Hunter of the Dark Lands

The world was silent.

No, not the kind of silence that brought peace, but the kind that followed absolute devastation, the kind that settled after the world had been destroyed.

An old man, named Ray Skylark stood in the middle of it all, his body wrecked, his breath ragged, his sword broken in half, and his left hand missing. Blood dripped from his open wounds, staining the ground beneath him. His once-white hair was soaked red.

What used to be a city was now destroyed beyond recognition. What remained was a wasteland of shattered skyscrapers, bloodstained rubble, and lifeless bodies.

More than fifty of the world's strongest hunters, humanity's last hope, now lay dead around him.

And now, only two remained...

-COUGH!

A wet cough broke the silence.

Ray turned to his right.

Lying on the cracked ground was Dane Xavier. His great axe lay beside him, half of his body missing. Blood pooled around his remaining body, soaking into the ruined earth.

Beyond them, the corpse of the Nine-Tailed World Demon, Tianhu, the greatest monster the world had ever witnessed, lay in a heap of severed limbs. The monster's white fur was stained with golden blood, its once-mighty tails now severed and lifeless.

Even in death, it looked like a beast that could shatter worlds.

They had won.

But there was no victory in Ray's eyes.

Only silence.

"Old man..." Dane's lips curled into a weak smile. "W-We did it, huh?"

Ray, like a broken doll, walked towards Dane and sat beside him with a painful grimace, his remaining shoulder sagging.

"Yeah... We fcking did."

A bitter chuckle left Dane's cracked lips. "Too bad… there's no one left to celebrate."

Ray didn't respond. What was there to say? Fifty-eight of the strongest hunters had fought here. An SS-rank, S-ranks, legends, wiped out, one by one.

The wind carried the scent of blood through the air. The sky, once burning with battle, had darkened as the sun set behind the ruins.

-Cough! Cough!...

Dane coughed again, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. But his eyes, clouded with death, held something Ray hadn't seen in a long time.

Peace.

"When I first awakened as a hunter" Dane murmured. "I dreamed of being a hero… Heh, like in those old movies. Thought I could protect people… be more than just some weakling nobody."

Ray gripped Dane's remaining arm, silent.

Dane chuckled weakly. "I used to dream about this. Fighting side by side with top hunters like you and Daniel… standing at the top with you guys—Cough!... Now look at us. I'm dying, you're barely standing…" He forced a small smile. "At least we saved what was left of humanity."

Ray clenched his fist.

Sixty-seven years of hardship. Of pain. Of loss. He had fought his way to power with nothing but a single Space-type skill, [Blink], and a sword art forged in blood.

He had fallen a hundred times but always stood back up.

But this... this was an ending he had never prepared for.

Dane's breathing slowed. His grip weakened.

"...Ray."

Ray swallowed hard. "Yeah?"

Dane's lips twitched. "See you… in the next life, old man." His breath became slower and slower, "... Wish I had a cigarette..."

Then, his body went still.

The warmth in Ray's hand faded.

Another comrade has gone. Another death.

And now, he was alone.

For the first time in decades, Ray let out a shaky breath. His vision blurred, not from pain, but from something else...

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Then—

'huh?'

A shift.

Subtle at first, like a distant whisper. A wrongness in the air, creeping closer, suffocating.

-?!!

Ray's instincts screamed. Even with his body broken, his muscles tensed.

The silence of death was replaced by something heavier. A presence so vast, so suffocating, that the entire world seemed to shrink under its weight.

Ray's breath hitched.

Then—

-VROOOOMMMM!!

The sky split open.

A swirling vortex of violent red erupted in the heavens, warping reality itself. The portal churned like a bleeding wound in the sky, cracking with an unnatural energy. The very air trembled.

-?!!

Ray couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

Even Tianhu's lifeless corpse twitched, as if recoiling even in death from what was about to emerge.

And through the crimson portal, he arrived.

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.

.

A man, or something that merely looked like one, hovered above the battlefield.

Gravity bent to his will.

Long, blood-red hair cascaded down his back, shifting like molten fire. His golden eyes gleamed like twin suns, burning with an arrogance beyond human comprehension.

He had an extremely attractive, smooth, and flawless face without any signs of even a scratch. He was clad in deep crimson robes, embroidered with intricate golden patterns that pulsed with an aura of terrifying authority.

Ray's instincts screamed.

This wasn't human.

This wasn't a monster.

This was something far, far worse.

The being's gaze swept over the battlefield. His expression remained unreadable.

Then, his golden eyes settled on Tianhu's corpse.

-?!

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. But in the next second, disappointment.

"I am surprised."

His voice rumbled through the ruins, smooth yet thunderous.

"How in the heavens did you insects even manage to… kill one of my favorite pets?..."

He paused...

Then, understanding flashed across his face.

"Ahh… I see." A slow chuckle escaped his lips. "It's their doing, isn't it?"

"heh! Hahahaha!!" He laughed, a deep, rolling sound that sent a chill through Ray's bones.

"Fools. Frogs in a well could never comprehend how high is Mount Tai."

Ray's eyes were wide open, face covered in sweat, and his remaining hand trembled. Not from pain. But from something he hadn't felt in decades.

Fear.

He was in disbelief.

What in the world is this?

That thing was speaking in a different language, yet, Ray understood it. As if reality itself had translated its words into his mind.

This being… this thing… was beyond anything Ray had ever seen. A presence, so overwhelming, that even Daniel Roynar, the world's most powerful, the one and only, titled, the SS-rank hunter pales in comparison.

He can't even compare Daniel with this monster. Even if Daniel hadn't died in the Tianhu battle, he could've done nothing to this red-haired freak of nature!

The crimson-haired man sighed, shaking his head. "Well, it doesn't matter. Since they're all dead anyway."

Then, he turned his gaze toward Ray.

Their eyes met.

And in that moment, Ray knew.

He was nothing.

The being's expression softened into something almost kind. A smile spread across his lips, gentle yet utterly terrifying.

"Rejoice, insect."

His voice was smooth, almost soothing.

"Your one and only true God has descended upon this lowly, mortal world."

A chill crawled up Ray's spine.

The being continued, voice calm yet filled with an unspeakable cruelty.

"My purpose is simple, to correct the filth of this world. Your kind will serve us, "Immortals" for eternity."

His golden eyes glowed with amusement.

"Males will be refined into pills. And your females… will aid our young ones in Dual Cultivation."

Ray's blood turned ice cold.

"What a happy occasion, your useless parasitic lives would be useful to something~. Hahaha!!" The man laughed. A deep, rumbling sound of absolute power.

Dane was already gone. He had accepted death.

But Ray?

Ray's fear faded.

Rage took its place.

A slow, burning fury cut through his veins like molten steel. His eyes turned into slits, a dangerous glint in them full of killing intent.

"Hoh?"

Even after sensing so much killing intent, the man just whistled, completely brushing off the force, that can overwhelm anyone on earth at this moment.

Ray's fingers barely moved. His dying body was shattered.

But he still raised his arm.

The crimson-haired man arched an eyebrow.

Ray lifted a trembling hand… and...

Extended his middle finger.

A final act of defiance.

"Go fuck yourself."

Silence...

The man's golden eyes widened. His expression cracked for the first time.

A vein bulged across his forehead. His overwhelming aura surged, warping the air, ready to shatter the earth itself.

Then, he exhaled.

His smile returned.

He chuckled. "How amusing… Foolish bug."

His voice was filled with mockery.

"Congratulations… You have succeeded in courting Death."

Then—

He slowly raised a single finger.

-KHRREEEKKHHH!!

And the sky split open.

An overwhelming force crushed down upon Ray. The ruins around him disintegrated into dust. His body refused to move.

The red-haired freak smiled. "This is the correction."

Then, he whispered two words.

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"[Heavenly Separation]"

Ray never saw what happened next.

The world turned white.

And Ray Skylark, humanity's third strongest hunter, was erased from existence...

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