A towering mountain rose high into the sky, standing firm amidst the world. Its peak was shrouded in snow, but the heavy snowfall made it impossible to see what was happening atop it.
Dusk Vale stood resolutely on the mountain's peak, a figure of both pride and solitude. There was no one beside him, and perhaps, there never would be. In his life, no one could ever truly stand by his side.
His black robe was torn and ragged, no longer resembling a garment but more like a piece of tattered cloth.
His hair was a wild mess, his face covered in blood, and hidden beneath the shredded fabric were hundreds of wounds, each more severe than the last. Drops of blood fell relentlessly, staining the snow beneath him, creating a deep red patch that stood in stark contrast to the pure white around him.
His body trembled, but his gaze was sharp and piercing, as if he had already seen through the very fabric of existence. As he looked around, he saw a group of masked figures surrounding him from all sides.
"Dusk, did you ever think this day would come when you committed your evil deeds? It's time for you to pay for the sins you've caused."
"Do you remember when you destroyed my clan? Did you ever think that one day, I would be the one to end your life?"
"You've committed countless atrocities. Today, I am here to act as heaven's justice. I will kill you so that the world knows justice still exists."
"We, the righteous, have gathered here today to eradicate you, the great demon. I advise you to surrender and die peacefully."
"I will take your heart, filled with guilt, as the final act of your life to atone for your wrongdoings."
The corner of Dusk's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
"Dusk, what's so funny? Do you think what we're doing is a joke? Or do you truly believe your past is nothing but a mere joke?"
Dusk glanced at the one who spoke, his face showing clear disdain.
"You all, self-proclaimed righteous heroes, the ones who think of yourselves as pure and noble, isn't your ultimate goal simply to take my heart? As people of the righteous path, if you hunt and kill others without reason, you tarnish your own image. But if it's the hunting of a demon who has committed countless atrocities, then it's no problem, right?
In my life, I've done countless good deeds, but I've committed my fair share of wrongs as well. You only focus on the bad I've done and call me a demon. What is the goal here? Isn't your true intention just to paint me as the ultimate villain so that you can take away everything I've achieved in this life with righteousness on your side?
You claim to be righteous heroes, but why wear masks? Why act secretly, as if you fear being exposed for who you really are?"
Many questions were thrown out, but the masked figures did not respond. They only looked at Dusk with contempt, as though he were a small insect struggling in vain.
Dusk sneered coldly, his head rising to the sky, his expression filled with madness.
"Ha ha ha ha! Actually, I should thank you all. Thanks to you, I finally understand myself better. You want everything I've achieved in my life, do you? Come and take it if you're so brave!"
The moment his words ended, an overwhelming aura erupted from Dusk, like the final struggle before death.
He knew he was going to die, so he used a deadly technique he had inadvertently created in the past to give himself a final chance.
The masked figures remained still in midair, none of them daring to rush forward at that moment.
Though in their eyes, Dusk was as good as a candle burning out, they didn't dare to underestimate him. What if he had a hidden trump card? If he did, they wouldn't be the fools walking straight into death.
"Ha ha ha ha! No one dares to step forward? Then farewell, you scoundrels!"
'What is justice? What is evil? If given a second chance, I would no longer care about the opinions of others and only seek immortality.'
The final thought that flashed in his mind was the same moment his body began to swell. A massive explosion tore through the mountain peak, blood-red devastation spreading for miles around. Plants, animals, and the masked figures who weren't strong enough could not escape the carnage.
...
This world, from time immemorial, long before it transformed into the form it now has, was home to stories about a river.
A river with no clear beginning or end, but one that the gods could stand beside and see both the past and the future.
This river was called the River of Time, one of the forces that upheld the world. Of course, this was just a folk legend, and no one truly believed in it.
But now, Dusk felt that he still had awareness and was in a place that resembled the very legends he'd heard of.
He turned his head and looked around, only to find that ahead of him was a vast nothingness, unable to make out anything at all, while behind him lay the three hundred years of his turbulent life.
'Am I… Am I not dead?'
The thought barely formed in his mind before he dismissed it. He was now in this strange river, unable to move forward or backward—how could he still be alive?
With nothing else to do, he began replaying the events of his life, the three hundred years he'd spent in this world, two hundred of which were shrouded in confusion, not knowing why he continued, and one hundred in pursuit of a goal that kept him going.
Everything quickly passed through his mind, and he felt an overwhelming rush of emotions that words could not fully express.
"Could this be the River of Time from the legends? Does such a thing… really exist?" Dusk muttered, still in awe, as he took in the surroundings.
[The Ultimate Villain System is connecting… 1%... 10%... 50%... 100%... Connection complete.]
Dusk froze. He felt the term "system" wasn't entirely unfamiliar, though he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.
Three hundred years of memories were vast, and many things had long since faded from his mind. Fortunately, since he was in the River of Time, he could revisit anything whenever he wanted.
"System, what is your function?" After understanding what the system was, he spoke up.
[My function is to assist the master on the path to becoming the greatest villain.]