Part IV

[Source Text]

The years came and went, as the fleet floated in uncertainty.
Muldrasil the gigantic we first beheld, as it sucked the stars' energies till all were empty.
Monstrous flesh thronged about, thick as fog. The divine race flattered their wings, like clouds aplenty. [†1]
All foresaw the coming catastrophe, but naught could repulse such an almighty.
Invading branches cut to deter the tree from the ships, starskiffs surrounded by arms clashing in activity.
Brilliant stratagem needed for dire plight, the Reignbow roused out of necessity. [†2]
Tell not the glorious to rest with their wine, but prays for the Heliobus to encase their entity.
Tell not the warrior to rest in slumber, but with the Flint Emperor to assault our nemesis, without charity. [†3]
Human lives are but a transient lightning. The fate of heroes never lies in their own hands, never with certainty.
All the people rose to follow the Reignbow's example, daring to guard the sky and protect home and company.[†4]

[Editor's Notes]

[†1] "Thick as fog" and "clouds aplenty" describe the vast size of the Denizens of Abundance's armed forces.

[†2] To repulse the invasion, the Xianzhou people decided to raise Reignbow from their slumber. Once awakened, the Reignbow analyzed the situation and concocted a strategy to break the deadlock.

[†3] Reignbow ignored common advice, heading into the prison deep within the Xianzhou Zhuming and persuaded the imprisoned Heliobi leader, the Flint Emperor, to help the Xianzhou fight off the Denizens of Abundance. They made a deal and the Reignbow allowed the Flint Emperor to possess their physical body, in exchange for the power of the Heliobi.

[†4] Inspired by the hero's sacrifice, many Xianzhou residents made the same heroic deal. They formed suicide squads and marched alongside the Heliobi. As clouds that cover the heavens, will the warriors protect the Xianzhou and soar eternal. This is the origin story of the name "Cloud Knights."

[Postscript]
This part describes the "Flaming Catastrophe," one of the Three Sufferings of the Era of Bloodshed (approximately 5000 — 8000 Star Calendar). At the time, the Xianzhou Zhuming detected gravity waves from a massive object, but failed to capture any light signals. Only when the Xianzhou Alliance drew nearer did the stargazers realize that this massive object was a Dyson tree feeding off nearby stars. It was also the mortal enemy of the Primeval Imperium — Muldrasil, homeland of the Wingweavers.
What petrified the Xianzhou even more was that the ship behemoths of the Viscorpus also appeared. The Viscorpus were directed by the Wingweavers, and the two races were living in a symbiotic relationship. As if attracted by the power of the Ambrosial Arbor, Muldrasil slowly began approaching the Luofu, and the most epic battle in the history of Xianzhou soon broke out.
Fatigued from the Civil War (the "Living Catastrophe" of the Three Sufferings), the aurumaton rebellion, and their emigration plan, the Xianzhou residents were powerless to counter such a crisis. They released all the prisoners in cryo-hibernation — including the hero of this epic ode, the Reignbow.