The Yin-Yang explosion slowly subsided, leaving behind particles of light drifting down like warm snow.
All of Steve's remaining energy was completely drained.
He lost his balance in midair, and together with the dark creature, they plummeted violently, crashing into the shattered ground below.
Steve could only sit there weakly, gasping for breath.
His vision began to blur as he stared at the entity before him, its body now heavily distorted, breaking apart into fragments of light and shadow.
The creature no longer struggled. It looked at its slowly fading hands, then turned its gaze toward Steve with an expression that was difficult to interpret.
"Hmmm… can all beings truly change?" the creature murmured softly, its voice no longer terrifying, but instead filled with deep exhaustion.
A faint smile its very first formed on the entity's face just before its body completely shattered and vanished from this world, taking all of its ancient despair with it.
Steve collapsed onto the cold ground.
Every muscle in his body was stiff; he couldn't move a single finger, yet his consciousness remained intact.
He stared at the evening sky as its colors slowly emerged, letting out a long breath of relief.
Not long after, hurried footsteps broke the silence.
Shizuku and Gaki arrived with expressions of pure panic.
They quickly lifted Steve's battered body and carried him back to The Great Hunter headquarters for emergency treatment.
The sharp scent of medicine filled Steve's nose as he slowly opened his eyes.
His vision caught the ceiling of a TGH hospital room.
"S-Steve… Hwaaaa! You're finally awake!"
Gaki, who had been sitting beside the bed, burst into tears.
His face was swollen from crying for so long.
Steve gave a faint smile, forcing his bandaged hand to gently pat Gaki's head, trying to calm his friend.
"I'm… not dead, Gaki. Relax," Steve whispered hoarsely.
His eyes immediately searched for someone else. "Shizuku… how is Pulchra?"
Shizuku, standing in the corner of the room, let out a breath of relief.
"She's receiving intensive care in the next room, Steve. Normally, Hunters who respawn recover instantly.but it seems the wound from that strange creature's sword carried a curse that disrupted her recovery system. It'll take time, but she's already passed the critical phase."
Steve placed a hand over his chest, relieved. A burden as heavy as a mountain had just been lifted from his shoulders.
That afternoon, golden-orange sunlight streamed through the hospital window.
Inside Steve's mind, a very familiar voice suddenly echoed but this time, it sounded unusually calm.
(Steve… could you give me a moment to step outside?) Unknown asked.
Steve didn't question it.
He forced his body to rise and slowly walked toward the balcony of the TGH headquarters, which faced the setting sun.
The evening breeze brushed gently against his face.
"I'll grant your request. Go ahead," Steve said quietly. "OPEN."
But instead of taking over Steve's consciousness as usual, something unexpected happened.
A massive amount of Pure Darkness aura suddenly flowed out of Steve's body, condensing into the empty air beside him.
Steve's eyes widened in shock.
Unknown swiftly wove that pure dark energy, forming a new physical vessel a humanoid body.
In an instant, the entity's soul completely left Steve's body and transferred into the new form.
"Hah… What are you doing, Unknown?!" Steve asked in disbelief, feeling the space within his soul now completely empty and silent.
The humanoid figure wrapped in a cloak of darkness turned to face Steve.
Its red eyes no longer radiated arrogance, but an unfamiliar sense of peace.
"I have committed far too many sins," Unknown replied slowly, his voice solemn yet melancholic.
"I've only just come to truly realize it. That punishment and reflection earlier… opened my eyes. I want to try atoning for my life by exploring this world on my own."
Unknown tightened the shadow cloak around his body, then bowed slightly toward the young man who had once been his vessel.
"Thank you, Steve… for everything."
Steve stood in silence for a moment, letting the evening wind sway his hair.
A sincere smile formed on his face. He knew that the partner who had accompanied him all this time had finally found his own path.
"In that case… alright," Steve said firmly, looking straight into the entity's eyes. "I won't stop you. Besides, I've already grown much stronger thanks to you."
Steve took a deep breath, embracing this historic moment of farewell.
"Goodbye… No Name."
"Heh…" The entity let out a soft chuckle, pleased to hear his original name spoken with respect instead of mockery.
No Name's body slowly rose into the air. He turned around and shot toward the setting sun.
His dark silhouette grew smaller and smaller, until it completely vanished, blending into the warm orange glow of the horizon.
Leaving Steve standing on the balcony, smiling as he welcomed a new chapter of his life.