The sudden voice of the woman immediately captured everyone's attention. Especially upon hearing the word "Empire," the powerful vampire and werewolf couldn't help but show a fleeting expression of fear.

They exchanged a quiet glance, realizing that the most powerful opponent, the broken corpse, had already been reduced to pieces. Now, only the two of them remained, and they were unable to reverse the situation.

They figured that since everyone's attention was now on the Empire's princess, they could quietly slip away and perhaps still have a chance to survive.

However, just as the vampire and werewolf moved slightly, a cold, murderous gaze landed on them. The gaze was chilling and filled with intent to kill.

They saw the princess of the Empire, who had spoken earlier, walking slowly toward them. Dressed in a blue gown, she was tall and her expression cold, as if she were made of ice that had not melted for ten thousand years.

She exuded not only a noble aura but also an indescribable chill.

The princess walked up to Ed, slightly crouched, and performed an ancient bow. Then, she spoke:

"Prophet of the Oracle, the one who can save everything, Lord Ed. I am Sophia Holden, Princess of the Human Empire."

"You can just call me Sophia."

At this, Evan Morton and Amelia's eyes widened in shock. They were stunned. They had seen Princess Sophia from the Empire before, but only from a distance.

Holy City, compared to the entire Human Empire, was just a small region, and Amelia's status and position were nothing compared to those of the true aristocrats in the imperial capital.

Even those noble families of the Empire didn't have the privilege to interact closely with Princess Sophia, let alone address her by her first name.

At that moment, the vampire and werewolf, who had been overlooked by everyone else, suddenly sprang into action.

They knew that if they did nothing, they would have no chance of surviving against the combined attacks of Ed, Evan Morton, and Amelia.

Though Princess Sophia's gaze had made them uncomfortable, they couldn't deny that her appearance gave them a glimmer of hope for survival.

If they could seize the opportunity to capture Sophia, they were certain they could escape.

With this thought, the vampire and werewolf moved without hesitation, rushing toward the spot where Sophia stood. Their movements quickly attracted the attention of others.

Evan Morton's expression changed. He quickly gripped his longsword, intent on stopping the vampire and werewolf.

Amelia, as the ruler of Holy City, looked extremely tense and worried. If something were to happen to Princess Sophia in Holy City, the wrath of the Emperor would be something no one could withstand!

Amelia's longbow had already shattered, but even without a suitable weapon in her hands, she didn't hesitate for a moment. She was prepared to protect Princess Sophia at any cost.

Sophia, the target and potential breakthrough for the vampire and werewolf, showed no change in her expression. She merely glanced at the vampire and werewolf with the corner of her eye before softly chanting some kind of mysterious incantation.

In an instant, a bone-chilling coldness filled the air, and deep blue ice began to form on the vampire and werewolf, quickly encasing them and transforming them into ice sculptures in the blink of an eye.

This scene stunned everyone present, even Ed glanced at Sophia with renewed interest.

Under Ed's gaze, Sophia, with an icy expression, walked up to the ice sculptures of the vampire and werewolf. She extended a finger as white as jade and gently tapped twice. The sound of cracking ice filled the air.

The vampire and werewolf, who had been such a nuisance to Evan Morton and Amelia, were instantly reduced to shattered ice fragments, scattered across the ground.

One of the ice chunks, containing a blood-red eye, rolled to Ed's feet.

Ed looked down at the vampire's eye, which was filled with shock and fear. He took a deep breath, slowly looked up, and asked Princess Sophia:

"Do you… know me? And the so-called 'prophet of the oracle'—is that me?"

Sophia noticed the confusion in Ed's eyes. Her cold face softened slightly, and she nodded, replying:

"Yes, it is you. This was told to me directly by the great god."

The god?

Ed's confusion deepened. However, there were many other Hunters around, and some questions would be inappropriate to ask right now.

Such as, which god exactly? And why did they say I can save everything?

And why did you stop me from absorbing the Delphilis fragments earlier?

Sophia, sensing Ed's confusion, glanced at the people around her and offered a brief explanation:

"Lord Ed, if you were to absorb these fragments, it would affect your heart."

"With only one Delphilis Eye, the effects are negligible and won't cause any major issues, but more than that would be harmful."

"I will explain everything to you later, in person. If you have any questions or doubts, you can ask me."

Ed nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on the floating Delphilis fragments around him. He walked slowly over to where Finniel Morton stood.

Thanks to absorbing the Specters, the Moonlit Frost Poisonous Mist inside him had disappeared, resolving the potential danger. However, a greater problem had emerged.

Ed glanced at Sophia, who had once again assumed her cold expression. He had a sense of foreboding in his heart, thinking that it wouldn't be long before he would uncover the secrets surrounding him and the truth about this world.

Sophia, with her icy demeanor, slightly raised her chin and slowly walked toward Amelia. She didn't speak but silently stared at her.

Amelia took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and, following the etiquette of the Human Empire, bowed to Princess Sophia, lowering her head as she said, "I greet you, Your Highness."

The other Hunters, including Evan Morton and Finniel, followed Amelia's lead, saying in unison, "I greet you, Your Highness."

Among the crowd, only Ed stood silently, motionless. Sophia glanced at Ed, silently signaling for him not to follow the others.

Then, she coldly addressed the kneeling group, "Alright, rise."

Amelia and Evan Morton stood up, followed by the others.

Perhaps it was because Holy City had been attacked—if Ed hadn't appeared, they would have lost all hope of resisting. As the ruler of Holy City, Amelia's status and prestige were high within the city. However, compared to Princess Sophia of the Human Empire, Amelia had now been reduced to an ordinary person. She felt uneasy, worried that what had just happened might displease the princess.

Amelia spoke in a soft voice, "Your Highness, the monsters from the Moon Worship Sect launched an attack on Holy City, but no significant damage was caused. With Ed's help..."

When Amelia mentioned Ed, she could keenly sense Sophia's gaze turning cold.

Beside her, Evan Morton immediately added, "Yes, with Lord Ed's help, not only did we survive this crisis, but we also completely eradicated the Giant Hound Soth from the sealed land."

Upon hearing Evan Morton refer to Ed as "Lord Ed," Amelia's mind involuntarily recalled how she had seen Ed earlier, when she had treated him as just an ordinary Hunter, without giving him any significant attention.

She hadn't expected that in such a short time, Ed would go from a mid-tier Silver Hunter to a mid-tier Sun Hunter, and that even the noble Princess Sophia of the Human Empire would lower herself to address Ed as "Lord."

This made Amelia feel as though she were in a dream. But facing Princess Sophia's cold gaze, she had no choice but to say:

"Yes, with Lord Ed's help, we resolved the crisis."

Sophia nodded coolly. "My purpose here is solely for Lord Ed. As for Holy City... you can handle matters there as you see fit."

Amelia and Evan Morton breathed a sigh of relief. They followed behind Sophia and began walking toward Ed.

When Sophia reached Ed's side, she slightly lowered her head and, with a gentle tone, said:

"Lord Ed, I will collect those Delphilis fragments and temporarily keep them for you."

"You can leave here now. I have some things I want to discuss with you."

Ed looked at Sophia, feeling a bit uneasy. He nodded, not quite used to her behavior, especially given her incredibly high status. As the Princess of the Human Empire, Sophia was arguably the second most important person in the Empire, only below the Emperor himself.

For someone of her status to treat him so humbly was something Ed was not accustomed to.

What was especially strange was that Sophia had moved behind him, standing in front of Finniel, motionless, clearly waiting for Ed to make the first move before she would follow him.

Ed tried to maintain his vigilance in his heart. This situation was far beyond what he had anticipated, and he felt there might be a serious issue lurking beneath the surface. He couldn't let his guard down—he had to remain clear-headed.

Ed slowly began walking toward the exit, with Princess Sophia following behind him, almost like a servant.

Meanwhile, Holy City's ruler, Amelia, Sun Level Hunter Evan Morton, and Finniel followed behind.

The group left the underground space.

Once they reached the surface, Ed found an empty corner. Looking back at Sophia, he asked seriously:

"What exactly do you know?"

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