Shing!The golden needles struck violently, burying themselves in the darkness. Golden light exploded outward from the impact point. The entity staggered backward, its massive form convulsing.But it wasn't enough.The creature's claw swept upward, smashing through the window behind Elijah.Crash!Glass exploded outward. Elijah dropped into a forward roll, hit the floor, and came up running.Thud! Thud! Thud!The entity gave chase, each movement leaving deep marks in the marble floor.Elijah spun on his heel and waved both his sleeves at the same time, in the same rhythmic movement.Ting! Ting! Ting!A dozen silver needles erupted from his sleeves, filling the air. The entity raised its claw defensively.Tink! The needles struck, some bouncing off, others embedding themselves. More black smoke rose in hissing plumes.Screeech! The creature slammed its claw into the ground.Boom!A shockwave of dark energy exploded outward, forcing the needles out of its body and into the four corners

Elijah walked forward calmly, his left hand tucked behind him while his right already completed the sign movement interrupted just now. “Thirty-Two Needle Formation! Divine Sealing Technique!”Ting! Ting! Ting!Two pairs of Heaven-Piercing golden needles, together with dozens of silver needles, fired out from every point on the walls, floor, and ceiling they had pierced. They moved in perfect synchronization, creating a spherical cage of spiritual energy that constricted the entity inward.Sizzle! Sizzle!Everywhere the needles touched, the entity’s form burned. It thrashed wildly, its remaining claw lashing out.Crash! Bang! Smash! Bam!What little remained of the office furniture was ruined.But the net held.“This world is no place for your kind,” Elijah said calmly. He raised his hand, and the pair of Heaven-Piercing needles withdrew from the entity’s chest, hovering above his palm. “Return to the netherworld.”The entity’s hollow eyes fixed on him one final time. And then Elijah

The sharp, repeated impact to his face sent shockwaves rattling through his skull and down his spine. It was exactly the jolt his frozen energy core needed.Voom!The dormant energy in his core was suddenly ignited and the violent circulation of spiritual energy began. The circulation consumed the paralyzing side effects instantly, converting the toxins into pure, raw power.A layer of sweat broke out on Elijah’s forehead.Swoosh!His hand moved in a blur.“You are dead today!” Lilian screamed, raising her hand for another slap.Pa!Elijah caught her wrist in mid-air. His grip was like an iron clamp.“Let me go!” she swung her other hand.Pa!He caught that one too.Elijah lay there, looking up at her. His face was completely red and visibly swollen on both sides. He looked like a chipmunk, but his eyes were clear and sharp.“Ms. Montclair,” Elijah said, his voice calm despite his stinging cheeks. “It is really not what you think.”“What I think?!” Lilian shouted, struggling against h

Evelyn gestured to the devastation around them, specifically the claw marks and craters. “He’s quite mysterious. And this… did two dragons fight here? Nothing makes sense to the eyes right now. It’s as though a bulldozer was in the room.”The old man stared at the gouges in the floor. He sighed casually. “As long as my Lilian is healthy and alive, I won’t ask about the methods of the young doctor.”Evelyn drew closer, lowering her voice. “It’s not that I don’t trust him. In fact, he saved your life, and that’s why you are here today. But he refuses any relationship with the Young Miss. Even now.”“I pursued my wife in denial for six years before she agreed,” Mr. Montclair said, shaking his head. “What will be, will be.”“You’re forgetting that Ms. DiLaurentis’s partner is the young doctor,” Evelyn said softly. “And they appear to be deeply together.”This made the old man fall into deep thought. The lines on his forehead deepened, but eventually he shook his head in denial. “The futur

Black Mane stared at Elijah, his eyes bulging slightly from their sockets.“Elijah Langston…” he whispered in disbelief.How could he not recognize the name? It was the name that was giving his employer sleepless nights. The name that occupied Madam Ainsworth’s mind every hour of the day.Elijah Langston. The insolent expert of the forgotten family who was running around causing havoc for the five great families.He was the one brazen enough to kill the Shadowless Ghost Duo—assassins feared throughout the entire nation of Sorevia.As if that wasn’t enough, he had snuck into the Ainsworth Mansion two nights ago, during his absence, and bullied Grandma Ainsworth. He had even set up one of the most important Ainsworth employees, Andrew, to be killed by their own hands that night.If that Elijah Langston was here, he wouldn’t be standing in tattered rags.If the real expert was known, He and Iron Skull would have already tracked him down and made him crawl to Madam Ainsworth’s feet for hi