The sky was drenched in crimson as blood rained from the heavens.

Ye Qing stood in midair, his long, unkempt black hair dancing wildly with the raging winds. His cold, indifferent eyes reflected nothing but endless darkness. His once pristine black coat was now torn and stained with blood, sticking to his skin as fresh wounds bled endlessly. Two swords pierced through his abdomen, yet he remained standing as if pain no longer existed in his world.

In front of him, his opponent coughed blood, their body split in half from Ye Qing's merciless strike.

"Y-You... what... are you?" The dying enemy's voice trembled with fear as life faded from their eyes.

Ye Qing's lips curved into a faint, almost mocking smile.

"What am I?" His voice was low and hoarse. "I've long forgotten the answer to that question."

With a single kick, he sent the corpse plummeting to the frozen earth below.

The ground beneath was already filled with the corpses of countless beings—humans, monsters, and creatures that couldn't even be described. The once pure white land of Antarctica was now tainted with black blood and shattered bodies.

Ye Qing slowly descended to the ground, his boots crushing the skulls beneath him as he landed. His body screamed in pain from the swords impaling him, but he simply reached down and pulled them out without so much as a flinch.

Drip. Drip.

Blood poured from his wounds, yet he stood tall, gripping his black sword that seemed to devour the very light around it.

A deafening roar echoed in the distance as monstrous creatures crawled out from the frozen cracks of the earth. Their eyes glowed with madness as they charged toward Ye Qing, shaking the very land beneath them.

Ye Qing turned his head slightly and glanced at the endless swarm of abominations rushing toward him. His expression remained cold and lifeless, but deep within his eyes, there was... exhaustion.

"What a drag..." he muttered, lifting his sword lazily. "How did it all come to this...?"

He took a step forward, taking a battle stance as the monsters drew closer.

But in the very next moment...

His mind drifted back.

Back to a distant memory.

Back to where it all began.

Seven years ago.

The faint sound of birds chirping echoed in the air as sunlight poured through the window.

Ye Qing's eyes slowly opened to the familiar ceiling of his small, cozy room.

His peaceful, ordinary life as a librarian was about to begin.

Unaware that fate had already set him on the path...

The path to becoming the darkest existence this world would ever fear.