"A weapon spirit?!" Hao Xuan couldn't help but exclaim seeing the bloody chain move about of its own volition.
Weapon Spirits were relatively rare and took a long time and a lot of resources to properly flourish and awaken.
Hao Xuan's own Glaive had a weapon spirit as well, the only difference being that his was still dormant, nothing more than a collection of random emotions and instincts at its current stage while this one was alive.
He didn't know how but he could feel it, almost like a sixth sense. If he looked with his spiritual sense instead of his eyes, it would be easy to mistake it for a living creature.
Hao Xuan examined the chain in a bit more detail.
It looked like it was made from a red metal of some sort, continuously emanating with a red light that pulsed along each of its links. It seemed to be mimicking human breathing.
The other end of the chain was tightly wound around Ceni's left hand. She lightly pulled back her arm and the chain swung back around, encircling her while still keeping up those strange movements.
The light that was giving it the red glow also seemed to have diminished by several degrees. The earlier attack had probably taken quite a bit of toll on both of them.
Ceni looked quite pale even under the moonlight but her expression had not changed a bit. She was still seething with resentment and animosity towards the mermen, much to her own ignorance.
The other sorcerer quickly backed up, putting a fair bit of distance between himself and Ceni. He stood behind the other mermen that had all caught up to them by now.
There were still 19 of them, including the last sorcerer. This was not going to be an easy fight but thanks to Ceni, just her standing there was enough to unnerve the mermen and put them on guard just in case she attacked again.
Hao Xuan took this opportunity to run towards the glaive which had skewered a merman halfway into the ground a few meters away.
He pulled it out in one swift motion and swung towards the nearest merman, breaking the brief spell of calmness that had fallen over them.
There was no time like the present, especially since he was on the clock. The nanomachines could only provide him with some added enhancements for a limited period after which he would be left weakened and vulnerable.
And since Ceni had already used up a significant amount of Qi just summoning her weapon spirit and attacking once, he couldn't count on her to protect them both. Not to mention a live weapon spirit used up Qi constantly when it was summoned.
Hao Xuan could feel her getting weaker by the second, although he didn't yet understand how that was possible.
Hao Xuan was the vanguard while Ceni stood at the back ready to strike at a moment's notice. Her presence alone was enough to slow the flow of battle just enough for Hao Xuan to move around with ease.
He utilized a variation of the famed blitzkrieg method of warfare with himself as the mechanized mobile unit, swiftly moving in and out of the enemy ranks with the help of the Imperial Glaive Doctrine that had taught him how to maneuver in close range combat.
He kept his body low and feet far apart, using the tip of his toes to nimbly dodge any sudden attacks.
And when Hao Xuan messed up and was about to get hit, Ceni would jump in and unleash an attack or two. And when Ceni left herself open, Hao Xuan put himself in between her and the mermen, viciously cutting down anything that got close.
They didn't need to communicate such things and worked together seamlessly.
It wasn't that Hao Xuan himself was such a great fighter that he was able to pull something like this off, but it was due to Ceni's supportive role that made it possible for him to take risks that would never work if he was alone.
There was nothing better than a life or death battle to test the limits of any relationship, even one that barely existed. He trusted her to have his back and she trusted him to keep them far enough away.
The fight lasted less than half an hour.
Hao Xuan used a tree to propel himself towards the Sorcerer that was almost out of mana, evident by the flickering blue halo atop its head. It tried to cast a spell but as usual Ceni's chain came in just in time, interrupting and distracting him long enough that Hao Xuan got close enough to impale the last merman like a fish.
His body flailed about trying to break free but only managed to push himself further down the blade, effectively ending its life.
Hao Xuan's chest moved up and down with great effort as he released the grip on the Glaive and fell to the ground.
Right behind him Ceni had much the same reaction. The Chain was already gone and the shortsword she had in her grasp fell from her hand as her knees buckled.
She was covered in sweat from top to bottom and her face was devoid of any color.