If one were to observe closely, they would notice that Ch'en, currently wielding Chi Xiao, actually had her eyes closed, as if she were sensing something deep within.
"I've never felt this before... my physical strength is so abundant that I can unleash the sword qi at will, without feeling the slightest burden."
Before this, although Ch'en was proficient in the Shadowless sword style, if she swapped her weapon for Chi Xiao, she would usually have to withdraw and recover after a single use of the technique. This was simply because she wasn't strong enough yet to use it effortlessly; if one truly mastered this swordsmanship, they could unleash the Shadowless sword qi even empty-handed. Ch'en had personally witnessed Wei Yenwu doing exactly that—unleashing the technique with a casual wave of his bare hand.
"The move of the Drawn Blade should break when it must break." "The move of the Tear-Edge should sever when it must sever." "The sword of the Tear-Edge should be discarded when it must be discarded." "The sword of the Cloud-Rend should be established when it must be established."
She recalled the words Wei Yenwu spoke while teaching her. When her strength became enough to harness Chi Xiao, when her Shadowless was no longer a forced struggle, and when her vision and state of mind reached further—thanks to Jeanne's power—those once-entangled and confusing concepts finally began to make sense. Those obscure phrases in her memory, which she hadn't understood before, seemed to shift and lose their complexity.
At this moment, Ch'en's state was much like the "sudden enlightenment" of a protagonist in a Yan Heartland novel. Her spirit was in a profound, mysterious realm that was difficult to describe in words. It was the accumulation of years of meticulous study, allowing this "Hidden Dragon" to break its shackles the moment it encountered the storm, turning those experiences into a foundation for advancement.
Ch'en, with her eyes tightly shut, wasn't so much swinging her sword to kill enemies as she was performing a mysterious dance. Running at top speed, she seemed to feel no fatigue. Two streaks of crimson sword qi followed her as she ran, moving so fast that an ordinary person could no longer track her with the naked eye. To an onlooker, Officer Ch'en had vanished; there were only two strange red lines flying ahead like fireflies in the dark night.
But these red lines were no fireflies—they were more like the cold light of a Reaper's scythe. Wherever the sword light passed, countless enemies collapsed, robbed of any ability to resist.
"This... this is too cool! Jeanne, can't you help me out? I want to become like that too, like those people in the Yan novels!"
Watching Ch'en, who now looked like a wuxia protagonist, Lemuen wore an expression of intense envy. More importantly, those afterimages dragging red light were just too stylish! Especially when Ch'en darted through the crowd of corpses—wasn't that scene much cooler than using a firearm?
The revolving gun, which Lemuen had previously cherished like a family heirloom, felt quite "offended" by its fickle owner. What did I do wrong? A few days ago, you cared for me so much you wanted to maintain me several times a day, and now you're getting distracted right in front of me?
"Um... even if you say that, I don't know how to reinforce a Sankta! Why don't you go back and drink more Holy Water to supplement yourself, and see if you can reach the conditions for a 'super evolution'?"
Looking at the expectant Lemuen, Jeanne could only think of that method. Her ability was meant for manipulating dragon-kin and related creatures; how would she know how to buff an Angel? It was a matter of professional mismatch! She wasn't in charge of Angelic promotions—isn't strengthening an Angel a job for God?
"Speaking of which, with your current fighting style, what could even be reinforced? Would your halo get brighter, or would you start firing lasers?"
As she spoke, Jeanne looked at Lemuen, imagining her holding a firearm that constantly shot lasers... it would be a bit strange, but actually quite good if she thought about it. Would she become a Lemuen wielding a lightsaber, cleaving through invaders? A Jedi Lemuen? Or a Laser-Warrior Sankta? It probably wouldn't be that ridiculous... at most, it would just boost the bullet's power, like sniping an enemy from eight hundred miles away.
"You have a point! If I were reinforced, what would it be? I'd actually like these wings to be useful; right now, they're just decorative!"
Lemuen looked at the small wings behind her while talking to Jeanne. It wasn't that she despised them, but if they had even a tiny bit of use, it would be better than nothing. Compared to her halo, which could at least act as a fluorescent light in the dark, these wings were purely for show. If you can't fly, what are they for?
"By the way, how long has Ch'en been fighting up there? Didn't you say the power would vanish after three minutes? Is her 'red light' about to start flashing?"
Lemuen suddenly remembered the time limit. Ch'en had run quite a distance! If she suddenly reverted to normal, she might lose consciousness right there due to overexertion.
"It is indeed coming up on three minutes. The reinforcement on her body should be fading now."
Jeanne glanced at Ch'en. Although her speed was slowing down slightly, the frequency with which she swung Chi Xiao hadn't decreased—in fact, it was a few notches faster than before.
"Then what are we waiting for! We should find a way to get her out of there! If this continues, she might just faint on the spot! Look, she doesn't even have the energy to open her eyes!"
Seeing Ch'en with her eyes closed, Lemuen thought it was because she was too weak to open them. After all, who in the world fights with their eyes closed? Do you think you've opened a 'Heavenly Eye' and can see through everything?
She had seen Liberi with extremely sharp senses who could perceive and block attacks, or even predict long-range sniper bolts. You could even view them as a "bootleg, weakened version" of Jeanne, as their abilities were somewhat similar. But even they couldn't fight with their eyes closed in such a chaotic setting. The more enemies you face, the more useless information you perceive. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't even know which foot to move first! Yet Ch'en was doing it with ease.
"Wait a little longer. She is facing an extremely difficult transformation. If it goes smoothly, her future swordsmanship will be much more fluid."
Jeanne watched Ch'en, who was clearly in a singular, extraordinary state, and spoke words that the worried Lemuen didn't quite understand.
At this point, Ch'en's running speed and sword frequency had clearly dropped. The reinforcement Jeanne had given her was fading visibly, as if someone were draining something from her body. But the cleansed spirit and the brand-new comprehension of everything could not be taken away. Ch'en was like a sword being forged, waiting for the moment of unsheathing.
But... there was still a feeling of "wrongness." She felt that everything before her was too restrictive! She even felt a strange sensation whenever she swung her sword. Consequently, the frequency of her strikes became slower and slower. This wasn't because of physical weakness, but because she was seeking a way to change the status quo.
Trial after trial, swing after swing, seeking to break the barrier between herself and the sword, seeking to break through to a higher realm of swordsmanship.
"The sword of the Cloud-Rend should be established when it must be established." "The sword of the Cloud-Rend should be established when it must be established."
Ch'en recalled Wei Yenwu's words. Like the fisherman from Wuling who stumbled into the Peach Blossom Spring, she suddenly saw the light!
"Is that how it is? Establish when it must be established... and isn't now the time to establish it?"
A smile appeared on Ch'en's face. She slowly placed Chi Xiao back into its scabbard, carefully sensing every change in her surroundings. Suddenly, in an instant, Ch'en opened her eyes and looked ahead. Her eyes had never been as clear as they were today, and she drew Chi Xiao with a focus that left no room for distractions.
"Chi Xiao—Cloud-Rend!!"
In the next moment, the sword qi of Chi Xiao was like a white light, cleaving the world before Ch'en's eyes in two.