separately.
"Welcome back, Elysia."
"Thank you."
Though their words and tones differed, they conveyed the same acceptance and trust.
Elysia may have been whimsical and unpredictable, but as old friends, Su and Kevin could discern when she was truly serious.
At the same moment the three Heroic Spirits reached their consensus, on the edge of the new continent, atop a coastal cliff, a towering black robot over a hundred meters tall stood in the shallows. It leaned down and extended a massive finger, resembling a palace support pillar, to gently catch a fledgling bird that had fallen from a nearby tree.
"Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
The sparsely feathered chick perched on the wide, hard robotic fingertip, emitting a series of calls that seemed either curious or fearful.
"Private Second Class Tanya, what are you daydreaming about? Did last night's cream stew have too much alcohol, still affecting you now? Or would you rather receive an order for dismissal?"
"Ah! Sorry, Captain, I'll be right there! Just a moment, sir!"
Inside the colossal robot, a white-haired girl clad in a tight-fitting black pilot suit was startled by the cold, deep male voice.
Quickly, she ceased observing the fledgling bird, gently placed it back into its nest, and then maneuvered the robot to step onto the cliffside, ascending onto land.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!!"
From a higher vantage point, one could see today's sea appeared unusually turbulent and... crowded.
Indeed, countless diverse robots either navigated the sea surface or surged onto land, stretching from the distant horizon to cover the entire ocean.
With advanced technology and abundant martial prowess, the imposing aura emanating from each moving machine melded together, creating a sight that felt suffocating at first glance.
"Whoosh!"
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
The grand spectacle extended beyond just the sea and shore. In the sky, swift flying machines continuously traced streaks of light, resembling endless showers of shooting stars. Majestic airborne fortresses appeared leisurely yet, in reality, raced against the wind towards the inland with relentless speed.
"Hey! Aren't you guys from Branch Nine? You were a huge help during the Herrscher of Corruption incident; I haven't even had a chance to thank you properly!"
"No need for thanks. Half a year ago, when we faced an S-rank disaster in our jurisdiction, your team was the first to provide support. We're all comrades-in-arms; there's no need to keep score so strictly. How about grabbing a meal together later?"
"Deal! My squad has some real bottomless pits among them, so be prepared for a hefty bill."
"You already assuming it's on us?"
Dense communication signals continuously transmitted between various mechs, carrying vast amounts of data yet maintaining perfect order without any distortion or confusion.
"Attention! Attention!"
"A cluster of Honkai Beasts detected at inland coordinates 26 km from the coastline, xxx."
"All frontline forces, prepare for engagement! Prepare for engagement!"
At the forefront, several kilometers deep into mainland territory, the forward-deployed corps swiftly adjusted their machine configurations, deploying heavy artillery and large guns.
If scanned with energy detection instruments, one would undoubtedly see numerous terrifying energy sources scattered across the screen like countless tiny suns.
"Since this trouble is on land, let's not hinder the air force's progress. All units, activate remote vision sharing and prepare for long-range strikes... Wait, seems we won't need it after all."
The highest commander of the frontline forces abruptly changed tone, retracting the twin massive cannons mounted on his mech's shoulders.
Immediately following, thrusters extended from behind and at the joints of the colossal black robot. With graceful blue flame trails, the entire mech soared low through the sky.
Behind him, over a hundred machines—of various models—followed their captain's lead, arranged in precise formations as they skimmed low across the terrain toward the horizon.