Under Finniel Morton's stunned gaze, Vil's corpse was rapidly reduced to ash within the raging blue flames. Her rosy lips parted to their widest, her eyes opened in disbelief as she stared at Ed without blinking.

She had just witnessed something unbelievable—the pitch-black eye on Vil's forehead, the one that had overwhelmed everyone present, had willingly left Vil's body and, in the blink of an eye, fused with Ed's right eye.

At that moment, Ed seemed to notice Finniel Morton's gaze. He turned to look at her.

His right eye—now pitch black—held not a trace of emotion. It radiated pure, icy indifference, as cold and lifeless as the moonlight now shining down on him. It was an eye that exuded pressure and death.

Finniel Morton's body began trembling uncontrollably. Her strength gave out, and she collapsed weakly to the floor.

Thankfully, at that moment, Eng and the others began regaining their senses.

The very first thing they did after waking was to look toward Ed, alert and tense, still trying to spot any trace of the monster Vil.

But Ed's right eye quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Without hesitation, he shouted loudly:

"Vil is dead! I killed him! Don't let the rest of the enemies escape!"

No one moved. They were frozen in place, still staring at the blue flames that continued to burn. Each of them wore the same look—shock and disbelief.

What just happened?

Just moments ago, they had all been trapped in the illusion cast by the black light from the eye on Vil's forehead. They had thought they were finished—that they would all die there.

And now they were awake, unharmed.

Vil was dead?

Killed… by Ed?

How was that even possible?

Had Ed really been unaffected the entire time?

Among them, Arya was the first to react. Without a second of hesitation, she tore open a Teleportation Scroll, her eyes filled with hatred as she glared at Ed. Everything she had planned, everything she had prepared—ruined by Ed.

If she had known even a fraction of what would happen today, she would have killed Ed the very first time they met.

Ed spotted Arya's movement instantly. He locked on to her position, leapt from where he stood, and swung his steel sword, trying to stop her from escaping.

At the same time, Eng and the Morton Family guards launched into action once more, charging toward the harpy, Reve, and the remaining red-eyed crows to prevent their escape.

Just as Ed's steel sword was about to strike Arya's head, her figure vanished from the spot entirely. The blade slammed into the floor, leaving a deep, jagged scar.

Arya had already been teleported away—no one knew to where.

The red-eyed crows and the harpy spread their wings, trying to escape the City Lord's mansion, but Eng and the three Morton Family guards intercepted them before they could get away.

The brief battle quickly came to an end. Without Vil, the remaining enemies were swiftly subdued.

The crisis was finally, completely over.

Inside the banquet hall, many stood frozen in place, blankly watching Ed under the pale moonlight, slowly poking at the serpentine ashes on the floor with his blade.

It all felt like a dream. A threat that could have wiped out every soul in Dorey City—ended because of this one young man.

Before the disaster ever began, Ed had seen it coming. He tried everything to stop it. If not for Arya, the head of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association, none of this at the banquet would have happened.

And even when it did, Ed didn't give up. He raised his strength to the level of a low-tier Gold Hunter and rekindled hope for everyone.

And in the final moments—when everyone else had fallen under Vil's control, trapped in horrifying illusions—Ed once again did the impossible.

He killed the monster Vil.

He saved everyone.

Now, under the cold light of the moon, Ed stood in silence. But that same moonlight, once so eerie and oppressive, now seemed to shimmer—bright and brilliant.

The residents of Dorey City, who had been turned into rats by the Piper, were staring at Ed.

The elites in the banquet hall, once full of scorn, were staring at Ed.

All of Dorey City's Hunters were staring at Ed.

Even Finniel Morton, all the way from the Holy City, and the guards of the Morton Family stood just like the rest—quiet, still, eyes fixed on the young man who had pulled them all back from the edge of death.

The silence was filled with unspoken gratitude, awe—and the kind of reverence reserved only for heroes.

"Ed."

"Ed."

"Ed!"

His name shattered the silence. The chant grew louder, stronger, wave after wave of rising voices. Everyone in Dorey City would remember—on this night, a single young man did the impossible.

He saved them all.

...

Late at night, inside the City Lord's estate of Dorey City, ordinary Hunters were cleaning up the wreckage left behind by the battle, while the residents of the city, with the help of Finniel Morton and Melissa, were gradually being restored to their human forms.

At that moment, Ed was resting in the most luxurious room of the mansion—one that originally belonged to Finniel Morton. Standing guard outside the door was a Gold-level Hunter from the Morton Family, ensuring Ed's safety.

Listening to the faint sounds outside, Ed slowly closed his eyes and reached up, gently touching his right eye.

There was no discomfort at all. It was as if the moment when the Eye of Delphilis had fused with his own eye had been nothing more than an illusion.

Ed didn't know why it had happened. He had never expected the Eye of Delphilis to integrate into his right eye. And what was even stranger—Vil's technique had overwhelmed everyone in the hall… everyone except for Finniel Morton and himself.

Finniel Morton, who had remained conscious, had witnessed what happened. But she hadn't said anything. She had only told Ed to get some rest, while she and the Morton Family's other guards took care of the aftermath—including dealing with Dorey City's Lord Gavin and his son, Andrew.

Ed let out a sigh. He felt that he needed to understand what was going on with his body—and soon.

There was an indescribable feeling in his chest. The fact that the Eye of Delphilis had willingly fused with his right eye had to be connected to something strange about his body. There was likely some deeper, critical secret buried within him.

The uncertainty gnawed at him. This thing—the Eye of Delphilis—nearly destroyed the world. How could there possibly be no price for fusing with it?

After all, everything Vil had done had been in an attempt to fully awaken the Eye of Delphilis.

Thinking of this, Ed made up his mind to go for a walk. He had rested long enough.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw the Morton Family guard posted at his door. The man greeted him politely:

"Mr. Ed, Miss Finniel is waiting for you."

Ed nodded. He assumed Finniel Morton would want to talk about the Eye of Delphilis. She might know more about it than he did.

Under the escort of the guard, Ed arrived once again at the banquet hall. Reve, the harpy, and the red-eyed crows were all being held in confinement.

Now, the once grand hall bore only dried bloodstains and the lifeless bodies of several Hunters and Dorey City elites—silent reminders of how close they'd all come to annihilation.

Everyone still working inside paused instinctively when they saw Ed. Then one by one, they greeted him with sincere respect.

Ed merely gave them a slight nod. He didn't know most of them.

It wasn't until he saw a few familiar faces that the stoic look on his face began to soften.

Ford shouted loudly, "Captain Ed! Over here!"

Toronto, Ford, and Jade were standing together, apparently discussing something when Ford's voice rang out. At the mention of Ed's name, everyone nearby instinctively turned to look.

Ed quickly made his way over. He glanced down at Ford's bandaged arm and asked, "How are you? You alright?"

Ford grinned and replied, "I'm fine, just got bitten a few times by those black-skinned rats. Captain—you were amazing out there!"

Jade and Toronto nodded in agreement. They had originally intended to help with the cleanup, but once people found out they were Ed's teammates, they were repeatedly told to rest instead.

Even when they tried to lend a hand, they were quickly stopped.

With no other option, the three of them could only stay where they were, waiting for Ed to recover and rejoin them.

At that moment, Ed noticed something huddled in a corner of the hall, motionless and curled up.

It was Karot.

His face wrinkled, hair completely white, Karot lay wretchedly on the cold floor. No one had treated his injuries—his wounds had stopped bleeding, but his body continued to tremble.

Sensing Ed's gaze, Toronto spoke quietly beside him:

"Captain, Karot was President Arya's… disciple. And after everything he said to you before, no one wants to help him now. Some even wanted to beat him down—but I stopped them."

Ed gave a small nod. He understood—Toronto had done that to leave the decision in Ed's hands.

Ed slowly walked over and stood in front of Karot.

Karot stared stubbornly at the bloodstained floor beneath him, refusing to look up.

He was a broken man now. His Hunter powers were gone, his once-prized aptitude stripped away. His white hair and aged face made him look like a dying old man.

Ed spoke softly.

"Do you regret it?"

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