Kingdom Building Game: Starting Out With A Million Upgrade Points! - Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Arrogance And Ashes Part Three
What Abaddon saw next was a sight that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Abaddon had seen many things in his long existence. He had witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the corruption of entire nations, and the depths to which the souls of mortals could sink.

But what he saw now, in the face of the man standing before him, was something unlike anything he had ever encountered.

He had only ever seen such a twisted, malevolent expression on the faces of creatures of darkness, on the beings who reveled in destruction, who fed on the misery of others.

His enemies, his kin—the fallen, the damned, the wretched things that crawled out of the abyss—these were the ones who wore such expressions.

And even then, it was rare to see one so pure, so unfiltered in its malevolence.

But now, this mortal, this human… Arkanos… was wearing that same expression.

Abaddon couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going on in Arkanos’s mind.

Was he enjoying this?

Was this some twisted form of entertainment for him?

Did the suffering of others—his suffering—bring him such joy?

The thought unsettled him, gnawing at his insides like an insidious parasite.

He gritted his teeth and stared at Arkanos, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

“You know,” Arkanos said suddenly spoke, “I read this book once. In one of pages, it said, ‘If you seek to destroy darkness, use light. But if you seek to dominate darkness, you need to use greater darkness.'”

He crouched slightly, his gaze boring into Abaddon like a predator sizing up prey.

“Abaddon, you are undoubtedly an evil creature. That much is clear. So, it stands to reason you would never truly take the words of a mortal seriously. And while you’ve shown me some level of respect, I know it’s not because you see me as your superior. No, it’s because you’ve acknowledged me as a partner, not your lord.”

Abaddon chuckled weakly. His eyes gleamed with defiance as he said, “So what? Did your fragile ego get damaged because—”

THUD

Before he could finish, Arkanos moved. His hand lashed out, gripping Abaddon by his hair. In one swift motion, he slammed Abaddon’s face into the mud with a sickening splat.

The impact vibrated through the ground, and Abaddon’s body trembled under the sheer force.

“You don’t interrupt me,” Arkanos said coldly.

He held Abaddon down for a moment, making sure the humiliation sunk in before slowly releasing his grip.

Straightening himself, Arkanos adjusted his coat as though the entire act had been nothing more than an inconvenience.

“Now, where was I? Ah, yes.”

“Normally, pledging one’s loyalty would be enough. But for a creature like you, loyalty is a hollow concept, isn’t it? Long abandoned, like morals or virtues. Such things mean nothing to you.”

Abaddon remained on all fours, his fingers digging into the earth as he resisted the urge to lash out. But his pride, his defiance, wouldn’t allow him to stay silent.

He snarled low, but before he could raise his head to speak again, Arkanos’s boot pressed lightly against his head, pinning him in place.

“But I do know what matters to you,” Arkanos continued.

“Your feelings. Your emotions. You may never stay true to me out of loyalty, but you will if it means staying true to yourself. That is why,” he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that carried an edge sharper than any blade,

“to dominate darkness like yours, I must show you that I am capable of greater darkness… I must make you fear me.”

The rain seemed to freeze in midair as the words hung between them. Slowly, Arkanos reached down and grabbed Abaddon’s hair again, yanking his head upward to reveal his mud-covered face. The once-proud fallen being looked up at him, rage in his eyes, but beneath that, there was something else—something that hadn’t been there before. A look of uncertainty.

“I’m certain,” Arkanos said, “that when I said I would kill you if you betrayed me back at the Cathedral, and you realized I didn’t lie to you, you were afraid. Oh, but it was fleeting, I’m sure. You convinced yourself that as long as you discerned the source of my strength—what allows me to trample you—then you’d have nothing to fear.”

Abaddon’s jaw tightened, his thoughts raging.

“That’s why you wanted one more chance to verify,” Arkanos said, his smirk widening.

“That’s why you fed me that little lie back in the strategy room. You wanted me to use… Whatever this power was… again so you could analyze it. Am I right?”

Abaddon’s eyes widened slightly, his lips parting as though to deny it, but the words didn’t come. Instead, he growled, “How did you—?”

Arkanos chuckled. “Are you actually surprised?” He stepped back, allowing Abaddon to kneel upright once more. “Then I guess not all mortals are as foolish as you think.”

Abaddon gritted his teeth, his hands balling into fists as he snarled, “You know what? Let us say these words of yours were even remotely true. Now what?”

Arkanos smiled, his teeth glinting in the dim light. “Now?” His voice dropped to a low, cold whisper.

“Now we move on to the part where I teach you why you should never have doubted me in the first place.”

“Try not to die.”

BOOM!

A deafening shockwave echoed through the clearing as Arkanos’s boot connected with Abaddon’s abdomen.

The sheer force of the impact caused the ground beneath them to fracture, sending cracks snaking outward.

Abaddon was launched backward with incredible velocity, the air rippling in his wake.

The shockwave flattened the grass, uprooted shrubs, and shook nearby trees violently, causing the wet leaves and branches to rain down like a sudden storm.

The impact didn’t stop there—Abaddon’s body collided with a tree, CRACK, shattering it in half before he was sent careening into another, and then another. THUD! CRASH!

When he finally stopped, he crumpled to the ground in a heap, gasping for air. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the ground beneath him. He coughed violently, a fresh spray of black inky liquid spewing forth.

“This… My ribs are broken…” Abaddon muttered, his voice trembling.

His hand clutched at his side, his fingers trembling as they pressed against his shattered armor.

“Does he… really mean it? Is he truly going to kill me?”

In the distance, the sound of footsteps approached. The crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot sent a chill through Abaddon’s battered body.

“Wow,” Arkanos’s voice called out. “You’re holding up pretty well. A human would’ve passed out long ago from injuries like these. Ruptured organs, shattered ribs…”

He paused, letting the words sink in as he emerged from the shadows, his smile as wicked as ever.

“I guess divine beings really are built different.”

The instantly closed the diatnece between them again.

He crouched slightly, tilting his head with an almost playful expression.

“Good. That just means I can keep going. After all, I did promise you pain, didn’t I?” His grin widened. “And I am a man of my word.”

Abaddon’s fingers dug into the dirt beneath him as he silently cursed.

‘He’s a monster.’

WHOOSH!

Arkanos moved again, his fist slamming into Abaddon’s chest like a cannonball. The ground beneath them exploded outward, dirt and rocks flying into the air as another shockwave rippled through the clearing.

Abaddon’s body was thrown skyward this time, his arms flailing uselessly as he soared above the treetops. BOOM! Another attack—Arkanos appeared above him, driving his heel into Abaddon’s back, sending him plummeting toward the earth like a meteor.

CRASH!

Abaddon slammed into the ground, the impact creating a massive crater. Dust and debris billowed upward, obscuring the scene for a moment. His body trembled as he tried to push himself up, only for Arkanos to appear beside him once again.

WHAM!

A brutal kick to the side sent Abaddon tumbling through the dirt, his body bouncing like a ragdoll. He came to a stop, bloodied and groaning, only for another strike to send him flying once more.

THUD!

BOOM!

CRACK!

The clearing was unrecognizable. Trees were snapped in half, the ground was torn apart, and the once-serene forest now looked like a battlefield. Each of Arkanos’s eight strikes was devastating, precise, and merciless.

By the time the final blow landed, Abaddon was barely recognizable. Blood streamed down his face, his once-proud form now a broken, battered shell. He lay sprawled on the ground, his body trembling with pain and exhaustion.

Arkanos approached slowly, his boots crunching against the dirt. Without a word, he placed his foot on Abaddon’s chest, pinning him to the ground. Abaddon winced, the weight of Arkanos’s leg pressing against his broken ribs making him gasp for air.

Arkanos leaned down, his face inches from Abaddon’s. His eyes burned with a cold intense glare.

“Who knew fallen could make such a pitiful expression?” he said. He tilted his head slightly, as if studying a fascinating creature. “I must say, though… it looks good on you.”

Abaddon’s breath hitched. For the first time in his long existence, he felt something he hadn’t in centuries. Fear. Pure, unbridled fear.

The system window appeared with a notification:

〘 ⋄ The player has gotten the king tire title: The Mortal Who Tramples Upon The The. ⋄ 〙

〘 ⋄ Title effects: The player can harm divine beings without the need of a divine arms or blessing. And the effects of attacks made by divine beings against the player will only deal 50% of their orignal damage. The player also has 50% immunity to divine curses or ill prophecies. ⋄ 〙

Seeing this notification Arkanos simply smiled… sinisterly, as he thought.

‘I’m starting to really love this game.’