"Y-y-you... what did you say this place is??? The... I-I-Imaginary Tree???"
Nuwa simply couldn't believe her ears, her head turning stiffly to look at the blonde girl behind her—
"The Imaginary Tree... I think you should have realized it when you heard the term Highest Heaven..."
"Anyway, Doctor Mobius of Heaven—I've seen a True God, and one that's still alive and kicking at that..."
The girl watched Nuwa's face change like a Sichuan Opera mask with great interest, and continued to issue her invitation—
"So, how about it? Want to go see the Divine Realm of that tactless Will of Honkai next door?"
"...My dear Lord, I must remind you that we just killed the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chiyou under His command, and you were the one who personally killed the beast—are you sure you want to break into His home right now?"
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate???"
"If you don't want to go, then forget it—there's no such thing as human-like beat-around-the-bush among gods, let alone the concept of grudges; even if you went in with a suona and played a funeral march for His Herrschers from their passing all the way to their seventh-day memorial, He wouldn't say a word."
"...Maybe that Will of Honkai really wouldn't say anything to you, but He'd still think you're completely insane."
"Anyway, He won't say it. If He doesn't say it, it didn't happen."
Waving her hand in a somewhat disappointing gesture, Snow gave up on the idea of dragging Cangxuan and the others to the next-door neighbor's place to party.
"Um... Miss Odin? There is something I would like to ask?"
The Saintess raised her hand, just like an obedient student in a classroom.
"Just ask directly."
"It is just... these Heroic Spirits... are they the souls of the original people?"
Kallen thought of her "Dad," Francis Kaslana, who had greeted her.
"Yes, or no. It depends on your philosophical or ethical understanding. Those who can sing and drink here are beings who have awakened the Stigmata or possess the Stigmata. Using the Stigmata as a medium, their memories are preserved more completely, making them more like the original person from history. Or rather, it is no problem to consider them the original person's soul."
"And if the Stigmata are fully awakened, then the one who is delivered to the seat can also be regarded as the original person."
"When a vessel possesses the same memories, the same preferences, the same habits, and even the same unconscious gestures as a person who has passed away, why can't we consider 'him' to be him?"
"So, does that mean they can actually be resurrected?"
Cangxuan seemed to have caught onto a crucial point.
"Of course... they cannot. Consciousness can be matched to a new vessel, but a vessel cannot collect a shattered consciousness. The Stigmata can indeed record their memories; however, there is only one reason they can still gather here: it is because the memories of all humanity are preserved within their bloodlines, sublimating into the legends of the Flame-Chasers."
"What sustains their existence is the collective will of all humanity, and they can only exist in this form."
"Didn't I tell you from the very beginning? They are the Heralds of History, the Walking Giants, the Immortals remembered by civilization. If you seek a true resurrection, the only way is to carve out a new possibility on the Imaginary Tree and replace the original, predetermined history."
The girl rose from her throne and led the three of them outside the Golden Palace.
"Do you still remember the slogan they chanted?"
Strolling down the corridor, the girl posed the question to the three people behind her.
"Hmm... I remember it was 'For the Departed, for the Forgotten'?"
"That's right... For the Departed, for the Forgotten."
The blonde girl stopped at a terrace, leaning against the railing and gazing down. Drawn by her gesture, the other three followed her gaze downward.
...Below stretched an endless golden sea. From ancient times to the future, warriors clad in various armors stood silently, gathered here in a silent assembly. Unlike the Flame-Chasers within the palace, all of them had blurred faces and a deathly silence. They were like terracotta soldiers in a tomb.
"What... are they?"
Stunned by the seemingly endless army before them, the three asked the only question they could think of.
"Dedicated to the Departed and the Forgotten."
The girl sighed softly, gazing at the endless sea of people before her.
"As you see, as you have heard, in an epic tale, there are always equally brilliant warriors beside those heroes. They might be just as brave and skilled in battle, or just as resourceful and strategic... they lit the fire for humanity's dark future in the same way..."
"Yet they are often glossed over by chroniclers in the epics of heroes, unsung by the world, forgotten in the corners of history, fate, and time. And in the end... I found them, but... because they are the Forgotten, they are destined to never become beings like the Flame-Chasers. They have no detailed records in the heroes' Stigmata, nor do they have legends of their own."
"Nevertheless, they still possess their own will and conviction. And this very will and conviction is what ultimately converged to form what you see before you."
"The Legion from the Highest Heaven, the Immortal Army, the Undying Legion. The name of the God of War also originates from this."
-
The group strolled through this wondrous world, a place they might never glimpse again in their lifetimes.
"I really wish I could pull Doctor Mobius over here... then see the look on her face, it would definitely be super interesting..."
Cangxuan muttered softly, and Nuwa, beside her, nodded in agreement.
"By the way... since this place gathers all those in human history worthy of being called heroes... why do I only see a few of the Flame-Chasers' heroes? I saw quite a few other MANTIS in that golden palace."
"Kalpas did indeed die in the Final Battle... but Mr. Kevin should have survived, why is he here too??? And! And! Where are the other heroes?"
Cangxuan raised her questions...
"That Kevin... that's just a memory of that man left here... As for the other heroes, not everyone will answer my invitation. Do you think... that Miss Eden, who bears the name of Gold, would answer a call from another era?"
-
"Her era has already ended, and in the end, she chose to be buried with it. You must respect her choice... at least for now, you should show respect; if she ever changes her mind, then we will deal with it at that time. After all, this place transcends time and reincarnation, so it is no problem to wish for someone to come here at any time..."
"Even if they do not wish to come here, but choose to be resurrected to see the new era, that would be fine too. After all, rewriting the history of those who have killed themselves does not require such a large-scale mobilization as you all have done here."