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An immense amount of spiritual energy was flowing steadily throughout his body, acting as a shield for him and his core, but he hadn’t completely recovered from his adventure at the Greene Mansion. If he reacted to her and accidentally lost control of the energy flow, she would most likely carve an identical smile on his face with her claw.

Maintaining a calm expression, Evan commanded, “Leave the girl be. If you do, I’ll make this quick and painless.”

The figure suddenly leapt off the ceiling and latched onto the wall closest to Evan, and the first fluctuation of energy hit him.

Stay calm. Stay calm.

Fuck, stay calm!

The girl grinned, spitting black blood as she echoed,“Coward…Evan Blackwood—Killer…Evan Blackwood,”her upside-down head cracked back into place.“Poor Mercy…Dead. Coward Evan…Lived.”

Evan’s jaws clenched so hard his skull almost cracked under the pressure. He tried to stick to rationality and logic while impulse was urging him to send a blast of spiritual energy at the girl and rip the spirit out of her. But the aftermath would be damaging towards the girl’s frail body.

Spirits using personal attacks on exorcists was no special case. But the familiarity with which this thing was speaking of his mother was unsettling for some reason.

The second fluctuation of energy flow was brief. Evan quickly regained his composure. “You have tested my patience enough. Come out now or I—”

Before he could brace himself, the girl lunged, swinging her claw at him.

Evan side-stepped but wasn’t fast enough. The shoulder of his coat was caught and ripped, the razor edge of her claw slicing past his skin.

Evan froze, then blinked.

What...

His shield had not worked. The fluctuations were creating holes in his barrier, and that thing had aimed exactly at the opening.

“You can’t save anyone…”she hissed, crawling on all four limbs towards him in the dark.“You couldn’t even save yourself…”

Evan’s nostrils flared. Brimming with unbearable irritation, he stepped back to rein in his temper. But as he did, he tripped over a broken chair handle.

Evan gasped.

His heart lurched.

The third and final fluctuation hit his system.

A sharp breath rattled his lungs as he crashed to the floor, blood rushing to his head and out of the wound on his shoulder. The steady flow was completely disrupted, and light slowly faded from his skin and eyes.

Once again doused in darkness, Evan clutched the bottle of Del water in his pocket and stood up, focusing his ears towards the direction of the giggles andthudsounds.

“Show yourself!” he commanded, struggling to gather spiritual energy in his palm. The primary regulator while using spiritual energy was a focused mind. Something that, right now, was in complete disarray inside Evan.

“Can’t save anyone…”A hoarse giggle vibrated across the floor, sounding more beastly than human.“Couldn’t save Mercy… Wouldn’t save anyone… Coward, coward. Coward!”

“Shut up!” Evan growled, panting as the sinister energy weighed on his chest, restricting his breathing. At the rear end of his conscience, something was desperately trying to push forward through the haze and disoriented thoughts.

Call to me…

Invisible claws tightened around his throat. Evan’s legs wobbled, crashing to one knee on the floor as he clutched his throat.

Cackles and footsteps echoed from all around him, debris cascading like snow onto the floor.

Call to me…

His face turned red from lack of air, angry bloodshot eyes flickering to the front. The same squelching sound stirred thethick air in the room, a metallic stench following close behind before—

Evan froze.