The one-eyed man's strike was aimed with lethal intent—he wanted nothing less than Ed's death.

After standing there for so long, Ed finally made his move. He had come up with a plan.

It wasn't anything particularly brilliant; the hard truth was that his physical strength couldn't match the one-eyed man's. The only thing Ed had left that could create a change in the situation was one item.

"Ha!" Facing the one-eyed man's sword thrust, Ed reached out and drew the black bell from his pocket.

He shook it violently in his hand.

A certain awareness in his mind told him how to use the black bell, and instantly, a low and eerie bell sound began to ring in the air.

"Cling, cling, cling, cling—"

Ed had heard many bells, some of them clear and sharp, but the sound of the black bell was different. It was heavy, like the tolling of a large bell.

Even the act of shaking it was laborious, requiring all of Ed's strength to make it ring!

Ed knew that, in terms of swordsmanship, he could hold his ground against the one-eyed man, but the problem was the vast difference in their physical capabilities.

The stronger a Hunter becomes, the greater the gap in strength. Not to mention, One-Eye must have been a Medium Quality Silver Rank Hunter for a long time, with even more battle experience.

At best, Ed could barely see the movements, but his body couldn't keep up with the speed. Reaching for the black bell was his last-ditch effort. If this high-level spiritual treasure didn't work, then Ed's only outcome would be one of certain death.

Fortunately, as soon as the black bell rang, the surrounding air began to twist with a strange black energy.

Soon, tangible ghosts appeared around Ed, their forms resembling souls of the dead. There were many of them—at least seven or eight.

Under the influence of the black bell, which had recognized Ed as its master, these spirits automatically moved to block the one-eyed man's strike. Even though the spirits were normally intangible, at this moment, they stopped the one-eyed man's sword mid-swing!

Crash! Crash!!

The sound of metal colliding with stone echoed through the air, as the stone shattered under the force.

The seven or eight spirits, like broken porcelain, exploded into pieces mid-air as the sword struck them—one after another, they shattered!

The spirits were disintegrated! Their agonizing wails filled the air!

Ed's scalp tingled in fear, but at that moment, he couldn't stop shaking the black bell in his hand.

"It seems that this high-level spiritual treasure's evil power can indeed protect me!" he thought.

Finally, the last of the seven or eight spirits was pierced by the sword, and only the last spirit remained standing between Ed and the one-eyed man. The steel sword finally stopped in its tracks!

The one-eyed man immediately furrowed his brow, his heart filled with astonishment. "A high-level spiritual treasure, how could you have this in your possession?"

He clearly hadn't expected that after he thrust his sword, Ed would still be standing, nor had he anticipated the appearance of the high-level spiritual treasure.

"Ed, did you really kill the ghost spirit!?"

"Such a precious high-level spiritual treasure, it's a waste for you to use it! Fine, once I kill you, this treasure will be mine!"

The one-eyed man snorted coldly, quickly gathering his strength to prepare for a second strike. The only thing still blocking Ed was the last spirit in front of him, which appeared to be incredibly weak.

This second strike would, without a doubt, pierce through Ed's entire body!

Ed's nerves instantly tightened, the pressure almost unbearable.

"No, I can't let this happen. The high-level spiritual treasure must save me! I have to make it unleash its full power!" He exerted every ounce of his strength to shake the bell.

The seemingly insignificant black bell in his hand now felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Since becoming a Hunter, Ed had rarely encountered anything that could be called "physical labor," but this was definitely one of those times.

To make the heavy black bell shake, Ed was drenched in sweat, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Cling cling cling—

As the ringing continued without stopping, the surrounding air began to swirl with even darker souls.

The next moment, in addition to the countless small spirits, three extremely dark and ominous soul figures appeared.

"Huh?"

When Ed saw the true forms of these three souls, his expression changed drastically.

The two souls on the sides were unmistakably familiar—one had a scar from a sword wound on his face. It was Brown. The other was Brian!

And the central figure, the largest soul, was a B-grade ghost spirit!

"Roar!!"

The three black spirits roared in unison. Meanwhile, the smaller spirits lined up again, blocking the one-eyed man's second sword strike.

In the end, after another eight spirits were shattered, the second strike was stopped. The three black souls then charged forward.

Brown, Brian, and the ghost spirit all lunged at the one-eyed man, their mouths wide open, ready to devour him!

"What!?" The one-eyed man was completely stunned, his heart trembling with shock as he looked at the two human spirits in front of him.

Even though they were summoned by the black bell and their faces had become twisted, ugly, and dark, frozen in the pain and hatred they felt before dying, the one-eyed man still recognized them instantly.

These had once been his disciples.

To see his former disciples, now transformed into ghosts, attacking him like this was beyond eerie for the one-eyed man!

"Is this the power of a high-level spiritual treasure?"

For a rare artifact like the high-level spiritual treasure, even as a Silver-tier Hunter, the one-eyed man knew far too little about it.

He had never owned a high-level spiritual treasure before, and the strange abilities displayed by the black bell surpassed his understanding.

However, as an experienced and decisive Hunter, he wouldn't show mercy just because the person in front of him resembled his former disciples.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the one-eyed man immediately swung his sword again, this time fiercely slashing at Brown and Brian's spirits, as well as the ghost spirit's soul!

"Roar!!"

The three black souls opened their mouths wide, revealing sharp, blade-like fangs arranged in their jaws.

Unlike the smaller spirits, these three souls weren't fragile enough to break from a single touch. They all opened their mouths and clamped down on the one-eyed man's steel sword, struggling to hold it back!

"Damn it! Just relying on these three souls doesn't seem like it will hold up!" Ed panicked, realizing that if this continued, all the spirits he had summoned would eventually be destroyed by the one-eyed man!

Meanwhile, Thomas, who was standing a few dozen meters away, was completely stunned by what he was seeing. Fortunately, the recording stone here was being affected by the darkness of the evening.

Otherwise, if the scene were broadcast to the civilians of Dorey City, many of them would be scared out of their wits.

To Thomas, Ed looked like a Necromancer, commanding the dead and the spirits to fight for him.

What shocked Thomas the most was that Ed was actually able to fight against a Silver-tier Hunter like the one-eyed man!

Ed continued desperately shaking the black bell, his hands completely numb from exhaustion, nearly losing all sensation. It was too heavy, too tiring!

But he didn't stop. He kept shaking with all his strength.

Cling cling cling!!

"This black bell, hasn't it absorbed countless monster spirits over the decades in Nightmare Wasteland?"

"Release them all and help me fight!" Ed thought to himself.

But strangely, after the three souls of Brown, Brian, and the ghost spirit appeared, no new spirits emerged no matter how hard he shook the bell!

Seeing his efforts turn to hopelessness, Ed had no choice but to give up. "This black bell can't be relied on completely!"

He grabbed the sword that had been coated with sword oil and, after using all of the black bell's power, realized that defeating the one-eyed man was still far from certain.

From here on, it would still have to rely on Ed himself!

"Let's do this! Kill!" Ed grunted, still shaking the bell with one hand while gripping his sword tightly with the other. With quick steps, he charged toward the one-eyed man!

In front of him, the three souls were still desperately holding onto the one-eyed man's sword. The remaining smaller spirits, now that there was no threat, charged forward, biting and tearing at him!

Some of the smaller spirits could only bite into the one-eyed man's armor, unable to cause any real harm. But others managed to sink their teeth into his flesh.

With a sharp tear, they pulled away chunks of his flesh!

The one-eyed man, thoroughly annoyed by the entanglement, instantly grew furious, his eyes burning with rage:

"A bunch of annoying pests, die already!"

"Spirit Thunder Seal!"

He shouted loudly, and within seconds, his fingers made a series of rapid, strange gestures.

The next moment, a piercing, crackling sound of electricity filled the air!

Zzzzzzz!!

Blue lightning tinged with purple light suddenly erupted in front of the one-eyed man. As the electric currents roared, they unleashed an overwhelming force.

In an instant, all the spirits around him were torn apart like balloons, and Brown and Brian's souls couldn't withstand the blast, exploding in an instant!

Even the grass beneath his feet was scorched to ash by the terrifying wave of lightning, leaving nothing but a charred wasteland!

"Oh my god, the... the seal! The seal of a Silver-tier Hunter!" Thomas exclaimed, his face turning pale. He nearly lost his balance at the sight!

Surrounded by endless lightning, the one-eyed man looked like a god of thunder. Only a Silver-tier Hunter could use such a powerful seal!

If that lightning had struck Thomas, he would have instantly been turned to ash, with nothing left of him!

Ed, too, was stunned by this display, his face changing as he watched. Fortunately, once the seal had wiped out all the surrounding spirits, it dissipated!

"Clearly, the one-eyed man was forced to use this after being pushed to his limits by the spirits. It looks like the high-level spiritual treasure really did a great job!" Ed thought to himself.

However, even after the lightning had obliterated most of the spirits, Ed didn't stop shaking the black bell in his hand!

This was because, even though Brown, Brian, and the other spirits had been destroyed, one soul remained—the B-grade ghost spirit!

Despite being severely wounded, the massive black ghost spirit was still attacking the one-eyed man!

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