The moment William's phone call with Amélia ended, the Ancient One, who had been eavesdropping alongside the now-conscious Dalton, couldn't help but grin as she gently fanned herself. "Looks like I don't need to say another word—you're not letting this one go."
William shot her an annoyed glare before turning to Dalton. "Where were you attacked?"
Dalton instinctively looked toward the Ancient One. As the resident sorcerer of New York, he of course knew of William—everyone did. But in his mind, William was a tech mogul, a legend of Earth's technological age—not a mage. Let alone one standing on equal footing with the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
But the Ancient One casually waved her fan, as though reading his mind. "Don't worry, Dalton. If I'm not mistaken, William's strength isn't any less than mine."
Dalton's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"
"Welcome to the unfairness of the world," she said with a smile. "While we train for months just to progress a little, he makes leaps in a single day.
And if we're talking magical artifacts that rival the Eye of Agamotto? He has several—doesn't he, William?"
"Do I need to report every magical item I own to you now?" William replied, his tone laced with irritation. Then he turned back to Dalton. "The thing that attacked you—where was it?"
"Clark County, California. But be careful—that demon has the Lance of Longinus." Dalton's face darkened. "Before I could even react, it pierced through my magical defenses like paper. I had no time to counter and had to escape via portal."
That wiped the smile off the Ancient One's face. She nodded solemnly. "The Lance of Longinus… it's said to shatter dimensional barriers. Any time it appears, it means a powerful demon is trying to manifest physically in our world."
William's expression turned equally grim. "Who cares what they're planning. If I see them, I'll just burn them alive. If that fails, I'll kick them back to Hell—and then burn them."
With a flick of his wrist, his Sentry Armor shimmered into view, instantly transforming into a glowing Holy Light-themed form.
He gave the Ancient One a curt nod and shot out of the New York Sanctum, tearing through the sky at speeds exceeding 100 km/s—headed straight for Clark County.
It took him only 40 seconds to cross 4,000 kilometers—from the U.S. East Coast to Los Angeles' outskirts.
Following Sunday's guidance, William arrived above a waterfall in the rural area of Clark County—Dalton's last known location.
As he descended, his mental scan picked up four young men in streetwear, surrounding a girl who was bound to a stone altar at the base of the falls.
Dimming his armor's glow, William observed them for a moment. The altar was etched with crude demonic runes—clearly intended as a sacrificial site.
Typical demon-worship cult. The girl was just bait.
Even if the bound woman had been Megan Fox, William wouldn't have cared—this wasn't about heroism, and rescuing her wouldn't change anything. It reminded him too much of that awful movie Jennifer's Body.
He didn't move. Instead, he cloaked himself in invisibility and perched silently on a high tree branch, waiting for the real threat to appear.
No point chasing skirts when Victor, the old bloodsucker who once ruled England's vampires—and Selene's foster father—was back from Hell.
Minutes later, the telltale scent of brimstone wafted up from the water. A column of oily black smoke drifted from beneath the falls and toward the bound girl. The four cultists trembled in a mix of awe and terror.
But the moment William saw that smoke, he frowned. A lesser demon?
No way. A minor fiend like this couldn't possibly have nearly killed Dalton, the head of the New York Sanctum.
This is bait, William realized. Someone had sent a third-rate demon to throw Kamar-Taj off the trail—never expecting William to come himself.
And definitely not this fast.
As the demon neared the girl, William snapped his fingers, casting a powerful Immobility Spell that froze all five humans and the demon in place.
He then released his invisibility, glowing with golden light as he floated down from the trees.
The demon writhed in agony the moment the Holy Light touched it, screaming as smoke poured from its sizzling flesh.
William grimaced. Too weak to even interrogate.
He dimmed his armor's glow and hovered in front of the now whimpering demon.
To test it, he gently blew a breath laced with Holy Light toward the demon's arm.
"AAAAAARRGH!"
Its screech echoed over the roar of the falls. The demon's arm melted into black smoke and vanished.
William crossed his arms. "I ask. You answer. Or…"
A pulse of Spectral Curse—a blend of necrotic and shadow magic—pulsed from his hand, reinvigorating the demon just enough to recover.
Then he blew again.
The demon's other arm disintegrated in a flash of gold and smoke.
More howling. Louder this time.
The little monster trembled, clearly terrified by William's mastery of both Holy and Dark magic.
"I-I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" it shrieked.
William smirked. "Six hours ago, there was a fight here. One side was a human mage. Who was the other? And where did they go?"
"I don't know!" the demon wailed. "I swear—I can't say his name! I'd rather go back to Hell than speak it!"
That made William pause. Rather return to Hell than say a name? This demon's master wasn't just strong—he commanded true fear.
Still thinking, William said, "Sunday, pull up an image of Victor."
"Yes, SIR."
A column of light projected Victor's image in midair: ancient, gaunt, two sharp fangs, unmistakably vampire.
William turned back to the demon. "Was this the one fighting the mage?"
The demon didn't speak.
William's body began to glow.
"You can either get disintegrated by Holy Light right now… or—tell me what you know, and I'll let you snack on these four humans' souls before banishing you back to Hell. How's that?"
The demon, which had been frantically squirming, froze mid-struggle—completely stunned.
After a long pause, it stared at William with a flicker of hope.
"You… you'd really let me devour these humans' souls?" it asked cautiously.
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