How to respond
Liu Sumeng cut his way out of the monster's throat. He was covered in blood, some him own but mostly it was his foe's. A dizziness was about him and he stumbled to his knee, only to struggle to his feet once more.
His breath was short and labored, but his eyes snapped back to the monstrosity that he carved himself out of. The gigantic severed head was a bloodied mess, bleeding from its orifices and with a new one drilled through the throat. Slowly, its giant mass began to fade into dust, trickling away into the wind.
In fact, his entire surrounding was dissolving in the wind. The piles of rubble began to fade into nothingness. Liu Sumeng veered around. And when he looked down he saw that the illusion around his sword was slowly dissipating as well. But instead of turning into dust, Mingshui's bright silver sheen was revealed underneath.
Finally, a sigh of relief.