When Lin Xiao straightened again, the excitement had left his face. Only a calm, deep as the sea, and a firm resolve remained.
"So please, don't feel guilty on my account, and don't give me more honor than I deserve. If clearing my name can comfort the fallen, bring the Human Race and Demon Race closer together, remind us of the weight of sacrifice and teach us to cherish how hard-won this victory was, then everything I went through was worth it."
"My mission is complete. As for what they protected—"
Lin Xiao looked into the distance, as though he could see the future of these mountains and rivers. "That falls to those of us still living to carry forward together."
"May the fallen rest in peace, and may the living press on. From this day forward, I, Lin Xiao, will stand with all of you to guard these mountains and rivers."
With that, he cupped his fists once more and bowed deeply to the altar and to everyone present.
Silence fell over the square.
Only the wind passing over the altar made a low, mournful sound, as though the fallen heroes were answering him.
The next moment, a tide of emotion surged forth, fiercer and deeper than before.
It was no longer mere guilt or celebration, but a shared resonance of grief, reverence, reflection, and boundless strength.
"The fallen shall never perish! The living shall press on!"
No one knew who shouted it first.
Then ten thousand voices joined as one, rolling like thunder through heaven and earth:
"The fallen shall never perish! The living shall press on!"
"Together, we guard these mountains and rivers! Together, we guard these mountains and rivers!"
Amid the roar, Lin Xiao's blue-robed figure seemed to merge with the towering Heroic Souls Altar, becoming