"Aaaaaaaaaaaarghhhh—"
His scream tore out as blood burst from his shoulder, the severed arm burning to ash where it had fallen. Xiaoshan staggered back, barely steady as the dragon surged forward with its jaws wide open.
The massive maw descended toward him, heat and pressure crashing down as there was no space left to evade. His footing slipped for a fraction of a moment, and for the first time, death felt unavoidable.
Then Miao Han appeared in front of him without warning, stepping directly into the path of the bite. His eyes were hollow and empty, and a faint, unsettling smile rested on his face as if nothing around him mattered.
He raised his hand and struck forward, his palm colliding physically with the dragon's upper jaw and stopping it mid-bite. The impact echoed heavily as the force traveled through its skull and pushed the entire head backward.
