Chapter 1608

A bow appeared in Xilian's hand, she slowly drew the Stellar Bow, the cluster of flames igniting the arrowhead—

Xilian's fingers lightly brushed over, lifting Zandal's wrist slightly, aiming the arrow toward the depths of the Galaxy.

"Be steadfast, keep your gaze fixed forward——"

The arrow trailed a pink tail, like a meteor breaking free from its orbit, flying toward the depths of the Galaxy. It passed through nebulae, passed through dust, countless pink streams of light separating from the arrow, scattering in all directions, like dandelion seeds blown by the wind, sprinkling across the Galaxy.

"This arrow is not an end……but the beginning of hope♪"

—

One Punch Man.

"Oh…! I've recovered!"

Yuanzǐ Samurai clenched his palm, this being the first time in his life he had ever felt so grateful to be alive.

Indeed, only those who have died once can truly know how precious the simple words "being alive" are.

In the Sky Curtain, countless pink arrows scattered outward, each landing reviving a person by Xilian; soon, Tornado, Bang, and the Flashy Flash, among others, all appeared within the Hero Association.

"Did Xilian revive all life in the entire universe?" Metal Bat incredulously pinched his own face, the pain letting him finally breathe a sigh of relief, "Not only did she recreate the entire universe, she revived everyone killed by the Iron Grave—she must now be a Star God, right?"

"Well, even if she isn't a Star God, she is at least the closest Envoy to a Star God. Or perhaps…"

Child Emperor was about to continue speaking, but suddenly—

"Sizzle—"

The electronic screens inside the Hero Association suddenly began to flicker!

"Could it be……Zandal? Even though the Iron Grave failed, he hasn't given up?!" Child Emperor, who had just sighed in relief from recovering his body, instantly went on high alert, his face turning pale in an instant, "I almost forgot—even if the Iron Grave is defeated, Zandal is still here!"

All S-Class Heroes instantly tensed up, each one not daring to breathe as they stared at the flickering snow-covered screens. Not only the Hero Association……every screen worldwide was affected!

"Sizzle…sizzle…"

As the electronic noise faded, a line of text suddenly appeared in the center of the screen.

"Hello, world."

—

A Certain Scientific Railgun.

Sunlight slanted in from outside the window, falling on Shirai Kuroko's face.

Warm.

Back in Academy City. She lifted her head, only to see the Sky Curtain still filled with dense pink beams flying toward the world, one person after another being revived in her field of vision.

No longer the semi-transparent, soft texture of Memory, sunlight on the back of her hand made the bluish veins beneath her skin clearly visible.

"This is the 'Memory' Divinity."

"Shirai——!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind; Shirai turned her head, only to see Saten and Misaka standing not far behind her, waving.

"Big Sister——!!"

Shirai's form instantly vanished in place, the next second appearing before Misaka, arms open, precisely lunging toward Misaka Mikoto!

"Big Sister～I've been thinking of you even after death! Every minute and every second in Shan Jian Tian I've been thinking——"

"Stop!"

Misaka precisely pressed her hand against Shirai's forehead, blocking the face about to press against hers.

"After death, weren't we always staying in Shan Jian Tian? And you whisper in my ear every day far more than you do in Tokiwadai. Alright," Misaka Mikoto lowered her head to glance at her phone, discovering a line of small text seemed to have appeared on the display screen:

Hello, world.

Not only that, Misaka Mikoto found all display screens in the streets showing the same line of text, even the vending machines displaying identical characters.

"This is……Zandal?" Shirai leaned over, curiously asking.

Misaka Mikoto smiled knowingly: "No, it's Xilian."

—

Honkai 3.

"How beautiful."

When Ailixiya opened her eyes, what met her gaze was not the sky of Wan Guo, but a patch of clear, nearly transparent blue, a few wisps of white clouds lazily drifting, like cotton fluff blown by the wind.

Countless radiant lights burst forth from the Sky Curtain, as if someone had accidentally spilled a can of pink paint onto a light blue painting, countless tiny light points dragging long trails of flame, gently falling toward Da Di.

"Wow……" Ailixiya softly exclaimed, "It's truly like a pink meteor shower."

She tried to sit up, propping her hands on the grass, when suddenly she felt something, lowering her gaze to her hand—no longer the data-formed body of Wan Guo, but a hand with fine fingerprints, truly real.

"Ai Li?"

A familiar voice came from behind……it was Eden, standing not far away, her black-red long skirt swaying gently in the wind.

"Eden! You've also been restored?"

"I'm afraid it's not just that simple, Ai Li." Eden quickly stepped forward, reaching out to cover Ai Li's palm, the warmth from her fingertips making both of them start slightly.

"Indeed, Ai Li……Xilian has revived us all."

"Sizzle——"

Suddenly, Eden's waist emitted an electronic tone; she lowered her head, discovering the communicator used to contact other Herrschers was flickering with snow.

But unlike the previous flicker from Zandal, after a brief flash, a line of small text appeared in Eden's hand:

Hello, world.

"Huh? This is……" Eden looked up at Ai Li, her voice tinged with confusion, "Ai Li, did you see this?"

"Of course."

Ai Li lightly smiled, after the "Hello, world." text faded, the screen flashed a pink halo, then another line of text appeared alone on her communicator screen—

Hello, Elisey.

—

"Luo Fu Xian Zhou, Belloc Berg, Black Tower Space Station..."

"On countless screens, big and small, innumerable languages jointly write the same sentence—"

""Hello, World.""

""The conclusion is beyond doubt: Erudition Venerate's answer is not 'Destruction.'" Screw Gum said, "But He fell silent, entrusting the responsibility of seeking a solution to the Galaxy itself. The universe will still seek, struggling for survival. In the face of 'Destruction,' it may once again face annihilation… yet the stars will always rise in waves, embracing existence anew.""

"……"

"At this very moment, inside Wengfaluo Si, Li Ming Yun Ya."

"「……」"

""It's over, Lu Kuer Egos." Screw Gum said."

""Yeah, another failure." Laigushi calmly gazed up at the starry sky, "How is the Black Tower Lady?""

""Nothing serious. The Company is monitoring her; I believe she'll recover soon.""

""Linking mortal flesh with the Scepter, gazing upon the star gods—I honor her. Witnessing a gaze that crushed the world in terror, my memory of it remains vivid to this day.""