With a chwak sound, red blood splattered across the floor.

Cause of death: penetration wound.

The villain, who had recently been making quite a name for himself, was dead, his head pierced by a stiff wind.

Instant death, his head pierced in one go.

It was a final moment without even a scream.

“…Is this the end?”

And the one who killed him was the Association President, Jin Ha-jeong.

He wiped the blood from his face, looking exhausted with dark circles under his eyes.

He looked far from normal, but no one was there to stop him.

‘It’s been a week today.’

His beloved lover.

It had already been a week since Ha-yeon disappeared.

Some said she had stopped the Godhood and died there.

But he didn’t believe it.

More precisely, he didn’t want to believe it. It was stubbornness. Call it obstinacy if you like.

The moment he thought she had died there, it felt like she would truly be dead.

To avoid such thoughts, he had been throwing himself into work for the past week.

That was why he had directly participated in the operation mission.

Today’s schedule was now over. He asked the cleanup team behind him to take care of the aftermath and immediately returned to the Association.

He needed to wrap things up and go home.

Arriving back at the Association, he saw none other than Jin Na-yeon.

She frowned at Ha-jeong’s still exhausted appearance.

But she also looked a little tired.

It was only natural, considering she had been suffering for a week since that incident… but not as much as Ha-jeong.

“You went again?”

“…Why are you here?”

“Take care of yourself, you’ll die.”

At her words, which seemed half joking and half serious, Ha-jeong paused for a moment, saying nothing.

Neither agreeing nor denying.

After a moment, arriving near the entrance of the Association, he finally spoke.

“I won’t die, I’m only dealing with small fries.”

“You’ll die dealing with those guys? I mean you’ll die mentally.”

As she said, Ha-jeong’s mind was in utter chaos.

Ha-yeon’s absence and the inability to confirm her life or death were taking their toll.

He wouldn’t die, but he was far from normal.

It was because of this situation that Jin Na-yeon, who trusted and relied on her brother, couldn’t help but say those words to him.

“More importantly, where are the others?”

“Most of them have returned to their bases. Only Kaede is left.”

The others, meaning the people who had stopped the Godhood together.

They had already returned to their respective bases.

They had post-processing to do and other matters to attend to, so they couldn’t just stay here.

Besides, Raven and Veronica really needed to return quickly.

They held important positions.

They also believed that Ha-yeon would return.

However, the person who was having the hardest time because of it was undoubtedly Ha-jeong.

Ha-jeong, who wasn’t usually cheerful but had never shown signs of struggling, had never had such a hard time.

His lover, in other words, his other half, had disappeared.

And her life or death was unknown.

His actions were understandable.

Jin Na-yeon knew this, which was why she had come here.

“…You should go in too, Nayeon. You’ve done all you need to do.”

“What are you going to do when I leave?”

“I’ll finish up some things… and go in.”

He had come to go home, but there were still quite a few things he needed to do in the meantime.

If he went home, he would probably only be able to sleep for about three hours.

And after sleeping, the same day would repeat itself.

…Can I endure it?

“…I’ll take care of the cleanup, so you go home.”

“You will?”

“I’m still an S-class Hunter, you know. I’ve done practical work too. Following you.”

He wasn’t questioning her abilities, but at her words, Ha-jeong hesitated for a moment before nodding silently.

He was reaching his limit. His head was throbbing incessantly, probably from lack of sleep.

If this situation continued, he would surely collapse in a few days.

Not that it mattered much.

“Then… thank you. I appreciate your help.”

“Of course.”

With those words, he turned towards home.

For some reason, his feet felt heavy today.

A Fragment of Elena had broken off.

Even though it was a tiny fragment of the soul with diminished power, it had not disappeared because it was the soul that formed the foundation of this vast soul.

That soul had disappeared.

I had now become a complete being as ‘Lee Ha-yeon’.

With the cornerstone of Elena gone, the soul, which had been temporarily unstable, was once again firmly solidified with the steadfast cornerstones of ‘Godhood’ and ‘Lee Ha-yeon’.

Rather, the bond of that soul was becoming even stronger.

The disappearance of her foundation was a strange thing, but that wasn’t what mattered now.

How long has it been?

How long has it been since the battle with Gaia?

I hope it hasn’t been too long.

I had to meet Ha-jeong.

“I need to go quickly…”

The vast expanse of the Dimensional Rift.

Ha-yeon, whose consciousness had awakened, immediately focused on restoring her body.

Even as a Godhood, it was impossible to return from this far away with no power left.

No, rather than impossible, she didn’t know what would happen.

That was why she spent time restoring her strength.

She didn’t know how many days had passed when she had regained enough strength to return.

‘Did the Constellation… leave?’

There was no connection with Hairel.

They were no longer in a relationship of superior and subordinate, but there was simply no response.

It was as if he was no longer of this world.

And as soon as she realized that, Ha-yeon closed her eyes.

One of the most brilliant stars had fallen.

He was the closest person to her and the benefactor of her life, but she didn’t grieve.

He must have been happy at the very end.

After a brief moment of silence, she immediately unleashed her power.

And began to return to Earth, to home, and to her lover.

It was exactly one week since then.

As he approached his house, Ha-jeong felt an indescribable, deep intuition.

It wasn’t bad.

Rather, it was a good feeling, and that feeling was directly connected to his house.

‘More than a feeling… it’s instinct.’

He didn’t understand why he was feeling this way.

But he didn’t want to understand. He felt like the feeling would disappear the moment he understood it.

Without thinking, without saying anything, he simply headed towards his house.

And with each step, the intuition grew stronger.

The intuition became so strong that it made him focus all his attention on it.

He didn’t know why, and he never would.

But this was an opportunity given by the heavens, and an unforgettable act of gratitude.

It was nothing short of divine grace.

Finally, he got out of the car and started running.

Using even mana, quickly.

Faster and faster.

Stormcloud swirled around his body, and his figure became as fast as a storm.

He wondered if he had ever run this fast before.

He probably hadn’t run this fast even in battle.

He arrived home.

“Ha…ha…”

His breath was ragged, probably because he had used his power explosively.

But without stopping, he slowly reached out towards the door of his house.

Beep- The door opened.

Beyond the thick front door, he saw the now familiar building and…

“Ah… you’re here?”

It was his beloved lover.

And it was the lover he had been waiting for.

“Ah….”

Wearing the clothes she always wore, she smiled faintly, as if embarrassed, and greeted him.

And at her appearance, he couldn’t say anything.

She waited for him.

“Why… are you so late?”

The first words that came out were words of resentment.

But they weren’t really words filled with resentment.

Yes, to put it simply, it was a childish tone.

And a slightly reproachful tone.

Ha-yeon replied to his words.

“I was out of strength. I almost died.”

Saying that, Ha-yeon approached him.

There was quite a height difference, but she didn’t care and reached out to stroke his face.

Her eyes were filled with many emotions.

They were deep, and he couldn’t feel anything from her. It was probably because of the difference between her and him.

But she was still her.

That appearance, those eyes, that personality. It was all her.

Nothing had changed.

The moment Ha-jeong thought that, Ha-yeon moved.

Carefully.

And then, she hugged him.

“I’m sorry I was late.”

Ha-jeong, who had been unable to do anything for a moment at her actions, moved his lips several times.

But in the end, he only uttered a simple word and hugged her.

Trying to hide the tears flowing down his face, he said to her in a calm voice.

“Thank you, and I love you.”

“Me too… same here.”

The night grew deep.

It was a night when everything had returned to its place.

Countless stars rise and fall.

Weak stars and powerful stars, in the end, there is an end, so people see their final moments.

The weakest star left behind much.

The most powerful star died in vain.

And so, a new star rose.

A powerful star, but immature and unstable.

But that is why it does not collapse and shines brilliantly.

That star will rise to the top of the night sky.

And will protect this world for countless years.

And.

The small star next to it is the same.

The Sword Demon of the Hunter world.

[End]