The sharp crimson sword qi surged forward with an unstoppable momentum. Every object blocking its path was utterly destroyed by the sheer force of the strike. This included the "giant," whose massive frame had a third of its volume sliced away by the technique known as "Cloud-Rend," looking much like a cake that had been cut unevenly.
"This... is Cloud-Rend?"
In that moment, the world before her was split in two by the sword qi she had unleashed. Even the surrounding dust and smoke were parted, leaving a clear path in the center where neither side dared to encroach. This scene looked as if someone had parted the very clouds in the sky—though currently, it was only a resemblance; Ch'en was not yet capable of the terrifying feat of literally slicing the heavens.
Even so, seeing that she had successfully executed "Cloud-Rend," Ch'en felt a surge of surprise and joy in her heart. Back then, Wei Yenwu had taught her seven sword techniques, ranging from basic to advanced. She had put in countless hours of grueling effort over the years to master them:
Drawn Blade (Ba Dao)
Tear-Edge (Lei Feng)
Night-Dash (Ben Ye)
Brow-Raise (Yang Mei)
Hidden Shadow (Jueying)
Cloud-Rend (Yun Lie)
Heaven-Gaze (Tian Cheng)
Prior to this, no matter how hard she practiced, Ch'en could only barely perform Jueying, the third from the top. It was only because she had learned Jueying that Wei Yenwu had entrusted her with Chi Xiao. She had attempted Cloud-Rend back then, but the result was exactly as she'd feared: she couldn't use it at all.
Wei Yenwu had told her then that her "mindset" was not yet sufficient to harness Cloud-Rend. At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant, nor did she grasp how one's inner state influenced the blade. Perhaps Wei Yenwu had seen her deficiency even then, which was why he gave her a Chi Xiao she couldn't control—one that might even backfire on her. He had said that to fully master Chi Xiao, her skill needed to advance, but her heart had to progress even more.
Now, looking at this first successful Cloud-Rend, Ch'en seemed to have a brand-new understanding of her mentor's old teachings.
"Huff... huff... the biggest problem with this move is that the consumption is just too high."
Exhausted, Ch'en leaned on her weapon to support her body, panting as she surveyed the results of her work. At this moment, the reinforcement Jeanne had given her was trickling out of her body. She could feel a mysterious force, like a thread being pulled, drawing the warmth back.
What followed was a hollow sense of emptiness that enveloped her after losing that power. It was an agonizing sensation, even giving her a brief, impulsive urge to beg Jeanne not to take it back. Fortunately, her self-control was strong. The moment the thought surfaced, she crushed it and made sure it would never return.
"Beautifully done! What's that move called? It looks incredibly powerful."
Jeanne, who had been watching the battle, stepped toward Ch'en immediately after seeing the strike that seemed to part the clouds. She now understood why her intuition had told her to give Ch'en exactly three minutes of reinforcement. Was it all to aid her cultivation?
Still, Jeanne hadn't expected the classic trope of a "breakthrough under pressure" to actually play out with Ch'en. Without wasting time, Jeanne scooped up the exhausted Ch'en in her arms and, with a quick dash, returned to the safer zone.
The issue was that even though Jeanne tried to slow her pace to prevent Ch'en from having a bad reaction, she was still a bit too fast. To Lemuen, it looked like a bolt of black lightning had streaked past; then, Jeanne appeared behind her, holding Ch'en.
"No need, I can run on my..." Ch'en began.
"...Back." She finished the sentence only to realize she was already in the safe zone. Next to her was Lemuen, staring at her with wide eyes.
However, Ch'en didn't have the energy to be surprised. The sudden burst of speed had caused her blood to rush to her head. Shaking off her shocked expression, she quickly returned to her normal composure.
"How is it? Was the time I bought enough?" Remembering Jeanne's earlier words, Ch'en hurriedly asked about the situation. She still had no idea what kind of power Jeanne possessed that could "solve" these creatures. Was it some special Originium Art? But how could an Art covering such a massive area be prepared in just three minutes?
Even now, Ch'en was in the dark about Jeanne's plan. But thinking back to that golden light and the enemies that had been crushed before, she felt that even if Jeanne did something world-shaking, it wouldn't be impossible.
"It's almost ready. Next, this will be my battlefield. Tell the officers outside to move far away from this place. I'm worried that what happens next will affect them."
Hearing Ch'en's question, Jeanne responded. The mana accumulated in her body was awakening, flowing through her like a surging river. She closed her eyes, listening to the torrent of angry souls around her, sensing the boundless rage contained within them.
"Everyone, leave the company premises! Maintain the perimeter at a distance! No one is allowed near here without my order!" Hearing Jeanne, Ch'en didn't ask further questions and immediately issued the order to all LGD members via radio.
Actually, issuing such an order on a heated battlefield was highly inappropriate. With many officers engaged in combat with those things, a retreat might leave them vulnerable to being pursued and attacked by the walking dead. It wasn't yet clear if being bitten meant turning into one of them or simply becoming an Infected, but neither was good news.
"Hey, Pink Sausage Dragon, what's going on in there? Why are you ordering a full evacuation? if we retreat now, those things might break through our defense network!" Outside, Swire, who was directing the slow withdrawal, questioned the order. Though she was following Ch'en's lead, she couldn't understand what was happening. As the commander of the exterior forces, she had to know.
"It's difficult to explain right now. Just wait a moment and see what happens next." Lacking the details of Jeanne's plan, Ch'en could only bite the bullet and answer Swire this way. If she admitted she didn't know, Swire would likely unleash a torrent of verbal abuse and refuse the order.
In truth, Ch'en was extremely anxious. This order was essentially placing the safety of Lungmen in Jeanne's hands. And Jeanne... was just a friend she'd known for less than a week! Under normal circumstances, she would never have agreed to such an absurd request.
But because Jeanne had repeatedly performed miracles that defied common sense, and because she was right there on the front lines, Ch'en decided to trust her this once. Beyond those factors, there was a gut feeling of trust. Though her logic told her not to be so gullible, Ch'en felt in her heart that this person's words could be believed. She believed Jeanne could do things that seemed impossible to ordinary people.
Trust is a mysterious thing; it can lead to ruin, or it can yield unimaginable rewards.
"Fine. Pink Sausage Dragon, you better take care of yourself in there! if something happens to you, I won't have anyone to argue with at work." Swire heard Ch'en's vague explanation and ultimately chose to trust her decision.
Under her command, the LGD officers began to step back, gradually clearing the area around Rhine Gold. Just then, a group of walking dead rushed toward a weak point in the defense—a spot where sniper operators armed with crossbows were retreating. They quickly broke past the heavy defenders and moved toward the snipers, whose melee capabilities were weak.
But in the next moment, their movements were halted. The thing that stopped them was a sudden surge of pitch-black iron thorns.