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

The ground trembled as cracks ripped outward from the towering colossus.

The golden runes across its body pulsed as the layers of rock encasing it began to fracture.

CRACK.

A deep rumble echoed through the battlefield. The air turned heavy.

Then—

BOOOOOM!

The stone shell exploded outward, shards of rock sent hurtling in every direction. From beneath the crumbling stone, a monstrous creature emerged.

A bone dragon.

Its sheer size dwarfed even the giant Arkanos encountered earlier.

Massive wings of decayed bone stretched out, draped in tattered remnants of ancient flesh.

Hollow sockets burned with green flames, and each movement of its jagged spine released a sickening creak.

It let out a thunderous roar—

ROOOAAAAAAAARRRR!

The very heavens quaked, storm clouds spiraling in its wake. The shockwave sent fractured stone slabs flying across the battlefield.

And then—three figures emerged beside the undead beast.

Each of them clad in armor blackened with time, their eyes empty voids, their movements were strenge, like puppets being pulled by strings.

The first wielded a sword, its blade wreathed in a red aura. The heat distorted the air around it, as though reality itself recoiled from its presence.

The second gripped a monstrous battle axe, its jagged edge crackling with a cold blue energy, sending out wisps of frost with every movement.

The third brandished a spear, its slender form bathed in a burning orange radiance, flickering like embers in the wind.

They stepped forward, their lifeless visages locked onto Arkanos.

The dragon's maw opened wide, gathering necrotic energy deep within its core. Swirling tendrils of green and black lightning crackled along its skeletal jaw.

The battle was about to begin.

Meanwhile…

Arkanos did not move.

His eyes glowed, brighter than ever before.

Then—

FWOOM!

His green mana erupted outward, surging into the sky like a rising tide. The sheer force of it sent cracks splintering across the ground, emerald arcs of energy lashing out against the storm-wracked heavens.

From the depths of his power, something manifested.

A towering spectral knight materialized behind him.

Clad in radiant green armor, its form shimmered with ethereal light. Its massive sword, wreathed in pure green flame, pulsed brightly.

And atop its helm…

A crown hovered.

A crown of green energy, exactly like Arkanos' own glowing eyes.

The knight's presence alone sent ripples through the battlefield, forcing the very air to bow before it.

Arkanos lifted his own axe.

The spectral knight copied him, raising its titanic sword.

The towering spectral knight stood high above the battlefield, its sheer size making everything else seem insignificant.

Even the colossal undead dragon, a being of legend, seemed small in its presence.

The knight's emerald armor gleamed, its blade pulsing with boundless energy, casting an emerald glow over the ruined land.

And then—

Thud.

Herald saw this and collapsed to his knees.

His face was pale, his breath uneven, his mind struggling to comprehend what stood before him. His voice quivered.

"H—How…? His level… isn't even in the three hundreds! How can he manifest something like that?! And with such… such dense mana?!"

Kamel remained seated, outwardly calm, yet a single bead of cold sweat trailed down his temple.

Vakemore's bony fingers tightened around his staff as he spoke.

"This… should not be possible. For a mere human to release such vast amounts of mana from his body… to sustain it… This is beyond anything recorded in history."

Kamel inhaled slowly before speaking, his voice measured but firm.

"Will the dragon be enough to destroy him—despite the size difference?"

Vakemore hesitated. His hollow eyes flickered with uncertainty before he finally muttered,

"It is… a possibility."

Kamel gritted his teeth as he tried to increase the intensity of his spell, causing the black sun to increase in size.

A chuckle echoed through the chamber.

But it did not come from any of them.

It came from Arkanos.

His voice resounded across the entirety of the ashen peaks.

"Clinging to false hope will get you nowhere."

And then, he called out to the system, "System equip the Abyssforged Sovereign Armor I bought from the shop earlier."

〘 ⋄ Command received. Equipping: Abyssforged Sovereign Armor. ⋄ 〙

〘 ⋄ Warning: To equip this armor, Limit Break must be activated. Proceed? ⋄ 〙

Arkanos' eyes burned brighter. His aura surged, the ground beneath him fracturing further.

"Proceed."

〘 ⋄ Activating Limit Break… ⋄ 〙

A pulse of energy erupted from his body—one so vast, so overwhelming, that the very sky seemed to split apart.

The wooden armor covering Arkanos' body shattered into splinters, exploding outward in a burst of raw energy. A dark presence consumed the battlefield as a new armor covered his body—Abyssforged Sovereign Armor.

Pitch black, the armor seemed to drink in the surrounding light, as if devouring the very essence of the world itself.

Jagged edges lined its shoulder guards, beautiful engravings of eldritch origin pulsing with dark energy. His flowing green mana turned completely black, warping and twisting unnaturally.

From beneath his visor, his eyes no longer shone their usual emerald. Instead, they gleamed silver—cold, emotionless, and terrifyingly intense.

Kamel staggered. Then—

Splurt!

He coughed up blood, clutching his chest as he fell to one knee.

Vakemore and Herald turned toward him in alarm.

"Lord Kamel!" Vakemore rasped. "What's happening?"

Herald's voice was frantic. "What's wrong with you?!"

Kamel wiped the blood from his lips, his expression grim.

"His mana…" His breathing was ragged. "It keeps rising… I—I don't think I can suppress it anymore…!"

The pressure in the air thickened to an unbearable degree. Even the earth groaned beneath the weight of Arkanos' presence.

Arkanos chuckled darkly, his voice echoing across the battlefield like a death knell.

"Did you fools not notice the walls I erected around this area?"

His silver gaze swept over them, amusement dancing in those cold, piercing eyes.

"Did you never wonder why I did such a thing?"

The air trembled.

"It was so my prey wouldn't escape."

Kamel clenched his fists, his breathing labored. His lips trembled as he whispered under his breath.

"He's… a monster."

Arkanos slowly ascended into the air, his body levitating with grace. The massive spectral knight behind him moved in perfect harmony, its colossal form shifting as if it were merely an extension of his will.

Then—

ROOOAAAAARRRR!

The undead dragon let out another deafening roar, its decayed wings stretching wide as it lunged forward. Its massive skeletal jaws parted, a concentrated core of necrotic energy forming between its fangs.

But—

Ssshhhhnk!

The knight's titanic blade swung in an arc.

A streak of green-black energy carved through the sky.

Then—

SLASH!

The dragon froze mid-attack.

Its glowing green eyes flickered.

A clean diagonal cut ran across its body from its shoulder down to its ribs. The dragon's entire frame trembled—before it was suddenly split in half.

BOOOOOM!

The sheer force of the attack sent both halves of the massive undead beast crashing to the ground, a colossal dust cloud erupting in its wake. Its putrid green flames flickered violently before being snuffed out entirely.

Silence.

Then—

CRUNCH!

The knight's enormous boot came down crashing.

SQUELCH!

The three knights with their enchanted weapons—the sword-wielder, the axe-bearer, and the spear-user—were instantly flattened beneath the massive foot of the spectral warrior.

Their weapons, so feared and revered, shattered like brittle twigs.

Their bodies—once puppeted by an unseen force—ceased to move entirely, nothing more than broken remnants crushed into the dirt.

Arkanos' voice echoed.

"Tell me, Herald… was this really your plan?"

Herald could only stare in horror.

A chill ran down his spine.

His entire being screamed at him to run. But where? The walls Arkanos erected ensured there was no escape.

Vakemore took a shaky step backward. Kamel wiped the remaining blood from his lips, his mind racing for a countermeasure—but none came.

They were trapped.

Arkanos did not wait for an answer.

His gaze shifted toward the once-magnificent temple—now reduced to little more than a crumbling fortress.

The ancient structure loomed ahead, its stone pillars barely holding against the overwhelming energy saturating the battlefield.

Arkanos exhaled.

And then—

He moved forward.

Each step he took sent ripples through the ground, the very land bending to his will.

Herald staggered back, his breath uneven, his mind racing for a way out of this nightmare. His gaze darted around, then back at Arkanos, who loomed above like an executioner ready to deliver judgment.

Then, desperation took hold.

"If you take another step," Herald shouted, his voice cracking, "I will kill Kaela!"

A tense silence followed.

Vakemore's skeletal fingers tightened around his staff, his hollow gaze flickering with something unreadable. Kamel, still struggling against the immense pressure of Arkanos' mana, turned toward Herald with a questioning look—but said nothing.

Arkanos halted.

For a moment, there was no reaction. No shift in expression. No change in posture.

Then—

A chuckle.

Low. Amused.

But dripping with something far more sinister.

"Go ahead," Arkanos said, his voice smooth, almost inviting.

The silver glow in his visor intensified, casting a piercing light over the battlefield.

"I dare you."

The air grew heavier.

"Go ahead and try."

A faint hum of energy crackled around his armored frame, tendrils of black mana licking at the scorched earth beneath him.

"Death will be the least of your worries if you do."

Herald stiffened.

A shiver ran down his spine, cold and paralyzing.

His grip on his blade trembled.

For the first time he felt something he had not experienced in years.

Terror.

Arkanos was not bluffing.

If he so much as touched Kaela, what awaited him would be something far worse than death.

Herald knew it.

And so, he hesitated.

That was all Arkanos needed.

A sharp gust of wind howled through the temple ruins as Arkanos moved.

He did not sprint.

He did not teleport.

He simply vanished.

And then—

BOOOOOM!

The roof of the temple was ripped open.

Jagged chunks of ancient stone were torn away like brittle parchment, sent flying into the sky before crashing down across the battlefield.

Dust and debris swirled in a violent storm as Arkanos reached inside the crumbling structure, his massive armored hand descending upon its target.

Then—

SNAP!

He closed his fingers around her.

Kaela.

His consort.

Unconscious. But untouched.

With ease, he lifted her from the depths of the temple's ruins, cradling her within his abyssal grip. The dark energy surrounding him pulsed as his gaze returned to Herald.

The message was clear.

She was no longer in danger.

But he was.

Herald took a step back, panic flooding his mind.

He had lost his leverage.

And now…

Now, he had only one thing left to do.

Run.