Splashing acid was blocked half a meter before Fang Zhou by a suddenly-erected bone wall. Amid the corrosive hiss, the cold laugh of meshing gears echoed from the shadows.
Spinal lock chains thrown by five Hate Samurai penetrated the chests of three Corrupt Hatreds. The hooks at the chains' ends unfolded into eight-petaled blades, mangling the energy conduits of the Corrupt Cores. Pulled by the retracting chains, the Samurai leaped into the air in a display resembling a mechanical ballet. The Naraku Runes engraved on their breastplates glowed blood-red in the light.
Lin Qingshan's Giant Shield collided with the first Hate Samurai to land. The impact shattered an overhead mechanical arm, sending a rain of parts down on them. The Flame Dragon Emblem on the shield spewed streams of fire, burning a crimson whirlpool into the Samurai's faceplate. Molten iron flowed down its skeletal neck and into its chest cavity, causing the Resentful Souls in its power core to shriek.
