"Hard to believe he's dead."
"Were it so easy."
What does that phrase mean when the arbiter says it in that context? I just beat Halo 3 for the 478293747282837271st time and realized that I never payed attention to what that saying really means.
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In the context of that cutscene, the Arbiter is basically saying in a vague way - "I'm not so sure about that." After all the Chief has been through... after all the unbelievable exploits the Arbiter has witnessed the Chief take part in since his emergence as an infamous enemy of the Covenant, and now after becoming his ally in an attempt to thwart the Flood(which was obviously very difficult for both of them), he doesn't believe that this was simply the end for the Chief - He does not believe that this event was able to snuff out someone with as great a legacy as the Master Chief. The statement both acknowledges the Arbiter's disbelief in the Chief's death, and pays homage to his legacy and die-hard nature.