"Whoosh—!"
In one corner of the desert, the raging sandstorm was sliced apart with perfect precision, its howling scattering into the air.
The cherry-blossom-colored explosion had vanished as well.
The strips of cloth glowing with Inherent Formula light had likewise lost their power and fallen to the ground.
"Crack..."
At that moment, a cracking sound suddenly rang out.
It was the sound of the fox mask on Wilhelmina's face breaking apart.
"Cough, cough...!"
Then came a fit of coughing.
A little blood was coughed up along with it.
The Flame Haze Warrior known as the "Ten Thousand Threaded Hands" collapsed onto the ground, coughing blood as an expression of intense pain surfaced on her usually blank face.
That was only natural.
A wound ran from her shoulder all the way down to her side, blood streaming heavily from it.
Though it was such a bloody sight, it carried a tragic beauty that made this Flame Haze Warrior, who had been active for centuries, seem considerably more fragile.
"Mm... ngh..."
Wilhelmina could only let out suppressed groans as she struggled to raise her head and look ahead.
There, Fang Li held the bloodstained weapon and looked down at Wilhelmina.
The icy blue gleam had already vanished from his eyes.
"You should consider yourself lucky."
Fang Li spoke in a calm voice.
"If you weren't Shana's guardian, that strike just now would have been enough to kill you."
Wilhelmina's injuries looked severe, but they were already the result of Fang Li holding back as much as possible.
He had not only dismissed the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception at the last moment, but also avoided her vital points. With a Flame Haze Warrior's tenacious life force and the power of a healing Inherent Skill, injuries of this degree could heal overnight.
"Though