As the punch extended, Elias’s left hand shot up, his fingers wrapping around Julian’s wrist like a steel vice. In the same fraction of a second, Elias stepped in, his right hand shooting straight into Julian’s armpit.
Julian felt a sharp, agonizing jolt of electricity shoot down his arm. His hand instantly went numb. Before he could process the pain, Elias twisted his hips. He used Julian’s massive forward momentum against him, applying a simple but brutally effective joint lock.
The world flipped upside down for Julian. He felt himself airborne for a brief, terrifying second before gravity reasserted itself. He slammed into the tatami mat back-first, the breath exploding from his lungs in a ragged gasp.
Julian lay on the mat, staring up at the fluorescent ceiling lights, gasping for air like a fish out of water. Before he could even attempt to roll over, Elias was there.
The old janitor knelt beside him. In one fluid motion, Elias had Julian’s right arm trapped between his knees, and his fingers were pressing gently but firmly into a nerve cluster at the base of Julian’s neck. The pain was immediate, sharp, and entirely overwhelming. It wasn't the pain of a bruised muscle; it was the deep, terrifying pain of someone having total mechanical control over his body.