And so was the sutra, retracted in an instant as the focus of its Sanzo was broken. Miraculously, Sanzo was still standing in the midst of the torn up ground, the corpse had been flung off somewhere into the woods, and swayed there, a steady stain of red spreading across the lower right of his robes. He swayed just too far one way and his injured leg gave out and he crashed to the ground into an undignified lump of swearwords and bloody clothing.

With effort and spite, he pushed himself up onto one elbow, somehow getting a hand on his gun during this. It was pointed again at Cassian. If he dared attack, Sanzo would make sure he'd stay still.