In that suffocating vacuum, the entity's eyeless gaze now pierced through Steve's soul.
"I also know who you are, Steve," the entity whispered. Its voice crawled coldly like poison in the young man's ears.
"Your life... is very, very pathetic. You were looked down upon by an entire world, trampled, and you died repeatedly in ignoble despair."
The giant projection before them instantly shifted. It was no longer Unknown's dark past, but a terrifying possible future.
In that projection, Steve saw his own hands covered in blood. Beneath his feet lay Shiro's lifeless body, pulverized by the power of darkness.
"Look at this. You killed your own friend because of that No Name's actions!" the entity barked, its voice thundering and shattering the absolute silence.
"Can you still trust his unstable nature, huh?! Those closest to you could die tragically because of him!"
Steve's eyes widened as he stared at the horrific vision. His breath hitched and his chest felt incredibly tight.
However, slowly, the look of fear on the young man's face faded. The despair in his eyes was replaced by a sharp, burning gaze full of determination. He clenched his fists tightly.
"No... Never!" Steve shouted, his voice echoing against the mental pressure of the vacuum.
He turned toward Unknown, who was still bowed and broken in silence.
"Unknown can change! Everyone can change! He's the one who pulled me out of my suffering and torment!"
Steve looked straight back at the dark entity without a hint of fear.
"Even though he was once so cruel and vile, I know the person he is now... I'm sure he can change!"
A moment of silence. But that silence was broken by an incredibly dense vibration of rage from the entity before them. The vacuum instantly cracked and shook violently.
"Hmm... and here I intended to let you live because we are both victims,"
the creature growled, its voice now boiling with the hatred of billions of shattered souls.
"But you choose to defend him instead... DO YOU KNOW THE PAIN WE FEEL?! JUST DIE ALONG WITH HIM!"
SRIIING!
Their consciousness was pulled back to the real world, forced and rough.
At the bottom of the pulverized crater, Steve's body still lay helpless and completely paralyzed.
The dark entity now towered over him.
With a lethal, lightning-fast movement, it pulled a sword of pure darkness from the empty air and raised it high.
The blade sliced through the wind, plunging down, ready to decapitate Steve.
Death was only an inch away.
Yet, in the split second before the sword pierced the skin of his neck... an incredibly warm and tight embrace wrapped around Steve's body.
"DON'T TOUCH STEVE!!!"
TRAAANG!
Fresh blood splattered into the air, dripping slowly onto Steve's face.
The young man's eyes widened completely.
Above his body, Pulchra stood with her breath gasping.
The white-haired girl, who had been running all this time, had somehow managed to pierce through the enemy's lethal gravitational pressure.
She used her small back and the remnants of her light magic as a final shield.
Pulchra's body trembled violently as she held back the entity's brutal slash, willing to trade her own life to protect her beloved junior.