Chapter 474 Straightforward...

That night...

Compared to the daytime, the desert night was relatively cold.

The sand-laden winds brought in chilly air, making the starry sky appear exceptionally clear. Even though it couldn't compare to the dazzling beauty of the starry nights in Seireiden, it still brought a sense of tranquility to the heart.

In a corner of the desert, a wooden inn stood silently amidst the swirling sands. It looked somewhat fragile but surprisingly sturdy.

This wooden inn was naturally Outlaw's base of operations in the desert.

At this moment, Shana sat on the rooftop of the inn, hugging her knees, dressed in black attire. Her eyes gazed at the night sky, reflecting the myriad stars above, while her waist-length black hair fluttered in the wind, creating a remarkably beautiful scene.

However, Shana's inner turmoil was certainly not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Throughout the daytime, Fang Li's words kept replaying in Shana's mind, plunging her into contemplation.

The feelings of hatred had completely disappeared.

The feeling of fear was slowly subsiding.

Just like the intense emotions during the daytime were nothing but an illusion, Shana no longer harbored feelings that were unlike her own; instead, she was consumed by reflection and consideration.

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

And Alastor felt the same resonance.

That's why Alastor spoke up.

"I believe Fang Li's words do make sense," Alastor said in a low voice. "If there are indeed significant changes ahead with the Bal Masqué, your strength might be insufficient."

This was precisely what Shana had been considering.

"Although you've somewhat tapped into my power thanks to that man, you've only been using my flames in a simplistic manner," Alastor continued. "As a 'Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Assassin,' your fighting style hasn't fully developed."

Indeed.

Shana's fighting style hadn't fully developed.

She had always relied on Nietono no Shana, combined with her extraordinary physical abilities and Taijutsu skills for combat, which, for a Flame Haze, was still immature.

Although, due to her talent, Shana's combat prowess was by no means weak among Flame Hazes. Before mastering her true combat style, she possessed the strength to rival Crimson World Crimson Lords. Moreover, she had defeated Margery, a senior with considerable experience, more than once. Yet, Shana hadn't fully tapped into her potential.

"The power of a Flame Haze comes from their strong imagination of power and the fusion of their contracted Crimson Lord's power within their body. Only when these two are combined can true power be unleashed."

Alastor rarely explained in such a verbose manner to Shana.

"For example, the previous generation's 'Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Assassin' imagined her power as a 'Regiment.' By merging my power with her imagination, she developed an Unrestricted Spell that could construct a knight legion of hundreds with my flames, even manifesting Equipment into reality. She consistently led the charge on the battlefield, earning her the title of the strongest Flame Haze of her time."

However, Shana had only been able to draw out the flames of her contracted Crimson Lord, without comprehending her own strengths. She hadn't yet gained an understanding of her power, merged it with her contracted Crimson Lord's power, and formed a true combat style.

Thus, in terms of calculations, Shana could only be considered a half-baked Flame Haze.

This was also one of the reasons why Shana felt inferior about not being able to use Alastor's power as she wished.

"Think about the 'Chanter of Elegies' and the 'Claw and Fangs of Violation,'" Alastor provided another example.

"Her flame robe, Tōga, and the Improvisational Poem of Slaughter were both born from her imagination of power and the fusion with Marchośias's power. Yet, currently, you can only use my flames to condense wings or Nietono no Shana's blade. Your primary method of combat is still Taijutsu. This proves that your strength is still immature."

In other words, Shana actually had a vast room for improvement.

"Fang Li is right," Alastor summarized with these words. "You have not yet become a true 'Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Assassin.'"

This was something Shana understood better than anyone else.

Otherwise, with Alastor's terrifying power as a true Magic God of the Crimson World, if Shana could fully unleash it, she wouldn't just be a mere fourth-rank.

Shana was acutely aware of this fact.

Very aware.

But precisely because she was so aware, Shana understood what Alastor was trying to convey.

So, Shana spoke softly.

"Do you also agree that I should leave to train and strengthen myself?"

Alastor didn't answer.

But this silence was an implicit affirmation.

And Shana understood that.

So, she didn't ask Alastor how she should go about getting stronger.

Because Alastor couldn't provide an answer.

What Shana lacked now was her own comprehension and understanding of power.

As long as she could achieve this, Shana could merge her powerful imagination with Alastor's power, unearth her true power, and awaken as a genuine 'Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Assassin.'

This was something Alastor couldn't help Shana with.

Otherwise, he would have done so long ago.

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

At this moment, Shana recalled many things.

She remembered her studies in Tendoukyuu.

She remembered the scenes of Fang Li's bloody battles that had shaken her soul.

She remembered the dire situations she had faced in Seireiden against Trinity.

Finally, what Shana remembered most was Fang Li holding Trigger Happy, pointing it at her forehead, and asking, "Shana, do you trust me?"

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

...

The next day...

When Fang Li woke up, he immediately noticed something.

There was something on his bedside.

It was a melon bread.

Under the melon bread was a piece of paper.

Fang Li took the melon bread and unfolded the paper.

On it, there was a line of text.

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

Seeing this line, Fang Li couldn't help but smile.

"You're not very straightforward, huh..."

With these words, Fang Li turned his head and looked out the window.

In the vast desert, it seemed that there was a girl in black clothes, braving the sandstorm, moving forward slowly.

Fang Li was left with the image of a slender yet determined figure.

...

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