Part V

[Source Text]

The Reignbow stood constant at the helm, steady with Xuanyuan, holding firm. [†1]
Forget life, and be convinced in your resolve for death. Now, in swift battle we shall rebuke the swarm. [†2]
In the future may we always triumph, and cleanse the enemy with courage and vigor and arms. [†3]
Dazzling jade whistled through space, as the full might of the arrow pierced the stars and gloom.
The skies billowed in a lightning sea, and the planets cracked open in thunderous inky doom.
The arrow fell from mountains' heights, and arrowhead whistling loud as valley gales that loom.
Blood rain poured upon the Xuling and nights turned crimson on the Fanghu, all souls shaken to their very bone. [†4]
The sentient timber all shrivelled and collapsed, torn asunder with void forces in torrential streams. [†5]
When the clouds and dust had diffused, the fae king and the Reignbow were nowhere to be seen. [†6]
Only their arms did remain and were reforged, cast into ingots, committed to Jiyuan gloom.
To electromagnetic cloud those were sent, to circle the skies and shine with stellar bloom. [†7]
Sorrow and lamentation amongst the stars spread, tears and cries for their end, unfathomed.
Woe is the hero and all their shed tears. They no longer chase the Luofu, but other stars that roam.

[Editor's Notes]

[†1] "Xuanyuan" is a famed bow of legend from the Primeval Imperium. Here, it refers to the Reignbow's weapon.

[†2] This line transitions rather bluntly. Together with the next line, it is possibly a speech by the Reignbow to boost morale before the battle. Another interpretation is that the Reignbow knew their death was near, and deliberately left their final words.

[†3] This may be the origin behind the common battle cries of the Cloud Knights — "May the Xianzhou soar, and may the Cloud Knights triumph!" and "Cleanse our enemies with courage and vigor!", but it's also possible that later generations amended this. Academics hold different theories, and the order of the lines is still up for debate.

[†4] The historical record shows the battle formation during this war was in this order, from the nearest to Muldrasil to the furthest: the Yaoqing, the Luofu, the Yuque, the Zhuming, the Fanghu, the Cangcheng, and the Xuling. The Xuling and Fanghu were far from the frontlines. Other records point to the Reignbow firing their arrow from the bow of the Yaoqing. This line describes the size of the impact from the Reignbow's star-shattering shot, and how every ship in the Xianzhou Alliance was affected.

[†5] Based on historical records, the Reignbow's arrow smashed into the Ambrosial Arbor, penetrated the almighty beast, and severed the connection between the Luofu and Muldrasil. This ripped open a fissure into the void, and a monstrous wave of imaginary force spewed forth from it. This line describes that event.

[†6] Based on historical records, the Reignbow disappeared after shooting the arrow that turned the tide of battle, but the Flint Emperor had left behind part of their body. This line claims that the Xianzhou people could find neither of them. Perhaps this poem records mere rumor.

[†7] "Ingot," "Jiyuan," "electromagnetic cloud," and "circle" in these two lines describe how the people of Xianzhou, in commemorating the Reignbow's sacrifice, embedded their relics into a Jiyuan ingot and launched it into Muldrasil's orbit, so it can shine as long as the star exists. There is no mention of such in existing records, and the incident may be poetic license from the author. Moreover, this is the first ever mention of the Jiyuan Ingot launch ceremony in the history of Xianzhou literature, but neither the time that this custom started nor the date of this ode's composition can be verified.