However, before Shannon could act, Bryan, who had been angrily cursing, suddenly experienced a surge of ghastly energy around him. Through the flickering strands of ghastly energy, she could vaguely discern a hint of black putrefaction.
To her surprise, the soul that should've been tightly bound by her mystic chain now seemed to be attempting to break free, as if resisting the restraints she had placed on him.
Shannon's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, she pressed another talisman onto Bryan's forehead before he could make any further moves.
With a clear and commanding shout, she uttered, "Cease to be!"
With the decree, the talisman seemed to burn a hole in Bryan's forehead. The ghastly energy, which had been swelling up, leaked like air from a punctured balloon, dissipating into the surroundings.
However, the trace of black putrefaction hidden within the ghastly energy didn't fade into the air. Instead, it seemed to act with purpose, slowly creeping toward Shannon's hand as if it had a will of its own.
Her eyes darkened slightly just as she was about to act. Suddenly, a flash of golden light appeared before her.
The overwhelming gold filled her vision, and Benjamin materialized in front of her without warning. As that trace of putrefaction was about to reach her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
At the same time, his fingertip pointed forward. The moment the putrefaction touched the golden light at his fingertip, it vanished completely, dissolving into nothingness.
Shannon withdrew her arm and turned to Benjamin, asking, "Why are you here?"
"I sensed the putrefaction." He glanced at the hand he was holding but quickly let go. Indifference overtook his gaze, and he averted it to the collapsed and weakened Bryan on the ground. "What's with him?"
Shannon didn't pay much attention to his earlier actions. She looked at Bryan; seeing that he was weak but not in danger of dispersing into nothingness, she swiftly bundled him up like a burrito and held him in her hand.
Then, she said, "A new ghost, yet his ghastly energy is stronger than that of most spirits. I suspect it's related to the trace of putrefaction hidden in his energy."
Shannon had Julian arrange everything for the house according to Benjamin's previous preferences, and all he needed to do was bring himself over. There was nothing else he had to bring.
Benjamin felt there was still a difference between now and tomorrow morning, but seeing the burrito-wrapped ghost she was holding, he nodded and followed her toward the Demon District.
In the Demon District, the residents who had finally settled down after the earlier disturbance began to settle back into their slumber.
Just as they were closing their eyes, ready to return to the peace of sleep, Benjamin, following Shannon's footsteps, passed through the archway and entered the boundaries of the Demon District.
A pure, undeniable energy radiated unconsciously from his body, spreading outward. In an instant, the residents of the Demon District, who had been sleeping, abruptly opened their eyes.
Some demons even shot up from their beds, their eyes glowing with a sharp, piercing light in the darkness.
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