Welcome to the Game Between Me and the Winner

This is a bizarre and fantastical world. Blood and tears rain from the dark sky, while the ocher ground is cracked like a tortoise shell. Inside an ancient hall, demons and monsters bare their claws all around me, while immortal emperors fill the heavens, threatening the Nine Heavens. I pick up a piece and place it on the board.

"Winner, do you believe that gods exist?"

The old man smiles without answering, then places a piece of his own. I have no choice but to focus on the board. A few drops of sweat trickle down my forehead. At last, I cry, "Checkmate!"

After my defeat, my gaze grows much emptier.

The old man smiles and reaches out, resting his hand on my head. "Am I not a god myself?"