Star of Azure

"I got it on film—everyone surging up, his countercharge, the collision, and the fall. I got all of it. It's him, the one who bore the banner on his shoulder earlier," Ashleia said, though there was no joy in her expression. She didn't even know his name. Ian nodded, then fell silent. If the day ever came when the world saw these photographs and footage, the people they were meant to salute had better still be alive. Only then could it serve as a conviction capable of supporting countless souls. High in the air, the small Red Shoulder was hurled sideways, tracing an arc as it plunged toward the ground. Han Qingyu's body was horizontal, drifting like a fallen leaf, swaying as it fell toward the earth through the raging, turbulent air currents. The mothership seemed to have been saved in the end, without claiming further sacrifices. Yet at this moment, from the rim of the summit all the way to the foot of the mountain... not a single person cheered in victory. Because the figure who had clashed head-on with the Red Shoulder was falling now, utterly limp, his survival unknown. Furthermore, the people below still had no clear idea of the full extent of the casualties atop the peak. "That... could that be...?" Wen Jifei wanted to ask, but stopped halfway, afraid to actually speak the words in case someone gave him an answer. He turned his head, quietly glancing at Lao Jian and Qin Guowen beside him. Both men wore grim expressions, lips pressed tightly together, seemingly struggling just as hard to suppress their emotions and the question they dared not voice. Both were holding binoculars. Though they couldn't see the person clearly or make out the combat uniform, they were certain of one thing: the weapon still gripped in that figure's hand was a blue column sword. What kind of idiot would carry that thing?! Well, maybe another Red Shoulder had been killed up there? And maybe another blue column sword had been picked up and used by some super combat power, Wen Jifei thought. Perhaps everyone else found that figure and that spectacle majestic, but all he wanted to do was curse him for an idiot. On the high platform of the command post... The commanders from the various front armies were equally in the dark about who that figure was and whether he was still alive. Their subconscious judgment told them it had to be the desperate, sacrificial strike of some super combat power. Yet when they tried to think of anyone in particular, they simply couldn't match any known elite's combat style to that blazing pillar of blue light rocketing into the sky. Then there was no need to dwell on it for now. In truth, there was no need to think about it at all. Because who that person was specifically hardly mattered at this moment. For now, it was enough to know that he was a soldier of Azure... Facing the peak, Nitesh suddenly raised his arm at this moment. Saluting, he declared with solemn gravity, "Bodies bar the endless skies; stars shine upon Azure." He was not a member of the Alliance Council's Merit Assessment Panel, nor was he actively thinking about medals right now. He simply felt that what had just occurred was truly like the brilliant flash of a meteor. At his words, the surrounding chatter instantly died away, and silence fell over the command platform. "Yes, bodies bar the endless skies; stars shine upon Azure." In an instant, the phrase rippled across the platform, repeated in language after language. Among the slogans of the Azure Alliance, the words "No retreat in battle" had always been practiced, fulfilled by generation after generation of Azure soldiers in fight after fight... But "Bodies bar the endless skies" had, in a sense, always remained an abstract sentiment, perhaps even a wish... Today, it had been realized. Carried out by those dozens of silhouettes leaping into the air to meet the threat, and by that final, blazing blue light blasting toward the heavens, it had been etched into everyone's mind in vivid, breathtaking reality. As the voices drifted down from the high platform, Wen Jifei turned his head to listen. "What are they saying?" "Bodies bar the endless skies; stars shine upon Azure," a nearby comrade from the Huaxia Front answered, before turning to snap to attention and salute. "Oh... Bodies bar the endless skies; stars shine upon Azure... Star of Azure..." Wen Jifei murmured the words twice, then let out a bitter laugh. "If it really is that bastard, he'll definitely turn around later and say, 'Haha, we struck it rich!' Struck rich, my ass." That image, and those words, continued to ripple outward through the darkness. ... Qingzi tumbled down, his descent accelerating once he cleared the turbulent air currents. Rusty Sister didn't dare catch him straight out of the sky, fearing she might snap his bones, nor did she dare sweep him up into a bridal carry. Instead, she leaped upward repeatedly, offering gentle support to absorb the momentum bit by bit, finally allowing Han Qingyu to settle smoothly into the snow. Several people nearby rushed forward in panic. Rusty Sister scrambled up, spinning around with her arms spread wide. "He's fine! Qingzi isn't dead... Don't touch him! Don't touch him right now!" Han Qingyu was indeed all right. Not only was he alive, but his injuries weren't even as severe as everyone imagined—at least nowhere near what they assumed... It felt as though he hadn't been the one who had collided head-on with a Red Shoulder at all. His primary issue was that the well had run completely dry. With every scrap of energy drained from his body, he was in a state of utter limpness, where even twitching a lip took immense effort. Right now, a five- or six-year-old child could give him a beating—so long as the kid wasn't scared to tears by the blood covering him. The crowd obediently stepped back a few paces. At the same time, not far away, the small Red Shoulder hit the ground. It actually landed on its feet and stood there... but it had lost its weapon. Its previously wounded chest was now split wide open... Certain sections had been cut straight through, revealing the white snow behind it. "Wait! Try to take it alive!" Knowing Han Qingyu was alive, Liu Yiwu had just let out a breath of relief. His head clear, he promptly stopped the elite warriors who were about to pounce. With a wave of his hand, he had three of the five super combat powers lead the soldiers to form layers of defense around the mothership. Only then did he send the remaining two super combat powers to approach the Red Shoulder. Having received the order, the two super combat powers stepped forward with eager excitement, then suddenly looked down at the blades in their hands, before exchanging glances. How were they supposed to take it alive? They had never captured one before, and they didn't have nets or anything... Right, what were they supposed to do—rush up and bear-hug it? Fine, you hug it. No, you hug it. *Clack.* The Red Shoulder moved, suddenly shifting its right foot a step sideways as it turned its head. Everyone on the scene tensed, but the Red Shoulder made no further move. It merely stood there, its gaze hidden beneath the faceplate, looking toward the crowd on the other side. Is it looking at me? Han Qingyu had an inexplicable sensation—the feeling of being watched. Then, "..." The Red Shoulder opened its mouth, uttering a brief syllable. And in that syllable, there seemed to be a hint of questioning. "What did it say?" "No idea," the soldiers murmured among themselves. "Probably cursing," someone offered. "Just like us, getting a couple of curses off before dying." "Maybe it's begging for mercy?" "Could be. Let's see." Faced with this situation, even Army Commander Liu Yiwu and the other officers present were just as clueless as the rest, left to make wild guesses. "Are you... surrendering?" "Do you surrender?" "Don't worry, we treat prisoners well!" "Good food and good quarters!" The crowd spent a good while trying to coax it... but the small Red Shoulder remained motionless and silent. "Why isn't it responding? Look, if you agree, blink your... right, forgot you're wearing a faceplate. Then raise your hands! Can you raise your hands?" Liu Yiwu said, demonstrating the gesture himself. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a harsh *clack-clack-clack-clack* rang out. The Red Shoulder began to self-destruct, sending fragments flying amid a sickening stench. Everyone on the scene turned their heads to stare at Liu Yiwu.