“In like manner = from the ground, up.”
No. In like manner would mean in a miraculous way, in glory. It does not mean ONLY from the ground up. When He returns, “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” Mark 13:26
And, “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31)
Elijah did not return as John the Baptist. God does not use reincarnation. Remember, even Jesus was said to be Elijah come back (and He wasn’t) in Matthew 16. John had a spirit and power like Elijah’s (Luke 1:17) but he was not Elijah. John and Elijah dressed alike (2 Kings 1:8; Mathew 3:4) and preached alike (1 Kings 17,18).
When Jesus said John was Elijah He meant it in type (typology) (see Matthew 11:11-14). This is shown by the fact that John himself said he was NOT Elijah (John 1:21).
I didn't make a claim of "only", so no contradiction.
John said he wasn't Elijah, yet Jesus said John was Elijah ("if you will receive it"). Both statements are true, hence the spirit and power of Elijah, not the bodily Elijah that was the same taken up in a whirlwind. John was a new baby whose birth narrative is documented in the NT.
So there's the pattern. It explains why people will be caught unawares.