Beneath the night sky above East Blade Military Academy, hundreds of enormous, brightly lit Floating Platforms hung like islands among the stars, illuminating this resting place of heroes as if it were daytime.
On the main platform, long tables crisscrossed beneath a spread of delicacies.
The fragrance of wine mingled with the aroma of food, drifting on the night breeze and forming a strange contrast with the solemn Stele Forest below.
No one thought there was anything wrong with that.
The heroic souls who had once slept beneath the stones were now sitting beside them, raising their glasses, drinking, and laughing heartily.
"Come on, Vice Principal—no, Old Nie! You have to finish this one!" Chen Yu stood with his glass in hand. "I watched the records of our experiences in detail, especially that final moment. I watched it over and over."
Nie Chang sat across from him. At that, he raised his glass, a helpless smile appearing on his face. "Why'd you watch it so many times, you brat?"
"Of course it was to reminisce!" Chen Yu tipped his head back and drained his glass, wiped the corner of his mouth, and grinned. "Our 83227 Fortress went out in style! The footage showed our self-destruct blast clearing the entire jump point. It didn't even leave a scrap of an asteroid behind."
He slapped the table hard, laughing even louder. "Hahaha! I never thought I'd have such a tragic death! It was worth it. Totally worth it."
The veterans at the surrounding tables all laughed along. Someone shouted, "Vice Commander Chen, your death was something else! Our battle group was ambushed in the Star Shatterer Belt back then. Three energy cannons hit the bridge at once, and the ship and everyone aboard were blown into fundamental particles. The records didn't even