You're Really Not Frank at All...

That night...

Compared to the daytime, the desert nights are actually quite cold.

The wind and sand blowing through the desert brought cool air, making the starry sky appear exceptionally clear. Even though it couldn't compare to the beautiful night view of the Starry Sky Palace with its countless stars, it still brought a sense of tranquility to the heart.

In a corner of the desert, a wooden hotel sits quietly in the heart of the sandstorm, looking somewhat fragile, yet surprisingly sturdy.

This wooden hotel naturally serves as Key Points for Outermost Dwelling in this desert.

At this moment, Shana was sitting on the rooftop of the hotel, hugging her knees, dressed in black, gazing at the night sky with her eyes reflecting the twinkling stars. Her long, straight, black hair, reaching her waist, fluttered in the wind, making for an exceptionally beautiful scene.

However, Shana's inner world is certainly not as calm as it appears on the surface.

During the day, Fang Li's words kept replaying in Shana's mind, leaving Shana deep in thought.

The feeling of dislike has completely disappeared.

The fear gradually subsided.

Just as the intense emotions of the daytime were merely an illusion, Shana no longer felt that mood that was out of character; all she had left was reflection and consideration.

It must be said that Fang Li's words did resonate with Shana.

And Alastor also shares this resonance.

So, that's why Alastor spoke up.

"I think Fang Li's words aren't without merit," Alastor said in a low voice. "If there are any major changes to the ' Bal Masqué,' your abilities might be a bit lacking."

This is exactly what Shana is considering as well.

"Although you've learned to draw out some of my power thanks to that man, you're simply using my flames," Alastor said. "As the ' Crimson-Eyed Flame-Haired Killer,' your fighting style is still underdeveloped."

That's right.

Shana's fighting style was not yet fully developed.

Shana has always relied on the combination of Nietono no Shana superior physical abilities and martial arts skills in combat, which is still immature for a Flame Haze Warrior.

Although Shana's fighting strength is definitely not weak among the Flame Haze Warrior due to her natural talent, and she possessed the strength to rival the Crimson King before mastering her own fighting style, and even defeated Margery Daw, a senior with some experience, more than once, Shana still has not done enough in terms of exploring her own potential.

"The Flame Haze Warrior's power comes from their strong imagination of power and the power of the Contracted Lord of Nightmares within them. Only when the two are fused together can their true power be unleashed."

Alastor, unusually, explained things to Shana in a somewhat verbose manner.

"For example, the previous ' Crimson-Eyed Flame-Haired Killer ' understood her power as the concept of a 'legion.' Therefore, after fusing my power with her imagination, she developed Inherent Skill that allowed her to construct a knightly legion of hundreds of people from my flames. She could even materialize equipment and was constantly charging into battle. In that era, she was even hailed as the strongest Flame Haze Warrior."

Shana, on the other hand, merely drew out the flames of the Contracted Lord of Nightmares within her. She had not yet grasped the extent of her own power, gained her own understanding of it, or merged it with the power of the Contracted Lord of Nightmares to form a true fighting style.

Therefore, if we really want to be picky, Shana can only be considered a half-baked Flame Haze Warrior right now.

This was also one of the reasons why Shana felt inferior because she couldn't use Alastor's power as she pleased.

"Think carefully about the ' Mourning Bard ' and the ' Claws of Devastation.'"

Alastor gave another example.

"Her Flame Cloak Toka and Slaughter Improvisations both originated from her own imagination of power and were formed after merging with the power of Machias. You, on the other hand, can only use my flames to condense wings or the blade of the Nietono no Shana. Your main fighting style is still based on physical techniques, which is proof that your strength is not yet mature."

In other words, Shana actually has a very large room for improvement.

"Fang Li is right."

Alastor concluded with this statement.

"You haven't become the true ' Crimson-Eyed Flame-Haired Killer ' yet."

Shana knew this better than anyone.

Otherwise, given Alastor's terrifying power as a true demon god of the Crimson World, if Shana were to unleash it, she would definitely not be limited to just the Fourth Level.

Shana knew very well.

Very clear.

But it was precisely because she understood so clearly that Shana comprehended what Alastor was trying to express.

Therefore, Shana spoke in a low voice.

"Does Alastor also agree that I should leave and focus on developing my own strength?"

Alastor did not answer.

However, this silence is an implicit affirmation.

Shana understood this as well.

Therefore, Shana did not ask Alastor how she should become stronger.

Because even Alastor couldn't answer that.

What Shana lacks now is her own understanding and comprehension of power.

If Shana can accomplish this, she can integrate her imagination of power into Alastor's power, discover her true strength, and awaken as the true "Crimson-Eyed Flame-Haired Killer".

There's nothing Alastor can do to help Shana with this.

Otherwise, Alastor would have helped long ago.

So Shana raised her head again and looked up at the night sky.

At that moment, Shana recalled many things.

I recall my studies at the Heavenly Dao Palace.

I recall the heart-wrenching Matoba of Fang Li's bloody battles.

He recalled the miserable state he had faced when he was in the Three Pillars Starry Sky Palace.

Finally, what Shana remembered was the sentence Fang Li said to her, pointing the Happiness Trigger to her forehead.

"Shana, do you believe me?"

With that thought in mind, Shana finally made a decision.

The next day...

When Fang Li woke up, he immediately noticed.

There was something on the headboard of my bed.

That was a pineapple bun.

There was a piece of paper underneath the pineapple bun.

Fang Li took the pineapple bread and unfolded the paper.

There was a line of text on it.

————"Next time, I will become stronger than you"————

Upon seeing this line of text, Fang Li couldn't help but smile.

"That's not honest at all..."

As he said this, Fang Li turned his head and looked out the window.

In that boundless desert, it seemed as if a girl dressed in black was braving the wind and sand, slowly making her way forward.

What was left for Fang Li was a slender yet upright figure.