Brrrring…
The sudden shrill of the telephone on the office desk shattered the silence. The comely secretary, Coco, promptly lifted the receiver. Within seconds, her complexion paled dramatically. "Sir," she reported, her voice tense, "security downstairs reports that Eichhorst is on his way up!"
Palmer's breathing instantly grew ragged. "Stop him!" he commanded, a note of desperation in his voice.
Coco shook her head in despair. "It's impossible to intercept him!"
As if to confirm her words, the office door burst open with a resounding crash, forcefully thrown back from outside. There stood Eichhorst, his gentlemanly attire a stark contrast to the fury contorting his features as he stormed into the room.
Palmer stammered hastily, "Listen, I can explain—"
"Explain?" Li Ang cut him off, stepping forward decisively. His voice was firm and righteous. "Abraham, escort Mr. Palmer to safety immediately! I shall remain here to detain this fiend. We must not allow him to harm Mr. Palmer under any circumstances!"
Abraham: "…"
Palmer felt a surge of blood rise in his chest, nearly choking him. The sheer audacity of the ploy left him speechless.
"Palmer," Eichhorst's voice was a low growl, his expression dark enough to conjure a storm. "Congratulations on finally making your choice." He had indeed intended to grant Palmer a chance to explain, given the Bloodline still required the resources of the Stoneheart Group, and Palmer's sudden betrayal was fraught with inconsistencies. But the sight of Li Ang and Abraham present, actively shielding Palmer, rendered any explanation utterly superfluous.
Whoosh!
Eichhorst's mouth gaped open, unleashing a deafening roar. The same sonic wave attack erupted forth. Li Ang's head swam instantly, but this time, forewarned, he had already summoned the Radiant Dawn guardian, issuing a swift command to assault Eichhorst.
Two seconds later, as Li Ang's senses cleared, he saw the guardian locked in combat with Eichhorst, alongside Abraham. Clearly, Abraham's familiarity with Eichhorst's abilities had allowed him to recover far more swiftly. His eyes burned with a long-suppressed rage, the flames of vengeance rekindled.
Eichhorst, his ferocity fully unleashed, shed the last vestiges of his gentlemanly facade, revealing the true vampire beneath. He lunged forward, muscles coiling and propelling him across the room like a projectile.
Boom!
Li Ang's expression tightened in alarm. Eichhorst's power surpassed his expectations. The vampire collided violently with the guardian positioned at the forefront. Black nails, elongating into ten-centimeter-long daggers, sprouted from his fingers, piercing clean through the shield in the guardian's left hand and shredding it to pieces. The impact sent the guardian reeling back seven or eight steps. Though Eichhorst cried out in pain, his nails smoldering from the cross's silver flame, his overall resilience far exceeded that of the Strigoi spawn. This indicated a baseline of attributes and skill potency at least a full tier higher! The same corrosive claws manifested with terrifyingly different might.
"Roar!"
Abraham's silver sword once again gleamed with Law Power, materializing the spectral head of a white wolf, its fangs glinting coldly, aiming to sink into the Strigoi's throat. Faced with this assault, Eichhorst seemed unwilling to meet it head-on. A shadowy, two-meter-tall giant-like apparition materialized behind him. As it appeared, his own frame swelled momentarily, his aura growing more malevolent, his speed increasing dramatically. In little over a second, he closed the十几-meter distance, arriving barely a meter away from Li Ang and Palmer. It was a transformation from beast to primordial predator!
Li Ang drew a sharp breath. Eichhorst possessed three distinct skills? That meant his level was at least 15! For Li Ang, not yet even Level 5, this was an overwhelmingly formidable chieftain.
Eichhorst's eyes glinted with murderous intent. His next claw strike promised to shred either Li Ang or Palmer. But he halted abruptly. His hands, instead of striking forward, retracted to shield his head as he let out a shriek ten times more agonized than before.
The entire room was suddenly bathed in an intense violet light. Palmer had activated a switch; a dozen ultraviolet lamps installed within the room blazed to life simultaneously! He had long been wary of the Bloodline; indeed, the trap Li Ang had employed in the cathedral was a lesson learned from him. Backed into a corner, his only choice was to ally with Li Ang and Abraham. The duplicitous and treacherous nature of the Bloodline was something he knew all too well; once suspicion fell upon him, the fragile basis for cooperation vanished entirely. Aiding Li Ang, with the UV lamps as a decisive weapon, at least guaranteed immediate safety—and there was the promised formula.
"Agh…!"
Eichhorst's screams were incessant. For a vampire, being exposed to a dozen UV lamps simultaneously was akin to a human being plunged into a vat of scalding oil. Yet, contrary to expectations, he was not immediately incinerated. Instead, he madly scrambled toward the doorway. The terrified secretary, Coco, paralyzed with fear and unfortunately blocking his path, was seized by the shoulders and ruthlessly torn asunder, a gruesome spectacle of carnage. Summoning every ounce of his strength, Eichhorst managed to reach the door. Though grievously wounded, just a few more steps into the hallway, beyond the direct UV exposure, and escape might still be possible.
But at that very moment, a brilliant, sun-like radiance descended from above.
It was the glory of the sun itself…
Solar Flare!
Boom!
A beam of golden, sanctified light struck Eichhorst squarely on the head. The essence of light erupted, immobilizing him on the spot. Though the effect lasted a mere two seconds, it extinguished his final hope of flight. The ultraviolet radiation inflicted catastrophic damage with each passing moment. Moreover, the sunlight concentrated within the Solar Flare now shimmered with traces of silvery flame—clearly another effect of the Ancient Silver Cross!
Li Ang's eyes lit up with revelation—he had stumbled upon something extraordinary. "So Solar Flare can also inherit the cross's silver flame? This means that since the Radiant Dawn is my summon, any skill she executes is essentially an extension of my own power. Therefore, any future skills the guardian learns will also be imbued with the silver flame… She becomes the ultimate bane of dark creatures!"
Against human Awakened or other Law Entities, the Ancient Silver Cross's power was merely moderate. But when confronting dark creatures, it was undoubtedly a Gold-tier artifact. Especially for Li Ang, with his True Summoning skill, its value rivaled that of a Platinum-grade treasure. Considering that a significant majority, if not all, of the fiends invading the world of Canglan were of dark alignment, the true worth of the necklace far exceeded its Silver classification, marking it as one of his most crucial acquisitions in this world.
System Notification: Host has slain a Lv15 Elite Mutated Strigoi Manager. Gained 2500 Awakening Points.
System Notification: Host's Awakening Level has increased to Lv5. Law-Infused Physique sublimated. 1 Law Source Light obtained. Second skill slot unlocked.
System Notification: Host's Awakening Level has increased to Lv6. 1 Law Source Light obtained…
As Eichhorst met his end, the system's dispassionate voice chimed, but to Li Ang, it was a celestial melody. Two consecutive level-ups! The second skill slot was now unlocked! This meant not only could he acquire a second skill himself, but his Radiant Dawn guardian could as well—as per True Summoning's description: "The guardian possesses an equal number of skill slots as the master." The mere acquisition of 2500 Awakening Points was a monumental harvest, justifying the risks and intricate planning he had undertaken.
And this was but a portion of the rewards. As Eichhorst's body crumbled to ash under the ultraviolet onslaught, two gleaming objects were revealed amidst the embers. The moment their light caught his eye, Li Ang strode over. These spoils rightfully belonged to him. Palmer lacked the strength to contest, and Abraham was merely intrigued; it was his first time witnessing a Strigoi leave "remains" after death.
Li Ang's demeanor was calm. Since his arrival in this world, through successive battles, he had undergone another metamorphosis. He had evolved from a novice warrior into a true battle-hardened fighter.